Co-Writing Songs With His Dad And His Daughter
Cris Cohen: Ken, you wrote “All Goes By So Fast” with your daughter. And then listening back to the Live Live album, you talk about how you got to write a song with your hero, your dad. I'm curious, what were the similarities in those writing experiences, and how were they different?
Ken Block of Sister Hazel: They were very, very different. My dad was an accomplished piano player. Extremely talented. Two degrees in music. He called me one day and said, “Hey, I think I have an idea for a song.”
I thought, for sure, he would have this piece of music. But he didn't. He had, “If she's out there somewhere, somewhere.” He had this thing of lyrics.
And as soon as I heard him read it to me, I heard in my head how I wanted it to go.
Having my dad even ask to do that… but I've got to say, one of the great joys of my life was seeing him get a check from Universal Records for royalties. He had it copied and framed and put on the wall. He was very proud of all of us and for him to be a part of it.
And with Alaina, my role in the relationship is different. And it was kind of coming to one of those milestones where I was getting ready to be an empty nester. This year. I mean, she just left for school. Andrew will tell you, not too far. She stayed pretty close in town.
But she and I are extremely close. We'd written a couple of little songs together before. And when your daughter walks in and says, “Hey, Dad, you want to write a song?”… It's like when a two-year-old hands you a fake phone. You answer it.
And I said, “Absolutely.”
So kind of like what Andrew was talking about, probably not as deep as he and Emerson got… we were just talking about our lives together and how quickly things kind of go by. And don't blink. Don't miss it.
She's got some good melody ideas. And she's more of a “Dad, you can beat that” kind of writer. Like when we talk about lines or I'd sing it, she’d go, “Nope” or she'd say, “You're too old to sing that line. Let's rewrite that.”
Jett Beres: We needed her around a couple of other times.
Ken Block: [laughs] She's a good editor.
But both of them were extremely rewarding experiences for me.