About the album...and who says 'album' anymore?

So...I suppose I'll start talking a little about the album. I know it's still January! Just getting all set up and such. I tend to be ok at making goofy ass pop songs. So I figured this go round I'd delve into my darker side and make something a little moodier, more personal, and more melancholy. The working title for the album right now is "Whisper Room" and the songs I have some ideas for that I'm going to develop for this record will be:
1. Whisper Room
2. Dimly
3. Shell
4. County Line
5. Hat and Beard

I tell you these now so you can keep up as we go. ;) None of these songs are written at this point. They have a very vague structure in my mind. I've been curious on what sorts of sounds I should use for this record. I'm a fairly traditional guy but I've been thinking of getting into some things I don't normally do on this one.

For example my friend Satish played me a track recently he did as a film score example. Piano, violin and oboe. I thought it was a beatuful track and that I could totally rip it off for one of my originals for the album. So that's what I was up until late hours last night trying to do. IT SUCKED SO BAD! I can get..let's say a piano...then maybe a cello? But then adding the third instrument turns it into clash of the morons. I'm still not ready to give the idea up. And I don't even know what song I would apply that to. But I will try. My wife Amanda says I should include oboe...in fact 2 or 3 or I shouldn't even bother.

Welcome to my recording blog.

I have no idea if I'm documenting this process for me to teach people something, or for me to learn something from them, or maybe even learn something about myself. But I do love making records. The irony lies in that I really suck at it. I've signed up for what's called the RPM Challenge. Last year my friend Paul Belbusti made me familiar with this by making his own record in one month. It was quite a brilliant one called "They Want to Love You." You should go check it out. Paul is a much more prolific artist than myself. So I'm quite nervous about this entire thing. I mean I've failed at making an album in a year before. Scratch that...I'm CURRENTLY failing at having made an album in a year. But that's the idea of this challenge. To kick slack-asses like me into shape. To make you write and record 35 minutes worth of original material no matter how beautiful or ugly it is. In the shortest month of the year.

I have no idea who will be reading this. Friends, family, recording dweebs, musicians? I'm not even entirely sure what I'll be saying. But I will be geeking out a lot in terms of recording and gear talk. I intend to make it quite conversational in here which means my mouth will get to run afoul a lot more than it does at the house now that my little guy is starting to get where he mimics things quite well. I also have very good grammar and writing skills but will be doing this in a much more rapid fire and stream of conscience type manner.

I will also be posting pictures and sound clips as I go. This is normally something that my nightmares are made of as I can't stand for people to hear something unless it's either complete, or at least sounds somewhat like it will sound complete. A friend told me one of the coolest things is hearing the way I develop ideas.

So....welcome to my Album in a Month blog! I'm sure it will take a few days to get interesting, but I hope you intend to hang around to see if I can actually get this done. My money is on the "don't pass" line in case you're curious.