Wade in the Water (I Think I Know What You Started)

Always For Me

Zach and Sal Episode 2

Zach and Sal Episode 1

What You Do To My Heart

So I do this thing where I go back and listen to a bunch of my old songs, pouring over each one, borderline obsessively.  I don't do this because I'm in love with myself (Kanye. DOWN BOY.) but because my creative mind is almost always hearing new things each time I listen to the tune.  New ideas form, or old ones get cut.  It's truly one of my favorite parts of the creative process!
Anyway,
I wrote this a while back and released it as a single.  I hope you enjoy it!

Perspective: Creative Greatness

What does it really take to be a great songwriter?  Not just a good one, but a GREAT one.  I don't think the answer is the same for every songwriter.  Each of us has our own unique sounds and lyrical ideas, so it would be impossible for all of us to share the same idea of "greatness".  And let me be clear about the term "greatness".  I'm not looking at this through a "I wanna be gloriously famous and in the lime light for all of eternity" lens.  Greatness is not always seen by the public eye.
For me, being a great songwriter means looking through the eyes of someone else.  It means empathizing with what they might be feeling in their circumstances.  If it's pain, trying to understand it, crafting those emotions in to lyrics.  If it's joy, grabbing on to that, forming it in to a melody.

Much of the time we can become locked in to our own life experiences.  We forget that there is an entire world of creative inspiration right in front of us just waiting to be tapped in to.  So plug in!  Create a story line in your head, maybe even write it out, and then try to transfer it in to a song.  Use your creative muscles to break out of your usual box and try something different.

Here is a song I wrote back in 2009.  While the song sounds as though I'm singing from my own perspective, I actually wrote it with a dear friend in mind.  They were in the midst of a battle with their self image and the truth of who God created them to be.  I walked with them as a support beam, but it was hard to see them experiencing so much pain.  I imagined myself in their shoes, and composed this song.  Fast forward to today and I've found that this song rings truer now in my own heart than when I originally wrote it.

Zach Trandum Presents: I'm So In Love With You

Just a couple years ago I composed this little ditty.  Coffee in hand, surrounded by the walls of our cozy little apartment, my 12 year old Mac working it's tail of to do pretty much anything.  This isn't even close to a finished product, but I came across it in my archives fairly recently and fell in love with the song all over again.

You and I: An Original Song by Zach Trandum (Featuring Sarah Trandum)

I have some pretty amazing people in my life.  God has richly blessed me with family and friends that have loved me enough to not only walk with me and rejoice in the good times, but to call me on my crap in the tougher times.  The single greatest, most amazing (and super hot) person in my life is my incredible wife, Sarah.  When I step back and look at the gift God gave me in her I am, quite literally, speechless.  And that's saying a lot because I like words lol.  This girl sharpens me, encourages me, challenges me, recharges me, along with so many other things.  And to top it off, just when I thought things couldn't get any better, she gave me a daughter.  Did I mention she's smoke'n hot? Cuz yeah, she is.  BONUS!!!!
Back in 2009, right when Sarah and I started dating, I was the worship pastor of a small church in Mount Vernon Washington.  Sarah would drive more than 2 hours to come visit me.  On one particular afternoon I was in the church neck deep in a songwriting session.  When she arrived I was getting ready to lay down a scratch track for my records.  Knowing that she's had quite a bit of musical experience and training herself, I asked Sarah to sing with me on the tune.  It took her all of 2 minutes to latch on to the melody, find the harmonies, and remember the lyrics.  I've been doing music for a long time and I still cant pick things up as fast as she does (kinda drives me nuts lol).
Well kids, this is the recording we did that day.  Nothing special at all about the production.  Its just the two of us singing live, worshiping God.  I sincerely hope you enjoy the tune!

Seasons of Songs: It's Not Time Yet

Ecclesiastes 3:1
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..."

I recently came across one of my old lyric books (I've got a pile of them boxed up...It can drive my wife crazy lol).  Not to toot my own horn, but I was rather blown away at some of the lyrics I've written just a few short years ago.  There was incredible insight and metaphorical poetry taking place that I didnt realize I had in me at the time.  Needless to say, I had to jump on those papers immediately and start crafting the words in to songs.  

Like a swordsmith preparing a new blade, I unsheathed my Ipad and went to work on the words, lines, and phrases contained in one of my notebooks.  I would love to tell you that one of the most amazing musical works I've ever created came out of that time but I would be lying.  A big, fat, nothing came out of it. As hard as I tried, as much thought as I put in to it, I just couldn't come up with anything that felt right and I was frustrated as to why I couldn't put the pieces together.  Why wasnt this working?

Well, I've developed a theory (though I'm not usually one to theorize anything at all).  

Just as we go through seasons in life, I believe certain worship songs can be marked for a specific season.  It may remain locked to you until that season starts.  Even as I'm writing this to you I can recall moments in my own life where I've poured back over old lyrics that had frustrated me before and suddenly sprung to life in that moment.

My point in all of this is to encourage you to not become discouraged.  The lyrics you write are important and may not show fruit for a while.  Continue to create!  When the right season comes and the door is opened that song will bust open from the depths of your chest like a wild river.


