What's new in the house...

I just realized that I haven't updated all of you with what the kids have been up to. Declan lost his first tooth (pulled it out all by himself). He didn't have a chance to enjoy a toothless grin though. His adult tooth had already grown in behind it. I guess braces will be in our future - yuck. Here's a picture of him right after the tooth came out.

Rowan has become a singing maniac! Her favorite songs are "I'm in the Lord's Army" and "Jesus loves me" as well as the theme song from Wonderpets! What a girl! I was going to put a little video of her singing on here but for whatever reason it doesn't want to work so I'll just post a picture of her instead.

Pics from Victory Church Concert

Hey everybody! I finally got some pictures from the concert at Victory Church.



I was the last performer on but my pictures come first!



This is Josh. He was one of the other performers and a wicked guitar player!
Playing Uno inbetween sets...

Producers and other musical things...

You all know that I'm in the midst of making my own album. What some of you don't know is how this all came to be and who I'm working with. Well, here's your chance to see a little of what I do. I work for a company called LA Production Studio. The owner is a fellow Winnipeger called Brad Lang. Brad is an awesome producer. He's been in the business almost as long as I've been alive and it shows.

Brad and I started working together because of a song that I was recording for my Aunt, Stacey. He heard me play piano and asked if I would start doing some studio work for some other artists that were recording with him. I said yes. While I was helping with these artists, the topic of doing my own album came up. Again I said yes.

Let me stop at this point and say that this was the most frightening thing I had ever agreed to do. I am such a perfectionist and I constantly worry that my songs won't be good enough, that people won't like what they hear, etc. Well, this week I started to panic. I was doubting everything I was doing and I didn't know how to articulate my insecurities to Brad. So I chickened out and emailed him. True to his professional form, Brad called me the minute he had read the email and proceeded to talk with me for a good hour. We talked about the mechanics of song writing...what makes a great song...his feelings about the project...my feelings about the project, etc. It was a great conversation. I felt totally energized afterward and ready to start writing again. This is what producers do, people. They are your protector from people who are out to exploit you, they are your encouragement when you're doubting yourself, they push you to do bigger and better things, they don't let you slack off. That's all on top of actually producing the music that you write! He spends a lot of time caring for his artists and I for one appreciate the effort he puts into each and every one of our projects. Now I know why the producers are usually in the top 5 people thanked at award shows. They deserve it!

The other people who deserve huge thanks when making an album is family. My husband, John is a huge support to me and is always around to stay with the kids while I'm off recording for hours on end. He has banished himself upstairs many nights so that I have the downstairs free from distractions to write after the kids go to bed. He cheers me on, listens to my ranting when I'm frustrated, and, from what I hear, he brags to anyone who will listen! My kids have put up with me rushing away for recording and missing bath times and bed time stories. When they hear one of my songs they yell to all their friends, "That's my MOM!!". It makes me proud. My parents and my sister listen to all my songs before they're ever recorded and endure hours of listening to me talk about my experiences. They give great feedback and have lots of ideas to make things better. I couldn't do without their input, even though I know it's a little bias!

So many people are helping me make this dream a reality...and really, it's only just beginning! We have just layed the scratch track (1st edition) of my first song. We are going to send it off to a bass player, lead guitar and drummer to add their talents to it. I have one more song ready to go but I'm not going to record anymore until I have 4 or more songs ready. That way we can send a bunch to the other musicians and really start working on some of this stuff.

So that's where I'm at. Here are some pics of the studio that I work in...just in case you wanted to see where all the magic happens!



Above is the music room. This is where all the instruments are kept and where all instrumental recording happens. Usually I end up singing in this room as well. This room has changed a little. In the picture, the guitars are where the piano now sits. The drums are digital now which is great for late night sessions and the guitars are now on the opposite wall with a bunch of pedals and stuff that makes no sense to me because I don't play guitar! Usually it's a lot darker in there with candles lit. It makes for a very relaxing work environment.




This is the room where we listen to the things we have recorded. The person taking the picture is sitting on the couch where I typically sit and listen to my scratch tracks and talk about upcoming projects. The little window that you see is a sound booth where vocals can be recorded. It's the size of a very small closet. Not good for a clausterphobic like me which is why I usually sit in the instrument room. There's a lot more equipment in this room that was cut off in the picture.



This is another picture of the instrument room. Where you see a keyboard on the top right is where the bass player now goes. Again there are a bunch of pedals and things they can plug into that make no sense to me. The monitor that you see on the left helps me see Brad while I'm recording. He has cameras in every room so that we can see each other while we play. The window with the blue light in the top left is another sound booth for vocal work.

So that's where I work, people! Hope you liked the tour! If you need a commercial done for something or you're thinking of recording some music, visit Brad's site which is highlighted in the first paragraph of this mamoth post.

I Will Never Be The Same Again...

My sister and I were talking about some of the songs that I did at Victory Church recently and this was one she hadn't heard. I thought I would post it in case any one else was in the same boat. I love the words to this song because they are so true! When I finally stood up and said that I was going to follow Christ, I was no longer the same person. The old had passed away and the new me was born! My favorite part is "...whatever You need to do Lord do in me, the glory of God fills my life and I will NEVER be the same again..." Thank you Jesus that I will never again be that person I was. I am so grateful!

