East Coast Tour - Day 5

What a decadent day in Montreal!

We started with another leisurely patio brunch, sitting under a clear sky, and sipping freshly blended juice. Mine was named Pink Perfection, of course.

We wandered and shopped and eventually landed at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. All the permanent collections are free to the public, so we spent hours drifting through the galleries. Medieval, Impressionism, Modern, Naturalism, Realism, sculpture, stained glass, paintings, and wood inlays, and we barely scratched the surface of this impressive collection.

More wandering brought us back to the hotel and a little rest before heading out for the evening. Gerald was in dining bliss as we found place that served 19 different kinds of poutine, and a Montreal smoked meat sandwich the size of two fists. I indulged in one of their 17 varieties of burgers that include buffalo, elk, rabbit, and kangaroo. I kid you not.

We hit an IMAX theatre tonight to watch The Dark Knight Rises. In an early scene, gunfire rings out. With the IMAX sound, you could hear it ringing around the theatre. I couldn't help but flash back to the stories of the Colorado shooting. You can tell why the patrons would have been so confused, thinking the real shots were part of the film. It was a disturbing thought to experience, recognizing the safety we all take for granted.

After the film, we had a glorious late night dessert at the charming Montreal chain, Juliet et Chocolate. This place is known for their creative chocolate concoctions, and their legendary hot chocolates. Their hot chocolate menu actually reads like an extensive wine list, naming the origin of the coca beans, the acidity of the chocolate, and a host of other tasting details. I had a rich, dark chocolate from Peru. It was like sipping a bowl of thick, melted chocolate. The perfect end to a decadent day.

Tomorrow, we hit the road again in earnest. We have 15 hours between us and our next concert on Saturday, so we'll try to get in a few long drives tomorrow and Friday. I've taken some great photos over the past few days but they'll have to wait til tomorrow to get posted.

East Coast Tour - Day 4

There's few things more lovely than a sunny, relaxing day in Montreal. After the craziness of the past month, the main goal of the day was to eat and relax!

We started with a late brunch at our favourite, Eggspecation, which we later found out has been rated one of the best brunches in Montreal. The bulk of the day was dedicated to strolling and visiting music stores. We played some beautiful guitars, including a little mahogany Gibson that stole my heart.

For dinner, we enjoyed all you can eat sushi, with decadent treasures like wasabi mussels, and eggplant & salmon sushi pizza.

I've also spent a few moments catching up on some online stuff. Be sure to visit our SITE to see the final photos in our CD Recording album. I'll start posting Montreal photos tomorrow.

And if you haven't found us on Facebook yet, come 'like' us and follow all our tour adventures! www.Facebook.com/InfinitelyMoreBand

Our CD Artwork!!!

Here are the covers for our new CDs!

You can see all the artwork on our FACEBOOK page or on our SITE.

If you're interested in purchasing CDs, please visit our STORE.

Thanks! We're so excited to finally share this music with you.

Downloads coming soon!

East Coast Tour - Day 3

We left Elim Lodge this morning after a leisurely breakfast with the camp director, David Rivers, and started to head east.

After a clear, easy day of driving, we arrived in Montreal!

We don't have any concerts here, but we'll be enjoying a well needed mini-vacation before heading to Nova Scotia for our next concert.

In the meantime, let the fun begin! We took it easy tonight and hit a fantastic little pizza place on St. Denis where I tried (and devoured) an escargot pizza. Yes, that's snail pizza.

I'm a picky eater in many ways, but give me the chance to eat something weird, and I'm game!

New Photos!

I've just posted the photos from last week's Garden Concert. I'll get some tour photos up tonight.

You can see the photos by visiting our Facebook page. 

Don't worry if you're not on Facebook - all our content is public!

www.Facebook.com/InfinitelyMoreBand

East Coast Tour - Day 2

What a full day here at Elim Lodge!

This morning, we sang for the camp's main worship service. The large sanctuary was packed with campers and folks from neighbouring towns. We sang You Take Me Higher, A Divine Heart Imagined You, and Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone.) 

