Thoughts on Buried Thoughts "The Tour" (Windsor)

The first stop on the tour was amazing. I must say it was a tiring weekend doing three worship services and then the concert at night, but it was very rewarding. As strange as it sounds, I really did not know what to expect from the songs as I had put them together. I listened to the songs on this CD a million times, but when you go to perform them live you start to get the feel of how people respond to them and how serious the content is. It is an interesting mix between the two CDs (technically three) that I perform from for this tour. The new CD is dark, spiritual, Biblical, but dark, dealing with more of the serious themes found in the Bible that we experience in life. The whole first set basically was the new CD, but I was very pleased to see people respond to the stories and songs by picking up a bunch of new disc!! The second set acted almost as a resolution to the first with many songs from the Noticing the Sky CD.

I will be tweaking the set for sure, maybe adding a few more songs from "The Apartment Sessions" CD. Looking forward to sharing from the next "tour" stop in Oakville in September. Love to see you come out if you are in the area.

Picking Up the CD

I am literally standing in shipping at Cinram to pick up "Buried Thoughts". Hard to express the excitement of finally producing stem to stern myself my own CD. Where this albom of songs and stories will take us (cause it really takes my whole family and "fans" for the ride) is yet to be seen. But I am very excited.

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New CD, New Single

You can listen to the new single One Night on the flash player on my site right now. I hope you like it!! Moreover, if you are on my email list you will get it for free in the next e-news that will be coming out shortly. My last e-news gave away the single Freedom, starting to hit in Christian radio in Canada as we speak. As I try to build a community around the work I am trying to accomplish with my music I hope to add value to those who are supporting me. Keep looking for free stuff and resources from time to time in the e-news. Tell your friends to sign-up for the emails as well so they can get the same benefits.

The new CD Buried Thoughts is coming out in a couple of weeks, but you can get it for 20% off if you pre-buy now. Go to www.cliffcline.com.

Month in Review

This might in fact take in more than a month in review, but I thought I would mention some highlights.

Family
We had an amazing time at a friends cottage last week. The weather was finally summer-ish and hot, and seeing the Cline's, all six, paddling around in a canoe must have made a couple chuckle, but it sure brought joy to this Dad and husbands heart!! The rest was amazing, especially after what you will hear has been happening before it.

The CD, Buried Thoughts
It is finished and currently been replicated. It was an very intense couple of months pushing to get it finished. Not only did I have to finish the vocals and some other tracking, I mixed and mastered this one as well. Honestly, I am tickled with the quality for my first self-produced CD. I think you will love it too. The beauty is you can taste before you buy by listening to the single (and probably some more tunes soon) on the flash player on my main page..right now...really...go do it and then come back and read more. Or open it in another window and do both!!

Touring
It starts this weekend, and I hope it will continue with a fury, so feel free to help me get more gigs.

"Business Development"
I am marketing more than ever this time around, trying to let people know about the music and hopefully inspire them to support and use what I have created to build in their lives and others. I feel it is time to reach out more than ever, I am excited to see where it leads.

Nashville
I feel like my trip to Nashville will be an evolving story for the next year or more. So many great connections and things learned that I need to get into my plans and actually implement. I hope that you will see the growth from that trip in many things I do for the next while!! You can read about some of it in my July and August posts below.

Labour of Love

Buried Thoughts is a title and verse that I remember writing on the top floor of the library at Trinity Western University in my first year of university, over looking the pond at sunset. Yes, that was twenty years ago. It was written as a poem. Years later I ended up writing two more verses to that poem and then setting it to music. Very few have heard it, but they did seem to like it a lot, so I ended up not only putting it on this CD but naming the CD after it. Fair warning, it is an art song ala Leonard Cohen; poetry to music.

There are a couple of songs like that on the CD, but the rest of it is more accessible in terms of pop hooks etc. The production is really simple, piano, drums, bass and acoustic guitar, and I play flugal horn on one song!! It is also not a worship CD like my last one, but more of a listening CD. I am very excited about this project and the prospect of sharing it in concert on radio and the web this next year. You can pre-order it for $3 off right now - $12 (next two weeks only) and have it by September. Download version will be for sale the week of August 24th.

I have my next two projects conceptualized as well. Over the next few months I will unveil how there will be much more consistent content coming from my studio!!

Staying Connected

If you are reading this but you are not on my email list, I encourage you to sign up. I am going to begin being more frequent with the blasts (once every month or two) and there will be free things too. For instance if you sign up right now you get my new single "Freedom".

Also check out the website, www.cliffcline.com, you can now easily link to me on twitter, myspace, youtube and facebook. I am reaching out here people, so tweet, poke, shout out etc, back k!!:)

I am this close to sending the new CD to press, it supposed to go this Friday, pre-sales should start next week as well as digital downloads.

Alas, I must run. Talk to you soon.

Last Day in Nashville @ Immerse

Day four came with even more wonderful conversations with peers and pros. The ones I can remember (mostly because I got cards - see business cards still work!!!)

Don Koch, my goodness. You gave me tonnes of time (that's the Canadian spelling and a Canadian tonne is bigger than a imperical one!!). Thank you for the great teaching conversation. Sorry to gush, but you were very encouraging, thanks.

Hisjuliet.com.....You guys are very cool. Hey I like the foo foo fighters too..lol!!! All the best!!

Dave Mohr and Greg Cobb. Dudes, make it kay!! We will talk. Send me your stuff!!

Michael Ross, thanks for your time. Wealth of knowledge, you are....did that sound like Yoda or Gollum?? PS Michael is from Sweetwater, a sponsor..buy their stuff....

Janelle Ross and Jamie Howe, thanks for the kind words about my music and the great conversations. Bless you in your work.

James Leo Oliver and Greg Brayton, dudes, you have great hearts and spirits. So great to meet you. Killer song dude.

The Wrap-up on Immerse

Well this might not be "it" but here it is. I was dissappointed not to make the finals of the artist competition, but I blame me. Should have chosen a more accessible song.

However, this has been the most encouraging musical week I have had in years. So many folk "loving" on my late night performances. Both pros and joes!!

If peers you think you are great reciprocate in large numbers, it usually means something. Woohoo.

So I am meeting an old friend tonight, it will be a highlight of the trip for sure.

Flying home tomorrow, can't wait to see my gorgeous bride and beautiful children. One more sleep!!


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