Bethany Taulbee Music

New demo! I’ve been wanting to do a song with my sister,...

Sun, 05 May 2013 22:01:00 -0400

New demo! I’ve been wanting to do a song with my sister, Julie, and this one just kind of popped out - maybe in the near future there will be a version of this with the two of us? ;)

Nothing especially crazy or deep; just wanted to write a little tune in 3/4 about lost love (with fun harmonies) and this is the result!

Hope you like it!

I FINALLY FINISHED A SONG. It’s been months…but this...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:38:37 -0400

I FINALLY FINISHED A SONG. It’s been months…but this was worth it (I think.) (I hope.)

Without getting too sentimental it’s about my grandparents. Lyrics are here on the regular blog.

Enjoy?

Tomorrow morning I’ll be playing this song at my...

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:58:20 -0400

Tomorrow morning I’ll be playing this song at my grandparents’ church with my dad and a cellist. This is one of my favorite hymns; the lyrics are just so simple and beautiful. This particular arrangement was done by my dad on the guitar.

I can’t wait!

Here is a demo recording of my newest song, which is en...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 01:08:00 -0400

Here is a demo recording of my newest song, which is en Francais. It’s called “Je Vous Penserai,” or “I Will Think of You.”

For a more detailed description of the lyrics and translations, go here to my other blog. Enjoy!

A newer one, entitled “Next to You.” I was driving...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:43:09 -0400

A newer one, entitled “Next to You.” I was driving home from work and the first line & melody popped in my head - I got back to my apt in record time (yes, illegal speeds were involved) and this song basically wrote itself in the following hour.

Affectionately known as “The Jason Mraz Summer Song.”

Finally! :) Not too much of an exciting backstory for this one;...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:07:00 -0400

Finally! :)

Not too much of an exciting backstory for this one; I wrote it mid-March on/for the guitar (which was a first, I almost always write on the uke) and it was my first real experience with fingerpicking. I finally got a decent recording of it in June.

I initially wrote it without the “ooohs” at the beginning/middle/end, and every time I listened back to a recording I felt like something was missing. Once I added them in (they’re the same melody as the chorus) I knew it was as it should be.

It was inspired by true-ish events, but as always, creative liberties were taken. I hope you like it!

After writing and re-writing the lyrics and chords (and style...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:20:00 -0400

After writing and re-writing the lyrics and chords (and style and melody and tempo…) for four weeks I can finally say I’m done with this song! I’m really, really happy with the end result too, which is rare.

Unfortunately, my laptop’s fan kept coming on while I was recording so it’s a little distracting in places. Also, I’m not 100% cool with the vocal performance so take it with a grain of salt.

The working title is “Perfect” - also, as I do with all of my songs, I may have taken a few dramatic liberties for the sake of the song having continuity and a good story. You know how it goes.

Enjoy!

Here is a completely uncensored version of “Whiskey”...

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:34:00 -0500

Here is a completely uncensored version of “Whiskey” - Melanie really wanted me to drop the f-bomb in the 4th verse, which I didn’t include in the first recording….so here it is. This is one of 3 times anyone has ever heard me utter that word aloud, so relish it!

The magic happens at 0:44. Those with delicate ears be warned.

Writer's Block

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:04:00 -0500

Can’t say I’ve ever legitimately had it before until now. And I’m going to be honest, it’s really annoying, haha.

On a related note, I’m constantly on the fence about my music writing style. I have some friends that write these gorgeous, poetic songs that take a while to figure out. They have deep meaning and are rewarding to write and listen to. Mine are pretty straight-forward, and while there’s nothing wrong with this, I get a little insecure about how much I’m revealing. Then it could get too shallow and the focus is taken off of the music. Ehh.

I have two songs in the works - both are half-done and I keep trying to figure out what in the world I want to do with them. I’m so indecisive, I keep moving lyrics around and switching up melodies and changing my mind about everything. I also have another one rolling around in the old noodle that I’d like to write about my first relationship - being young and stupid, naive, happy, etc - but again, I don’t want to cross into Taylor Swift territory…that’s a great fear of mine. I’ll keep chipping away at it I guess.

ynahteb: A tidbit! This is a song that my dad has been working...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:51:04 -0500

ynahteb:

A tidbit!

This is a song that my dad has been working on tirelessly for the past few days. This is the most produced song on the EP, and I’m pretty stoked about it. This mix is still not final, but it’s pretty close to what the end result will be.

YESS

The album is almost done!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:57:00 -0500

It’s so close I can smell it! Only two more tracks to finish and then it will be done!

