I recently reconnected with some songwriters I used to hang out with way back in the early '90s when I was first starting out. I reminded one of them of a studio demo I had made of a song we had co-written together. I promised him a copy, but I soon discovered that I had failed to copy the song onto my computer, which I had done with me other demos.

I still  had a stack of old cassette tapes I have been saving, so I started searching through them for this demo. Not only did I eventually find it, but I also…

Twitter chased me away when they effectively shadow-banned everyone who wasn't willing to pay $8 for “free speech”. After several months on the waitlist, I finally got my Bluesky invite code.

My Bluesky ID is @sethhilaryjackson. If you're able to, please follow me there. 

I hope to see you!

Update: I've deleted my Bluesky account for the time being.

First the good news. I've gotten some rave reviews on my new single, “Throwing Good Love After Bad Blood”. The Music Farmer 5 blog writes, “A masterclass in emotional storytelling.”  Jamsphere writes. “His ability to craft melodies that touch the deepest recesses of our souls is nothing short of awe-inspiring.”  So far, the song has been streamed over 8,000 times and Spority, and over 1100 listeners have saved the song to their libraries. So, there's a lot to celebrate.

The bad news is that it looks like I…

I've been sick with Covid for the past 3 ½ weeks. Ever since I came down with the virus, I've been feeling exhausted almost all the time. 

I spoke with my doctor the other day, and he thinks I'll be OK. I just have to rest.

I've been be productive for an hour or 2 on some days, so I did manage to finish the mix of my new single, and I got it uploaded for distribution on May 16 to all the streaming platforms. Members of my fan club get early access and can get it now.

I was finishing up a new song just as I got…

Last Thursday, it suddenly hit me that it was exactly 50 years ago to the day when I first stepped foot into a Grateful Dead concert. That day changed my life. I became an instant “Dead Head”. I ended up seeing the band almost 300 times in concert over a 30-year period, and I still listen to them almost every day.

This concert was the most joyous 8 hours I can remember. The New Riders of the Purple Sage, who I'd never heard of till then, opened the show and played for about 2 hours. Then, after a break, the…

"Few artists can put out such a high quality type of message and storytelling into a song" -Rethink Music

CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ, January 13, 2023 - Following his rock anthem "One Great Nation", aimed at healing his country, indie singer-songwriter Seth Hilary Jackson, shifts to healing the spirit in his new single, "Young Enough to Know Better". 

Maybe you can't stop Father Time, but this song makes it clear that Father Time is not going to stop Seth Hilary Jackson from keeping the dream alive. Over a…

Release day is here! This song had been in the works for some time, and I'm excited to finally be able to put  it out into the world. 

"One Great Nation" a message song. While I like to write all kinds of songs, the desire to use music to send a positive message is one of the main things that first drove me to become a songwriter and music artist.

I'm actually a little nervous to state that it's a political song. A lot of people don't like to talk about politics.talking about it can easily lead to…

"Write as many songs as you can. It's fine to write bad songs. Just move on to the next one. Eventually, you'll strike gold." That's the advice I heard from nearly every pro writer I worked with or learned from. It's advice that's always been hard for me to follow, which might explain why I was never signed to a staff writing deal.

I hate writing bad songs. I'm usually not going to start a song unless I have an idea that excites me or a message or a story I want to communicate. If I have that, then I'm going…

About a year ago, I released a song, "The Worst Thing", a song about mistakes and regrets. I almost hate to admit the autobiographical nature of this song, but my art is about being real. Sometimes, you're lucky enough to get a second chance, and when you do, you have to make the most of it. So, I did something I've never done before is write a sequel song.

The song, "I Wanna Make You Happy" is a love song. It's an apology, a thank you, and a promise. I didn't want to it to be a happily ever after, ride off…

In Nashville, TN, it's really common for pro writers to sit down in a writing session and finish a complete song in 3 hours. Then, they're done and never go back to it unless their publisher asks for a rewrite. 

I've  done that at times when working with Nashville writers, but it's not the usual way I work. Especially now that I'm recording my own material instead of pitching it to other artists. Nashville staff writers write hundreds of songs a year. Most of them never see the light of day. There's a…