Back on Solid Ground

I've had a lot of questions on the subject, and it's been a long time since I've talked about it, so here's the lowdown on my upcoming release, Back on Solid Ground:

• I have a written plan mapped out for the entire project including: objectives, goals, financial, and promotional efforts.
• 3 tracks are already complete and require no further work except for mixing and mastering.
• The remaining tracks require vocals, keyboards, and possibly some percussion work. There is only 1 track that may need some additional percussion, and there are only 2 tracks that I'm thinking about adding keyboard to.

I'd like to think that we're on the home stretch. In the next couple months, I will be singing up a storm in order to get worthy takes on each of the tracks.

As far as the ETA is concerned, I still don't know. I would love to see it come out this year, but that's not a guarantee. It was a very ambitious undertaking to begin with, and because it has taken so long, it has drained a lot of my resources. I won't lie; I was also working on a lot of other projects while putting together the album. I ended up dropping a lot of those things in the last few months, however.

Regardless, I'm optimistic that I will be putting out a few more demos this year. Make sure to grab my RSS feed and keep updated on that front.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will respond to it.

"I look up to the sky. Watch the clouds pass me by. I wish that I could fly - free as a bird." - A lyric snippet from "On A Day Like This"

I've been working out bass parts for each song and recording them over the last couple of days. Things have been going smoothly, though admittedly there were some tricky parts I wrestled with. Still, I love music and I love recording so it doesn't even matter.

In any case, I'd like to say 'thanks' to everyone who reads my newsletters, and stops by to read my blog posts from time to time. You are awesome, and this would be nowhere near as fun without you.

God bless.

All lyrics are © 2009 David Andrew Wiebe

"I've always needed your embrace. There's nothing else that could replace that pretty smile on your face." - A lyric snippet from "Last Pick"

Earlier I had mentioned that I wanted this album to sound minimalistic. As I started listening to the tracks, however, I realized that they could all use a little bass. When all is said and done, I'm not sure if every track will feature bass, but in the last couple of sessions that's what I've been working on. The album will still be "acoustic", but it will feature a few more layers, that is, if we decide to keep them.

We've also been working on a lot of smaller details. Are the performances good? Can they be fixed? Do we need to record that guitar part again? This time I'm really listening for everything, making sure that it's up to snuff. At the moment I'm still not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we are definitely making progress.

I like the fact that this project has quickly become a collaborative effort between me and my producer (Elijah), and I think that's a really healthy environment to be in. To produce it all myself would be a tricky thing to do, and I doubt that I would get what I really wanted out of the project. It's because there's another set of ears listening to what's going on that everything is falling into place.

All lyrics are © 2009 David Andrew Wiebe

"Reality is not what you imagined. When will you wake up from your dream?" - A lyric snippet from "Running"

Recording has quickly become a daily routine. Dare I say it, it's almost like a real job (*gasp!*). Get up at 8:00 AM, drive to Tim Horton's, pick up a coffee for my faithful producer, drive to the studio, and then spend anywhere from 3 - 6 hours recording guitars, vocals, and other instruments.

The reason it can feel like work sometimes is because that's exactly what it is. Singing can take a lot out of you, and there is definitely more pressure to "get it right" in the studio than there is when performing. That isn't to say we don't have fun in the studio, because we definitely do.

I really nailed a couple of vocal tracks today and I'm happy about that. There is more to do, to be sure, but it's good to know that it's do-able. It gives me more motivation to keep on going.

Right now I'm at home with a little bit of time to myself, so I intend to catch up on emails, phone calls, blogs and so forth. God bless!

All lyrics are © 2009 David Andrew Wiebe

Another day in the studio, recording the new project.

With most rhythm guitar work done, we turned our attention to additional accompaniment and vocal parts. I suspect this is where the majority of remaining recording time is going to be spent. For the most part, I'm trying to limit the accompaniment to one additional instrument. In other words, I'm thinking of having acoustic guitar, vocals, and one other instrument for a bit of interest. What do you think of this arrangement?

Here's a little teaser for those of you who are eager to see what songs are scheduled to be on the album. Here's the track list thus far (in no particular order):

1. Abandoned City (instrumental)
2. All or Nothing
3. Everything Reminds Me of You
4. Here for You
5. Last Pick
6. Missing Piece of My Heart
7. Now That You're Gone
8. On A Day Like This (intro)
9. On A Day Like This
10. Running
11. Tear Another Page
12. Tell the Truth
13. Too Deep
14. Your Unfailing Love
15. Sleepless Blues (instrumental)

If you're been to one of my recent shows, then you've already had the chance to hear many of these songs. What do you think of this track list?

All lyrics and songs are © 2009 David Andrew Wiebe

Good news!

Recording has begun on my new album, and if things move along as smoothly as they have thus far, it will be done - well - I'll let you fill in the rest.

Our first session was last Friday (the 10th), and because we already had some stuff recorded, we sorted through all of it and found what we could use. This could save us a lot of time in the coming weeks.

Today we recorded acoustic guitar parts for 3 straight hours, and while there may be some editing and fixing to do, the majority of it is done. We also spent some time recording vocals, which can be a little more of a challenge for me, but I think I'm beginning to find my stride.

Because this next release will probably be a scarcer sounding album compared to Shipwrecked... there won't be as many parts to record. What are your thoughts on an acoustic album? Do you think it's a good direction for this project?

I would love to have you, my friends, involved in the creation of this album. I will be posting sound clips, pictures, lyric snippets, videos, and album layout ideas (as much as possible) in the coming weeks, and I'm interested in what you have to say. Please subscribe to my feed, and become a follower of mine on Twitter so we can keep in contact.

If you are a bongo/conga/percussion player, or you happen to know one, please leave a comment on this post. We need someone to add a little bit of accompaniment to the tracks.