2:00pm
My wife told me that yesterday and today, I've acted like a schoolboy on their first day of school.
I got up bright and early and got dressed, then proceeded to load up 2 amps, a speaker cabinet, 3 electric guitars and 1 acoustic (my trusty Taylor) into my Jeep. After I loaded up, I drove over and picked up Ash, who is filming the recording process. We stopped by Mickey D's for breakfast, then headed on to the studio. I got to the studio at 9am and unloaded all my stuff, getting set up for the day.
We got started a little after 10, with us all in a room hammering it out. Will Denton is playing drums and Joey Canaday is playing bass. These two guys were requested by me because they were in Steven Curtis Chapman's band for a while and I had met Will a couple of times. Stephen Leiweke, who is co-producing, played guitar and Jason Walker, who I co-wrote "I'm Clean" with is playing piano.
We listened to the song once and then went in to the big room to begin whittling away the arrangement to make it perfect. We took a measure out here, 2 measures out there and we changed one thing here and there, and we had the arrangement. We tracked the song 5 times and we had what we needed.
After we tracked it a couple of times, we saved my scratch vocal and I went to playing electric guitar, adding some umph underneath. But, after 2-3 times of me playing with the band, we had what we needed. And it was off to lunch.
After lunch we came back and fixed 2-3 trouble spots and suddenly, "Pleased" is finished and ready for overdubs. It sounds incredible already! We're getting ready to start on "Potential".
5pm
We started working on "Potential" and decided that we didn't like the feel of the song. So, we spent the last couple of hours reworking that song. We sped it up a little bit and moved Jason over from Piano to Rhodes through a distortion pedal and made the whole song just feel more mature. It's really, really different, but it's exciting to hear the difference. And it feels way better. It doesn't necessarily rock more, but it's a little more driving.
The players I'm working with are incredible. I've caught myself a few times almost laughing because it's so exciting to be around incredible musicians. They hear the song once and jump in and kill it.
It's incredible.
9pm
Well, the next song up was "Something Beautiful". We started working on it about 5:30pm and immediately Joey, the bass player, started messing around with a riff taken from the chord structure that we all thought was pretty cool. Stephen started to mimic it on guitar and pretty soon we had a riff to build the song around. We figured out the feel of the song after the riff and then started tracking to nail it down.
I laid down a couple of vocal tracks until we had a scratch track that was good enough and then I went out and played guitar on a couple of takes. My guitar part is down and now I'm listening to the guys track another take as I sit here and type.
Seriously, the songs have all taken turns for the better from my crappy demos (well, I would hope so). I'm excited to see how they end up over the next few days as we add guitars and keyboards and vocals.
I spent a lot of money today.
But it was completely well-spent.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Studio - pre-production
Today, I head off to Brown Bannister's studio to work on pre-production of the first 3 songs we're recording.
I was supposed to start recording on Monday with another producer, but some things didn't fall into place, so he wasn't able to start working yet. So, Thursday is the day we start tracking.
I will have my computer with me in the studio and keep a running update of what's going on throughout the day. We've decided on the 12 songs and a possible 13th. I wrote or co-wrote all 13 songs. And I'm excited about the material.
The first 3 songs we're working on will be a co-production of Brown Bannister and my good friend Stephen Leiweke.
They will be:
Are You Pleased?
Potential
Something Beautiful.
So, tomorrow, I'll start my studio blogs.
I can't wait!!!
P.S.: Go check out the new version of Hero on myspace.com/chrissligh and tell me what you think. It's way different...but Brown thought the old version was a little 80's, so I took another pass at the arrangement. It's a little slower and piano based.
I was supposed to start recording on Monday with another producer, but some things didn't fall into place, so he wasn't able to start working yet. So, Thursday is the day we start tracking.
I will have my computer with me in the studio and keep a running update of what's going on throughout the day. We've decided on the 12 songs and a possible 13th. I wrote or co-wrote all 13 songs. And I'm excited about the material.
The first 3 songs we're working on will be a co-production of Brown Bannister and my good friend Stephen Leiweke.
They will be:
Are You Pleased?
Potential
Something Beautiful.
So, tomorrow, I'll start my studio blogs.
I can't wait!!!
P.S.: Go check out the new version of Hero on myspace.com/chrissligh and tell me what you think. It's way different...but Brown thought the old version was a little 80's, so I took another pass at the arrangement. It's a little slower and piano based.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Obligatory Thanksgiving Post
Well, is it obligatory? Or is it needed? Probably not. The world isn't a better place because I ramble about life and the music business on the internet in my own little corner of the world. But you know, I'm better and my life is better because of this little blog. So, I guess thanksgiving is in order.
1) I am eternally grateful for the last year of my life. July 28, 2006, I made it past the first round of American Idol because a songwriter/publisher from Nashville, TN named LeAnn Phelan saw through my blunder of singing an original song and heard my voice and caught the vision for an image and an attitude I would carry until the 1st week of the semi-finals. So, I'm thankful that she saw past a fat guy in a little coat and put me on to the next round.
2) In February-May of 2006, I worked at BMW Manufacturing putting exhausts and bumpers on Z4's and X5's. I developed carpal tunnel and my hands were in so much pain that I literally could not squeeze a guitar. Scary for a guitar player. I then moved to a great job from May until I left for Idol at Level One, leasing apartments all across the nation. That job was an answer to prayer. And if I hadn't had that job, I could never have taken the time off to try out for Idol. So, ultimately God had a plan through all of this. So, I am thankful that it all was worked out for me to have a chance to make it on American Idol.
