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M. Ward

M. Ward Quotes

Singer-songwriter

M. Ward, born on October 4, 1973, is a talented singer-songwriter known for his unique blend of folk, rock, and country music styles. His music has won the hearts of many fans.

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Famous M. Ward Quotes

“I had the naive, simplistic idea that producers and writers and artists of the time helped in a minuscule way to change the mind-set of America.”

Way Mind Ideas America Artist Producers Naive Mind Set

Author:M. Ward

“The songwriting style, to me, is superior. There was a certain amount of joy in it, no matter how sad the song is. You get joy in listening to these Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison sad lyrics. I'm attracted to songs that have balance between the darks and the lights and giving them all equal opportunity.”

Giving Matter Light Joy Certain Song Opportunity Style Listening Amount Balance Equal Superiors Songwriting Buddy Equal Opportunity Hollies Writing Style

Author:M. Ward

“I treat the act of making a record very much like working in a laboratory, experimenting with sounds and ideas. Whoever chooses to latch onto it, great; whoever doesn't, that's fine, too. The reaction always pales in comparison to the weight of the act of production.”

Ideas Sound Records Fine Treats Weight Productions Reactions Comparison Pale Laboratory Latches

Author:M. Ward

“When I first started making music, it was learning other peoples songs and putting them onto four-track. Like Beatles songs and stuff. When I started writing, I used the singing side of the production as a vehicle for melody and lyrical ideas.”

Writing Firsts Ideas Used Song Stuff Sides Four Singing Track Productions Melody Vehicle Lyrical

Author:M. Ward

“One of the great things about music is that it has the capability of time travel - you smell a certain smell in the room and it takes you back to your childhood. I feel like music is able to do that, and it happens to me all the time.”

Feels Happens Able Certain Rooms Childhood Music Is Smell Great Things Your Children Capability Time Travel

Author:M. Ward

“When I started writing, I used the singing side of the production as a vehicle for melody and lyrical ideas. Eventually, that process of using my voice to bring ideas across became more complicated, and I felt I could use it more as an expressive tool.”

Writing Ideas Use Used Felt Process Sides Voice Singing Tools Productions Complicated Melody Vehicle Lyrical Expressive

Author:M. Ward

“When I was about 15, I picked up the guitar and learned how to play by going through Beatles chords books. I got this Christmas gift with the entire Beatles catalog.”

Book Play Guitar Chords Christmas Gift

Author:M. Ward

“It was endlessly amusing to me to try to imitate John Lennon and Paul McCartney's harmonies using the guitar.”

Trying Harmony Guitar Amusing Lennon Acoustic Guitar

Author:M. Ward

“From a very early age, I started to get really interested in how songs were put to tape. Not just listening to the songs, but the way the songs were recorded.”

Way Age Song Listening Tape Get Real Just Listen

Author:M. Ward

“I don't like the way recording to digital sounds.”

Way Sound Digital Cassettes

Author:M. Ward

“When I started to take literature and poetry classes, I just started to get inspired by these new incredible works of art that I had never seen or heard of before. I wrote a lot of bad high-school poetry, just like pretty much everyone did, I think, at some point. For me, the inspiration never really stopped.”

Thinking Art Inspiration School Literature Class Heard High School Inspired Incredibles Works Of Art

Author:M. Ward

“I got into one Metallica record. That was about it. I never got into AC/DC or Black Sabbath or any of that. I was interested in the side of heavy metal that had interesting guitar ideas, but that was a very short-lived thing.”

Ideas Sides Black Interesting Records Guitar Heavy Metals Sabbath Heavy Metal Short Lived Metallica Black Sabbath

Author:M. Ward

“I went every Sunday to church when I was growing up, and I think that music had an affect on me before my memory can recall.”

Thinking Church Memories Growing Up Growing Sunday Recalls

Author:M. Ward

“I remember when I was 5 or 6 years old, gospel music felt familiar, like I had heard it in the womb or something. A lot of those old gospel songs still give me that feeling, that it's older than time and there's actually music that can tap into a universal subconscious, or whatever word you want to put on it.”

