Ebenezer

Ebenezer. Our truck is one, at least for us. Like a monument to both a test and a provision from God to us. A few years after we bought it, a miracle in itself, while living in Golden CO we felt led to set up ebenezers... physical representations or monuments of of our experiences and memories of His provision, faithfulness. Our truck was provision. Included the truck in a video for that reason.

Comment on videos

Feel free to comment on videos at youtube.com/bradcurrah. Or at rumble.com/bradcurrah. Comments can be encouraging, and helpful to us for the next video shoot. So, we'll release some soon. We're planning the next one now. No truck for the next one (we sold it.)

Sing Your People on You Tube. Finally...

Sing Your People video was filmed on an iPhone. More recently life has been busy... with some weekend editing sessions, some occasional nights of Braedon and I recording drums, we'll be done some day. Though, it seems never really done. There comes a point when you have to stop tweaking it. Call it done, let it go. Upload to youtube, then figure out how to set up some sites. Thanks in advance for signing up. I'm new to all of this social media stuff. More time consuming than I'd imagined. That's OK, seems worth it... a good way to reconnect with old friends, make some new ones, and stay in touch.

Our Truck

We've talked about it, and we want to incorporate our truck.  We bought it in CO when we lived in Golden, and we're looking at selling it now.  So, we're hoping to remember God's provision by filming it. Making it the setting of our first music video.  So, we'll detail it, wash it, fix a few things to make it look its best. Maybe we'll begin shooting this week...

First video to work on

The song we're thinking about working on first is "Sing Your People".  We're all singing on this one, and we have this idea of a lot of close up video shots. So, the more people singing - the better.  This is the first worship song that I wrote so it seems appropriate for this to be the first video we make.

Deep Fat Fried Oreos

When I asked Aubri about her last experience recording in the studio, I thought it would be a good question to ask... something to write about. At the time, we were stuck with not much to do downtown. It was a great conversation, but not really what I was shooting for. She mostly recalled leaving the studio in between recording sessions, for lunch - of course...  We had gone to a nearby Chinese restaurant in downtown Tacoma. It was good food.  At the time, we didn't plan on doing desert. We didn't expect any dessert. We didn't order dessert.  But lo and behold these... odd, things, showed up. Weren't sure what they were at first.  Turns out: Deep Fat fried Oreos. Brought to us by the owners, as a gift. Kind staff. We didn't order them, we didn't see them on the menu, and even if we had... nah. Aubri recalled "We have had pink peppermint Oreos before, double stuffed Oreos, Oreos ala mode. Had birthday cake Oreos once as a family, and Oreo ice cream. But those were nothing compared to this new oreo-esk experience." And because there are thousands of readers of this blog who are very curious about our recording experiences, we will describe these unusual, Oreos. To both of our readers: Beneath rainbow colored sprinkles atop swirls of whipped cream, lay the surprisingly good tasting yet odd, fried, Oreos. The picture below is not of our actual Oreos, but an internet knockoff. As I recall, Andréa was the first to suggest, while chewing her desert, that she might be eating an Oreo, that is, after taking a bite of the unidentified object... We laughed. We thought she was kidding, at first. My kids aren't very daring when it comes to food. Not at all. But when it comes to Desert, it can be a No-Holds Barred type of thing. Now, Aubri would say that she is fairly daring, although I don't remember - perhaps she was the very first to bite into the strange creamy sprinkle covered somewhat circular concoction. Okay, so now you know about deserts experienced whilst in the studio.  Wait. She also remembers creating back-up parts with her sisters in the studio. No Doubt, with Oreo breath... (my words, definitely not hers.) I really liked the vocals they created. Aubri does admit that Baelina made up most of the backup vocals. She and her sister Andrea mostly harmonized with Baelina. This brings us to the end of Aubri contemplating her most recent... previous experience in the studio. And of her coinciding, remarkable, Oreo experience.

