Music man

I'm feeling good about the progress I've made as of late. You readers don't have much to listen to yet, but I hope you stay tuned. I've got a few songs I'm working on that should filter through to the cloud soon. Until then, my eyes and ears are in composition mode.

Going places

We dropped Miles off at the airport yesterday, where he flew off to another 'first' adventure: Vacation Bible School.

This was exciting for me, not only because I know he'll have a great time and meet some new friends, but because had the great pleasure in helping to produce and record the music to be used in the vacation bible school program this year. Miles has been listening to the music at home for several weeks, so I'm guessing he'll know it as well as anyone else!

Plugged in

One of the best things to happen so far in 2012 is that my friend C and I were able to perform a 35 minute set at a coffeehouse. He and I don't often get to sing or perform together (time and distance being the limiting factors), but we managed to put in more time rehearsing and preparing for the coffeehouse event over the past four weeks than we probably have in 5 years. It was really great and re-ignited the fire of music writing and recording. We made a goal for ourselves to get together once a month to continue collaborating on new ideas. I almost forgot what a rush it is to prepare and finally perform for an audience...it's really the culmination of a lot of hard work for a musician. And it went really well.

Magic convergence

If I had to make a top 10 list of favorites, driving alone at dusk listening to a great ballad on the radio would definitely be in that list. Not that there is a wrong time to listen to music, but I especially love the magic that happens when all things come together at once: my mood, the light in the sky, the passion in music and lyrics. So many of my favorite songs were heard for the first time on the radio, late at night, in my '89 Pontiac Sunbird (with the cassette tape deck) or '91 Dodge Dynasty (with the one bad speaker) as I drove around Faribault and to and from Decorah. Music defined me then and it sure defines me now.

May you hear your song tonight.

Old friend

Our "new" home as offered us some additional space, and when we moved in I was quick to claim part of it as my "studio." I'm able to keep a keyboard set-up, which means I'm able to play it more. Which has led me to an interesting realization that I write and sing very differently with piano than I do with a guitar.

When I first started writing music all I had was a piano so naturally all my songs were written with piano in mind. Sometime in high school, my parents gave me the best gift I have probably ever received--a guitar. From that point on, in high school and college and post-college endeavors the guitar was the accompaniment. It was accessible, portable and it seemed that more people played it, at least in college. Late night jam sessions just work better with 6 guitars than with 6 pianos.

Now that I have the space, the time and a great fascination with home recording, I find myself gravitating back toward the piano as primary accompaniment. And not that I ever really "learned" to play it properly, it's amazing how much a part of me the instrument really is. Most of my teenage angst and questions and heartache was expressed through piano music and lyrics. That expression has been missing in my life for a long time.

All this to say, as I continue to share photos and written words that mean something to me, I will include songs. Maybe just the words, but maybe some complete recordings.

Radio escape

I'm not sure why it hasn't dawned on me until just now that Pandora Radio is quite possibly the next best digital escape. It's on my Mac. It's on my phone. It's brilliant. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet…you enters the name of an artist or artists you like and the station plays, endlessly, music similar to that of your chosen artists. And while you must endure a 15 second buzz-kill ad every 5 songs or so (c'mon…another commercial for 5 Hour Energy?), the variety of music presented is really good, B-sides included.

Pandora reminds me why I've nearly given up on commercial broadcast radio. Too much of the same thing over and over and over. Most of my radio listening is tuned to 89.3 The Current. Now…if I'm honest I do hear some music I don't care for and I don't pretend to be a public radio snob. Cities97, for example, has it's merits…live Studio C performances that are incredible. But the reward from a gem like The Current comes when you hear a new song from unknown artist that just floors you and rocks your mood, even if just for a day. Such unexpected, airwave connections remind me of the power of lyric and melody.

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So blue. So good.

I don't know much about Miles Davis. What I do know is that the music from Kind of Blue is in a league of its own. A writing on the back of the re-issue of this album states "If this is your first encounter with Kind of Blue, be forewarned that it's likely to become an indispensable part of your life."

It's another escape, although this time not to the fantasy world of clouds and zero sound to which sacred choral music leads. The choral escape is one where my thoughts run wild, untangling slowly from the chaos of the day. On the contrary, the "Miles Davis Escape" is one where thoughts don't matter. A steady rhythm and soft entries and exits of the trumpet and sax provide just enough stimulation of the senses to satisfy. I picture myself waltzing down a street late at night hearing this jazz music in the distance and not having a care in the world.

I imagine Miles and the gang pressing record in a smoky Columbia Records studio in 1959, counting off silently--telepathically--to one another, taking a collective breath, and then just letting the music happen. What a time that must have been.

Feedback

Our opening act was a surprise. Two 6th grade boys asked if they could perform two songs at the confirmation celebration before our band performed. We of course agreed, because 6th graders are cute and innocent. It was to be their first performance. No no had heard them or knew what kind of music they would do. We did know that the two-boy group played an electric guitar and a cowbell. How dangerous could it be?

