Saturday, May 9, 2009

More "Bittersweet" notes

I'm about to begin laying tracks for two of the tracks for the CD...one called " Cold", the other titled "Broken". Before I do, I thought that I would share something to anyone that takes the time to read my ramblings... :-)

One of the approaches that we are taking to the making of this record is to not make it perfect. In other words, mistakes are not necessarily a bad thing. A few glitches here and there are human and real. In the old days, everything needed to be tracked perfectly...or at least the very best you could at that time. With this CD, I am just trying to present the songs as organically and real as possible. So when you listen closely on the final product, you will hear imperfections. This is intentional, and I feel, much more real.

I also want to mention that Andre Maquera is doing an incredible job producing this project. He has keen sense as to where each song is going, and then taking that direction and making it fit in with the rest of the songs. Just thought that I would mention that! :-)

Later,
Rando

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Why Bittersweet? Glad you asked... :-)

Bittersweet defined: "refers to a combination of the standard tastes of sweetness and bitterness, and is often used as a metaphor for experiences which have elements of both happiness and sadness."

As with any solo project, it often becomes personal. The music on this CD is just that, however it is both fiction and non-fiction in nature, depending upon the song. The overall theme is one of growth, maturation, and love. We all grow, sometimes forward, sometime back. It's common, at least to me, to be attracted to pain and negativity in some bizarre fashion. That's why reality shows or Nancy Grace is so popular...we can't look away from pain. (or maybe it's just her bad helmet hair-doo... ) To me, pain and loss, whether in a relationship, friendship, or the death of a loved one, is often hard to let go as it feels like if you do, you might forget that person or situation. It also reminds us of growing older. As bad as things may have been, letting go of the thoughts and memories is itself a form of death. So in a positive manner, I believe that one needs to learn to let go of the past and move forward. There really is no other choice. And moving with lighter baggage is so much easier, whether spiritually or in a literal example such as flying ... It's just sad sometimes to leave people, emotions, anger, and feelings behind.

Not to sound too Zen or anything, but I now believe that we attract what we breath, act, and think. If you focus on positive thoughts and deeds, you will attract just that into your life. The same applies to negativity. I personally have always been challenged to stay positive, let bad things go, and accept everyone and everything for what they are. I now make a conscious effort to do so. Face it, we only have a limited amount of time to make an impact so why spend that precious time judging others or being angry?

Hence...Bittersweet.