Want Giving Years Stills Feelings Remember Song Felt Heard Universal Give Me Familiar Subconscious Remember When Womb Gospel Music Gospel Songs

Author:M. Ward

“The way that I'm working now is basically the way I've been working since I was a kid: Find the greatest artist in whatever you do, and rip them off with respect. I think there's a big difference between ripping off with respect and ripping off in disrespect.”

Thinking Way Bigs Kids Artist Differences Rip Disrespect Working Now

Author:M. Ward

“Even though someone has died, a piece of their spirit can still be alive. That's an exciting world for me to take music into, or to attempt to do that.”

World Stills Spirit Pieces Alive Exciting Died

Author:M. Ward

“I've never used the word jamming. It's a matter of finding a great song and learning the chords, then slightly altering the vocal melody, and matching a classic chord progression with another chord progression.”

Matter Used Song Findings Classic Melody Chords Vocal Progression Matching

Author:M. Ward

“My philosophy for producing a record is for everyone involved, including myself, to get out of the way of the song, and at the same time, listen to it as closely as you can, and listen to where the song wants to go.”

Way Want Philosophy Song Records Involved Including

Author:M. Ward

“Try to take your vision and ego as far away from the song as possible. Give as much respect as you can to the song and the initial inspiration.”

Giving Trying Inspiration Song Vision Ego Far Away Initials

Author:M. Ward

“My favorite recordings are the ones that feel like there were no middlemen in the creation. That's the biggest problem with most films and records being made today - too many people involved. I think it dilutes the artist's intent and inspiration.”

People Thinking Feels Made Problem Inspiration Today Film Artist Records Creation Involved My Favorite Middlemen

Author:M. Ward

“If you think of the way Howlin' Wolf made records, you get the feeling there wasn't a production manager onsite, or a publicist having his say on how he should sing the songs. When you listen to his records, you feel like you're tapping into his voice.”

Ifs Thinking Way Feels Should Made Feelings Song Voice Records Like You Productions Managers Tapping Publicists Howlin Wolf

Author:M. Ward

“I just want the songs to have the staying power as my favorite songs. If you listen to any Hank Williams song, when you're in a good mood, it's going to put you in a better mood. If you happen to be bummed-out, you're going to feel maybe a little more bummed-out and better at the same time. At any time in my life, his music has had meaning and value to me. If a song can shape-shift in that way, that's a sign of success.”

Ifs Way Want Feels Littles Happens Values Song Shapes My Favorite Mood Staying Favorite Song Good Mood Staying Power Hank Williams Bummed Out

Author:M. Ward

“It's a hard thing to explain, but the more I arrange for strings, the more I realize the possibilities.”

Hard Realizing Possibility Strings Hard Things

Author:M. Ward

“In order to make a normal-sized record, a singer songwriter should have a couple dozen finished songs. Once they go through the process of production, the ones that scream out at you that they're finished are the ones that make the record.”

Should Song Order Process Records Couple Normal Should Have Productions Finished Singers Scream Dozen Songwriters Singer Songwriters

Author:M. Ward

“The production process has a great way of bringing songs to light and that's a big part of it.”

Way Bigs Light Song Process Productions

Author:M. Ward

“As a producer, I like to bring in unexpected voices, unexpected musicians, like Watt and Joey Spampinato of NRBQ.”

Voice Musician Producers Unexpected Joey

Author:M. Ward

“Every record turns into whatever the listener gets out of it.”

Turns Records Listeners

Author:M. Ward

“I get annoyed with movies or books, songs or records that deliberately try to make you feel a certain way.”

Way Feels Trying Book Certain Song Records Annoyed

Author:M. Ward

“There's at least one fist bump every interview.”

Interviews Fists Bumps

Author:M. Ward

“I don't really watch TV series because I don't want to get hooked on them and have them suck up all my time.”

Want Watches Tvs Series My Time Hooked Tv Series

Author:M. Ward

“The best live recordings capture elements of surprise onstage.”

