#thwaits

Many many plans are underway. Knobs are being turned, ditches are being dug and concrete being poured. December is wrapping up with a number of items checked off the list but even more items added to the 2016 list.

The flute - given to my sister. She may actually have time to use it and anyway I have my hands full with the following items:

Website - design is partially complete and looking good. Will obtain domain and hosting when closer to launch (estimate Feb).

Albert studio - equipment in place and validated by recording a few tracks complete with drums and keyboard. I will spend most of my free time here for at least the next 3 months (need to get as much time in as I can before it gets hot in the garage).

Multiple record releases are planned for 2016, my first official release will be in the first quarter. Tentatively titled: The Silver Streak EP followed by a full length album release toward the end of the year.

Grey Cat Music - independent publishing company established.

ACTION ITEMS:

A chill has finally come to Arizona, and current world events bring a chill to the soul. Friday night I spent composing a simple vocal quartet in a gospel/worksong style. The inspiration was to reach out for meaning and comfort in a troubled world.

Lord, get me through the winter Lord, send me some sunshine Lord, get me through the winter Lord, stay by my side

Based musically on a vamp in G minor that can be built up on a loop (boss RC-30) to improvise and skat over. And so I brought it to open mic on Saturday night, leaving my guitar at home. It went over well, even getting some audience participation on the last few refrains, which was the goal: to have an experience where the community comes together. Of course it had my typical rough moments: a voice crack going up to the high G which has become a signature move since my adolescent days, and the characteristic long pause as I wait for the lyrics to arrive on my tongue - but that’s my style and I don’t need to excuse myself.

I consider the grand objective, and I see steps taken, progress made, slowly and I hope surely but time needs to tell the fruits of these labors. Round 1 of Guitar Center’s singer songwriter contest has closed and I consider my entry to be strong, stronger than my entry when I was in the contest two years ago. Comprising 5 videos which I made this fall, here is the breakdown: 2 brand new songs with hifi performance videos (tragedy sells, the turnaround), 1 new full band studio recording of one of my favorite older compositions (never told), and 2 lofi living room performances (lost for words, when it comes to love). Lost for words even has guest performer Shazer playing the oboe. 5 finalists will be announced early next year.

I entered the studio (aka garage) recording of When it comes to Love in the International Songwriting Competition. It was a recording I made about a year and a half ago and it has quite a few little nice moments, plucked violins and such. I know that song has a lot of potential, I just need to get it in the right place at the right time.

Grand Objective - To create and distribute musical content meeting a high standard of quality and serving the purposes of satisfying the desire for personal artistic expression and providing opportunity for the shared enjoyment of such content. 

Musical content includes: compositions, sound and video recordings, live performances, and related media such as written works, commentary, and visual arts. 

The high standard of quality to which the content is expected to achieve is a subjective measure but requires that the work in question must have merit in at least one of the following three categories: message, feel, execution.