http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:21:32 GMT http://bandzoogle.com http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm?feature=557817&postid=33275 Unexpected's arrival. Just before Christmas the album arrived in it's final form. These are my thoughts as they have settled on me since that time. This album is not the album I had in mind. I'm not exactly sure when it began it's turn, but I know it happened after I moved to Florida. Until that point, the first song that was recorded timed out at 9 minutes plus. This was not unusual for songs that I wrote and arranged. I leaned towards feeling like songs that were short enough to be on the radio should be more like previews are in movie theaters. It gives you a glimpse into what the rest of the album may contain, but certainly not the best of the album. So typically, that's the way that I wrote as well. But for some reason, that didn't continue with this album. Early in the recording sessions here in Florida, I tried to bring the songwriting and the song more into balance. By not letting the music overshadow the message of the lyrics, I believe these songs have the best shot at having their meanings understood when compared to the other albums I've worked on. This probably had the widest impact on the outcome of this album. Another major catalyst for the style and substance of this album was the decision to use as much technology as we had at our fingertips. The previous two albums that I had recorded were almost entire comprised of acoustic instruments. But music and technology have intertwined themselves in such a way that today's musician can express thoughts, meanings and emotions in more complete of a manner than ever before. Personally, I have always gravitated towards songs and compositions that were more dense and complex, and that's where my I began to focus my arrangements as well. Did it work??? I think it did. There are moments during these songs where I believe the subject, the music, and the heart are all expressed as well as I ever could've hoped. It doesn't sound anything like I imagined, but only because I didn't imagine having the opportunity to have the freedom to make an album like this. I will admit though, that this is a beginning. It's a transition period of sorts. At times I felt as though I was trading my native language for a new, better, but still influent one. I studdered at times. I laid some tracks down a little too soon, when maybe a few more times through would've helped. But all in all, I am proud of this album. There have been a couple of time when I will start off listening to the album with the intent to critique it and make notes for "next time" only to realize a few songs later that I fell into the album and lost myself into actually "listening" to it. I guess if I can find meaning in it, even with all of the flaws that I can find in the material, then I'm praying that others will as well.
Just before Christmas the album arrived in it's final form. These are my thoughts as they have settled on me since that time.

This album is not the album I had in mind. I'm not exactly sure when it began it's turn, but I know it happened after I moved to Florida. Until that point, the first song that was recorded timed out at 9 minutes plus. This was not unusual for songs that I wrote and arranged. I leaned towards feeling like songs that were short enough to be on the radio should be more like previews are in movie theaters. It gives you a glimpse into what the rest of the album may contain, but certainly not the best of the album. So typically, that's the way that I wrote as well. But for some reason, that didn't continue with this album.

Early in the recording sessions here in Florida, I tried to bring the songwriting and the song more into balance. By not letting the music overshadow the message of the lyrics, I believe these songs have the best shot at having their meanings understood when compared to the other albums I've worked on. This probably had the widest impact on the outcome of this album.

Another major catalyst for the style and substance of this album was the decision to use as much technology as we had at our fingertips. The previous two albums that I had recorded were almost entire comprised of acoustic instruments. But music and technology have intertwined themselves in such a way that today's musician can express thoughts, meanings and emotions in more complete of a manner than ever before. Personally, I have always gravitated towards songs and compositions that were more dense and complex, and that's where my I began to focus my arrangements as well.

Did it work???

I think it did. There are moments during these songs where I believe the subject, the music, and the heart are all expressed as well as I ever could've hoped. It doesn't sound anything like I imagined, but only because I didn't imagine having the opportunity to have the freedom to make an album like this.

I will admit though, that this is a beginning. It's a transition period of sorts. At times I felt as though I was trading my native language for a new, better, but still influent one. I studdered at times. I laid some tracks down a little too soon, when maybe a few more times through would've helped.

But all in all, I am proud of this album. There have been a couple of time when I will start off listening to the album with the intent to critique it and make notes for "next time" only to realize a few songs later that I fell into the album and lost myself into actually "listening" to it. I guess if I can find meaning in it, even with all of the flaws that I can find in the material, then I'm praying that others will as well.






