Saturday, November 22, 2008

Album Update

We have successfully finished the first week of recording. I will be going back the first week of December to finish up vocals, and other fine details. 
It has been a great and tiring week. We (Joe, Trevor, and I) started in the studio this past Monday on a cold, overcast morning at 8:00 AM. Kenny came into town twice and put down his electric and mandolin tracks. Bill put down his instrumentation tracks (banjo, accordion, piano) yesterday, and today Delacey, Bill, and I worked on vocals. 
Things are sounding good, and I'm very pleased with what we have accomplished this week. More than anything, I'm proud of my fellas. They were right on, and I was very impressed with each of them. 
Eric, our producer, has been great to work with. If you are in the area and looking to do some recording, I would highly recommend him. He has helped us with the vision of each song and has guided us to communicating that vision as effectively as possible.
Thanks so much for your prayers. I'll keep you updated on the rest. 

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Music Biz


Just a quick update to my friends:

This past Tuesday I was privileged to play The Blue Plate Special on WDVX. This was my third time back, and my heart skipped a beat to be joined on stage by my old right hand man, Kenny Gooch as well as harmony genius Delacey Santini. Of course, trusty dusty Bill Wolf was by my side with his wicked accordion fingers (not to mention keys, back up harmonies, and more...)

Tuesday night we played a second show (the shows were broken up as I missed the sunset by sleeping all day on the couch.) We headed to Preservation Pub and played with a full band. This is the first time I have played with a full band since pursuing a solo career in music. It had been 3-4 years. Joe Bliffen was on drums, Trevor Lofton on bass, and Bill and Delacey were back (Kenny was headed back to IN). This was by far one of my favorite shows all year. I felt what had been missing was finally there. There was a lot of sweat and groove. I haven't had that much fun in a while. Good job boys (and girl).

This coming Monday, on November 17, I head into the studio to record my first full length accompanied by all the previous people mentioned. There may also be some other special guests. We are finishing up the prep details: finalizing set lists, brainstorming titles, talking with our producer, Eric, about tones and scheduling, squeezing in one more practice...
Its very exciting, but Joe and I were talking today about how we are also slightly stressed.

Pray for us as we go into the studio. May God use it however He sees fit. May He be glorified by His children creating in the same (yet much smaller) way that He created.

Thanks!

Loves.

*Photo by Jack Goodwin 

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

My Dad, the Magician

It always lent itself to interesting events when Dad was left alone with the boys for the night. For a time, my mother sold makeup traveling around and doing private parties full of ladies in their early thirties who also left their husbands alone with the children, all of them laughing and painting their faces while fathers all over the city were simultaneously shoving arms back into socket and teaching little children how to keep a good secret. I loved these nights. I think I loved these nights because of the thrill of knowing Dad was going to think of something entertaining for us. (Also, there was a time in high school when a few buddies and I watched Night of the Living Dead, and immediately tried to hike into the woods in pitch darkness. That was a terrifying, awful moment that I loved. That’s how I loved nights alone with Dad)
There was one trick Dad had up his sleeve that could entertain me from the time my mother shut the door until the time she returned. (However, I also really like when he taught us how to wrestle professionally...not just imitating Sting...) Dad would take a single penny in his hand, and call me over to stand right next to him. He would show me the penny in his hand, and swiftly ball his fist around it. He would, then, say
“Ok, Buddy, blow on my hand.”
“phthfpf” Said I with more saliva than breath.
In a sudden movement, Dad would open his hand and the penny would have completely vanished. Now, before Dad had made the penny vanish he had asked me,
“Where do you want the penny to end up?”
I would point to the flower vase atop the mantel which hung above the fireplace, and say,
“In there!”
Once I saw his empty hand in front of my face, I would run as hard as my little legs could carry me and I would stand on my tip toes straining to see inside the vase. My brother had gotten there before me, and said,
“You want it to be in here, Taylor?”
“Yeaaah...”
And Chad would pull out a shiny penny and present it to me, convincing me that my dad truly was a magician. The excitement was so extreme, my superman pajamas could hardly contain me.
I cannot convey to you the feeling of mystery and excitement that rushed through me every time the penny disappeared and showed up exactly where I had requested. There in my very own living room--the room that I walked through on a daily basis, the room where we would lie around watching TV, or where I would play with trucks on the floor--in this room there was suddenly magic. In this everyday room, reality bent and the impossible became possible. To make it even more mind-blowing, it was my ol’ man! The same guy who came home every night at 5:00, ate across the dinner table from me, got upset when I talked back, called me “Bud,” This everyday guy was a freaking sorcerer! Can’t you see how amazing it was to see magic up close and be able to touch it and talk to it. Magic was a part of my life, and it was real. That is what was so special to me. Magic was reality. Reality was magic.