This is technically my first album release. ^^ These are 7 of the 11 tracks recorded. Make sure to get a hard copy if you'd like the FULL album! All the proceeds to to charity. ^^
And don't forget about our upcoming show at the Queen!
And there's a possibility I'mma be on the radio Sunday. Stay tuned for deets!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Head for the Hills, Open Mic Adventuring, etc.
Welp.
Watch the video. Then, if you care to read on...!
Thursday: Open mic at Steel City in Phoenixville. Driving up 202/other PA routes in the rain at night was the most awful idea I've had in awhile. I really actually don't do well driving at night, which I made fun of in a (mostly) improvised thank-you song for Cara. Steel City is real snazzy. Unfortunately, we got mixed up on the sign-up time. Lesson learned: websites lie/get outdated. Call a human being. If you can. We still got to do one song each right at the very end, which is better than nothing for the 1.5 hour drive we made.
Michael said it first, and I agree: the place was full of talent. There was not a single "meh" performer up there. I'd definitely be interested in going again if I can get a good handle on when sign-up starts and get on the road sooner. I really love coffeehouse open mics. Bars are fine, but I feel more pressured to cater to the raucous bar audience with covers when I really want to be doing quieter originals.
Head for the Hills was really fantastic. I'm not wanting to post a play-by-play, as it was really a jam-packed weekend. My favorite bits:
I think if I had to sum it up in one word, it'd be camaraderie. Sometime Saturday, people began to realize that I came by myself. They all assumed I had come up with this group or that group, and I think that just speaks to the true nature of it all. Just as you ask someone to dance, or as you would accept that invitation, you step into the community and take hands four and smile. This is a bunch of people who come together to dance, play music, eat food, try new things, teach old things. The give and take of the dance itself is echoed tenfold in everyone's collective heart. Give and take songs, new dance flourishes, encouragement, joy.
Watch the video. Then, if you care to read on...!
Thursday: Open mic at Steel City in Phoenixville. Driving up 202/other PA routes in the rain at night was the most awful idea I've had in awhile. I really actually don't do well driving at night, which I made fun of in a (mostly) improvised thank-you song for Cara. Steel City is real snazzy. Unfortunately, we got mixed up on the sign-up time. Lesson learned: websites lie/get outdated. Call a human being. If you can. We still got to do one song each right at the very end, which is better than nothing for the 1.5 hour drive we made.
Michael said it first, and I agree: the place was full of talent. There was not a single "meh" performer up there. I'd definitely be interested in going again if I can get a good handle on when sign-up starts and get on the road sooner. I really love coffeehouse open mics. Bars are fine, but I feel more pressured to cater to the raucous bar audience with covers when I really want to be doing quieter originals.
Head for the Hills was really fantastic. I'm not wanting to post a play-by-play, as it was really a jam-packed weekend. My favorite bits:
- Learning hambo! Hambo's a Swedish dance that's very tricky and can't be picked up like some dances. The workshop was well-done and it's not easy to teach, so it really speaks to the level of expertise of the instructors.
- Joining the pickup band in the middle of the dance floor, and onstage for three sets. It's incredible to be seated with 20-30 other talented musicians on one stage and just play dance music. I left my iPod in the cabin for most of Saturday, which I really regretted when I was playing in the pickup band. I would have liked to show a little of that.
- Campfires, impromptu communal singing, and late-night shenanigans. I regarded them as equal to any other workshop I participated in. :) 3 AM on Sunday found us 20-30somethings sitting on the floor in our dorm eating from a small cornucopia of variously contributed foods. By the end of the weekend, my sleep total was seven hours but my happiness percentage was seven thousand percent.
I think if I had to sum it up in one word, it'd be camaraderie. Sometime Saturday, people began to realize that I came by myself. They all assumed I had come up with this group or that group, and I think that just speaks to the true nature of it all. Just as you ask someone to dance, or as you would accept that invitation, you step into the community and take hands four and smile. This is a bunch of people who come together to dance, play music, eat food, try new things, teach old things. The give and take of the dance itself is echoed tenfold in everyone's collective heart. Give and take songs, new dance flourishes, encouragement, joy.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
November madness
The madness never really stops!