For those of you that want them, here are the words...

I will never be the same again

I can never return, I've closed that door

I will walk the path, I'll run the race

And I will never be the same again

Fall like fire, soak like rain

Flow like mighty waters again and again

Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff

And let a flame burn to glorify Your name

There are higher heights, there are deeper seas

Whatever You need to do Lord do in me

The glory of God fills my life

And I will never be the same again

Fall like fire, soak like rain

Flow like mighty waters again and again

Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff

And let a flame burn to glorify Your name

1 bag, 5 meals...the website of my dreams...

That's right people...thanks to my sister who is always on the look out for great recipes that are cheap, I have found a new favorite place to go get meals to cook.

1 bag, 5 meals is from www.kraftcanada.ca and is a fantastic resource if you have a family like mine. I find that their recipes easily feed all four of us and usually there are no leftovers. This is a good thing in that I don't have to worry about using up anything later. For five meals I bought two types of meat totalling $20, as well as a few other odds and ends. The grocery list was really short and the recipes used similar ingredients so that you could split things up and use them for more than one recipe. There is also a pizza night which is great at my house because my kids love pizza!

I have made two recipes so far. Crispy Chicken with Pesto and Mozzarella Cheese as well as BBQ meatball sandwiches on panini buns. Both recipes were huge hits at my house. Serve with a simple salad and you're all done! Prep time is less than 10 minutes and baking time depends on what you're making. It's usually a "one pan wonder" which is great for me as I have no dishwasher right now. These recipes are really easy to make ahead of time and stick in the freezer. Then you could put them from freezer to oven and cook them whenever you want without having to prep anything at all!

So if you're bored and want to try something new, try out 1bag, 5 recipes. You won't be sorry!

A trip down concert lane....

I did my first concert set last night at Victory Christian Fellowship for the college and career group. There were three of us each doing a 40 minute set. The two guitarists who came were amazing! They did a lot of cover songs from different bands and one guy even did a song he wrote that day. It was fabulous! I didn't know that cover songs were the order of the day so I did some of my own stuff and some praise and worship music. The feedback was great and I've been invited back in the fall. If my album is completed by then, the college and career have offered to sell it at the next concert. The venue was a coffee bar type atmosphere. Candle light and accoustic sound. It was a great place to play. They had a professional sound guy come out and he made us all sound terrific. My Mom came out to babysit the kids for me (thanks again Mom, I couldn't have done this without you!!) which gave me the freedom to concentrate on music rather than the kids. I was paid with vietnamese food which is always a great way to pay me! We had salad rolls and this dish with noodles, veggies, charbroiled pork and cut up spring rolls - yummy! Sorry I don't have any pictures yet to post here, but I will as soon as they're sent to me.

Comedy Spot...

I saw this youtube video of a Christian Comedienne by the name of Kerri Pomerolli. I laughed all the way through. If you need to have a laugh today, here's your chance. Enjoy!

Hockey and singing....

The games are over. May I just say, that was the most awesome experience I have ever had!!!!! There were just over 4000 people at each game. The noise was deafening. They introduced me as LA Production Studios Recording Artist, Michele Renee. Ha! Everyone sang along to O Canada until the last line. Then they started cheering. The cheering was so loud, I could barely hear myself sing! It took me three hours to get my face to stop blushing when I was done! I have realized (I kinda knew this already) that I am absolutely an attention junkie - I loved it! The stage is where I love to be and the more people that are watching, the better! This confirmed for me that writing my album is what I'm supposed to be doing. I felt totally comfortable singing in front of everyone. If I had been a total nervous wreck, I would probably be more hesitant to create my own music. Here's to more opportunities like this to get my name out there so that when the album comes out, people will want to buy it!

Auditions are done...

You are now reading about the latest O Canada singer for the Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Team. Yay!!!! I start tonight and sing for the rest of the season which means today and tomorrow. Hopefully next year there will be more opportunities to sing. Here's the funny part, the announcer can't pronounce my last name so they had to make up a new name for me. If you're at the game, my name is Michele Renee. It makes me laugh, but whatever. They wanted me to think up a new last name on the spot and I couldn't think of one, so this is what we came up with. Oh well. Maybe by next season I can teach the announcer how to say my name!

Sick and tired...

Well fellow bloggers...I have been one sick puppy the last little while. To top it all off, I'm supposed to be auditioning to sing O Canada for the Lethbridge Hurricanes tomorrow. Yuck. So, I slept like the living dead for most of the afternoon (thanks to Rowan for taking an extra long nap today) and I'm drinking a ton of orange juice. Here's hoping that does the trick! If I pass the audition tomorrow, I'll be singing for all the playoff games. Don't get too excited, there's only two games left! Here's hoping everything goes well. I'll keep you all posted...

The Champion

This is by far my favorite Carman song. I love how this group acted it out. The first time I saw a group act out this song, I was at a youth conference at CBC in Regina. I was moved to tears. At the end of the song, the whole audience jumped up and shouted the last words...

Proclaim the news in every tongue

Through endless ages and beyond

Let every voice from mountains loud and strong

Captivity has been set free

Salvation bought for you and me

'Cause Satan is defeated

And JESUS IS THE CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!