#thwaits

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bt #mce

[gillwire]

Meeting Minutes 20151229

Many many plans are underway. Knobs are being turned, ditches are being dug and concrete being poured. December is wrapping up with a number of items checked off the list but even more items added to the 2016 list.

The flute - given to my sister. She may actually have time to use it and anyway I have my hands full with the following items:

Website - design is partially complete and looking good. Will obtain domain and hosting when closer to launch (estimate Feb).

Albert studio - equipment in place and validated by recording a few tracks complete with drums and keyboard. I will spend most of my free time here for at least the next 3 months (need to get as much time in as I can before it gets hot in the garage).

Multiple record releases are planned for 2016, my first official release will be in the first quarter. Tentatively titled: The Silver Streak EP followed by a full length album release toward the end of the year.

Grey Cat Music - independent publishing company established.

ACTION ITEMS:

Priority #1 record music. EP tracking to be complete by 16 Jan Mix/Master & Album Art to be complete by 31 Jan Digital distribution target Feb and coinciding with website launch (priority #2) Physical copies of EP due Mar

[gillwire]

Status Update 20151117

A chill has finally come to Arizona, and current world events bring a chill to the soul. Friday night I spent composing a simple vocal quartet in a gospel/worksong style. The inspiration was to reach out for meaning and comfort in a troubled world.

Lord, get me through the winter Lord, send me some sunshine Lord, get me through the winter Lord, stay by my side

Based musically on a vamp in G minor that can be built up on a loop (boss RC-30) to improvise and skat over. And so I brought it to open mic on Saturday night, leaving my guitar at home. It went over well, even getting some audience participation on the last few refrains, which was the goal: to have an experience where the community comes together. Of course it had my typical rough moments: a voice crack going up to the high G which has become a signature move since my adolescent days, and the characteristic long pause as I wait for the lyrics to arrive on my tongue - but that’s my style and I don’t need to excuse myself.

I consider the grand objective, and I see steps taken, progress made, slowly and I hope surely but time needs to tell the fruits of these labors. Round 1 of Guitar Center’s singer songwriter contest has closed and I consider my entry to be strong, stronger than my entry when I was in the contest two years ago. Comprising 5 videos which I made this fall, here is the breakdown: 2 brand new songs with hifi performance videos (tragedy sells, the turnaround), 1 new full band studio recording of one of my favorite older compositions (never told), and 2 lofi living room performances (lost for words, when it comes to love). Lost for words even has guest performer Shazer playing the oboe. 5 finalists will be announced early next year.

I entered the studio (aka garage) recording of When it comes to Love in the International Songwriting Competition. It was a recording I made about a year and a half ago and it has quite a few little nice moments, plucked violins and such. I know that song has a lot of potential, I just need to get it in the right place at the right time.

But how am I doing at spreading my influence, and building my audience? This is my biggest challenge. I lack something when it comes to networking and particularly in the ever important arena of digital social media. Well to be honest probably in grassroots traditional networking as well. Admittedly, I have a tiny fanbase and when I do have gigs or open mic performances I haven’t been vocal enough at explicitly stating who I am and how to find and follow my digital trail. I"ll turn it around with this Morrissey/Smiths lyric: “shyness is nice, and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you’d like to”

[gillwire]

Meeting Minutes 20150919

Grand Objective - To create and distribute musical content meeting a high standard of quality and serving the purposes of satisfying the desire for personal artistic expression and providing opportunity for the shared enjoyment of such content. 

Musical content includes: compositions, sound and video recordings, live performances, and related media such as written works, commentary, and visual arts. 

The high standard of quality to which the content is expected to achieve is a subjective measure but requires that the work in question must have merit in at least one of the following three categories: message, feel, execution.

Artistic expression and audience reception of musical content may occur independently but one should not be pursued to the detriment of the other; meaning that both engaging in an act of expression that causes harm, and compromising the integrity of the work in effort to improve audience reception should be avoided. The grand objective is best met when the dual purposes coincide and the artist and audience both have a positive experience participating in the presentation of the work.