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.