FTC Canada is Feeding Families in Hamilton again this year!!

Last year we partnered with Marwan Hage of the Hamilton Ti-Cats to distribute 1000 food boxes to help families in Hamilton. This year with more partners and a tonne of work, we are doing it again, but this time 1500 boxes!!

Here is TSN's coverage of last years event, hopefully they come out again.




Here is the link to how you can help FTC do this and other drops in the future: http://ftccanada.ca/hamilton

Do what you can when you can.....

My Dual Life

I have had a good run of pushing both the day job and the new CD forward this past month, starting to fatigue now though. Time for a week off next week, and then back at it pushing until Christmas, starting with the cool gig at the Well Nov. 7.

You can but the download of the new CD "Buried Thoughts" at www.cliffcline.com, or buy the physical copy, not to mention listen to a couple of tracks to see if you like it!!
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The Problem with Music in Church Worship - A Lack of Excellence

I seem to find myself in an interesting conversation with regularity these days, in fact for the last several years. The simple desire or question is: "how do we make our music for church congregational worship better?" To me the answer seems obvious, but I do feel that I am in the minority in my conclusions. Grant it I am accused of being black and white on this issue, but walk with me.

 

In my opinion there are two major factors at play. 

 

Firstly, it is church, so you need people who are established in their faith in Christ, and frankly, relatively mature as Christians, and therefore as people, to make up this team. I am not suggesting necessarily the qualities of an Elder, as the Bible describes, but not far off, possibly that of a deacon. Please note, no reference to gender here. The reason this must be the first quality in the people on the team is it answers the "heart", or motivation, or attitude question first. Why is this important? Because the second criteria, although seemingly the most straightforward, is the one where all the controversy comes in.

 

Number two: THE MUSICIANS MUST BE VERY GOOD!! "Ohhhh but Cliff, they have such a great heart!" Bully for them. So when they finish playing on Sunday do you walk up and say, "great heart, playing needs work, but great heart." No, most likely that is not what happens. Everybody either secretly whispers between each other that the music was not good, even though they like the person, which breaks unity in the church at some significant level whether you like to believe it or not, or they lie right to the person's face justifying the lie with some thought of practicing the gift of encouragement Does no one else see this as horribly dishonest?

 

Psalm 33:3 paraphrased says when you worship God do it with skill.  1 Chronicles 15:22 talks about the talent of the leader being the reason he was chosen to lead. We are all given to understand King David was skilled at his instrument and writing.

 

Here is my compromise; the musicians must be at a semi-professional level of play. "But we don't have anybody that good." Hmm, that raises a couple of other issues, which I can't begin address in this post. So let me point to some questions worth exploring to find your own conclusions.

 

1.   If God created the earth and everything in it, including the overtone or harmonic series (which gives us our sense of tune and harmony), and calls us to play skillfully to Him in worship, what makes us think that we should compromise on this Biblically? Another way of exposing another discussion point is, why have we elevated volunteerism (people willing with a good heart) over God given gift and obvious work ethic leading to skill.

2.  If the skill doesn't exist in your congregation is it possible that a) your church isn't ready for public gatherings or b) that your church body should be a part of another body which has sufficient leadership and skill present?

3.  Is it possible that we have lost our way in our desire to multiply and/or follow a Senior Pastor's "new" vision and embraced society's individualism (e.g. every church having their own logo and vision and building etc.) at the expense of true humble community, where we actually nurture, encourage and develop those with gifts in many areas to the end of a much healthier group of communities that are ONE church rather than a series of denominations and churches.

I will personally never understand a leadership of a church that does not practice truth, in love, and place those in spiritual and musical leadership who actually possess the skills to accomplish the tasks necessary. This very notion, I know, creates some tension and controversy, but that tension and controversy to me reveals not that my premise is wrong, but that there are unrelated sub-issues allowing this elephant in the room to propagate in many churches. What is the elephant? That the one or both of the qualities above are not represented properly in the music teams of the church.

 

Some Different Musings

I thought I would write something a little different today, a little about the musical journey I am on right now. Well, actually it is the non musical part of the musical journey. For those interested in a career in music this might add some insight.

 

I am in the midst of trying to revive my musical dream in what is probably one of the most challenging times in commercial music history to do so. At the same time, the opportunities are also great. I have been able to produce my own CD, "Buried Thoughts", at a high quality with complete artistic control because I was able to buy my own "studio". But there are ups and downs. I personally have had very little success historically, and with the semi-release of this CD, selling online. I am going to keep hammering away, but it is a reality. That is a down. On the other hand, an up, I always seem to do very well when I sing live. Both of my release concerts have seen CD sales at a high percentage of the audience, very encouraging.

 

I know, and have read, that in the end, touring is the way to truly build a career. The above musings confirm the difference in the response between advertising and actually going out there a creating an exprience. I know I have to create some more expriences, I'll keep you posted.

Mike Janzen Jazzes

I have never actually had the pleasure of working with Mike because he does the same thing as me, plays and sings. Admittedly he is much better!!! Great job Mike!! Love the jazz stuff.

Concert in Oakville Tonight

Really looking forward to the first trio concert for "Buried Thoughts" tonight at Oakville Bible Chapel. Tickets are available for $10 the door. Concert at 7pm. Hope to see you there!!
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CD Review/Feature at Godbeat.com!!

I connected with Godbeat.com in Nashville when I was there for GMA's Immerse, and have an add running to gain some exposure in the US. They have also written a feature on the new CD. Check it out here, and please fell free to share it with many.

Concert tomorrow night in Oakville, come on by and say hi!!

Radio Interview Tomorrow Morning

I am being interviewed tomorrow morning on Joy 1250 in Oakvile, Ontario by Jim Leek. If you are up at 7:05 am and in the area, have a listen.

Another CD release concert this week

Hey come check out the Cliff Cline trio at Oakridge Bible Chapel in Oakville this week and hear the new CD live, and of course pick one up if you haven't!! Tickets are $10 at the door. See you there.

What is meaning for you? {more thoughts on Buried Thoughts}

I think I have always struggled with meaning, meaning for me I suppose. The title track on my new CD certainly deals with this.

