Ever hopeful: Vague notions beyond the 1st Breakers

Image info: An image I took near the lake in autumn, where the coin now sleeps.

I apologize in advance as today is somewhat of a philosophical message of progress. Anything worth a damn in life is a challenge… it’s hard… you have to wake somedays staring at a huge wall of water, knowing it’s just going to crash on you and there’s nothing you can do about it. The shimmering ray of hope is just beyond that wall… your ability to see that, to believe in why your paddling at all, and to stand there defiantly while the wave crests over your head and her creeping shadow crosses your own before it all tumbles on you.. takes courage and conviction. Well, Diamonds Hadder feels like that sometimes. It’s like I’m paddling out over the swells and occasionally they kick me back a little, but, I am a little ways past the 1st breakers now. Dazed and confused, yet defiantly swimming with the taste of blood in my mouth and a focused rage and fire in my heart. Here’s a little Wednesday update on Hadder things. It’s been a very busy and uplifting week as I'm now adrift on a calm flat.

New Music: Life in the new tower is great. I love the place. All the little tools needed to complete this first big picture are scattered all around me. Spring has found it’s way into the tower… thanks to a few trips into the hills of Bok with my green thumbs. African Daisey’s are swaying in the tower to the delightful hum of “Long Is the Road” and “The Crying Game”. All focus is on the record now… the final push of it. "Long is the Road" is turning out to be one hell of a closer for the record. It’s in a little listening stage right now as I fine tune the end of the song and sculpt the build-out so to say. I seem to have rounded the corner on the solo section of the track and found a rather pleasant key of notes that seems to work. Maybe later in the week or next I’ll upload Video Sample #2.

I’ve talked about this before, but in order to finish the record and close it out, “The Crying Game" and “Ballad of the dead Rabbit” both have to be reopened and produced a bit, with some new re-sings. Both tracks will lose about 4 or 5 minutes off the DEMO versions as they will be condensed, less progy and more focused around the choruses. Both those tracks were recording in a different studio, saved from a studio that literally burned in the BOK fires of 2018, (an event that was actually prophesized in the lyrics of the dead rabbit) so they needed to be transferred to the new tower. I did “The Crying Game” this week… it was a lot of behind the scenes work.. it took 2 days to convert it over. My ears are a little more in tune these days and I’ve already taken the track down quite a bit, it sounds like a song now and not a 13-minute opus. “The Dead Rabbit” will go through the same process. I’m using these little breaks between tracking work on “Long is the Road” to accomplish this final work. I’m not taking on any new tracks or material… this last push will close this record out. I hope to be celebrating the completion of it in the coming months and move on to more fun things that come with a record release.

Ramsay/Evermore material is a little idle while I put all my energy into capping this first Hadder record. I will say I am very excited about the Ramsay side project and I do see something happening with it, perhaps as the year progresses things will become a little clearer on that front. Who knows maybe a tour with both projects could take place.. it’s a vague notion anyway.

Stargazer Crew: The “Headless Cross” and “Rainbow in the Dark” covers are moving along wonderfully. I’ve posted a few short videos of “Headless Cross” in my News section the last few weeks, just vocal mixes from my studio as I was tracking. Some “Rainbow in the Dark” clips will be coming soon as well… spending a little more time on this one as it’s such a famous song and it deserves a little extra vocal attention. This project is all just side work done during my break time from Hadder work. It’s fun and I’m honored to be a part of it. If you haven’t heard it yet, this group of fellows and I also did a cover of “Stargazer” from the Rainbow Rising record, you can find the track and the music video on the front page.

Last little things: Between the War in Ukraine and the return of the goat… it’s been a rather eventful spring to say the least. I did all the honest planting I could have done this past autumn, this winter was a bit unkind on some fronts.. but this spring is surely a truthful breath of fresh air. I’ve mended a few broken strings and dug a few new holes for next year while I was weeding the current flowers of the day. Now, before the fogs come this year, I’m settled in the tower, me and Ezra… and mattix..… doing my best to listen to the daises as they dance to the winds of change…as I stare out past this first row of breakers… at that next set in the distance… I’m hopeful… ever hopeful.

Prayers for all the people fighting for simpler things this day.

Video Info: A poem I wrote for "The Crying Game" that was based on the story of Niobe from Greek Mythology.

Farewell

-j

More important things.

Image info: An image from some comic strips I'm working on for the novel.

Good morning… so much is happening around here.. and not just with me. Let me give you a little update anyway as these little messages seem to ground me and keep me focused on the falls ahead.