The EP is officially called “Nice Songs for Nice Friends” and it will feature 5 songs that I’ve written! I’m so excited! :) My dad has been hard at work with recording and arranging and it’s going to sound so crisp. I’m thinking another week or so?

It will be available on Bandcamp and in person! It’ll probably be somewhere in the $3-5 range. Also, there’s a possible music video in the works? ;)

Here’s one of the songs (which I also do with Son of the Sea) called Sooner or Later.

So this is completely unrelated to my music but I crocheted this...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:55:00 -0500

So this is completely unrelated to my music but I crocheted this doily thing and I’m kinda proud of it. Well, it’s supposed to be a place mat but I think it’s a doily.

Either way, that jazz is fancy.

New new new! I’m on a roll, two songs in two days! This...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:18:00 -0500

New new new! I’m on a roll, two songs in two days! This one almost wrote itself in about 30 minutes. Well, and then I went back and did some revisions, but still…someone give me a cookie.

Ok, so inspiration for this one popped into my head after listening to a song with a similar subject matter by Campbell the Band - you should listen to it, it’s nice (but listen to mine first…hah.) It’s the typical “I have a crush on a guy who might not know I exist” scenario. I seem to have a knack for songs like this, haha.

EDIT - This is the second version…I switched around some lyrics and wrote a bridge. The quality is crappy but soon I’ll be getting in the studio to make some smooth jamz.

2012 has been good to me already, I popped out a new song! Well,...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:22:00 -0500

2012 has been good to me already, I popped out a new song! Well, mostly. I wrote some of it during my layover in Charlotte last night and finished it today.

I won’t get too into the subject matter, but I know someone with cancer and I imagined the thoughts and feelings it brings up for her and her loved ones.

So….here it is.

***Note: This is my first time showcasing my newly acquired guitar skillz. They kind of suck. Be patient, that F#m is a killer.

“In My Dreams” New song, just finished it today....

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:07:00 -0500

“In My Dreams”

New song, just finished it today. This one took a while to write - I had all of the lyrics and couldn’t find a melody that I liked.

It’s kind of an ambiguous love song…it’s not really written with anyone in particular in mind but it’s pretty much about my future husband. The lyrics for the first half are kind-of what I daydream about happening, and in the second half those hopes/thoughts are the present.

Yeah, I’m sentimental. It’s a thing.

This is one of my favorite ukulele songs ever - it’s...

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:13:46 -0500

This is one of my favorite ukulele songs ever - it’s called “Knots” by Lisa Hannigan. It’s really, really fun to play but my hand is always on the verge of spasms by the end, which is why the last few seconds are a little rough.

Anyway, here ya go.

This song, “Bird On My Shoulder,” is by the Swedish...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:38:24 -0500

This song, “Bird On My Shoulder,” is by the Swedish singer Amanda Bergman who was in the last video I posted. This song is so simple and beautiful and I’ve probably listened to it 300 times.

I need to get a piano in this apartment somehow so I can accompany myself on something other than the uke…until then, enjoy the sound of being hit in the face with a palm tree.

New cover! “Thrown Right At Me” by the Tallest Man...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:13:00 -0500

New cover! “Thrown Right At Me” by the Tallest Man on Earth (to my friends who keep hearing me gush about him lately…I’m actually not sorry. I’m on a kick). He’s this small dude from Sweden who sounds and writes like Bob Dylan and is super dreamy. This song is totally beautiful and about being in love and…it makes me want to hug everything.

Here’s the original. The woman singing with him is (I think?) his wife. So nice.

So My friend keeps telling me to make her a cd of me singing her lullabies (hehe) but I’ve been...

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:44:00 -0400

So My friend keeps telling me to make her a cd of me singing her lullabies (hehe) but I’ve been thinking a lot about that and I think I want to make an album-ish. Nothing really fancy or over-produced, but I have about half a dozen songs written that my band probably won’t ever learn (because I don’t want them to, ha) and I want to have them recorded somewhere. Soooo.. :) we’ll see how that goes! If it ends up going well, I might have to have them available at future shows.

TL;DR I’m working on an EP that hopefully will be available in the next month! :

“This Is My Father’s World” - a friend of the...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:49:00 -0400

“This Is My Father’s World” - a friend of the family, Mark Sprinkle, is a super talented artist and deep thinker. He put in a request for my dad to make a recording of this song for his blog, and dad put in a request for me to sing it, which I happily agreed to do.

The arrangement, which is super chill and gorgeous, was done by dad, as well as the guitar stuff. I contributed a little flute and am super stoked with the way it turned out!