The Heart of a Record

February 5th, 2008

Have you heard “Raising Sand”, the brilliant record by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant? It’s beautiful. It’s a perfect record. T-Bone Burnett has crafted a masterpiece and it is so completely inspiring that I can’t stop listening to it. If you haven’t heard it, you must pick it up and let it just wash all over you.

Over and over again I let it’s sultry sonic deliciousness permeate my senses. How does one capture the heart of a record as brilliantly as Mr. Burnett has? I don’t know… I wonder with awe…

It’s just about a month and a half until I go into the studio to begin recording my songs. We’ve just started rehearsing and I find myself burdened with expectations about how the record should be. I want desperately to find the heart of the record, but I see that I’m lost in worry. I want to meet my deadlines and have something for the June road trip. This is not helping. Rather than having fun and getting excited and enjoying the process, I’m making plans and setting up walls. It’s bringing me down.

Time has come to let go of the anxiety and focus on enjoying the ride. More than anything, I want to enjoy sharing and creating with my new friends. No goals… No expectations… No controls…

Thanks for listening.

Love,
Joe

Image from January’s Canvas Magazine Open Mic. Photo by Canvas.