After years of working alongside, and learning from, great producers like David Browning (Disney/NFL Monday Night Football), Nathan Nockels (WaterMark/Passion), Ian Eskelin (Francesca Battistelli/All Star United), and Brown Bannister (Amy Grant/Steven Curtis Chapman), I’ve decided to finally make my, long overdue, mark in the world of producing. So here we go…
For more information, Check out: http://chrislockwoodmusic.com/epic-productions/
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You know what they say, “God works in mysterious ways”. So last night I’m working on the “music production” page for my website, getting all my ducks in a row, ready to 0pen up for business as a fully functioning “production company”. It’s not ready yet, so I don’t post it (it’s still not up yet, so don’t bother looking for it). I walk downstairs, grab a bite to eat, walk up stairs to continue my work, and there’s an email… an email from a band out of Ohio that would like for me to produce their project. I freak, thinking, “Crap! I posted the page, it’s not ready!”. I go, I look, it’s not posted. “Whew.”, but wait. I’m confused, how did they know to contact me? Were they watching me, aware of my preparations? What just happened?
I guess James Earl Jones was right… “If you build it, they will come”. Who knew!
Whatever God may put on your heart to go after… start putting one foot in front of the other, and watch the doors fling themselves open before you.
LWood
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Never saw myself going back to my Alma Mater to do any sort of teaching, but… it happened. I had the privilege of sitting with some of the University of Mobile’s most gifted guitarists and talking… well, guitar, of course. It’s funny, when you work, doing whatever it is you do, you don’t realize that maybe along the way you figured some things out. I guess I have, or maybe I’ve just fooled the crap out of everybody… who knows. Trying to cover everything I could in an hour and a half was like training for the Olympics in 4 weeks, but, if anything, my hope is that they are a little inspired to work for their goals and dreams than they were when they woke up on Wednesday morning. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Working your tail off, making the utmost of every shot thrown at you, and being a good chap as you do it. I think there’s GREAT potential in all of us… the question is are we gonna go for it with all we’ve got or just sit back and wish? Steve Jobs didn’t just turn Apple into the monster trend setter for technology that it is… he worked to make it what it is. The same can be said of Bill Gates, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jay Leno, the Dalai Lama, etc, etc, etc. Anybody that’s done anything significant and even life changing did it more in light of the days before in preparation and study, and the one’s that stay on top are the one’s that keep working to stay on top. I loved hanging out these guys. I wish them many blessings and success along the way and that they find their stride and not let anything hold them back… not even themselves.
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So I found this video. Michael is the frontman of the folky, rocky, classically charged group, Gungor. They’re fantastic. If I were gonna be honest, I’m bored after 1 song, but their musicianship and drive for excellence is something I can get behind. I found this video of Gungor playing “The Big Church Day Out 2012″. If you’re looking for something unique and interesting for a change… this should do you good.
Michael and his wife, Lisa, write pretty much everything, so they’re definitely a match made in heaven… if you will. You’ll also enjoy Michael’s musicianship on the guitar. There are few in the CCM world that I would brag on, but he’s one for sure. Enjoy…
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Yesterday I was in the studio and was asked if I have any new guitar toys. The answer is no… first because I am frugal… but more importantly… because I don’t need it. Usually when I see a guitarist with an oversized pedalboard, I typically think he’s either a fulltime session guy or is overcompensating for what he lacks in his playing. Typically, it’s the latter… since fulltime session guys are few and far between.
Here’s my advice. Learn to make the most with as little as possible. Great guitar moments come from great players through and through. You can’t fake being a great musician no matter how much crap you have on your pedalboard, how many amps you have, and so on. There are those rare occasions where the player is just OK, but his creativity is so great that it helps balance what he’s lacking in his performance. The best option is to be strong in both areas.
My encouragement is that you buy fewer things but higher quality. Two great guitars, one great amp, and a few quality pedals in the hands of a great musician/player can go a long way.
Great moments are not usually achieved through luck or mediocrity… there’s usually hours and hours of sacrifice and hard work that took place beforehand. So save your money, do your homework, and work your butt off…
LWood
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Had the privilege of playing guitar for an arrangement of “How Great Thou Art” at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, TN. It was arranged by Mark Miller, who has a pretty extensive resume in the CCM market. I thought I’d share the video with you.
If you’re interested in something like this, check out http://www.stikyard.com/ … it’s killer.
The audience went nuts… it would be WELL worth the investment. Enjoy!
LWood
How Great Thou Art by World Outreach Church featuring StikYard from World Outreach Church on Vimeo.
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It’s been a long 2012 and I’m exhausted from it. How bout you??? The biggest news for me and my family was the birth of my boy, William Samuel. He’s our second child, and he’s a little stud. Watching the interaction between him and my daughter, Ella, has kept the house pretty entertaining all year. Music-wise…. I recorded my first EP “Coming Alive”, and recorded 33mile’s new album “Let it be Glory”. The fact that I can make a living making music??? That still shocks me. I never take that for granted because I am all too familiar with the many pangs it requires to survive in this music industry thing.
