THE WAITING
All of the final mixes are in hand. I’ve probably listened to the mixed album front to back on no fewer than six different stereos / devices. I’m blown away with how good it sounds on everything, and it’s not even mastered yet!
These songs came from somewhere I can’t identify. Their origins are much different than my other songs. I get a little emotional listening to it. They all happened in a trance-like state, and none were labored over too much. It’s very clear to me now that they needed to happen, that they helped me work through some things I wasn’t fully aware I should work through. You’ll find it’s likely the least auto-biographical of any of my albums, but somehow the most honest. I’ll preface your listening by saying Lynn and I are better than ever! Like writing a story I suppose, songs can be personal and also have very little to do with what is going on in your own life. I’ll cop to it being lyrically heavy, but it’s also incredibly fun. It grooves better than anything I've ever put out! There are actually songs on this that will induce bodily movements.
Now, I wait. And as Tom Petty would say, “the waiting is the hardest part”. The album gets mastered on November 16 and then it takes about four weeks to get from distribution onto all the platforms. I like to hold it until it can release everywhere at once. I need to decide exactly when I want this to drop. I can’t decide if a year’s end or a new-year opener is best. Thoughts?
As you may know if you follow me on Facebook, the album cover is a photo my Grandma Julia took in the late 50’s or early 60’s while on vacation in Las Vegas. It came to me in a box of slides that I was digitally archiving for safekeeping. It always spoke to me, and even though I scanned it years ago, I recalled it instantly and dug it up when I was thinking how to represent these songs with an image. I will admit to letting AI clean it up some for a crisper appearance. Take a lot of pictures. You never know which one might be used by grandchild on a project of theirs!
Like the songs, the image is special to me and says more than I can put into words. While my parents are largely responsible for my musical upbringing in terms of taste, my Grandma Julia is largely responsible for my technical start and confidence in music. She gave me piano lessons all through my childhood and was an absolute stud on both the piano and the organ. She donated her bad ass keyboards (that are now both highly sought after instruments that still hold up) and a beautiful upright piano late in her life, knowing I would put them to good use. And I do!
The Water High Single will have a fresh new sound and will open up the record. Rob and I felt the song could fit better on the album if we revisited it instead of re-releasing it as is. The new version will have a little more air, a little more organ, and a fresh new mix. It sounds amazing! It sets the tone perfectly for what follows too!
The picture used for the single is another from the same vacation. In the foreground on the left is my aunt Cindy. My dad Gary is in the center, running across the street. My uncle Phil is in front of him with that sweet hat.