John Condron, a king of Joliet’s music scene, has much in the way of wisdom for fellow musicians and creatives. Here are two lessons I quickly learned from listening to his music and reading about him:
Lesson 1: it pays to play out your new material for a period of time–tweaking songs as you go–before recording and releasing them. The results of doing this are self-evident in John Condron & the Old Gang Orchestra’s new album, Dead Tree.
In his article, Beauty in the Distance: The Songs and Prayers of John Condron, David Masciorta tells us that:
“[Condron] spent the past two years auditioning [songs for Dead Tree] as works-in-progress for his loyal following Joliet, surrounding suburbs, and clubs like Uncommon Ground and the Tonic Room in Chicago.”
“Dead Tree,” the title track of the album, starts with drums plodding along, steady and solo, reminding listeners of workers marching through mud in cumbersome boots. Then, Condron’s silvery acoustic slithers in, bringing along with it, a bright ensemble of horns, which elicit a sense of happiness to what, from listening the lyrics, is a miserable, yet hopeful circumstance.
The lyrics are rapt in the desperation and disappointment of a monotonous labor that yields fruitless result, as the chorus exclaims:
Pulling up a dead tree,
Filling in a hole;
Working from the morning way down into the night.
Find yourself a new seed,
You’re reaping what you sow;
Takes a little time a little time to get it right,
Takes a little time a little time to get it right.
Yet, there is a lesson here as well, which takes us to…
Lesson 2: Whether it’s planting trees, working on projects, or putting together new music, what John sings is true: It takes a little time to get it right.
So, don’t rush your musical and creative endeavors too much. Be willing to work, re-work, start over, share with your audience, tweek, and start over again. Eventually, you’ll get it right.
As for John Condron’s new album: Dead Tree, it’s safe to say his patience and dedication have resulted in a masterfully crafted record that should make the Joliet and the Chicagoland area music scene proud.