Saturday marked the first recording session since I’ve been back in Dallas.  I’m pleased to say everything went well, and for the time we had, Jeff and I were pretty productive.  We managed to lay down scratch piano tracks for Oceans and Psalm CXXI (121 for all you non-Roman readers…not that I’m Roman, either…).  So, the next step is to go back and finish up the rest of the scratch tracks for the other songs I’d like to record, distribute them to the musicians, then lay down the drums, then I’ll re-record the piano to the drums, then throw in bass, guitar, pads, and garnish it all with some strings.  Oh and vocals.  Yeah.  That’s all.  A trifle really. ;)

Well, I am in the exciting stage of preparing to record!  Our first session will be next Saturday, and I hope to touch up some previous recordings as well as start up some new ones.  I’m pretty pumped.  Honestly, it can be a bit overwhelming at times as I am trying to work on notating the score, arrange songs, find musicians, schedule sessions (practices and recordings), and think about how the heck it’s all going to fit within the next 4 months!  4 months may seem like a long time, but when you’re working full-time and trying to work with other people who go to school and work as well, 4 months is more like 4 seconds.  So yes, at times it feels like my brain is flashing OVERLOAD OVERLOAD signals, but then I remind myself that this very real God that I know (and am getting to know) is actively involved in my life and wants to help me.  And I can see Him helping me…if I look.  Too often, I am so focused on the To Do list as it grows longer that I miss all the other things He is helping me accomplish. 

So, my motto as of late has been, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”  Mmm…I guess I will be learning to like the taste of elephant over the next 4 months.

…dang it’s been a while.  Well, there hasn’t been too much to update, except that I’m back in Dallas until December, working away and also….drumroll please…RECORDING!!  Yes yes yes.  I’m scheduled to get together with Mr. Jeff and finish what we started last spring.  I can honestly say that I think these next few months will be the real deal, i.e. hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I’ll have a decent demo in my hands by Christmas.  So pray for me!  That’s right, all 2 of you who read this, pray that I can stay focused and get done what needs to “git dun” (as they drawl down here). 

I went to the House of Blues the other night to hear BROOKE FRASER and yes, it was awesome.  She’s a great songwriter, definitely, but I was also impressed by the fact that she had 3 people in her band (including herself) and the sound produced was full and good quality.  Basically, it was Brooke on either piano or guitar, a guy on percussion (sometimes he’d play the keyboard), and a gal on keyboard (sometimes the viola).  And it was good.  Man alive, it was good.  It gives me hope that I could keep my recording simple and still have a great sound.  I think the crux of the matter was in the keyboard.  There were some great organ sounds and nice filler pads. 

Brooke has a great sense of humor, as does the gal that plays with her.  Her name was Beth, and she was from Ireland (I think) and occasionally exclaims, “Janie MacIntyre!” to things worth exclaiming about.  Poor Janie MacIntyre (whoever she is)…that is how you’ve been immortalized.

Check it out…

http://www.myspace.com/matthewduhonmusic

Matt was my student worship team leader for a year while I was at CFNI. A really amazing man of God, Matt has finally completed his first album. I had the blessing of recording a little piano on it. Have a listen…not because of me, but because it’s a great album and definitely worth a listen.

The album is coming out on June 16th…preorder now!

I’ve been loosely following the progression of this indie artist for a few years now. Her first album, “Rumor of Flight”, came out a few years ago. I’ve heard several songs and they are all quite good. Unfortunately, I never got to see her play a show, even though she used to perform (somewhat) nearby in the Philadelphia area. However, now she’s in Los Angeles and working on her second album, “Who is Sukey Rose?”

I like Mia. She’s a great songwriter: good lyrics + music that’s easy to love and play over and over and over again. (A favorite of mine is “Here With Me”, an earlier one of hers but a great example of her amazing ability to craft meaningful, poetic lyrics and beautiful, attention-holding music.) She’s also launched this really great concept on her website to build support for the project and independent music. She’s raising the money herself and also giving people the opportunity of being a voice in the creation of the project through polls (for example, a recent one was on the choosing of which song title you preferred). And through it all, Mia’s posts on her blog help document the process of the rather large undertaking of recording an album. It kind of reminds me of Imogen Heap…I think she did something similar a few years ago, that is, she put up polls to get people’s opinions of lyrics and such. It also helped keep her accountable to keep on working on the album.
Anyhow, I thought this was a neat idea, and I encourage you to check out the site!

A lot of stuff has happened since last month…stuff for which I am sure you are just on the edge of your seat in anticipation.

- recorded some piano for Matt Duhon’s upcoming worship album. I really look forward to its release; Matt is a true worshiper and a great songwriter.

- CFNI just released its latest live worship recording, Desperate Hour, and, like last year, I’m listed in the credits under the string section.

- gained some painful, but “it’s-all-part-of-life” life experience. ‘Nuff said.

- played at a Women’s Conference for my church (Faith Christian Center) yesterday and today.

- oh yeah, I graduated from CFNI with a diploma in Practical Theology.

Riveting news, eh?

Is it really April already?! The year is flying by. As you can tell, I’ve been so diligently keeping this site up-to-date (ha), but I thought I’d give you a little update anyway.

There have been several new songs rolling around in my cranial cavity as of late, but words are a different story. There are a lot of songs on the back burner for now…marinating, if you will. But there has been some progress: back in January I wrote a new song (in a matter of a few days, believe it or not) entitled “It Was Me”, a very different song from my usual fare. It is, in fact, a love song! *gasp* Or rather, the lack thereof…it’s about unrequited love. While it’s not exactly written from personal experience, who hasn’t experienced that feeling of being into someone…and they’re just not that into you? I think the appeal in this one lies in that pretty much everyone can relate.

Good news: I have a new opportunity to do some recording! Family friend Jeff Hastings has been gracious enough to help me out. We recorded a rough demo of “It Was Me” and “Let It Go”. It went really well…it’s just been a struggle to find time in my schedule to do some more work on it. This season has been way busier than normal and music has also been on the back burner…marinating.

Marinating is a good thing. It implies a season of soaking in the good things so that the finished product is mmm mmm. It might look like things are coming around slowly, and yeah, they are… But in the midst of the slowness, I’m able to think and chew a bit more on some things. Also, there’s a lot of life experience happening right now…and I don’t doubt God will turn it into a fresh well from which to draw new song ideas.

Anyways, it’s late (why do I always seem to write these things ridiculously late at night…or rather, early in the morning?!), but I hope this will suffice to give the masses (masses = all 2 of you who read this) something new to talk about at the water cooler on Monday.

Haha.