Writing a song based on a book with Mark Ippolito

Mark Ippolito is a proud member of Seattle’s vibrant community of singer-songwriters and regularly performs his original songs in venues throughout the Pacific Northwest. His debut full length album “New Moon” is steeped in equal measures of folk, roots, jazz and rock and reflects Mark’s abiding interest and celebration of the interconnectedness, both physical and spiritual. Human beings have far more in common than we may claim as our differences. The stories Mark shares in his songs inspire listeners to see this fundamental truth.

Mark shared his song Where Will I Sleep Tonight. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

• Our songwriting challenge for 2025 to write a song in an odd time signature
• How the Bushwick Book Club hold songwriting challenges to write songs based on books
• The importance of finding the right tempo for your song, especially if it’s very slow (or very fast)
• How song ideas can come to Mark while playing guitar, reading, driving, or running
• Recording all your little ideas, as you never know what may be developed as a full song
• Using word lists and rhyming dictionaries effectively