About the Songs

"This was my attempt to write a Paul McCartney-esque ballad, similar to "P.S. I Love you", "Here, There, and Everywhere", or "I Will". The lyrics are based on the contradictory idea of wanting to be close to someone emotionally, while physically being miles apart. "

"This song is about living in the present. In the late 1960’s a book was published called “Be Here Now” written by Ram Dass, an American spiritualist. The book suggested that we needed to stop regretting the past, and feeling anxious about the future, and LIVE IN THE NOW. All very serious stuff. A friend of mine jokingly said to me once “Ram Dass said Be Here Now, but I say… be here when you can”... That is what this song is about, a humorous look at TRYING to OCCASIONALLY  disconnect from the world that lives inside our phones and be in the present."

"My song was written with small towns in mind. They embody a sense of closeness and community and of belonging. Routes 5&20 connects many small, vibrant towns, and  my song is about these towns, and the people who make it special. "

"In April of 2022, about a year after coming out, I came across an open invitation to the Musical Theatre Factory’s trans/non-binary roundtable, freshly moved from its NYC in-person format to Zoom. Scared to the point of almost bailing, I joined what would become two years of monthly sessions workshopping music and theatre with my first real trans community. This song is a thank you to that community and to my trans elders for creating art and existing loudly so that I may have the confidence to do the same. You make be-lieving, be-longing, and be-coming all a bit easier to be-gin."

"Well I wrote this song because of a boy, I’ve liked him for almost 3 years and even though my mom and dad have told me to move on, I’ve always told them I’d wait as long as it takes. No matter how hard or long the road is I will still be in the same place waiting for him."

"This song was inspired by the close relationship I have with my partner and soul mate, Jean.  As I was writing it, I realized it could be about relationships between children and parents, siblings, best friends, you and God - or anyone who is always there for you when you need them most."

"This year’s song prompt was, “That’s Where I’ll Be.”
My first try leaned on the obvious anti-theme: where I would never be found. This attempt yielded, “Oklahoma Not OK.” My second try was the song I chose to submit, “That’s A Virile Bee.” As a beekeeper, and an avid punster, I was excited to have an “aha moment” solution to this year’s song puzzle. There’s a lot of buzz about this song - and honey, I do bee-lieve you’ll like it! I will be performing my song as a duet with EmJay (the Queen Bee), whom I’ve known for many, many years. I’m thrilled that she agreed to be part of this show."

"All of my songs, even ones that tell a fictional story, have a core of truth. I love New Orleans. It is one big bowl of musical gumbo. And it is the spiritual home of many musicians. (There’s a reason why my band is called The Occasional Saints.)  And when I visit, I often find myself jamming with local musicians. The truth in this song is: if you’re looking for me, spiritually, and sometimes physically, that’s where I’ll be."

"Kids in the Basement was gearing up to record a new album with material we’ve had for some time. I made a goal for myself to write several new songs for the new record. I was working on this new song that I was referring to as, “Flashback” which is about reminiscing of past good times and bad times. When Levi reached out about this opportunity and mentioned that this year's song title is, “that’s where I’ll be,'' I knew it would go hand in hand with the flashback theme. All in all this contest helped me create and finish a new song that’s already been recorded and will appear on KITB’s new record."

"Being a Jewish American, my feelings about the war are complicated, but mostly I just wish this wasn't happening. Reflecting on tragic current events in Gaza due to the terrrorism by Hamas, it is once again a difficult time for Israel and Palestine. The war has caused a new wave of anti-semitism in the world. People don't always realize that Jews do not necessarily want Israel to fight back and we do not want Palestinians harmed. We also don't want Israelis to be harmed. We don't want anyone to die. We ultimately want peace. The conflict in the Middle East will not be solved overnight, and sometimes things are not so cut and dry. This song explains the difficulty I have processing the situation as a whole."

"Music is a vessel for expression for me - I usually write songs from personal experience, so when I heard the theme prompt "That's Where I'll Be", I immediately thought of the spirit of perseverence and where it's taken me in life. I've survived a lot of hardships and I've been able to celebrate many accomplishments and bring good things into my life by remaining steadfast in my ideals for the life I want to live. I believe in myself 100% and I want folks who hear this song to know that although life can be short, it's limitless and there's a version of it where you get everything you've ever wanted because you believed you could!"

"From my perspective, the phrase “That’s Where I’ll be” sounded like a promise. A promise that no matter how difficult or uncertain life got, someone would be waiting to remind you that they are there for you. The song takes the perspective of the person trying to comfort their friend or loved one. Throughout the song, we hear descriptions of different “happy places” that these two people have shared. The protagonist tries to use these memories to try and break whatever dark place the other person is in. The message I wanted to make of the song is to have faith in the people who have always been there for you and to always draw hope from your shared memories of happiness."

This song is about saying goodbye. I have had to say many goodbyes this past year—medical school has ended with many of my closest friends moving away for residency training, I’ve gone through two horrible breakups, and just recently a good friend that I looked up to passed away unexpectedly. I wrote this song the night before this songwriting challenge’s deadline in an attempt to self-soothe, when I was feeling overwhelmed by grief. I was drowning in depression, betrayal, and even anger, but I wrote this song to help myself be more vulnerable with what was truly underlying all those defensive feelings—a sense of loss and a desire to preserve the memories I have with these people and experiences that I love, so that some day, I will be able to remember them with more joy than pain.

"My song was inspired by walking along Canandaigua Lake in early  January, thinking bout the recent past and the future. There was a light misty fog on the water and a deep grey on the horizon.  All was still and silent and I thought "This is where I want to be,” and started composing in my head." 

"Writing this song, I used my corporate day job as inspiration. I combined my love of nature and quirky, excitable characters while writing. If you feel like your job is burning you out, this song is for you!"

"At 4:58 a.m. on April 30, 1975, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin boarded a helicopter and departed from the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon on one of the last American evacuation flights.  Doing so marked a tacit admission of defeat, which particularly stung for Martin as he was still emotionally burdened by the Vietnam combat death of his stepson.  In an effort to emphasize the unheeded lessons of war that persist and perpetuate its tragic cycle across generations, the bridge of the song includes a passage from Undertones of War, the now public domain 1928 memoir of the First World War, written by English poet Edmund Blunden.  This song is part of the multi-decades long project A Day in Music; learn more about it at www.adayinmusic.com."