Plans for 2024

I have plans for 2024! 

That's a good start isn't it? But, 'What are these plans?' is the next obvious question. 

And I don't think it's too big a stretch to guess that it will involve releasing more new music.

But before I get into that, I want to say thank you to all of you who gave my latest album 'Those Were The Days' a listen, even if it was only once! 

Releasing my music has been a big highlight for me in 2023 and whilst it was both hard work and a seemingly impossible task, the proof is out there for the world to hear - if they want to 😁.

- But what of this year?

Well, as I've said, more new music is planned and I'm excited for you all to hear it. 

- What can you expect this time around?

I'm going to be releasing an EP of either 4 or 5 songs this time. It's not that I don't have the songs for a complete album, it's just that the process of recording and releasing the music does take time and I want to be able to get new stuff out earlier on in the year.

Yes, I could release a single every few months, but I much prefer to release a bunch of songs as a complete  project, with maybe one single as a pre-release. I loved albums growing up, so this is a nice compromise for me.

I also want to try a few more experimental things as well and release those too. As to what and how - well that really is going to be a 'Watch This Space'!

- When can we hear this new music?

That of course is a big question. 

I hope that it will be in the first half of this year. But I also don't want to set any targets and not hit them. As you've probably already discovered, I'm not a full-time musician so I can't exactly devote all my time to this. 

And without moaning about it, I've been having a bit of a flare-up with my Crohn's disease recently that has had some impact on my day to day. 

- Have you started recording yet?

Yes!! I've just finished what I call 'pre-production'. 

This has involved...

• Deciding on what songs to record
• What song tempo fits best
• What instruments are going to be played
• Finalising song lyrics
• Transferring any previous demos, if they are available, for reference
• Working out any musical key changes if needed
• Recording a temporary or 'scratch' track of each instrument to confirm arrangements
• Recording of 'scratch' vocals

So I'm now at the beginning of the proper 'Production' phase. 

And as these recordings will be on the final release, I will be taking as much time as it takes to get each instrument's performance right. No pressure then 😂!

I'm pleased to say that I've now got the drums completed. As someone who began their musical journey as a drummer, I generally find that getting these right sets up the rest of the sessions. 

On the whole, I'm delighted with how it's coming together. And I also think I've picked great songs for you to hear. 

After releasing the last batch of songs, I'm now returning to recording my Christian songs, as that where my heart really belongs. That's the reason why I released 'Faith In God Above', 'Just Like Me' and 'Horseman Of The King' first. It's a statement of intent so to speak.

My faith in Jesus is the most important thing in my life and I want to share it with everyone who checks out my songs. And whilst I don't write the big 'Praise and Worship' church songs, I still think they are valid to release and I can only hope and pray that they will be of benefit to someone - not only me!

But there you have it. My intention is to release more songs in 2024 and I feel I've made a great start to reaching that goal.

I also intend to keep Blogging a bit more consistently - for some reason this seems more difficult that it should be! I'll keep trying though.

That's all for now

Thanks For Stopping By...

Mark

SARAHS_HUSBAND