Studio 1

|commuting|

|nook/sick blanket/unlimited texting|

|tribal dancing|

|DI's for life|

Wildflowers, Clouds, All Things Summer

Well, I suppose that recording music, like all things worth working and waiting for, will be a difficult thing to do. We have been in the studio for a strong two and a half months, and I just want to say that I really love making music. It is actually incredible. And I can speak for all of us when I say that we absolutely cannot wait to share this material with you! 

But as I hinted at, it has not really been easy. Whether it is simply enduring hours of the same rhythm or hours of takes that would amount to one and a half minutes of the song... recording takes a long time. In addition to those inevitable hurdles, there are the occasional moments when nobody wants to record anymore, because as amazing as making music is, at times it is work. That is just harsh reality.

So, I come to you know through a couple months of sweat, stress, arguments, accomplishments, and breakthroughs to say that really... things are going well.

Last Sunday, after we all had gone to church. Myself along with Grant and three of our closest friends, piled in my car and drove to one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to. About an hour and a half north of Traverse City is a village called Glen Arbor. Glen Arbor is on Lake Michigan. We drove down roads that sat in fields with a lot of flowers, passed over hills, and chased faded yellow lines until we were standing on hills, literally with the clouds. We swam in Lake Michigan, had diving contests, tumbled down dunes, threw rocks, walked on stones, and sat in the sun. We watched and felt the world around us.

Then, with bellies full of burgers, onion rings, and tater tots, we headed home.

The sky was full of heat lighting. Silent and powerful. The roads where quiet on the long drive back, and as we rode in my car with wet clothes and smelly bodies, we were listening to music. 

There are times when the music that I am listening to feels so right that I almost don't feel like what I am experiencing is even real. It is almost like I am simply watching a really good movie. This happened to me at this point. And it lead me to think about how very grateful I am for the friends that I have. 

Much like recording, friends this summer have not been easy, but like anything worth working and waiting for, comes decisions to be patient and have more focus than the moment at hand. 

I have been thinking more and more and more about the importance for me to realize and live with the realization that all good things take time. Anything worth anything at all is going to take time, but our culture does everything it can to tell us otherwise. 

I honestly don't want to be that guy blogging about culture and how it sucks, but the overstimulation, complete media-saturation and instant gratification worldview that proliferates TV and movies is completely disgusting. 

People can't sit still. We have become a people that can't walk down the street without noise in our heads and a screen in front of our faces. If something doesn't satisfy us, screw it and find something else. If something is strange, or stretches us, or actually takes brain power to understand, forget it. And this is not just something that affects the way people watch movies and listen to music, but is something that I believe deeply impacts the way that we treat the people, the world, and God. 

I have found the more that I make decisions to do the things that will require patience and thought the more I find a much deeper level of enjoyment. 

So, with all that said. We all hope that maybe we will be able to give you some music that you can think about. Music that will be more than you bargained for. Music that you could come to when you need it the most. 

All good things take time....

Jacob

ALSO! UPCOMING SHOW - PLEASE COME!

riding in silence

think.

question.

ponder.

search.

ask.

reflect.

delve.

then, just maybe, you'll find something great.

-josh.

Day Jobs, Late-Night Diner Runs, and Recording.

I feel like I have so much to say, but really at the same time, nothing at all... i do not understand this, but for the few who read and the couple who care... here's what:

I spent the last fall and winter in a different city at college. For the large part of of nine months I was separated from Matt and Grant. This was very difficult. Not only did I immensely miss their brothership, but just being able to actually be a band stopped happening. This will happen again. I go back to school in the fall, Grant moves to Ohio, and I suppose we will all be better prepared this time around. Needless to say, after a couple short and vain attempts at assembling some recordings over the school year, we had decided to tackle the album recording over this summer. When I came back it was strictly business - day one until day done. 

Matthew works two day jobs. One is at a golf course and the other is at Quiznos. Matthew is also a family man. Well... he doesn't have kids, but being around his family is important. I admire that. And between these things and a vigorous recording schedule, Matt found himself running thin. 

Grant does all of every single bit of the work in the band when it comes to recording. He also plays drums. So basically he makes the album in every way possible if you know what I mean... and that kind of work can also wear on a man's soul, especially when the expectations are so high. 

Are goal was set: full length album by the end of summer. Also known as: write, rehearse, write, cut, record and mix 10 or 11 songs in essentially, two months, all things considered (jobs...etc.)

More than anything, the inability to look past dark eyes, tired hearts, and irritated attitudes lead us to decide on Monday night that this was foolish. 

We have been working hard, and have made very legitimate progress, but the fact remained that we were facing a self-constructed wall that was not possible for us to climb with the time and recourses given us. And trying to was leaving us stressed, tired, and way more scared than we should ever be while making music. 

Because of this realization, we took a step back. We talked things over. We weighed or options. 

We have decided that sometime this fall/winter, rather than a full length release, will instead be releasing a seven song e.p. We are all extremely excited about this. We finally feel like we can breathe. We can treat this batch of songs we have like little works of art again. Before with the heavy mantle of eleven tracks, we felt like the songs had an immature sense of pressure put on them. We believe that recording an e.p. will let these songs speak for themselves. In addition, it is simply do-able! As a full length was not. Time is a really big deal, and when the time you are dealing with this is four hours, four days a week after work, that is no way/not a possible way to record a full length album.

So......

I suppose that is all. No names or tracklists... yet. Those things will come in good time. Until then, please keep in touch and we are more excited than you can probably even know to share this stuff with you.  Thank you so much for the support. 

Jacob

ps.  On July 27th we will be at Jacob's Well!  Music at 9 pm.