Pretty dangerous, apparently. The song started out with a nice guitar riff that led into screaming/grunting that sounded like something straight off the stage of a MegaDeath concert. The lead singer all but swallowed the microphone while he "sang" and the speakers rattled with feedback. I looked back at the sound technician who promptly turned off all speakers. I guess they were going for shock value, and luckily their lyrics were positive. Still, I think the neighbors of the church probably formed some interesting opinions that night if they overheard the outdoor concert.

Our band played well, though I have to admit the whole thing was less than magical as we had a constant battle with feedback and balance. It's not surprising that rehearsals are often more gratifying than the performance. Musicians get comfortable in their rehearsal "homes." The acoustics are familiar, the set-up is familiar and there are few distractions. The performace locations provides new (or no) acoustics, the set-up is scattered and an audience of friends and family can distract from the intimacy of the music.

I remember this happening in choir, too, where perfect harmonies and emotional highs would come at the most unexpected of times. But they were fleeting moments that both pleased and frustrated at the same time. Knowing the magical moment could happen but would not likely happen again was a true paradox.

Making of the Band

So I've been leading a youth band at church. Our beginning as The 8:08 Band--a title taken from the time at which we played every Wednesday night--was pretty rough. Every week's rehearsal was thrown together with a lot of ambition but not with the right mix of music and musicians, and I spent more time trying to get the kids' attention than actually making music. We certainly spent no time reflecting on our reason for playing and singing.

After some "re-org" and a new focus, we have morphed into Heart of Worship--a title taken from a song of the same name. Our first few meetings as a new group didn't really involve singing or playing music at all. Rather, we talked about worship. What it means to worship. Why we worship. Why music should be a part of worship. How musicians have a responsibility/opportunity not to perform, but to reach people on a level that spoken words cannot. We conversed a lot about why music is so unique in its capacity to hit emotional "chords" within the listener.

As we picked out music and began practicing and planning for our big event, new musicians joined, others left, some returned, some did not. But eventually the group filtered itself out to a group of musicians that truly wanted to be a part of H.O.W., and it became a group with a style and a mission and a passion.

Tonight we get the stage. After a couple of months of solid rehearsing, we are performing at the end-of-year confirmation celebration...and we are ready to see what we can do in front of a live audience. Of course I know that looking cool in front of their peers is probably on the mind of these kids, but I know they won't forget all we've accomplished as a group and what it took to get where we are today. The momentum we've started will be a good springboard for our beginning again in the fall.

Be on the lookout for pictures and a re-cap of tonight's event.

Headphones

I'm sitting in a small conference room in the basement of a much larger office building that has been my day home for 10 months. There is one small window in the corner, but of course my back is to it. The room is increasingly messy, filling up with papers, files, cables, and coffee cups. I have no other meeting scheduled so I'll be in here all day.

But I found a way to travel to another world. Speakers no more than a centimeter in diameter fit snugly in my ears and fill my ears with music. I'm listening to a song called "I Am the True Vine" and can't help feel but feel a little guilty for the escape it provides. It's the type of song I can listen to a hundred times in a row and never get sick of. There's a point in the song where the altos hold a single note that supports the melodic progression of the rest of the choir. But that single note carries so much energy. As it wavers ever so slightly in and out of perfect harmony with itself, overtones can be heard high above the other voices. First, one octave above...then two, and the second is almost inaudible. But to hear it is almost surreal because no human voice could sing a note so high, and yet it is there.

What is your escape?

Music to Hear, #1 of X

I've got an odd mix of music playing on my mp3 player. I'm hoping to post recommendations on this site as I come across them. Feel free to respond with your favorites. In the meantime, you should check out these artists:

Switchfoot - I never get tired of listening to this band from California. They tie their passion for God and social issues into lyrics that are out of this world. Listen to "Daisy" on the Nothing Is Sound album.

The Glad Version - I know a couple of the guys in the band because they, too, attended Luther College. They're grown up now and have day jobs (as far as I know), but have managed to put out two post-college albums. Listen to "Options and Absolutes" from the Smile Pretty Make Nice album.

Arvo Part - The Paul Hillier Singers are featured on an album called I Am the True Vine. If you like choral music, this album is worth a listen. Check out the title track. It will take you to a far away place.

James Blunt - Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions features the same songs that are on the studio album Back to Bedlam, and I am usually skeptical about such live recordings. Chasing Time is an exception. James Blunt is one of those artists (like Damien Rice) whose music sounds good on a studio album and even better as a live recording.

Jackson Browne - The only song I really new of Browne's a few years ago was "Running On Empty." But somehow I came across this acoustic album, and though I'm not a huge fan of his more political pieces, the entire album showcases his decades of very deeply poetic songwriting. Listen to the song "For A Dancer."