Eddie West Music

Updates at My New Website

2010-12-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

Although this has quite a bit of scribbling from 2009 when I recorded my self-titled album you'll find current Eddie West news at www.eddiewestmusic.com. Please adjust your bookmarks accordingly!

Album Artwork

2010-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Back in October when I got together with photographer David Campbell to shoot the photos for the album cover we decided we'd try to find a little-known place in the desert called Butte Camp. Today this camp lies tucked away in the desert behind indian agricultural fields and consists of little more than old slabs of concrete with desert plants growing out of the cracks. During World War II however, the camp consisted of rows of barracks surrounded by barbed wire, sentry posts and armed guards. The big round slab was a base for a water tower (300,000 gallons). It was one location where Japanese-American individuals, the vast majority of which were actually American citizens, were rounded up and interned for the duration of the war - a Japanese Internment Camp.

These are a few pictures David's wife took while we were trying a few different locations for the cover. You can check out the album artwork and order CDs from Kunaki.com.

Monument at the top of the hill.

Base of the 300,000 gallon water tank.

Sorghum breeding plot.

Read about the history of Japanese internment at this National Park Service website. Another history of the Gila River camps can be found here. There was a lot going on at these camps - warehouses, factories, seed farms, newspapers, even several graduating classes of high school. The pictures on both these sights show a lot more than the ones above since everything there is gone now. There is still a lot of agricultural production going on on the indian reservation. It's good to be aware of these types of places.

LA County

2009-12-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a surprise trip to LA - I drove from Phoenix all night, recorded some vocals and drove home. I'm getting to know the city fairly well by driving around everywhere. On the ride there I counted that it would be my tenth trip to Los Angeles.

Times I've been to LA:
1. Weekend layover before going to New Zealand for 6 months (Jan '05). I had a few friends that moved to LA after high school; two were attending music school, one was working as a baker and the other was getting her undergrad and later went into the music business. The guys all shared a condo in Pasadena where I hauled my luggage to and from the airport on a series of trains and buses through downtown. A few memorable firsts - of course my first In n' Out burger experience, the first time I heard Ween's album 'Quebec,' and the first time I got on a plane leaving the country. Those guys were great hosts and will tell you that before I left I cleaned the crap out of their kitchen as a thank you for letting me stay there.

2. Had some time to kill in that timeslip between graduating college and getting a job (June '06). Since I had a blast in LA the first time, I just decided I needed to see the coast and drove from Fort Collins, CO out to Santa Monica. I did not see the beach the first time, and I was moving back home. This would have been the last chance to see LA for a while. I saw one of the guys from Pasadena again, James, but everyone else had moved. I was sitting in James' living room when I got a call to play a show in Colorado, and I realized I'd have to go back to Colorado in the morning. I stopped in Las Vegas for the second of two times in my life.

3. Flew out to attend Tim Sweeney's Music Strategies Seminar (Oct '06). Stayed at a hotel, the only time I've ever done that in LA. I met many musicians from literally all over the country who came to hear Tim speak. I jammed with a ukulele player from Hawai'i in front of about 100 people. I have to say it was one big, fun weekend.

4. ASCAP Songwriter's Workshop at the Hollywood Highlands (April '08). Without a doubt the highlight of this trip was seeing Steve Miller Band perform at the awards show in the Kodak Theatre. That was the first night of the conference then a weekend of furious note taking about the music business ensued. I met songwriters from LA and Nashville mostly, walked back to the Hollywood Hostel to cook my meals and sleep. Hiked up to the Hollywood sign. Ate at Pinks with some songwriters who invited me to Nashville. I met Lilly Carrico, who said her neighbor played with Bruce Springsteen and owned a studio in Santa Monica. I did a double take at that. She said she'd get me his info. That obviously turned out to be the best part of the weekend as it got me in touch with Marty Rifkin, the Producer who spent this entire year working with me on my album. Screw Steve Miller Band.

