Mike, I think I sent a PM to you, but the site's acting weird so I'm copying most of it here cuz I don't think it sent....I didn't want to bump the thread but it's at the top anyway....
Most of the time a little phrase comes crawling out of the back of my head and immediately attaches itself to a melody, like a white blood cell to a virus. And if it's a strong enough idea, the rest comes very fast. The great thing about home recording, I find, is you get to try things out and hear them back immediately, and eventually the more you do it, the more you know already if it's going to work. The rest is just making it work, the endless tug-of-war between ideas, and directions, and rhythms and melodies...
If you're just writing formulaic radio music, it's already done for you, really. But if you're hearing something different, and you want to materialize it, it's a huge challenge. You have to put the rules aside and take some risks.
But it starts with the brainstorm...and with me the initial idea, is usually inspired by something negative I'm trying to overcome or just understand.
So my lyrics are usually troubled but hopeful.
(Not that you need to hear that stuff from me...you make some pretty fucking amazing music, and I mean that.)