What To....Do.

So given my unemployment status during these summer months, I am not 100% confident in using, as I mentioned in an earlier post, a studio down here in Charleston to help me finish up the record from afar! As convenient and great as that would be, I just don't see it happening, financially. Nevertheless, I still push towards the December 21st deadline with dedication and excitement! This project is two years in the making and I don't wish to continue much past that; I simply have just too many more projects I wish to start (including a second album). This is not to say that I don't wish to deliver a quality product. :)

So in talking with Dave, it has come to our attention that the best way to go about this would be for me to somehow acquire a protools interface for my modest little home studio so Dave and I can switch files back and forth and I can record some backups from home. Currently, I own a little M-Audio box that has worked great but I don't have Protools to work my music through. As What To Keep & Let Go is recorded using the Protools platform, it is essential I am consistent with Dave's setup in order to work with his files. So! It is my plan to either sell my M-Audio Firewire 410 to make room for a M-Box (which includes the program) OR I can somehow find Protools M-Powered which is made specifically for M-Audio interfaces.

Phew that's a lot of "M's!" I certainly hope to figure all this out soon so Dave and I can use the next few months to really crank this out. As far as getting the album pressed, I may have to do a little fundraising for that....I'll keep you posted on those events.

Sorry for such a lack of updates this summer! It's been crazy trying to settle in with a job and what not and What To Keep & Let Go has had to take a little bit of a back seat to life itself.

More to come soon including a couple more posters, a website (yes I have said that a lot) and a little update on a certain monster...

"Is There A Chance We'll Meet Again?"

Back in the beginning of the summer, I was asked to perform a song at a local church in September by their choir director as part of a Special Music segment of the service. Ask You was my song of choice and the performance received a warm recognition by the attendees and their Pastor.

Fitting perfectly into the "Second Chance" Sermon, (not intentionally), Ask You provoked many people to approach me after the service to share personal stories of their own lost loved ones and the hope and meaning the song brought to them. I am always so touched by what I hear from the people that are moved by the song and how they relate to it; one such example involved a man who, like me, lost a parent when he was a teenager after a long illness and a family divided. It was amazing to hear such a similar story and I saw both pain and gratitude in his eyes as he told his story and declared his appreciation for my words to the church. One woman said she lost her grandmother recently and another man was honoring, that very day, the anniversary of the loss of his parent...

Although Ask You is incredibly special and personal for me, it is always a great feeling to sing it for people and have it mean something to them as well. It truly is an honor.

Well without further ado, here is my performance of Ask You on September 5th, featuring a member of the church's choir, Bruce Bryson, who did a great job providing back up vocals and really helping to fill out the song! Thanks goes to him as well as Melissa's mom, Donna, for recording this practice run of the song. Unfortunately, due to loss of memory data, the actual performance was not captured but you can get a good sense of how it turned out :))

Ask You Featuring Bruce Bryson, September 5, 2010.

Remaining Ask You Singles For Sale!

In light of this last weekend's performance of Ask You and realizing how many CD's I have left of the single, I am hoping to clean out my inventory to make room for the release of What To Keep & Let Go and hopefully generate some money to pay for the production of it. So, if you're interested in purchasing this handmade, one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-made-again single which also includes an acoustic version of May, then please write me at music@dylanduncan.com to work out the details. The price for the CD will be $3 which includes the cost of shipping. And heck, I'll even throw in a "Bicycle Button" for the first, say..20 orders. :) Oh and just as word of mention: This version of Ask You is different than the one on the album so for those wanting both, this might be of interest to you.

I am setting up a Paypal account for more convenient orders for those willing to do that and will supply details in the email. Thanks!

Here's The Plan..

Okay, I know I'm getting redundant in my updates as far as what needs to be done, what will happen, etc etc. haha But as loyal readers and followers you, of course, deserve to know every detail :)

I've been talking with Dave and it seems to be the best idea to really attack the remaining production work which includes some sorting of vocal and instrument sections and putting in place any final pieces such as the bass in If Not Now, Then When and some string arrangements in a handful of songs. This of course would be contrary to our original idea of finishing each song one by one. The reason? Well as the deadline approaches (and it's approaching fast) I feel the best way to effectively handle the conclusion of the record is for me to be in closer proximity with the final stages of production, namely final mixing and mastering. I have been in contact with a couple studios down here who both know my situation and are willing to take on the workload after I've gotten as far as I can get with Dave working long distance. We're all still in talks so nothing is solid and Dave and I might be able to get as close to the finished product as needed to only allow a quick polish at one of these studios. I'd like to finish the whole project with Dave but I also would like to make the final touches being present in the studio so I think with enough planning and execution this could work out rather smoothly. I am determined to have this ready for you all by the first day of winter.

Once I pick a studio down here I will reveal the website and give them an appropriate plug. I can tell you that I am very excited to work with either one of them as their set up is pretty sweet. But I will definitely miss Dave's. It was a great run and I learned a lot about myself, my music and my limitations while working with him there. Invaluable experience that I'll never forget.

Chad Macomber's "Alive Like You" Released

Chad Macomber, longtime friend and musical collaborator/contributor has released the second single from his forthcoming album The Diaries of Mr. Cam DeBarcho. Entitled Alive Like You, it's definitely, in my opinion, the best produced song of Chad's I've heard in a long while; presenting a sound and mixing maturity that would only make sense from his many years of honing the craft. Chad has spent his music career challenging and reinventing his sound and this song is a perfect example of that willingness to depart from any comfort zone. The trumpets are especially good.

Please go check out his new single Alive Like You and be sure to keep up with the progress of his album and its release.