So. What's going on.
I reckon we'll probably have to practice or something ridiculous like that...!
I think we'll be featuring some of our Christmas tunes from the album, which has been all mastered up and is totally awesome-sounding. Really, seriously. A great product from a great time which was started by a great vision.
For now, I run, for I actually did not have time to blog this evening but oh well. :3
So. What's going on.
- Playing the Gathering Place at Klondike Kate's tonight
- Adventuring out with Michael tomorrow for to see and play at an open mic at the Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, PA (and seeing superfan Cara!)
- Adventuring further on my own this weekend for dancing, dancing, musicking at Head for the Hills; I don't count my ducks before they hatch but I'm hoping to have some cool video to show you afterwards so that you can all be jealous that I had so much fun and got to make so many new friends. But I am really terrible at taking videos/photos of anything I do because I would rather be enjoying myself in the moment.
- Announced today: our supergroup dealiebobber (myself, Paper Janes, Battleshy Youths, ???) will be playing at the Queen, downstairs (!) on Thursday, December 1. Tickets are ON SALE! :) Come out and see us.
I reckon we'll probably have to practice or something ridiculous like that...!
I think we'll be featuring some of our Christmas tunes from the album, which has been all mastered up and is totally awesome-sounding. Really, seriously. A great product from a great time which was started by a great vision.
For now, I run, for I actually did not have time to blog this evening but oh well. :3
Sunday, November 6, 2011
choir choir choir choir GO
Space heaters are AWESOME. I love that it's more than 60 degrees in here!
That way, I can stay comfy while I'm up arranging these songs for VCF choir. Wait... that's not what it's called. VCF Christmas Choir? The Barn Singers? (I suggested the Hayloft Singers at one point, because we sing at the Barn, and instead of a choir loft, a barn would have a hayloft... I am guessing that it was too witty and that is why I never received a response.)
Whatever it is, our first meeting is tomorrow. Kind of a late start. There are only 7 Mondays until Christmas. We are going to move at lightning speeds. Sing at the speed of light. And then be like, bam, Christmas.
It's my third year running it. I think this is my last year. I make no bones about it. I've led community choirs since 2005. And I like it. But the thing that makes them live is having them around all year.
I ask myself, why don't I just get it together, why don't I just get my act together and run it all year? And when I ask this, I find I can make excuses by the bucketload. I got a hundred up my sleeve. I think there are always plenty of excuses lying around if you ever need them. But the fact of the matter is: if you want to do something, you're gonna do it. To be honest, I just haven't wanted it to the point where it topped my priorities list. I can admit that without being a bad person.
(I think.)
For me, there has never been a lack of ideas for projects to get involved with. They simply cannot all happen. There are not enough hours in the week. I do find that I need to remind myself of this, otherwise this groundless guilt starts to set in and make everything sour. I think it's great to work hard to achieve goals, but we need to listen to our own hearts, and God's heart for us (yes, both, God does care about our wants as well as our needs) What not to listen to: the voices saying little annoying catch-phrase-y things, like Do More, Achieve, Get Involved. Being rested and healthy and spiritually well is success in and of itself, and that takes time, too. Contrary to popular belief, well-being is NOT the natural result of trying to cram more "productivity" into your day.
Still, though. Choir is awesome. There is so so SO much more to worship than Sunday morning, and it's easy for me to see the connections between choral singing and the kingdom of God. Corporate sound. One sound from many bodies. Oneness, proclaiming the message of Jesus. Learning to submit your voice into that sound. Learning to take the lead, gently but firmly, when necessary, within your part to guide others through the right pitches. We don't all sing the same voice part. But bass, alto, soprano, tenor, baritone, whatever: they all listen to one another, tune to each other, sing their own unique part in a unified message.
Yep.
That way, I can stay comfy while I'm up arranging these songs for VCF choir. Wait... that's not what it's called. VCF Christmas Choir? The Barn Singers? (I suggested the Hayloft Singers at one point, because we sing at the Barn, and instead of a choir loft, a barn would have a hayloft... I am guessing that it was too witty and that is why I never received a response.)
