Want some Christmas music???

Most of you know this, but let's make it official...

Vicki and I are proud to announce the arrival of the new CD!!

WhistleWonder: The Carols Of Christmas contains 11 fresh arrangements of traditional carols, as well as my version of Pachelbel's Canon (the Kicked-Up Kanon). All instrumental, with the sounds of whistles, woodwinds and keyboards arranged and performed by yours truly. :-D

Want a copy or several? Send me an email, and we'll hook you up. Cornerstone folks - just stop by Vicki's office or give her a call, and she'll set you up. First Covenant Folks - let us know and we'll deliver them to your mailbox.

CDs are $10 each. And, for those of you who haven't gotten a copy of the first CD, Angelica's Waltz (which is normally $15), you can purchase both CDs for $20.

We're very VERY proud of the new CD, and have had a great response to it thus far. Let us know if you'd like one. I'll have samples online soon...

Merry Christmas. :-D

And so, it begins

The first song for the new CD is at about 90%. :-D I actually got an idea on the way home from some errands, got into my studio, and a few hours later have the basic arrangement done.

It wasn't the first one I planned, on, but the Lord decided that this one was going to be the first to get recorded. Vicki came home, heard the beginning of it, and loved it. So, one started, 11 or so to go...

YIKES-A-RONI!!!! :-D

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas...

I was a little surprized at this, since I didn't think we'd go this direction this soon, but...

My next CD is going to be a Christmas CD. :-D I'm in the process of submitting my CD to Hobby Lobby to be considered for play in their stores, and they asked, "do you have a Christmas CD?"

For some reason, that kind of clicked with Vicki and I, and we decided that's the direction of the next CD. I've already got 30 or so songs as possibilities, and I'll start playing around with them in a week or so. A few ideas for specific arrangements came this morning (in the shower - the place where a lot of thinking gets done), so already my head seems to be in gear for this. Lots of carols, a Gregorian chant piece, some older advent songs, and one of John Mulder's songs are on the list - we'll see what comes of it

We also know the title of the album (I've got several album titles that have been around ever since I started the last project), but I'm not going public with that just yet.

Any requests? If your favorite is on my list, that just might get it moved up... :-D

And, if you haven't got a copy of "Angelica's Waltz," this would be a great time to get one... so we can pay that project off before starting the new one. :-D Enough with the commercial... back to work.

Rumor confirmed! Cap'n's on iTunes!!!

It's confirmed... Angelica's Waltz is on iTunes! :-D Wow...

If you have iTunes on your computer, this link gets you there:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=209121201
(if the link doesn't work, search in the New Age catagory for Cal Olson and you should find me)

If not, you can check out the same samples on the CD Baby page - just click on the album cover on the right of this page to get there.

Now, can I ask a favor of those of you who have the CD.........

Could you take a moment or two and leave a review? Either at CD Baby or on iTunes? Reviews help other folks decide to check out the music, and since I can't write those myself, it would really help to have some from others who have the album... And, it really helps if those happen to be positive. So if you're using the thing as a purple coaster, well... :-D Reviews help generate sales, and we can use all the help we can get. Thank you SO MUCH for helping out!

It's just a rumor...

It appears that a certain whistle-playin', jewelry-makin', storytellin' person is coming to iTunes.

Eeeep.

I knew that CD Baby would submit the project to iTunes. But I didn't expect it to make it onto iTunes.

Eeeep.

Within the next 30 days, we'll either be able to confirm or deny the rumor.

Eeeep.

Available on CD BABY!

Yup. Angelica's Waltz is now available through CD Baby. Of course, we do a little better if you order it directly from us, but it's still cool. And, you can hear samples of all the songs on the CD Baby page. Just click the album cover to check it out. :-D

Come and git it!!!

Our UPS guy was definitely wondering what was going on here when he dropped off the 14 boxes today. :-D Yes, the CD is done, and is here.

If you're at C-stone, or in the neighborhood, you can drop by Vicki's office - she has them there, and will be glad to pass them along to you.

1st Cov folks - just let us know if you'd like one or more, and we can place them in your mailboxes at church.

Not one of the above two? No sweat. Drop me a note at cal@captaincal.info and we'll hook you up. You can send us a check, or we accept PayPal, and we can ship your order right out.