What is it for you. Being spiritually centered, not to sound too New Age-y. Doing something meaningful in your day job or free time? Being married and raising kids? Having a significant income and perhaps notoriety. Those that know me know that music has always been a major part of my make-up, but it has never been my full-time thing. No lack of desire, just never happened in reality.

I think the process of Buried Thoughts, which I might add is significantly bigger than simply writing and producing the CD, has taught me that music brings far more meaning in my life than perhaps I have ever known. It is the way I express myself most purely, which for me in part, is poetically. I find more power in words that leave room for the listener to wrestle, to process, to read between the lines. For budget reasons I did not release the lyrics in the CD cover. I have already received requests for them. They will be offered on the site soon.

I have rightly been accused of being very intense in life. I am discovering that I am happiest, most content in that place. Life to me is to grow. Life to me is to serve in the dirt. Life to me is love til it hurts. Life to me is to laugh hard, loud and long. Life to me is to abandon self to the point where God can fill the void. Life to me is big, bigger than today, because if God wills, I can do more and better tomorrow.

Some of the bigness of life has come out in this newest CD. Someone, not my mother:), said that they thought this was my best CD so far. Cool, I hope I can grow and make my next even better, in the meantime I hope that Buried Thoughts is bigger and better in every way than that which I have done in the past.

The Buried Thoughts Evolution

I am having fun with the different kind of work that goes with starting to launch the new CD. Planning gigs (please feel free to call and book more), updating the website and promoting the CD. I really haven't really gone into earnest, this month is really pre-drop month in terms of "the world", with those that know me being first on the list to call as it were.

To that end, the site is a little cleaner now, better flash player with the whole new CD to listen to. If you like it, you can buy it for one more week for $12. After that is goes up to $15, although downloads will be available soon for $10, so keep a lookout if you don't like to have something in your hands (you own an iPod)

As I have mentioned before this CD offers a unique view I think. Not original (see my song 'Nothing New" from the Apartment Sessions on the flash player on my site) but a useful set of stories, songs and thoughts for churches to use as community building concerts. Building community with the outside community I mean. I am excited to see where this leads.

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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Still in Nashville

On Nashville

Well I sang in the semi-finals this morning of a artist competition. I know, seems oxymoronic, nevertheless, as I try and discern how to proceed in life with this music thing that so many of you reprimand me for not going full time with, I thought I would humble myself to 19 year old status and sing down here for scary professional people. Man I am humbled. They are all very nice mind you, but the other singers are great people with great voices. To quote an line from a new song from Buried Thoughts coming out in August from yours truly (taken out of context) "and I keep walking, to see what this might all mean".

On weather (in Canada and Nashville)

It's hot and humid and I love it. I wish I was playing outside instead of in the AC. I keep forgetting to ask or look what the weather is in TO, but sweaty armpits rock!!!!! I love the heat. Hey, those who remember me leading worship anywhere know I go through a shirt every half hour, it feels like home.

On the New CD, Buried Thoughts.

Released in August as promised (well that was my last promise and I am sticking to it). Digital last week of August, physical first week in September, except for Heritage Park in Windsor who I get to launch the new CD with. I have two firm bookings Aug and September and a more in the TBD stage.

On God

Wow, the Cline's are growing as a family, spiritually - come on did you really think a fifth child?! We know we irritate some of you with our constant wrestling with God, but can I say something? (Of course, it's my blog) the more we focus on what God wants for this world, how he made it, created it to be, the Bible refers to it as Kingdom "business", the more everything else just works. To be very Biblical, seek first God's Kingdom, and His righteousness, and the other things that SHOULD will follow because God will make it so. Should could mean nothing I imagine hope or dream, but at least it is what God wants.

Credits (new friends or generally friendly folk)

Guy Zabka, dude, God gave me a one on one with you. Thanks for being so honest giving such great advice. I will keep you posted...unless you don't want me too:)

Zandra Brown.com. Ok wow, so encouraging, people have come up to me to tell me you told them I was good. Thanks, gift of encouragement anyone?

Jason Whitehorn, Godbeat.com. You prayed with me. Thanks, that was huge.

Charles Dorris. Again, I know that you were there to do it, but man you were kind with your time, and you are just so very generous in spirit.

Brigette Hammers.com and your husband, (sorry already forgot your name, you need to get a card too Manager.) Again with the encouragement. Thanks for the CD swap!!

Jenna Miller, I felt bad chasing you down, but I got that you were so into the church, so I just wanted to say hi. Again with the kindness. Thanks for the time.

David Breen, dude so real. Thanks for your authetic words on autheticity. Makes sense really, but you can't have one without the other. Drop you a line in six to nine months!!

GMA, thanks for connecting us. For my TO friends, it was worth the drive to Acton, and oh, it's not over.

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Immerse in Nashville

I am so pumped. I found my people!! Learning so much on songwriting and the business. Michael W Smith spoke, great, Travis Cottrell led worship, powerful!!
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Five to Go

Well I was hoping to be done all of the lead vocals for the CD by tonight, but my voice has not been cooperating. Nevertheless, only five songs to go, so I should be to touch ups this weekend and mixing next week. Getting close!

A Way to Change Poverty

Paul Polak on CBC's The Hour w/ George Stroumboulopoulos

City Kids

One of the places we support at FTC Canada. Great story.

We Love City Kidz 1 from City Kidz on Vimeo.

CD Progress

So last night was another late night of productivity tracking BGs for the song Kyrie. This may end up being one of my favourites.

This week is going to be key in getting all the BGs done and maybe some lead vocals. If that is accomplished, I should be good for the deadline.

Oh the pressure

So I have two CD release concerts booked. Check out the appearances page on my website and look in August and September. The exciting thing is that I will be doing solo concerts froim piano (something I am being encouraged greatly to do from both sides of the country) and with the trio that played on my CD. The September concert will have Fergus Marsh and Greg Woods playing with me, so I am very excited about that.

