This whole foray into the realm of Facebook really was birthed out of signing with Tate Music Group back on July 1st of this year (2011). As a public school teacher, I've avoided this means of "communication" like GMO foods, high fructose corn syrup, and chicken Mcnuggets. But necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say, so here, in as brief an update as I can give is a timeline of my journey into living my dream.
Over a year ago, I came across an advertisement for Tate Music Group (TMG) on a YouTube video. I did some research and was impressed with what I saw, but I didn't have any music ready for submission to a small record company. So I sat on it, tucking the print-out of the website in a copy of a book I was reading by John Eldredge called Walking with God. As I was reading this book, watching my cherubs on lunch duty, I kept feeling the nudge to submit my music to TMG. Still I didn't feel I had anything ready to submit.
At the same time, I began recording with fellow local musician, father, and fellow brother-in-Christ, James Witmer. Together we former Witmer and Anastasi and released a four song demo titled Chest Full of Straw. As a result of that demo and some additional work on a song called "A Father's Love", I finally had something I felt comfortable with submitting.
But, between being a father of four, teaching high school English, working with a student teacher, and playing with two bands (Witmer and Anastasi and Treebeard Brown), the idea got pushed to the back burner. It wasn't until Memorial Day weekend when I clearly felt God say to me - "I wasn't saying you could submit to TMG, but I was asking you to obey." That struck home! I repented, and that day submitted three songs online to TMG.
The expected turn-around time was six weeks. I got a phone call in three. Within a week, I was reviewing the contract, having friends and lawyers review the contract, and signing my name on the dotted line. On July 1st, I officially became an artist on contract with TMG. The rest of the summer involved narrowing down a final album list, sending in demos of my songs, filling out paperwork for liner notes, credits, and song lyrics, trying to get permission from publishing houses to use parts of poems by W. H. Auden and T. S. Eliot in my songs, recording guitar tracks at Goshen Covenant Church, gathering friends to record additional parts to my songs, working with the parts created by my amazing producer, Josh Dougan, and finally booking a flight and hotel for my trip to Oklahoma City in September.
Thanks to the gracious understanding of my superintendent and the three personal days I had saved up, I was able to fly to Oklahoma City on September 13th for a three day recording session and photo shoot. The weather was wonderful, I learned about the grace of God through carrying on my guitar to each flight, and I had precious time to spend with my sister and brother-in-law in Tulsa.
Just last week the first mixes came back from the studio, and just Sunday night (October 2nd) I sent back my suggestions for the final round of mixes. Now it's waiting time again. If everything continues according to schedule, the album should be completely mixed and mastered by the end of this month or early November, design for album should be finished by Christmas, and the marketing, tour scheduling, and final release date on iTunes, in stores, and online should happen in March.
Todd Wilson, a speaker Sarah and I heard at a regional homeschooling conference, shared about Dream-Killers. Though the message wasn't directed at my dream of pursuing music, it spoke to that hibernating bear deep inside the cave of my heart. God's big enough to kill stupid dreams. Dare to dream again. God just might be in it. In all of this, my desire is simply to glorify him and enjoy him forever. So let it be. So let it be.
More to come. Glad you've chosen to share the journey with me.
Vincent
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