June 2020

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Sange skal være så gode, at du vil være bekendt at vise dem til Bob Dylan..

Eller dine idoler….Ordene blev sagt i dag af J. Wagner live fra Austin i Texas, en by præget af uroligheder lige nu.

Jeg havde en 45 mins online video talk med ham i aften live. Johann cowriter bl.a. sange med Gregory Alan Isakov – og er selv en fremragende guitarist og entertainer samt danselærer!

Johan fortæller om at lave sangskriver retreat i Texas.
Om hvordan uroligheder kan blive til symbolsprog i sange.
Om hvordan vi arbejdede med sangen “Foreign Pines” fra Albummet Simple Matters.
Og endelig om anekdoter brugt på et af hans albums “The Runaway Kid” – som syvårig kørte Johann med sin 13-årige søster og en lillesøster og hund i forældrenes bil hjemmefra, og kørte forkert vej mod Idaho.

Hør mere ved at gå på Instagram @mettemusic
Klik her:
lnkd.in/g99ETps

Hav en god aften

How the song Foreign Pines – Frie Fyr was made by Mette Kirkegaard & Johann Wagner Live Talk

Foreign Pines – Frie Fyr – bag om sangen – et Austin-København samarbejde – lyt til Instagram Live Talk @mettemusic med Mette Kirkegaard & Johann Wagner. Austin Time: 11 Am/ Brussel / Copenhagen time onsdag 10. Juni kl. 18 på Instagram @mettemusic

Tekst fra booklet i albummet Simple Matters

Sange kan være enestående.

Det er min overbevisning, at hvis begge personer, kan lide hinandens arbejde, så kan en stor sang fødes. Ligeså vel er sangens lyrik som børn, man skal elske – de ligger ni måneder I din mave, før de fødes og finder med den rette opmærksomhed ud af, hvor de hører hjemme i en given komposition.

Det lyder lidt skørt at sammenligne sange med babyer. Og i dette tilfælde ville babyen have ligget 18 måneder i min mave. Ikke desto mindre er det den tid, som det kan tage at finde ind til sangens kærnesjæl og afslutte et lille mesterværk. Og selv efter denne tid, er sangen endnu ikke blevet fremført.

Da jeg traf J. Wagner i Austin, Texas, beundrede jeg ham for hans sange og evner som storyteller. Han mindede mig om Bob Dylan, tilsat Leonard Cohens tankefulde anekdoter. Han akkompagnerede også sig selv virkelig godt på guitar.

Han ledsagede mig på scenen under en showcase i Austin, den var arrangeret af Matt The Electrician. Heldigvis enedes vi om at mødes igen og cowrite en sang.

På dette tidspunkt havde vi intet clue om, hvad sangen ville udvikle sig til.

Jeg havde hidtil udgivet sange i genren Nordic Americana. En succesfuld ep Dry Wood produceret i Berlin af Brio T. Jeg ønskede en sang i samme fortællende univers.

En første kladde til Foreign Pines kom på papiret i april 2015. Det skete som del af mit ophold i sangskriverhuset: The House of Songs i Austin.

How I created Foreign Pines with J. Wagner, Austin

Foto: Mette Kirkegaard og J. Wagner, The House of Songs, Austin, Texas

Johann besøgte mig I huset til en halvanden times session. Vi sad i stuen med to guitarer og med udsigt til et flygel.

Jeg medbragte nogle ideer om summer skies, clouds og rainy days driving up towards New York. Minder om roadtrips.

Johanns arbejdsmetode er anderledes end min. Hver gang jeg tænkte: “okay, så er teksten klar!” – besluttede han at lade kladden vente.

Efter vores første møde, ventede jeg på en ny chance for at skrive videre på sangen.

Johann turnerede i Danmark nogle måneder senere sammen med M.C. Hansen, en dansk singer-songwriter, som laver americana sessions.

Da de kom tilbage fra landet, mødtes vi til en session I det centrale København I Fiolstræde på mit kontor, I et hyggeligt retroindrettet sted med gamle sprossede hvide ruder.

Lyden fra gaden er tydelig. Men det er hyggeligt at lytte til en harmonikaspiller, som ofte står nede foran i gaden.

