Where Ever The Wind Blows

July? That was the last time I wrote something? Haha! A couple months ago I release a new single. You'd think I'd have mentioned that at least. Well, better late than never I suppose....



So, yeah, on January 17th I released a new single, "Where Ever The Wind Blows." I sent it off to a bunch of people in an email and told them to forward it on to others. I wanted to see what would happen, where my song would end up, if I let fate and the goodwill of others be my distribution method. Namely, in honor of the song's title, I wanted to see exactly where the wind might blow my song.

The results? It made it to Russia, Switzerland, China, Myanmar, and all around the U.S. (among other places). Pretty cool. I haven't heard back from South America yet, but I was hoping it would make it there as well. Maybe because secretly I would like to make it down there myself someday. But, I digress.

So, what is the song about? I asked that question to some people when I first released the track, and I heard back things like, "searching, but adventurous." Someone else said, "Loss." I can't really argue with any of those interpretations. As with most songs I create, I didn't set out with a theme in mind; the music itself guides me where it wants to go. The journey is the destination--especially on this track.

I composed this song mostly on my late grandmother's old classical guitar. I'm actually playing that guitar on the third section of the track (the section before the electric guitar finale). It's a finger picking pattern, and that melody forms the basis for the entire song. I also play the piano/keyboard on this song, but most of what was written was on that old guitar. I'd like to think that some of that history seeps into the songs I create from it too.

At the end, I switch things up to the electric guitar. The last section of the song is probably the most important too. At first, the timbre of the electric guitar might seem jarring--almost like it doesn't even belong with the rest of the song. That's part of the point to it. It's supposed to be different. It's supposed to cause unease. And this song, or rather the journey this song is on, can't really exist without it. The finale is the answer to every question the first three sections raised. It's the antithesis. There's a building of tension, and a very controlled ferocity in the finale that brings to conclusion everything that preceded it.

And the point? It's determination that leads us on. It's not the finding of answers that moves us forward, but the abandonment of needing answers. It's moving on in the midst of uncertainty. So, yes, this song is about loss, but not in sad way. It's a song of acceptance--not passively, but actively. It's a journey, destination unknown, but it revels in the insecurity of it all. And, it's the resoluteness in the notes of that clanging guitar in the ending that brings catharsis to the listener...which is why I said it's the most important part of the song.

"Where Ever The Wind Blows" is finally on iTunes (and other places), so I stopped the email distribution. I'm hoping the song still gets around though. It's very cool for me as an artist when I find out my songs are being listened to in places I've only dreamed of going myself. Hopefully the wind is still blowing this one around too.

Subtlety

I was contacted by a fan over the weekend who told me that he listened to my album Synchromism for the first time on headphones, and he "heard way more details" than before. He had some other nice things to say too, but his comment about hearing more details got me thinking about the subtlety in my music. There is indeed a whole lot going on below the surface of my songs, and it always delights me when people start picking up on it.

I remember a similar story with a different fan back in March. He started listening to my music on MySpace a long time before my album was ever released. Then, after he received the CD in March of this year, he asked if I had gone back and added more details to the tracks. "No, I didn't," I told him, "but listening to low-res mp3s on a computer will definitely sound different than listening to the CD in your car." I love hearing from fans--especially about the intricacies of my music--so I unveiled a couple of secret details about some tracks for them to keep an ear open to hear.

It's generally my ambition to leave little surprises in my tracks that listeners will only hear on the 10th, or 100th, listen--or that are only audible to those listening loudly on headphones. These details probably go unnoticed to a lot of people; but they're there, and they're critical to the overall feel of the piece...like that secret little dash of nutmeg a chef puts in an Alfredo sauce. You may not know that little seasoning was added, but you're sure to miss it it was gone.

About "Bliss"

I was hanging out with a buddy of mine recently, and he brought up the song "Bliss" on Synchromism. He was wondering why that track in particular didn't seem to "go anywhere; it just sort of stays the same throughout." I explained that "Bliss" doesn't go anywhere because that's the exact point of the song. It's about being in the moment.

"Bliss" is slice-of-life. It's a snapshot of one of those perfect spaces in time where you realize, "Life is good." At that particular moment, you have no worries or troubles; you have no demands, nowhere to be, nothing in particular to do...everything is settled. When I was explaining the tone of the track to my friend MoFo (who also designed the cover art for "Bliss"), I told her something like, "Imagine one of those perfect Sunday mornings, when you don't have to be at work, your house is completely clean, you have no homework or any other thing to do, all of your responsibilities are met, you're well rested, you're not hungry, you're not thirsty, you're not anything; you have your favorite pair of jeans on, you're relaxing, but you have the energy to do anything...and it's a beautiful day outside." I think she captured the vibe of "Bliss" perfectly in the artwork.

In a sense, "Bliss" is really zen-like in its refusal to become or accomplish anything and its state of "simply being." My guitar never really falls into a repetitive groove; it just sort of dreamily floats around the beat and bassline. I took some inspiration from jazz on this one by refusing to follow musical conventions. I didn't break the song into sections or add a chorus. Instead, the composition is just one continuous thought: in-the-moment and free-form. In fact, my guitar part, from beginning to end, is all one take...and it's actually the very first take. I didn't go back and overdub certain sections; I left it all alone. I thought the carefree meandering of my guitar was perfect the way it was: delightful in its simplicity.

There are actually some changes going on throughout the track, but they're very, very subtle -- layers of synths mostly, and a little guitar strumming and rhythmic additions. But I kept the changes slight in order to keep the musical focus on the rhythm section. I really liked the bassline loop I came up with; and, since I had a good friend of mine, The Specialist, doing all of the drum machine programming, I wanted to highlight his contribution. That's why you hear all of the other instruments mixed a little behind the drums.

