Here Comes An Album I've Been Waiting For!

What's up everybody? It is currently 9:10am on February 26th. I still haven't gone to bed yet from the previous day. Why? Fiddle.

It's not a big deal though. It's not often I stay up all night, but in the last 12 months I have spent a lot of time touring in a van and driving all night and I have become conditioned for this kind of thing. I can't do it all the time. Just when the situation calls for it. I joke with my friends about being solar powered. When the sun comes up, I always get a second wind that lasts me through the rest of the day. And I'll sleep good tonight.

This whole experience has built another house on Memory Lane. This is the sixth time I have been in a studio and for those of you who know me, you know that I'm a studio rat. I love the creativity that happens in there and it is especially nice when you are accompanied with talented individuals who understand their craft. Out of all the times I've recorded before, this experience has definitely been the one where every time I thought I knew what was happening, God changed the plan. But of course the end result... I believe this to be my strongest record yet.

Since being here, I have seen and done so many things that have had nothing to do with my album. It seems that God keeps putting me in situations where he wants me to serve others. In the process, my album is still close to completion and I'm pretty sure that most of you will be pleased by the sounds. I've waited over a year to finally release a full length album, and now it is right around the corner.

Since I arrived, the family I have been staying with has been going through multiple family crisis' and any one of these things on their own would be bad enough, but at this point they are all piling up, and it has been wearing down on the members of this family. The father is a Christian single parent trying to raise two early-teenage sons and is experiencing attacks from all different angles in his life. For the sake of this family's privacy, I will spare you the details but I can tell you that they are going through a horrible ordeal, and though at times I feel like my presence here is insignificant, I'm glad that I can at least help them with what I can, and pray with them. I hope that God uses me to encourage them.

The engineer on this project is Doug, an old friend of mine from back in my teen years who spent a great deal of time building a studio career in Times Square, New York where he worked for one of the most historic recording studios in the industry. God led him out to Arizona where he is taking that experience to help artists out here get their music out fairly inexpensively with a huge "label" sound. Because he is not charging the price that his experience and time are really worth, he is also supplementing his income as a subcontracting pool table technician. While I've been here, Doug has had four studio projects going at once while sitting on several pool table projects, while recently finding out that he was going to have to move out of his house to a new place! He works really hard and does very well at what he does, but I worry for my friend as I am afraid that he is going to burn himself out. I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to help him. While he has been working on my album, I've been helping him move as well as helping with the pool table work.

One of Doug's friend's, is a young lady who works at a convenience store next to the studio. She is not a follower of Christ (YET), but has really been backhanded by the circumstances in her life. She has struggled through drug addictions as a teen which resulted in some permanent physical conditions that can sometimes completely hinder her from living a normal life. For a few months, Doug has gone in and bought coffee there and has talked with her and struck up a pseudo friendship with her. When I got a chance to meet her (during a coffee break), she explained to Doug and I how she was getting out of a harmful roommate situation and had gotten an apartment not far from the studio. Her problem was that she didn't have anyone to help her move. She only had just a few boxes but some were fairly heavy. Doug immediately spoke up and volunteered us to help.

That's what I love about Doug. Doug is sincerely a man who, if there was only one apple left in the world, he would choose to feed someone else rather than himself. You are all my friends, so I confess to you, that in my flesh I do not always display that kind of mercy. It's definitely something the Lord is working with me on. So as you can imagine, my flesh rose up and then sunk inside when I heard Doug say that we could help her move. In my mind I said, "I just met this strange girl at the gas station next door and now I'm getting dragged to go help her? I've got music to record! I don't even know her. It's not my problem." Then I thought about Jesus sending his disciples in two's. I figured if I went, then it would give accountability as well as maybe just hurry the thing along. Isn't it ironic how flesh can work sometimes? We find ourselves occasionally saying, "I don't have time to help this person! I have to attend to my music ministry!" She called her dad, and then Doug and I drove over together in Doug's car to her dad's house where we got to help both of them move a few things over. In the process, I got to tell the father where I was from and what I was doing in Arizona, and even got to share that I was a Christian. Since then, Doug and I have seen this girl when we go to buy a coffee next door and each time I look for the small windows of opportunity to share the light of Christ. I've been able to share about my wife Shanon and the benefits of a stable Christian marriage. Hopefully the memory of the two musicians next door lending a helping hand will just be one of the many things that God uses to draw this young lady into the Kingdom. Pray for her. Her name is Lauren.

