Introducing Myself

[OdilonGreen]

I've been here for a couple of weeks and I'm really enjoying the community, so figured it was time to finally make my "introductory" post.

My musical journey started many decades ago, when I took flute as my required musical instrument in grade school. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, in my second year I was placed in a third-year class (rather than an appropriate second-year class). I was far, far behind everyone else, and absolutely miserable at my comparative incompetence. So I did... unfortunate things to my flute to get out of class.

The repair guy figured it out pretty quick.

Music-making and I parted ways at the end of that year, although I did join my university marching band a few years later, playing bass drum (I can count to four like a pro!). Then nothing after I graduated... until decades later, when for some reason I decided to pick up a ukulele. Mainly because I heard it was relatively easy to learn with only four strings, as opposed to a guitar's six.

It's now over ten years later, and since then I've recorded a couple hundred songs. I play ukulele (tenor and baritone, acoustic and electric) at a vaguely passable level, as well as a little bit of keyboard (mainly to add synths or sampled instruments to my songs). And I just started playing mountain dulcimer last year (on the theory that three strings is even easier than four).

"Odilon Green" is the "stage name" I picked when I first started songwriting ten years ago, and I've stuck with it. My real name isn't a big secret or anything, and I'm not famous and no one cares who I am, but I've stuck with the pseudonym just as a matter of internet privacy and doing my small bit to thwart data collectors. "Odilon" comes from the French symbolist artist Odilon Redon (1840-1916). I'm not particularly a huge fan of his, except that, much like Snow with Informer, he had one perfect moment (as far as I'm concerned): Le Liseur (the Reader), which I absolutely adore and is way up there is my list of personal favorite works of visual art. "Green" comes from Joseph Greenstein (1893-1977), the fascist-hating, Nazi-punching professional strongman. I wish I could be as fearless as him.

[Zoltan]

"Odilon Green" is the "stage name"

I knew there was something fishy about this guy!
First we had Elvis(*, now we have this "Oddly Green" guy. What next... Bigfoot?

Btw don't sell yourself short. The songs you've posted here show a lot of craftsmanship and your playing is point on. But i guess that's to be expected after such a huge body of work! A couple of hundred songs? Is that you Dylan?

Your origin story does sound interesting. From bass drum to uke to dulcimer? I hope you didn't choose those instruments to get the girls.

Anyway i think you have a lot of style and personality to your songwriting. Heck you even might have a fetish! (As JohnBee so applty noted). If you chose this path for the money... I hate to break it to you.

But if you're into weird stuff. The kind that's not based around fetishes (no haters though!)... I think you've come to the right place. You'll have snarky remarks a plenty (?) and boundless admiration (a few uplifting comments here and there) and lots of joy (that you're mainly responsible to deliver yourself).

So let's all welcome this Oddly Green guy!

(* This is a true story. Then he went fishing. I have no idea of the reasons. I might have accidentally outlined a few in the above rant

[Mike_S]

Welcome aboard. So yeah I see you are enjoying this place. Lots of people just doing their thing and coming at music from many different angles. I get a lot of pleasure following peoples musical journey. And a lot of music with no larger motives other than just creative expression.

Mike

[OdilonGreen]

...Btw don't sell yourself short. The songs you've posted here show a lot of craftsmanship and your playing is point on....

Thank you!

...Your origin story does sound interesting. From bass drum to uke to dulcimer? I hope you didn't choose those instruments to get the girls...

Ha, I think it's fair to say there's no risk of that. Luckily, I got with my partner back in college before I began writing my own songs, and I'm still with her many, many years later. Although, as supportive of my music as I think she tries to be, I think her attitude towards my music may best be summarized by this all-time classic Wondermark comic.

...If you chose this path for the money... I hate to break it to you.

Hey, I've made literal dozens of dollars over the past ten years, some of it (ok, a decided minority of it) even from people I don't personally know!

[Ted]

Welcome!

I love your origin story. There are many people here who came here tepidly, maybe looking for tech advice on how to use their recording gadget, and then found the inspiration to really start making and sharing music. By your description of your back catalog, it sounds like you've had no problem making music. I appreciate how you have been engaging so far – as though you get what this place is about.

And thanks for this:

"Green" comes from Joseph Greenstein (1893-1977), the fascist-hating, Nazi-punching professional strongman.

Fascinating character. Like Teddy Roosevelt in an alternate timeline.

[Farrell Jackson]

Welcome to Songcrafters, the menagerie of music makers. It's a fun, engaging place with friendly songwriters of all sorts.

Farrell Jackson from California

[StephenM]

thanks for explaining the name... it's cool.. I get it.
good choice too.. very different.

and yeah.. you seem to know what you are doing and you certainly have a way better idea of what you are trying to accomplish than say some others I know... namely me! 

I just like to play stuff, record it, and see what happens next... kind of like the digestive track... sometimes things are solid and other times more like peanut butter.
you are fun and super creative and I can tell a real stickler for lyrics...
that will go over here... real nice.

welcome to maybe the most different music site on the internet.

[chapperz66]

Hi from the English East Midlands - although originally a Londoner.

I was kind of hoping you might play a hurdy gurdy based on your photo, but uke and dulcimer will do nicely for me!

Paul Chapman