Preparing For Art

Today, I carried a folding table about a mile down a steep hill through freezing rain and cold winds then up 2 flights of stairs and I did it in order to have a place to draw at home. That might sound a little crazy to some people, but I've been taking a self-paced online art class for the past few months because I really want to learn to draw the ideas in my head. I've been writing a show called Virgin Mother of Five after binge-watching Korean melodramas on Netflix the first time our nation went into lockdown. I think I'll release the series as an audiobook while learning to draw a bit better, but eventually the show's going to be on Amazon Prime video. I'll let you know how I get on with this new creative adventure.

We're just about to reach the end of 2020 and in the new year, I'll begin a new project with my friends Scott, Sophie, Sebastian and Ryan. We've been working hard for the past few months to have stuff ready before January, that way we'll always be a few weeks ahead of the weekly song. I hope you'll tune into Spotify and have a listen to the weekly tunes

Back in 2011, I set my mind on learning to play the guitar and piano fluidly enough to write and sing the songs that were in my head. I managed to do that, but you won't hear any of my instrumental music in Project Undeniable in 2021 because Scott is creating a library of his own instrumental works based on my original ideas and songs.

It's interesting how I value and respect the need of different creatives to express their skills and talents in their own way. A few years ago, I was far more precious about my songs, now I enjoy sharing and developing them with friends. I like seeing the visual representation of what my songs mean to others through Sophie's artistic eyes. It reminds me of Robert Frost when he wrote The Road Not Taken as a joke about a friend of his who was notoriously indecisive about which path to follow on their rambles in the woods, but people immediately picked up on deeper, more meaningful insights even though Robert Frost himself couldn't see it for the longest time.

I have copies of all the original materials I sent to Scott, but we've also agreed to keep the originals in the same electronic folders as the final versions of our collaborations, that way should any of this music break through, the purists can dig up the original songs that were the inspiration and guidebook for the commercial releases. I've always loved the Ray Charles' version of You Don't Know Me, but I read that Eddy Arnold told the story to a friend who happened to be a songwriter and she put the story into song for him to record. I went on to add that song to a Spotify playlist called Feel Better - Holiday Grudge Songs.

I wrote a song called Holding Onto Grudges, but it's probably not what you would immediately think it's about. The song is uplifting and real. I put it on the playlist with songs like Let's Give Them Something To Talk About and Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer because grudges come in all shapes and sizes. It's good to acknowledge them before letting them pass through and fade away. Have a listen to my playlist while you're out and about walking off your grudges... sadness... hurt or anger and you just might feel a lot better by the time you get back home because holding onto grudges really is no way to live your life.

I get knocked down... but I get up again!

Love and kind thoughts from England,

Rhonda

Finally Arriving is a feel-good tune we all need sometimes

Finally Arriving is coming out on September 28th. It's a feel-good song by Rhonda Merrick. We all need that sometimes. Subculture Soundsystem does a lot of electronic music for clubs and dance venues. It's a pretty cool fusion of singer/songwriter meets electronic dance grooves. Hope you like it. This song is fun, upbeat and overflowing with good vibes.

Finally Arriving Lyrics

Oh why, do I feel this way?

Oh why, do I feel this way?

It's like trying to hold sunshine in my hand.

Like holding more happiness than I can stand.

It's like finally arriving in the promise land.

Finally arriving.

The song will get your toes tappling and your head will start nodding to the beat... it just makes you feel better for a little while. For more uplifting, hard-hitting, make you feel good or make you think sort of music, be sure to follow Rhonda's Spotify page. She's working with her team of producers to create 52, YES, 52 songs in a single year. It's going to be an interesting journey.

Project Undeniable

To celebrate her upcoming birthday, the singer /songwriter is producing some of her songs own songs, partnering with Clive Austin of Subculture Soundsystems as well as indie producer Pete Askew of Soundcraft Audio. The New Orleans singer/songwriter describes this as 'A deeply creative time in my life' as she sets her sights on have 52 original songs recorded to broadcast quality from October 24th 2020 through October 24th 2021.

#dance #newmusic #uplifting #feelgoodtunes

Project Undeniable

Rhonda Merrick and her team of producers will be churning out 52 original songs from October to October in a veritable flood of creativity. The singer/songwriter has joined up with Clive Austen of Subculture Soundsystems to add a unique fusion of electronic dance grooves to her often thought-provoking lyrics. She also plans to produce and release some of her songs herself whilst partnering with Pete Askew of Soundcraft Audio on an eclectic range of songs from minimalised and industrial to modern Country. All in all this is one interesting project and that's undeniable. See what just happened there?

My365 Project

Fifty two songs is a calkwalk compared to releasing a song a day for an entire year! However, the two projects are very different. Back in 2011, when the singer/songwriter successfully completed a song-a-day-in-a-year, her aim was to chart a journey of discovery as a musician. This was the year she taught herself to play guitar and piano fluently, it was the year she learned the basics of DIY music production and social media, it was the year she learned how to create and look after a website. It was a long, difficult but uniquely satisfying year.

Project Undeniable

Fast forward to 2020 and the goal is completely different:

• Record and release 52 songs to broadcast quality

• Organise collaborative teams of people and stay on task to meet the goal as a group

• Create a body of works which adequately represents the singer/songwriters range of songwriting abilities.

• Create vocal and instrumental music that can be used in the film and TV projects she's written or co-written.

It's undeniable that Rhonda Merrick can write a lot of songs, but can she write good songs? Can she write the sort of songs that people want to listen to? These questions can only be answered if the finished songs exist and are made available for you to listen to. We hope you like at least some of what you hear.

Stay In The Loop

Love listening to #Spotify? Good news!

You can keep track of the entire Project Undeniable by following Rhonda Merrick on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe to this blog too. You might win free stuff! (#prizes #music #singer) There's a #feelgood song on this blog called Finally Arriving. If you like upbeat, makes you feel better kind of music, then you should definitely check it out. Click here to have a listen to Finally Arriving. See you next time!

Rhonda's Team :0)