1.The First Song I Wrote
It was called (ahem) ‘Deeply You’. And yes, it was a love song to a teenage romance… at least, I was a teenager. “I always wanted to tell you how much I miss you when you’re gone / But somehow I only remember when I’m alone”. I think those might be the least cringeworthy lines.
2.The Last Song I Released
Paul Curreri and I just released a Devo cover, ‘Girl U Want’, when we found out we’re having a girl. Before that, a demo of a song I wrote for my dead cat Clover. And before that, a live track from a show I played in Nova Scotia with my friend-band Bernice. I’m working on a new collection of songs now called The Gold String. “I’m imagining a golden string that is connecting / Everything but especially, beings where love has been. / I’ve imagined it again and again so often / It isn’t even imagining, it is making it happen.”
3. Songwriting Secrets
I usually start with a few lines, then see if I can fit some of them to music. The lines often change when I do that. My initial melody ideas are usually pretty dumb, so I use the guitar to remind me of notes I’ve forgotten, or to come up with melodies that have wider or closer jumps. And I record everything obsessively as I go, so I don’t forget anything, and so I feel more productive.
4. The Song That Makes Me Proud
I have a couple songs that get requested more than others – ‘Old Virginia Block’ and ‘Plea For A Good Night’s Rest’. I think they’re both pretty good, it’s just that they were written a long time ago, so their vibe is pretty different to what I’m writing and listening to now. One thing people might not know about songs like that? I referenced a John Hartford song, ‘Big Blue Balloon’, in ‘Old Virginia Block’. Now that – ‘Big Blue Balloon’ – is a great song.
5. The Song That Changed My Life
Do you know that song ‘Kiss Of Fire’? I used to sing it all the time as a vocal warm-up. I’m still not sure I’ve ever heard a recorded version, which might be why it feels so special. A woman named Rajal taught it to me while walking through a cow field at Twin Oaks, the intentional community where I grew up.
[Devon Sproule photo by Paul Curreri]
Devon Sproule playsThe Gasoline Pony on Thursday April 21.
