Your thesis paper really inspired me to just let go and put something down. I learned that I shouldn't always overthink it and that even seemingly stupid ideas can contain flakes of light. Until next FAWM.

Hi Carly! Thanks for commenting on my farewell ditty. Save it for some other time you need to sleep. Congrats on a super-productive FAWM! 88? That's incredible.

Thank you, Slacker. Your seemingly tireless passion for creating is inspiring and appreciated. Keep being you.

I have strong feelings about my sister trying to put raisins in lasagna. Perhaps we could start there?

Thank you so much for your comment on "Taste of Home"!

How do you keep all your songs? Or do you not keep them all? I'm nowhere near as prolific as you and sometimes I come across songs I don't remember creating. Do you keep all the recordings in one place or are they scattered around? Just interested if you have found a good way.

Thanks, Carley, for the comments on My First Garden. I’m glad I discovered your page and the Bad Song Club. I signed up yesterday, so I’ll look forward to participating in that in the coming months.

Woah Carley... glad I found you. I love everything about your outlook and output. I've bookmarked your website, and I'm likely to join your bad song club.

Hey, Carley. Thanks for listening to and commenting on “Fourteen”. I just had the joy of listening to your 14 Feb28 songs. Thanks for doing that. Inspiring. Lovely. And fun. And frickin’ good songwriting. We must write, right?!!! I humbly invite you to listen to my album that will be released on March 14. Very FAWM heavy. 😊 See ya next Feb. Take care. J

Hi, Carley -

I’ve shared with you before what I admire about you and your songwriting. But you inspired and delighted me again this year, so I felt like heaping praise on you again. You deserve to hear praise. Here goes:

Your songs flat out make people smile. They make ME smile.

You take the craft of songwriting seriously, but you don’t take yourself too seriously. Your songs promote both craft and creativity. And if folks listen closely, they become better songwriters for it.

You know your structure, your phrasing. You know lyrical fluidity. You know 1-, 2-, 3-minute storytelling. Interesting chord progressions. You mix the simple and complex, the conceptual and physical, the lilting and the conversational.

Your phrasing always flows and sings beautifully. You can write 25 songs in a week without cramming one word awkwardly into a phrase. Incredible.

Your prosody continues to astound - your melodies always sound like your lyrics.

Also:

You promote and encourage creativity through doing. (Bad Song Club)

You are a natural teacher. Congratulations on your dissertation, your teaching position (lucky students) and your ongoing creative projects.

You are a treasure.

Thanks again!! Have a great rest of 2025. J

P.S. I referenced you in my 14th song, “Fourteen”. 😉

I've emailed you!

Do you have time for a collab before the end?

re: Needs more murder ballad - And the award for the most creepy inside joke goes to Carley!!! It'd worry my wife to no end if she wasn't used to the mayhem. Luckily... Thanks for the comments.

Came here from the Internal Dialogue of plants skirmish (thanks for hosting!) and your comments on The Green Lady and the Hoya. Buuuuuuut, I followed you because you used Huzzah. XD Glad you enjoyed the song and felt seen with that big cedar energy. Western Red Cedar ftw! Also--true story about the skiis. I think he wanted me to follow him and his wife home to see them, and I was 99% certain we would be traveling there via a magic portal.

Hello, thank you for your comment on my inconvenient lyrics. Indeed maybe the next one could be positive, but i guess there's room for both in the wild world of songs. 😌 Cheers

Hey Carley - would you mind me sending you an email about a potential collaboration? It’s quite long winded and would be easier to explain in an email - and its not for FAWM its for later in the year

Bad Song Club, baby! Hahaha - thanks for listening to "The Zoo (BSC)" - I gotta say, I decided this would be the one I was absolutely going to make time for...and when I saw the prompt (after about 20 seconds of riffing on hippo, for some reason). my mind wandered back into the mists of time.. Both the band, and club are gone now, but I guess they also live on!

@carleybaer Thank you for hosting the “The internal dialogue of houseplants” skirmish. I really enjoyed participating. And thank you for your kind words about my “Monstera” song. I’ve been mistaken, for a tree (-;

Only sometimes a squirrel because that's wildshape as a druid, maximum 2 hours per day at her level. 😉

I doubt it'll get recorded during FAWM, but if it does, I'll ping you.

@carlybear Just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your thesis while procrastinating about finding my way out of a songwriting "blind canyon."

Thank you for the tips, much appreciated! :)

Hey! For songwriting please :). Just wondering how you "attack" it: melody, chords, lyrics.

I have studied a bit have tried a few techniques/approach but I have never been in a room with other writers. At FAWM I have approached it different ways and I know that repetition and lots of duds eventually yields good ones but that doesnt mean I should not seek to improve my approach and shed old bad habits including starting on I/Tonic too often.

Carly!

If you have time and you dont mind me asking...what is your process or processes? :)

TY

Thank you for your kind comment on "Hold the Line"! As a public servant myself, yes, you got the point. Seriously appreciate you.

Hiya! Thanks for your comment on "The Moon Saw Everything" -- I think this was my second moon song of the month. How many more to come, I wonder...? ;)

Thanks for the nice feedback re "I love this! I can definitely hear some Appalachian harmonies in here. "We do it all again until it all gets done" flows really nicely, which is fitting."

Fun to see another Elementary Music teacher on FAWM! I've taught 3-5 music for the past 9 years, and K-5 for 9 years before that. Ever find yourself pausing class to capture a lyric or melody? My students love it when I do.. I even have a song count on the board in my classroom so they can follow the progress. Happy FAWM!

Thanks for the thoughtful comment on “Fault Lines.” So very appreciated!

Hi Carley, I’ve emailed you my address for our postcard challenge. Can you send through yours? Thanks 😊

Thanks for listening and commenting on "God Saw I Was a Dog!" I'm glad you liked it.

You would be most welcome, should you be so inspired.

Congratulations on the first weekend win! I knew no matter how many I write I would still be seeing yours and @metalfoot tail lights ;)

Congratulations on the WIN!!

Hey! So glad I stumbled upon your page, I'm loving what I'm hearing so far! Really funky clever stuff....and by the way, 8 songs already?! EIGHT?! That's AMAZING!! 😃🙌🌟

welcome back! did i read it right that you actually wrote 14 songs already?

It's after midnight and I'm already working!

Carley, Once more into the breach! Y'all have a bunch of fun now. JW

Hey Carley! Happy FAWMing!

CMFB!!!

Hey Carley! Can’t wait to hear your (bad) fantastic songs this FAWM! 💕

Happy FAWMing!

Hey hey! Happy fawming!

Went and checked out your tune Life Goes On After All! Are those layered kazoos I am hearing in there? Love all the layered vocals and minimalist production….would be a fun one to remix! Blessings!

I know what you mean about time running away! How about if I send you some lyrics at some point and you can either work with them or hand them back and I'll find them another home?

OMG I JUST JOINED BAD SONG CLUB

LOL. I think our awesome teacher-instincts-working-with-kids-don't-do-cusses kicked in. 🤣 It was fun to watch that in unison! :)

Welcome back! Have a great FAWM! So sorry that I couldn't participate on the bad song club regularly. My brain has been in production and promotion mode the last couple of months... I look forward to what you guys cook!

Have yourself a wonderful FAWM 2025! Isn't it good to be back? I love it here. 😀

Go go Bad Song Club go!

Great to see you back for FAWM! I'm still humming your frog song. And thanks for the Bad Song Club -- it's inspirational.

I love your way with a melody (and a harmony), and I'd be happy to collaborate if you've got the time and inclination. I look forward to hearing the songs you come up with this year.