3) I am thankful for the fans who have been with me from day one. I remember reading my name on the internet before anyone had even seen my audition. I remember after my audition seeing on the American Idol boards people writing Sligh-kus and being fascinated and honored that people would take time to think about me, nonetheless write poems about me. And to have some of those same people (plus a lot more!) posting here on a regular basis is encouraging, exciting and humbling. So, thank you guys.
4) I am thankful for the lifetime friends that I have made through this process. It started with Rudy Cardenes. Then Blake and Phil entered the picture in Hollywood week (Phil & I were roommates and Rudy, Blake and I hung out all week long). Then at top 24, Sundance Head became a close friend, as well as Chris Richardson. Melinda and I hit it off the last day of Hollywood and got stuck in the Houston airport together for 5 hours with delayed flights. Gina and I hit it off immediately and stayed fast friends. Sanjaya took some time to grow on me, but became a close friend over the summer. And lately Haley has become a good friend of Sarah and mine. I could go on to everyone in top 10 or top 12, but I think the point is made. I went into it focused on relationships, and though I will readily look back and admit, I lost sight of that for a time, it is nice to come out on the other side with relationships being the most important thing to take away from this experience.
5) I am incredibily grateful for my management team. Mike Blanton and Mitch White have become close friends and I could not have gone through this whole signing process without them by my side telling me everything was going to be okay. I could not have made it past the freak outs that no one outside ever knew about without them patting me on the shoulder and telling me that it was all going to work out for good, even when it looked like nothing was happening or things were moving incredibly slow. They helped me to trust that God was in control. And I wasn't. How comforting is that. No one, including myself (no matter how much I try to convice myself otherwise) wants this idiot in charge. Of anything. Except this blog.
6) I am thankful to my family. My parents were in a tough spot. They are in an incredibly conservative religious denomination. Their peers would not see the good in their son (no matter how old) being a part of American Idol (if for no other reason but that it has the world Idol in the name). Yet, they were positive and encouraging and interesting all the while keeping their personal beliefs and standards intact. I can't imagine how tough it is to see your child go in a different direction than you had hoped, but my parents could not have done a better job of loving through the differences. So, I thank God for them.
7) Finally, and most importantly...Sarah. Good Lord, I don't know what I could've done without Sarah. She comforted me and consoled me and encouraged me through a process that was very tough and emotionally challanging. I went home way earlier than anyone predicted and, though I can see the good in that now, at that point it was a struggle and there was a lot of hurt. Sarah was there. Sarah is the most unselfish woman I can imagine. She would work 55 hours a week while I was on the show so that she could break away for 3 days to come see me once every 2 weeks. She literally and figuratively held down the fort. She was my rock. From a financial standpoint, I could not have followed this dream without her working hard to pay the bills back home. Sarah is the love of my life. She is perfect in every way. I am undeserving of her love. And on top of it all, she's hotter than heck. And I get to spend every night with her. How great is my life!
So, that's my list of thanksgiving. There's so much more that I could be thankful for, but words don't suffice. Thse simple words can't convey my heart, but at least I tried.
1) I am eternally grateful for the last year of my life. July 28, 2006, I made it past the first round of American Idol because a songwriter/publisher from Nashville, TN named LeAnn Phelan saw through my blunder of singing an original song and heard my voice and caught the vision for an image and an attitude I would carry until the 1st week of the semi-finals. So, I'm thankful that she saw past a fat guy in a little coat and put me on to the next round.
2) In February-May of 2006, I worked at BMW Manufacturing putting exhausts and bumpers on Z4's and X5's. I developed carpal tunnel and my hands were in so much pain that I literally could not squeeze a guitar. Scary for a guitar player. I then moved to a great job from May until I left for Idol at Level One, leasing apartments all across the nation. That job was an answer to prayer. And if I hadn't had that job, I could never have taken the time off to try out for Idol. So, ultimately God had a plan through all of this. So, I am thankful that it all was worked out for me to have a chance to make it on American Idol.
3) I am thankful for the fans who have been with me from day one. I remember reading my name on the internet before anyone had even seen my audition. I remember after my audition seeing on the American Idol boards people writing Sligh-kus and being fascinated and honored that people would take time to think about me, nonetheless write poems about me. And to have some of those same people (plus a lot more!) posting here on a regular basis is encouraging, exciting and humbling. So, thank you guys.
4) I am thankful for the lifetime friends that I have made through this process. It started with Rudy Cardenes. Then Blake and Phil entered the picture in Hollywood week (Phil & I were roommates and Rudy, Blake and I hung out all week long). Then at top 24, Sundance Head became a close friend, as well as Chris Richardson. Melinda and I hit it off the last day of Hollywood and got stuck in the Houston airport together for 5 hours with delayed flights. Gina and I hit it off immediately and stayed fast friends. Sanjaya took some time to grow on me, but became a close friend over the summer. And lately Haley has become a good friend of Sarah and mine. I could go on to everyone in top 10 or top 12, but I think the point is made. I went into it focused on relationships, and though I will readily look back and admit, I lost sight of that for a time, it is nice to come out on the other side with relationships being the most important thing to take away from this experience.
5) I am incredibily grateful for my management team. Mike Blanton and Mitch White have become close friends and I could not have gone through this whole signing process without them by my side telling me everything was going to be okay. I could not have made it past the freak outs that no one outside ever knew about without them patting me on the shoulder and telling me that it was all going to work out for good, even when it looked like nothing was happening or things were moving incredibly slow. They helped me to trust that God was in control. And I wasn't. How comforting is that. No one, including myself (no matter how much I try to convice myself otherwise) wants this idiot in charge. Of anything. Except this blog.
6) I am thankful to my family. My parents were in a tough spot. They are in an incredibly conservative religious denomination. Their peers would not see the good in their son (no matter how old) being a part of American Idol (if for no other reason but that it has the world Idol in the name). Yet, they were positive and encouraging and interesting all the while keeping their personal beliefs and standards intact. I can't imagine how tough it is to see your child go in a different direction than you had hoped, but my parents could not have done a better job of loving through the differences. So, I thank God for them.
