In July I had the chance to rent a Taylor 314ce acoustic guitar (it was more out of necessity, really - the electronics on my beloved Ibanez acoustic, "Amber", were busted). I wanted to see what the guitar would sound like recorded, and the result is this demo. I mentinoed that I would make it a free download on the podcast, so here it is.

Download Open Strings (3.40 MB)

Earlier this summer I had the chance to go to Vulcan Fest along with my friend, Keith Skrastins as press. I was there to document the event so I could talk more about it on my podcast, and Keith, of course, was there to take some awesome photos.

They had a side stage set up for acoustic acts. The idea was to get some people playing short acoustic sets in between bands and setup. I asked if I could play, and not only did they let me play, they liked me so much they let me play 3 sets! It was awesome just to be able to perform at such a prominent event.

In an earlier blog post I mentioned that I felt God was leading me to be a camp counselor at the AYF youth camp this summer. My finances were a little strained at the time, having just returned from a 2 week vacation to Portland, OR and SoCal. At first I wasn't sure that I would be able to pay my way, but my grandfather offered to cover the costs. Even so, I was feeling a little skeptical about the whole situation. I asked God for further confirmation. Then something amazing happened. One of my guitar students offered me exactly the amount I needed, cash in hand! At that point it was undeniable; I was going to youth camp.

Camp was a challenging yet affirming and validating experience for me. I felt a sense of belonging among the youth, but also a sense of discernment, having already lived through my teen years with my fair share of struggles. Still, I was astounded by the number of teens who attested to being physically or sexually abused, or have/had suicidal tendencies. We truly do live in different times.

Throughout the week, we discussed these hard topics with the youth. Suicide. Alcohol. Drugs. Sex. My cousin Conrad shared about the death of his brother Mitch, someone who was also very close to me. It was the first time Conrad had shared about this event publicly, and I'm glad I was there to hear him talk about it. In fact, I believe that is one of the reasons I needed to be there - to mourn the loss of my cousin. I've been through counseling and grief & loss groups, but sometimes we need a more appropriate time and venue to mourn our losses.

All in all it was a demanding experience, but one that was memorable and worthwhile as well. I will definitely continue to work with youth, should God lead me to.

I spent the last week putting a lot of effort into my podcast. Fortunately, my efforts are starting to pay off. After some tweaking, I managed to get the show listed on iTunes. This required some fine-tuning on my part. Although I already had a logo designed for the podcast, I had to revise the RSS Feed so it would actually include the image. I could go on, but it's a lot of technical stuff I'm sure you're not particularly interested in. Moving right along...

I also decided to set up a Facebook fan page for those who are interested in interacting that way. Facebook, of course, is one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet, and it just so happens that it's a great place to get the word out about a project as well. Make sure to 'like' the podcast!

Finally, I also got roped into creating a Flickr account. I will be uploading some day-to-day photos as well as candid shots from the studio. I will be putting a widget up on my social network page, if you'd like to check it out.

I'm still on the lookout for sponsors, affiliates and advertisers for the show, but I'm sure it will come in due time. Right now I am simply attempting to build listenership through word of mouth. If you haven't already, go have a listen, and make sure to leave a comment. Thanks!

This last week was rather eventful. I was preparing for a fundraiser performance on Saturday and concurrently writing some new material. It's not that I don't like playing my older songs, it's just that they don't always reflect where I am in life right now. Songs like "Six Sides" and "Clay to Mold" have long been staples in my set, and I'm sure they will continue to be, but on Saturday, I did not perform any material from Shipwrecked... Instead, I unleashed 3 brand new songs on fans and onlookers.

But let's get back on track. Amidst writing new material and preparing for the performance, I was also looking for work. I finally visited CrossIron Mills and dropped off a few resumes. On Friday, I recorded a new podcast episode with Keith Skrastins. You may want to check out the podcast blog if you haven't subscribed yet, so you can keep up-to-date with current episodes. In any case, this only added to the chaos that was already a busy week.

On Saturday, I went to a Stampede breakfast. I decided that I wanted to visit some old friends, and, well - let's face it - I needed to eat. From there I proceeded to my favorite music store, Long & McQuade, to rent a Taylor acoustic guitar for the performance. Then I went to a friend's wedding. Then I spent the rest of the day helping my friend organize her event until I hit the stage. The event ran until l2:00 AM and suffice to say I was not in bed until 1:30. But I'm a trooper, and still got up at 6:30 to play on the CLC worship team for the Sunday services.

Anyway, I think you get the idea. Things have been a little slower today, so I've been working on things around the house and organizing the mailing list. You can expect the latest newsletter some time this week!