RPM Challenge 2013 update

Well, not much of an update but here's what's going on.

I've been so swamped this February that it's only been the past few days I've been finally working on some music. Yeah. So an entire album by next week Thursday will be a stretch, but I'm not sweating it.

With my trusty ole digital 8-track being nearly full from music going back to 2006, it is time to upgrade to a USB interface and use the Mac.

Planned on spending $150 on my credit card (this month has been unfortunately lean), but went for the gusto and got a lower-grade interface than what I wanted, but it came with Pro Tools 9. So basically I got a killer deal on the software with a free USB interface.

However, we will need to update the OS, add more memory and clear off many gigs from the hardrive. So it will still be awhile before its up and running. But in the meantime I have been using GarageBand with decent results.

My first official recording project with it was almost a re-working of "Great Divide", a song from my 2009 RPM album. Been talking to a friend working on an independent movie as Music Supervisor and submitted several works. Said I could re-record "Great Divide" if need be, but turns out the original was not used for the film so glad I didn't burn a weekend trying to rush it.

However, the film will be using part of "House of Leaves pt. 1" for a scene, from my unfinished 2011 RPM album. Sweet! Unreleased music from an independent artist with no record deal or management getting into a film. Something I've been wanting to get more involved in, as a vehicle for getting my own music out there.

In the meantime Ocean of Stars is slowly taking form. Have gotten together with Derek the Sax Player individually to go over parts which went very well. Then got him and Ric Furley (drums) together and it also went very well! Slowly but surely, this is a band which has been years in the making, and bout time too. Been so busy with other projects and bill-paying that I just needed to carve out a dedicated chunk of my time to pursuing my own thing.

And another busy weekend (bring it on): Eric Tessmer Band playing BD Riley's tonight (9:30pm), Friends tomorrow early (7:30pm), and BD Riley's again Saturday (10:30pm).

And I still need to recap the last 2 weekends: Forever Town and Burning Avalanche in NOLA, and ETB at Saxon and in Dallas.

Coming soon.