Sangen begyndte at tage form:

Efter vi havde arbejder videre på sangen, beholdt jeg den nye, anden kladde og håbede, vi snart kunne blive enige om indholdet. For denne anden session, skrev jeg et vers 2, som jeg var ret glad for. Johann – ventede stadig, og det forekom at være hans metode I sangskrivningsprocessen.

Hej, Johan, mailede jeg, efter Johan var fløjet hjem til Austin. Her er sangen, plus vi indspillede to memofiler. Teksten jeg har er fra maj. Tror du ændrede den lidt derefter. God weekend. Ciao fra Mette

Hey Johan

Here is the song from August….

Think we recorded two files….

The text I have is from May – I think you changed it thereafter…

Enjoy your weekend!

Ciao

Mette

…

Johann faciliteter en årlig sangskriver camp i USA. En række sangskriver kommer med for at hente inspiration og skrive nye sange. Der er venteliste til hans kursus hvert år, så der trækkes lod om pladserne.

Altmens ventede jeg ogsåJ Og vi havde stadig ikke noget andet vers.

August version

Be my midnight

Drove out to the eastcoast

from a small town along the gulf

to the praire winds and hightowns

to the fields of the falling oaks

it aint easy when youre living

begging for bread, and scraps and stones

we flipped a coin for st. Francis

and then we waited for the storm

oh be my darling, be your midnight

be my bread and Ill be your wine

be my clear skies

be my northstar

if we drift apart

yeah if we drift apart

by J. Wagner/Mette Kirkegaard

some notes as well was attached:

Be my lantern

– Ill be the laughter

youll bring the morning

and xxx come afterxxx…

Jeg havde nu sendt filerne fra vores møde i København, den anden kladde:

I noticed that we were working around verse 1 and chorus, and C-part (midnight part) but we lacked a second verse. So I came up with the idea of an an image of the pleasure of diving into the deep dark past.

It ain’t heavy to fall tender

Into the darkness of a wound

It reminds me of the wonder

The high of feeling good

Og kun et år senere, da jeg vendte tilbage til Austin, Oktober 2016, brugte vi det. Johann var nu klar til at indlemme de resterende andet vers-linjer. Der blev også rettet mere til i teksten. Og sangens titel skriftede fra Be My Midnight til Foreign Fields til den endelige sangtitel: Foreign Pines.

Vi sluttede med at indspille sangen i Patrick Herzfeld´s studio in Austin, Texas, hvor jeg var I gang med at indspille et album. Du kan høre sangen Foreign Pines på albummet “Simple Matters”. LINK

Foreign Pines

– den endelige version

By Mette Kirkegaard and Johann Wagner

We drove out to the East coast

In a swirl of a summerskie

To the prairie winds and the poor towns

To the wet fields of the foreign pines

It ain’t easy when you’re living

Begging for bread out on your own

We struck a match for St. Francis

And then we waited for the storm

Oh Honey we were rambling and gambling

We were both falling on our shields

We were hungry and shameless

Like all lovers like to be

It ain’t heavy to fall tender

Into the darkness of a wound

It reminds me of the wonder

The high of feeling good

We went searching for the thunder

But all we found was rain

We left your coat in the diner

Along with all the change

Oh Honey we were digging and ticking

We were both falling on our shields

We were hungry and shameless

Like all lovers like to be

Oh be my darling

Be my midnight

Be my grapes

And be my wine

Be my lantern

Be my stranger

Be my laughter

And my lies

Oh Honey we were rambling and gambling

We were both falling on our shields

We were hungry and shameless

Like all lovers like to be

Og senere fik jeg ideen til at lave den danske version:

Frie fyre – Foreign Pines 2018 (J. Wagner/Mette Kirkegaard)

Kørte ud langs kysten

i en sværm af sommerskyer

ud af prærievinden ud af udkantsbyer

til de våde marker og de frie fyre

det ikke så let at leve

du må be til dagens dont

vi tændte lys for frans assisis

og så ventede vi på storm

åh elskede vi rakkede og gamblede /hustlede og tossede

vi faldt begge om på vores skjold

vi var skamløst sultne

som elskende til sold

det ikke tungt at falde blidt

ned i den mørke revne i et gammelt sår

det vækker noget så vidunderligt

vi var høje på glæden der forgår

Vi tog ud for at søge torden

men alt vi fandt var regn

du lod din cotton coat blive i cafeen

og så ventede vi på et vekslende tegn

Oh elskede vi hustlede og droslede

vi faldt begge på vores skjold

vi var skamløst sultne

som elskende til sold

Kom vær min elsker

vær mit midnat

vær mine druer

og min vin

vær min lanterne

vær min fremmed

være min latter

og løgnene min’