Little things: To be honest my heart has been with Ukraine the last week or so… it brings a lot of perspective to my own life. I enjoy creating things and it’s a nice way to stay busy but when such things are going on, I do find it a bit ridiculous to talk about anything I’m doing. There are just way more important things going on. Life and death things. Having said that, life does still happen and so I suppose it’s all I can do right now to keep me sane. For that reason, it will be a short little update on music related things, as my heart is focused mostly on the people on the hillsides and the struggles they are facing these minutes and hours. I find myself looking for ways to jump a plane… to arrive there and do something… anything I can to help anyone. A smile, a hand, a hug… anything. Perspective is a funny thing… and ignorance is certainly a bliss. I appreciate anyone who reads my words… or who is interested in seeing if I’ll complete this painting… but during times like these, I’m reminded that my dreams and my paintings can wait… because there are way more important things to think about sometimes.

New Music: I have been tracking when I can and all focus is on “Long is the Road”, which BTW is very close to completion now. It seems to be my main stay in between watching the events unfold half a world away. I suppose it’s my therapy for now. I will complete this painting.

I think that’s it for today. Again, lets just all pray for the people who are suffering today and for an end to this war in the distance, as I will be.

Video Info: A random piece of a mix while I've been tracking for "Long is the Road", not sure if what will find it's way to the master track.. but this is certainly a picture of the idea and process. Still a ways to go on this, but the picture is coming into focus.

Thanks again for reading my own little things.

Godspeed.

-j

The Resistance: залишатися в безпеці

Image info: A walk in the woods near Remrod... the origin on the Black Bee or so I've heard.

Good morning, it’s Monday. Here in Bok the flowers come early along the coastline… and with that.. wild-life seems to be coming back as well. The willows on the hillside are still a month away from glory but it’s inevitable you know, change, growth.. the cycle. A lot is going on in the Hadder world, here’s a little update.. including a few more serious things regarding the smoke I see on the horizon and the war beyond these lands.

New Music: It was a very productive and busy weekend of tracking, 2 days on “Long is the Road”, the final track for the Hadder record, and then the 1st long vocal session on “Rainbow in the Dark”. I have some new mixes I’m dancing with this week.. a slow waltz...I’m playing a lot of guitar as I turn the bend on “Long is the Road” and begin recording solos this week.. I like to give my fingers a few days of tempo scales and key patterns to warm the digets before I start tracking such things… but so far so good. I’m made some progress already, just a day or two of tracking more and it should be complete on the solo front. Then it will enter some production days where I’ll start thinking about the arrangement of the song as a whole and refine it a bit, stepping aside from the individual instruments and parts and focusing on the string that runs through the song, start to finish. That’s the process. Very cool track, can’t wait to share it. The latest Evermore/Ramsay track called “Kind Winters” is on a kind Holiday, as I shift a little to get back to completing the record in my new tower and this last big push to complete it. The evermore/ramsay material is something that is just pleasantly happening along side the Hadder record. I'll return to kind winters some day this month and finish it up, not much left on that. Like I said, very busy week of tracking… I’ll be listening to all that work the next few days and steering the ship based on what I hear. I’ll try to share some audio and video things later in the week as some of the mixes have sections that are cool enough for a little 45 second video or two.

Website: So, yes, you may have noticed the news section when through a little Update visually. I’ve been wanting to do this for months and so last Friday, I finally sat with the idea and redesigned the layout. I just thought the old BLOG look was pretty lame looking and I wanted something a bit more animated and exciting looking. I designed a new video player and stretched out the canvas a bit allowing video and moving animations on the “Mobil” app as well… so the experience of it is quite simply, more “Fun” to look at. I mean what he hell else am I doing this all for, this is supposed to be fun and creative. The website is an extension of what I’m creating, it’s almost as important as the record to me, or at the very least another part of the big picture… yet to be completed but inching towards a more finished product. The record and the website feed the tour and the PR once I release the record. It all needs to come together around the same time. Next on the website will be the music page, which in time will get a more exciting look with each track having lyrics, audio, video and visuals to go along with them. I also have the “Field Notes” audio clips that are on my list, and just need some time to record them. I’m guessing that will be a little while as it’s just not high on my priority list. “Field Notes” are the ever-growing dialog and story of the Hadder Novel, which might become a play or opera or 2nd record. So there’s no hurry on it, I answer the call as the story unfolds during my hillside walks and nightly trips to dream land.

The War: I thought I would mention today, my grandfather was Ukrainian. I grew up eating a lot of polish and Ukrainian food but after him and my grandmother passed, my Ukrainian heritage seemed to vanish along with them. Always a mystery to me. I dreamed of going there one day to walk the earth in the hope I could connect some dots in my own life. It was on my list of things to do. I’ve been a little glued to the box lately watching the war playout on the distant hillside. To be honest I didn’t know much about the place… but wow, what an amazing people, I’m so honored to call myself part Ukrainian. Perhaps I know now where I get some of my fight from. Praying for them all.

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PS One last thing, I woke the other morning with two words floating in my head, “Todd Quist”, I have absolutely no idea why those words were dancing in my mind… but I reached for paper instantly and wrote them down. I don’t know what they mean yet.,.. but I know they mean something. I’m listening.

-j