]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:21:32 GMT 434B6559C6395B13F9E1BDA480ED955D http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm?feature=557817&postid=33274 Journal – Wait for this tide This was one of the first songs that I wrote after I moved to Florida. I would have to say that moving here ushered in a new chapter in my life, and I’ve noticed that difference showing through in some of the writings that I’ve done in preparation for this album. I certainly have felt that many aspects of my life were being put into a “holding pattern”. Out of the frustrations of being somewhere and not knowing why, and then feeling as though I needed to stay in that situation a little longer, came the answer in this song. “Wait for this tide of uncertain, or doubt, or frustration, or oppression, or whatever your antagonist may be, to return to the sea from whence it came. Wait for the reason to present itself in the form of an answer.” I was a music minister at the time. I was also passionately wanting to see this album come to fruition. I felt as though both kept me from being all I should be in whatever capacity was my future, and I couldn’t find an inspiration to move towards one direction or another. In my prayers, the words of this song came as the answer. I was where I needed to be and I was doing what I needed to do, not forever… but for now. So this is my song of encouragement for pastors and laypersons alike. All who labor for the cause of the Gospel and for their families. There are times when there seems to be no good at all coming from intense efforts and sacrifices. Sometimes, God lets you lay it down and walk away to another place, shaking the dust from your feet as you go. But sometimes, God wants you to stay, wait, work and watch.

This was one of the first songs that I wrote after I moved to Florida. I would have to say that moving here ushered in a new chapter in my life, and I’ve noticed that difference showing through in some of the writings that I’ve done in preparation for this album. I certainly have felt that many aspects of my life were being put into a “holding pattern”.
Out of the frustrations of being somewhere and not knowing why, and then feeling as though I needed to stay in that situation a little longer, came the answer in this song. “Wait for this tide of uncertain, or doubt, or frustration, or oppression, or whatever your antagonist may be, to return to the sea from whence it came. Wait for the reason to present itself in the form of an answer.”
I was a music minister at the time. I was also passionately wanting to see this album come to fruition. I felt as though both kept me from being all I should be in whatever capacity was my future, and I couldn’t find an inspiration to move towards one direction or another. In my prayers, the words of this song came as the answer. I was where I needed to be and I was doing what I needed to do, not forever… but for now.
So this is my song of encouragement for pastors and laypersons alike. All who labor for the cause of the Gospel and for their families. There are times when there seems to be no good at all coming from intense efforts and sacrifices. Sometimes, God lets you lay it down and walk away to another place, shaking the dust from your feet as you go. But sometimes, God wants you to stay, wait, work and watch.

