I
know it's been a while since I wrote anything , but rest assured, it's
not because nothing has been happening. My new CD. " Labor Of Love
" is ready and I feel pretty good about it. It is, perhaps, not quite
as commercial as "Monomusical ", but good or bad it is more
"me ". My goal is to move more towards purity in self expression,
and while I still have a ways to go, I am at least taking baby steps in
the right direction. The bottom line is that I just love writing and recording
music, and I'll keep doing it as long as I am able. I just hope it blesses
somebody somewhere!
I
stretched musically on this one in several ways. First, I
played a lot of real horns, (sax and trumpet), second, I put more into
the keyboard parts that I played on this one. I also used some guest vocalists
on the tunes that I felt went a little beyond my vocal ability, and this
allowed me to concentrate more on arrangement and the dreaded "technical
stuff ". Hearing a song that I've written out of real feelings, sung
by a singer who compliments the song, blesses my heart! Hey!, I guess
I've blessed somebody already! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as
I enjoyed making it!
58 West is going strong! Our first single " Carolina Blue ",
went to #1 on the 94.9 chart at Myrtle Beach, and now is in the "Hall
Of Fame". Our new single, "Life Is A Beach" is out and
getting a lot of attention. Visit the 58 West website and check out this
tune! We have also been playing a lot of gigs, and having much more success
on the circuit. We are having a great year!
All my life I have had to try and balance what I wanted to do
musically, with what I felt like others expected me to do. I have
cautioned my son, Eric, not to fall into this trap. I know that I
have always been punished for trying to be creative, and not fitting into
the "cookie cutter" mold that the world has always tried to
pour me into. But now I realize that I have been somewhat ignored because
I lacked the confidence, vision, and courage to make a choice and take
a stand. Sometimes I wonder if I was so focused on winning the approval
of others that I settled for what I knew wasn't really me. Well, either
way I've had a great, exciting ride so far, and the music has got to be
better than it would be if I had just never really cared.
Now I find myself at the point where I want to write and cut
stuff that I will be happy with, if that's even possible. I want it
to be more of a true expression of my character, taste, and
experience, than another attempt to win the approval of people who I know
will never really understand me. I'm not sure that I'm ready to claim
all of my music for myself, but I feel compelled to jump onto that road.
Why don't you come along and we'll make it a "Double Lane Highway"?
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