Shapeless Shape Song Shapes Up

SS on KS

This past week, I somehow convinced the writers of Shapeless Shape to let me write and record a song for their children’s book, The Shapeless Shape, now live on Kickstarter. Victor and I talked extensively about what a song for the book might look like, and the biggest hang-ups were really related to how I’d get paid for my part. It’s a difficult and complex topic, touching on issues like Work for Hire and mechanical royalties. (Yes, I’ve mentioned these for all of you music business geeks out there.) But the point is, we worked it all out!

Shapeless Shape is the story of one odd shape’s journey of self-discovery, finding out where it fits in in a world filled with circles, squares, and triangles—shapes with an obvious place and use. The application, of course, is that we all must discover, with the help of others (like teachers and peers), where we can fit in to society, contribute and be a part of the bigger picture. But the book concept is so much bigger than the story itself: the shapes in the book were hand-made, then photographed, turning this into a multi-layered art-piece. (Learn even more here: http://www.theshapelessshape.com.)

Throughout the day today and tomorrow I’ll be brainstorming and sketching for the song; and if I’m lucky, I’ll have a solid rough recording by the middle of the week.

Only ten days to go to back Shapeless Shape on Kickstarter!

Current Projects, the Future…

Winterdienst-Einsatz_24.2.2013_(8503230734)The last 12 months are a complete blur.

Huge family changes, moving, new records released, new bandmates, session work, and a heck of a lot more. It’s difficult balancing family life & music. And I’ve hardly managed to stay on top of it all. You can look at the dates of my previous three posts on this site to see that. BUT if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I haven’t been idle—even if I haven’t been posting here.

Here’s a quick summary of the past 12 months:

1. We moved! Twice. A little over a year ago, my wife and I decided that we wanted (needed?) to buy a house. In order to save money for a down payment and pay off some debt, we moved our family into my parents’ house. We are so thankful to them for their generosity and hospitality. They are models to us of what it looks like to serve your children.

2. We had a baby! In October 2013, Megan, my wife, gave birth to our third child, a beautiful boy whom we named Wesley, after the great hymn-writing pastors, Charles and John.

3. Restoration Project released an EP. The first in their Firm Foundation series, after a successful Kickstarter campaign. In support of this EP, we’ve played about a dozen shows all over the Chicago area. This project is really where I’ve been spending the majority of my time. In addition to releasing one EP, we also recorded a second, to be released this October. Learn all about ResProj and the Firm Foundation series here: http://resproj.com.

4. I’ve produced and recorded—a lot. I’ve recorded and produced a handful of albums for other artists as well as done some session work for some local acts. Some of my favorite work this year has been with Alex Ishkov and Carl E. King.

Other than performing with Restoration Project, what I haven’t done much of recently is perform. And it’s killing me! AND, it’s changing. You’re going to see a lot more shows getting scheduled this fall and winter, into the Spring, as I gear up for another release, likely a solo album. Stay tuned, and be sure to follow me on Insta/Twit for the latest!