Before the service, I went out in the field next to the church to do some vocal warm ups. On the other side of the field, a man was doing his own warm up - stretching, push ups, and jumping jacks. I couldn't help but smile at the dichotomy of the images - me in my Sunday best, him in his work out clothes, and both of us stretching our muscles for the big game.

You'll never go hungry at Elim Lodge, and lunch was a feast of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and all the fixings. I think it's a safe bet that most people took a nap this afternoon.

I actually spent the better part of the afternoon sitting by the water and painting. Pure bliss...

This evening, we sang a few songs for the evening service. The preacher wanted to speak on 'healing' so for the song before the message, we gave our testimony about our car accident and sang Healing is in Your Hands. It's been a while since we've shared that story, and it felt good to minister in that way.

It's really been a fantastic kick off to the tour. Tonight, we spent time chatting with new friends at the Snackery and packing up. Tomorrow, we head to Montreal for a much needed mini-vacation before heading to Nova Scotia for our next concert! 

East Coast Tour - Day 1

It has begun!

After months of planning, we are officially on our East Coast Tour!

Today we pulled out of our driveway with a car full of guitars, gear, CDs, maps, clothes, and of course, our espresso maker. Over the next month, we’ll drive 6000 kilometers, sing in 4 provinces, and do our best to eat a lobster or two.

Our first stop is Elim Lodge campground, just north of Peterborough, ON. We came here last year and loved it. They’ve put us up in a little cottage right by the water. Tomorrow, I have grand plans to sit outside and paint a bit …

Tonight was our opening concert. It feels so great to sing our songs, and actually give people the opportunity to take the music home with them!

After the show, we visited the Snackery for late night hotdogs and ice cream.

Tomorrow we’ll be singing at both the morning and evening worship services, so tonight we’re planning songs and getting some much needed rest.

THE CDS ARE HERE! THE CDS ARE HERE!!!!

It’s official:

We are thrilled to announce the release of our 2, 

yes TWO, new CDs!!

Infinitely More contains 10 songs featuring our signature vocal harmonies, Gerald’s ripping guitar, and a fantastic band of Nashville musicians. We wrote 8 of the songs, and also included “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone).”

Every Church is a Small Town is Gerald’s debut songwriting CD! This awesome collection of songs, written entirely by Gerald, is a great blend of inspirational anthems and country story-songs.

You can purchase CDs at any of our live events,

or online at www.InfinitelyMore.ca/Store

The CDs are in the oven!!

Well, at the manufacturer...

After a week of 14 hour days - listening to mixes, listening to masters, getting photos, working on graphics, looking at proofs, singing a concert & two church services - the CDs are finally being printed!

We're getting a "short run" which means we'll have CDs to take on our East Coast Tour this month.

This is sooooo exciting!!!!

Here's a sneak peek at the packaging:

More photos!!!

We hit Toronto Beaches today to get photos for our Infinitely More CD artwork.

I took a few shots on location. 

You can find them on our SITE and FACEBOOK page.

With our graphics designer, Linda van der Beek. 

The Joy & Challenges of Recording...

The busiest month of my life was January, 1999. Toronto residents will remember that winter as the year the snow was so bad the city called in the army reserves to haul it out.

In 31 short days, I:

• moved into my first solo apartment
• booked and shot a commercial
• booked and shot a short film
• booked and started full-time rehearsals for Tony & Tina's Wedding at Second City
• taught preschool 5 mornings a week
• sang as a soloist for a church choir every Sunday

Why mention the snow? Because, not only did I spend the month walking and taking transit through several feet of it, but the snow banks were so high that all we could move into my apartment was a cot, a TV, and an armchair.

I remember walking down King St. to a dress rehearsal at Second City and feeling incredibly disoriented. "Ah," I thought, "This is what it feels like to be sleep deprived."

I thought of this time period last week, because I found myself overwhelmed at our current schedule and thought, "When is the last time I was this busy?"

January, 1999.