When I arrived here, Doug informed me that the violinist that he had planned on bringing in for the album had torn a ligament in her hand and was not able to play. I found myself praying and praying for God to send someone to fill the role. I had no budget for this, and everyone who played on the album volunteered their time, so I was looking for a skillful player who would be able to work within our not so vast budget. The girl who had torn her hand was Heidi, a full time violin player here in Phoenix. Her life is her instrument. She as well was not a Christian, and I found myself praying that God would heal her hand and allow her to come play the music so that she may hear the message in the music and come to know Jesus as her Savior.

One morning I was getting ready to leave for the studio and I was praying for just that when she called Doug on his cell phone and told him that she was able to play her violin that day. She had not been able to play it since Christmas. She had been able to play for a few minutes and said that she would come by the studio to see us. I was excited and was happy to meet her. I gave a few songs to listen to with the lyrics and chord sheets. My prayers continued. She later came back into the studio after feeling that her hand was getting stronger. She had been playing for longer times each day and was ready to track. Unfortunately, when she did, she felt that her hand was getting sore and we had to reschedule. Shortly after, her doctor insisted that she get back into a hard brace again. This was disappointing to me, but my faith hasn't wavered. Her hand IS getting better, and I hope that the copies of my music that she now has will encourage her while she is down. Heidi is an amazing person. Pray for her.

So now what? Well Doug put an ad onto Craig's List for a skillful violin or fiddle player who would be willing to play on my stuff in exchange for some free studio time. Enter in Scott Jeffers. Scott is one of the best fiddle players I have ever had the chance to play with. He lives here in Phoenix and plays in a band called Traveler that mostly plays a blend of fusion and world music. He is quite well known to this local area and had a very impressive demo. Mr. Jeffers came in last night at about 1:30 in the morning and played fiddle on my song, "Image." He is a first class musician and an extremely easy guy to get along with. Scott did a fantastic job and after he was done we got to sit for a while and talk. I really enjoyed our conversation and I hope to be able to call on him again the next time through.

So now today we are tired but the end is finally in sight. We finish mixing today and the mastering of this project starts tomorrow. I'm leaving Arizona and going back home to Tennessee on Wednesday to be reunited with my wife and to enjoy some time off for her birthday. Keep checking back for more updates on the new album, release dates, and stuff like that.

God bless you all and thank you for your prayerful support.

In Jesus,
SL

Time To Recharge

It has been a long time since my last blog. I apologize to the people who followed a lot of my adventures throughout 2009. It was such an experience for me last year to be able to tour around and play my music. I spent the better part of four months on the road last year, recorded a EP, moved to Tennessee, and got a single on some radio stations. Not bad for my first year as a solo act. God is great!


Now we are a month into 2010, and I am writing this from a house in Phoenix, Arizona. I arrived hear yesterday, and today I start recording my first full length album. Some Christian brothers I know operate one of the nicer recording studios in this area called Fire Power Music. They have felt led to give to my ministry by flying me out to Phoenix and giving me free recording time. They have brought on a whole cast of extremely talented session musicians to play on the album, and I will be here for exactly a month. This is time I plan on using wisely.


This is going to be a time of my life for a recharge. I have felt that God has been laying on my heart that this is going to be a great time of spiritual and ministry growth. A chance to do nothing else, but record the music He has given me, and to pray... a lot. To spend a good amount of time each morning in His word and to seek His face. To grow closer than before. To know Him more intimately. Then through His power, guidance, and blessing, record an album that will glorify Him and through music draw many to His throne.


Today and tomorrow we are laying down the rhythm tracks. I'll be tracking my guitar and vocals before everybody else comes in and does their thing. There are violin players, a sax player, horn section, background singers, etc.

I'm looking at a 10 song album which will feature the three songs from my EP that came out last summer as well as 7 other tracks. When I get back to Tennessee in March, the album will get duplicated and then we'll talk about a release date. I've been burned before by giving out release dates and then not being able to deliver and those days are over. I can assure you though that my goal is no later than this Spring. It's all in God's timing anyway.

Phoenix is beautiful. The people here are extremely friendly, the landscape is breath taking, and it is surprisingly not that expensive to live here. For all intents and purposes, it is reasonably similar to Tennessee. Keep in mind, I used to live in Maine. A lot of things seem cheaper now.

