Everyone pitched in at Spirit West Coast.

Things got hectic at Spirit West Coast so Coral, Tim's daughter had to run the merch table for us. We sold hundreds of CDs but the cashbox was filled with animal crackers. Pure magic Coral. Pure magic.

Amos

I was reading Amos today and saw this:

"The Lord GOD has spoken;
who can but prophesy?"

This really struck me. It's a reminder to me about God's sovereign hand in the world and in my life. You can't control the universe so it seems the wisest course of action is to tap into what God is doing and leave your plans behind.

The light at the end of the jetway...

So it's looking like I'll go back to Houston on the 1st of October. Nothing official but I figured I would keep anyone who has been watching this, posted of developments.

I can taste the end of this project.

End of Chapter 1

It feels good to be home. Real good.

That said, I am already anxious to get back to Houston and do vocals for the project. Listening through the rough mixes of what we have done gets my heart racing.

Looking forward to doing a stripped down more intimate worship time tonight at Stones. Should be good...

STUDIO DAY 9

It is a sad day. This marks our last day in the Hyde Park Studio.

We first attacked some group vocals, and they sound huge. We are closing out with some overdubs and percussion. That's the good news.





The bad news is that my voice is not cooperating so we will be doing vocals in a few weeks on a return trip.

Know anyone with frequent flyer miles?

I have peace about this as my throat is far from 100%, and I want my best on the table. Everything else sounds great, so it'd be silly to throw some sub-par vocals on the tracks. All in all, I am very happy with how things are coming out. We are spending the afternoon listening through everything and making some preliminary edits and production notes. So seriously. Frequent flyer miles anyone?

How can I describe this record?
The drums burst through like a tank.
The bass tastes better than tuna-fish on rye and chips.
The keys chase melodies to the heavens, and the guitar parts are tailor made for our sound.
It's been good.

STUDIO DAY 8

Today is a day for tying up loose ends. We finished guitars this morning. The afternoon was spent with Marie, a lovely viola addition to the record. She played a bit on "King and A Friend" and "After the Fade".

We are editing a lot as well to catch up to be ready for whatever vocals my throat will do tomorrow. Pray for that, if you love us.

STUDIO DAY 7

Guitars baby. Guitars. Oh me oh my, so tasty.

Taylor Johnson rockin' the 6-string. There were many layers to this birthday cake and no need for candles.

Something in the higher register.


"Wait, wait, wait...gimme another chance. I can play that better."


Put some stank on it.


Listening back. Ears happy.

STUDIO NIGHT 6

I would like to say in closing of today that Ecclesia is unlike any other church I have been.

A brief summary of the day's events:

1. Ryan, our recording engineer also does professional photography and recently did a photo-documentary series in Nicaragua. It's amazing and on display in the sanctuary that doubles as an art gallery during the week. Today an elderly, well-dressed family wandered into the gallery as I was making a run from the studio downstairs to the coffee-shop.

After a brief conversation, I learned that this family was displaced and exiled from Nicaragua and recognized the photos because it was their home region. They were looking at photos of home. The home where their own crops were burned down. Ryan got to meet them in what I would call "a very cool moment".

2. Everyone I meet is an artist. Not like the "I watercolor on the side" kind of artist. More like, published writer, renowned photojournalist, recording phenom kind of artist.

3. The church hosts an evening of poetry weekly and tonight's performance included a emotive piece about suicide and the "cold steel of the blade in my lungs". The next act covered the biology of sexual relationships. Wow.

4. Robbie locked himself out of his office but the situation was alleviated by a 20 year old girl who was mid-Bible study and saw Robbie's plight. She proceeded to show him how to bypass the lock and opened his office.

STUDIO DAY 6

This fine day is dedicated to keys: rhodes, piano, pads, organs, and the like.

Chase is cranking them out like a printing press. The next part more amazing than the last. The sheer width of the wall of sound is just lovely.

"Brown Bag" is an amazing lunch establishment that I recommend highly. Genius idea for ordering too. See picture below.



Taylor paid us a visit and heard our tunes for the first time.

Brennen left to go on a walk and a long time later we decided it had been too long so we sent out a search party. They found Brennen in her natural habitat...a downtown shop. Anyway, here is some shots from the ol' box of fun.

Chase and I discussing keys.


Head honcho pow wow.


Aaron, Brennen, and Tim listening in.


DZ trying some keys options.


Taylor rocking the hat and the guitar.

STUDIO DAY 5

Unexpectedly, we were able to shoot in the studio and wrap up bass parts yesterday and today were able to finish acoustic guitars. Things are moving along nicely, but the real fun starts tomorrow...

STUDIO DAY 4 part 2

Check out the pics my engineer Ryan snapped today. He's ridiculously talented in many forms of art. He is helping document the process of the recording and for that I am deeply grateful.