Recording these CDs will probably go down in our family history as one of our greatest challenges ever. Taking on 2 CDs at once is crazy at any time, but add in 3 weeks worth of lost recordings due to studio issues, 2 weeks of laryngitis for me, and all the other things that have needed to be done, and I think it's fair to say it's been a bit wild.

Our days have been filled with long studio sessions, hours of listening to mixes, arranging photo shoots and graphic design, getting everything in place with the manufacturer, mastering the projects, planning our August tour, teaching baby music, and of course, and planning, rehearsing, and playing 2 church services a week. Oh, and did I mention I signed up for an 8-week Musicians Summer School to study music marketing?

Needless to say, we're tired, a little overwhelmed, and a frightfully antisocial.

But I'll also say this: 

We're inspired, excited, and tremendously hopeful 

about the future of our CDs! 

"Every Church is a Small Town" is full of amazing songs played by incredible Nashville players. Gerald really sang the you-know-what out of them, and the mixing created a CD that sounds ready for the radio. I know people will be inspired by Gerald's song-stories of love and hope.

"Infinitely More" is so much larger, bolder, and moving than either one of us ever imagined (asked or imagined?) Every piece - from musicians to harmonies to mixes - has come together to create something that both represents us as a duo, and surpasses our expectations. I feel these songs will find a place in both personal iPods and church worship services.

We're in the final days - a photo shoot today, one more vocal session on Saturday, some more mixes, working out graphics, the final mastering, and then, getting them pressed into actual hold-in-your-hand CDs!

We've been so challenged in these recent months, but I feel confident that we're following God's plan, leaning on His strength, and singing His song.

How can we not feel blessed? 

New Photos!!

We've got new photos posted of our recent vocal sessions, 

and the photo shoot for Gerald's CD - "Every Church is a Small Town."

You can see the photos on our SITE or our FACEBOOK page.

Gerald and our graphics designer, Linda van der Beek, at the tower door of St. John's York Mills Church. St. John's was the inspiration for the title track, "Every Church is a Small Town."

Studio Update!

Today was a big one - 9 hours in the studio!

Gerald started the day and I took the early evening shift. It's been weeks since I've been well enough to record anything, so I was a little nervous, but it all went really well.

I'm happy to say that we've now finished 

all the vocals for Gerald's solo CD!!!

Denny, our producer in Nashville, has all the pieces, and he's already started mixing. By next week, we'll be ready to master.

Now, to turn the focus on completing the vocals for our Infinitely More CD. There's a lot of work to do in a very short time, but everyone is bringing their A game, and it's exciting to see it all come together.

Just a reminder that you still have a few weeks to pre-order the CDs and get free shipping. Visit www.InfinitelyMore.ca for more details.

Friday - back in the studio! 

Canadian Worship Night - The Stories Behind the Songs

When I realized July 1 was a Sunday, I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to have all Canadian worship music at The Gathering for Canada Day?"

So tonight, that's just what we did! I did some research and found the stories behind all the songs, and gave it out to the congregation.

As my Canada Day gift to you, 

here are the stories behind the worship songs*

 we sang tonight:

*The Gathering often incorporates secular inspirational songs into worship, so for tonight's purposes, Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young are worship writers! 

Heart of Gold

By Neil Young

"Heart of Gold" was released on the 1972 album Harvest, and was a #1 hit in both Canada and the USA. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The song is one of a series of acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, Young could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down.

Come, Now is the Time to Worship

By Brian Doerkson

In the mid-1990’s, Canadian worship leader, Brian Doerkson, and his family were in their lowest place - they lost everything financially, experienced a tremendous ministry failure, and discovered a genetic illness in 3 of their 6 children. In the midst of this time, he took a prayer walk and heard the line, “Come, now is the time to worship…”. He realized that the call to worship sounded in all times and in all places, not just for those who have it all together - we are called to worship even at the lowest  points in our lives. Doerkson wrote the song and used it in his private worship for weeks. Within months of bringing it to his church, it was being sung in churches around the world. 

You Take Me Higher

By Gerald Flemming

Gerald wrote “You Take Me Higher” in 2011 as a congregational song of praise. It expresses the joy and energy of a personal encounter with an all-powerful God. “You Take Me Higher” has been featured in The Gathering’s recent video teaser, and will appear on Infinitely More’s upcoming debut CD.

