Gratitude

"Thank you" doesn't seem to match the immensity of this gratitude.

http://youtu.be/_pte_6gHyuk

We've been busy I can tell you that. I keep hearing that when you want something the world will test you. Proving grounds. As we are working on our album release campaign with 3 music videos, 2 release parties, 3 photo shoots for the album design, 6 making-of videos,  revamping the website, and booking an east coast tour delays and the like run amuck. I used to get discouraged easily, but that became exhausting. There's no time for that when you have things you want to accomplish. Energy is important. Better to focus on something that gives you strength.

For me that is the vision. Where and what I see for myself down the road. Setbacks scatter like dust in comparison. You can use the friction to stoke the fire, gain that momentum.

Lately it feels almost like water. There's an obstruction, water flows around it. When faced with an obstacle, frustration is now replaced by creativity and vigor. Almost to the point its become a game. Cat and mouse. It's a puzzle. Thinking 3 steps ahead. Always running...like water.

Not to say there haven't been times I've found myself cursing at my computer. These days its more because I know its slowing me down rather than feeling I don't have the resources. Truth is, now I do. I'm capable of fixing/working with it, but I know the time that it will take to get back on the workflow. There's a lot to accomplish. Time management has gotten a lot better.

Thankful for this developing perspective. Grateful for the support. Grateful for the opportunity to challenge myself and grow.

From 5 years to 2 weeks

After 5 years of obstacles and challenges, but always pressing forward, finally its come down to two weeks before we enter the studio.

Admittedly there's a small small voice telling me to stay on watch for anything that may derail this, but to that I say we're crossing the finish line one way or another. It's been set in motion. All parts are in play. As we have done the past 5 years we'll continue to work and press on towards our goals.

Glorious thing of it is, I'm not stressing about the outcome. I'm just SO GRATEFUL and happy to have this opportunity that I'm loving every step of the process. Even all those 5 years of obstacles just made this moment sweeter.

Definitely not getting ahead of myself trust. I'm still hitting the grindstone as always not taking anything for granted.

You gotta love the process. Do the best you can with what you have at the moment.

There's a whole lot of heart and life in these songs we've been playing. Even if some of their content is "taboo".

Looking forward to making this album with some great friends. Called in a few buddies that I've met in my time out here in LA. Crazy-talented people. There's not one person involved in this that I don't look up to and admire.

Excited!

The Process of Making an Album

We did preproduction and researched a little bit of contact info for press. What we didn't  plan for was working out Agreements! We're aiming to make this this as legit as possible, and so once we drafted an agreement between us and the producer we set off to get it checked. I luckily was able to find friends of friends who were experienced in this. That being said, remember to budget in for lawyers! It also depends how much you want them involved. At least just consider it.

Also, been drafting an Agreement for the band itself. I always want to make sure everybody understands what is happening with money. Money if handled improperly as I'm sure we all know at one point or another can rock the boat. Taken care of properly though it can really clear a secure path. Even if it feels uncomfortable to talk about, work it out. In the long run that little discomfort will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

That's all going well tho. I've learned a lot for sure as I scoured the web on how the industry works. The Internet is an amazing resource. Blows my mind.

Beyond that we've begun research more contacts and data on press outlets. We plan on releasing the album in the spring of 2014, so we want to hit up press 3-4 months before to have it all build up to that release party. We are also researching contact now to contact venues in January to book on an East Coast Tour in October! Plan ahead!

People have this idea that being in a band is just fun. You see a band just jumping around on stage, but you don't realize the amount of work done before they hit the stage. As its been for me, working on booking, scheduling, rehearsals, composing parts, arranging songs, filling out forms, networking events, research, data upkeep, distributing compensation, writing contracts, making ads, promoting, making preproduction, creating and up keeping the website, among other things, hitting the stage and performing is just 3% of the job...and I may be generous in that estimate. You gotta love what you do!