This week there was more music recording with the Moore family – three generations of it in fact. What may look like a typo in the header isn’t actually as I once again heard from this music and drama family to make the first recordings for an upcoming production of Cinderella. Kim and her family have been to Tesco Productions several times over the years and I’ve kind of been able to watch her family grow up, and now there was a third generation in the studio. These particular recordings were the launch of the musical portion of the classic tale of Cinderella, with planned presentations at The Salvation Army KROC Center in the Bellevue area next spring. Of course there’s lots of planning and rehearsal for such a large event which will encompass far more participants than just their family, and Kim’s describing it as “rock climbing”. You start up the face, hang on to each foot and hand hold, don’t look back and keep heading to the summit – knowing your Heavenly Guide is holding the safety rope.
Kim brought her talents to the ivories, her daughter Olivia sang one of Cinderella’s songs as a teenager, and her daughter very magnificently rang out a vocal rendition of her own – reflecting a very young Cinderella. There’s a lot more music to come and we’ll keep you posted with pics and news over the next several weeks. Keep a date open for next March to catch one of the performances in what promises to be a delightful presentation of this timeless tale that has more to say than just what may be on the surface.

Every year the National Traditional Country Music Association hosts a music festival which is currently held in Le Mars, IA. Bob and Sheila Everhart head up both the NTCMA and this Old-Time Music Festival the full week prior to Labor Day. This year I have the opportunity to present an hour long presentation entitled “So You Want To Record”. Topics covered will be in two primary categories – preparing as a musician, and what to look for in a recording studio. Having recorded for over 30 years now I’ve seen a wide range of readiness for a recording session or project, and also observed and heard about the outcome from various recording situations. A story I never like to hear is a “negative” experience a musician or other client has at any recording facility – as it taints the industry overall. Certainly a major part of having an enjoyable and beneficial time recording is to be well prepared beforehand. A recording setting is quite different from a live presentation and can catch some clients off guard. Knowing in advance how to prepare and what to expect is quite helpful. So hopefully we can address a number of these topics during this time. Down the road I may incorporate this information into this site as a resource for new clients and a refresher for returning ones. It’s important to have a good match between the engineer/facility and the artist/speaker.
So this presentation is set for Saturday, September 2 at 3pm, so if you’re able to attend that’d be great – or come up, enjoy and participate in the week long event that starts August 28 at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds in Le Mars. More info on the festival and the NTCMA is available here.

On Father’s Day I found myself on an airline headed to Utah to meet up with longtime friend and fellow audio engineer, Jon.  We were embarking on the conclusion of a journey Jon had been on for nearly a month by that point.  The purpose?  Well Jon and I were going to enjoy a week of travel in some of God’s most beautiful pallets and spend a week as friends and past co-workers listening to a lot of tunes (many of which Jon has recorded in Cleveland) and catching up.  Jon’s primary focus was the conclusion of several interviews he had been conducting concerning moves by the current administration and other state officials to change the designation of and divest certain public lands to private or alternate use.  This is of great concern to him and many others who don’t want to see this heritage destroyed or altered.  You can get an overview of the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1005089432/this-land-is-our-land?ref=nav_search and additional details here: https://www.facebook.com/thislandisourlanddoc/?notif_t=page_admin¬if_id=1490635405248312.  The funds were raised and so the work was in process.  I provided some secondary video recording, held the reflective light panel as needed, and hosted a collie on my lap while his younger brother nipped and played around me as I finally started to soak in what the open country was offering my heart.

And so it was that we headed north out of Utah into Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota.  Along the way we saw very brief glimpses of Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Tetons and Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park.  Five of the six nights were tent camping and so we were quite close to our environment and definitely feeling it – like frost on our tents in Yellowstone.  But it was a very refreshing time and I’m still trying to soak in what we saw and experienced.  These parks and monuments (and many others like them) in this great country are a microcosm of the vast riches we are blessed with, but until you actually get out there and surround yourself with them you either don’t know (as in my case) or quickly forget.  I highly recommend stepping out of the routine and away from the urgency of life now and then to find and remember what else is out there; and having personally rolled another decade this month, life’s too short to miss it. Thanks Jon!