7) Finally, and most importantly...Sarah. Good Lord, I don't know what I could've done without Sarah. She comforted me and consoled me and encouraged me through a process that was very tough and emotionally challanging. I went home way earlier than anyone predicted and, though I can see the good in that now, at that point it was a struggle and there was a lot of hurt. Sarah was there. Sarah is the most unselfish woman I can imagine. She would work 55 hours a week while I was on the show so that she could break away for 3 days to come see me once every 2 weeks. She literally and figuratively held down the fort. She was my rock. From a financial standpoint, I could not have followed this dream without her working hard to pay the bills back home. Sarah is the love of my life. She is perfect in every way. I am undeserving of her love. And on top of it all, she's hotter than heck. And I get to spend every night with her. How great is my life!
So, that's my list of thanksgiving. There's so much more that I could be thankful for, but words don't suffice. Thse simple words can't convey my heart, but at least I tried.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Just when things couldn't get any better....
Well, I'm sitting on my couch, watching football, my foot propped up by 3 pillows. Friday morning I woke up and got out of bed and crumpled because I couldn't put any weight on my left foot. I went the whole day in pain, but could put a little weight on my foot from time to time. Sarah and I went to see Steven Curtis Chapman and Sanctus Real play here in Nashville (more on that later) and by the end of the night, I couldn't walk any more. I woke up yesterday morning and my foot was swollen and bruised and I could no longer walk. In probing around my foot, I have found that the pain is coming from the bone coming from my 4th toe (the one next to the pinky toe). In playing sports, I have had sprains, I have had tendon strains. But this pain is much different...I asked some people who have been through stress fractures to describe it and also read some stuff online, and I'm pretty sure it's a stress fracture. From what I understand, with a stress fracture, they pretty much tell you to stay off of it, and you can get a booty if you want...so I don't really want to spend the money to go to the doctor. So, I'll be on crutches for a few days. And I'll be doing a lot of icing and heating of my foot.
Anyway, the bad is out of the way.
Friday was a great day (outside of my foot killing me). My friend Ash, who is doing my video stuff, was coming into town for a few days to do some video stuff with Sanctus Real, a Christian band. Sanctus Real is on tour right now opening up Steven Curtis Chapman with Bethany Dillon. Anyway, the tour's Fall leg was ending here in Nashville, so Ash invited us to the show. We showed up before the show and hugn out backstage with Sanctus and got to know those guys a little bit. We watched Sanctus's show and then Ash went back with the band to do some video stuff during Steven Curtis's show. Sarah and I stayed out for the show.
Steven Curtis Chapman is on my list of heros. Ultimately the decision to make a CCM record came down to the fact that 3 of the records that I looked at as life-changing were Steven Curtis Chapman albums. As he went through a list of his hits and some songs from his newly released album, I realized I was singing along with every song and knew every word. It was great to see SCC again in concert...it had been probably 5 years since my last concert with him.
Afterwards, we went out to Sanctus Real's bus and hung out for about an hour...it's funny musicians usually don't watch AI, but are fascinated by the show and what it does, so the band had quite a few questions about the show...it was fun to talk about it. We talked about my record coming up, and about their record they just finished. That was fun.
Then Sarah and I went up to the meet and greet with SCC. It was great. In line was SCC's keyboard player Scott Sheriff...we talked for a long time just about everything (he's been with SCC for a long, long time), and decided we should hook up and hang out, so that'll be fun. Then we finally got to SCC. It was the most surreal thing...SCC comes, knows who I am, and thanks me for doing Christian songs on the show. Weird...I will never get used to people who I have loved for a lifetime knowing my name. I thanked Steven for his ministry in my life and told him that I was working with Brown (who produced most of Steven's biggest albums). We talked for a coupla minutes and then took a picture. It was one of the best experiences of anything that has happened through this whole thing...I got to meet SCC!
Yesterday, I woke up and was in a lot of pain with my foot. So I took some painkillers and they made me a little woozy. I was supposed to meet Clint Lagerberg to write at 10am, but I called him and we put it off till after lunch. So, laid down to take a nap. Then, I went and ate lunch with Ash and a tv host named Logan. After lunch, Ash and I went to Clint's house, where we worked on a country song for Phil. Ash filmed the whole thing, which was interesting. It's tough to ignore the camera. Clint and I got 2/3 of a great, great song that reminds of a Hank Williams Jr. type song. Clint and I will finish it on Tuesday.
I got home, and rested my foot a little bit then Sarah and I went to dinner with Mitch, my manager, and his fiancee Suzanna. It was a great, great time. We stayed till almost 12, just getting to know them better and talking about life, and some music. It was a lot of fun. Suzanna broke her foot this summer so she had crutches, so after dinner, we went to her house and grabbed the crutches...so I have crutches now.
So, that was the last few days. Good times.
Anyway, the bad is out of the way.
Friday was a great day (outside of my foot killing me). My friend Ash, who is doing my video stuff, was coming into town for a few days to do some video stuff with Sanctus Real, a Christian band. Sanctus Real is on tour right now opening up Steven Curtis Chapman with Bethany Dillon. Anyway, the tour's Fall leg was ending here in Nashville, so Ash invited us to the show. We showed up before the show and hugn out backstage with Sanctus and got to know those guys a little bit. We watched Sanctus's show and then Ash went back with the band to do some video stuff during Steven Curtis's show. Sarah and I stayed out for the show.
