The Calendar Project 2013

It's a new year and it's obvious that the Calendar Project should continue. The band has been so fruitful. All of my musical energy is directed there. Every year of the project has had it's own identity. I think an entry with Secret Sage would be good for the band. If we could keep new material in the mix the audioblog and the band would benefit.
Ending last year on a "to be continued..." it was clear the Calendar Project was going on. I'm excited to sing another new year with my friends.

The Secret

I started the year with The Lie and I'm ending with The Secret. From an artistic standpoint I love that. I can honestly say though I never expected this song would be written. That's because I never expected to be inspired to write it. You never know in January where you will be in December. You can plan, you can work but you can't know.
I didn't expect Secret Sage to become such a huge part of my life. I didn't expect it to mean this much to me. I couldn't have known what it would do to my family. What it would do to me. I didn't know Dani. Not like I know her now. I didn't know what I thought I knew about myself.
I wasn't going to do another year of the Calendar Project after last year. I had the band. I wrapped the project up so nice. It was over. But I'm compulsive. Once I did January I planned on getting to December. I worked towards finishing the year. I didn't know I'd end up here.
I couldn't have know that when I chose to write about secrets and lies that by December they would consume me.  I lied to myself first. Kept my own thoughts secret from me. I worked and planned to control my emotions. I have been having a love affair with my guitar for years. This year my cup runneth over. She whisked me away. I didn't know who I would find on that path. The band members all got swept away with me. We created are own little world. I lost my way back to where I started. My life doesn't resemble January at all anymore. There's promise there, but right now I mostly mourn what I've left behind. What's left me behind. I'm not sure I've moved at all.
I don't have any more secrets. I'm not telling anymore lies. I didn't expect to fall in love.

I don't know what next year will look like. Right now 2013 is so unclear to me. I can't say I've ever had this much uncertainty in my life. Not in my adult life anyway. I don't want to end the Calendar Story this open ended. I don't intend to. I thought it was over already. I'm following music. I'm following my heart. I'm in the fog right now though. I simply can't see the road in front of me. I know where I want to end up, most days. I plan on getting there. I'll work on getting there.
I just don't know...
I can't know if I'll get there.

The Secret

Love Is The Path To Freedom

I remember writing this song even though it was a long time ago. I was taking a film class in high school. We had spent a whole semester watching movies and then analyzing them. I loved the class. I love films and I love analyzing things to death. That's true still. My final for the class was to convey what I got out of the movie Braveheart. Never one to miss an opportunity to write a song instead of a paper I wrote this song.
I thought this song did I nice job of representing the love story in the movie. I was also drawing from my own limited experiences I had in love up to that point. Naturally. Since then I've run the gauntlet in love. I've fallen hard, had my heart broken, fall again, can't make it work, fall again. I've made love, made babies, made a home, made a mess. I've been through make or break and come out broken. I've done for better or for worst. I've followed my heart and gotten lost. What would a song written before that journey mean to me now?
I was going through some old journals and came across the lyrics for this tune. They spoke to me and where I am in my life. Lyrics can take on whole new meanings as a result of our experiences. When I sang the song I didn't think of Braveheart at all. I concentrated on where my journey through love has brought me and suddenly it meant something all together different. When this song was given to me years ago the universe was allowing me a chance to play prophet in my own life.
Dani plays mandolin on this recording with me. It seems fitting. Secret Sage has helped me hone the ability to connect to the parts of songs that speak to me more immediately.
The concept of this years Calendar Project was another opportunity the universe gave me to play prophet. I chose to write about secrets. I chose to write about lies. Life imitates art. I should have thought about that in January.

