picks

I've been in the process of picking and compiling songs from various events that I've played over the past year for a CD. It's been a very long time since I've produced anything (1993) and I needed something current. Most of the songs are from different occasions at the Gadsden Vineyard. Though most of these live cuts are not perfect per se, I am very happy with the over all sound and dynamic.

Some of these songs are pulled for worship services lead by The Guise. Brook, Michael, LeNola, and Gina backed were on the team that I did Brooks old song Looking at the Future and my song Unrighteous Man. It was those two songs that initially gave me the idea for this CD project.

As I mentioned last week, I was on Bruce's team last week. Richard handed me the CD of worship last Sunday morning at You Are My God and Come Holy Spirit. I am very happy with how those two songs sounded and am going to include these two songs as well.

Last year Alan Rhodes and J. Holland helped me record My Desire in my basement. That song can be heard on MySpace profile page. It's the only multichannel recording I'll be adding to the project.

A few weeks ago I asked Richard M. to help me record some songs. I cleared the Vineyard building with Debbie H for tonight (Saturday). I asked Brook, Liz and LeNola to come bring their instruments and they were gracious to come and help out. I went in with five songs and hoped to maybe get three songs songs out of the process. We went through each song once so everyone could get a feel, then I told Richard to record. Most of the songs only took one take. Each take sounded great but it was nice to have two takes of I Want To Be and Cowboy Christmas. I can not express how happy I am to get these songs down, how good they sound and how quick we did it. Brook had a great guitar part for Deep Blue and Liz added a sweet harmony to the chorus. Very moving piece. She also added a nice vocal presence to Cowboy Christmas. I love LeNola. Anytime she's around me with her bass she goes into the Hold On riff. I wasn't going to record it without her. Brook added a Neil Young-ish guitar part to Living Water which made the song.

I walked away tonight feeling like I had something. I am thinking about asking J. to help me mix down a master. I don't know the order of the songs but I am happy with all the songs. I don't know how Cowboy Christmas will fit into the mix but I do recall Mark Heard throwing in Happy Cornbread Anniversary into one of his albums.

There are some other songs that I would like to add. I would love to record Jerusalem but wrote it with my sister Jennie singing it with me in mind when I wrote it. I will one day make that a reality and might have to put it on another like production. I've written so many songs in my lifetime and Gina has been wanting me to get them all down one way or another. I am going to do what ever it takes to record as many outings as possible. She wanted a recording of my songs as a Christmas present and I have written so many. As of tonight, I have enough to make a CD and am one happy dude tonight. The working title is PICKS.