]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:09:16 GMT E4D552B16E8A824E5CF777BD73EC503B http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm?feature=557817&postid=33273 Journal – So Many Days So many, many days have passed since the writing of this song. It became the epitome of my dating relationships. There have been many times when I’ve played this song to console myself, and there have been almost as many times that I’ve played it to laugh. There always will be so many times that God protects me from the things I think I want so badly, just to find out that they very easily could’ve caused my demise… So many days… the song was written on an acoustic guitar, and it took all of about 10 minutes to write. It’s not a complex song by any means, and I feel like I’ve held true to that in the recorded version. There are no drums or percussion of any kind, and it’s the one song on this album that I did not use any sort of metronome for. It was simply felt and played. There’s about 30 more seconds of guitar finger picking before the fade in, and there’s about 15-20 seconds after it’s faded out. I wanted to suggest the idea that this state of mind, the idea that real faith is not knowing the outcome, existed in the generations before us, and it will exist in the generations to come. There were a couple of themes on this song that were further developed in the recording process. One was the background vocal melodies. I took a step further than just the traditional background lines that I would typically write in hopes of eliciting a little extra response of sentiment out of the listener. I feel like they heighten some of the more emotional lyrics in the song, and are placed in the verses where the feelings convey the most honesty in the song. There’s also some extra guitar effects and piano in the chorus. Trent played the piano to couple some of the guitar ideas I had, and I feel like that adds a sort of “time is ticking away” kind of feel to the chorus. I like the idea that the character in the song feels like his shrouded future is a very time sensitive subject and should be revealed at God’s earliest convenience. It’s just an arrogant feeling that I’ve had so many times and it’s typically followed by a formal complaint to God that usually sounds like, “It’s just downright unethical to continue in this manner of withholding vital information that would lead to my ability to make more informed decisions that would hopefully yield a lifestyle that stays at a further distance from sin and temptation on a consistant basis”. Right, it usually sounds like, “PLEASE! JUST LET ME IN ON THIS ONE THING!!!! I JUST GOTTA KNOW!!!” And presto… this song was born. Again… and again… and again… sometimes it makes me laugh, sometimes I’m ready to cry before the first note…I don’t cry though… I’m just saying… I feel like it… you know… ?
So many, many days have passed since the writing of this song. It became the epitome of my dating relationships. There have been many times when I’ve played this song to console myself, and there have been almost as many times that I’ve played it to laugh. There always will be so many times that God protects me from the things I think I want so badly, just to find out that they very easily could’ve caused my demise…
So many days… the song was written on an acoustic guitar, and it took all of about 10 minutes to write. It’s not a complex song by any means, and I feel like I’ve held true to that in the recorded version. There are no drums or percussion of any kind, and it’s the one song on this album that I did not use any sort of metronome for. It was simply felt and played.
There’s about 30 more seconds of guitar finger picking before the fade in, and there’s about 15-20 seconds after it’s faded out. I wanted to suggest the idea that this state of mind, the idea that real faith is not knowing the outcome, existed in the generations before us, and it will exist in the generations to come.
There were a couple of themes on this song that were further developed in the recording process. One was the background vocal melodies. I took a step further than just the traditional background lines that I would typically write in hopes of eliciting a little extra response of sentiment out of the listener. I feel like they heighten some of the more emotional lyrics in the song, and are placed in the verses where the feelings convey the most honesty in the song.
There’s also some extra guitar effects and piano in the chorus. Trent played the piano to couple some of the guitar ideas I had, and I feel like that adds a sort of “time is ticking away” kind of feel to the chorus. I like the idea that the character in the song feels like his shrouded future is a very time sensitive subject and should be revealed at God’s earliest convenience. It’s just an arrogant feeling that I’ve had so many times and it’s typically followed by a formal complaint to God that usually sounds like, “It’s just downright unethical to continue in this manner of withholding vital information that would lead to my ability to make more informed decisions that would hopefully yield a lifestyle that stays at a further distance from sin and temptation on a consistant basis”.
Right, it usually sounds like, “PLEASE! JUST LET ME IN ON THIS ONE THING!!!! I JUST GOTTA KNOW!!!”

And presto… this song was born. Again… and again… and again… sometimes it makes me laugh, sometimes I’m ready to cry before the first note…I don’t cry though… I’m just saying… I feel like it… you know… ?

]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:06:50 GMT E11A663E7B0EDE11F8CECB25522187B5 http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm?feature=557817&postid=33272 Pacify Me: Recently, my brother Trent and I, along with Josh Mund, were rehearsing songs in the expectation of reuniting COINCIDENCE MAYBE for a new album, tour, and possible future. One of the songs that came from that time was “Pacify Me”. Trent had the music for the song just about finished on piano, and Josh and I filled it out and I started writing the lyrics for it. “I Failed” was written around this same time and the common thread between the two is the feeling that I hadn’t done things the right way. Certainly that could be said of my decisions before I became a Christian, but unfortunately it could also be said about some of my decisions since professing to be a Christian. That’s the part that really hurts. It’s a lot easier to say that I was wrong, but I didn’t know better. But it’s flat out shaming to acknowledge that I knew better and still messed up. So I was coping with that realization for pretty much the first time. As soon as the lines of the chorus came, I felt like I knew where the direction of this song would go. This song is recognition that I can be complacent for a while, I can turn my head for a little while, but it will catch up to me. I will feel the conviction of doing wrong, I will suffer the consequences of bad choices, and I will have to confess to the truth of my intentions and actions. If that’s true, that’s a lot of weight to have to needlessly endure instead of just doing things the right way the first time. The arrangement of this song is one that touches me when I listen to it. The combination of background vocals and orchestration move me in a way that I love to connect with in a song. There’s a Rhodes piano part towards the end of the last chorus that I always try to pick out as I’m listening through, and the light guitar solo line at the end suggests an image to me of Charlie Brown’s loneliest moment. But that’s just me.