I could ramble on about all the lessons learned throughout this year, my goals for the new year, or whatever people say during these types of blogs, but that’s not really what I want to do here. All I want to say is I hope you all feel love and feel loved. I’m realizing that, through all of the successes and failures, life without friends, family, and Jesus (if you believe in him), feels pretty empty and pointless. Love gives us hope, gives us joy, gives us meaning, drive to what we do and why we do it.
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret… I play music on stage, sign autographs, have a good reputation in my line of business… but most days, I feel completely alone and empty… if I didn’t have my wife, my precious babies, my parents, my few yet significant friends, and the hope of the Gospel… I’d probably be happy to end things. I need love.
I have a feeling we’re not all that different either… I’m willing to bet we all need love. I hope you feel it. Screw working out, screw making more money, forget about your 401K or Roth bringing you absolute happiness.
This year seek to find and give love.
Happy New Year…
LWood
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I’m just sitting here on a cold overcast Christmas Day, enjoying the fire, coffee, my family, and A Christmas Story again. I’m sure we’ll be running Christmas movies all day.
I’m not gonna lie… it’s been a long year, but for whatever reason Christmas seems to help me realize that life’s not all that bad. I’ve got an amazing wife, 2 precious children, family, some of the dearest friends a guy could ask for, and I continue to make a living doing what I dreamed since I can remember. It’s not all that glamorous most days, but I can’t complain.
Most important is the amazing gift of salvation in Jesus Christ… that’s really what Christmas points towards. I don’t understand why people love to hate somebody who would die for their benefit, but I don’t claim to know much so that will remain a mystery.
Regardless… I hope you all have a fantastic time with your loved ones this season.
My mind is heavy on music… its gonna be a good year.
Merry Christmas to you all….
LWood
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This has been one of the most tragic and shocking weeks this country has ever experienced in its history. My heart goes out to all who lost their babies and loved ones. I can’t even begin to imagine what they are facing. We’ve all lost loved ones in one way or another, but very few experience it in such a way as these sweet folks. Regardless, let this be a wake up call to us all, to make the most of the moments we’re privileged with each day. You never really know what a day may bring, what road lies ahead. In light of that, what would you do differently? Would you run another marathon, make more money, buy a bigger house, invest more in the stock market? My guess is that those would be the furthest sorts of things from our minds. I’m willing to bet that most of us would find ourselves holding loosely to things and holding onto those we love all the more tightly. That’s what I found myself doing as I watched the story unfold.
Let me bring to your attention that as the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary becomes a memory for the rest of the country, it will remain for quite some time an unfortunate reality for parents, children, family, and friends of those who lost their lives in Connecticut. Try saying a prayer for them rather wasting words on debates about gun control and all the messy conflicts this is gonna cause in this already intensely divided nation. We need more of that than we do opinions. Prayer unites people… opinions separate people. Look around… this broken USA could use some unity. In light of that, it’s pretty silly that we would stop praying, being one of the few things that actually brings people together. There will always be difficulties to be faced, but to a people truly united in love it will only feel like a finger prick opposed to a broken back. I would imagine that the sincere acts of kindness and prayers are far more important to the parents of those 20 children than our opinions. Why wait for tragedy to strike? Let us begin to truly, and purely, love one another, for that’s really what matters most in life. Blessings to the people of Newtown, Connecticut.
LWood
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I just received an email from the team leader for my trip to NYC. We’re flying out next Tuesday, December 4th, for a week, to offer a little help and hope to the Rockaway Beach region. New York, honestly, is my favorite place in the whole world, but this time my trip is not about Broadway, Rockefeller, great jazz music, etc… it’s about hurting people… people who lost EVERYTHING. Hurricane Sandy has definitely left her mark on the Northeast, but we have the opportunity to leave an even BIGGER impression.
When I first recorded my EP “Coming Alive” it was about creating a residual income, but I feel like I’ve been given a vision for what music can really be about. I know music impacts people emotionally, but now I’m really beginning to see how it can be a catalyst for helping meet the basic needs of people along life’s journey. I’ve been in partnership with Food for the Hungry for 5 years now, an amazing organization, tackling poverty and world hunger, but due to the separation factor it’s hard to see the fruits of your efforts sometimes, but I know they’re making a difference one child at a time. Our efforts may not be completely obvious sometimes, but I believe that even the smallest efforts to selflessly love and give will go much further than we can anticipate most times.
I am not wealthy, by any means, but my family is fine, we’re fed and clothed. Therefore, we won’t take ANY of the proceeds from the digital downloads of “Coming Alive” (www.ChrisLockwoodMusic.com) this holiday season. It will ALL go towards New York Dream Center’s efforts in rebuilding the lives and community of Rockaway Beach, Queens. PLEASE… TWEET/RETWEET/FACEBOOK/EMAIL/TALK… WHATEVER. Help me show a little, or a lot, of love this Christmas… it’s up to us. There’s still MUCH to be done and relief efforts are starting to slow, leaving people feeling forgotten and hopeless… I keep asking myself, “What if this was me? What if everything was literally swept right up from under me?” Any help I could get would mean the world to me. What about you?
Here’s one of the latest blogs from NYC Dream Center (http://nydc.tv/2012/11/rockaway-relief-for-the-week/). I hope you’ll help.
If you want to donate. Just download “Coming Alive”… you get new music… others receive hope. Thanks.
LWood
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