Jarrod,
Imagine if I said to you, "I am tired of how this old 600 year rule of law that has been established from England, brought over to the New Country and still practiced in this country. I think I am going to start speaking Flemish and do things my own way because it needs "new things" to shake it up." You are fully free to do that. But it may have a short life span because it is not what the actual rules will allow or the consumers of those rules will tolerate.
I hear a lot of people always talk about "doing something different" in music, to be in with the "next big thing." What would that be? Delivering a message that takes LONGER to get to a point? What people are wanting things longer in their lives? As much as people would like to be "different", it is the listening public that determines what they will accept. The "Verse, Chorus" Verse Chorus, bridge chorus out is that way because it DELIVERS INFORMATION QUICKLY, keeps the action moving, keeps it singable and consistant yet doesn't get boring and wraps up the story in a bout three and a half minutes. When you derivate from that format, people get bored, tune it out and move on to something else because there is endless choice for music consumers. And believe me THE HARDEST THING OF ALL IS GETTING AND KEEPING ATTENTION.
People do "new things" all the time. The recent infusion of rap into country being a good example. In some limited cases it has worked, Jason Aldeen for instance. But suddenly EVERYBODY seems to want to put in a rap section into every song. A few things happen.
First of all, Rap music is black music from the street. It is their's, and they get very protective and very angry at anyone taking "Their" music. Even when someone like Eminiem does it, there is as much controversy and conflict with it as people who like it. So that side of the audience is NEVER going to accept a "bunch of white guys trying to be 'street'." Ask Big Ed on that. He is a rap and hip hop producer.
Second, country music is traditionally a STORY TELLING FORMAT. Even in party songs, there is a distincty conversational narrative. It makes sense and lets you know what is going on. When you start adding the amount of rhymes that it takes for rap music, it starts to sound sophomoric, goofy and silly. And it sounds like a bunch of rednecks trying to be hip. And all it really does is make them look like those charactures of people in the 70's trying to be "funky, Groovy and hip. " Like Lawrence Welk saying "a thanka ya boysss....playa thata funky music white boya!!!!" Sounds really stupid if you ask me. But they do it.
So what are you wanting to throw at the listening public? Nine verses before you get to a chorus? Show me where that has worked? Talking in a different language? Same thing.
What you are doing is basing something on a FLAWED ASSUMPTION that a lot of people make. Just because YOU ARE NOT HEARING SOMETHING doesn't mean IT IS NOT BEING TRIED. Go to any rock club, go to any "underground; hang out' college bar, and you will hear what you are talking about. Things being done differently. It is called ALTERNATIVE. (ALTERNATIVE TO THE MAIN STREAM.) It is DIFFERENT.
But DIFFERENT IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD. Most of it is JUST PLAIN CRAP, and you are not hearing it for a reason. NOBODY WANTS IT.
The thing about the Internet is that you can do anything you want to.write what you want to. Record it on your camera phone and put it on YOU TUBE. You can find out if it works or not. Your proof is there pretty quickly. You get views or you don't. But you also have to get used to another aspect, BEING IGNORED.
I can't tell you what to write or how to write it. I can show you what people who succeed wildly do, and show you what people who fail continually do. Again, it is pretty apparent. When you are up here this weekend, we will try to find a couple of writer's shows and you can see for yourself. Too bad you aren't here Thus. Jeffery Steele is playing at Third and Lindsley and you want to see a guy who traditionallly does it better than anyone with hundreds of cuts, dozens of top tens and number ones, there you go. You can see why.
Want to see what doesn't work? Stick around for Monday at the Bluebird open mic or Tuesday at Douglas Corner open mic. You will see it all night long.
What is the "next big thing?" I have no idea. Don't you think anyone who could see what it was would be doing that and nothing else? No one likes to waste time and money. That is why successful writers write a LOT OF DIFFERENT SONGS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE. Up the level of your odds.
But I can tell you what it WON'T BE. Taking longer to deliver a message that goes over the head of most of the listeners. That is just not going to happen. If you want to make real impact, learn how to do it the right way first. Say what you want to say in an interesting way, using the existing formats. Got to learn the rules first before you can break them. And you are probably going to come to the conclusion most people have already come to.
DIFFERENT AIN'T ALWAYS GOOD.
MAB