Hallelujah (Psalm 31)

By Leonard Cohen 

Tonight’s verse text: King David

"Hallelujah" was originally released on Cohen’s studio album, Various Positions (1984). Cohen's original version contains several biblical references, most notably evoking the stories of Samson and the traitorous Delilah from the Book of Judges, as well as the adulterous King David and Bathsheba: “she cut your hair" and "you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you." Tonight’s text draws from Psalm 31 - ironically, a psalm attributed to King David.

If You Could Read My Mind

By Gordon Lightfoot

"If You Could Read My Mind" reached number one on Canadian music charts and was Lightfoot’s first recording to appear on the American music charts, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1971. Lightfoot has cited his divorce for inspiring the lyrics, saying they came to him as he was sitting in a vacant Toronto house one summer.  

Living Manna

By Allison Lynn

Allison wrote “Living Manna” late one night in her parent’s Burlington living room. The song speaks to the wholeness of God, as found through bread, water, blood, and the Trinity. “Living Manna” will appear on Infinitely More’s upcoming debut CD.

Refiner's Fire

By Brian Doerkson

One day, while stuck in traffic, Brian Doerkson felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and ‘heard’ two lines being sung repeatedly - “Purify my heart, let me be as gold…” He rushed to his church, hid away in a back room with his guitar, Bible, and concordance, and began to search through all the references to “purify.”  Doerkson says this about the song, “...singing words like ‘Purify my heart’ is so dangerous and so important. It prepares us to see God. … Our calling and role in God’s unfolding redemption depends on our hearts being purified. And our relationship with God depends on it as well.” 

God keep our land, glorious and free!

Happy Canada Day!!

Lose a Voice - Read a Book...

So, as frustrating as my recent bout with laryngitis has been, I've been reminded by friends and supporters that this is also a time to rest, think, and allow myself some quiet time.

One gift has been hour upon hour of reading. I've started and finished 3 books in the past week!

I've enjoyed all three, so I wanted to share them with you. Here goes:

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL

By Todd Burpo

I will totally admit that I secretly mocked this book for months (which goes against my personal philosophy of not judging a book I haven't read, a movie I haven't seen, or a song I haven't heard, but I digress...) I had so many people recommend it that I finally gave in. And I have to admit, I was moved. I don't know how much of it I can believe, but I do believe that this family had an extraordinary experience, and it's one worth sharing. The book is well written, and I think the discussions it can evoke are worth having.

THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS

By Ann Patchett

I read Ann's book Bel Canto as my 'airplane book' a few years ago, so I was excited when I saw this on the table at Costco. I love books that tell stories from multiple points of view. A theme in a lot of my reading and watching this year seems to be "the power of being loved." This book investigates the consequences of not accepting that love. Great storytelling and writing!

UNLEASHED

(Previously released at THE BARBARIAN WAY)

By Erwin Raphael McManus)

I heard Erwin at this year's Break Forth conference and he was my favourite speaker of the weekend. This book encourages us to rip away at civilized Christianity, and answer the primal call of Christ to "Follow me." What do we do when Christ calls us into risky places? What does a Christian 'barbarian' look like? It's obvious that Erwin is a bit of an adrenaline junky, so it would have been nice to have a few examples of risk taking that don't involve waterskis, ATVs, or visits to the ER. That said, I love this book. It's one of those books that shouldn't be simply read and closed - instead, we should use it to re-evaluate our faith walk and practices.

Every Singer's Nightmare...

Over a week ago, I started to feel a tightness in my throat. I told myself I was just tired and needed to warm up a little more gently, but I was wrong. Before long, I had every singer's nightmare: a lost voice!

I fought it for days - keeping silent when I could, drinking herbal throat tea with honey, breathing through my nose - but it was no use.

By Wednesday night, I was silenced.

On Thursday, I had to cancel a class. I started communicating with Gerald by texting.

