The chorus spent the last few months preparing our first ever recording and music video. Whew! It’s been a whirlwind, but we had a blast! We recorded four of my original songs, and included instrumental accompaniment on three of them. Huge thanks to our musicians Darin Bergsven, Jeremy Craycraft, Mark Glen, and Nancy MacGibbon, and to the recording crew Jake Larson and Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart Recording Studio.

A big factor in keeping the chorus interesting and vital is to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can do. I don’t let the singers get too comfortable. The more we try the better we get. Recording was especially challenging. We were not only singing with a band, we were singing with recorded tracks. That is so much more challenging than making music with a person who is in the same room. There are no visual cues to help keep you in. Also, the tempo was quite a bit faster than my usual laid back style.

Because it was so difficult, the first recording session didn’t seem so fun. But, we could feel how hard we had worked, and how able the singers are to stretch and grow.

The video, on the other hand, was pure fun! Our videographer Daniel Oyinloye was so upbeat, funny, and kind, and we got to just play around. I can’t wait for this to hit the street, it’s a fun and funny concept, no big themes here.

Make sure to join us for the CD and video release concert, Saturday, November 4, 7:00pm, at Sir Ben’s here in Duluth. The concert is free and you can buy a copy of the CD for $5.