5. Performed at UnUrban Coffeehouse, a low profile cafe in Santa Monica (June '08). As far as gigging in LA goes, wish me luck. Perhaps I may never move there - I might consider it harder than NYC for playing music as a songwriter. Why? For one, people would have to drive to your show and then drive home, as opposed to walking or taking a subway. It's too much of a commitment. LA does have surfing though. But hold this debate; any city is what you make of it. UnUrban is a no-stress, create good music kind of place - it's a great environment for musicians - and that's why I knew it'd be a good place to start doing some performances in LA.

6. First recording session at Rifkin Productions (Jan '09). I met Marty Rifkin at his studio and ran my eyes over the guitars and other instruments against one wall with another wall covered in CDs bolted down of all the albums he's played pedal steel on. It was a place where I knew I could work. I remember first we recorded the first song, "Fix the Tractor," then the last song, "Taft Hill," then kept building our way inward. After five days we had started an album that I knew I could be proud of making. My sister flew out to visit, and we walked around the Santa Monica Pier and the 3rd St. Promenade; we ate dinner with her friends at Barney's Beanery.

7. Back in the studio for another long weekend (Feb '09). I wanted to knock out the two instrumentals on the album and a song with another long instrumental part. We got it done. I was told to go to Phillipe's French Dip, a restaurant downtown, and spent about as much time in line as I did walking around Chinatown. Great food though. I snuck in a gig at UnUrban that I set up since I knew I'd be in town. I played "Under African Skies," by Paul Simon, and looped the guitars while I danced onstage to the afro-beat rhythms of the song. It was Valentine's Day; I played one of my more profound gigs because of it.

8. Show and a session (Oct '09). I returned to UnUrban to play as the featured open mic performer. The stage was in the back and I had about 20 musicians to play in front of this time - all waiting to play too! I closed the show with the song I had started recording that day, "Maybe Long Beach," but instead of the guitar solo I introduced myself and thanked the audience saying, "We've got a great night ahead of us." Stayed all night to watch everyone perform since they all watched me.

9. Show and a session II (Nov '09). I thought I would have had the album done with two last days recording a final song. I lucked out to schedule Randy Crenshaw for more background vocals. By this time I'm getting LA down - finding parking, avoiding traffic, merging onto freeways ("People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles." -Bret Easton Ellis). I performed at The Talking Stick in Santa Monica, had some luck promoting and got some people to the show. I was really happy to be performing and it showed - I tore up the stage. The barista said I was "Old School," and told me to come back. I will definitely be taking him up on that.

10. Drank a cup of strait cold brewed coffee and drove from Phoenix at 10pm Friday before last (Dec '09). They add a lot of water to that drink before they serve you a toddy! Because of a mixup (see most recent blog below), I needed to grab some new vocals into the mix of the song I recorded in November. I ate more or less the food I brought with me since this trip almost broke the budget, though as you may have noticed I like to go out to eat in LA when I can. The trip ended up being well worth the effort - "In the Morning of the Earth" is a brand new song that will go on the album before ever being played live, and you have to love songs like that. I do anyway.

What a nice list. It was good to write it out for posterity or something. Actually it elaborates on the inside cover of the album - a list of all the recording dates this year - that needed more detailed chronicling. That's basically what I've sought out to do all this year with the blog here (+/- some). The album is now done with minor layout changes the last thing on my plate before the first pressing.

It's "AGINST TH' LAW" (and not just in Winston-Salem)

2009-12-05T14:42:00.001-08:00

I rolled into LA county this morning to fix a song on the album that needed new lyrics. What was originally recorded included some lines from the infamous Woody Guthrie, but apparently that did not fly well with the caretakers of Guthrie's music. Of course I had to record the song first to let them hear it and decide, and no matter that permissions for such adaptation are "few and far between," I still felt it was worth a shot. The good thing is that I only needed to fax a form plus email an MP3 to Bug Music Publishing, and they got back to me fairly quickly that it was a no-go. Once again - worth a shot. Not knowing if the song could be rerecorded in time for it to make the album made the last few weeks a little confusing. Through some stroke of creative genius I was able to craft something of my own that's even better because now I own all the rights... no offense Woody! With that out of the way there are just a few more tasks that need to be completed before the making of this album is just part of the history books!