On Friday, we had to cancel my time in the studio. Gerald told me I was off the team for Sunday's Gathering service.

On Saturday, I listened as Gerald and Monika rehearsed for Sunday.

And today, I spent the afternoon in a glorious bath of self-pity. 

I was just so frustrated!!! Here we are, recording vocals for our CDs, and I have no voice!! Our schedule is so tight, and we've already been put behind with some technical stuff, and now, I'm completely useless.

So tonight, I sat in the pew while Gerald led worship for the Gathering.

I was tired, but I knew I needed to worship. I opened my hands, lifted my arms, and sang my heart-song to God. I prayed, and listened, and felt the spirit.

I had chosen the songs for the service last week. How was it that I planned "Be Still and Know"? Did God plant that in my heart because He knew I'd need to hear it tonight?

I can't say I'm happy that I'm still voiceless, but I can say this:

Refreshed by worship, encouraged by friends, loved by my husband, and loved by God - 

I feel at peace tonight.

Book Review: The Truth About Grace by John MacArthur

I choose this book to review for 2 reasons: I had heard great things about John MacArthur, and I'll take any chance to read about grace. I finished this book for two reasons: I had agreed to review it, and I hoped I'd learn something about grace.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate this book, but there were 2 things in the first chapter that, if I hadn't agreed to review it, would have made me put it down. First, instead of quoting scripture, it gave scripture references. Now, unless you have your Bible memorized (which truly, I do not) then you either need to stop reading and look up every single reference, or you need to keep reading and think, "Well, I assume that reference meant something." Either way, you're not getting the most out of the message. Second, even though I feel solid in my basic theology and church terminology, I still felt like he was speaking academically at times. It made me wonder if this was written for a different kind of target audience?

Now, all that said, I think there's actually some great insight in this book. MacArthur is at his best with his play-by-play of Gospel stories, explaining hidden meaning and historical context. His descriptions of common grace versus salvation grace are wonderful, and I found lots of quotes and paragraphs to underline for further reference.

Would I recommend this book? I don't know, but it's a reminder that, sometimes, sticking with a book you don't love can still give great rewards.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Recording "You Are..."

Back in the studio for another great night of vocals!

Tonight we focused on "You Are..." - a song Gerald wrote for me. We played it at The Gathering one night, and Rev. Anne called it a "love song" for God, which was a perfect description. It has a soaring melody, and Denny created a gorgeous instrumental track for it.

So tonight, all I had to do was be in the moment, and sing this beautiful love song. I did three full takes, and then we did a little bit of detail work on the second verse. This verse is thick with emotional imagery, so we wanted to make sure that the performance was really telling this piece of the story.

After I finished my lead, Gerald jumped in the booth to do some lovely harmonies for the chorus. I feel so good about what were able to do tonight. I've been teaching a lot lately and that can be vocally tiring, so we've really focused on Gerald's vocals in the last few sessions. Tonight has left me feeling energized and ready to lay down the rest of these songs!

Next session - Friday!

Recording the Vocals...

We've now got three vocal sessions under our belt. The first one really was an exercise in experimentation - how do we capture the sound we love live in the unique setting of the studio?

This week, we've focused on Gerald's solo vocals. He's done some lead vocals on songs from both our Infinitely More project and his solo CD. He's just sounding great, and the more he does, the better he sounds.

Carmon and Gerald working out parts with guitars in hand...

Recording is such a different beast than performing live. Everything feels vaguely odd - no audience, the mic is different, people staring at you through a window...

And in the worst moments, you can start to feel very self conscious - "Oh no! This is being recorded! If I mess up, people will hear my mistakes... forever!!!!"

We're just trying to be relaxed about things - to remember that this is a crazy time, but a time to savour every moment.

Next week, on to my vocals!

Musician as Marketer...

One of the challenges about being an indie-musician is also being a part-time marketer.

I created these posters and order forms last week to help people preorder our CDs. At times like this, I'm really glad I have a MacBook. Nothing replaces a real graphics person, but for simple stuff like this, it's nice to be able to create at home.

I've created a few mini-posters for the CD table we put up at concerts, and some orders forms to keep track of everything.