Father's Day CD Update

CD Progress

I have three phases left in my recording process for the last CD. Due to the erratic production schedule (long and lacking continuity) these phases will overlap some, well one and two anyway. Currently I am importing all of the final bass files into the mixes. I have been working with the mp3's originally received from the bass player Fergus Marsh. As part of this same phase I now have to go back and clean-up up and re-record all of the lead vocals and do the same for the BGs and acoustic guitar. There is still an outside chance I will not do the acoustic myself, but that remains to be seen. Then of course is the mixing then the mastering. The schedule is tight, so we will see what we can do. Keep you posted.

New Single

I can't believe I have not put this on the blog, I have a new single: Freedom. You can listen to it and purchase it on my website. I have also released it to Canadian Christian radio, so hopefully they will start picking it up in the next few weeks!!

You can also sign up to be on my e-mailing list which I am now starting to update far more frequently (maybe monthly?!).

Ringtones

So I have a digital distribution company that handles getting my songs to iTunes and the like, but this is funny. The Cliff Cline ringtones.....

Canadian Christian Artists - Greg Sczebel

I have not exactly followed Greg's career, nor do I know him, but I have heard of him. I saw this video on facebook. It is a great look into their production process and a listen to some of the sound of the new CD. Sounds amazing!!

Death is not Dying

Rachel married an old friend of mine from university almost 11 years ago now I think. Although we have lost connection over the years, her story has touched Stef and I accross the country. I will let her tell her story. May it have a positive impact on as many as possible!

Giving Food to those in Need in Toronto

I haven't tried the blogger video yet. Thought I would, you can also see it on youtube on my channel.

Mobile Blogging

I am considering "simplyfying" my life by adding mobile blogging to the mix. Let's see if this posts!!

Living a Simple Life

I have been struck for some time by this concept: living a simple life. Conceptually, the less things we have to maintain, pay for etc. the less we have to work to sustain it. Moreover, when large amounts of money aren't required, lower paying careers that garner more satisfaction come into play. The issue I think is, where does your fulfillment come from, humanly speaking? The deeper question might even be, what values from society are good ones?Education (costs), personal development of oneself and your children (costs), information (generally costs - even if it is just the internet and a computer - yes simplicity might lead you to no computer and a library card).

Anyway, this is a journey I feel like we as a family have started walking down to some degree. I will let you know if anything interesting develops. In the meantime, here is a blog about the subject.

Science is my job - faith is my rock

An interesting article in the Globe and Mail.

Feeding Children

So this is who the day job is with affilated with down in the US. Kind of a cool partnership and video.

5 Things Kids Need

I have four kids, I like the principles related in this video. Point of connection, an old connection Rich Birch works at this church, and The Well, where I am playing, and occassional speaking these days, have been connecting to this church for guidance.

In Action

I am just trying to become a little more active with the blog, right now photos of interest is quick and easy!! This is again from when I led in Ottawa last summer.

Chris Bosh

The Chris Bosh Foundation helped out with FTC Canada's food drop yesterday and Chris showed up in support of his Foundation. Thanks Chris!

Leading worship in Ottawa

Speaking and Singing

This weekend I will be at the Well (Bryn's Blog) both speaking and leading worship. The Well has been a cool experience for the past few months. A new community being born. There are many ingredients there already that I think make it a compelling place to connect. The actually content of the hour together is top notch (no I am not singing my own praises) which is a result of the church committing to removing the barriers of mediocrity for those that might attend. As with any start-up, however, the time and sweat equity must be put in. This week I am helping out in Bryn's absence, and I am looking forward to it.

Happy New Year

The blogging has been and will continue to be somewhat scarce for a while. You can connect with what I am doing by touching base through the contact page or checking out the appearance page as well. I am actually quite active right now, just not blogging a lot. I will, however, post from time to time, so check in once a month and see what has changed.

New Music, Christmas Dreaming

So I have a Christmas single you can listen to and buy on the website. We did it last year, but I did not release it really. Kind of homespun with Stef and the kids singing on it at different times. I quite like it!! Check it out on the website, and you can purchase it by download.

Le Single

Enjoy!

Feeding Kids in Hamilton

Here is a short video of a project we completed a couple of weeks back in Hamilton ON.

What is wrong with the world today?

This is just a thought that I wanted to get out there. One disclaimer, I am not by writing this insinuating that I possess the intellectual weight to carry the conversation, but with that introduction this is my premise:

We no longer debate, philosophize or otherwise seriously discuss truth, or rightness, or wrongness. It is no longer relevant in the context of our social fabric to consider this because, I think, the concept of relative truth dominates. By relative truth I mean the concept that what is right for me is right. In the past this would have led to a philosophical conversation that would travel somewhere like this:

A "What is right for me is my truth."
B "Well if that is true for you is it true for me?"
A "If you want it to be of course!"
B "Well it feels right to kill you."
A "That is not acceptable to me."
B "I suppose that doesn't really matter."

You can imagine a good deal of conversation and debate should occur after this conversation to determine where the flaws are in the conversation and how the truth that could be derived from such a conversation could situationally be applied to other circumstances in life, but the conversation has stopped hasn't it?!

It seems we live in a place where by a very narrow edge, people are not killing each other. We are cheating and lying so badly millions of people lose billions of dollars. We are living lives to excess so that millions go hungry when literally we have the resources globally to stop hunger. We push political ideologies that are no longer being tested for truth as they transform and turn into something different than was originally intended. We follow "Bible Teachers" who are no longer being held accountable for the legitimacy of their scholarship or interpretation, but rather how "relevant" or "real" the presentation is.

All I am asking for is some more widespread dialogue. Not by those trying prove a point. Not by those trying to blow up the concept of truth, but by those who actually crave and believe that truth represents good. Truth represents all that could be in this world if it is learned and followed with integrity. Just a thought.

Getting water to the poor

We can always do more.....

Recording Again

Well with a little sun and relaxation I have found the energy to get back at the project. Recording resumed last night. Hopefully it will lead to some more progress in the coming weeks.

Lots of Travel

So work is keeping me busy with traveling for sure both by car, more locally, and plane. Within the last two weeks, Montreal and Niagara Falls, and now Raleigh, North Carolina. That will be followed up by a family vacation to Florida, a trip to Nicaragua for our medical trip and a trip to our American affiliate in Oklahoma. Definitely keeping things moving these days. Kind of fun.