Love Is The Path To Freedom

House Of Cards

I lived this song. I started writing this a few months ago. Before Wormtown. The first verse came to me in the shower. I started writing the song but I thought it was too similar to "Contact"[Jan. '10] and stopped working on it.  Next day hop in the shower and verse two comes. I started working on it again but the song again stalled. I moved on, but I wasn't happy about it.
Secret Sage decided to do the Wizard of Oz for Halloween. We dressed like the characters, learned some of the music, and slipped references into our usual repertoire. The second verse of "House Of Cards" references Oz and the gears began to turn again. We didn't end up using it for the Halloween Bash but I knew I had an October tune.
I still didn't know where to take the song. With a hurricane headed right for the east coast it began to take shape. A good man I know took his own life. When we lost Jaime a few years back I wrote a song that opened with "I'm blown away..." It's that sentiment. I'm still blowing away. Ripped away from where I stood. Caught completely off balance.
The first two verses are about my own struggle to hold my ground. Then this terrible news came. What was written after that the narrative changed. In the song I've lost my footing. I'm tumbling in the wind. In my life my feet are still planted. I have healthy children. I have a strong marriage. Music in my everyday. The effort of maintaining these blessing presents me with quality problems.
He lived right up the hill across the street from the barber shop. He would open up to me about his life. He told me how much he loved playing his guitar. How much it helped. I told him all the time if he ever needed to step away for a minute to come down the hill with his guitar. He never did. I wish he had. Music saves my life all the time.

For Luke Lacaire

House Of Cards

White Knuckle Kisses

Secret Sage got to play the Wormtown Music Festival this month. It was an awesome experience. Playing for a big audience. Sharing our songs with so many music lovers. I am so happy that music is taking me to new places. It's giving me new experiences and giving me new friendships. The more  life I put into music, the more music life puts into me.
The band has been so good for me creatively. The Calendar Project has already shown me the value of collaboration. Being able to collaborate with players completely dedicated to music forces me to up my game.
Tom sent us an email with an mp3 of a song he was writing. It wasn't long after that that Dani sent an email with her own mp3 of a song she had been working on.  Never wanting to be outdone I started putting my thoughts towards a song. Before I ever began crafting a tune I was searching for a topic. When I picked up the guitar I hoped for inspirado. Eventually, it hit.
I started writing the song the day before Wormtown and "finished" it the day after Wormtown.That was the marinating period where it was swimming in my head. I started trying to write about the notion of  being a young soul, and it turned into a love song. I guess that's never a bad thing. It's a personal song about love over time. I haven't put pen to paper with the lyrics until after it was "completed." I wrote the lyrics by singing it over and over till every mumble was filled in. The Ronnie Van Zant approach.
I was really happy with this one. I have been writing pretty steady since I got this one out. Happy to have friends to play it with. Happy to have a wife to sing it too. Happy to be happy.

White Knuckle Kisses

Peloquin Wedding Theme

I had the honor of playing the music for my sister-in-law's wedding. I was allowed the opportunity to compose original music for the ceremony. Each part of the wedding ceremony needed music tailored for it specifically. I used Wedding Bells(I Do) [July '08], for the Welcome Prelude. I came up with new music for the Procession and the Bridal March. I made sure the music changed for the entrance of the bride. Kristin asked that I use a 12 string for part of it. I did that on the Wedding March sample and for the recessional. I feel lucky to be able to play role in the union of great couple that is already a fantastic family. Here is wishing Phil and Kristin all the best.

Peloquin Wedding Theme:

1. Welcome Prelude- Wedding Bells (I Do)
2. Wedding Party Procession
3. The Bridal March
4. Wedding March Sample- Mendelssohn
5. Recessional- Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Peloquin

 Peloquin Wedding Theme

Sitting Round The Campfire

The first year of the Calendar Project almost didn't go twelve months. In July of 2007 it came right down to the wire. I had to write a song and post it on the last day of the month. The song "Campfire Jam" was hastily recorded. Bluesman Jay has always given me a hard time about that tune. He never felt it was up to par. I know the song was rushed but five years later I still play it. I think it's a nice little ditty that captures the spirit of the Calendar Project.
This months song is a call back to that first July tune. It's another campfire song. I wrote it at the end of the month and it was recorded on my brother's iphone. It was the same vibe that created the first Campfire Jam. We were staying with Kate's folks when I recorded the 2007 song. This time we are staying with mine.
We are having a crisis with our house so we are staying with my folks for a couple of days. My mother is loving having all of her children and grandchildren under one roof. I'm glad my crisis has been enjoyable for her. Knowing I have band practice tomorrow I knew I needed to get the project done tonight. I wrote the song on the porch, used my brothers iphone to record it then posted it with my parents PC. I had another song ready but I wanted to take my time with it. I also knew that a rushed July isn't unprecedented. I've been camping twice this month and start camping at home tomorrow. The time was right for a new campfire song. I see myself playing this one five years down the road aswell.

Sitting Round The Campfire