CD Recording Session: The Photo Gallery

Those of you who have been following me for a while have probably heard that I’ve been working on a brand-new CD recording of worship songs and hymns I’ve written over the past several years. I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while, especially since getting married and realizing how wonderful Carrie’s voice sounded on my songs. The demo recordings I made with my little keyboard in my bedroom studio just weren’t cutting it anymore.

Last month, in a surprisingly short amount of time, a lot of things came together that suddenly made a recording project look like it could really happen:

• We found an audio engineer, a good friend from church who’s very familiar with my style. He doubled as a jazz/blues drummer.
• We found a recording space: the home of a client whose late husband was a cellist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. That meant the living room had superb acoustics (I’ve never liked studio recordings that sound too clinical) and a genuine Steinway grand piano!
• We found a violinist–our usual collaborator from church wasn’t available, so I sent out a random email to a friend from Norway who’s a professional symphony player. Turns out that he just came back to the States the exact day we needed to start.

These, by the way, are the kind of things that make Christians believe that God answers prayer (at any rate, when you’ve prayed about them beforehand, which I had, so Q.E.D.).

If you’ve been keeping track, you’ve noticed that gives us an unusually eclectic band. In addition to me (composer, vocalist, piano improvisateur), we had a jazz/blues drummer, a singer/songwriter guitarist, and a classical violinist! The CD will certainly reflect my long-standing belief that genuine worship transcends any and all musical styles.

On September 8, 2009, we started our recordings sessions. And we took some pictures.

Me on piano, Carrie on vocals.

I think that’s a pensive expression.

Øystein Torp (our Norwegian friend) lent his technical expertise and a great deal of soul to the violin solos.

Isn’t Carrie adorable?

I always work well when surrounded with books. I also always work well at a Steinway.

Peter made a homemade pop-blocker on the mic from a painter’s mask! In unrelated news, headphones don’t do much for your hair.

Øystein is lost in the moment.

Carrie’s voice is so good on these songs.

The elusive Peter Devins, audio engineer and percussionist in residence.

Steinway, baby!

Amazingly, even to me and Peter, we completed the entire recording (overdubs and all) in just four days, from Wednesday to Saturday. Some songs we even finished in one take. Did I mention I believe that God answers prayer? I know some of you were praying, and it really showed. Thanks so much, and keep it up!

Of course, this is just the beginning of the story– there’s more to come, such as finding a title, cover art, and the final mixing and mastering. We may even have some video for you in the not-too-distant future. This would be a great time to subscribe! Add your comments below–what would you like to hear about?

Related posts:

1. New CD Project!
2. Recent Compositions and Commissions
3. Heavens! A St. Peter Joke with Good Theology!
4. Upcoming Concert and Recent Reading
5. Welcome