In the upcoming days and weeks, I'll be posting A LOT of YouTube videos from the studio. Stay tuned! :)

Goodbye Maine... You're Not That Bad

It's amazing how fast the mental climate can change in our thought process when placed in different circumstances. I, for example, have grown up in the state of Maine and have lived there all of my 31 years. Ever since the age of 12, I have been waiting for my time to leave and move south. I have never been a winter person, I don't particularly find the cost of living feasible, I do not agree with the political mindset, and most of all as a performer the opportunities to do what you love are few and far between. Still though, on this last day in Maine, walking on Crescent Beach with my wife, I found myself shedding a tear. I felt the overwhelming change that was about to transpire in our lives as I watched the waves roll in and I realized that this was going to be the last time I saw the ocean for a long while. Now that I reside in Tennessee I am very excited about the new chapter in my life. This is my dream coming true. I'm not touring here anymore but rather I'm living here. That's a huge blessing. The ironic thing is that when I look at this picture of our last day in Maine my heart starts to bend just a little. I think of the ocean and the tranquility it can bring when you just sit back, close your eyes, and listen. I think of my wife and I having our traditional weekly picnic on Crescent Beach eating the Maine exclusive "Italian sandwich," made famous by Amato's Sandwich Shop. I think of our families left behind and the relatives that I haven't seen in a while that I wish I had gotten the chance to say goodbye to in person. I think of the many friends that I've been blessed with and my heart breaks that they are not here in Chattanooga with me. People may say that you can always make new friends. While I believe that to be true, I also know that the friends that I have are the kind of friends that I have been investing my heart into for years. Those kinds of friendships do not develop over night.

I think another reason why I miss Maine a little is because, while hating it growing up, I haven't minded it as much over the last several years and I owe that all to my wife Shanon. My relationship with my wife taught me to bring new association to the things of Maine. I think of Fall time in Maine when her and I first started dating and started our tradition of apple picking together each year.

It was because of Shanon that I stopped thinking of the county fairs as hokey and enjoyed walking around hand and hand with her looking at farm animals and riding a ferris wheel. The best Saturday in the world was spent in the summer time at Old Orchard Beach having a picnic with her and going wake boarding in the ocean, then sitting down with some pier fries and the best fried dough on the planet. It was a chilly night in November of 2003 when I proposed to her on that beach. We were the only ones there.

Could it be that we are in unfamiliar territory with very few people that we know and that is why I am reminiscing as much as I am? More than likely. I know that we are embarking on the adventure of our lives together. I was grateful that we were able to drive around and visit some of our favorite places in Maine before leaving the next day. I hope I have the same feelings for the northeast when we return in the summer next year.

It will take a while to adjust but we know that the Lord has led us here and we are trusting that He will help us settle. I feel like a child standing at the beginning of a long road and I'm not sure what is at the end of it. I can't see the obstacles and the gate is shut behind me. I also know that my Father has taken my hand and has lovingly said, "Let's go."

Andrew Peterson wrote these lyrics and my wife and I listened to this song as we drove away from our friends and left Maine in the still quiet of the night...

"Sarah, take me by my arm
Tomorrow we are Canaan bound
Where westward sails the golden sun
And Hebron's hills are amber crowned
So bid your troubled heart be still
The grass, they say, is soft and green
The trees are tall and honey-filled
So, Sarah, come and walk with me
Like the stars across the heavens flung
Like water in the desert sprung
Like the grains of sand, our many sons
Oh, Sarah, fair and barren one
Come to Canaan, come
I trembled at the voice of God
A voice of love and thunder deep
With love He means to save us all
And Love has chosen you and me
Long after we are dead and gone
A thousand years our tale be sung
How faith compelled and bore us on
How barren Sarah bore a son
So come to Canaan, come
Where westward sails the golden sun
And Hebron's hills are amber crowned
Oh, Sarah, take me by my arm
Tomorrow we are Canaan Bound"














Good Bye Maine....

A Big Storm, A Healthy Mouth, NC, And Upcoming Tours

Hey guys,

I hope everyone is doing okay. Right now I am writing this from my new place in Chattanooga where we are getting slammed right now by a huge thunder storm. It is a sheet of rain and hail outside with very loud thunder, very bright lightening, and winds up to 60 mph. In Maine we would be pretty impressed by this.

