This Ain't No Gig...It's an Insult!!

It's been a very uneventful week. Normally when I blog, I feel like I should be saying something profound, but I've been looking at other musicians' blogs, and I see that they write about ordinary things. My son is in band class. I'm extremely excited about him showing an interest in music, seeing as I've been hoping and praying for years that God would ignite a spark in him that triggers a passion for his old man's line of work. He's playing clarinet, a fairly difficult instrument to master, but he's also excited that Dad has a record coming out, so that helps. And of course, as in all of the other posts of mine, there’s the record. Thinking of cover art, and how it will all come together definitely makes it more of a reality. I’m just kinda stuck in a holding pattern. Do I go out and get a job? Do I have reliable musicians for my band? Do I keep playing my classic rock gigs now that I’ve recorded Christian music? There are so many questions I have. The classic rock gigs definitely help pay the bills, can’t dispute that, but I’m growing in a place where I’m not sure I can sing that stuff with conviction anymore, no matter what the pay. I try to look at it as just a job, just a gig, ya know, until the whole Benjamin Bitter thing gathers steam… but inside there’s a nagging…like if I meant what I said, and the commitment of my music to Christ is absolute, then I shouldn’t be singing “Take It On The Run”, or “Hurts So Good” in public anymore. This gift of God, these set of bizarre circumstances that have seen me sign a contract, record an album, and publish my original songs isn’t something I want to spit on. However, I do have a skill, and a gig is a gig, and bread is bread. So, who knows. Only God…that has mapped all of this out millenniums ago. Feel free to comment, and offer advice. Meanwhile, as far as non musical jobs go…I have a good lead on one. It will serve as a financial holding place for my career that is soon to begin, and will take a tremendous amount of pressure off of my wife, who is amazing (with God’s help) at making stone soup. It’s beyond comprehension what a blessing a patient, Godly wife is to a dreamer like me. I think I’m ready to give back.

-B

Art Start, Phase One Marketing, and Some More Unknown Phrases.

So a mix of the album is in my hands. There were a few changes that had to be made but other than that, it's a done deal. I'm listening through it right now as I write this, and there's one thing I know for sure. The enemy certainly knows how to discourage you. I'm not hearing this album as a triumph of my music career, I'm not hearing it as a good collection of songs that are geared toward pointing people to Christ, I'm hearing mistakes, vocal inconsistancies, an overall mix that isn't HQ enough for radio. So there's this war going on, because on the other side, there's TMG, my label, talking about Art start, and the first phase of marketing. The album has moved into design, where the cover art is being created, and the actual disc is being designed. It's all very exciting stuff, particularly the part about the album possible even being released in November. My family says this record is dynamite, but they're my family. Aren't they obligated to say that? I know how crafty the dark one is, and I just have to pray that this record does good for God by HIS power, not my musicianship or even Phase One Marketing. See ya soon!

B