Party!

The official Metaphor CD Launch Party/Concert
Where: Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Road (top of Cedar Hill), Cleveland Heights, Ohio
When: Monday, February 26, 2007
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM, Pre-concert reception, media and invited guests only
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Concert, open to the public, admission $10.00
Musicians: Noah Budin - Guitar, vocals
David Budin - Bass, vocals
Ed Ridley, Jr. - Keyboard, vocals
Sam Getz - Guitar
Rob Ticherich - Percussion

And Yet Another Phase

On to marketing. I guess this is post-post-production.

Well, I’ve gone through my first hundred pretty quickly. I’ve probably given about half away for PR and marketing purposes and to people associated witht he project. The rest I’ve sold mostly to colleagues, friends and family. Especially my mother. I’ve given her some, but she keeps insisting on buying them.

David, as a writer, editor and publicist, has compiled a vast list of media and other outlets to whom to send the CD. He’s also got connections in the music, TV and various other related industries. We’re not only marketing this heavily to Jewish outlets, but also on a broader scale to places such as The Fish, Cleveland’s branch of a national chain of Christian music radio stations, and to its parent company. My music seems to “cross over” well, and the popularity of contemporary Christian music is such that it’s practically mainstream.

We’re putting together press kits specific to this CD and we’re hoping to get some good reviews in print for it, so if anybody has anything positive to say about the CD, email it to me. Not you, Mom.

We're still working on remodeling the website and putting PayPal up. In the mean time you can visit www.soundswrite.com and the Sounds Write e-newsletter where I’m the featured artist this month.

Our official launch party/concert will be Monday, February 26 at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights. There will be a media and invited guest pre-concert reception, with hors deurves and a cash bar, after which will be the concert. We’ve recruited the core players on the record – Ed Ridley, Jr., Rob Ticherich and, of course, David, my veritable A-Team of musicians, and San Getz, with whom I’ve never played live. (Sam did those great electric guitar parts on the record.) Watch this space (and various local news media) for details.

The CD is Done!

The CD is done! I’m holding it in my hands. It looks great. It sounds great. I’m very happy and proud of this product.

Mastering and pressing really worked well for it. It’s all about compression. I can’t tell you how important the Mastering process really is. I can’t tell you because I don’t understand it all myself. But, pressing (the act of creating multiple discs from one Master) usually results in some compression of sound, and a good mastering job will offset much of that, among other things.

I’m really happy with the whole package. The graphic design by Monica Silver is terrific. We ended up with a 16 page booklet (which my mother says is beautiful – she read every word of it).

The songs:

It starts with “Metaphor” and hooks you with that funky percussion intro. At least, that’s what I hope.

It’s followed by “Blessing” which is our commercially viable hit single. If not for me, then some other musician should pick it up and do it. I can hear a Nashville treatment of it.

“Haruach” is just cool. I love it. Refer back to the blog entitled “Picking Up” from way back in March of ’06. I waxed eloquent about Ed Ridley’s piano solo which leads into Norm Tischler’s sax part. I think it’s still my favorite moment on the record.

“Fire” is next. Beautiful cello arrangement by David. Someone recently said to me, “Every time I listen to your CD I get different messages. Your writing is really deep. I don’t always understand it, but it’s really deep.” I didn’t ask, but I think she was talking about this song.

“Let It Burn.” Other than the fact that I like the order of the song titles, this one contains (or can barely contain) Sam Getz’s smokin’ guitar solo.

If “Blessing” is the “hit,” “Edge of the Ocean” is the gem...I’ve been trying to think of a good analogy for days now. (Anyone got a good Metaphor?) But, thanks largely to David’s string arrangements, it’s emotional, evocative, moving, expressive, gorgeous.

“Reason To Believe” contains my second favorite moment on the record: Derek Poindexter’s bass riff at the end of the bridge. It probably lasts all of 3 or 4 seconds, but it’s so cool and funky. Derek just plays with so much technical expertise and adeptness, but with so much ease.

“The Silent Son” finally came out well after several remixes. There's a fine line between good producing and over producing.

A good, old fashioned, live take (with a couple of studio tricks thrown in) makes “Carry That Rock” a blast. This one is still so much fun for me to listen to.

“She Knows God” is one of my favorite mixes on the record. This is a good example of not over producing a track. It shows of my guitar playing (not an easy feat!) and just supports it and the lyrics with Ed’s piano, really spare percussion, and, the icing, Charlie Lewis’s sweet and simple mandolin part.

I still don’t know what to say about “Take Me Back.” But I still love listening to the Prayer Warriors on it.

“Every Step a Prayer” is long and tedious. But we did a good job with it. My guitar is “buzzy” on it, but I kind of like that. Ed’s synth part, Celia Hollander Lewis’s vocals and mark Frieman’s Flugelhorn really make it. And the message. Don’t forget the message.

Well, I’ve gone through my first 100 of them right off the bat. Probably around half of them were freebies for the musicians, people specifically named by name in the liner notes and PR purposes. Look for a launch party/concert coming up at the end of February at Nighttown in Cleveland heights (date TBA).

At this moment, they’re only available from me and at Merkaz Judaica in Beachwood. Look for upcoming changes to my website, including a way to purchase them directly from me online. They’ll probably also be in the Sounds Write catalogue pretty soon, too.

A Little Practice Blog

Someone recently commented to me, “you’re a little behind on your blogging.”

Since when did blogging become a requirement? I didn’t know there were assignments (other than working and dealing with one’s family – have I mentioned I have three teenagers?). Am I going to fail life and have to take it again if I fall too far behind in my blogging?

But, she was right. I am too far behind in my blogging. I’d love to be able to sit and write all day. Seriously. Songs, poetry, short stories, blogs. But after work, and dealing with my children (have I mentioned I have three teenagers?) I’m tired. On weekends, I’m tired. And now that “Idol” has started, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are spent with Mariah, glued to the television (it’s her fault. She got me hooked. But that’s another story…).

Anyway, here I am. And I suppose this was an inauspicious way to start a blog which really should have screamed: The CD is done! Yeah, lemme start over. Watch the space above this one.