“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
― Albert Camus

A Lounge Called Leopard

Back in 2009 I was blessed with an incredible opportunity.  I had been on the hunt for a fun songwriting competition to take part in and came across Facebook Idol, which was sponsored by Sweatshop Studios.  I submitted one of my tunes and pretty much forgot about it for a while.  With online competitions I had, at that point, pretty much decided that most of them were a load of junk.

Well I soon found out that I had made it in to the top 15 of the contestants.  To make a long story short, while I didn't win the competition I was contacted by Sweatshop and offered a contract.
In a matter of months I found myself behind the mic in Katona, New York, at the incredible facilities of Sweatshop Studios, recording my own songs.  It was a dream come true.

After spending an amazing eternity in studio, we ventured out to a venue on the east side of NYC called the Sinsin Leopard Lounge (no, I don't know who named the place).  I was honored to perform there for a packed house alongside a couple of the other Facebook Idol finalists.  Such an amazing evening that was!!!

Here is a little snip from the trip.  The song you'll here I actually ended up re-writing with gospel lyrics, but i still like going back and listening to the old version every now and then.  This is "Cut Down" live in New York City.

What You Can Do: Breaking the Creative Box

Being a student of vocal jazz, I was exposed to one of the more creative sides of the genre.  I can't put a label on exactly what drew me to vocal improv (or "scat").  I fell in love with jazz at an early age and have been border line obsessed with it since then.  As I began developing my abilities as a vocalist I started listening to artists like Kurt Elling and Mark Murphy, who are known for their incredible scat skills.

One of the reasons I love vocal improvisation is the fact that it is insanely creative.  What would happen if we included aspects like this in to worship music!?  Awesome is what would happen.  If anything it would be a venture outside the normal box that so much of worship music is stuck in right now.  I'm not dissing on what the current popular sound is, I'm just saying that we weren't created to be creatively limited.  So how can we bust out off the box?

Here is a cover I did of an oldy that I'm sure you'll recognize.  I put my own spin on it.



But Seriously, what are your thoughts on creative worship music?  What aspects and cross genre sounds could you incorporate to usher in a new sound?

The bible tells us that we are created in His image.  This means that God, being the ultimate creative being, made us with the ability to be hugely creative.  But how do we get those creative juices flowing?   How do we take old songs and make them feel new?  Here are a few thoughts I have on this subject:

1. Listen like crazy.  Not just to the stuff you usually stick to.  Venture away from your DC Talk CD's and branch out.  Charge your creative batteries by listening to other creative people.  David Crowder is a great example of a massively creative writer.

2. Play with what you're playing.  Try taking the worship tunes you're used to playing one way and take them in a different direction with a different feel.  Who knows, maybe Mighty To Save would sound awesome as a Ska song. 

3. If you're a songwriter, get together with other songwriters and bounce ideas off each other.  Let creativity inspire creativity!

4. Make time for yourself to sit down and create.  Even if nothing of real substance comes out of the time spent, you're still working those muscles.  Creativity takes practice!

Songwriting is a Muscle

Songwriting is like a muscle.  If you don't work it out its going to get mushy and weak.  With this in mind I try to spend time every day writing something.  That doesn't mean I'm always sitting down with guitar in hand or piano keys under my fingers.  Sometimes I just sit and write out lyrics even if those lyrics never get used.  Whatever it is I am working out that creative muscle.

Here is a little something that came of a creative writing session.  I wasn't actually planning to get anything much out of this particular session, but I grew rather fond of the sound I was coming up with.  Here is the rough draft of "Always For Me".


(If you listen closely at the end you can hear my in-laws wiener dog barking in the background.)

Prince Covers Christian Song from Renowned writer Nicole Nordeman

I'll NEVER be the type of man who tells a Christian artist that they would be leaving behind their roots if they were to branch out and write/perform in the secular industry.  Frankly, that's a total load of something stinky.  Why would God, who is the most creative being in all the universe, create you in His image, as a creative being yourself, and then say, "Oh, well about that artsy thing you do... You can only do it in the church."  Riiiiiiiiiight (insert sarcastic vocal inflection and eye roll here).  God never designed our gifts to be used strictly inside the church.

That being said, I just listened to a very interesting song that I heard years ago from a fantastic writer named Nicole Nordeman.  You've probably heard of her as she's been on the Christian music scene for years and had her hands on many different projects.  Well kids, you'll never guess who picked up one of her tracks.... Prince.  Yep!  Good ol' Prince grabbed Nordeman's tune, What If, and produced his own, rock tinged, take on the ditty.

What did I think of it?  Well first of all, let me say that I LOVE hearing about circumstances like this both because of the creativity that goes in to taking someone's song and making it your own with your own spices and flavors added in.  And secondly, it's a song that was written with a Jesus centered core and has been picked up by someone playing in the secular industry. 

