allanjamesmusic.com

Release the CD already!

allan — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:25:01 +0000

Lots of progress continues on finishing up the new CD. I had wanted to get this first 2010 CD out by June and it just was not possible, and there have been more delays. To top it off, I have written more songs in the past couple months and I would like to put them on this CD and I have to wait until they are recorded, produced and mixed down. I am hoping that this won’t delay things too much longer. I want to wrap this up by the end of August and I hope to have the CD released Sept 2010.

Also, there have been many upgrades to the music studio in regards to hardware and software, as well as new instruments. So this has further held up the process of finishing the CD. Additionally now it is summer and I want to take some vacation… Things have been going very well and I’m really excited about the new songs and it is hard not to want to just pop them out digitally and forget making a full CD, but I must be patient… and indeed the final work on the CD will happen!

Music and Songs for Online Projects

allan — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:10:03 +0000

Speaking of new music… in recent months I’ve written new music for some websites and multimedia projects. For example, there is a new project called “My Submarine Ocean Explorer”, which is a very cool online, interactive Flash website to provide a learning experience for kids, students and teachers. It should be completed around July 2010. Right now we are in the last phases of building it. My web/multimedia company Digital Media Enterprises is putting together the Flash, Graphics, animations, and bringing all the video and audio together for the interactive Submarine.

There are voice-overs for the videos which I also recorded in the studio with a marine scientist “Andrew”, and his voice will be used for all the videos. I wrote and produced new music specifically for this interactive Flash project. Adding music really helps make the kids online learning experience more fun and enticing. When you add the music, sound fx, voice-overs, video, animations, interactivity and graphics all together, it really is a wonderful and powerful medium in which to present content to children and any other visitors.

This interactive Submarine gets to exlpore the oceans around the world, watch video clips, interact with maps and charts and learn about interesting creatures in the ocean. There is even video and content about the Titanic. So far the feedback from kids and visitors has been very positive and everyone is excited to explore with this new online tool! We are doing this project for and in partnership with a great company / non-profit organization called “The College of Exploration” and it is funded by NOAA. When the project is completed I will post a link here in the blog. Explore the oceans… in my submarine.

More new songs for Springtime 2010

allan — Sat, 29 May 2010 02:03:59 +0000

Though March and April passed by in a blink of an eye… I still was able to squeeze in writing more new songs. I was very happy to be able to sit down with just an acoustic guitar and write these so quickly. There is something really cool about just writing on acoustic guitars or piano that hit home for me. Direct and to the point… I am hoping in June I can publish some of these new tunes up online for all to hear. Right now though I need to them down on computer and record them while the songs are fresh. It is better to try and capure the moment as quick as you can instead of waiting and working on songs for several weeks, months or years! Though I have both types, some songs have taken years and others I have written in just a few minutes. Some of the best songs are done very fast! But some need to just bake for awhile… Speaking of baking, I smell cookies, I will be back later.

New CDs… more music

allan — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:42:21 +0000

Allan is in the studio working on the final songs for his new CD to be released this year. It has been difficult to pick the final songs because now here are so many to pick from. I have had a huge amount of song writing, and now there is enough material for about 3 CDs. So I hope to get the 1st batch of 8-10 tunes on CD with new artwork and publish it this summer! Some other talented artists will be working with Allan on this project. Stay tuned for more details.

Snowbound Winter

allan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:08:44 +0000

Snow… and more snow, and then some more snow on the way. It has just been crazy. It is beautiful to see the snow falling, laying on the trees, and the ground and roads all perfectly painted white. There is something about the quiet power of snow, how it keeps you inside, you feel like nothing else needs to be done and you can hibernate for a bit. No going out anywhere to do any errands, just relaxing in your warm home. But being stuck in the house and studio with family, friends, loved ones …isn’t so bad really, it is a time to reflect, catch up on some sleep and of course slip away to the dungeon… sing, play and write songs!

I just finished a long and fun weekend of visiting with friends, watching the snow, sipping fine wine and of course eating like a king… what could be better? I also got to write some new songs, recored them, mixed, burned to cd, and listened to them upstairs by the fireplace… For now only some close friends and family have heard any of these new tunes. I am excited about the new sounds, songs and words and I look forward to sharing this new music with you soon. I hope you have also had a great start to 2010! jam on… aj

December 2009

allan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:37:54 +0000

Where has the past month gone? Where did the year go? How can it be Christmas? It is amazing how 2009 is already over… but it has been a pretty good year, no regrets and we just rock on! Time does fly, no question and there never seems to be enough time in a day to do all the things we would like to accomplish, but I am just thankful to be doing it!

Speaking of Christmas, I have been working on some other projects for music videos for new songs, as well as the song “Christmas Child”. “Christmas Child” is a song a I wrote when my son was 2 years old. I had just seen one of those TV documentaries on how hard it is for some children in the world, and it was terribly sad. I knew it was true, but to see more definite information was really moving and timely. As it was around Christmas time, and there was a contest on an internet Radio station for having an original Christmas song, so I set out to write a song for the radio contest. I wrote, recorded and mixed it the same day I heard about the contest, and sent it to them that night…

Well, since I had just been reminded about our little humans in the world, I wrote the song about how lucky some children are to be loved, be around love, and to have memories of that love during the holidays etc. Well, I also wrote it about what I had felt in my childhood at Christmas, and then also with my new 2 year old son! I happened to record his little voice in my studio on a pro mic with some reverb so he could hear himself and he was amazed. His big blue eyes opened wide as he heard his own voice on the recording, so he started trying to sing even more! So when I mixed the new Christmas song, I used his voice on the beginning and end of the song.

It did not win 1st prize because there was a rock band who did a cool version of Rudolph the red nose… and who can deny that classic song? But it did come in the top 10 best songs, and received lots of great feedback since it was on that radio station. Later in the next few years, the song has been pushed to the back of my priorities and now here in 2009, I thought wow I should really record that song, sing more vocals with it, possibly some female vocals as well, and re-mix it for a proper release. So as I have been in the studio working on a new version of that song, I also produced a 3D video that goes with the song which will be released as well. So if you get a chance during this busy holiday, take a listen to Christmas Child and see if it brings back any memories for you… Happy Christmas!

One more time Frank…. speaking of this time of year, I was invited to play one more show ( a special Friday night performance) at the Battletown Inn, so I took them up on that and I will be there on Dec 18th. I thought it would be fun and a nice way to end the year by doing some live solo guitars and keys and have some dinner, drinks and fun with friends and family. I will be playing Christmas Child song for the 1st time live.