Greetings!
Well, this is a newsletter with news. Go figure. Yes, I'm putting out some new stuff, well sort of. It's all the original CHA tracks, just remastered so it doesn't sound as harsh. Plus the new track Caught Half Alive! Some of you know that the tune has been on my BandCamp for some time, but now it'll be streamable. I'm really proud of how that song turned out, I hope you enjoy it. I've got a post coming tomorrow about the release, but I thought I'd clue you folks in first.
These songs represent a lot for me. These were among the first songs I had ever written, I probably had 10 songs written at the time of making this back in 2021. I hadn't even played a single show when these songs came out. I did it all DIY, which I'm glad I did because it got me started and has since graced me with many opportunities, but it also made me realize what I could do differently.
I won't lie, it's difficult for me to listen to these back, but I just wanted to make something back then, and I believe I should honour where I started. Moreover, that project introduced me to so many new supporters that I still am connected to today, in a way this project is greater than the sum of its content, and that's what I'm leaning on.
I suppose I'll also give ya a little life update and let you know what I've got going on, seeing as I haven't sent one of these since February. I was living in Invermere, BC up until the beginning of this month. It was great being in the mountains, but I felt was lacking the artistic community I had back in Ontario. Then, an opportunity fell into my lap.
Back in April, if you recall, I went on tour (mostly) through western Alberta with Amanda Penner and Sammy Volkov, both Edmonton-based artists. We had a ball, and for the duration of the tour I was staying with Amanda in Edmonton whenever we weren't on the road. Amanda and I got along real well, and did some writing. We wrote on song that we felt so strongly about, that we decided to start a duo project and name it after the song we had written, that song being Halfway Home. We recorded a live single-take demo in the living room, that will be linked for you to listen to at the end of the newsletter.
Well tour ended and I went back to Ontario for a bit, then drove across the country with my pops and returned to Invermere for the summer where I slung coffee and tried to get my finances back in check. I didn't really know what I wanted to do next, I had considered remaining in Invermere to work another winter at the mountain, I had even toyed with a move to Montreal, my heart wasn't really set on either. While all of this was going on, I felt like I wasn't really myself artistically, I hadn't been writing much, and the things I did write didn't feel adequate.
Then I went through a bit of a heartbreak (maybe a lot of one) in the beginning of August, and that kind of through me for a loop. In the aftermath of that, I took a couple days off work and threw myself into recording, which I hadn't done in close to a year at that point. I think a couple things came to a head.
I had been trying for the better part of 2 years to secure funding to record a new project, new singles, new anything. While the arts funding is a really great thing we have access to in Canada, if you don't get those grants it can really delay your work. And I had long since grown impatient.
I found myself really connecting with some of the songs I had written in years prior, namely my song Love Another Day. It just felt cathartic to perform and I the words I had written about a completely different situation year ago suddenly carried new weight and resonated with me more strongly than they ever had.
Something I picked up in my years since the first EP was this need for everything you make to be polished and professional and commercially viable. Even though I had proof that you can make something yourself and people will listen, I was stuck in this way of thinking that if music isn't made a certain way, then people won't listen. When I think of what I want, it doesn't line up with what making that "commercially viable" music gets you. I don't value fame, I don't care about being on the radio, or being a household name. I just want to make things I think are great, and for people to have the chance to hear it.
So I decided to record another EP. A shorter one, but in the same DIY vein as my last project. I've learned much more about recording, producing, and engineering, and for the first time I felt confident that I could make something by myself and be proud of it. Love Another Day will be the title of the EP, and the title song is already finished and mastered. I'm currently working on the second song For The Better which I anticipate to have done in the next weeks-or-so, as well as the 3rd and final song which I think will be Young Love Never Again. It'll be short and sweet, but more fleshed out that the Caught Half Alive tracks. As a goodie, I'll leave a SoundCloud streaming link for the Love Another Day master at the end of the newsletter. I'm hoping to have the whole EP released by mid-late October, fingers-crossed.
Okay now back to Halfway Home.
I had written a song with Amanda and we were super stoked about it, started a duo project, we weren't really sure what that was going to look like or how it was going to work, but we did it anyway. That was in April, fast forward to early-August. I had my little sad boy moment, and with that my idea to move to Montreal died, for now at least anyway. Simultaneously, Amanda, who was also thinking of a cross-country move, decided not to as well. I was on the phone with her one day and she ask me, "would you want to move to Edmonton?", and in the span of 10-minutes I thought, "Wow that's nuts. Wait that could be cool. Actually that might be a good idea. Hold on that could work. Actually this is a great idea." And so, we decided to move in together and get our duo project off the ground.
A little plug: Halfway Home are playing their first shows this weekend (September 21st and 22nd) in the Columbia Valley.
September 21st, Arrowhead Brewery in Invermere, BC. 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Rockin' in the Park at Legends Field in Radium Hot Springs, BC. 5:30pm - 6:15pm
September 22nd, Picnic Palooza at Fairmont Hotsprings Resort in Fairmont, BC. 3:00pm - 5:00pm
We're in the process of getting our social media made and some content generated, as well as get a Patreon started. We're trying to do music full time so and support of yours is greatly appreciated. Some things to look forward to are:
Halfway Home Videos - vlogs shot home video style where you can follow us through our week as a duo at home and on the road.
Patreon-only live streams - come see us perform some covers and originals once a month from our home.
Early access to new music, and more.
Speaking of Patreon, I've also launched my own. What you can expect on my Patreon is:
Guitar Coaching Sessions - I'll host a conference call where you can join and we can talk guitar. I can show you some of how I play, or we can just chat, there may be a theme for each session but it'll be a loosely structured.
Patreon-Only Live Streams - I'll finally be able to put this recording gear to good use in a live setting and bring you some high quality live streams.
Behind The Scenes Footage - I've already documented some of the process of recording Love Another Day, and that type of footage will be something I share regularly.
Production Break Downs - As I get more and more into recording and producing my own music, I'll post some production break downs, show you each part that makes up the song.
Weekly Mixes - As I work on music, I'll show you where I'm at in the process so you can see how productions grow and evolve over time.
Early Access - Hear finished music, or really anything I make, before it's released publicly.
Each page will run as a "pay-what-you-can" model, because I don't like the idea of a tiered system, although the minimum payment is $1.50 as per Patreon's rules. If you do choose to support myself or the duo project, I encourage you to only contribute what you see fit and what you're comfortable with, whether that's in the form of a cup of coffee per month, or filling the tour-mobile once a month.
I'm really excited to dive into music-making full time, and I think it's been a long time coming, and I owe it to myself and to you folks. Below you'll find the links to all the goodies for this newsletter, including the link to my Patreon page. Thank you all so much for your continued support, looking forward to moving through this next chapter with you all.
Halfway Home (Demo) - Halfway Home
Love Another Day (Unreleased master)
The Zackery Wilson Elliott Patreon