As far as the new sound Prince has given the song, I thought it was good, but I actually like Nordeman's original version much better.  I'm a big Prince fan, have always loved his music, so I was kind of surprised when I responded with a "meh".  Anyway, I'll let you be the judge.  Here is the original version from Nicole.  I did some digging to try and find an audio file I could post for Prince's version, but he's rather finicky about having his music available online.  So enjoy the original, and the Easter egg hunt you'll be on looking for Prince's version. (It's funny cuz it's almost Easter.  See what I did there!? *Awkward laugh wheeze*)






Here's a great article from Billboard briefly talking about the new release.

In Their Shoes: the Hurricane Demo

I'm re-posting this today because I truly am excited about it.
I believe that the ability to imagine oneself in the shoes of another, writing from that perspective, is a gift that can make you an incredible force to be reckoned with in the music industry.  To empathize with the person you're picturing, what they're feeling, emoting that in to your music and lyrics.  It's one of my greatest challenges but also one of the most rewarding.

I wrote "Hurricane" in this manner.  I've had only a small handful of relationships, leading up to meeting my incredible wife, Sarah, and none of those were anything like what the song describes.  Because of this I had to sit back, close my eyes, and imagine what a man in those shoes may be feeling.  I actually would listen to other songs that talked about similar subject matter, and even tuned in to some movie clips that showed the pain and frustration of a failing relationship.

All of that to say that I am excited about the tune and will, at some point in the near future, be releasing an official version.  This current recording is a demo for all y'all to sample (is it weird for a guy born and raised in Washington state to use "y'all?)

Beyond the Christian Side: Worship Isn’t Just Music

I once read a comment, I think it was on Youtube, of someone scolding Brooke Frasier for leaving behind her Christian roots as an artist.  For those of you who dont know of Brooke Frasier you are seriously missing out.  As far as my knowledge serves me, she got her start as one of the worship leaders connected with Hillsong.  She eventually branched out and recorded some truly fantastic solo stuff, stepping in to the secular music industry for her more recent releases.  How is writing and recording secular music "stepping away from her Christian roots"?

Worship is so much more than just music.  It's more than "church music".  To be totally honest with you, I find most Christian music to be a complete and total snooze fest so when I find great music outside the realm of the "Christian" genre, I latch on to it very quickly.  But does writing and performing secular music mean your stepping outside of Gods annointing on your life?  I actually think it means the opposite.

Who was it that Jesus spent time with?  Did he only connect with the "church folk"?  I'll just let that question stew and leave you with this...

As a follower and lover of Jesus, wouldn't it be selfish to box in the creativity God designed in you?

Here is a fantastic article from Relevant Magazine surrounding worship leader, and songwriter, Misty Edwards.

Misty Edwards knows how to write a worship song. She has written a decade’s worth of them in her role as a worship leader at the International House of Prayer. But with seven traditional worship albums behind her, Edwards is exploring a different side with her new release, Little Bird.

Read more...

 

 

  

Zach Trandum Presents: Wash Us All

Hurricane: A demo by Zach Trandum

Here is a fun little demo I put together sitting in the back seat of my car.  Yep, the back seat of my car.  You do what you gotta do when you need a quiet space to write.

Nothing Can Cut Me Down (LIVED)

If you missed the show on 2.27, here is a little taste of the musical fun we had.

Creative Constipation

If you're a creative person you probably, literally, have creative cravings that come on out of nowhere.  Sometimes they are triggered by something you see or hear, but other times (for me its usually the most inopportune time of my day...Like the toilet) it just hits you!

You're going about your day, minding your own business, and WHAM.  Suddenly you absolutely have to create something.  Its like getting hit in the face by Hulk Hogan, if he was cupid, and cupid gave out creativity instead of a crush... 

But what happens when you hit a block?  I suppose sometimes it is just a block you bump in to or smack your head on and something great may be on the other side (darn you Mario!).

But what do you do when you REALLY get stuck?  Like, "holy crud I have no idea where to go with this lyric.  NOTHING rhymes with orange!"

Without going in to a bunch of details you probably wont need, here are a few little tips to help get the juices flowing again.

1.  Know what you want to say.
Think about the story or the message of your song.  Whats the basic idea?

2.  Think about your audience.
If you're a blogger this is VERY important.  Who are you writing too?

3.  Go back and read or listen to some of your old work.
This is actually a huge one for me.  Its encouraging to hear some of the things I've already created and helps get my brain working again.

4. Focus on whats in front of you.
I suffer from ADHD (although I think it only aids in making life more entertaining at times) and can easily become distracted.  When I write I have to find a space that will help foster the creative process. Right now, living with my lovely wife and our 2 year old in rather cramped quarters, this "creative space" is the back seat of my car.  Find a spot that works for you!

Best Apps for the Songwriting Worship Leader

I don't know about you, but I get really excited about really cool apps that feed my songwriting addiction and aid me as a worship leader.  When I say "excited" I mean I genuinely geek out probably more than I should.  I've become rather skilled at containing myself... Most the time.

Here is a list of some of the best apps on the market and they're sure to become priceless gems in your arsenal.

Read on... www.chrisfromcanada.com/best-apps-worship-leaders/