What nice words to encounter on my walk to cambridge!
This is why I love my best friend. (That’s her in this video!) This is ALSO why I am SO PUMPED about the promo video that is currently being made for my album by TALENTED filmmaker and friend of mine, Max N. Esposito, who captures these beautiful moments!
Puzzle Heart EP, coming this spring 2012! Follow my Facebook Fanpage for regular updates on progress and behind the scenes peeks! My behind-the-scenes promo video will be featured here next month!
Happy New Year Everyone!
Sharing demos of my songs with you in the past has been fun and meaningful, especially since you’ve given me great feedback and helped me develop my sound.
As you know, for the first time, I’ve set my sights on creating a cohesive collection of my music, fully arranged & produced, which truly represents me, Erica Leigh, as an artist. I can’t wait to share it with you this Spring 2012.
I’m hard at work, counting down the last 30 hours of studio time and keeping you posted along the way! No more time booked in the studio after that… its almost ready to go to mixing and mastering!
Tonight, I’m headed into the studio to record background vox for a few songs, including the title track “Puzzle Heart”. I’m also overdubbing a few fun elements like hand claps and percussion! Ooh lala!
Also tonight: Filmmaker and friend Max N. Esposito will be continuing on the job, capturing footage for my upcoming promo video that will feature behind the scenes footage from along the way. I’ll be sharing the video in “Fundraising February” while I raise funds to help get these CD’s packaged and sent out to you all!
I’ll be sure to keep you posted at the progress continues, thanks so much for your support! :)
Have a wonderful start of the new year!
Good & Bad news… Bad first: Santa gave me a throat virus in my stocking for Christmas, just in time for recording lead vocals on my EP, so i’m in fierce recovery-mode, doing things like reading books, which i never do… But good news…I finished a Jane Lynch memoir “Happy Accidents” in 2 days- i was inspired to read about a strong, talented woman’s battle against self-doubt while chasing after her dreams. (i should add: Jane Lynch sat feet away from me this past summer at a restaurant and i was a bit star-struck by this brilliant actress). So, my throat may be sore, my spirits may be a bit lower than usual, but accomplished finishing a book that taught me some valuable lessons. Overall a win.
A short, must-watch video for all. This is so inspiring. Especially for those who are trying to bridge the gap between the quality of their creative works and their expectations for the success of their creative works. As an artist/musician and perfectionist, I gained some wisdom from watching this. All we have to do is JUST KEEP CREATING.
Mom and dad decorating the tree with the star my dad made for her out of a clothes-hanger 30 years ago for their first apartment :-) …the same star has been on our tree all this time! I think the spirit of the season has finally gotten to me!
PUZZLE HEART NEWS: I’m doing an experiment. Tonight there’s going to be a BRAINSTORM! I’ve assembled an eclectic group of creative, idea-generating personalities to gather around a corporate conference room table and discuss clever/unique ways of marketing/packaging/distributing the PUZZLE HEART EP. Everyone has different backgrounds in music, business, sales, graphic design etc. It will be spontaneous and fun! I’m providing snacks of course :-) I’ll be sure to report back on how it goes!
Tea time on a rainy day with my dearest bestest friend in Boston :-)
Taking it slow
Tell me your name
Making a frame and filling it in
Always begin with the corners
What makes you tick?
Why do you fear?
Who do you hold near and dear?
Tell me I’m getting warmer
So What,
I might put you together
Scraping the bottom of the box
For the final pieces
You’re so afraid
I won’t like what I see
If I dig too deep - discover what you’ve buried inside
There’s no need to hide
Little by little, help me get to the middle of your puzzle heart
Making my way
Learning the ropes
Getting my hopes up high in the air
Wondering where we’re going
So, you’ve got a past
But baby it’s history
I love the mystery, but I love you –
Wait – too late, I said it
So What,
I might put you together
Scraping the bottom of the box
For the final pieces
You’re so afraid
I won’t like what I see
If I dig too deep - discover what you’ve buried inside
There’s no need to hide
Little by little, help me get to the middle of your puzzle heart
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Help me with the Puzzle Heart Cover Art! What images do these lyrics make you think of? What do you want to see on the cover of the album?
PUZZLE HEART!
I wanted to update you on what’s been happening lately with the album.
Right now we’re in the “heart” of the recording process. I’ve already gathered some SPECTACULAR musicians and a team of engineers, who spent hours in the studio laying down the tracks for this album with me.
It’s sounding great. I’m blown away by how this project has unraveled so quickly, right in front of my eyes. I always felt like recording an album would be too overwhelming to accomplish, with all of the extreme time, work and funds it would require to pull it off… BUT I’ve been taking it one step at a time, and I’ve found that its SO MUCH FUN, the time really flies, and the things I’m learning are really incredible.
The biggest thing for me is that this album is defining MY sound. It’s capturing the kind of artist I want to be. I’m having a blast in a somewhat improvisatory fashion, letting the creativity flow and being free enough to see where this journey takes me. Many ideas we’re using for these songs were spontaneous – whatever feels right! I can’t wait to share it with you!
Lately we’ve been working on background vocals. In one song we’re using the sound of a cello to inspire the sound, and in another channeling a vintage-Adele feel… It’s like going back to the drawing board and writing new melodies and hooks because I’m choosing not to stick with the standard “simply harmonize the main melody and sing a perfectly matching line” - mentality. Instead I’m finding interesting ways to contrast the lead vocals and add movement to the pieces. I’m getting a kick out of how full we are able to make the vocals sound, as if they are jumping out of the speakers and wrapping around you, by doing a lot of doubling.
Truth be told, background vocals are really my favorite part of the process.
Challenges come along with any creative project of this magnitude. I’m learning a lot as I go. One of my decisions was NOT to record any of the tunes to a metronome. I wanted that natural feel. Using the idea of a heartbeat throughout the album, I wanted there to be a real human-like flow to it. I realized though, that one of the tunes really called for a steady, locked-in, pop-tune approach. That tune was the title track “Puzzle Heart”…It was hard to change my mind after spending time on it, but the positive part of it is that none of the work is wasted. It was all useful in figuring out the arrangement of the tune. Plus, this tune is really important to me and I want it to be just right!
I’m excited to see the tune keep developing, much like the rest of the album!
Next Up…
This week I’ll be working with a string quartet! I’ve always wanted strings on my music, so this will be a dream come true, not to mention these players are the best around. I’m also plugging away on my background vocals for the songs, preparing for laying down the lead vocal tracks.
The goal is to finish recording some time in January. After that I’ll turn the EP over to be mixed and mastered, polished and perfected, every last sound. Mixing & Mastering should be finished in the month of February, and then its time for ME to complete all of the concept album artwork! I’ll have a lot of paint all over my clothing by the time the music and artwork is finished and sent off to be packaged into over a thousand physical copies!
THEN, it makes its way to YOU! And in order for me to do that, I am going to be holding an online fundraiser using the website KickStarter.com. For every amount pledged, there will be various prizes. Prizes like a signed CD with your name in the liner notes, or I’ll write a song for you, or a custom painting… I promise it will be interesting :-)
Fundraising will be in January 2012. Details to follow soon!
Finally, PUZZLE HEART is RELEASED to the public, and my band and I perform a super exciting CD Release show in Boston! You’re all invited!
Thanks for reading, I will continue to keep you updated! Input is welcome! :)