Cool thing from Campolo

This is ten minutes, but it is very cool.

Tony Campolo link

How do we stop something that should not exist?

In my travels I came accross this from a co-worker. Shows that we can solve the problem technically, but how do we do it practically.

Stop the Hunger

Very interesting....

Launch of the Well

So last Sunday was the launch of the service I am helping by arranging and leading in the music. It was great. A very simple but clean set-up with a solid little sound system, great video, and a great sermon/talk. The band that played with me was great as well. Very pleased to play with old friends and new ones. Simple quartet; guitar and vocal (me), bass, drums and piano.

I am just one opinion of course, so check out Bryn's opinions and thoughts since it was the church he serves at as Lead Pastor that launched the new service.

I have had some great opportunities to lead worship musically this past year at two conferences, but it will be fun to spend the next month or so doing it every Sunday. If you are interested in coming out to The Well and are in the Toronto are click on the link you just read past and say hi after the service over a coffee.

Cool Song Version

Here is a song version I am going to use this Sunday for the launch of the well.

September Hits

So this fall is here....now. Ominous isn't it?

I am looking forward to the launch this Sunday of the Well service at St.Giles Presbyterian. Things have come together well for the launch and the next few months seem to be shaping up as well, and I am looking forward to being there and seeing things develop for that church community.

The CD is still coming along. I have all but one song with final bass done, and I need to move on to final everything else. The good news is that I am the one who has to do the rest as I am not outsourcing any of the other instruments, the bad news is that I have to do it all. I keep plodding down this part-time independent musical trail. It is fun, but I would said it is the equivalent of walking through he mud right now. So drums and bass almost done, vocals, piano, and guitar to clean-up.

Where oh where has the summer gone?

I honestly can't believe we are here, end of August. It certainly has not been hot enough from my perspective. Certainly not sunny enough.

Anyway, the fall is approaching. Cd is coming aong and preparations the new service I am apart of (the well) are in full swing. Not rest, well, lot's of work shall we say.

Set Back

So I was working on the last chart for my CD last night for my bass player and I found to my dismay that all of the drum tracks for the song had been deleted. Very disappointing, and expensive really. Not the kind of data you want to lose.

It had to have happened recently, so I am going to check and see if I can recover the files, but I do not hold out much hope. In essence, if I do not find them, my CD just got one song smaller. Severe bummer.

Picture of the CMA Asssembly 2008 Band

House Cleaning

I am really excited about how things are shaping up for the fall with music, several things coming together including the constantly being pushed back CD release, helping witht he music at the well and a couple other ventures taking shape.

In the midst is the clean-up. A year after moving in I am finally getting to the office, new paper shredder in hand, it is time to turn the office/studio into the creative oasis I need to forge ahead into new worlds of music production.

Vacation / Balance

Had a great trip to Myrtle Beach to a nice resort. Had to sit through a time share presentation for the free trip, I hate those things, but this one was actually pretty painless. We got through in 63 minutes, woohoo.

Do you ever have trouble finding balance in our life? Lately (last couple of years) I feel like I am accomplishing less, and yet I am not sure it is actually true. I am involved in higher level events and missional activity, but the pace is really fast. I think it is possible that I have reached a new level, and with that has come a new problem. The requests I am getting to do things largely are what I believe I should be doing. Before the hard thing was to say no to good, but off vision requests. Now the issue is I am getting too many on vision requests. Keeping in mind I have a day job, I basically find myself booked out a year or more musically - crazy. (no it is not represented in my appearances yet). There will be more "gigs" that I will have to fit in, CD release concerts of course, but it does leave me in a fairly serious prioritization time.

One of things I am trying to figure out is how this blog helps anyone as it were. Does it help people track with me?, are their any topics you come back and look for?, please comment if there are strings you would like me to build on, that might help give some focus.

Project "New CD"

Most of you who have kept up with my sporadic blogging have endured the whining associated with what has been an incredibly busy and difficult couple of years really. Getting things done in the midst of all of the challenges has been hard, but I feel like I am starting to see a light, if only partially.



I just received back the first bass track for the new CD. Fergus Marsh who played on my first CD, is a busy dude as well, travelling all over the world playing with others. Well last night I got the first versions for the first song I sent. Cool. Starting to move ahead fast. While Fergus finishes bass I will be doing finish vocals. Getting closer.

Three Conferences - Vacation Time

Well, I just got back from a week in Ottawa leading worship at the Alliance general assembly. It was a challenging and fun time. Challenging because in the end I did not seem to find the ability to relax much in the midst of it all. Being sick all the way through didn't help either. Fun because the players and people that I had the fortune to work with were amazing. Of course some of them were old friends, and it is always fun to re-connect. From here, I work for a week at FTC and then we go to Myrtle Beach for a short vacation. Road trip...Woohoo!! After Nova Conference, BCOQ conference and now CMA conference I am ready.

Pics from the times to come.

Real Adventures of a Part-Time Musician

So things are coming along, and the year is passing quickly it seems. I am heading to Ottawa next week to lead the music for the evening services at the Alliance National Assembly. I am very excited about the prospect, but the work in prep of details etc. has been a little overwhelming. It is not as easy as simply bringing a band, I am bringing together musicians who have not played together before and fusing us together, fast, on the first day of rehearsals. I love leading rehearsals and music but man, this is going to be a ride. It already is.

On top of that things are warming up for the service I am helping with this fall called the Well. At the end of last week we finalized the specs on our sound system for launch and put in the order. Once again, exciting stuff, but another ball in the air to juggle.

Lastly I am working on the CD, or trying to. It looks like my back is now against the wall, because I am launching for sure this November, so the clock is now officially ticking. That is basically exactly four years from the release of Noticing the Sky. Too long, but at least it is coming.

Hectic to say the least. The next few months should prove to be very...adventurous.

Racing for Kids

I was able to set up a race day with a friend of mine who races cars, Kenny Wilden, to promote what FTC is doing in Canada and around the world to take care of kids. The day was sponsored by Maritz Automotive Research and the car is sponsored by another fellow I know, and fellow driver Jeremy Willard. He is promoting a shampoo called "Pure". Below is a picture of me with Jeremy and a pic of the car.