Recently, my brother Trent and I, along with Josh Mund, were rehearsing songs in the expectation of reuniting COINCIDENCE MAYBE for a new album, tour, and possible future. One of the songs that came from that time was “Pacify Me”. Trent had the music for the song just about finished on piano, and Josh and I filled it out and I started writing the lyrics for it.
“I Failed” was written around this same time and the common thread between the two is the feeling that I hadn’t done things the right way. Certainly that could be said of my decisions before I became a Christian, but unfortunately it could also be said about some of my decisions since professing to be a Christian. That’s the part that really hurts. It’s a lot easier to say that I was wrong, but I didn’t know better. But it’s flat out shaming to acknowledge that I knew better and still messed up. So I was coping with that realization for pretty much the first time.
As soon as the lines of the chorus came, I felt like I knew where the direction of this song would go. This song is recognition that I can be complacent for a while, I can turn my head for a little while, but it will catch up to me. I will feel the conviction of doing wrong, I will suffer the consequences of bad choices, and I will have to confess to the truth of my intentions and actions. If that’s true, that’s a lot of weight to have to needlessly endure instead of just doing things the right way the first time.

The arrangement of this song is one that touches me when I listen to it. The combination of background vocals and orchestration move me in a way that I love to connect with in a song. There’s a Rhodes piano part towards the end of the last chorus that I always try to pick out as I’m listening through, and the light guitar solo line at the end suggests an image to me of Charlie Brown’s loneliest moment. But that’s just me.

]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:56:38 GMT 18E758382FBE46D57D35512F881A4B2F http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm?feature=557817&postid=33271 Feast or Famine: Some of the songs on this album have gone straight from my head onto disk. Others, like this one, took twists and turns and circles before becoming a finished song. For the most part, the body of the song and the lyrics have remained consistent, but the feel and the arrangement have undergone some changes. So many that there was a time that an entire new song was written out of just the ending section. After it was all said and done, I would say that there is probably going to be quite a few different incarnations of this song when it’s performed live. There are just so many ideas that can be added into this. It’s almost like when a DVD of a movie is released and has scenes added that weren’t there for the theater version. I know it’s a little early for this, but I’m already looking forward to the live versions of this song. Feast or Famine is not written around the familiar adage. It’s actually written around a decision. Did I choose to follow God’s will for my life correctly so as to feast on what He had in store for me, or did I sell my will selfishly to my desires and choose a wrong path that is void of God’s peace. I wrote the song from the perspective of when I saw someone else making what I thought to be a questionable decision, all the while not knowing what the outcome would be. I feel like there are some decisions that are obviously wrong, and then there are other times when only the person making the decision and God knows whether it’s the right one. The second verse talks about how decision making never seems to get easier. No matter how many years pass, or lessons I feel like I’ve learned, I can’t seem to get to the point where it’s easy to make big decisions all of the time. Again, some are so obviously right or wrong that it barely qualifies as a decision. But other times, I just don’t know all of the answers. I just know that I want to always remain in the center of God’s will for my life. So even now, in that time between making a decision and seeing the results of it, the questions returns to me… did I choose a feast or a famine?
Some of the songs on this album have gone straight from my head onto disk. Others, like this one, took twists and turns and circles before becoming a finished song.

For the most part, the body of the song and the lyrics have remained consistent, but the feel and the arrangement have undergone some changes. So many that there was a time that an entire new song was written out of just the ending section. After it was all said and done, I would say that there is probably going to be quite a few different incarnations of this song when it’s performed live. There are just so many ideas that can be added into this. It’s almost like when a DVD of a movie is released and has scenes added that weren’t there for the theater version. I know it’s a little early for this, but I’m already looking forward to the live versions of this song.

