Video Blog Installment 5 (pre-tour)

Today I went to my friends Rebecca and Steve's wedding - congrats to them! It was a fun time with friends, a good service and plenty of birdseed thrown at the couple. =) I caught the garter, though it's a practice I despise... who thought that one up, again? Met some cool folks that I hope to reconnect with on tour (Annie, if you're reading this, you and Paul can catch up on what you missed at the show tonight by watching the video below). The video today is of the Bill Mallonee show that I went to with some other friends - it was a happening place! As you can tell by the 4-year-old on ukelele. Uh-huh, NOW you're watching. Also a guest appearance by Cliff Lewis (Trash&Glory) at the end of the video...

Video Blog Installment 4 (pre-tour)

Today I did a bunch of errands and then took off to Burlap and Bean in Newtown Square to play a show, opening for Jeffrey Gaines. It was a lot of fun! My friend 'Puff' was there doing sound somewhat randomly (we met here in Lancaster years ago, though he lives closer to Philly) and my friend Bob Arrel hung out for the night too - he works just up the street. People enjoyed the music, I played a 30 minute set. Jeffrey showed up 5 minutes before he was on and just plugged in and put on a great show - quite the entertainer. =) As to the other guy... well, here's some video of my set, me performing 'Living Water' with just my acoustic. You'll have to get the CD (iTunes, etc..) to compare the versions.

Video Blog Installment 3 (pre-tour)

Here's a couple videos I shot Thursday. The first one I shot Thursday morning on my way to work, traveling south through Lancaster, Willow Street, and finally arriving at Peach Bottom and Math-U-See headquarters, the "Math Barn". Math U See is a great place to work, and the curriculum really does benefit people, focusing on getting kids to master concepts before moving on. It should really be taught this way in most schools, but because teachers are all on schedules it seems to work best in homeschool situations.



The second video I shot Thursday night, but my brain was so addled I didn't realize what day it was. Thus the incorrect statement that this is my second Vlog - it is actually my third, if we count Wednesday's snippets. The song is by Matthew Monticchio, who I've worked with on the past two Christmas albums and various other projects that are not yet complete. He is the music director at Wheatland Presbyterian Church (where I'm a member) and is really gifted. Writing deep worship music is one of his many talents, and it's great to be able to spend time to learn from him. I really love this community.

Video Blog Installment 2 (pre-tour)

Here's the second installment of my vlog - in which I drive, visit my parents, and hang out at the American Music Theater on the spur of the moment. Mostly a test of the capabilities of my new Flip Mino HD, but perhaps to keep you entertained as well... =)

Tour Video Blog - First Intro

I'm starting a Video Blog (Vlog) for my tour supporting 'Breathe Deep'. It's pretty cool how everything is coming together, and I'm really looking forward to being on the road, albeit with some trepidation. I'll be posting the videos on YouTube daily ( youtube.com/ringrecords ), or as close to that as I can, and trying to keep up here on my regular blog as well. Here's the first installment of the Vlog:

Cross-Cultural-ness

So the title of my blog refers to a certain 'cross-cultural' person, namely - myself. I thought that since I have had this blog for a year or two, some explanation is probably in order...
On first glance, I look western - white, with a hard-to-place middle class American accent. For the most part, I would say that I am western. However, once in a while I run into things that reveal my non-western-ness, particularly my value structure.
In the US, people place value on appearances - on how people dress, for example - because this tells them certain things about the person and allows them to be categorized properly. This is true in Ghana, where I was raised, as well, but there the way people dress is different and means slightly different things. In Ghana, for example, you dress not to show who you are, but to show respect to the people you are visiting. People are focusing on others, not themselves, and this translates into every aspect of their lives.
I think it's easy to lose that sense of respect for others. I often tend to focus on myself at the expense of others. I'm hoping this upcoming tour will allow me to try to put into practice more the values I learned in Ghana - to care for others, even if it may sometimes be at my own expense.
I'm looking forward to traveling - to finding out about life in other locations around the US and sharing them with everyone on here. I just bought a flip video, so I think I'll be able to catalog events, as long as I remember to use it! =)

Great Release!

The other night was a great release! Over a hundred people turned up at Building Character, and we had so much fun! Sorry to everyone that missed it. You can now get the album on iTunes or my website and from all accounts it is worth it... =)
We were also recording the night - i will let you know if anything comes of that. You can also read a review of the show by Andi Cumbo.

CD Release and Radio

Tomorrow is the big day. February 7th, the day my first full-length album becomes available physically. We're having a sweet party at Building Character to kick it off - indie rockers 'Trash and Glory' opening the show @ 7pm... =) looking forward to it.
You can read a review of the new album, 'Breathe Deep', on my friend Ken Mueller's blog, and tonight at 9pm I'll be on FM 90.3 WJTL with my friend Phil Smith to talk about the album and play some songs. Listen HERE.