Music and Words

Back in the days when I was naive enough to believe that my first novel would be picked up by a major publisher and distributed throughout the world, I entertained this wacky idea of teaming up with a musician--more than likely one who was relatively unknown to the general public--to sell their album with my book. Since I always listen to music while I write, I figured it wasn't too much of a leap to assume that people might want to listen to it while they are reading the story...especially since the music I listen to usually sounds like the soundtrack to whatever I'm writing, anyway. I thought it would be interesting to pair up a CD with my book so that readers could feel the emotions I felt while putting those words to the page. It wouldn't have to be structured, such as having certain songs tied to certain chapters; my idea was for the music and the writing to basically flow so well that it didn't matter how fast or slow the reader was, he would still get it.

I still think it's a good idea. Maybe not very practical, but music and writing are not about practicality. They are about emotion. And if I could bring this idea into being with an album, it would be Jeff Zentner's The Dying Days of Summer.

I discovered Jeff on Myspace and was immediately drawn into the world he weaves through music. It only took about six seconds of a particular song ("The Color of Clouds At Night", off his first album Hymns To The Darkness) for me to fall in love with his writing style and the way he plays his guitar (the way some men might touch a woman, with love and reverence). I continue to be amazed at the poetic quality of his lyrics, because they don't walk a fine line between romantic and corny; they are brilliant, weighty words that flow well with the music he spins out of his instrument. It's quite difficult to come up with a way to describe his music, but let me tell you what it makes me think of:

A two-lane road somewhere in the south, glistening with rain as the moon comes up.

The smell of honeysuckle and the way Kudzu looks as it winds around rocky mountainsides.

Secrets.

Loss.

Love.

Despair.

The twinkle of tiny white Christmas lights strung around a gazebo at night.

The smell of rain, and the way the leaves turn up in the wind before a storm to show their pale white underbellies.

A railroad crossing on a cloudy day.

There are so many more, but I don't want to get off track here. The point is, if you haven't heard his music, you need to figure out a way to do so. Both his albums are available through CD Baby and you can find more information on his Myspace page.