Song Spotlight: Let Go
I referred to this new song, in passing, as part of a blog post this past October. The song is called Let Go. I was inspired to write it after hearing Iris DeMent perform at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom.
For me, letting go is synonymous with surrendering. When I’m willing to let go of what’s bothering me, whether it’s a past memory or a current situation, I find some measure of peace within my being. In the case of what inspired me to write this song, I was in a good place after the concert and found myself wanting to hang on to that good feeling. Out of that desire to hang on to the good feeling, writing Let Go was the spiritual response.
Shortly after writing down the song, I called up a good friend and sang it to him over the phone. His feedback was around the difficulty of letting go of so much, as described in the words I had just sung to him. He suggested I might soften the lyrical invitation by adding some gentle coaxing for listeners at the end of the song. I thought that was useful feedback, so I worked it into the arrangement. May you find healing and peace through this musical offering. To hear a rough demo, click below:
Latest Studio News
In November, I recorded the final tracks for two songs on the In a Circle album. I had been struggling with the overall sound for Breaking the Chains since September when I had Paul Schwab record a solo lead guitar track for it. I thought it still needed more lead guitar work in other parts of the song and that wasn’t working out.
Sometime during October, I had the creative inspiration to try adding a keyboard track. So, in my first November session, I had Ed set up his Yahama DX-7 keyboard with the Kurzweil Midi interface. I played a few takes. At first, I tried the Hammond B3 sample. It sounded o.k., however, it just wasn’t happening musically. Ed suggested that I try out the piano sample, so I switched it over. Voila! I came alive on the piano and was inspired to try out some new ideas. More importantly, I was having fun!
Serendipitous Answer
As we mixed the daily session, I realized that the missing piece for that song’s arrangement had been found and it was now complete. It turns out it didn’t need more lead guitar, after all. Once again, the power of the creative process humbles me. I also re-recorded some back up vocal harmony tracks for Brand New Day. To my ear, those tracks were flat and the overall ring of harmony wasn’t there. It sounds good now.
The rest of the November sessions involved editing tracks. So, now six of the twelve recorded tracks have been edited with six more to go. Getting closer! I’ll move on to final mixing after all the editing has been completed. At this point, it looks like I will be finished with recording sometime in January 2017. I’m so grateful to be an independent artist working on my own schedule with no recording company or contract to mess with. Works for me!