keep old plates spinning

For someone who desires to both perform and write, a decent amount of time needs to be spent on both writing new material and practicing older songs. When you're working a day job, and have 4 kids, a mortgage, etc... neither of these seem to not get enough attention. Constant juggling act. How well do you want to be able to perform your old songs? How fast do you want to write new ones? How tired of your old ones are you getting? etc... how bad you want to crawl under your house and fix your broken sewer pipe instead of practicing? The one right there by that big nasty puddle. Life and its demands - good times. 

writing while working

Sometimes working on the house can be a bit mindless. Painting, mudding, sanding, gluing, framing. They all take my attention, but not much thought. I am writing songs and vocal melodies while I build. I'll replay some guitar riffs in my head until I like the structure. Or, play some prerecorded stuff from a friend... on my phone, until they're memorized... rebuild sounds into a structure that I like.  Time can fly when I'm thinking about music. And hey, I just got 2 birds when I arranged a song.

Baya

Baya doodles while waiting to sing in the studio. She and her sisters did backup vocals for the songs: Mighty flame and For All Time. This wasn't for the album - just a fun side project.

Travel Guitar

I love carting around this a little travel guitar that my mother-in-law gave me. It's a little Yamaha which sounds pretty nice despite its size. I've heard other guitar players tell me that it has some decent tones to it. And then I remember that the strings are about 7 years old...and it still sounds fine. Keeps me practicing when I'm on a trip so I don't get rusty on songs, or I can write songs while traveling.

Come Thou Fount Blog

http://journeythroughhymns.blogspot.com/2014/07/come-thou-fount-of-every-blessing.html

Someone sent me a blog they started regarding the differing sounds of Come Thou Fount.  Thought I'd share it.  Back in the mid-nineties, my friend "Sky" and I would occasionally sing the song at a wedding or at an occasional church service.  In Glorietta NM, we played it at a conference where a guy named David Crowder was also playing.  He'd never heard it before apparently, thanked us and put it on an album.  I've been meaning to record it since I can remember hearing it... I do believe I need to add some drums to the version I have now.  Anyway, enjoy the link to the blog, it is a collection of many differing versions of the song recorded and displayed around the web.

Coffee shop meeting

Baelina and I met a woman a couple of days ago named Becky Garrison.  Friendly. We hung out at Starbucks for coffee.  Baya didn't want any coffee... doesn't really like it.  We talked about some of my church involvement in my earlier worship years, the nature of elder-ship and leadership in the church. And we talked about our recent album.  Apparently, she's an author, editor, and an overall "Emerging Church" researcher and history church buff.  You can read more about her on her website at: http://www.beckygarrison.com/about.html

Breathecast Album Review

A couple of weeks ago, we emailed a few folks in the online Christian Music scene letting them know that we had finished an acoustic version of our worship album, and invited a few editors to check it out.  Today I received an email from a place called Breathecast letting us know that a review had been done.  Below are a couple of quotes from the article.

 "Prayers of the Saints is an intriguing project...prayers that span right through church history and set them to (mostly) newly crafted music."

 "In his inimitable ways, Currah has crafted contemporary tunes to go along with these ancient innovations making them accessible to our modern ears."

"In our culture of pithy lines and trite clichés, "Prayers of the Saints" need some time to be acquainted to.  But if one should take the time to listen, mediate, reflect upon the words of these ancient prayers, they will deepen our theological appreciation of God.  And in times when we do struggle like many of God's saints had, these prayers supply us with the vocabulary to utter some of our inner most pain and angst to our heavenly Father."

Progress on the Album Cover Mosaic

Devonna has designed a mosaic for the album cover. To follow its construction, I took pictures of it...I hope to upload them into a gallery at some point. It's a mosaic of the moon. The moon is a place of reflection. Of the sun, of our lives, with shadows. It's desolate, it has beauty to see all around it, from it. The view is constantly changing. There are times of brightness and darkness. It seems like a lonely place, though full of other reflectors. We can gather and reflect together, seen from space.

