Mason's Daughter

Behind the Curtain

My CD is finally finished! (Insert deep breath here!) We started this project in March and we all worked hard and fast. It might seem crazy that an eleven song album takes 6ish months to complete but when you all have full-time jobs and you’re recording on nights and weekends - trust me - it is no easy feat!

People ask me sometimes what recording is like. In words, I would say it is repetitious and time consuming - fun… but work. When I got my new camera this summer I took these pictures to help paint a picture around what the studio was like (for me). 

Above is Studio Cozy in Covington, KY.  That is Jeff Perholtz, Proprietor & Producer as well as music genius, band member of The Newbees and my friend.  Like always he was working hard to get it right!  I enjoyed having his wife Misty nearby… who was always right upstairs and would occasionally come down to tell us how things sounded.  Jeff also helped with bass, accordian, piano, steel guitar and a few “ooo’s and ahhh’s” on the tracks.

Below is Paul Patterson playing banjo on Kentucky Dream.  I took this from inside the room where the computer stuff is… Paul is behind a sound-proof window in a sound-proof room so the only way he can hear us is through mics & heaphones.  Paul is so great to work with, he brings so much energy to the table.  We worked together on my first album, which happened to be at Hale Groove Studio in Florence, KY and for that he played violin and madolin.  This time around he played violin, viola, cello and banjo.  He plays for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the band Faux Frenchmen and also travels around the world fulfilling his many commitments.  (So what I’m saying is, I’m really lucky!) 

When we started in March, we did two full days over a weekend.  ”We” consisted of me and my awesome band mates that have the pleasure of always putting up with me (ha!) Dave Hawkins & Jason Halker.  I did not have a camera to take pictures at that time. :(  I wish I had!  Dave plays lead guitar and madolin. Jason is the percussion man, banging on the bongos and drum kit.  Heather Turner of Tupelo Honey also came in near the end of the process to lay down back-up vocals.  To put it simply, they all rock!

Though I’m busy and I complain about that all the time (sorry friends!), I am so happy to be able to follow my dreams and work with such talented people. 

Next post will be a picture of the CD covers when they’re ready!  Stay tuned!  =)

What is Americana Music?

I am asked a lot “what genre are you?”  Certain peeps would say folk or country or acoustic… but I consider myself an Americana artist.  Why?  Because its the melting pot of all genres!  See, even wikipedia says so - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana_music.  My wide range of personal music taste is too much of an influence on me to even consider putting myself in just one.  I love blues, folk, old country, rock, bluegrass, acoustic, all of it - its art and I do not discriminate! 

Peace like a River

If you are on my mailing list, you’ve probably seen this a time or two.  I commonly use this at the end of my emails.  I think it is so funny how many people don’t get this.  My friends make jokes about me being a tree hugger (whats so bad about that?!?)… and I have been asked several times what it means.  In my mind, this is a no brainer - nothing brings peace to me like a river (or any moving body of water for that matter - well, besides bodies of water with oil in them but that’s another blog post altogether).  Anywho, this is just my way of saying “peace to you, like water brings to me”.  Truthfully, though, the story gets deeper than that… 

I attended a church camp in the hills of KY from 7th-12th grade for one week in the summer.  This camp taught me soooo much about life and I made so many great friends and memories but it was the songs I remember most.  We learned some of the most annoying songs one could know and some of the most beautiful.  We would sing them around a camp fire at night.  One of my favorites was the up-beat “Peace like a River” song.  So, this one time, at church camp, I learned a song and the words are…

I’ve got peace like a river
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul

To sing it correctly though, you have stand and while singing the first verse, make a river with your hands… for the second verse, make an ocean with your arms and for the last verse (as well as my favorite part) you have to pose like a fountain.  Ah, yes, envision 100+ kids doing this fountain pose.  We were encouraged to be creative with our fountains.  Of course, MY fountain was always big and included both arms doing something one could probably really never make sense of. 

So, there it is, the story of my “peace like a river”.  Maybe one day I’ll post a picture of my fountain.  :) 

Absence of Fear

Sorry to have been distant.  We all need to do some reorganizing at times.  I’ve heard several times recently that luck favors the prepared.  Well, here’s to hoping!