The cost: $15 for the first CD, and $10 for each one after in the same order. (Of course, if you ordered one, got it, liked it, and want to buy others, we'll probably extend that discount to you... if you're especially nice to Vicki. She's the boss, after all. :-D ) Shiping goes on top of that, if applicable. We'll let you know what the total is when you contact us.

We're working on where this is going to be distributed, so that's still in the future. It'll also be available to purchase via download - I'll post those details soon. But, of course, if you download it, you miss out on all the cute pictures and the commentary... OK, the latter isn't a big selling point. But the pictures ARE really cute!

(Macey, who is our "Angelica" and whose pretty face is all over this puppy asked her mom, "am I famous now?" Yes you are, kiddo - you surely are!)

Thanks for all 4.78 of you that read this - you've seen the "behind the scenes" of the CD. And, at last, what I've been thinking about over the last few years is now reality. To God be the glory - great things He has done!

The Arrival - 2 days!!!

The shipment is on the way! In two days, the CDs will be here!!! Oh joy! Oh rapture! Oh boy oh boy oh boy...

The larger question is, will Cal sleep over the next two days? Only time (and some really good drugs) will tell. In the meantime, I'm trying to get rid of a cold, enjoying oatmeal made in the rice cooker, and making a bunch of jewelry for a small craft sale at church. :-D

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy........

* GULP! * *HOLY COW! * *OH MY GOODNESS!*

Oh boy oh boy oh boy...

(alright, round boy... enough with the exclamations. Get on with it...)

Sorry...

We got the "final approval" disc today - how the disc will sound, now that it's all mastered and tweaked and whatever else they do in that process. I was instructed to listen to the entire disc, without interruption, to evaluate it. This is my last chance for input, so it's kind of the point of no return.

And we were a little nervous. It's a few hundred dollars to have the entire mastering process done, and we were trying to do what would make the CD the best it could be, without wasting money. So we debated a long time about spending the extra to have it mastered.

The result? Worth every penny. No question. :-D The detail of the sound is so clean - everything in its correct "sonic space," so you can hear the layers of sound in the songs. You can pick out the textures of the different instruments, and it all sparkles like a polished diamond. It sounds amazing - and for me to be saying that about my own music is something indeed. :-D

And, when we play it on our DVD system in the living room, the titles of the songs show up on the TV. It's a geek thing, but it's REALLY cool. :-D

Having heard the final result, I am very proud of it. It's been a long trip to get here, but we're almost done. Tentative ship date for the CD is November 14th, and when it finally gets in our hands, you'll be able to hear the shouting all over Grand Rapids.

Wow.

So when are you due?... (CD, not baby...)

To answer Jenelle's comment on the previous post, yes! The CD should be back in time to be a great Christmas gift. (I'm blushing a bit as I write this...) Here's where we are at:

The CD is at the plant, getting mastered and having the artwork finalized. We hopefully will see proofs of the artwork early next week, and if all continues on schedule, they should hopefully be back near the end of November - maybe even before Thanksgiving! The project manager we're working with has been super - very helpful and lots of great communication.

One feature that was added that we didn't even realize could be a feature: when you put the disc in a "smart" CD player, like your computer or a car player with this capability, the player will display the titles of the different tracks. :-D Call me a geek, but I think that's just plain cool! Or, if you import it into iTunes from the CD, it should recognize the text on the CD and load the titles for you. (I'm guessing on that last one - we'll see when it comes back...)

Now, a question for the fine and friendly folks that read this blog...

We're working out what to charge for the CD, and I'd like some input. We're taking into account what it cost to make the thing, not only the actual duplication and artwork, but the hours and hours involved in the whole process - from writing the songs to recording the tracks to mixing, etc. So, the price we're thinking of is $15 for the CD, and a price break from there when someone buys more than one.

So, what do you think? Does $15 seem fair for a 54 minute CD? I know folks who think that all music should be free, and while I can understand and appreciate that, the $3000 and-then-some dollars to make the thing has to come from somewhere. We were going back and forth between $10 and $15, keeping our costs in mind, and are leaning toward the $15, not only to pay for this project, but to make future ones possible. (including replacing a couple of computers, to make sure that the studio system doesn't die in the middle of the next project, leaving the fate of the songs in near-jeopardy... coming that close to losing them just about freaked me out...) I already have two songs that are definite for the next disc, as well as a couple new ones that are just in the process of being written. I'm also hoping to do something special with part of the proceeds from the next CD - details forthcoming on that...

