My Top 20 Favorite One Hit Wonders (My research done through www.onehitwondercentral.com)
Sugar Hill Gang (Rappers Delight) 2. Lipps (Funkytown) 3. Bow Wow Wow (I Want Candy) 4. Taco (Puttin On The Ritz) 5. Thomas Dolby (She Blinded Me With Science) 6. Nena (99 Luft Balloons) 7. Autograph (Turn Up the Radio) 8. Georgia Satellites (Keep Your Hands To Yourself) 9. Bobby McFerrin (Don’t Worry Be Happy) 10. Crazy Elephant (Gimme Gimme Good Lovin) 11. Mountain (Mississippi Queen) 12. Free (All Right Now) 13. T. Rex (Bang a gong) 14. Carl Douglas (Kung Fu Fighting) 15. Thin Lizzy (The Boys Are Back In Town) 16. Wild Cherry (Play That Funky Music 17. Nick Gilder (Hot Child In The City) 18. The Buggles (Video Killed The Radio Star) 19. Mark Cohn (Walkin In Memphis) 20. Was Not Was (Walk The Dinosaur)
You know you love it!
In no particular order…
Top 20 Favorite Solo Acts
1. Billy Joel 2. Eric Clapton 3. Chris Tomlin 4. Brad Paisley 5. Phil Collins 6. Johnny Cash 7. Peter Gabriel 8. John Hiatt 9. John Mayer 10. Prince 11. Stevie Ray Vaughn 12. Leo Kottke 13. Rich Mullins 14. Sean McConnell 15. Sting 16. Thomas Dolby 17. Matt Maher 18. Wilson Pickett 19. Garth Brooks 20. Elton John 20.5. Van Morrison
In no particular order…1. The Eagles 2. Def Leppard 3. The David Crowder Band 4. Van Halen 5. Queen 6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 7. The CBS Orchestra 8. Caedmon’s Call 9. Aerosmith 10. Bon Jovi 11. Green Day 12. Little Big Town 13. Mercy Me 14. The Myriad 15. Pink Floyd 16. Queen 17. REO Speedwagon 18. The Funk Brothers (Motown House Band) 19. Train 20. Sister Hazel
Tomorrow – Top 20 Solo Acts
Lk 24:1-12
At daybreak on the first day of the week
the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
He is not here, but he has been raised.
Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be crucified, and rise on the third day.”
And they remembered his words.
Then they returned from the tomb
and announced all these things to the eleven
and to all the others.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,
but their story seemed like nonsense
and they did not believe them.
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,
bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone;
then he went home amazed at what had happened.
This afternoon I am wrapping up the artwork for the new CD “Today” with my friend Jerry Fink. Jerry is the owner of Option2marketing and has done a fabulous job with the project. He has also done the design and logo’s that you see on this website. I am sure that you’ll find that the artwork represents me and the project well. We are now just days away from having this cd in your hands. I’ll post purchase info from CDbaby.com the minute it is available. If you were lucky enough to pre-order, your cd will be mailed out the day it arrives here in my studio. Lucky you…
The following is a list of thing’s I have learned over the years of producing music from my home studio. In any endeavor, we learn as we go. I have been very blessed to record my own music, as well as the music of others. Each time I put on my producer’s hat, I learn something. Here’s a short list of the ones that stand out…
- Recording without a chart is the greatest time killer of them all. The chart should include the song structure, including chords, repeats, verses, and endings. A melody line with lyrics is an added bonus. All arrangement decisions should be finalized before hitting the record button!
- Never settle, never compromise. It’s your art. It either represents you. or it doesn’t.
- A perfectionist with an unlimited supply of recording time (ala home studio) can be a recipe for never getting anything FINISHED. Five time grammy winner Bruce Sweden, who produced Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album addressed this during a visit with Sweetwater…” Bruce Sweden Keynote
- If you are able to run a project across the finish line [see above]… self producing does allow you to be creative without the worry of “being on the (studio) clock”. Getting a little outside the box can do wonderful things to a recording, song, or even an artist!
- In my studio, I have the ability to capture solid, good sounding recordings. However, I have learned that the best money I could spend on my personal recordings is to have them mixed by an objective and skilled engineer. Great things happen in collaboration.
- You are only as strong as the weakest link. The weakest link in your recording will identify itself, though may be known only to you (or a select few from the team working on your recording). While performance is the obvious and most exposed target, others could be room acoustics (which are as important in tracking as they are in mixing), mic placement, signal chain, or songwriting!
- Adding more of anything to a recording may not make it better. In fact, the inverse is usually true.
- You can’t fix heart. I have tools that will allow me to do multiple takes of a guitar solo, bring a flat vocal up to pitch, or level a dynamic vocalist. The one thing I cannot do in my studio is make someone sound like they care.
A favorites list, for no particular reason, in no particular order…
Epcot, golf, sharp cheddar and whole wheat thins, smoked salmon sushi, my taylor guitar, Pontiac GTO (pre 1974), Operation Bootcamp, Apple computers, Edy’s mint chocolate chip ice cream, Coke classic, BMW motorcycles, golf carts, Braves, Giants, The Irish, Letter to the Romans, Home Depot, Craftsman tools, Train (the band), road trips, molson canadian, Tacos!, Publix, Levi’s, The Eagle’s, Yamaha drums and pro-audio, Echo power equipment, Bridgestone golf balls, Brooks shoes, sunrises, Mass, the Varsity, the 80’s, Wedding crashers, Colgate tooth paste (original), new tires, Wii, Evans dum heads, 7UP, dunkin donuts coffee, Adidas golf shoes, Mastercraft boats, and tankless water heaters.
Check out the Audio page for three clips from the new CD “Today”!
As a leader of music, there are numerous targets to focus on when leading liturgy or a worship event.
First target…the band/choir/ensemble. Are things going well? Are your people hitting the right notes, capturing the “feel” of the piece? Are they in the pocket, or distracted by something like the monitor mix, an out of tune instrument, or worse…by the leader?
Second target…Your pastor or emcee. Are you lining up with their tempo? Was the baton toss to you smooth. or awkward? Lining ourselves up in prayer before an event is a fabulous way to connect spiritually before going live in front of a crowd.
Third target…The faithful, the gathered, the people of God. This is the target that you absolutely, positively cannot miss. That is worth repeating…this is the target that you cannot miss. If the gathered aren’t singing, you need to move.
Your band might be amazing, your choir perfectly in tune, your skills displayed brilliantly across your instrument…but if God’s people aren’t singing you are falling short.
Analyze, Adjust, Adapt… and lead!