Steven Curtis Chapman is on my list of heros. Ultimately the decision to make a CCM record came down to the fact that 3 of the records that I looked at as life-changing were Steven Curtis Chapman albums. As he went through a list of his hits and some songs from his newly released album, I realized I was singing along with every song and knew every word. It was great to see SCC again in concert...it had been probably 5 years since my last concert with him.
Afterwards, we went out to Sanctus Real's bus and hung out for about an hour...it's funny musicians usually don't watch AI, but are fascinated by the show and what it does, so the band had quite a few questions about the show...it was fun to talk about it. We talked about my record coming up, and about their record they just finished. That was fun.
Then Sarah and I went up to the meet and greet with SCC. It was great. In line was SCC's keyboard player Scott Sheriff...we talked for a long time just about everything (he's been with SCC for a long, long time), and decided we should hook up and hang out, so that'll be fun. Then we finally got to SCC. It was the most surreal thing...SCC comes, knows who I am, and thanks me for doing Christian songs on the show. Weird...I will never get used to people who I have loved for a lifetime knowing my name. I thanked Steven for his ministry in my life and told him that I was working with Brown (who produced most of Steven's biggest albums). We talked for a coupla minutes and then took a picture. It was one of the best experiences of anything that has happened through this whole thing...I got to meet SCC!
Yesterday, I woke up and was in a lot of pain with my foot. So I took some painkillers and they made me a little woozy. I was supposed to meet Clint Lagerberg to write at 10am, but I called him and we put it off till after lunch. So, laid down to take a nap. Then, I went and ate lunch with Ash and a tv host named Logan. After lunch, Ash and I went to Clint's house, where we worked on a country song for Phil. Ash filmed the whole thing, which was interesting. It's tough to ignore the camera. Clint and I got 2/3 of a great, great song that reminds of a Hank Williams Jr. type song. Clint and I will finish it on Tuesday.
I got home, and rested my foot a little bit then Sarah and I went to dinner with Mitch, my manager, and his fiancee Suzanna. It was a great, great time. We stayed till almost 12, just getting to know them better and talking about life, and some music. It was a lot of fun. Suzanna broke her foot this summer so she had crutches, so after dinner, we went to her house and grabbed the crutches...so I have crutches now.
So, that was the last few days. Good times.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Yesterday * Today
Yesterday, I had a writing session with a guy named Jason Walker. I was a little worried because I had never heard any of his songwriting and was worried that we wouldn't hit it off. My fears were quickly relieved, however. Yesterday was a great, great day.
Jason is a mainstream artist who happens to be signed to Word publishing. He is seeing some pretty good success with getting some stuff into tv and film stuff, even though he's not signed to a label. We started off by listening to some music then moved into writing. Jason is a piano guy, and a great, great piano guy, so he had a couple of ideas that we screwed around with. The first one was an upbeat piano rocker. We worked on a lyric for a while and just didn't find anything we loved. We went to lunch and hung out for a while, then decided to go lay down tracks for both of the songs at my house.
We drove to my place where we layed down the basic tracks for both songs, then we hung out a little while and just talked. We ended up really starting to develop a friendship so that was really great.
Go check out his myspace/jasonwalkeronline. He's got some stuff up there and it's great. It looks like for my Spring tours that Jason will be going along as my keyboard player and will be opening up for me. So, if that works out, that's gonna be awesome.
That night, Phil, Kendra and the kids and Haley came over for dinner. My wife made an incredible dinner for us - seriously she outdid herself. We had a great time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. It's funny how these people who I didn't even know a year ago have become like family.
After dinner, I went up to my studio and worked on the lyric for the first song with Jason. And I think I wrote one of the best, if not the best lyrics I've ever written. It was one of those that just happened really quickly and just felt great. I emailed it to several people involved with the project and several songwriting friends and the response was incredible...the song is called "I'm Clean" and it will definitely be on the record and is being discussed as the first single.
This morning I headed over to Brown's house to discuss more intense stuff with the record. We sat down and listened to the 13 songs and he threw a couple of other songs back onto the table for discussion. We talked through production ideas and how the record will flow with having 3 producers and how to make all that work. We talked about different production ideas, also, in the sense of how to take each of my songs and make the feel different from each other and for the album to take the listener on a journer for that 40 minutes they are listening. It was a great, great conversation.
One exciting note from the Brown meeting was that he told me that apparently word had gotten around town that I was working with him, and he'd received calls from a few songwriters wanting to write with me. Haha...it's so fun being able to write and be a musician for a living.
Then I went over and wrote with a guy named Ian Eskilin. I was toast from the last couple of days and I'm starting to come down with some kind of sickness...so we didn't end up writing a song, but we have a couple of killer ideas that we're gonna get together in the next couple of weeks to flesh out.
Finally, tonight, Sarah and I went with Phil and Kendra to a big fundraiser for Rocketown, which is a teen center here in Nashville that Michael W. Smith founded and helps support. It is a concert venue (Elliot Yamin played here when he came to town), a cafe and a skate park all combined. It's pretty freaking awesome. I think I'm gonna go start skating...I'll be the loser old dude trying to rekindly his love for skating.
Anyway, Ronnie Milsap played and he blew my socks off...he did a medley of several hit songs and it truly was remarkable. And Smitty debuted an instrumental piano piece he wrote. So, it was great night all in all.
Tomorrow I meet with Brown again in the morning and then head over to write with a guy named Clint Lagerberg. Clint and I met the other day when I was writing with Jason and hit it off really well...so that'll be great fun, I think. Then at 7pm I'll be taping an interview with Way FM's syndicated show "Total Axxess"...I'll find out when it's playing and let you guys know. Then after that I have a photo shoot. So tomorrow is a long day. But I'm thinking it's gonna be a great day.
