Creation and Transition

No, actually -- this is not about religion :)... It's about the current status of the new album, and a title change.

This has been an amazingly busy and creative month, and we are coming down to the final few weeks of production on the new album. Over the two weeks ending this Wednesday, we will have had some pretty talented folks in the studio putting down supporting tracks... Bob Bronar (Ashley Gang), doing lead guitar and mandolin tracks on several songs, Al Scortino (Ashley Gang) playing Dobro and Hawaiian Steel on a couple, Tuck Tucker on Dobro for a last minute track, and Joey Kerr (Band of Brothers) dropping in an great electric guitar track. Add these to the bass playing of Lon Williamson (Driftwoods, Gatorbone Trio) on all tracks, Lis Williamson (Driftwoods, Gatorbobe Trio) on harmony vocals, Gabe Valla (Driftwoods, Gatorbone Trio) on guitar, mandolin and mando-cello, and Jason Thomas (Claire Lynch Band) on fiddle and we are about to give birth to a pretty amazing product. That's the creation part... now about the transition...

While the song "1,000 Doors" is a key to the philosophy of yours truly, and an important thread in the recording, I've decided to rename the project to "Songs From Sand Lake". During 20 months of recording in the little studio in the remote and inspiring sand hills  of Florida, it is clear to me that the place is really the engine that drove the process. There on the banks of the ever shrinking lakes in the recharge zone for the Floridan Aquifer is where we found what I was looking for -- meaning in the music. I had no real idea of where this was headed when I first went down to Keystone in August of 2009, but over time -- with old songs fading away and new ones rising from the sand -- the project took on shape, substance and purpose. This is not a Florida songs album -- but the Florida sands is where it took root, and flourished. Hence the name change. The photos with post were shot there. That dock used  to reach hundreds of feet into the lake.... but more on that in a later post.

So it looks like we're pretty much on schedule for an early August release date... you can check in with me at Reverbnation or FaceBook (see the two banner links at the top right and click away). In the meanwhile, pray for rain. And common sense. Rain and Common Sense -- hmmmm. Maybe the next album.