Yesterday I had my first ever surgery. It wasn't anything huge. I had to have a wisdom tooth removed. Still though, it was a little nerve wracking as I have never had to have a medical procedure done before. It went very well though, and I was surprised how quick it all went down. I laid back, they gave me an I.V. and I was asleep in minutes. I actually dreamt a little, and then before you knew it, they were waking me up and telling me that it was all over. I was surprised that they were done already and also at how alert I was afterwards. According to the nurse and the paperwork that they gave me, I was supposed to stay pretty knocked out for the remainder of the day. To be honest I felt great. I had no more pain and I was alert for the rest of the day until I went to bed regularly that night. I do have to remain on a soft food diet for the next few days and I'm already tired of yogurt. I need more soft food ideas. The good news is that there is no more pain! God is great. Now if I can avoid any more surgeries I will be a happy camper. Thanks for your prayers.

The storm is quieting down...

Now that the medical obstacle is out of the way I have started working on the whole reason I moved here; the music. I've been spending today networking with some other musicians in the area. Today I got to meet Chris Sorenson who himself was a New England performer who decided to move to Chattanooga a little over a week ago. He plays in a band called Even Song Rising who according to him just recently signed with the same label Phil Keaggy is on. He is also a pastor and is starting a church plant here in Chattanooga. Very nice guy.

I've also been booking some local shows in the area as well so keep in eye on the site for upcoming dates. I hope to see all on the road soon. For my folks in the northeast, don't worry, I won't be away forever. I've been given some invitations to come back and do some touring in the area so keep checking back for New England dates as well.

If you live in a place where you can buy a gallon of Mayfield Brewed Sweet Tea, DO IT! It's awesome!

Now it's sunny outside. Storms move fast here!

Love you guys!
SL

A Few Snags Along The Way

Through out this year I have made a few different trips to Chattanooga, TN. Usually I have been touring and using Chattanooga as a base camp when I wasn't playing. Each trip I have taken has always been uniquely different. The first time was filled with awe and wonder. I was seeing TN for the first time and I was taken by the state's beauty and the amount of opportunity this area brings for an artist. I will remember that time for the fun I had discovering the area with my road manager Ken and percussion player John. On the second trip I took my long time friend Jason with me and introduced him to the area as well. At that point I started becoming more aware of my surroundings and I became better at navigating around the area. This time has been vastly different. I came down here for the purpose of not only playing some shows but also finding a house for, my wife, Shanon and I to live in. I brought my father with me as he wanted to check the scene out as well. This trip has been very different when you look at some of the snags along the way. Along with the snags though you also need to see the blessings that have come with them. God has definitely shown his hand at work.

I won't take you through the long detailed story of this trip but I will give you a few key points and ask for prayer.

I have a place in Chattanooga and am now a resident. I'll be heading back to Maine in a week to drive a moving truck down here with Shanon. Pray for that trip.

For the first time in my life I have to get put under the knife tomorrow as I have to have a wisdom tooth that broke some time ago cut out of my mouth. For those of you who have ever had extreme tooth pain you can probably identify that one tooth can bring you down to the ground. Several days ago a dentist here in Chattanooga tried to extract the tooth but after 8 Novocain shots could still not numb the area enough where I didn't feel the pain of him tugging at the tooth. He finally sent me to an oral surgeon who took x-rays and said the only way the tooth was getting out was to cut it out. I realize that this is a pretty standard procedure for many. My problem is that I have never in my life ever needed anything done by a dentist or doctor like this. I received check ups as a kid growing up, but once I became an adult I never saw a doctor unless I had to. I never had to and therefore haven't seen any.

Something you may not know of me is that I'm also kind of a needle phobe. I hate needles almost to an irrational fault. Tomorrow I will be given an iv and put to sleep while they cut this tooth out. I ask you again to pray for me. Ask God to give me the strength I need to make it through the procedure. Yes I AM a wimp.

Lastly, my road manager, Ken, was recently burglarized. Someone broke into his home while he and his wife were gone and literally took everything they have. Almost nothing is left. Everything from Ken's music gear to his photography gear, to their lifetime collection of DVDs are gone. Nothing was left behind and they were not insured. Pray that God would give Ken and his wife Melissa strength at this time and direction on what the next move is.

I will tell you that through all that has transpired while I've been down here over the last few weeks, I have seen God work through everything and continue to see him working in all things. I thank you all for your prayerful support. Please continue to pray for my wife and I, and those who have been a part of my team.

I'll write more after my operation. Give me a few days to shake it off. Then I'll give you the 411 on some cool things happening with my music and we'll get this thing back on track.