Jason is a mainstream artist who happens to be signed to Word publishing. He is seeing some pretty good success with getting some stuff into tv and film stuff, even though he's not signed to a label. We started off by listening to some music then moved into writing. Jason is a piano guy, and a great, great piano guy, so he had a couple of ideas that we screwed around with. The first one was an upbeat piano rocker. We worked on a lyric for a while and just didn't find anything we loved. We went to lunch and hung out for a while, then decided to go lay down tracks for both of the songs at my house.
We drove to my place where we layed down the basic tracks for both songs, then we hung out a little while and just talked. We ended up really starting to develop a friendship so that was really great.
Go check out his myspace/jasonwalkeronline. He's got some stuff up there and it's great. It looks like for my Spring tours that Jason will be going along as my keyboard player and will be opening up for me. So, if that works out, that's gonna be awesome.
That night, Phil, Kendra and the kids and Haley came over for dinner. My wife made an incredible dinner for us - seriously she outdid herself. We had a great time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. It's funny how these people who I didn't even know a year ago have become like family.
After dinner, I went up to my studio and worked on the lyric for the first song with Jason. And I think I wrote one of the best, if not the best lyrics I've ever written. It was one of those that just happened really quickly and just felt great. I emailed it to several people involved with the project and several songwriting friends and the response was incredible...the song is called "I'm Clean" and it will definitely be on the record and is being discussed as the first single.
This morning I headed over to Brown's house to discuss more intense stuff with the record. We sat down and listened to the 13 songs and he threw a couple of other songs back onto the table for discussion. We talked through production ideas and how the record will flow with having 3 producers and how to make all that work. We talked about different production ideas, also, in the sense of how to take each of my songs and make the feel different from each other and for the album to take the listener on a journer for that 40 minutes they are listening. It was a great, great conversation.
One exciting note from the Brown meeting was that he told me that apparently word had gotten around town that I was working with him, and he'd received calls from a few songwriters wanting to write with me. Haha...it's so fun being able to write and be a musician for a living.
Then I went over and wrote with a guy named Ian Eskilin. I was toast from the last couple of days and I'm starting to come down with some kind of sickness...so we didn't end up writing a song, but we have a couple of killer ideas that we're gonna get together in the next couple of weeks to flesh out.
Finally, tonight, Sarah and I went with Phil and Kendra to a big fundraiser for Rocketown, which is a teen center here in Nashville that Michael W. Smith founded and helps support. It is a concert venue (Elliot Yamin played here when he came to town), a cafe and a skate park all combined. It's pretty freaking awesome. I think I'm gonna go start skating...I'll be the loser old dude trying to rekindly his love for skating.
Anyway, Ronnie Milsap played and he blew my socks off...he did a medley of several hit songs and it truly was remarkable. And Smitty debuted an instrumental piano piece he wrote. So, it was great night all in all.
Tomorrow I meet with Brown again in the morning and then head over to write with a guy named Clint Lagerberg. Clint and I met the other day when I was writing with Jason and hit it off really well...so that'll be great fun, I think. Then at 7pm I'll be taping an interview with Way FM's syndicated show "Total Axxess"...I'll find out when it's playing and let you guys know. Then after that I have a photo shoot. So tomorrow is a long day. But I'm thinking it's gonna be a great day.
Monday, November 12, 2007
A special note
Every now and then I get notes from people just saying thanks for inspiration and for songs and what not. Obviously they mean a ton to me. When I get a note from a fan, especially something specific, it makes what I do worth everything. This is a note from a fan over on myspace that I shall keep anonymous, per our agreement. But this was a great note. From time to time I'll share these kind of notes. This one is very special to me.
"Hey Chris...
I am sitting here at my computer, trying very hard to muster up some words that sound half intelligent. There are so many things I need to say, but for you to understand, I suppose I will have to start at the beginning. So, if you will, please bare with me. Hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
I will start of by saying that, ever since your Seal song in the AI auditions, I found something incredibly appealing about you. Your voice was unique, your sense of humor was a light in the sometimes serious mood of the contest, and I loved how God seemed to shine through you. I am 16, a sophomore in high school, and currently working towards confirmation. I am so excited to be thought of as an adult in the Church. I have become much more spiritual throughout this process, which also excites me. And yes - this all relates to you. I read your blogs often, Chris, but I tend to just sit back and read, rather than comment. But, I did see your blog about songs a few weeks ago, and decided to come by and check them out! Just let me tell you, that I have had many songs that touched me for one reason or another, but I have never, and I mean NEVER, had any song touch me as much as "Empty Me Of Me" has. The message is so powerful to me, especially since I am going through a "spiritual reinvention", if you will. I don't want to waste your time, but I just wanted to let you know that I love what you are doing, and I will back you up 100% of the way. I honestly think that your music was a gift from God, meant to help me through this journey of mine. So thank you, and please keep it up. And keep letting God shine through you as he does.
Love and Happiness
XXXXX"
I wrote this person back and let her know that this kind of note makes a song like Empty Me mean even more to me than it already does.
So, thank you all for your support and love.
"Hey Chris...
I am sitting here at my computer, trying very hard to muster up some words that sound half intelligent. There are so many things I need to say, but for you to understand, I suppose I will have to start at the beginning. So, if you will, please bare with me. Hopefully it will be worth it in the end.
