Preparing set list for Larsen show Friday

I brushed off some older songs and I will definitely be playing "Hidden Meadow Song" which I have never played on stage before. It hasn't been recorded either. My voice isn't able to sustain the high notes in the chorus of "Coming Home". I can if I drop the guitar down a step or two, but I don't have enough guitars to have one ready in that tuning and I don't want to waste time detuning on stage. I'm considering "Where You Are" but I am reworking the bridge because I can't sing it the way it is written because a few notes are too high. Dang how age plays with your vocal range. However I met some vocal coaches at Summer Jam West that teach SSL (speech level singing) that say they can increase my range. I should take at least one lesson with Dean Kaelin.

Summer Jam West was a blast!

A lot of top industry people came out and spent valuable time visiting with us and teaching us various aspects of the music industry, production, singing, writing, networking, and on and on. There is no way I could have gotten all the personal time I had with these people through normal channels. I made some new friends and reacquainted myself with some old ones; a great networking opportunity. I don't have aspirations to be a star, but there is something in me that says I have to write and perform regardless and it is extremely rewarding to make a connection with someone through my music. Summer Jam solidified what my goals are for the next little while. Number one is to help build a thriving music community in Salt Lake. Number two is to keep learning about writing and production and perfecting the craft. I love it!

Lowdown Choices to make!

I've been playing with the compressor, reverb, and room effects on my TASCAM recording console. I'm getting some things that I like and some I don't. One thing I am learning about mixing is that the input signal needs to be good first. When I record my vocals I need to make sure I have an even line level. Lowdown has a few spikes in it and compression can help even that out, but it can only do so much. The more I record the better I will be at evening my vocals. This is also improving my singing all the way around and my mic control.

So I made about a dozen mixes of "Lowdown" and posted them on DropBox to get opinions. Check these three out and tell me what you like or don't like in these or which one you prefer:

1. Lowdown Choice #1
2. Lowdown Choice #2
3. Lowdown Choice #3

Mixing Mixing Mixing

Mixed several versions of "Lowdown". I mixed 4 of the takes, but I am working with only 2. One is a live take with vocal and guitar recorded together and one with the parts recorded separately. I've got 3 or 4 mixes of each one. I'm working with chaining effects and doing different things on each channel. I will be posting a few versions soon to solicit opinions about which sounds the best.

Photo Shoot and "Lowdown" Recording

Nancy and I went to old downtown Lehi today and met photographer Val Westover http://valwestoverphotography.com/ and he took a lot of photos of me with my guitar near railroad tracks at 100 East State Street. It's an abandoned warehouse sort of look. Nancy saw some of the pictures in his camera and says they look really good. He'll have them ready for us to look at in a few days. I'll be scheduling a studio session to get some press kit head shots. It was a 101 degrees out but I still had a lot of fun.

Recorded "Lowdown" last night. I played it live a couple of times recording vocals and guitar together, but I did not like the sound. So I recorded three takes of just the guitar and then added the vocal separate. Sounds pretty good. This is a slide guitar song so it is different from anything else I play and uses a technique that I am not very practiced in. I'm super critical and I hear a lot of things that can be improved in the playing, but it is what it is. I will mix it and post it to the site this week

LIVE PERFORMANCE - Video

This is a video from the Ashton performance. I hope you enjoy!!

CD is here! An on the website

The CD is finally available and was released last week in Ashton. It has been posted on the site www.reverbnation.com/stevewalker with the artwork and lyric book. Of course I still think the production and mixing can be better and I would like to do some things a little different, but at least something is out there.

Here are the great things that Andrew designed for us:

CD FRONT COVER

CD BACK COVER

LABEL PUT ON THE CD

I'm already recording more stuff. I have "She's My Girl" and "Mr. Barrett" done and I am working on "O Freedom." I am doing two versions of "O Freedom"; one is total acoustic just me and the guitar straight through with no punch-ins and the other is an atmospheric electric guitar version with a solid beat to it. I have three guitars in there and about ready to add some bass and vocals and just a little synthesizer. It's bee a lot of fun working on that one.

I am also organizing a house concert in draper with Half Cowboy (www.reverbnation/halfcowboy and Sons of Other Mothers (www.reverbnation/alansanders) that will be the 2nd or 3rd weekend in August. I'll keep you posted.