STUDIO DAY 4

The acoustic guitars are out.

The anti-biotics are in.

Ryan Booth is the man.

Aretha Franklin was a woman.

Chik-Fil-A is tasty.

Getting sprayed in the face with a skunk is not tasty. (this happened to Wyatt, the Vossler family dog last night)

The record is not finished.

This blog is finished.

STUDIO DAY 3

We are knee deep in bass-y waters, and the temperature is hot.

Okay that may be the lamest thing I have ever said, but I've been locked up in the studio all week and the stir-crazies are coming.

We have tracked bass parts for 3 songs, and are working on the last one for the day, "Get You There". I have always had a special affection for this song because of its back-story, but this bass line is a monster. I don't even want to put a leash on it. It's got a great groove and is coming out bigger than I expected.

Tomorrow we will track bass parts for "After the Fade" and "King and a Friend", which will both require a different bass approach, including some studio magic. It's not witchcraft, I promise.

I miss my wife in Reno...other than that things here are awesome. And my throat is acting up. So that's it.

More to come...

STUDIO NIGHT 2

So a family from Robbie Seay's church has adopted several kids and have 9 kids all together.

Wow.

Robbie and his band played a benefit concert for this family and then somehow got noticed by someone with the hook-ups in Major League Baseball. Robbie and this family's father were given 20 Houston Astros tickets and Robbie invited his band, some inner-city kids, and me to come along. We hung out in the clubhouse, and got to meet all your favorite players (i say "YOUR favorite players" because I do not watch baseball on TV. Attending a game is awesome however.)

Anyway, Lance Berkman and Chris Sampson are really nice guys.

Below is a picture of the crew from last night. From left to right in the back you have, Manuel, me, Robbie, Larry and Jon (a couple Ecclesia guys), Taylor the guitar phenom, Ryan the bass player with his Raybans hanging off his v-neck, and Chris Seay the teaching pastor at Ecclesia. In the front row you have all the kids that came along, some of them are children of the adults and others are just kids from church.



It's safe to say that this group of people will probably never be at the same place at the same time ever again in this life. Good times though, and very good game from the Astros.

The highlight of the evening for me was the foot-long hot dog I consumed during the 3rd inning. It was amazing. I do however, think it cost like $27. Ballparks and airports are bad places to stretch the already weak American dollar into a meal.

STUDIO DAY 2

We are officially done with drums. The foundation is laid and now it is time for the bass. I am very excited for this because my brain naturally works with melodies, and not rhythm structures.

On the way to lunch I also almost got run off the road. Not fun. Went with Tank to "Brazil Cafe", a pretentious but delicious lunch spot in the Hyde park district of downtown Houston. Very fun.

It's official: the final song for the record will be "King and a Friend", a song that I co-wrote with Robbie Seay and am very excited for. We have hatched some ideas for it that make my heart beat quite rapidly. Perhaps when you hear it, the same will occur in your chest.

Going to the Houston Astro's game tonight. And by going to the game, I mean going in the back entrance and hanging out in the clubhouse. More on that later...

STUDIO DAY 1

We are in the studio today making drums and they sound awesome.

Our buddy Tyler is letting us use his studio in Houston to track the drums, because the acoustics and natural tones of drums here in this downtown vintage home are superior. The drum beats are making this old house shake something fierce...I wonder if it has ever felt such stunning resonance run through its beams.

The final picks thus far for Anchordown's new record are:

1. "At The Cross"
2. "Sounds Like Home"
3. "After the Fade"
4. "New"
5. "Get You There"
6. ??? (Maybe "King and a Friend", maybe "He Is Near", maybe a yet unfinished contribution of tastiness)

This record is starting off wonderfully. Keep watching for updates.

Why Conform?

The word "conform" has some serious baggage. People immediately associate conforming with a weakness of mind and character. The strong will be unique (even if that means they are the same kind of unique as everyone else).

I had a thought during the sermon this week at Living Stones, that is obvious but never quite hit me like it did that night.

God wants us to conform to His son for many reasons, including:

1. Jesus was and is perfect. Perfect is good. Really good.

2. The more our lives look like Jesus, the more we accomplish our purpose in life, to glorify God. What does that mean you ask? Well, live like Jesus and you are glorifying God. Circular I know, but no less true.

3. When we are conformed to the pattern Jesus set, we are healthiest spiritually. This is true for us as individuals, and corporately. We are best meeting others needs when we conform to Jesus.

I would also point out that being like Jesus is the most unique thing you CAN be in this fallen world.

Prayer changes...

It occurred to me this week that the things I pray for our community now are far different than the things I used to pray for us a few years back when we started.

I am not sure why this is so.

Strengths and weaknesses have changed, demands have changed, logistics have changed, and maturity levels have changed.

So have my prayers.