Feast or Famine is not written around the familiar adage. It’s actually written around a decision. Did I choose to follow God’s will for my life correctly so as to feast on what He had in store for me, or did I sell my will selfishly to my desires and choose a wrong path that is void of God’s peace.
I wrote the song from the perspective of when I saw someone else making what I thought to be a questionable decision, all the while not knowing what the outcome would be. I feel like there are some decisions that are obviously wrong, and then there are other times when only the person making the decision and God knows whether it’s the right one.
The second verse talks about how decision making never seems to get easier. No matter how many years pass, or lessons I feel like I’ve learned, I can’t seem to get to the point where it’s easy to make big decisions all of the time. Again, some are so obviously right or wrong that it barely qualifies as a decision. But other times, I just don’t know all of the answers. I just know that I want to always remain in the center of God’s will for my life. So even now, in that time between making a decision and seeing the results of it, the questions returns to me… did I choose a feast or a famine?

]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:54:20 GMT 2976D087A13187A66FF0B501C9B2F34B http://coincidencemaybe.com/unexpected.cfm?feature=557817&postid=33270 At first, this album seemed like it would be quickly made, but due to relocating and then moving again, this is taking a bit longer than I had hoped. However, instead of being frustrated that the album wasn't coming to pass sooner, it seemed that the extra time only broadened the scope of what the album would end up being. As a songwriter, I have come to terms with the fact that I'm a poor storyteller. I make a pretty decent mirror though. I can usually put my life into song, and on occasion I can put someone else's who was close to me. So as the time of the album passed from sooner to later, more events that I thought songworthy came to pass, and what was to be an album that I thought would mark a closure for one part of my life and the beginning of a new part, quickly became more of a commentary on the fact that life is more of a cycle, but within that cycle there is constant change. One of the interesting things to me about that though, is that if change is constantly there, then there must be other consistancies as well... So that's where this album will start... at the beginning of a cycle, and it will continue until the completion of one cycle. But the true worth of this album with be found in the consistancies that carry through. God... love... error... dreams... disasters...heartaches... everything that makes a human being the beautiful creature that it's Creator intended as well as all the things that in our darkest moments force us to admit how wicked we truly are. So no... this is not a happy album that is being written. I know that from the start of it. But I also don't forsee this being a depressing album either. There are many joys in life to be celebrated! I would be rather closed minded to write about one side of life and not the other! The writing of some songs are finished. Others were finished years ago, but need to be re-written and re-recorded to give testimony to the growth that occurs in a life. The remainder of the songs are in their final writing process and are finding their completion as the days pass by. Most of these last three weeks have been spent on "The Truth Is...". I'll talk about this more after recording on this song wraps tonight and tomorrow.
However, instead of being frustrated that the album wasn't coming to pass sooner, it seemed that the extra time only broadened the scope of what the album would end up being.

As a songwriter, I have come to terms with the fact that I'm a poor storyteller. I make a pretty decent mirror though. I can usually put my life into song, and on occasion I can put someone else's who was close to me. So as the time of the album passed from sooner to later, more events that I thought songworthy came to pass, and what was to be an album that I thought would mark a closure for one part of my life and the beginning of a new part, quickly became more of a commentary on the fact that life is more of a cycle, but within that cycle there is constant change. One of the interesting things to me about that though, is that if change is constantly there, then there must be other consistancies as well... So that's where this album will start... at the beginning of a cycle, and it will continue until the completion of one cycle. But the true worth of this album with be found in the consistancies that carry through. God... love... error... dreams... disasters...heartaches... everything that makes a human being the beautiful creature that it's Creator intended as well as all the things that in our darkest moments force us to admit how wicked we truly are.

So no... this is not a happy album that is being written. I know that from the start of it. But I also don't forsee this being a depressing album either. There are many joys in life to be celebrated! I would be rather closed minded to write about one side of life and not the other!

The writing of some songs are finished. Others were finished years ago, but need to be re-written and re-recorded to give testimony to the growth that occurs in a life. The remainder of the songs are in their final writing process and are finding their completion as the days pass by.

Most of these last three weeks have been spent on "The Truth Is...". I'll talk about this more after recording on this song wraps tonight and tomorrow.
]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:45:00 GMT 175606B0421475D9A6E6C5F8FC341626