What has happened to the year?

Post-Concert, Dec. 15, 2012

I thought that with the end of one year and the start of another I (Eric) would take a quick look at what happened to 2012. At the end of last year (2011) we were pumped about the release of Dayenu, and the anticipation of the projects to come. So what happened to those projects? We have a tonne of material, we have equipment, we have some experience, and the desire is burning strong.  So what happened? Well Caleb was able to make it up for about 1 week in the spring and in that time we laid down the foundation for ten songs that we were planning to release as part of two EPs in the summer. The problem is that I love these songs so much that I could not let them go, at least not in the state they were in. Every time I thought I might be ready to finish them off I would learn something new and add another thing to the list of things to change. Then we were hired to arrange, play, record, mix and produce a Christmas CD for Suzanne Harvey. That project took up the rest of the year, in fact we hardly noticed the passing of the days, weeks, and months because it happened so fast. It was a great learning experience as well as being a lot of fun and finished off in December with the release of the CD (Things I Love About Christmas by Suzanne Harvey -  which can be purchased or perused on any of the e-music distribution sites including i-tunes, and amazon) and four enjoyable live performances.

So what happened to 2012? We learned a lot about how to create music and translate that into a digital format that expresses the emotions that we were feeling when we wrote the song. I feel like I have completed a couple years worth of university education on the subject and I'm hoping that is reflected in the music we make.

What to expect in 2013? We should have two EPs available before the summer and are looking to make another complete album for some time near the end of the year. We would love to get the chance to share the songs live but have found that the logistics for that are pretty tricky (visa issues, etc). So we will see, and if this year is like any of the ones past there are some incredible things in store that we can't even imagine. Should be another good year. 

Living in the Present (thoughts from Eric)

With the release of Dayenu representing such a significant amount of time and effort, it has been hard for me personally to move on.  Questions arise: Do we work hard to promote this album or do we spend the majority of time working toward the next? Maybe there is a balance? What do we do next?

With Caleb living in Grand Rapids and us living in Desbarats it makes things even harder. We can not just have a gig here or there for two reasons: 1. The distance between the two places. 2. We require a visa to play in the U.S. and Caleb requires a visa to play in Canada.

So here is what I am doing: I am learning more about Blender (an open source 3D software) in hopes of making an animation video for end up here with you; starting the recording for an EP; looking into visa issues with the plan of embarking on at least a small summer tour of sorts. After all, the creation and playing of music is what it is all about.

If I look too far ahead I end up asking the questions: How are we ever going to get to the point where we are making enough at this to be able to do it full time? How do we get people to listen so that we can build a fan base and tour?...etc. There is no concrete answer to these questions except that today I need to do what I know I should do today. What the future brings is not up to me; my task is to do my work today while looking forward to whatever may come.

Remember the past.

Anticipate the future.

Live in the present.