December 2009

People have been asking lately why my first album 'Shadows' has been discontinued.  This decision was entirely mine and not that of the label, Shadowside Music. As artists, we look back on our body of work and there are certain pieces we wish to put behind us.  'Shadows' for me, represents such a piece.  While many tracks on that album are still very popular, particularly in downloads (the album is still, by the way, available as a download) and broadcast royalties, I feel, as a whole, I needed to let go of the album and possibly rework it sometime in the future.  I want to  thank you for understanding my artistic decision and also for such continued support of my work.

November 2009

The year is coming to a close and as I look back it has been quite a year. My last album 'Scheherazade' still impacts my life as I work on my next project. People continue to reach out to me to let me know how much they appreciate my work, and that always touches me deeply.
I have experienced some loss this year, which has slowed me down a little, but I am back on track with my next album, still scheduled for release late in 2010.

Meanwhile, I have been involved in projects I hope will pan out, but ultimately, as all artists do, I need to focus on my work and the road I want it to travel. A big part of this is my next album and I look forward to sharing more about its development with you soon!

July 2009

It has been a few months since our last newsletter, but as always life continues onward. Since the release of my first album, back in 2006, I have basically been living a year ahead. It seems artists, whatever their medium, are always working on a project to be released at a later date, and all our focus is on "then" rather than "now." This reminds me of my life as an actor, always working for the opening night of a play, months ahead, or the next audition, TV spot, you name it. Always the future, not the "now."

Last February, life came to an abrupt stop with the unexpected and painful loss of my 23 year old nephew to Leukemia. A month later, Saskia, my beautiful, blue-eyed Siberian Husky, a companion to me for 10 years, was diagnosed with a tumor in her spleen and left us. Both losses, of different degrees, culminated a year of excruciating work on Scheherazade.

But, the show must go on. After a family gathering in Florida, where my nephew grew up, and the spreading of his ashes on a quiet beach that he loved, I returned to Vermont with renewed determination. In many ways, music has the ability to soothe not only the listener but the composer as well. I started work on my next project alongside other music I was asked to compose for a filmmaker. The next album's concept came into being quite nicely, songs started lining up and even the cover design came together. However, I decided to take time off and live in the "now." I felt that after these many emotional events, taking a break seemed appropriate.

While work on my next project continues, but at a slower pace (we continue to plan a 2010 release), I am taking the time to live and absorb the events that marked my life earlier this year. But the album is taking shape in a wonderful direction. My team and I have started lining up prospective guest artists I hope to work with, including an amazing singer whose haunting ambient vocals are sure to entrance.

 

 

March 2009

So much has happened since the release of Scheherazade that it is sometimes hard to keep up with the developments. The positive energy coming my way from broadcasters, reviewers, interviewers and the public has been overwhelming. It sometimes feels as if the album has taken a life of its own and decided to succeed, much like the album's heroine did. The album's nominations and consequent award for Best World Album was an amazing experience. It was a tremendous honor for me to be nominated alongside some of New Age music great artists like Loreena McKennitt, David Arkenstone and Will Ackerman. Once again I feel indebted to all of the broadcasters who supported my work and nominated it for the awards. And once again I feel indebted to all those who participated in this project from other artists and engineers to my manager and promoters.

However, what is also important to me as an artist is to continue forward on my path and create new work. Creativity is, after all, at the core of an artist's being. We battle, cajole, plead with it and ultimately dance that never ending dance that only the muse can provide us. And so it goes with my new project, which I am happy to say is underway. Alongside work on my new album, I am also involved in some exciting music projects that I hope pan out and can't wait to share with you in later newsletters.

January 2009:

Since finishing my work on 'Scheherazade' last summer, life has been very hectic for me. The impact of the album and the feedback we have received continues to amaze me. While this is my third album, 'Scheherazade' has propelled me to a pivotal moment in my career. It is at times like these that artists come to the realization that their career will never be the same. I feel that the success of the album has raised the bar for my next project.

In this journey I am reminded that I do not walk by myself. Artists never work alone, even if it is their name on the album cover. When you hear someone's music, it is the tip of an enormous iceberg made up of amazing and talented individuals. I am very lucky to have had by my side such wonderful and talented people whose work has touched mine in so many ways. I am most thankful to both my promotion agencies, my personal manager, as well as my recording and mastering engineer and guitarist. I am also extremely thankful to all the radios, reviewers and interviewers who have touched me with their understanding and appreciation of my music. Most of all, I am thankful to you, the listener, who has given me the courage these many years to continue my work. It is when a listener shares an experience or a discovery that has been prompted by my music that I am most touched.

When I compose, it is you who is there with me, all the way. The path of the artist is at times very hard. An album requires many months of intense work and emotional focus, regardless of what is happening in one's life at that given moment. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I am not alone on that journey.

December 2008:

"The work that creating a new album entails always amazes me, from start to finish. It is even more extraordinary when I look back over all that work and see the album starting to walk by itself. My experience with 'Scheherazade' is unlike anything I have had before. While my first release helped establish me among my contemporaries and my second album surpassed my expectations, 'Scheherazade' had already achieved this before it was even released!

As an artist, one always wishes to be in touch with what an audience wants, without jeopardizing one's own individual style. This is a very hard line to walk. In the end, we create what comes from within us and hope it touches someone. When it does, it is an accomplishment I cannot even describe. And at the core of it always, first and foremost, is the listener. I always feel that you, the listener, adds the last note to my compositions. As people share with me what they feel and experience from the music as they listened, each adds their own unique touch to my work.

I thank each and every one of you for walking with me through this artistic adventure and encouraging me to create more."