Love you guys,
SL

Back To The Blog And Back In Chatt

Hey guys!

Well I know that it has been a long time since I blogged and I know some of you have been emailing me wondering when I was going to wake up and start typing again. Over the last few weeks I have been in a period of a lot of transition. I just rolled back into Chattanooga, TN last Friday and officially made it my home on Saturday. Yes... I now live in Chattanooga, TN.

I haven't had Internet for over a week or I would have been keeping you all up to date on my travels so far. I currently am sitting in the greatest coffee shop in the world. Many of you who have followed my blog have seen me talk about Chattz in Chattanooga. I'm sitting there as I write this, drinking my favorite Chai tea, and getting some work done.

My wife, Shanon, is currently back in Maine and we'll be moving all of our stuff here in just a few weeks. In the meantime, I'm getting things prepared in our new place. I love our new place!

I got the chance to play in Bowling Green, KY this past weekend at Rolling Hills Community Church. That was my second time there this year and I really have enjoyed and connected with that fellowship of people. Pastor Ryan Smith is a great man of God with a huge heart and a lot of vision.

Today is one of the first days that I haven't been on the run and now that I'm able to just sit down at Chattz, I'm starting to process the fact that I live here now. I'm no longer in Chattanooga just as a tourist or a northeast performer on tour. I'm a resident.

Not even a year ago, I was in Maine, performing in a band called New Mercy Morning, and working for a Christian rock radio station. I knew then that God was telling me that it was time to leave everything behind and step forward to the next part of my life. After a couple of tours and a lot of bridge building it is done. I'm looking out through the windows of Chattz at downtown Chattanooga and realizing that this is home. After 31 years in Maine, now THIS is home. If anyone ever says that a walk with the Lord isn't adventurous, I tend to disagree.

I have a lot of cherished memories from Maine and will always try to get back atleast once a year. Maine has it's share of great talent and an abundance of Christian radio, but for some reason, the ability to work full time in music has never been afforded to most people. If God calls you to do this full time then you need to be in a place conducive with that calling. Fishermen can not catch fish in the desert. They have to go where there is water.

I'll be updating the blog again on a regular basis. More videos will be up soon from the shows down here as well as some more "Waking Ken" videos if I can sneak into his house. :)

God bless!
SL

Updates, Hot Weather, New Tour later this Summer, and a New Single!

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't been as aggressive with the blog lately. This really hasn't been a "tour" as much as it has been another step towards moving to Tennessee. I can honestly say that, at this point, I really am living with one foot in Maine and one foot in Tennessee. I didn't come down here this time to necessarily tour the whole mid-south but more to play a few shows in the area and continue to transition to Chattanooga. Therefore, there has not really been a lot to talk about. I know many of you have been waiting patiently for some new videos and such, so I apologize for the lack of. It's just that I've been doing less tourist-like activities and more "just living here." I mean who really wants to watch videos of me going to a laundry mat?

For those of you who love to follow what I am doing through YouTube and watching all of the different places I go, do not worry. I'll be heading back out on tour August through September. I'll be playing in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, etc. This will be a great tour and I'm really looking forward to getting back out on the road and doing some actual traveling. Tentatively, I will be bringing a 3 piece band with me for the first part of the tour and I'm excited to liven some things up. Personally, I will also be getting things prepared in Chattanooga to finally move down weeks after.

It cracks me up how I keep hearing from people back in Maine about how cold it has been. It has never gotten any lower than 80 while I've been in Tennesee but back in Maine there has been an onslaught of 50 degree weather and a lot of rain. So much for enjoying the beach.

Lastly, I'm extremely excited to say that my new single, "Representin," has officially been released. I hope that radio stations everywhere will pick up on it. The song has a great message and a cool groove, and the recording quality on this new EP is the best I've ever had. It's great production and I hope that everyone will pick up a copy of the new EP.

It's been humbling and kind of surreal to go to a digital radio distribution site and see my song listed with other artists such as Skillet, Tammy Trent, and Addison Road. I hope that stations hear it and play it. Coming off of thirteen years in radio I understand that the opportunity to get your single played on Christian radio is usually slim to none. That's why we see so many of these "crossover" artists.

Quite honestly it's going to take you guys to help. Call your Christian radio everywhere and request "Representin" by Scott Logan. It's out there and availalbe to them. We just need them to play it.

Talk to you all later,
SL