Le car

Jeremy Willard and me.


Chris from Maritz and Kenny.

At the track I had the opportunity to get interviewed over the loud speakers and talk about FTC Canada, and then got the surpirse of being taken for a hot lap in the pace car. Too cool. The car is below. An incredible experience to feel and see the track that way.

Bass for the CD

So I have finally started the process of getting the bass recorded for the CD. Fergus Marsh is playing on my sophomore release again, which I am very excited about. Looking forward to getting this part of my CD done over the next few weeks.

Amazing People

In my job I do get to meet many amazing people. People who give so much of themselves to help others right here in Canada.

Over the last few months we have been raising supplies and money to send a container to a fairly large work in Haiti. School desks medical supplies etc. We are currently attending The Meeting House church in Oakville and I literally overheard a conversation about this couple who was heading to Haiti. I engaged them, mentioning that we were trying to put together a shipment to Haiti to the Mission of Hope, and wouldn't you know it, that is where they were going.

I ended up meeting this great young family who are going to leave jobs and home and give a year of their life (maybe more) to work and help out there. Their blog is just started, but you can follow their progress via this link. Very cool.

Christian Music in Canada

Here is the site of a friend, Geoff Dresser, who I have been getting to know musically and socially for a while. He is the music pastor at a church in Ottawa and will be playing with me as I lead worship for the Alliance National Assembly. He is a great player.

Check out his site. He has a new CD coming out this summer.

New Song (Maybe a single?)

I have written and produced a song for the Alliance National Assembly at which I am leading music. Go to this page and listen and let me know what you think. Drop a comment in the comment window.

The song itself is written based on two verses: Hebrews 12: 1-2 and Philippians 3: 13-14.

You can download the song and the sheet music for free, but any donation would be appreciated. Thanks!

Simply Interesting

Some New Things

I can't remember if I mentioned that I would be helping a friend with a new service launch. It is going to be called "The Well", hence the pic below!



I won't be leading every Sunday as I will be helping him put together multiple bands and leaders, I will, however, be leading all of September as you can see on my appearance page. 

An Interesting Video on the Bible and the pulpit by John Piper

I found this via a younger TWU alumnus blog, Nick Hill, the title of his blog alone makes a statement to some I am sure.



I have read most of one of Piper's books. He is quite deep, and seems to tell it plainly and honestly. Interesting for sure.

Cool Website

I don't know much about this church, but I linked to the site through a friend. One of the cooler sites I have seen in a while. View a talk, their media interface is amazing.

Liquid Church

How to make a living in music in Canada (Part 1)

I am getting involved in many different conversations these days about music. I suppose to some I am an expert in the field. I would more say I have walked the road and learned some things. I have not achieved full-time status in music ever, so all I can offer are some tips.

In my experience a musician needs to create music, write songs. I suppose that makes you a more complete artist, but for me, that is the best route to go to make a living. From there, there are many marketing and revenue streams that open up to you. Although this is not exhaustive here are a few:

1. Royalties from radio television and licensing.
2. CD and Digital sales of your music
3. Appearance fees
4. Merchandise that supports or represents the music created

Creating and distributing all of these things is also a challenge. I think I will start a series of writings on this topic for you to follow if you are interested.

Glen Abbey Golf Club

Well as stories does this is a good one. My dad was a member of Glen Abbey before it went public, years ago. I remeber going there while he golfed when I was a kid. As I recall they had a pool. We swam as kids and dad golfed. Totally old school country club. I never played it. I think they filled the pool in. I also think it is a totally different course then when he played, re-designed by Jack Nichlaus.

Yesterday for the first time in my life I played the course. Really fun. Even better we (FTC Canada - Feed The Children) were invited by PeopleNet Canada to be the beneficiaries of some fundraising that went on there and it was a great success. Thanks Peoplenet!!

First time out this year, so I hit some good shots and more bad ones. By the second nine I was getting some pars, although it was Texas scramble, so I did not really score.

Regardless a great day, hopefully many more like that this summer.

Great Wooden Trio

I really like these guys, and they are friends. The percussionist Greg Woods has done the drums on my pending new release.

The Stewardship Dance

It has been a year since I left being a "professional Pastor" at a church. I am now an attender at a church. It is an interesting transition which is not complete.

North America (Canada) is a strange and critical place, and implementing the vision Jesus set before us in the great commission is complicated. Jesus never required a building or programs (it would seem) to implement His vision through his work. Of course, he did use the infrastructure in place quite a lot, so he did not seem to reject the notion that the places were useful.

The ongoing conversation (and one that I think needs to continue) is whether or not it is wise to spend millions of dollars on buildings, land, sound equipment etc., when the money could be spent to feed the poor in Canada and around the world.

Here is where the disconnect is for me. Remembering I work daily to feed children in Canada and around the world. Our mission as Christians is primarily to teach and live the teachings of Jesus. Literally, creating atmospheres and opportunities for more people to just hear about Jesus and what he taught. An outcome from living what he taught should be both extravagant worship of Jesus and God (think of the women who poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet with His approval) AND taking care of the poor (think Jesus asking in heaven why we did not give water and food to those in need).

So for me the answer is an ongoing tension. To build a building that can communicate in the vernacular of our time musically and through teaching makes sense, even if it costs some money. What doesn't make sense is the Pastor or people in the congregation living high on the hog. That too, of course, is a sliding scale worthy of much debate, but at some point we must sacrifice things to live more simply and give more away.

Like I said, ongoing tension, but sometimes the tension can be created because the vision is not being viewed holistically.

Tony Campolo

I had the opportunity to go away for a day and hear Tony Campolo speak. It was a smaller group and the event was hosted by Leader Impact Group, an organization that was started (I believe) in Ontario by Paul Hendersen of "the goal heard round the world" fame. It originally started under another name, but has since merged and grown etc.

It was a timely set of talks and the discussion with the friend I went with was also very helpful. I personally struggle with the concept of living a life of significance. I also struggle with the degree to which music plays a part in the influence and impact that I have.