Elements Surprise Capture Element Of Surprise

Author:M. Ward

“It might be a meaningless moment, but those sparks that ignite the song.... It's mystical maybe, those magic moments. And to make music for a living, to perform these songs over and over, you have to safeguard those sparks. If you can do that, they'll last a lot longer.”

Ifs Writing Moments Might Lasts Song Can Do Magic Over You Songwriting Sparks Meaningless Mystical Ignite Magic Moments

Author:M. Ward

“I like using concrete imagery, but I don't feel that's what it's about. It's a combination of concrete and abstract to take the listener somewhere they know better than you. That's true for music, seeing a painting, watching a movie... it's all some kind of an escape.”

Knows Feels Writing Kind Seeing Painting Combination Abstract Songwriting Concrete Listeners Imagery Better Than You

Author:M. Ward

“If I'm writing... even a piece of a song... I write it down. If it still resonates six months down the line, a year, even five, those are the ones you put in your bag and you take to the studio. You come to realize, the ones that don't make it, they were only meant to live for that moment in your notebook or on the 4-track-and plenty of songs never get any farther than the 4-track.”

Ifs Writing Years Stills Moments Song Realizing Lines Five Pieces Months Six Track Studios Plenty Bags That Moment Songwriting Six Months Notebook

Author:M. Ward

“I have a very strong belief in God.”

Belief Strong Very Strong Belief In God

Author:M. Ward

“I learned a long time ago that fame and money is not a ticket to happiness.”

Long Happiness Fame Long Time Tickets Long Time Ago

Author:M. Ward

“I love the sound of Elmore James, the sound early guitarists like him got just by using minimal means.”

Mean Sound Guitarist

Author:M. Ward

“I do watch 'American Idol' sometimes. It's not really that pleasurable... I take that back. It is the epitome of a guilty pleasure. Sometimes there's some good singers on that show.”

Sometimes Shows Pleasure Watches Singers Guilty Idols American Idol Epitome Guilty Pleasure

Author:M. Ward

“I find that the time that goes by is actually your best friend when you are making a record. The passing of time gives you perspective on what you recorded and what you wrote. If something sounds good to you 12 months after you recorded it then chances are pretty good that there's something valuable about the part or the song.”

Ifs Giving Song Sound Chance Records Perspective Months Valuable Passing Passings Chances Are Your Best Friend

Author:M. Ward

“Certain things you have to stumble on to. They can't be preprogrammed.”

Author:M. Ward

“I always prefer other people's interpretations over my own, so I'm not very quick to make explicit what exactly a song or record is about.”

People Song My Own Records Interpretation Explicit

Author:M. Ward

“I believe in working with songs that have personal value for me.”

Believe Values Song I Believe I Believe In Personal Values

Author:M. Ward

“I get most of my inspiration from older records and older production styles, and that ends up rearing its head in the records that I make.”

Ends Inspiration Records Style Productions

Author:M. Ward

“I'm somebody who gets a lot of inspiration from dreams.”

Dream Inspiration

Author:M. Ward

“I've worked with just as many talented women as I have talented men, and I feel fortunate enough to have that great balance.”

Men Feels Enough Balance Fortunate

Author:M. Ward

“It's a luxury to not have to just be performing with other people to have my music heard.”

People Heard Luxury Performing Performing Music

Author:M. Ward

“My grandparents are from Mexico, so I grew up with great Mexican food.”

Grew Grew Up Mexico Grandparent Mexican Mexican Food

Author:M. Ward

“The South of France is one of my favorite places in the world.”

World South My Favorite France Places In The World Favorite Places

Author:M. Ward

“When you work on a record for three years, it's a great sense of relief when it is finally out in the world. It just feels good.”

World Feels Years Three Records Feel Good Relief Three Years

Author:M. Ward

“I definitely don't see myself as much of a singer, because my upbringing is really based around the guitar, learning chord progressions and that sort of thing. So the singing aspect of what I do has been a secondary adventure.”

Has Beens Adventure Singing Aspect Guitar Singers Chords Upbringing Progression

Author:M. Ward

About the Author

Born: October 4, 1973
Known for: Singer-songwriter
Quotes: 55

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