New Blog is the Old Blog

For several months now, this blog has been for chronicling the creation of my CD, EVERYDAY WITH YOU. However, now that the thing is done and out, the blog needs a new purpose… so welcome to the new CA Blah Blah Blog, version 1.0! Purpose? Containing the blah blah blahs that come out of my brain… a pensieve, if you will. Enjoy, comment and come along for the ride!

cd release party #2!

Well, it happened again! Another release party for Everyday With You… this time the locale was Liverpool, NY. Another great time, great food, and a somewhat disturbing theme of cakes with my face on them… Apparently they are being made in bulk somewhere.

We saw so many good friends, people who contributed directly or indirectly to the album; some Indieheaven folks made it out; some neighbors; Bob Halligan and his wife made it out, it was an honor to perform ‘Champion’ (the song we co-wrote) in front of them! The band for this event consisted of Danny Clausen on drums and Paul Stevenson on bass (my regular touring band) and the response to our set was overwhelming!

For me, personally, it was a fitting end to the ‘creating’ process of this CD…

CD Release Party #1!

This past Thursday, March 27, ALBIE Entertainment hosted a release party for me and the new album at Pie In The Sky in Franklin, TN. What a blast! It was a great opportunity to say thank you to so many people who had been instrumental in the making of this record. Some folks there had contributed to the budget; some, like Jill Parr, had co-written songs with me; some are just friends who have been my cheerleaders along the way. But for me, the best part was that my wife and kids got to be there – sweet!

The food was great, there was even a cake with the CD cover on it (my youngest son insisted on eating the piece with my face on it… sweet or weird… not sure). And we wound the night up by playing 7 songs off the CD. Bill Bleistine on drums, producer Joe Hand on bass and myself sporting my brand new Breedlove guitar. That was an amazing moment, to play the songs the way they are now, for the people who have believed in this from the beginning. See the pictures below for more of the love!

A huge thanks to Aly and Bill for putting this whole thing together! It is so great to have people on your team who believe in what you do as much (or more sometimes) as you do. And a big thanks to everyone who came and blessed me with their presence that night!

And while this might be a logical end for this ‘Recording Blog’… there are actually one or maybe two more release parties in other parts of the country that need done… so, it ain’t over yet!

Gas is Still Cheaper Than…

SHIPPING! Talking to my manager a couple of weeks ago, she asked me if I wanted to take a day trip to New Jersey to pick up my finished CD’s from the Discmakers factory. My first answer was a stifled laugh… drive 10 hours round trip to get my CD’s or do nothing and have them shipped? No brainer there…

Then she told me how much it cost to ship the large number of boxes in our order… a few hours of my life and 80 bucks in gas vs. several hundred dollars for UPS… again, a no brainer…

ROAD TRIP!!!

Looks Like the Winner Is…

FACE! Referencing the blog of February 6, Face or Graphic Art, the final cover art is done and being printed in the thousands as we speak… Give it a look below…

PRE-SALE IS ON!!!

Alrighty folks… it’s a go! You can now pre-order Everyday With You!!! The official release date is March 27 but from now until then, you can pre-order the CD at the reduced price of $12 (with FREE SHIPPING!) So, scoot on over to the SNEAK PEEK page and click on the order button, or download the hard copy order form and mail it in!

Final Song Selection

Here, in no particular order, are the songs that made the final cut… da da!

1. Everyday With You (co-written with Jill Parr)
2. Send Angels
3. Tired
4. Legacy
5. Linger
6. Champion (co-written with Bob Halligan Jr.)
7. Love to Chance
8. Last Word
9. For You (by John Denver)
10. Pictures of Us (co-written with Alyson Bleistine)
11. Worth Fighting For (co-written with Alyson Bleistine)
12. It’s About You and Me (co-written with Alyson Bleistine)
13. All Again (co-written with Kath Anderson)

Soaking it In… or Soaking In It?

Back from Nashville… man, 10 days was a long trip! It was all good though. Every spare moment was crammed with some aspect or another of what had to be done to finish the CD. Recording, listening, driving to one studio or another, evaluating results, re figuring what had to happen, hitting Target for a pair of jeans, photo shoot in those same jeans, talking about marketing plans, packaging plans, promotion plans, and how to start preparing for the next record down the road… oh yes, and finding moments to talk to my family and God… a great trip, a fantastic trip, a long strange trip (couldn’t resist)… Now I need to immerse myself in a few days of nothing but normal home stuff, you know, pay some bills, wrestle with my kids, do some laundry, spend time with my wife, shovel snow… things that have nothing to do with music… and then come back and really let this whole amazing experience settle in. For now, I will leave you with pictures of the week and let you see what we did…

Thanks Aly and Bill… as always, you went over and above!

Stick a Fork In Me…

…because I am done! Now, all I have to do is wait for the final mixes… full wrap up and pictures to follow shortly!

Photo Shoot

Yesterday was the photo shoot for the CD cover… enough said.