Welcome back, folks! Here we are in 2024. Still alive, still weird, with no sign of either condition ending any time soon. Last time I sat down at the keyboard was all the way back in 2023. Man, it seems like that was only a couple of weeks ago. If you recall, I talked a bit about plans and changes for the band in the coming new year. (If you DON’T recall, go back and read it again. It was some good writing, I think.) This time around, I think I’d like to talk about changes coming in my own personal life. Yes, I have one of those, thank you very much. Honestly, the nerve of some people…
One of the big changes this year is that my studio is ready to launch! It’s been a long time coming, with all manner of unexpected roadblocks popping up along the way, but the time has come to open the doors of JourneyFrog Audio Services, and for me to get back to plying my trade. I’ve got a couple of projects already lined up, and I’m excited like you wouldn’t believe. I’ll be recording, mixing, mastering, composing…ALL THE THINGS! I can’t wait to hear some of the music that comes out of this new and beautiful studio space. If you see or hear from me a bit less in the coming months, you’ll know where to find me.
It’s exciting, and at the same time a bit daunting. I love what I do, don’t get me wrong, and I think I’m pretty good at it, and I could certainly use the money. But every time I turn the microphones on, every time I sit down at the desk to work on a project, I’m keenly aware of the level of trust someone is placing in me. A musician’s work is deeply personal. It’s intensely emotional. And they’re going to come to me, and entrust my skills, training, and equipment to preserve those personal, emotional moments, to polish them, to make them as good as I possibly can. Any recording I work on may be someone’s life’s work, or their livelihood. It may be their way to heal, to process trauma, or to shout defiance at a cruel world. And they’re coming to me. No pressure.
What else? D&D campaigns continue to play out, and will do so for so long as I can keep spinning out ideas that appeal to the players. Probably going to add a short mini-campaign or two this year; watch this space and you’ll likely be the first to hear about it. My bandmates and I have been talking about putting something together for our fans, and I’d like to make that happen this year. I’m always on the lookout for different ways to engage with people, especially with our fans. (Got any suggestions?)
I’ve got some travel coming up this summer. A long roadtrip, a family gathering and fishing trip with my amazing outlaws, and a week or so in Michigan, there to spend some time with someone dear to me. Also, time OUT of Arizona during the hottest months of the year. Who said drummers aren’t that bright?
New music, new stories, new vistas to explore…looks to be a good year! What have you got planned? What are you hoping for, for you and yours?
Also, a reminder: The first post in February will be a little different. We’re not going to select a topic. We’d like YOU to do so. Leave a comment below, or in subsequent blog posts, and tell us what YOU want to know. This could turn into an “AMA” sort of experience, or it might end up just focused on one particularly interesting answer. But lay it on us; no holds barred, no forbidden topics: What would YOU like to hear about from US ?
SQUEEEEEE, so excited about Journey Frog being so close to opening. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work, tireless passion, love and dedication to your craft, and a lifelong dream and I can’t wait to hear the magic that is going to flow through those walls. I think the fact that you are so acutely aware of how much trust and love has to go into polishing that magic for an artist, partly because you have BEEN the artist in that equation and partly because you hold sound and music in such high reverance, is a big part of why it’s going to succeed as well as it will.
As for what i’d like to see the band discuss? How far back does each band member’s musical journey go? What about music first drew you, how did you start, how did you first learn, who in your lives was instrumental in introducing you to and/or supporting your dreams regarding music? I’m a huge fan of early exposure to music for children and the amazing impact it can have in their lives, how and when did that start and grow for members of the band? (Including you, Phil, cause you are a vital member of the band too)
Thanks to y’all I’ve got a new ukulele that I’m trying to figure out. This means a LOT of looking up music, figuring out keys, deciphering strumming patterns, trying to remember htf to read music etc. Maybe a once a quarter play along video with a follow up patreon only sessun?
I have been curious of the names of all of your instruments and one story about your favorite and why.