Oversættelse Foreign Pines 2018

Foreign Pines – Frie Fyr – bag om sangen – et Austin-København samarbejde – lyt til Instagram Live Talk Spotify @mettemusicmed Mette Kirkegaard & Johann Wagner. Austin Time: 11 Am/ Brussel / Copenhagen time onsdag 10. Juni kl. 18 på

En sang kan være lang tid på vej, men med de rette ord og musik, kan den virkelig sætte bevægelse igang og røre mennesker. Lyt med live på instagram @mettemusic

A short creative workshop – designed to help you move in(to) leadership.

What is time? How do we spend our time? How to get the most work done in the shortest time is a crucial question for companies. My workshop explores that question in a creative way.

By Mette H Kirkegaard (MA in Rhetoric) – writer, musician and move´n yoga instructor.

I have developed the skill of moving people with my words and music and with more than 2,000 hours of yoga and 500 hours of 5Rhythms dance experience, I was suddenly invited (without any time for preparation) to deliver a workshop in creative leadership. It was great fun and such a success that I’d like to tell you about it and, hopefully, repeat it one day.

We are in a large room, in groups of four or five. One woman is sitting. Another starts to move just her elbow. The music begins. People move their bodies in their own time and way. They move around this big, grey, empty industrial space until the music stops and a new lesson starts.

This first experience of working with people in leadership positions was at the Welfare in the Making Conference, an innovative initiative led by Public Entrereneurship, New Movement, Copenhagen Business School, CBS. The 25 adults I guided through movement, rhythm and time all held management positions in different companies. Through this workshop, our movements introduced us to each other in a new way. The participants gained an insight into the rhythms of life through dance and developed an awareness of how our feelings about the perception of time can differ.

Participants were introduced to the 5Rhythms movement developed by Gabrielle Roth. This inspires people of all ages, myself included, to be more open to life and, in this case, our understanding of time. We all danced our own steps which unfolded within five rhythms. In the workshop, participants could move all or just some parts of their bodies – a dance wasn’t expected, just movement.

I asked someone from the group to share a task that was urgent to them. One female particpant mentioned a problem centred around time – having enough time for her job. Next, I asked the participants to move to five music rhythms while being more aware of time.

The music followed a group – people found that time is more than ‘time’

I used Roth’s rhythm ideals as inspiration for the group. However, the way I applied the rhythms to is different from dancing rhythms. It’s disruptive. For example, only one group received music that directly fitted the rhythm. Buddha Bar music. During the workshop, I used a mix of modern classical, house and new age rhythms. One group had the music that works best with the movement called flow. At the same time, other participants had different sounds yet had to move to the same rhythm. It seems disruptive and does present a challenge to the brain.

After their movements, each group discussed what associations they had experienced through the dance. One participant mentioned: limitation / restriction. Another thought about the sky while a third realised that time is different from hour to hour throughout the day. The discovery of how differently we perceive time led the participants to discover that there are several ways to go about their leadership roles.

The creative leadership path is a good way to step out of comfort zones such as, for example, when a company wants a shift away from fixed ideas about processes. Movement creates curiosity and new ways of achieveing company goals. Going to work becomes more conscious.

The participants concluded that time is so much more than ‘time’.

Here´s what one participant said about experiencing curiosity and everyday management:

“It was both disruptive and emergent at the same time, setting small and big thoughts in motion. One of the effects arising from the welfare action day, “Creative Leadership” (Mette Kirkegaard) was a recognition.

When challenged a little, the body’s movements moved to a frontier between conventionally-bound social performances, and more aesthetic / playful performances (into the disruptive and emergent field).

These movements can create a new amazement or a potential awakening.

(The next associations were in the same direction as Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘Blockhead Hans’ and the word, serendipity.)

And … basically all one needs is to be able to breathe and to have a body that can be moved (which is presumably easier said than done for many leaders.”

– Marcelo Ibanez, Deputy at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Metropol

To find out more about this course:

CONTACT

Mette H. Kirkegaard

+4561701864

skype: angelicmoves

instagram: @mettemusic