March Words

So, I just hooked up this blog to my new & improved website design. As I was doing so, I perused some of the older entries; and one thing I noticed is that I never resolved in this blog some of the concerns I raised. So, I guess I'll do that now....

I had concerns about my artwork for the album in December's post. Well, my original artist was too busy to get it done in a timely manner, so I ended up doing the artwork myself. I'm actually happy now that did the art myself (I like how it came out). I just wish I would have known beforehand I was going to do it and not wasted all those weeks waiting.

Oh, I guess since the album will be out in 11 days, I can finally divulge the title: Synchromism. If you look up synchromism in Wikipedia, it should give you a clue as to why I named my album that. And, if it doesn't enlighten you to your satisfaction, go ahead and ask me more about it and I'll expound.

All the music was done in December, and I finished the artwork in early January. So, where's the album? Mastering took WAY longer than I ever thought it would. I rejected four versions before finding a sound I'm happy with. However, as I'm writing this, everything is being printed and pressed and shrunk-wrapped. And, I've also been super busy getting all the proper groundwork laid for its release. Oh, the release date: March 22nd, 2011.

I mentioned in a November post that I was thinking about scrapping some of the songs that were slated to be on Synchromism in favor of some newer songs I was working on. I didn't end up doing that. The music I've been working on since December has a slightly different vibe to it. I'm not sure why, but it does. So, frankly, those tracks didn't fit with the other existing tracks. You can hear what I mean by listening to "Another Blue Connection." I started that song in January, and there's just a new sound there that wouldn't have blended seamlessly with "Synchromism." So, I'll just have to live with the fact that 5 of the 12 tracks have been released and bought and listened to already. It's okay though, because Synchromism really tells a nice story with the tracks as they currently exist. Perhaps I'll expound on that story some other time.

Lastly, I referred to a song in another November post as "SGWWUDTB." That song is called "Social Gravity Won't Weigh Us Down Tonight Baby" and was originally going to go on the album. However, it didn't fit with the other tracks, so in it's place I put a song called, "Kisses And Magical Interactions, Pt. 2." I really think you're going to like that song. And, for anyone who purchases the "Synchromism" CD with Download Pre-Order Combo I'm bundling the mp3 of "SGWWUDTB" as a free bonus track. My way of saying thank you to all my early supporters.

December Update

It's been a minute. I haven't fallen off the face of the planet...yet. But this time of year has brought many obligations which are keeping me busy. I haven't stopped strumming the guitar though. I've been coming up with some new gems that I'm looking forward to sharing with y'all when they're finished.

I guess I could have (should have) mentioned earlier that all the music for the album has been finished for over 2 weeks now. Good feeling. Now, I'm waiting on the artwork to be finished so CD production can be started in earnest. My artist said he'd be able to dedicate 100% of his attention to it starting today, so I'm hoping it doesn't take much longer. He's a great artist, and worth waiting for...but I'm SO ready to have this project released right now. My goal is still to have the CD released at the end of January. With CD production time being around 3 weeks though, I know I'm cutting it close.

In the meantime, I've been working on new music for an EP I want to release mid 2011. I may only release 1 song off of it as a single beforehand. But I also have 2 other singles I'm working on that won't be on any compilation -- and at least one of those will be a free download. So, expect more new music coming in 2011, besides my debut album.

I guess that's it for now. I am starting to tweet more often though -- if you do want more real-time updates (about really random nothingness) in between these blog entries.

Whew, Only One More To Go

Well, I don't like to call it before it's "for sure for sure," so I'll leave myself an out just in case.... Still, another song is finished! [*Most likely.] I'll run a couple more tests tomorrow, but those should be mere formalities; it's sounding great in the tests I've run thus far.

So, what does this mean? All the music for the album is really just about finished. Done. One last song's mix needs a little more tweaking (the same song that's been giving me fits for months). But other than that track, it's all complete -- at least the original 12 songs I've intended to have on the record. I'm not sure my next step though (read my previous post for details why); but it still feels good to exhale regarding this track at least...and to realize that the bulk of the work is behind me.

Delays...

In the back of my mind, I kind of knew there would be obstacles toward the end of this project. And now, as I realize the seeming impossibility of having the album finished by Christmas, I'm left with really 2 options: get negative or stay positive. I think I'll take the high-road and assume that these delays will somehow work out for the best -- a better finished product in the end.

I've actually got the music just about finished. Two songs just need a few minor tweaks in their mixes. Everything else is completely finished. So, if I wanted to rush this project out now, I suppose I could.... But there are delays with the artwork. And honestly, I don't know how much I really am okay with 5 of the songs being released before the record as a whole is out. As of now, "Good Thing" "Bliss" "Have A Nice Life" "Time Stood Still" and "Shine" are all slated to be on the album.

However, I've been working on some new tracks these last couple of weeks -- at least one of which I'm thinking about putting on the album in place of one of the others slated to be on it. Part of it is the track order too. I keep wondering if one of these new tracks I'm working on will keep the "flow" of the album better than the existing 12 tracks. We'll see how all of this plays out. All I know is that finishing this project has been more difficult than I ever imagined. Starting is easy. And all the work in the middle isn't really that bad. But finishing...this feels like the steepest part of the ascent.

I'm actually listening to the (mostly) completed album now as I write this. Just seeing if I should push through and release it now as-is. Or wait for my original artist, and maybe stick one or two different songs on it and release it January. Plan A or Plan B. Now or later. Like this or like that....