Unanswered questions are what the road to a recording is made of. What songs belong here, what is the narrative spine of this music, how can the arrangements support the musical story etc. I'm not sure any artist is ever "sure" of where they are going when they start the journey. It's the unanswered questions that we are willing to ask that set our course and start to define the parameters of the communication.
In my case I have found that the eventual collection of songs is always like a recording of a specific place and time in my life. When I listen to my last few solo discs (available on itunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/micah-barnes/id211531143) they sound like pages torn from a personal journal. The songs map the emotional landscapes I was inhabiting at the time and draw a map of how I got to where I am now.
The new collection I am making is no different. Sure it's a collection of romantic songs about the complications of love..hence the working title "Rules Of Romance" ..But I don't know where this story starts and ends yet..
Taking the songs to the public is the best way to find out. It's in that interaction between singer and audience that the songs start to breathe and come to life. Then they clarify what they are meant to do in the world and create a space for themselves…begin to dictate where they belong and how they can best be presented.
I look forward to being on this journey with lots of you folks who have been there with me along the way. Lets find out together!
http://www.pubaret.com
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