Modern-day bard

I write songs all the time, that’s no secret anymore. Along the way I have been asked several times how can I write so much. Well, you see, as I mentioned so many times before, a lot of it has to do with turning up to write in the first place. But the more you write, the more you start to feel like a vessel. You feel like your job is to bring perspective into things you see in the world around you.

Yeah, writing about tragic events can be a dangerous game. It is so easy to slip into using clichés, and the results will not have the desired effect. You see as a songwriter you want to make people think. And if all the listener can do is cringe or laugh, we have failed, unless comedy is what we aim for of course.

But when you have mastered the basics, you hit the point where you see something that evokes a strong emotion, and not writing about it is not an option anymore. You feel it is your responsibility to do so. You are the modern-day bard that records the events and relates them to people even after we all have become numb to the images in the news.

This is why I think art in all of its forms is so important. When we are supposed to take an analytical look at any situation, the artist can introduce empathy or show as a different perspective. So why artist? Because by the nature we are wired just that little bit different. We have desire to express our emotions in a way that can be easier for the rest of the people to digest. In a way through the art we give you permission to feel and digest those feelings. We are the outlet for everyone else.

In the celtic mythology bards played an important part in the society. History was not allowed to be written down, as the writers interpretation could be miss understood. So the bards wrote songs and poems about the events, that were passed down generations. The celebrity status of a musician has been reasonably late introduction in history, before this being a musician was a profession, a well-respected profession.

And now, unless we fit the stereotypical concept of “fame”, we are considered somewhat of a dreamers. I’ve been told before to “get a job.” But even though there are people out there who do not see the value in what artists do, I will keep walking this unknown path in the new music industry. For every doubter there is a believer as well. There are many of you who see the value in the work of the modern-day bards.

J.P.

The author J.P. Kallio is a singer songwriter
To get EIGHT of his songs for free go HERE