MUSIC – Trying out Untested, Emotionally-Driven Solo Original Songs at The Barleycorn Music Club

Hello everybody on HIVE, and especially the Music Community. My name is Jasper and I'm writing to you from Cape Town, South Africa!

Besides the odd bit of surfing footage, music is my main topic when posting on HIVE, and I currently participate and make posts for the Three Tune Tuesday, Hive Open Mic, and the Hive Music Festival every week. It is a great way to keep consistent on HIVE while also practising my music!

I work for a Renewable Energy Development company, but I’m also a part-time singer/songwriter, and occasionally do gigs, mainly with original songs, either as a solo musician, but more recently as a duo called MobeyDick with my friend @clairemobey.

One of the places where we have loved performing is at the Barleycorn Music Club! It is a place that encourages the audience to be quiet and really listen while the artists are playing, and so it is mostly frequented by people who like to support live, local, original music out of principle.

So, @clairemobey and I were very happy to be invited back last Monday 18 September 2023. Unfortunately, Claire had to pull out, but I still wanted to honour the commitment and use the chance to play some solo original songs that I haven’t got to try in public that much!

Because the Barleycorn is such a quiet listening venue, it meant I could play songs that usually feel too delicate for more rowdy venues.

The two songs I have shared in the video attached are the two newer, more delicate songs that I really haven’t tested on audiences much:

Old Flame: A song about your ex wanting you back even though they were the one who ended it in the first place!

She’s Only Sleeping: A song about death.

Apologies for the abrupt transition from one video to the next! I’m not exactly experienced at video editing and patching two videos together seamlessly! Hahaha!

Because of the nature of these songs, it is hard to judge the audience’s response to them. They’re not really going to whistle and hoot like they do for more vibey numbers, but I actually think soft, emotional songs (with clear singing and finger-picking guitar) are one of my strengths, as much as I love to play country, blues and rock as well… what do you think?

Lyrics for “Old Flame” by @jasperdick (Original)

A knock at my door, a shiver on my skin
I’ve been through this before, I’ll say it all again…
No Old Flame
Not again
I can’t let go,
Just ‘coz you say so…
When I remember how you walked away
Like it was yesterday
Now your return will cause more pain
And break my heart again…

Why do you come here when I’m weak? I’m usually so strong… It’s like you always know!
It makes it hard to speak… without getting it wrong… But here I go…
No Old Flame
Not again
I can’t let go,
Just ‘coz you say so…
When I remember how you walked away
Like it was yesterday
Now your return will cause more pain
And break my heart again…
Old Flame! I don’t want to hear your name… ever again.

Lyrics for “She’s Only Sleeping” by @jasperdick (Original)

She watched you play she watched you grow
She loved you more than you could know
We always knew that it would end this way
As she got older everyday…

But baby don’t cry, you and I know she’s only sleeping
Baby don’t cry, it’s never goodbye, no use in weeping
She’s still wathcing you and sending all her love
She’s still watching you but now it’s from above
Because we know, that’s where the good ones go…

Oh how she loved to watch you play
She waited for you everyday
And we always knew that this day would come
Now that her time on Earth is done…

But baby don’t cry, you and I know she’s only sleeping
Baby don’t cry, it’s never goodbye, no use in weeping
She’s still wathcing you and sending all her love
She’s still watching you but now it’s from above
Because we know, that’s where the good ones go…