So, if you'd take the time to leave a comment, it'd give us a totally non-scientific sampling of an admittedly biased audience. :-D Thanks! Now we sit back and wait... anxiously. :-D

WHEW!!!

It's 2:30am, and Vicki's gonna kill me for being up this late...

BUT - the CD is finished!! A couple of weeks late, and too late to have them for the photography exhibit I'm playing on Thursday, but still - it's DONE! It goes out for mastering and duplication on Monday, after which I think we're going to Mongolian BBQ to celebrate.

AND - it appears that my songs are finally going to actually start playing on MySpace! Appears that the files I sent were too big... of course, they didn't TELL me that. I just had to figure it out for myself. *sigh*

The link is here, in case you'd like to check it out: www.myspace.com/praisewhistler


So, there we are. I think I'm going to take Sunday off, and actually REST for a change... I'm going to try and talk Vicki into going to Rivertown and play games all afternoon in the food court. (after church, of course!) So, if you're out there Sunday afternoon, look for us. Maybe we'll be there, playing our new favorite game, Starship Catan. :-D

Sneak Preview!!

If all this new-fangled technology works the way it's supposed to, y'all will be able to hear a bit o' the new CD on my MySpace page. (of course, since I'm the one who set it up, it'll probably crash the whole eastern seaboard or something...) Anyway, cross your fingers and head over to:

www.myspace.com/praisewhistler

The songs should appear within the next 24 hours, or so the folks at MySpace tell me. :-D And hey - if you're a MySpace person, consider adding me to your friends, and I'll do the same.

Technology. Scary...

DONE!!! (with this part anyway)

I finished the basic work for the last song this afternoon. It's fitting that the first song I ever wrote is the last song I finished for the CD - the title track, "Angelica's Waltz."

Fine tuning is next, and finishing the copy for the booklet. Hopefully tomorrow our software arrives for us to begin the design of the materials, and we'll finish that this weekend and have the CD out to the duplication company on Monday.

WHEW! :-D

And yes, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. What if folks get it, listen to it, and think "what the HECK did I spend actual cash money on this thing for?" Or, "Look mom - a new coaster." Yes, I'm insecure - it's like putting something very personal out for public display and commentary. Eeeep.

Soli Deo Gloria...

And then there were two...

As of 6pm, we're down to two songs left to complete. :-D The solos are all recorded - now it's down to editing (known as doing a "comp" track - taking many performances and selecting bits and pieces to combine into the finished solo) and then the final checking. We're hoping to have it off to mastering and duplication by next week...

Two to go...

Oi!! The Album cometh...

Unbelieveable. We're actually at the "get the pictures for the artwork and start writing the copy to go with it for the little book" stage of the CD process. I've still got recording to do for about 3 songs, but we're so close to finishing. The goal is to have the CD done, off for duplication, and back in our hands by October 28th. I'm playing at a photography exhibit of pictures from Ireland, and although it's a freebie gig, they asked if I would have CDs to sell. So, the deadline is in place and we're sprinting toward the finish.

We have begun working on the album cover, and I've started writing the copy for the booklet. The legal part of the songs is pretty well set - there was only one song for the CD that wasn't either public domain or one of mine, and I've received permission to use that song, so we're all green on that front. :-D

Vicki and I didn't realize until just a week or so ago that the album actually has a theme - I didn't plan it that way, but Someone did. :-D The album is about healing, and hope in the midst of darkness. Considering the events that caused me to have the time to complete the CD, it's not surprizing that the process of healing in my own heart and life would be reflected in the content of the CD. (and, the CD is much MUCH closer to completion than the process in my heart is... but we're getting there) Songs like I Will Arise, Lead Kindly Light, O The Deep Deep Love of Jesus and my friend John's wonderful song, The Healing Starts Here all point toward God's love, mercy, grace, and how He cares for us in all things and in all ways.

Anyway, the final sprint is on, and we're working hard to finish this thing. The odd thing? I've actually got some material left over and am contemplating CD #2 - now THAT'S a scary thought... :-D