Hard at Work

2009-11-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

     Weekend gigs in the afternoon can be trouble, primarily because I have to make sure I get up early enough to be ready. About two weeks ago I got an email asking me to play at Mighty Cup N' Spoon in Glendale, AZ. Glendale had a few thousand in the streets last night to witness the lighting of the Christmas lights down Glendale Ave - Glitters and Glows of Glendale! Tonight similar mayhem is expected as Black Friday spills into Saturday.

     I've played a few shows up here, driving over from where I live in Tempe (currently). Downtown Historic Glendale is where all the antique and craft shops are found - a quaint little downtown area with lots of pedestrian traffic on the weekends. I rocked the front lawn for the lunch crowd and the passer-byers, and now I'm working on my laptop inside. This week I've been spending a lot of time on my computer just getting lots of email addresses together and sending out updates. I'm getting ready for the first pressing of the Eddie West album.

     Usually I'm on my computer at a coffeeshop where I perform and someone will either tell me they enjoy reading my emails, or a few have told me they signed up and haven't been receiving them. Since I carry around a folder with all the email signup sheets from all the shows I've ever played, I can sometimes find their name. Possibly the hardest but most rewarding part of my job is getting this email list organized. Any artist will tell you it's a lot of work, but it isn't something that I particularly excel at doing. So since this week I've been setting aside time for myself to work online I took an extra few minutes to write about it.

     I guess I skipped the update about finishing recording, but actually I still might be doing something else in the studio when I get the chance to go back to LA. For the most part though the album is done, so as the cliche goes, now the real work begins. If you follow me on MySpace or ReverbNation then you can check out some of the pictures taken at the shoot for the album artwork. In most of the pictures I look pretty tired, but there are few good ones in there I'll pick from for the album. I realized how nice it is to have recent photos too. Now I've got a haircut and feel like I should take some new ones. Though there's a lot on my plate I'm enjoying this process quite a bit. I'm a few short weeks from holding the first copies of my album in my hand. That and getting the albums out to everyone in the coming months is what all this is about for me. I hope if you're browsing through here you'll stay tuned and get your very own copy.

Back in L.A.

2009-11-04T22:47:00.001-08:00

This weekend I'm psyched I get to go back to Southern California. Of the four trips this year, this last one will be the longest. I have some really exciting things planned, like finishing up my record, and some things I get excited to do while in a different environment. One thing people in LA know about is Pink's Hot Dogs. I probably shouldn't wait in line for so long for a hot dog since there is nothing to do in line except eat up a few hours of your time. Check out the menu at Pink's website but look around for lots more to see.

Well if Hollywood's where you go to be seen, then Pink's is where I will be seen this weekend with possilby a few fine chili dogs.

Bacon on top...

Dig in.

A Solid Thanks

2009-09-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

So first to get something important out of the way - if you're reading this in the first week of September you won't see me play at Xtreme Bean this weekend. I had to cancel the show to get something done that has been in the waiting for a while. Sorry to be unspecific, but unfortunately this will take all weekend to accomplish, and the opportunity to get it done happened to be when I had a show scheduled.

As you may know, the first Saturday of every month I perform at Xtreme Bean in Tempe, AZ. I've had the great opportunity to do this for the last year, and I hope to keep it going for another year. After playing out so much this summer though, I am in the process of a much needed break from performing. And I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been at one of my shows and may be following these sporadic blogs or e-mails I send over the internet.

Thanks for coming to the shows, signing the mailing list, buying CDs and putting money in the tip jar. From June through August I played nine shows, including my first in Sedona, and took in enough money to pay for a day in the studio this October.

Though many ask at my shows how much studio time costs and how much making CDs costs, I usually try to avoid pinning it down to the actual numbers. When I finish my album next month however, the shows I played this summer will fully pay for one full day in the studio. As a soloist playing at coffeehouses that don't even pay sometimes, I feel this was a great accomplishment. It gives me a little more leeway with my finances and proves that I can sustain a recording career without it all coming out of my pocket. It also proves how much people are supporting my music, independent music, and the arts in general - it is a great thing.