Whatever it is, our first meeting is tomorrow. Kind of a late start. There are only 7 Mondays until Christmas. We are going to move at lightning speeds. Sing at the speed of light. And then be like, bam, Christmas.
It's my third year running it. I think this is my last year. I make no bones about it. I've led community choirs since 2005. And I like it. But the thing that makes them live is having them around all year.
I ask myself, why don't I just get it together, why don't I just get my act together and run it all year? And when I ask this, I find I can make excuses by the bucketload. I got a hundred up my sleeve. I think there are always plenty of excuses lying around if you ever need them. But the fact of the matter is: if you want to do something, you're gonna do it. To be honest, I just haven't wanted it to the point where it topped my priorities list. I can admit that without being a bad person.
(I think.)
For me, there has never been a lack of ideas for projects to get involved with. They simply cannot all happen. There are not enough hours in the week. I do find that I need to remind myself of this, otherwise this groundless guilt starts to set in and make everything sour. I think it's great to work hard to achieve goals, but we need to listen to our own hearts, and God's heart for us (yes, both, God does care about our wants as well as our needs) What not to listen to: the voices saying little annoying catch-phrase-y things, like Do More, Achieve, Get Involved. Being rested and healthy and spiritually well is success in and of itself, and that takes time, too. Contrary to popular belief, well-being is NOT the natural result of trying to cram more "productivity" into your day.
Still, though. Choir is awesome. There is so so SO much more to worship than Sunday morning, and it's easy for me to see the connections between choral singing and the kingdom of God. Corporate sound. One sound from many bodies. Oneness, proclaiming the message of Jesus. Learning to submit your voice into that sound. Learning to take the lead, gently but firmly, when necessary, within your part to guide others through the right pitches. We don't all sing the same voice part. But bass, alto, soprano, tenor, baritone, whatever: they all listen to one another, tune to each other, sing their own unique part in a unified message.
Yep.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I wrote something completely in Garageband
Goin' Nowhere by EmKeev
This is a pretty big departure from how I'm used to writing. I used to input every note by hand, which (I think) forced me to be more creative. Garageband lends itself well to loops and to material you can lay down in a couple of measures, then copy and paste. I find its score tool is pretty obnoxious and it hurts that I can't look at the score for multiple tracks. But maybe I'll change my mind as I use it, get used to it, etc.
There are so many many many things in Garageband that I've really never messed with before. With Cakewalk and mixing, I had a very basic handle on how to get certain notes to echo, how to change the volume level for individual tracks... that might've been it. Garageband has all these options and things that I don't even know what they are so I just play with them until I see what it did there. It's fun.
This little thing is repetitive and doesn't really go anywhere, but A) the intention was to mess with the software and B) the first eight bars really capture how the day felt. And for that, I'm glad. Music really expresses stuff I can't get out any other way and I really find that words are words and all but sometimes my sentences are just little prison cells for what I'm actually trying to say. The instrumental is more pure.
This is a pretty big departure from how I'm used to writing. I used to input every note by hand, which (I think) forced me to be more creative. Garageband lends itself well to loops and to material you can lay down in a couple of measures, then copy and paste. I find its score tool is pretty obnoxious and it hurts that I can't look at the score for multiple tracks. But maybe I'll change my mind as I use it, get used to it, etc.
There are so many many many things in Garageband that I've really never messed with before. With Cakewalk and mixing, I had a very basic handle on how to get certain notes to echo, how to change the volume level for individual tracks... that might've been it. Garageband has all these options and things that I don't even know what they are so I just play with them until I see what it did there. It's fun.
This little thing is repetitive and doesn't really go anywhere, but A) the intention was to mess with the software and B) the first eight bars really capture how the day felt. And for that, I'm glad. Music really expresses stuff I can't get out any other way and I really find that words are words and all but sometimes my sentences are just little prison cells for what I'm actually trying to say. The instrumental is more pure.
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