GMA Week

On Monday night I had the chance to attend a GMA showcase that was put on by a new friend of mine. Last year at this time I was playing in a GMA Showcase of my own. What a difference a year can make.

I remember thinking last year that I'd be having a chance to play several shows with Judah First. We played 2 more shows after that one I believe. Nowhere near the amount I thought we'd be playing. Anyways, this post is not about that. So moving on...

When I got inside the venue I saw one of the bands that had played last year at the same showcase we played at, Kennebec. It was great getting to see them again. I really enjoyed meeting them last year. Seeing them this year was kind of like a reunion to me. I had a chance to hang with Keith, Rick and Matt later on in the evening, discussing the greatness that is Mexican food.

I always enjoy finding new bands to listen to. That night I had the chance to find two more: This Fires Embrace and We As Human. I had a chance to talk to the vocalist from both bands after the night was over. Both of them truly have a heart for ministry. I hope both of these bands get a chance to go to the next level.

I also had a chance to make a connection or two that night. Nothing that will pay off in the immediate future, but the long term potential is there for sure.

Until next time...

Taxi update

I know, I know. I go from not posting in over a month to now posting multiple entries in a single day. I thought I'd give a quick update on my progress with Taxi since the last month. So far, I've submitted over 20 songs since joining in January. I've received 11 forwards out of the 17 songs that have been reviewed. There are still 5 or 6 in pending status.

I was on a roll there for awhile. My first submission was returned but then I had 9 forwards in a row. Since then, it's been 2 out of 7. I frequent the Taxi message boards and have started developing some acquaintance-ships (is that a word?) with a few of the other members. I've received some great feedback on how to improve some of my mixes and overall sound quality. That alone has been worth the price of membership.

A couple of the most recent songs that have been returned were due to not being "Master Quality" tracks. The screener considered them as a really good demos but not high enough quality for the listing. Those of you who know me well enough will know that only served to motivate to get better faster.

I've spent a lot of time and money over the last 2 months trying to improve every aspect of the process, from the initial song writing to the tracking to the mixdown and finally to mastering. I've definitely seen a vast improvement over the last couple of weeks especially. But I still have a LONG ways to go before I'm on a level playing field with the rest of my competition. But I have no doubt that I'm gonna get there. Oh yes, it will happen!

Update on "Silent Screams"

Since my last post, the title track from Silent Screams debuted on the National R&R Christian Rock charts at #28. It stayed there for another week then moved up to #24 in Week 3. Last week it slid down to #27 and then this week it dropped one more spot to #28. Considering she is an independent artist in the truest sense of the word, the fact that she's even able to chart a song speaks volumes.

The album is now available for purchase on iTunes for those of you who prefer buying music that way. The album is getting lots of positive reviews. On a personal note, I've noticed that the tracks that I contributed to on the album are getting some good feedback. That makes me happy :-)

2 more forwards and radio update!

Earlier this week I found out that 2 more songs that I submitted to Taxi were forwarded to the same company that my first forwards were for. The songs are on my profile page, "You" and "Let's Take It Slow." It was for a Rock/Pop Instrumental listing.

Here's an update on the radio single. Last week, Eowyn's song "Silent Screams" was the 3rd most added song to Christian Rock radio. This week, the song was once again the 3rd most added song to Christian Rock radio. Even better, the song was only 7 plays less than the last song on this week's chart. Wait... it gets better! This week the song was picked up by RadioU in Colubmus, Ohio. That's one of the larger Christian Rock stations in the nation. So Eowyn told me that according to her radio promotions people, "Silent Screams" should be debuting in the charts next week!!!

Until next time...

My first radio single

I just got word that one of the songs that I co-wrote for Eowyn's Silent Screams album is going to be the first single released to radio!!! The title track, "Silent Screams," will be released to Christian Rock Radio on March 3rd.

For more info, check out Eowyn's blog about it.