No wasted seconds. Chasing the sounds in between the sounds.
Performing live is what it is all about. I love the song writing process, but playing original music for a crowd, trying to bring out the feeling I had when I wrote the song, is the best feeling. For me, the songwriting process is putting my heart on a platter with a knife and fork. Performing it, is handing that platter to the audience.
I play a variety of instruments, but when I am playing out, it is just me and my guitar. I feel like I got a late start playing. I was 21 when I went to a Dave Matthews concert and had no idea who he was. I was in the third row, and was just blown away. After that, I got an old guitar from my mother’s attic, restrung it, and started chasing and recreating sounds I heard on those early DMB CDs. Once I found those sounds, I was able to take things in new directions. I still play like that. You give me a little taste of a song, and I’ll figure the rest out. It’s like that with song writing. I get that feeling, and the process is underway. There are songs in my head that I’ve been writing for years, then others that will bloom into something in 5 minutes. I love the mystery and challenge of song writing.
I keep writing and playing because I am chasing a feeling. I am looking for the sounds in between the sounds. In my music, I want there to be no wasted seconds. In my songwriting, I search for the most creative way to tell a story. I like to write songs that are ambiguous enough that everyone can relate, but that are still personal to me. I realize that will be a life’s worth of work. I recognize that it is something I will always fight for.
The photo is from a shoot my wife took to get some pics of me and my 1953 K guitar. The guitar is a beast to play, but it is a favorite. My wife caught me laughing, and it is me exposed, vulnerable. It means a lot.
There is a lot of really great talent here in the Roanoke area. I’ve had the privilege to play with some incredibly talented musicians, and the Meskos (Brian and Melissa) are at the top of that list. The music scene is growing in great ways, and I hope to be a part of bringing something new to the region.
Kris Piemonte, local musician and songwriter