In October when I come back to Xtreme Bean, it will be the weekend before I drive out to Santa Monica to finish recording the last three songs for my new full-length album. It will have been 10 months since I started, and the long break was about one thing - I ran out of money. Since January I've been saving up, watching my spending, and playing gigs like a world-class madman. Everyone I've encountered has been very supportive about my music. Some will get a mention in the notes for the extra mile they went to help me create the album. But everyone that has seen me play this year, especially during this amazing summer when I played virtually every weekend, deserves a huge Thank You for helping me along the way. I can't wait to see you again at the show.

M.O. Unchanged - Playing Live

2009-07-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'm still at the bean (Xtreme Bean) the day after a show, entering e-mail addresses into my ReverbNation fan application (see sign-up box to the right). With every weekend giving me another opportunity to play in Phoenix, I've fallen into a routine - a fairly busy one - but a very routine schedule. Last summer I went out on the road, took pictures and saw amazing new people, places and things. This summer I'm performing only in the Phoenix Valley. So this is what a Stay-cation is all about?

Though promoters frown upon playing in one place too often, I just like playing live. Insignificant is that I may be playing in the same "market" too often. I adjusted to living in Phoenix by finding all the coffee shops with music, and I've almost played at all of them. Besides my steady gig on the first Saturdays at Xtreme Bean in Tempe, I get to play once or twice a year at some of the other acoustic venues in the Valley - The Paisley Violin, Fiddler's Dream, Mama Java's, and Mighty Cup n' Spoon among others. If you want to perform all the time, Phoenix is a great place to play out every weekend and have a different audience at each show. There is a scene here, and it's not too intense so you have people taking themselves really seriously.

Last year hitting the road gave me a song called "Hit the Road." I wrote it the day I left for Tucson to play at a bar called Plush. I played it that night and the following weekend in Phoenix and Santa Monica, then later in June I was playing it in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Getting to travel always gives you some time to soul search and develop a song or two, but it can also be more trouble than it's worth - sleeping in cars, days without showers, coming home with less money than you had when you left town. If playing closer to home means I can still drive back after the show and get a good night's sleep in my bed, that is an advantage I will gladly take - I'll have way more energy the next day to do what I need to do.

I'm of the school that bands (or solo performers as I go) should play locally enough to develop a fan base and then once they get good press and can draw good crowds that's when they start to branch out and play regionally. These days I see the opposite - bands that tour nationally as if there new album is good enough to be successful in any city. That approach will hardly ever work because you don't get a chance to repeat the success you have in one city if you're halfway across the county a month later.

Still there should be a happy medium of being able to play not just in your hometown, expanding little by little to reach other audiences. After all, with the Internet available as a marketing tool you can get the word out anywhere you want. I have friends all over the place, but fans all over? Well, if you like chill acoustic music, I consider you a fan. And eventually the road is the ticket - it's where I'd always see myself if I could do it right. When the opportunity comes to get back out there and perform in other cities it really doesn't get more exciting than that. With a new album now scheduled for release in December, maybe next year will create some of that opportunity. Right now I'm in Phoenix in the balance, m.o. unchanged, playing live.

2009 is Still Half Full.

2009-07-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Starting to get things together to finish the new album, I did get to book Columbus Day weekend in the studio in Santa Monica. I'm looking forward to finishing up and having copies ready of my new album before the end of the year. I have a few more songs I want to get done, and of course there are always new ones coming along, so I may have something new that I'm excited about in October.

I haven't had too much time set aside to write, which I love to immerse myself in when I get the chance. For the most part I've been working really hard at playing regularly each weekend and during the week have been taking a summer class after work. I need to brush up on some math to get ready to go back to school, so nothing glamorous. That is if I go back to school - still the plan for now.

Visit www.myspace.com/eddiewestmyspace to hear songs and find out where I'm playing. For now that's the only other website I have up with that information. My goal this month is to get my Facebook page going because I've gotten numerous requests to get that done.

Random thought of the moment: Tests prove I'm more productive when I do stuff. So gladly I got a lot done this weekend. Now back to ReverbNation to send out the July e-mail. Adios America.

