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Recording a New Album — Part 7.75
Posted on | July 6, 2010 | 1 Comment
This is a quick update to let you know that (drum roll please)… mixing is complete!! It’s a glorious thing!! Chris and I are both really happy with how the songs have come together, and we’re ready to take the album to the final stage: mastering. It’ll take a couple of weeks to do, after which the album will be finished and I’ll be able to share it with you. I’ll also be making what will probably be the final video update, which will be about mixing and mastering, and then I can shift my focus to promoting and performing this creative body of songs that I’ve entitled, “Trust.” I’m pretty damn excited…
Serendipity
Posted on | June 16, 2010 | 2 Comments
I’d like to share a serendipitous moment/story with you that I experienced yesterday. It’s a bit complex and involves things that happened a long time ago, which makes it a lot more special… stick with me for a bit:
Yesterday I met with Chris Hobson who is producing, engineering and mixing my new album, entitled “Trust.” We spent the day pooling our revision notes on the mixing process so far, and came up with versions of all the songs that are very close to being done. Being anxious to finish, I asked Chris how long he thought we should listen to these 95%-done mixes before making the final decision to move on to mastering. He recommended that we spend a couple of weeks with them to provide the opportunity for our ears to hear any more changes that we might like to make. He understood my anxiousness, but began to tell me that this part of the process is where most people rush, and that it’s one of the worst parts to do so. This lead to a story he told about a previous client who wanted to hurry-up the mixing process in order to finish in time to duplicate physical copies for his CD release show that he had already booked. Not wanting to do all this work only to potentially make a mistake at the crucial end of the mixing process, I told him I understood and agreed to the two-week listening period.
So where’s the serendipity? It’s coming… here’s a little back-story to help this make sense:
I came to know Chris through a mutual friend who is also a singer/songwriter. I met this mutual friend a couple years ago by chance at a venue in San Diego while on a gig down there. I really enjoyed his music, told him so, and we kept in touch after that. When his new record came out a year or so ago, I went to his CD release show at the Mint here in LA (right before he moved away), and bought a copy of the album. I loved the way the record sounded and was produced, so when it came time to look for a producer for my new record, I went first to the liner notes of that album and found Chris Hobson’s name credited as producer, mixer and engineer. I contacted him and we began working on “Trust” together.
Are you ready for the payoff? That client Chris talked about who needed to hurry-up the mixing process to get CD’s made in time for his release show is the same singer/songwriter I met in San Diego — the same one whose CD I bought at the Mint that night, that introduced me to Chris.
Realizing how all this went together, I said to Chris: “If he hadn’t wanted to rush, he wouldn’t have gotten CD’s made in time, and I wouldn’t have been able to buy one at his show, and I wouldn’t have known about you, nor contacted you about working with me on this album.” We both kinda stood there for a second, then smiled and laughed about it.
Moments that happened quite a while ago between other people ended up affecting, in a very heavy way, my life and the creation of my new record. When things like this happen, I can’t help but feel purpose and design poking its head out from behind the curtain… I enjoy them thoroughly.
Recording a New Album — Part 7.5
Posted on | May 29, 2010 | No Comments
A lot has happened since Part 7, so here’s what’s transpired since I updated you last:
Shortly after recording background vocals, Chris Hobson wrapped up the remaining keyboard tracks with some help from another talented player, Rob Whitlock. Also, percussion parts were added by Michael Harris, some violin by Anna Roberts, and the final horn parts left to be tracked will be completed shortly.
So where does that put us? Into the next stage of the process: mixing. I’m really excited to be getting into this part — it’s where everything comes together and the song takes definite shape. Chris is handling the mixing duties (one of his many talents), and I’m happy to say we’ve got preliminary mixes on two tracks already so far.
There’s no way of knowing how long this stage will last — it’ll be a process of fine-tuning until we feel the song is done. If our efficiency of progress is any indication of how thing will continue, we might be moving on to mastering sooner than later. But I’m not interested in racing this thing to the finish line — each song will get the attention and patience it deserves. Mixing is an enjoyable part of the process, but it’s also incredibly crucial. We’re going to make sure it’s done right before stamping it complete.
We’re rounding the bend towards the home stretch — keep an eye out for Part 8: From Mixing to Mastering.
Recording a New Album — Part 7: Bgv’s
Posted on | May 13, 2010 | No Comments
The Real Meaning of Mother’s Day
Posted on | May 5, 2010 | No Comments
Last night I attended a lecture by Marianne Williamson, who began by enlightening us about the origins of Mother’s Day here in America. While most of us (including myself) may have always thought that it’s just about honoring our mothers, sending them flowers and spending time with them, the truth is much more profound.
**this information is available all over the internet, so I won’t bother crediting a single source**
Julie Ward Howe, who penned the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in 1858, was immensely distraught following the carnage of the Civil War. She issued a call to all mothers, from the North and South alike, to join together and put an end to war and bloodshed so that no mother would ever again have to lose their sons to the futility of battle.
This is her Mother’s Day Proclamation from 1870 which initiated the first Mother’s Day of Peace:
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!
Say firmly: “We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
“We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”
From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says “Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.
In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.
So this Mother’s Day, give your mom flowers and tell her how much you appreciate her, but also speak with her about the origins of the holiday, and remember the message of peace Julie Ward Howe wished for us all to hear.
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