Recording Artist?

I cut my recording teeth and I think I like it!

My partners in crime, Janeare Ashley, Tousant Salcido and I worked with the City of Richmond's Employment and Training Department and recorded a Christian Floetryeque version of the classic spiritual "Wade in the Water". I will try to get a snippet posted for those of you interested in taking a listen.

Creating this piece was a life altering experience. I'd been (as usual) pushing to try and coordinate the piece. Everything went wrong. I couldn't think of what to write that we wouldn't need permission to use so I settled on Wade in the Water. We tried to get our pianist to play for us because he plays back up for the Hawkins and he was unavailable. The same with the second organist I asked. The bassist from our church (Tousant) was so sweet he said he happily agreed to work with us, even when we revealed that it was for a charity project.

Then more drama---Janeare and I couldn't find a time to practice because of family, jobs, and kids.

I finally just prayed to God that it wouldn't be a failure, because the sales of the album go the the summer youth program. We didn't get a chance to practice the piece in its entirety until the day of the recording.

It just goes to who when God moves, He moves. We did it two times, and nailed it in two takes. Even more eerie: When we got into the studio, Janeare and I couldn't see each other, but it was like we were one person. She knew what I was saying and how I was going to say it before it happened, and I could feel her energy. And the Holy Spirit was there in the midst. There is a part at the beginning of the song where Toussant is strumming, and Janeare is singing the traditional version of wade in the water, and I'm reading the scripture from Exodus.

After, Wayne Organ the producer said that he thought it would be neat if we whispered over that part things we thought the Israelites would be thinking while standing at the Red Sea. When we played the track back Wayne was in shock. There was a part where Janeare and I were whispering "Father, help us, father" and someone replied in a different tone "Children" as if the voice was answering, and it was not either one of us. The whole room was in shock. The tone of the music changes, and it is very sweet and light like waves. It was amazing. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was in love--with the Lord! I felt close to God, singing his praises. I would love to do that all my life as a ministry. Everything went wrong, but if it didn't go wrong God would've never got the glory.

Many thanks to Wayne from Contra Costa College, Malinda from E&T, and of course Janeare and Tousant. There are many wonderful local artists on the CD. Hope that should the spirit move you check it out.

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