Back from Hiatus

2009-06-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

     I think I need to get back to updating the people that listen to my music. Are you still out there? I hope so, because I love playing music for all of you, I just don't get around to spending much time online. Online is where you have to be for music these days, but unfortunately I prefer to be out at coffee shops playing live and hittin' the road and going all sorts of places when I get free time. True coffeeshops have Wi-Fi, but the point is to socialize not surf the internet at a coffee shop.

     In April and May I had a string of 6 gigs in as many weeks, and even spent a weekend in Chicago at a wedding. I had a great time playing shows and sold/ gave away the first dozen copies of my new album (albeit still in the works right now). I was doing so great playing every weekend and neglected to type a summary of all the shows. Now a month has past and after a short break I'll be playing almost every weekend in June and July (a couple weeks off in August, and back to it again this fall). Truth be told, I'm having a great year coming off the recording sessions this winter, and want everyone to get a chance to hear my new music.

     So what I'm working on at the moment... and I sort of have to take things one thing at a time because I'm so far behind...

Collect money from Ebay auctions of old music equipment! Save for next recording session.

Schedule next recording session. Columbus Day weekend? Check calendar.

E-mail everyone on my mailing list about the June shows in Phoenix and write them here:

Xtreme Bean -Tempe - 6/6
Mighty Cup n' Spoon - Glendale - 6/13
Fiddler's Dream - Phoenix - 6/27

E-mail guitar instructor about top-secret guitar stuff.

Practice that new cover of "Cocaine Blues," the Townes Van Zandt version, that I didn't quite get right when I debuted it at Xtreme Bean last month.

Make tuna fish for lunch tomorrow.

     That last one is pretty important and I better get on it quick. I made some progress tonight on this list, so I will leave it at that. Actually one more item of course,

Blog!

     See you at the show, Eddie

Heartstrings

2009-04-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hearing the music of "Heartstrings" in my head a few weeks ago I started singing different lyrics. First they were new, then I thought about putting in words from my journal. Maybe this was because this occured at sunrise and they were lyrics about watching a sunrise. Who knows how these things happen. The wheels started to turn in my head, but then my thoughts were flying. I didn't have my guitar, but I could hear it. Everything fit at once, the verses, chorus, and bridge. One really powerful song was born. With some editing still to come, here are those new lyrics to "Heartstrings."

Look out my window and there you are

How I hate to be so far from you

But I’m surrounded by these walls

Two windows and that’s all

You show so much beauty to me -I can see it all maybe

And you, you send your love my way - I’ll love like that someday

Just then did our eyes meet?

Life's looking pretty sweet

I hope that you see me

For who I want to be

Chorus

For heaven’s sake,

Don’t let me make

the same mistakes,

Don’t let my heart break.

So we stay up all night

Waiting on the first light

We watch the sun rise -

See the world open its eyes

Chorus

Darkness on the Edge of Town - Studio pics from Santa Monica!

2009-03-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

Cannon

2009-03-09T19:37:00.001-07:00

Some of my decision making with music involves input from others. Why not? That's definitely what it's all about to some degree. Wait, does that make sense? Anyway, whether taking song requests from an audience member or suggestions on what guitar to use from my producer, you can never do it alone. Here are a few examples of how folks who hear my music are making my album a little bit better, one step at a time.

I have a song called "Cannon," now up on the Eddie West MySpace. A performance of that song also yielded a suggestion I decided to keep for the album. At Fiddler's Dream (Phoenix) in December where I played most of my new songs to a crowd, an audience member said he wanted to have heard the ambient part of the song once again at the ending. (You'll have to listen to the new studio version if you haven't already.) I took his suggestion to heart and after trying it out decided to keep the song that way.

This past weekend I played my regular First Saturday gig at Xtreme Bean in Tempe, AZ. I had been having a thought bounce around in my head for a while - what song should finish my album? The one I had anticipated as becoming a last song I thought might be superseded by another song, "Cannon." I tested out the idea by ending my show on Saturday with the song, "Cannon."

Talking to members of the audience afterward I got specific complements on that song from someone who was enjoying the last bit of my set. She was watching in the back for a while but then came up and sat down during the last few songs and afterward, sensing her enthusiasm for the music, I went up to say hello. She told me strait up that she liked the last song; my test worked! And just like that I'm planning on making "Cannon" the last song on my album.