In the end there were a couple of themes that I am still dwelling on.

1. As some form of a leader, what am I doing to influence my sphere intentionally and positively ?
2. Am I doing anything to care for those outside of my sphere?
3. He also affirmed that prioritizing family at this stage of life is healthy and precedented. Jesus did not start his ministry until he was about 30. Life expectancy back then was 41. Why did he wait so long to do that? His father died, and he had to take care of his family until his siblings could take over. The he hit it hard.

No doubt, Jesus was doing things towards his mission on earth increasingly as he headed for his "time". His reluctance to really launch was seen in the story where he turned water into wine. At that point he said to his mom that His time had not yet come.

Part of life is balancing pushing forward in personal growth and maintaining and managing current realities well. Never easy or simple, always interesting.

The Miscellaneous

So the big push in on to finish the new CD. It seems pretty inevitable that it will be late, but it is coming along. I have purchased Logic Studio for the end push and I am already enjoying the increased professional quality of the software.

Another thing that has been interesting has been several projects that I have done since last September. They have all greatly increased my chops and confidence in producing. The Christmas single, I wrote the theme song for the Alliance Assembly I am leading at in July, and I did a jingle for a friend as more of a joke than anything, and I also did a fun single for my daughter. Perhaps they could be considered distractions, but I have really enjoyed the process.

It is now time to focus on the final push. There may even be a way some of you can help. I will let you know.

The Church

I have had several occasions to discuss the nature of the church lately. For me I have begun to use some terminology to help me understand and discuss it better. I have started to deliniate between the institutional church and the group of Christians who collectively make up the church.

Both are Biblical. The Bible does teach that we need to gather, practice our gifts, encourage, teach and take care of each other. Sometimes, though, I think that when we do that in community, in other words, in a more relational way, through friendships from made through the institutional church but practiced away from the institutional church, we end up achieving what we believe the institutional church should do mechanically. Pretty tough row to hoe, to create an institution capable of functioning organically.

Some may look at my life and say the the institutional church has let me down, or vice versa. I think of it completely differently. I have connected in community with several other Christians who have spoken into my life consistently for years. Most of the time, some of them go to the institutional church I am attending, but more often then not, the majority are influences that transcend the many geographical moves that have taken our family to different homes and churches.

Maybe we need to do a disappearing act in terms of what the institutional church is trying to do. Maybe it needs to be a gathering place and entry point to what Jesus teaches, and the community and relational stuff, which I think is the meat of what Jesus teaches in terms of actually becoming better people, can flow from that.

Speaking on church music at the Nova conference in Toronto

So I am speaking at the Nova conference this Friday. The topic I am dealing with is how to take a church from traditional to contemporary music without blowing it up. It is a challenging topic not simply because of style issues and preferences, but because there is so much organizational baggage we are carrying today as the church. We have been so homogeneous in our tactical approach to relevancy that it has stifled the artists in our midst from participating and taking us somewhere culturally. It should be an interesting and hopefully somewhat interactive talk.

Writing Tunes

So in the midst of it all I have been working on a couple of more tunes. One is for an event I am part of , and the other is actually producing a tune my oldest daughter wrote. She is eight, and I am impressed. I am also impressed that as we started recording it she is a good session singer. On pitch, hears well, and can lay it down. It was a fun weekend.

The Basement Studio

Again with the break in blogging. Sorry. With all that is going on I have been growing in my appreciation of the single parent. Currently I am doing it all. Working full-time and parenting full-time.

One of things I have noticed that helps is if I don't stop moving. That ironically helped last week when on a couple nights I built my "vocal booth", see the photo below.



I have been reading for months about how a small basement studio guy like me can create a proper space for recording vocals. It is amazing how many big bands have done the rehearsal space recording sessions turned full blown CD projects with a similar vocal space. I actually tested it last week to some fine results. I have more to do, but it was a great start.

The View From Here

I am behind again in my story telling. You will see why in a moment.

Feb 12

I was driving home for work, a minor snow storm was afoot. I was travelling cautiously through back roads, missing traffic and looking forward to a piano recording session the next day when KABOOM! Yes you guessed it, someone ran a stop sign in the snow and hit me. I saw it coming and slowed substantially, even in the snow, but the deed was done. No recording session, lots of hassles.


Feb 14


The first date my wife and I have had in ages, literally months. Very excited. We went to a restaurant down in Port Credit called "Ten" and had a fantastic date. Some pretty good live music, great food and atmosphere.

Feb 16

My wife breaks her knee cap ice skating with the family. Brutal, still working through that one.

Feb 17

My wife's mother falls down our basement stairs while she was here to care for the kids while we went to the Doctor to get Stef's knee looked at. She is "ok", with a few breaks, and a lot of pain and recovery time ahead.

I was supposed to be heading to Guatemala with work on a medical mission. Change of plans as I try to play Mr. Mom, full-time working dad etc. Thanks goodness I am wired at home. So far it has been tough, but I am getting somethings done and taking care of the family.

Quite a time.

Comments

By the bye, I have turned comments on again. I turned them off some time ago because I was getting some wierd ones and some unfriendly ones. Alas, I am trying to toughen up and create some community around some of the topics addressed here. I am still going to moderate them so no inappropriate stuff shows up, but for those of you who have noticed that function missing, it has been revived. Chat away!

Christian Music Community in Canada (Part 2)

Another thought that I often wonder about, is why there are not more bands made up of the music pastors of churches that play somewhere with regularity. My experience in trying to get this sort of thing started was negative. I don't know if it was a competitive thing, or whether the average music pastor is less interested in playing and more interested in the pastoral side. I don't think that is a bad thing, but I do think the music community suffers when we don't put the best players together with regularity and let sharper iron make other sharp iron sharper still. See what I did there?

Just thinking.

Christian Music Community in Canada (the start of a tale)

It is an interesting landscape in Canada, or should I say lack of landscape. I have to admit as a musician in Canada I am always surprised at the lack of opportunities to play. Having been a music Pastor etc. I understand many of the challenges of hosting concerts etc, but I am happy that I was able to host several artists successfully when I was there.

