How is it possible that I’m only just now discovering William Fitzsimmons?! I just listened to his whole “The Sparrow and The Crow” album and basically died. So stirring and beautiful. A perfect record for the fall.
What a great week this has been! I finished mixing my first EP, ‘Anthem’ found its way onto iTunes, I licensed a song to a film that is actually coming out in theaters, and I released my new song ‘Subterranean’ for free on my website.
I know I sound like a broken record– don’t expect that to change anytime soon– but to have so much creative movement in my life right now is completely surreal and I’m so grateful. Just over a year ago, I had nearly turned my back bitterly on making music and am so glad I didn’t. I owe huge thanks to a handful of people to be named at a later date. I happen to feel a little swoony at the moment, but perhaps the record should be out before I start lavishing praise on those who share responsibility for its creation.
Thank you to everyone for your emails, tweets, and facebook messages about ‘Subterranean.’ The song is nearly 5 years old and was never truly ready to be recorded until it met the musical mind of George Stanford. I’m psyched that you dig this leg of the journey thusfar. I have so much more new material ready to be released when the time is right and, if you’re with me so far, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Ok, I’ve been at this computer for 3 hours and 3 cups of coffee. Definitely time to move. I’ll leave you with the lyrics to ‘Subterranean.’
much love,
cjd
Subterranean
You can barely see me when the sky goes black
When the sky goes black
But a wind it blew, it drew a line
From your heart to mine
And my dark went slack
Underground I go
I could be so much more than this, I know
But instead I disregard this oxygen
Go subterranean
I go subterranean
I try to leave some kind of map
Some sort of trail
To let my lovers come, come follow me
They follow me and fail
Underground I go
I could be so much more than this, I know
But instead I disregard this oxygen
Go subterranean
I go subterranean
The first time that I fall
I could be down the road
Next, I’ve lost it all
I could have been something, oh!
Keep me on the line
You keep me above the ground
You can barely see me when the sky goes black
When the sky goes black
But a wind it blew, it drew a line
From your heart to mine
And I ain’t going back
So, one of the less than amazing things about being an indie artist submitting your music to be sold on iTunes is that you just sort of upload the songs and wait. You don’t know when your record’s going to show up for sale in the store. Usually it takes 6-8 weeks, but you don’t get an email or any sort of notification that the sale of your product has gone live. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful iTunes has made itself available to the independent musician, but it’s a frustration when you are trying to draft a plan of promotion, etc…
This morning, I noticed a post from the wonderful musician Casey Stratton that his new records were suddenly available on iTunes WAY before he had anticipated they would be. It led me to check on my own stuff and, lo and behold, ‘Anthem’ is now for sale on iTunes!
It’s super exciting to visit my iTunes page and see more than just ‘Race the Light’ with that picture of me wearing that godawful hat. Soon, the first EP will be up there too! So exciting! By then I’ll probably be sick of those gay butterflies
What it means for the EP is that it could be out as soon as November or as late as December. And I won’t know until it’s out!
But I promise it will be worth the wait. We just finished mixing super late last night. At the 11th hour, we added Keeley Valentino’s voice to ‘Ghosts’ and finally all the pieces of the EP hang together. You just know when it’s DONE. I’ve been selectively playing the four songs for close friends and the response has been pretty killer. Now, we sit on the mixes for a week or so to see how they feel. We can tweak a little bit if we want, then we’ll send it off to be mastered and it’s DONE! I can’t believe it.
Today is extra exciting because in a few hours, I’m going to release ‘Subterranean’ for free download on my website and on ReverbNation. I JUST got the master and am waiting to hear from my soundstress Rachel Alina to verify that everything’s in its right place.
I’ve been nervous ALLL day that it wasn’t going to come in time for me to release it on its promised day of delivery. The same thing happened with ‘Anthem!’ The lesson, I suppose, is to wait until I physically possess something before I announce its release. But, I’m always just so excited to share that I have a hard time holding it in.
So, I promise I’ll let you know as soon as ‘Subterranean’ is posted and YOU can promise to spread it around as much as possible!
I’m just home from Redstar after a great first day of mixing!
Rachel and Barrie found a great mix for ‘Hasbeen’ and, when I dipped at 11, they were getting a nice start on ‘Little Bit of Blue.’ Mix days are pure fun for me. I’ve sung everything I’m gonna sing and played everything I’m gonna play. My heavy lifting is over, so there’s a sense of total relief combined with the fact that I’m already loving where the songs are at… so mixing is about watching these talented souls make something I already love even better!
On Tuesday, I’m releasing a new song as a free download. I’ve been playing “Subterranean’ live for years and finally recorded it with George Stanford at his home studio. I am in love with how it turned out. The sound is ambient and spooky and elevates the story of the song brilliantly. It’s the kind of tune where new moments continue to pop the more times I listen. Pack a bowl and put on your headphones, stoners… This one’s for you!
‘Subterranean’ is the first in a series of free songs I’m putting out leading up to the release of the first EP in December. This is a really exciting time!
All you need to do to get the songs is be on my email list! Sign up below and all of the free songs are yours as soon as they are ready. And once a song is yours, its yours to share as you see fit! Without radio or management or press, I rely on you guys to help me spread the tunes. Word of mouth is a powerful force! How much of your favorite music have you discovered because a friend played it for you?!
Lastly, before I sign off and go to bed, I forgot to mention the fun interview I did with the lovely (said it again, Megan!) Megan Hart! It was a pleasure to do and is posted on her blog. Thanks for all your support, Megan!