That always happens by the way - not only do people in the back sometimes have a better view of the stage (better sound?) - at Xtreme Bean the crowd becomes intense right before I get done playing as the room fills up with late night coffee drinkers. I think I should have done a third set or played later. Among the crowd one person was really excited about that last song, and that changed my whole way of thinking about it.

Reverb Nation

2009-02-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

This should be fun. I'm absolutely at the crossroads of promoting music as I join ReverbNation. This promotion thing is not something I'm well versed at, but I think the tools on their website will help enormously.

Life has been going really fast lately, too fast even to take a minute and write about music, let alone write music. I'm on some allergy medicine temporarily because this desert air has been reeking havoc in my lungs. Thankfully we got some rain in Phoenix last night that lasted until early this morning. That will help things stay out of the air for a few days while I recuperate.

Anyway this ReverbNation thing is crazy. I have two windows open - one for e-mails and one for MP3s. It's quite ridiculous, but I want to get it done. I had a show last night and got some really great responses so I want to contact those in the audience that signed up on my e-mail list. I'm hopefully also going to be able to find gigs and promoters on ReverbNation and add Widgets to MySpace, Facebook and here at Blogger.com (which is up but looks like it needs resizing).

So right now I'm just chillin' watching the Grammy Awards. Last night's show at Xtreme Bean was fun. I don't remember being so tired after a show in a long time, but thanks to the gigantic chilled drink they gave me I was able to rally for another hour after the show talking with a few different groups. I played a new cover song, Paul Simon's "Under African Skies," early in my first set. I've been hard at work on that song for a few weeks. Now it's back to getting the word out on ReverbNation and getting more gigs for this spring.

Inlaw Joe

2009-01-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

My first session with Marty Rifkin is already up on MySpace, and I am back from California sitting in my apartment. That was a quick trip. Marty and I recorded 5 songs, and I put the first four up so anyone can listen to them. Even though the new MySpace player can have more than four songs, this fifth number is sort of an unconventional one, called "Inlaw Joe."

"Inlaw Joe"

Here’s one from the ol’ glory days
But you haven’t heard this one yet from me
To protect the characters I had to change the names
She was Lindsey, he wasn’t Joe let’s just say

Joe played songs he wrote from the heart
Lindsey’s love for him grew ever so strong
In truth it wasn’t that simple, but in short it wasn’t that long
They both knew it was love

     It was an unscripted affair
     Complete with electric guitars
     And now the family is saying the in-law is a rock star

One day Joe left without leaving a note
You know someone long enough and you get your heart broke
And then he was back in the driveway of their home
Asked if they could start over again

Lindsey, that girl was big on second chances
Never heard a Neil Young album that spooked her out of her senses
They fell in love again listening to the remasters
Happy they didn’t have to divide up the collection

     It was an unscripted affair
     Complete with electric guitars
     And now the family is saying the in-law is a rock star

So being that the album isn't done, I don't really know what to do with myself. I'm looking for some new gigs and friends to my myspace page, and trying to settle into a regular sleep pattern for the better of those around me. I think the next big step is starting a podcasts this weekend. Then there are some things around the apartment that need to be taken care of too, but I don't consider this a "what I did today" blog. For now check out all the songs that are up on MySpace, and I will be posting more lyrics soon.

Lee Oskar, you dog!

2009-01-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

I just received a few long awaited harmonicas in the mail. In all honesty I needed to buy harmonicas a few months ago but let it slide. Not unlike changing strings harmonicas have a life span of a about a year for me (strings about a month). Obviously if you play it more or harder it would need to be changed more frequently. I've also heard dipping your harp in water will get it to sound nice if you do it right before you play, but the downside is that it may lessen the lifespan. I've seen Neil Young do this in his MTV Unplugged but don't make a habit of it myself.