So what is the landscape?
Well there are a handful of artists, who have good Canadian profile, and I think in some way or another deserves it. This list in no exhaustive, but the usual subjects can be seen.

"Bigger Names"
Steve Bell
Jacob Moon
Carolyn Arends
Amanda Falk
Greg Sczebel
Thousand Food Krutch

There are a few other bigger names, Brian Doerksen is in the HUGE category and doesn't really fit in this list. TFK might be considered huge as well.

How about record companies? Really I only know of maybe two and I am not sure that any of them are full service (recording, publishing, marketing etc.)

Avante Records
and Steve Bell's Signpost Community (link above)

I have always thought that the arts are one of the best ways to share ideas and influence culture. I am more thinking of music, but I do agree that all the art forms carry weight in that discussion. It would be great to see more communities develop like the signpost one where artists of similar genre and goals could connect to a larger group of people who identify with their work, support them, and also use it as a tool to plant seeds of thought.

The View From Here

I think I may try and start a new repeating post type called, well, The View From Here. Thoughts on where things are and possibly going, and the mundane miscellaneous.

The New Album
I have decided to start uses the retro phrase album for several reasons. One being, I will be releasing this album of songs in several formats of which CD is one. So really it is a new album of songs. Anyway, February is a crucial month. The goal is to finish bass and track as much piano as possible. The goal for release is late spring still.

Gigs
I have three things on the appearances page currently, all of which I am very excited about. I am now trying to amp up the pressure on myself by booking release concerts for fall. If you are interested in booking a release concert do contact me through the website, phone number and email contact info is there.

New Opportunities
I am working on some expansion plans as well in terms of reach and scope of involvement in the music industry. Stay tuned over this year for periodic developments.

Super Bowl
I wanted to see undefeated history; I didn't want to see NY win. Not a big fan of any one team in the NFL, but liked that story. Ahh well, not a happy ending.

Community

So we have been trying to find and connect at a new church since leaving our last church, and the place I was a Pastor for 5 years (to the day) for the last 9 months. 9 months without a church home, for lack of a better expression, has felt odd. It has been an interesting experience. Here is why.

Several years ago I was musing with a friend over why people connected or stayed with a church, and why they left. Not differentiating why they left, just that they left was our parameter. They may have left because they decided Jesus was not the answer for them, or because they decided to go to another church, but they left. We surmised that when people were involved socially with other people in the church (a small group perhaps), or involved in helping out at the church they were more immune to leaving.

In retrospect that was a good observation, but the deeper answer I think lies in what that interaction produced. After several years as a Pastor, with arguably, more insight in to why people leave churches, I saw another thing. That VERY involved people sometimes leave churches. I don't view that scenario as disproving the former theory, but rather adding a deeper bit of data. Being involved in a church socially or as a volunteer is still only one aspect of the actual interaction. The interactions must be in a safe environment that allows people to ask questions and learn more, a environment where people can deal with hard issues and grow and change. When that happens, the real qualifier is that the social interaction quenches a deeper desire to move a long a journey, and if someone is trying to learn about God and Jesus, and they are getting no where, then they will leave to somewhere else, or give up. (I suppose it could also be they just did not get what they wanted, but the whole consumer thing I am not going to address here)

So here I am a former professional pastor who believes in connecting with community and who is having a heck of a time finding a community where I feel I will be accepted. Where I feel that who I am can mix in, and the questions that I have will be accepted and worked through with me so that I can grow. You think as a former leader I would feel it easy to connect with those who believe what I believe, but the truth is, places where dialogue instead of monologue are present are rare. Having previously taught, I value having a voice.

I also value, perhaps above all else, freedom. Freedom of expression. Freedom to be sad, freedom to still wrestle and not have to put on the persona of having arrived, when I know I have miles to go. Freedom to jump up and down in worship, or lay on the ground in grief. Freedom to test a religious piety that doesn't seem to agree with what Jesus taught.

My wife and I were talking, and I surmise that with some lack of clarity, we have always sought community that gives us those things. Most times it wasn't the church itself, but people within a church that we could relate to and who could relate to us.

I will say that we have finally landed. You will figure out where after a time I am sure. It feels like maybe it will be a place where both the church and the people we are already starting to connect with will be a new and real community, and hopefully, we will be that to them as well.

Fathead

No I am not calling names. I went and saw some live blues music last night. Fathead is a Juno winning Canadian blues band, and a friend and I went and caught them at a local eatery last night. Sound system was suspect, but fortunately the skill of the band still came through. Really fun to hear some talented players playing such great riffs and shots together. It was really great. The vocals were a surprising treat as well. The band had a guitar, bass, drums, and one fellow who played sax and harmonica. Four of the five sang. When the whole thing was smoking it was like listening to a 9 piece band. Great when pretty much everyone in a band can do two things well. The drummer uses all four limbs so we will cut him some slack. Not only do I need to get out and play more myself, I got to find a way to get out and see more live music. Great vibe.

Little Encouragements (some ramblings)

I think I am the poster child for struggling artists. Check that, I am the poster child for tormented artists. I am actually tormented by the art within. How does that apply to little encouragements....read on.

I am a strange combination of right and left brain. A musician that is good at administration. A creator of music who spent five years in the finance field..blah,blah, blah.

Therein lies some of the issues. My left brain tells me that the fight to create music given what life has thrown me is crazy, just live the life that is there, my right brain can't let it go...it must have an outlet.

So I am tormented, although struggling isn't fair, we are blessed as a family.

Lately I have been getting encouragement in the midst of this down in trenches production time. Compliments, sales, new gigs from connections out of the past. Where will it all lead? Hard to say, I am just trying to finish this next CD!

Everything old is new again!

I have been getting a few people commenting as they re-discover or find for the first time The Apartment Sessions, my acoustic work from 2000. It is only $10, tax, shipping and burned CD, although it is a nice studio EP : 5 songs with piano and voice. Pick it up now and get 10% off my new CD this spring - I will let you know by email personally when that drops!

You can buy the Apartment Sessions here:

It is nice to see the old acoustic songs show staying power. Very gratifying.

the $5 philanthropist

Just getting to know different people in my industry. I have not met this fellow, but I have seen him on TV and now have been linked to him recently because of his charity resource Give Meaning.com. Interesting to see his take on a few things in this video.