Sum Dun (2/12/2013 - Transferred Archive)

 I've actually had a few songs done for quite awhile now, but I'm still looking at hosting options.  There are many out there, and some charge a percentage... some charge a monthly flat fee.  Most charge for downloads - but some don't.  I think I'm pretty clear on which one I'm going with - it's just going to take some time to get it up and running.  I think some of these sites are great if you sell a song once in awhile, but if you sell a bunch, it's better to go with another.  Soon though. I hope.

Kaos surprises us (9/11/2012 - Transferred Archive)

So, we have 4 sets of renters. 2 houses, each with a detached mother-in-law (MIL).  A coupe of weeks ago, one of the sets of renters got into an argument with each other over the electric bill.  They were both growing marijuana , and neither had a clue that it would run their "joint" electric bill extremely "high" and out of reach.  They wanted me to step in and help pay for some of the electric bill.  Unbelievable.  Instead, we asked them to leave.  They thanked us by dumping loads of garbage all over our property.

About 3 days later, allegedly the renters of our other house drank a bit too much and apparently beat each other in the yard.  When a neighbor tried to stop them, it got crazy.  There are rumors of a pistol whipping, along with the permanent loss of some sight in one eye.   A drunk tenant wrecking havoc with a baseball bat for a few minutes, destroying siding, and a door.  The cops came just as one guy was threatening to kill the other, gun pointed at his head.  Estimated costs to repair the set of houses was roughly $18,000 if you include labor.

Meanwhile, I'm working 11 to 15 hour days, so my wife and I prayed and decided that it would be good for her to fly to WA and begin organizing volunteers for some restoring.  Two days after she flies out, I fall off a roof and am in and out of emergency.  Leg, both knees jacked... 4 days later my boss lets me know that the company is shutting down due to high overhead costs.  Wife is working 15 hour days with 2 full time volunteers, and several part-timers. I'm Shuttling the kids to and from school, working part time from home, and going back and forth from the doctor's office to our new 5th wheel.

So, 3 of 4 rentals down, mortgages still due, unemployed, a pistol-whipped friend shell shocked and on anxiety meds, the other friend in jail for assault, his wife left with no employment or housing, or husband, lots of out of pocket expenses for all to go around. My kids, weepy from missing their mom who's gone for 15 days.  Outcome thus far?  God provides friends (The Church) in the greater Tacoma, Seattle, Everett and Golden areas to help with: kids, restoring properties, cleaning rentals, killing/removing cockroaches and maggots, lending cars and trucks and homes and meals and elbow grease... all in the name of God's love and his people.  Other "close friends" in the area don't show up to help, but God does.

Nothing takes God by surprise.

Recording in Colorado

This week I spent 21 hours in the studio.... working on one song.  Recording is always frustrating at times, trying to get your thoughts spelled out and recorded to your artistic liking.  It always seems so simple in my head, the night before I went into the studio.  But when it comes down to it, it's not easy communicating to the engineer, and making the *clear*  thoughts in my head come out just right.

I've been recording with Rob Horton, the owner/engineer of Master Touch Studios in Evergreen, CO.  And, even though I find myself with similar frustrations as always, this recording experience has been my favorite one to date in my 20 years of recording off and on. So far.  I can dream up almost any idea, and eventually it makes it's way to play back to me over the speakers.  Sometimes it feels limiting to have another person, or "step", between me and the music, but I imagine that two creative heads are better than one - besides the fact that I am not an engineer.

The song we worked on is this week is based on Psalm 148, which has a reverent and majestic prayer within it, and I really wanted the music to reflect the Psalm.  We did finish the song yesterday, and I really think it accomplishes what we set out to do.  I'm thinking of calling the song "Fiery from Your Soul" - from one of the lines in the song.  Can't wait to post the song here, and get some feedback from everyone.  Thanks for reading.