I'm not a huge harmonica guru. In fact that tidbit about the water just exhausted my knowledge of harp playing! I play folk harp with a diatonic harmonica around my neck. I'm also about to get a lesson I deserved a while ago when I should have ordered these harmonicas:

In addition to a few harps (C, G, D, A) I also replaced a ten year old neck rack with the Lee Oscar rack that I've seen repeatedly get 4 or 5 stars from online shoppers. I always played this old one-size-fits-all rack that I must have gotten from one of the guys in my first band. I'm glad it lasted 10 years but my new one makes it look and feel like scrap metal.

The only problem is that this rack has a different design and a new feel resting on my neck. I just put it on, and I feel like I don't know how to play harmonica anymore. It's going to be a while before I'm comfortable playing harmonica with this thing. I'm thinking, "can I show up at my next gig with just the new one?" I'm pretty sure the old neck rack deserves a comfortable retirement, but maybe this switch was more than I bargained for.

Working Out a Solo

2009-01-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

To take a deeper look into what I'm doing to prepare for recording, I can boil it down to one word - selecting. One of the things I was least prepared for the last time I went into the studio was what 5 songs to select for recording. Fortunately I met with the producer and he made me cut it down. That's a big thing to consider, and this time I haven't figured out how many songs are manageable in what time I have.

I eventually worked out some great solo material the last time I went into the studio that I was extremely proud of, but it took a lot of preparation. There's only so much you can plan unless you've been playing the song for years and know exactly how it should sound. My songs are fresh and this will be the first time a second guitar part will be played over them.

I am also writing in a bubble, such that no one hears my lyrics before they are finished. Just like the guitar solo I have to make sure the lyrics are nice and tight, with maybe a little wiggle room for discretionary changes. I'm going through every song one after the other, over and over, selecting what will be the final composition.

A great example of this is one song called "Heartstrings," which I am considering recording. I'm currently trying to work out a guitar solo, but the lyrics and chord changes are what make it a song people raise an eyebrow at. I am personally rooting for "Heartstrings" to make it onto the second half of the album. I just don't know how long this album will be. The better I make everything now, the better chance it has, so now I'll go back to work fine tuning each bit of it.

Another Busy Day

2009-01-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

One question I get at my shows frequently is, "How long have you been playing guitar?" More than any other question it seems like this is what I get asked. The answer? I started when I was 11 or 12 I remember, but it was only because I could get out of being in chorus twice a week if I took lessons on an instrument. Pre-teen boy's favorite choice? Survey says? Guitar.

The reason I bring this up is that I had a guitar lesson this morning and have a gig tonight, so it made me think of it. I'm playing my regular "first Saturday" gig at Xtreme Bean Coffee Shop in Tempe, AZ. Whoohooo! Right now I have to get ready for tonight, so what do I do besides write a blog to get ready? Well tonight I have to change some batteries on my tuner and "compression sustainer," the two pedals I rely on at any show. Next I'm going to pack up my PA system, play a little guitar, load the car and get to the gig. I like to sing a little too before a gig, which I can do all the while. I don't like to swim or take a shower because it makes my fingers prune up and I need them to be firm and callused. Finger care is a must if you're a guitar player.

Other than the few things I have to do to make sure everything goes right I also try to relax as much as possible. That used to mean smoking, but now it means trying to get there a little early and meet coffee drinkers and tea drinkers and students doing their homework on a Saturday night. Hopefully they will stay around to watch me play, and after the show one might ask me, "How long have you been playing guitar?" If I get that question from someone tonight I'll be really excited, as I always am, because it means I'm doing something special still.

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

I've been planning on recording a full length CD in 2009 and decided to start a little blog to go along with it. Welcome to what I've created! I used to blog when I lived in Florida and would post every week or so onto my MySpace page. Surprisingly it was read by a small crowd of music fans, friends and family, and that's sort of what I look forward to with this nascent project.

As with my last blog, music will not be the sole topic, as I tend to throw in really random subjects, such as food, nature, books, and anything else under the sun. But I'll try to keep it centered around music because that should be what's keeping me busy most of the time. I've been setting up this blog for longer than you might imagine, so I'll have to keep this post short and work on my profile.

Through the year I hope to really make this blog a record of events and forum for discussion about the new album. I'm looking forward to 2009 and invite you to take part in the experiment that will be this new year with me and with my music.