JANUARY 2011 UPDATE

Recommended Utah artists to check out: 
Mary Tebbs www.reverbnation.com/marytebbs
Steven Halliday www.reverbnation.com/stevenhalliday
Parchman Farm Freedom Riders www.reverbnation.com/parchmanfarmfreedomriders
Dusk One www.reverbnation.com/duskraps
Cache Valley Cartel (CVC) www.reverbnation.com/cvctheband
Stankbot Tryanny www.reverbnation.com/stankbottyranny

Status
My wife and I have been trying to do some matchmaking, but without much success. As much as artists can benefit from collaboration, most in the valley are either intimidated by it, or their ego is too big. Some keep their art very close to their sleeve. I guess you can’t force things. We need to step back and find a natural flow we fit in.

Meanwhile, I am focusing more on my goals:
1) To just have a record of my work for my family, grand kids, posterity. I don't want to die and nobody ever heard them. I have a bunch my family may have heard just once or twice, some I've never shared.
2) I want to see just what my songs can become. I've listened to acoustic demos of famous pieces, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, etc. and it is amazing the direction the fully arranged band productions went from the guitar demos.

I’ve met a couple of others on the internet and we are working on some of each other’s songs in the virtual world. It’s an experiment and a lot easier than trying to work out rehearsal schedules and dragging equipment around. I’m collaborating with a fellow in Tennessee with “Hidden Meadow Song” and a Native American percussionist on my tune “Austin (Life is Good)”. I’ve also been sharing ideas with a guy in Toole. I don’t want to say too much until I see where it goes. At the very minimum I’ve made some new friends.

I’ve been recording some of my backlog as acoustic demos and posting on the ReverbNation site. I recorded “Fine! Fine! Fine!” and “Rosemary Days”

I performed at Pat’s once this month and played “Where You Are”, “Rosemary Days”, and “State of Confusion”. It was a good time. Kole Hansen was there with her new partner, Abel, from Austin, TX and they are fantastic! Their voices blend beautifully. Check them out:  http://www.reverbnation.com/koleandabel

I’m taking a class at Highland High for Sony’s ACID Music Studio taught by Steve Auerbach. He’s become a great resource with a background in performance, mixing, producing. He brought School of Rock to the West years ago. He also runs music garage at www.musicgarage.org and he has some great resources.