In early December I was thinking back on the year and I thought to myself, “Man, it seems like I didn’t do ANYTHING this year!” Well, luckily I have a lot of reminders of how great 2013 actually was. Here’s a short recap of some of the major events for EVB music this year:
“No Destination in Mind” Release
I started off the year by completing the Electric Lime version of my song “No Destination in Mind,” with Mark Huls. It was released on February 5th, and I couldn’t be happier with the sound of the song and the awesome work that Mark did. This song was my first (of hopefully many) released on Mark’s record label, Electric Lime Records.
Concerts!
Lets see if I can even list all of the concerts I went to this year:
Ben Folds Five
Tegan and Sara/Stars
AG Silver
Andrew McMahon/Barcelona/Erland
Jack Johnson/Bahamas
John Mayer/Phillip Phillips
City and Colour
…
I know there were a few more big concerts, and there were several smaller shows as well. The most memorable for me was the Andrew McMahon show. Mary and I got to meet all the artists, even Andrew! It was such an awesome experience meeting and talking to a musician I idolize. Pat Kochyan came into town for the Jack Johnson show, which was in a beautiful theater in Gaslamp. Overall, I had a great time seeing some of my favorite artists in concert, but I don’t think I can keep up and go to that many concerts again this year.
Friends’ Releases
Nazifa Islam had her book, “Searching for a Pulse,” released in early August by Whitepoint Press. I was very excited for this book and it didn’t disappoint. It even inspired a Soloists’ song (more details to come)! Reading Nazifa’s work always reminds me of how so much can be accomplished with so few words, and I continuously strive to pull that same idea into my songwriting.
“Searching For a Pulse” Released!
Patrick Kochyan released his album “Magnet.” I thought I had this guy figured out, but somehow he proceeded to blow me away with this album! He manages to create such a full sound with just his voice and a piano. Every time I think I need to pull more instruments into a mix, I just listen to “Stairs of Paris” and I’m reminded that some perfectly placed harmonies and rhythm changes can bring everything you need into the song. I could go on about the music for hours, but another cool aspect was that Mary, my awesome girlfriend and the artist behind all of my recent album art, designed and drew the album art for “Magnet.” I thought it captured the imagery of the album well and turned out excellent!
Live Shows
After a long break from performing, I got the opportunity to play a few shows at my favorite local restaurant/bar, Eureka. I got to learn a bunch of new songs to perform and meet some of the other performers there! While I was learning songs, I decided to record a few, and I released “Songs You’ve Heard Before,” a collection of covers and a new song that I wrote title “Time on the Water.”
Now for the resolutions/announcements:
-I realize that my posts and updates have sometimes been few and far between, and you, the loyal fans, deserve better! I will make sure to give an update of some kind on the first Tuesday of every month. It might be a blog post, facebook update, or even a new song/album!
-I will release an album this year! In the past few years I’ve been working on a few different albums, so I won’t guarantee which one it will be just yet. I know a release was supposed to happen in 2013 and I wasn’t able to follow through due to some unforeseen circumstances, but I’m going to try really hard to get things going this year.
-The long rumored EP I’ve been working on with Evan will be released!
-A new Soloists song will be released in the next few weeks!
Wow, looks like I’ve got a lot to do, so I better get to work! Happy 2014!
Eric