Music at the Moment.

First. I am aware that a lot of my sites are down for maintenance as I post this.  We were hacked and I am trying to get this done today but by Monday, latest.  The rest of this post is about the artistic projects, other business is exploding, and has had set backs as is usual when we try new stuff.  But that is the subject for another post.

There has a been a lot going on, so much that I forget to let people who are not in the immediate loop to know about it.  After we put out Great Expectations, we re-issued Acoustic One Shot from 2004 in  a new digipack.  Then we started fixing an expanded version of Jael Unplugged, the live album from the same year.  Between the two records fans will have a good overview of my songwriting in the most pure form I can muster.  Once we started the live album, Iven Kakoz, drummer from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, suggested that we just go into the studio and jam together, so we rounded up Steve Fox on bass, Brian Danter on lead guitar, Walter Riggi to do keys and try to record it all at the same time, and Iven and me.  So we ended up with Windsors own version of the super session.  Lots of instrumental blues, excerpts of Danter/Jael compositions throughout the years and an unreleased Jael composition called The Band Played On.

"The Band Played On" references lots of classic rock titles, lyrics, and real life behind the scenes situations and was perfectly fitting to the allusion of the super session.  The original Kooper/Bloomfield blues dominated super session had Stephen Stills sit in for a cover of the Donovan song "Season of the Witch" which of course fits into a lyric line from the song.  We are not sure if or when this session will be released.  The song probably will somewhere, maybe on a compilation.

Speaking of compilations, a song from Great Expectations was released on the Walkerville Mix Tape 3, courtesy of Jamie Greer.  Go download a free copy from his facebook link or just download or stream it from the web page. http://betruewindsor.com/

This is not a religious project by any means, so for my Christian readers, this is a part of the local arts initiative, which I support and participate in but don't always agree with.  In my opinion, I value creativity and don't find it necessary to agree to support people who are using God's gifts even if they're unaware of it.  Don't download the album if you don't like local rock music.  The same could be said of the acoustic projects.  They are written from the world view of a Christian but would not qualify as Christian Music.

My live album is about half finished and is expected in a couple of months.

Brian Danter, with cancer surgery behind him, is now finally rehearsing a band (which includes Steve Fox on bass) to perform the Traitors Gate album and we have begun writing on the next 2 parts of that Trilogy, entitled Wicket Gate and Heavens Gate respectively.

In my spare time I have written and released two books, both available free in e-book form on the web and am working on another, while talking idly to Iven about the possibility of a movie.  We'll see where that goes. Salt has their new album about to explode.  Modern rock fans will love this.  What I have heard blows away the first release and it pushes the artistic envelop in a way that totally resonates with me.

I have recently been criticized a little (in a friendly way) for posting scores on facebook games, wondering where I get time.  There are down moments when I take a break for a few minutes and do a few levels, usually at the same time I'm involved with other stuff... but I probably should be doing more constructive things, like write another song.  I've only written 6 this month, mostly praise and worship stuff for church.  I find that the older I get, the less I care for anyone's approval but God's.

What I'm up to at the moment.

I am trying to get into the habit of updating once or twice a week. Apparently if I don't, you will feel left out of my life.  If you do you will fit right in.  I feel left out of my life every so often.  I'll be just on autopilot and suddenly I'm wondering where the time went.

Here is a bit of news.

Our family is hosting a Seder on Passover this year at our church.  This is the real deal and not an explanation of a seder with the fun parts left out.  How do we keep Christians learning without them turning it into a 4 hour service?  We'll see.

Next, I have recently re-released Acoustic One Shot, my internet only album from 1996.  It was updated and released as a CD in 2004 but has been out of print since then.  It's just me and an acoustic guitar with the emphasis on the songs themselves.  A similar re-release is being treated in the studio right now called Jael Unplugged, Live at the Uptown Coffee House.  The guitar sounds were never right on the earlier version and some songs were left off but thanks to the miracle of modern recording techniques we will rescue it and a truly worthy version will be released.

I mention this because Unplugged starts with a song that fits the beginning of this update.  It's called "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?"