Small Voice: January 2011

I’m writing you this update from the woods of North Carolina, where we’ve been spending a few weeks visiting my mother-in-law during this holiday season. Being here has proved to be a much needed time of rest and reflection, purposefully refraining from work while being intentional about our time spent together as a family. This will be the deep breath before the final plunge.

In a few days we’ll be flying back home to Portland, where I’ll begin the final push to bring this next album to completion. Although there’s still a lot of work to be done, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel, and so I begin this last leg of the race with renewed strength and perspective. The process of creating this album has by far been the most rigorous mental and spiritual struggle I’ve known as an artist, so I’m thankful to be re-entering the process from a place of peace and purpose.

I’ll be in the studio recording through January and February, and then spending the month of March on the final mix and master of the album. This should make this album’s release May or June of 2011. Until then I’ll be working closely with a hand-picked team of collaborators that are helping build the sound of this album into something really special.

It’s my pleasure to introduce the cast of players who will be supporting the songs on “Love & War & The Sea In Between”:

Jay Kirkpatrick

Multi-instrumentalist and longtime friend. Jay’s playing can be heard on all of my albums; whether accordion or banjo, bass or melodica, Jay’s accompaniment has been an integral part of the “sound” on each album.

Josh Green

Drummer extraordinaire. The first time I saw Josh play was with the trip-hop jazz trio “Infradig”...and he was playing stuff live that didn’t seem possible. His drumming will add a new dimension to this current work.

Mason Jar Music

A start-up music production company based out of Brooklyn, specializing in orchestral composition and video work. I’ve done previous work with these guys (yet to be released!), and they’re currently composing music for several songs on the new album.

Jason Brewer

Electric and upright bass. Jason knows how to bring the funk, or create a tasteful upright thump. His work often inspires me to take songs in unexpected directions.

Tim & Laurie Thornton

Violin, cello, mandolin, and harmonica. I first met Tim and Laurie through their work with “Enter The Worship Circle” and “Blackthorn Project”, and have since had the pleasure of working with them a few times. I don’t know of anyone who can capture an old mountain folk sound like them.

Colleen Davick

Flute. I met Colleen when she was the flautist for the retro-hippie jam-band “Seeds”. We’ve been talking about collaborating for a long time.

Annalisa Nutt

Vocalist. Annalisa is a gifted singer-songwriter, but she’s also provided backing vocals for the likes of Grammy nominee Matthew Santos. She’ll be accompanying me on a few songs as well.

Scott Frantz

Electric guitar. I came into contact with Scott through his work on my good friend Josh Rosen’s albums. Scott’s one of those guys who specializes in making an electric guitar into an ethereal, ambient, and emotional instrument.

Mike Garrels

Trumpet and piano. My dad’s the one who nurtured the gift of music in my life, and, being a music teacher, he can find his way around on the trumpet and piano quite well.

David Wilton

Mixing and Mastering. Dave’s a gifted music engineer who’s worked with such artists as Aaron Strumpel, Sleeping At Last, Enter the Worship Circle, Blackthorn Project, and Josh Rosen. I’ll be flying out to his Studio--St. Ida’s, in Colorado, to complete the mixing and mastering of this album.

First, I want give the deepest thanks to all who have so generously given of themselves in prayer, gifts, letters, and finances. Thank you! Your response to our invitation has been moving, and we’re filled with gratitude for you. We have all of your names and information saved, and we’ll be sending each of you a pre-release of the album.

Currently we’ve received about $10,000 in financial support towards the completion of this album! Guys, this is awesome. In the end, when all is said and done, the full cost of production will be approximately $20-25,000. This cost will include paying my team of musicians, investing in some production gear for my studio, mixing and mastering in CO, design work, and the final manufacturing of the album. If you would be interested in helping finance this final push, here's what you can do: