Tag Archives: inspiration

Terra

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I am happy to report that we have begun work on a new album, Terra. Initially, we felt rather ambitious to try to release something within two years after releasing Winter. The Winter project was much larger than we planned and consumed more time than we imagined. However, it is difficult to keep creativity at bay and when you have a story to share, you do your best to share it.

I do not want to reveal much about Terra, but we are hoping to share a fantastic story with all of you. The music and lyrics are complete and the arrangements have been created. Now each member of the band gets to add their parts and the overall sound and delivery of the story.

We began recording drums and bass in April and May. I had an unrealistic plan of holding four recording sessions and tracking three songs each session. Surprisingly, Mikey and Joel rose to the occasion and completed their work in that timeline. I even finished editing and mixing the drums and bass for the songs as well.

As I planned for the recording sessions, I realized when creating an album, each instrumentalist has an opportunity to impart their own emotions and vision into the song. I do not tell them what I want, nor do I provide any guidance. This allows them flexibility and creativity when creating their parts. I find that it brings out the best in their performances and that we end up with something that is unexpected, surprising, and wonderful.

However, for Mars, our backup vocalist, this is not necessarily the case. For Winter, all the backup tracks were already written by me. We were on a tight timeline, and I wanted to provide her with enough guidance so that we could finish the recordings quickly. Aside from her own interpretation and performance of the material, Mars did not have as much creative input as the others.

For Terra, Mars has two solos and one duet with me. I decided that Mars should lead the production and recording sessions for the three songs. I gave her the freedom to add her own perspective and guide Mikey and Joel. The process was strained at first, but as she grew comfortable with her role, the results were exciting for all of us. She was able to share her vision for the three songs, which was to create a different sound space and texture than my songs. This was an opportunity for Mars to add her own personality and her own creative input to the material.

We now begin recording Sergio on guitar and Nadia on keyboards. I left more space in the arrangements so that Sergio and Nadia could have more freedom when creating their parts. I will also give control to Mars when it comes time to track her songs.

As we move forward with the production of this album, I hope to be better at posting updates and sharing insights with you. I have grown more comfortable releasing control of the process and letting others share their ideas. This has opened new sounds and emotions that I did not expect.

Sharing creativity with others is worth the risk.

Reflections

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It has been just over a month since the release of Winter. I still find myself recovering mentally and physically from the event. The months leading up to the concert were filled with rehearsals and show logistics. Quiet moments were few. The band gathered on March 10th to watch the concert video before the official release on the 11th. It was the first time since the concert that all of us were in the room together.

The next morning, I reflected on the evening and the group. As much as I missed being on stage, I realized what I missed most was spending time with these wonderful people. There is magic when people gather and create art. We each pour pieces of ourselves into the work and the result always exceeds what we could have done alone and what we ever imagined. The album and concert would not have sounded and looked as good without the band.

It is rare to find a group of people that you connect with on a deep level. We can go months without seeing or talking to each other, but the minute we gather, it is as if we were picking up a conversation we had yesterday. It is amazing to be able to create music with these people. We are critical of each other’s work and expect the best performance; not for any personal gain, but to deliver the best product collectively. We have each other’s backs, trust, respect, and love.

I miss the rehearsals and the time making music. I miss the banter, the jokes, the laughter. I miss the process of starting with chaos and working towards unity. I suppose the journey continues to be more important than the destination.

There are hours upon hours of rehearsal footage to watch and perhaps I will assemble behind the scenes footage to share.

If you have not watched the Winter Album release concert, it is available on YouTube.

The album, Winter, is available on all streaming platforms.

Idle Thoughts

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It is often interesting to me that whenever I try to write, not much writing happens. However, the moments I am not trying to write is often when the writing begins. Hence the title of my post.

As creators we often get wrapped up in the business of the craft; we have to create our products.

What is difficult for me is that I create albums. I do not set out to create one song after another, I begin with a concept for an album and build the songs around the concept. Historically, when I complete an album, I begin writing a new one. The problem is that the next album is written. We even began to have rehearsals to prepare for the recording sessions a year ago. But then our realities were abruptly altered.

And so, I am in a holding pattern. Until the album is recorded and released, it is not really finished. At least not in my mind.

I do have a lot of content, however. Content from previous albums that need to be heard. I even have concert footage from the past two album releases that I need to finish uploading. There is work to be done; it just is not as exciting as writing songs.

Over the new few weeks, I will be updating my YouTube channel to include all the footage from the album release concerts for Entropy and Singularity. I also have a handful of random sketches of music that have not found a home yet.

Maybe creativity arrives in that sliver of a moment between being active and idle.

If we try too hard, perhaps we miss the moment. If we do not try, perhaps the moment never shows up.

I will let know what happens.

In the meantime, here is a sketch.

Interruptions