I will start of by saying that, ever since your Seal song in the AI auditions, I found something incredibly appealing about you. Your voice was unique, your sense of humor was a light in the sometimes serious mood of the contest, and I loved how God seemed to shine through you. I am 16, a sophomore in high school, and currently working towards confirmation. I am so excited to be thought of as an adult in the Church. I have become much more spiritual throughout this process, which also excites me. And yes - this all relates to you. I read your blogs often, Chris, but I tend to just sit back and read, rather than comment. But, I did see your blog about songs a few weeks ago, and decided to come by and check them out! Just let me tell you, that I have had many songs that touched me for one reason or another, but I have never, and I mean NEVER, had any song touch me as much as "Empty Me Of Me" has. The message is so powerful to me, especially since I am going through a "spiritual reinvention", if you will. I don't want to waste your time, but I just wanted to let you know that I love what you are doing, and I will back you up 100% of the way. I honestly think that your music was a gift from God, meant to help me through this journey of mine. So thank you, and please keep it up. And keep letting God shine through you as he does.
Love and Happiness
XXXXX"
I wrote this person back and let her know that this kind of note makes a song like Empty Me mean even more to me than it already does.
So, thank you all for your support and love.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Negotiations
So, I get emails from Fox Broadcasting with news about tv shows and stuff like that. I guess it's one of the "perks" of being part of the Fox family. But I just got an email from Fox talking about the 2 hour Prison Break...that I watched 5 hours ago. Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose to send out a "news" email AFTER the news has happened.
Anyway, moving on from that rambling.
I felt like I had a pretty solid grasp of the way record deals worked because of my experience before the show. I had had label interest and had built relationships for years. I thought I had been really close to record deals int he past, but now that my deal is a lawyer's once over and my signature away from being official, I realize how far I was from being actually signed. It's interesting...I was closer than most people ever get, but so far away.
Basically, when I finally decided what I wanted to do with a label (and decided to go with a label instead of doing my own thing), I then decided which label I wanted to be a part of. Once I made that decision, my management went to said label and began more formal discussions (when you're courting, you talk in general terms). At this point, the formal discussions talk about deal terms: production budget, personal advance, promotions budget, how many records, etc. Then, once the label gets an idea of what we're looking for, they send over a deal.
The label I'm signing with literally does 1 page deals. To put it in perspective, the deal I signed with 19 Entertainment after Hollywood week was close to 90 pages...and that wasn't even an actual record deal. Anyway, the 1 page deal basically breaks down the 90 pages to what's important. Anyway, the label sent over a deal outlining everything. They started off on the low side of things, knowing that we would negotiate up.
Over the last couple of weeks, the deal was negotiated, and I can honestly say that everything I've asked for in this deal, I have gotten. I got the production budget I wanted. I got the advance I wanted. I got the number of records I wanted. I got the promotions promise that I wanted. Literally, my label has come through in spades!
The deal I'm signing is a 3 record deal. It guarantees 2 with the label's option for the 3rd. So, America will definitely get 2 albums from Chris Sligh. I'm hoping that the 3rd is a no-brainer, because that will mean that we have been successful from a sales and/or touring standpoint. The thing that is nice about this kind of deal is this: most major label deals are 1 + 5 deals...this means, you're guaranteed to make 1 record and the label has the option for 5 more. Basically, you're tied up for what equals to about 10 years. With my deal, I'm tied up for about half that time. Now, you may ask why that's important.
Well, it's a double edged sword, of course, but like I said if I make it to the third record, it means we've seen some success. If we see enough success, it may be in my best interest 5 years from now to form my own indie label (or sign to my own label, if I already have one). Or I can possibly sign with a larger company. Or sign to a deal with the same label again, but this time with even better terms (and believe me, I don't know that the terms of the contract could get much better). So, it simply gives me options earlier in my career than a major label deal.
Anyway, I hope you can tell: I'm excited. I was in Wal-Mart with Sarah today (we were getting the oil & battery changed on Sarah's car) and I checked my email on my iPhone and saw the final deal...I was very excited. One of the things that is very exciting is that there is a budget for a documentary and different video stuff. A friend of mine named Ash Grayson will be coming in to film the recording process. Ash did all of Hanson's video stuff throughout their careers till now...and he did some really great stuff. I just watched a couple of documentary's he filmed and directed and got very, very excited about how cool this video stuff could be. Ash will also be directing my music videos.
So, I will be meeting later this week with the producer of my record (Brown Bannister) to decide when we will actually begin recording. We will actually be using a lot of my demos as the outlines for the actual recordings, so I've been making sure the tempos are right, the arrangements are right and the songs are right. Right now, a big thing I'm doing is going through and making sure every lyric is as great as I can get it right now. I'm taking each lyric and rewriting what needs to be rewritten.
I'm excited about this record. I think that we have a great possibility to sell a lot of records. Obviously, nothing is promised, but I couldn't have a better team around me, from my management, to players to producers. I'm pumped.
Anyway, moving on from that rambling.
I felt like I had a pretty solid grasp of the way record deals worked because of my experience before the show. I had had label interest and had built relationships for years. I thought I had been really close to record deals int he past, but now that my deal is a lawyer's once over and my signature away from being official, I realize how far I was from being actually signed. It's interesting...I was closer than most people ever get, but so far away.
Basically, when I finally decided what I wanted to do with a label (and decided to go with a label instead of doing my own thing), I then decided which label I wanted to be a part of. Once I made that decision, my management went to said label and began more formal discussions (when you're courting, you talk in general terms). At this point, the formal discussions talk about deal terms: production budget, personal advance, promotions budget, how many records, etc. Then, once the label gets an idea of what we're looking for, they send over a deal.
The label I'm signing with literally does 1 page deals. To put it in perspective, the deal I signed with 19 Entertainment after Hollywood week was close to 90 pages...and that wasn't even an actual record deal. Anyway, the 1 page deal basically breaks down the 90 pages to what's important. Anyway, the label sent over a deal outlining everything. They started off on the low side of things, knowing that we would negotiate up.
