Thank You KOSW 91.3, "I'm Going Home", "One Man Band" and "I'll Find a Way" with Bruce Hilliard

You’re listening to radio station KOSW-LP 91.3 in Ocean Shores WA and this is the Better Each Day Podcast. I am DJ Bruce of Hilliard, there’s no traffic today if you stay home and enjoy your company and pop open a can of here comes a summer to remember.

I did a short stint as a classic rock DJ at a small Ocean Shores radio station. It was some of the best times ever. For me, it was a break from actually writing, performing and producing the music to just announcing and playing songs from other recording artists. 

KOSW is owned by the city of Ocean Shores. Its programming features virtually every musical genre including "oldies", classic rock, big bands, jazz, country, classical, opera, talk and on Saturday mornings at 7:00 a.m. its the Better Each Day segment. 

Its DJs play music as well as disseminate Public Service Announcements, donor promotional spots and do live remote broadcasts for community events. Sometimes even on the beach where they get their cars stuck in the sand.

The DJs at KOSW have always been super kind to me so here’s a shout out to Papa “B”, Dr. Creep and Tommy T. I hope to get by your way soon.

I’m Going Home is the title to a song I wrote about everyone always having the brain-width to imagine traveling to a place and time when you could forget everything, grab a friend and cruise. My place in the sun, wind and rain in this song was the drive to the beach, the Ocean...and all on a 12-String guitar.

Someone stopped me at the gym and said “Hey Bruce, why don’t you play One Man Band by Old Dominion. Well Allison, this one’s for you.

I have guitar students and a somewhat idealistic place in my heart, my world, for music as a community. A common bond that transcends all. Singing always welcomes in the large sporting events with the national anthem, Smells Like Teen Spirit (calm down, I’m having some fun here). But guitar has a little different jam than any other instrument. There’s a huge chain of stores called Guitar Center. That should speak for itself. There isn’t an Accordion Universe or Clarinet Castle...although very cool instruments.

Students ask about songwriting and how to get their heads around composition. I believe in song rewriting. Sometimes the song comes out of the box with little assembly required. Sometimes it comes as a kit with too many of some parts and missing some key elements. Sometimes it doesn’t come in a box at all. I tell the young writers “Hey, go for it. There ain’t no rule book when it comes to creativity.”

I wrote a song when I was 14 called Find A Way. The recording you’re about to hear is a collage of sounds. The main lyric is teenage Bruce saying “I think I’d rather live one hundred years ago.” Or finding a song of my own.

I added the toy music box ballerina piano part last night. The song starts and ends with it. The dream-like cream filled center of the Twinkie is a choir of my voice finding a way.

Here is, from the 1969 Bruce Hilliard scrapbook, Find A Way.

Thanks so much for listening to my stuff. My music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and all the digital platforms. I’m looking forward to more live performances and meeting more people in person.

Until then, honor your future, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. This is Bruce Hilliard...over and out!