Happy New Year

As a rule I think our family is very representative of our demographic as it relates to Christmas activity, although we have a couple more kids then most (4). Trips everywhere. My parents, Stef's parents, seeing friends etc. Unfortunately, after a very long stretch without a break, we all got sick, three of us worse than the others, nyeesh. I think I am looking forward to being back in routine.

A year in review, that will have to come later, I haven't had time. I haven't had enough time to think about the year coming up either. The next couple weeks are going to busy charting a route for some big goals this year.

Here is one of the many top 10 lists of New Year's resolutions people are considering.

I think the big difference between achieving and not achieving resolutions is the plan. To write down some things we hope to accomplish is significantly different than implementing a plan by freeing up time, resources and money to accomplish those goals. Really, resolutions like weight loss or growing spiritually are life changes and require significant adjustments. Change is visible, if we don't do anything visible to move towards change, it won't happen.

Feeding Hungry Kids

So I generally try to separate day job and this personal/music related blog, but this is news worth sharing.

The story is actually quite long, so I will cut to the climax. One of things we have been trying to do more of at FTC Canada is partner with others to help kids here at home. We are doing this a couple of ways, but here is one of them. In partnership with the Meeting House, The Salvation Army, The Freeway, the Hamilton Dream Centre, Parkview Alliance Church, Oakridge Bible Chapel, Lakeside Church, Koinonia, Hamilton City Kidz, and Faith Baptist FTC Canada has provided for the delivery of almost 700 Christmas Food boxes by Christmas this year. Our partners above are either connecting us to, or delvering the the food boxes to those in need.

• 200 of them are going to single mom families
• 200 are going to one of, if not the poorest, neighbourhoods in Canada
• 50 are going to 16 year old orphans under government support with no families
• and all of the rest are going to families with children who are in need.

Through our partners, kids in Cambridge, Hamilton, Brampton, and Oakville will be helped.

Trying to raise awareness and support for children in Canada and around the world is not a glamorous or easy job on a day to day basis. But when initiatives come together and do good, it is very rewarding.

Merry Christmas!

Selling Music (Part 1)

If you are reading this right now, you are a part of a very small community that checks into my thoughts and goings on from time to time. Thanks for that. It ebbs and flows. I have had as many as 600-700 in a week, and as few as 300. Generally, I think it is probably the same people that make up the 400 hundred on my email list. I also assume that the majority of you own something I have produced. I have no way of knowing, I am just guessing.

I have been reading and have been challenged a lot lately about what "business" model or delivery method would be best used to sell my music. I don't have a big fan base, but ultimately it is my sales that let's me produce more and different music, something I love doing. My expensive hobby. A hobby that is a micro business and palatable for my family because it basically pays for itself. Although it is a hobby, in a way, it is also a life's passion, so I am constantly trying to figure out ways to make it less of a stress and make the producing and releasing side financially easier, and I guess in the end cheaper for my "clients" and maybe even more profitable for me.

I have outfitted myself with "a studio" in my basement, and the first release from that is my current Christmas single. It represents an electronic production (e.g. no real instruments, except some guitar) and also an electronic release (download only). I have sold some, and I am very happy with the quality. I consider it good quality independent material that lets the song and the singer show. What more can I do.

My next release is more ambitious and will be a full CD with live production (all instruments live, drums, bass, piano, guitar if any etc.) It will also be released both digitally and in CD format.

I think it is both a liberating and hard time to be a musician right now. On the one hand, I have the ability to create some very interesting and high quality material from my own studio. On the other hand, selling music has become more difficult because price points are so compressed, and the duplication of music is uncontrollable. Ah well. All you can do is try to be open, creative and hope that you will be able to create some income from the art that you create so you can keep doing more and better.

Christmas Dreaming

So the single for Christmas is out. You can hear a sample below or on my homepage, www.cliffcline.com, or click the link to the right on the sidebar. You can also purchase it for $1.50 for instant download for your iTunes etc. through the links on my homepage.

It should also be on radio as early as tomorrow on Joy 1250 in Oakville. I didn't release it as early as I wanted, but that is life, so I do not know how many more stations it will hit, next year:)

Regardless, a portion of proceeds from both radio and download purchases goes to feed children through FTC Canada. Also, I am supporting Trinity Western University with a portion as well.

Fun to give and create, Merry Christmas!

Testing a Player

Powered by Podbean.com

I am looking at adding a player to my website and was trying it here. By the way, if you like these tunes you can always buy them from cTunes on the main site!!:) Great Christmas gift non?

Christmas Single

So I have been burning it at both ends a little the last few weeks. Not only has work been busy with travel and extras, I have been pushing hard to release a digital only original Christmas Single. Not to mention two jazz gigs last weekend, the quartet and the duo.

Production on tight lines has been hard enough, but it is also my first taste of the mixing process and I have more empathy to some of the time lines put on my last producer with far more tracks and instruments to mix, for a whole CD!

Alas, I plan to send it off to mastering tonight, and then I will try to release it for digital sale and download by the end of this week. I will keep you posted.

More Studio Time

Another night in the studio, not as productive as I would have liked. It is serious crunch time for a small project. Hopefully tomorrow will produce more finishing results.

Remember Me

What an intense period of time. I have producing every minute I get a chance, but even those have been fewer than I would like. The day job took me to Vancouver, BC last week and I barely got on the plane before I fell sick. Long days mixed with sickness, then home to a funeral, then the crash for a day, then back to work. In the last couple of weeks I have been to Peterborough twice, Vancouver and London, ON twice.

Anyway, all that to say that the next week is big on many fronts so I am hoping to release some news in the next week or so. Until then....

New Things Coming

Ok I am not great at the blog, so inconsistent. The good news is time away from the blog is equating to musical output. I am hoping to reveal some great news in the next few weeks…no it is not that I have finished my CD at long last, but it is a development anyway.

Location complications prevented last Saturday’s planned piano session for the new CD, but as I mentioned it did not stop other musical creation, so all in all I feel fine. I will keep you updated in the coming days.