Over the last couple of weeks, the deal was negotiated, and I can honestly say that everything I've asked for in this deal, I have gotten. I got the production budget I wanted. I got the advance I wanted. I got the number of records I wanted. I got the promotions promise that I wanted. Literally, my label has come through in spades!
The deal I'm signing is a 3 record deal. It guarantees 2 with the label's option for the 3rd. So, America will definitely get 2 albums from Chris Sligh. I'm hoping that the 3rd is a no-brainer, because that will mean that we have been successful from a sales and/or touring standpoint. The thing that is nice about this kind of deal is this: most major label deals are 1 + 5 deals...this means, you're guaranteed to make 1 record and the label has the option for 5 more. Basically, you're tied up for what equals to about 10 years. With my deal, I'm tied up for about half that time. Now, you may ask why that's important.
Well, it's a double edged sword, of course, but like I said if I make it to the third record, it means we've seen some success. If we see enough success, it may be in my best interest 5 years from now to form my own indie label (or sign to my own label, if I already have one). Or I can possibly sign with a larger company. Or sign to a deal with the same label again, but this time with even better terms (and believe me, I don't know that the terms of the contract could get much better). So, it simply gives me options earlier in my career than a major label deal.
Anyway, I hope you can tell: I'm excited. I was in Wal-Mart with Sarah today (we were getting the oil & battery changed on Sarah's car) and I checked my email on my iPhone and saw the final deal...I was very excited. One of the things that is very exciting is that there is a budget for a documentary and different video stuff. A friend of mine named Ash Grayson will be coming in to film the recording process. Ash did all of Hanson's video stuff throughout their careers till now...and he did some really great stuff. I just watched a couple of documentary's he filmed and directed and got very, very excited about how cool this video stuff could be. Ash will also be directing my music videos.
So, I will be meeting later this week with the producer of my record (Brown Bannister) to decide when we will actually begin recording. We will actually be using a lot of my demos as the outlines for the actual recordings, so I've been making sure the tempos are right, the arrangements are right and the songs are right. Right now, a big thing I'm doing is going through and making sure every lyric is as great as I can get it right now. I'm taking each lyric and rewriting what needs to be rewritten.
I'm excited about this record. I think that we have a great possibility to sell a lot of records. Obviously, nothing is promised, but I couldn't have a better team around me, from my management, to players to producers. I'm pumped.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Songs
Well, the record deal has been negotiated and has been sent back and forth and next week (fingers crossed) I'll be signing the deal. It's a great deal. Once the deal has officially been signed I'll announce the name of the label, but know this: I'm excited about the deal, I'm excited about the label and people at the label, and I'm excited about making this record. If I sign the deal next week, then Monday of the next week I should start recording. I have 3 producers that will be working on the record. Brown Bannister will be producing the whole record. He will be co-producing several songs with Will Owsley (of the band Owsley - you need to check out this band...it was one of the bands that Blake and I connected on very, very early - we both loved the band, so it's really cool to have him work and play on this record) and several other songs with Stephen Leiweke (who produced HPF's first album). Brown is one of Christian Music's legends, so it's incredible to have him signed on for this record. He is taking a significant paycut to work on this record - it's pretty great to have someone of his stature believe in the project.
Anyway, the title of this post is "Songs". I'm going to talk about the songs that look like will make this record. I love the double meaning of make here...they will make it on the album and they will make the album. Anyway sorry for that. These are the songs that look like they'll make the album...obviously in the studio that could change, but here's what it looks like right now.
Running Back - I love this song. I rewrote the lyric with Tony Wood and rewrote the chord structure on the chorus and it went from an "off-the-radar" song to one of my favorites. The message of God's mercies being new every morning is something important to me, since I'm an idiot and need mercy & forgiveness a lot. On the 1st verse I tried to paint a picture of morning coming...there's not a lot of tension until the pre-chorus. The 1st verse is just a poetic picture of the sun rising. I don't think I've ever seen the line "Stars go down in the Western sky" or anything like it...I'm sure it's been said before, but I haven't seen it said like that. The 2nd verse talks about the idea of darkness covering up my faults, only for light to stream in, illuminating my sins. The message is definitely one I need to remind myself of. Musically, it has what I call the signature Chris Sligh brooding verses, building pre-chorus and soaring, epic chorus. I can't wait to hear what Brown does with this song.
Empty Me - I wrote this song with Tony Wood, too. This one, though, we wrote together from start to finish. He had an idea for a chorus and then we wrote about my life in the verses. It's idea that fame and fortune can tear lives apart and one can buy into their own hype. My prayer is to empy me of me and get rid of the stupid things: pride, the selfishness...to be filled with God. We feel like this is going to be the first single...you never know till you get in the studio, but everyone feels really good about this one.
Know - I think this is my favorite song that I've ever written. It was on the HPF album.
In a Moment - this ballad seems to move people. It was also on the HPF album.
Cry Tonight - again...a song from the HPF album...another favorite of mine personally.
Love Is Raining Down - one of the things I wanted to make sure with this album was to walk the fine line between making an album that we can take to radio both on the CCM and the mainstream side (i.e., look at the first 5 songs) and making an album with songs that we think will work live and just rock out. This is one of the live/rockout songs. It has an aggressive dance/rock beat, an 80's synth rock sound and a lyric where I tried to describe coming out of a depression into a celebration of dancing because of love raining down on me.
Good Intentions (Loaded Gun) - this is another live/rockout songs. It is very aggressive guitar rock, again with a dance/rock beat. But what will be different with this song will be having a huge string sound on the song. The lyric basically talks about the idea that love is a loaded gun that we should let go daily but we usually hold onto. I love the line at the end of the chorus that says, "Love can change the world, but it's gotta start with my heart"...because that's where it all starts.
Somewhere - this is from the HPF album...I chose this one over some of the others from that record because it's one of those songs with the anthemic sing-along chorus that just works live. Plus it rocks faces off. And I love singing it. This was the hardest decision, honestly, from that record because there were other songs we thought about...but this one just works live, so in the end, we chose a live/rockout over other songs.
Hero - again, from the HPF album. We chose this one for possibilities in tv/film. Plus it rocks out pretty good and has always worked live.
Pleased - we're not sure on the final arrangement yet, but the message is what puts this song on the record. The idea of checking ourselves to make sure we are living like we should is an important sentiment. Melodically, this song is a favorite of mine. From a message standpoint I love it, too.
Something Beautiful - I love this song. I mean, obviously I love each song on the record, but this one just feels really great. Plus, the message of finding beauty in the things that normally beauty isn't found is a cool idea to me. It is crazy that beauty is found in 2 wooden stakes nailed together to kill a man...yet it's what my belief system is built on. There's something beautiful about that.
Grace Finds Me - I wrote this one with Chad Cates and Nate Campany, both very distinguished writers. This one is a cool little 6/8 rocker that feels really good. I love the lyric on the chorus. It's cool to look back as we thought through things that find each other like grace finds me.
Potential - This is a favorite of mine. It conveys a very personal idea of never quite feeling grown up. I think it's something that a lot of people can identify with. Plus musically, it's one of the only 2 ballads that will be on the album.
Anyway, as I said before, these could change, but right now, these are the 13 songs that I think will make this record.
And the thing that's nice is that I think you guys have heard all of these songs at one point or another...or have had the chance to hear them.
Anyway, the title of this post is "Songs". I'm going to talk about the songs that look like will make this record. I love the double meaning of make here...they will make it on the album and they will make the album. Anyway sorry for that. These are the songs that look like they'll make the album...obviously in the studio that could change, but here's what it looks like right now.
Running Back - I love this song. I rewrote the lyric with Tony Wood and rewrote the chord structure on the chorus and it went from an "off-the-radar" song to one of my favorites. The message of God's mercies being new every morning is something important to me, since I'm an idiot and need mercy & forgiveness a lot. On the 1st verse I tried to paint a picture of morning coming...there's not a lot of tension until the pre-chorus. The 1st verse is just a poetic picture of the sun rising. I don't think I've ever seen the line "Stars go down in the Western sky" or anything like it...I'm sure it's been said before, but I haven't seen it said like that. The 2nd verse talks about the idea of darkness covering up my faults, only for light to stream in, illuminating my sins. The message is definitely one I need to remind myself of. Musically, it has what I call the signature Chris Sligh brooding verses, building pre-chorus and soaring, epic chorus. I can't wait to hear what Brown does with this song.
Empty Me - I wrote this song with Tony Wood, too. This one, though, we wrote together from start to finish. He had an idea for a chorus and then we wrote about my life in the verses. It's idea that fame and fortune can tear lives apart and one can buy into their own hype. My prayer is to empy me of me and get rid of the stupid things: pride, the selfishness...to be filled with God. We feel like this is going to be the first single...you never know till you get in the studio, but everyone feels really good about this one.
Know - I think this is my favorite song that I've ever written. It was on the HPF album.
In a Moment - this ballad seems to move people. It was also on the HPF album.
Cry Tonight - again...a song from the HPF album...another favorite of mine personally.
Love Is Raining Down - one of the things I wanted to make sure with this album was to walk the fine line between making an album that we can take to radio both on the CCM and the mainstream side (i.e., look at the first 5 songs) and making an album with songs that we think will work live and just rock out. This is one of the live/rockout songs. It has an aggressive dance/rock beat, an 80's synth rock sound and a lyric where I tried to describe coming out of a depression into a celebration of dancing because of love raining down on me.
Good Intentions (Loaded Gun) - this is another live/rockout songs. It is very aggressive guitar rock, again with a dance/rock beat. But what will be different with this song will be having a huge string sound on the song. The lyric basically talks about the idea that love is a loaded gun that we should let go daily but we usually hold onto. I love the line at the end of the chorus that says, "Love can change the world, but it's gotta start with my heart"...because that's where it all starts.
Somewhere - this is from the HPF album...I chose this one over some of the others from that record because it's one of those songs with the anthemic sing-along chorus that just works live. Plus it rocks faces off. And I love singing it. This was the hardest decision, honestly, from that record because there were other songs we thought about...but this one just works live, so in the end, we chose a live/rockout over other songs.
Hero - again, from the HPF album. We chose this one for possibilities in tv/film. Plus it rocks out pretty good and has always worked live.
Pleased - we're not sure on the final arrangement yet, but the message is what puts this song on the record. The idea of checking ourselves to make sure we are living like we should is an important sentiment. Melodically, this song is a favorite of mine. From a message standpoint I love it, too.
Something Beautiful - I love this song. I mean, obviously I love each song on the record, but this one just feels really great. Plus, the message of finding beauty in the things that normally beauty isn't found is a cool idea to me. It is crazy that beauty is found in 2 wooden stakes nailed together to kill a man...yet it's what my belief system is built on. There's something beautiful about that.
Grace Finds Me - I wrote this one with Chad Cates and Nate Campany, both very distinguished writers. This one is a cool little 6/8 rocker that feels really good. I love the lyric on the chorus. It's cool to look back as we thought through things that find each other like grace finds me.
Potential - This is a favorite of mine. It conveys a very personal idea of never quite feeling grown up. I think it's something that a lot of people can identify with. Plus musically, it's one of the only 2 ballads that will be on the album.
Anyway, as I said before, these could change, but right now, these are the 13 songs that I think will make this record.
And the thing that's nice is that I think you guys have heard all of these songs at one point or another...or have had the chance to hear them.
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