If you're interested in our preorders, you can find us in person, or you can visit www.InfinitelyMore.ca/Store. 

Hair Cut for Cancer - Over 2000 YouTube Views!

Our video of my recent 10-inch hair donation has received over 

2000 views on YouTube! Whoo-hoo!

If you haven't seen it yet, here 'tis:

You can see photos & info on how you can donate at 

www.InfinitelyMore.ca/CutForCancer 

CD Preorders have begun!!!!

It's official! You can now preorder your copies of our 2 new CDs!

Preordering guarantees you'll be among the first to receive your CDs. 

As soon as the first batch is printed in late July, all preorders will be placed in the mail. 

Oh, and did we mention we're offering FREE SHIPPING on all preorders?

Infinitely More features 9 original songs of praise and reflection, and our signature arrangements of "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)."

Every Church is a Small Town is Gerald's first solo CD! 

His soulful vocals will shine on 10 of his original Inspirational and Country songs.

Both CDs are backed by an incredible band of Nashville musicians!

Each CD is only $15.00 CAN, and let me say again - FREE SHIPPING!!!! 

To place your preorder, 

please visit www.InfinitelyMore.ca/Store

New Video for The Gathering at SJYM!

Every Sunday night, Gerald and I lead the worship band for 

a contemporary worship service called The Gathering.

We've just completed a teaser video to give a sense of what we do there. 

It features our song, You Take Me Higher.

The Gathering runs every Sunday night, 5:00-6:00pm

St. John's York Mills Church, 

19 Don Ridge Dr., North York, ON 

www.sjym.ca

Come join us!

We're on Twitter!

We've finally joined the world of Twitter!

You can find us at www.Twitter.com/Infinitely_More

New "Hair Cut for Cancer" Video!

I've finally put together a video from my recent 10 inch hair donation!

We've also created a new page on our website to share the video, photos, and info on how you can donate your hair.

For years, I had long hair and never even knew I could donate it. The only reason I started donating was when I heard someone else sharing their story.

Please feel free to share this link & video with your friends!

Our new Cut for Cancer page: 

www.InfinitelyMore.ca/CutforCancer

Here's the video - enjoy!

The Beads Songwriter Night

Tonight felt so Nashville!

Our friend, Susan Hookong-Taylor invited us to be part of her songwriting series, The Beads. We performed in the event room of the charming Family Tree House Cafe. 

Gerald and I took the opportunity to sing a lot of songs from our upcoming CDs, such as You Take Me Higher, Real Big Fan, and You Are. It was great to play them for a new audience and get such positive feedback. We also had the chance to jam out a few worship songs with Susan - so great to play with such a talented lady!

With Susan Hookong-Taylor.

After the show, we spent a long time chatting, sharing stories, and eating late night ice-cream. 

We'll definitely be back... and yes we'll have more ice-cream, please!

Ascension Sunday at St. John's York Mills

Today, we doubled up at St. John's York Mills as we helped lead both the morning service and the evening Gathering in a celebration of the Ascension.

Okay, a week ago, I don't know if I was that excited about celebrating the Ascension. In theory, I would have defined it as a good thing - Jesus going up to Heaven can't be all that bad. But in reality, I really had never given it a second thought.

As I planned our Gathering music, I looked to songs that had themes of praise and exultation - "God on high" and that kind of thing - and I think that was on the mark.

But as I dug deeper, I began to see the beauty of the Ascension, 

 the reminder that Jesus didn't die a second time. 

He's still living, 

still able to hear our prayers, 

still waiting for us on the other side.

That changed everything.

At tonight's Gathering, a woman shared the story of her near-death experience. I've known this woman for a while. She's smart and sensible. She's not one for exaggeration. But she told this phenomenal, beautiful story about coming close to death, and feeling surrounded by the full and all-encompassing love of God. I could retell all her words, and I could never come close to truly capturing the feeling of love, acceptance, and grace that was shining in her eyes as she told her story.

That's the Ascension.

... God living ...

... loving us now ...

.... waiting to receive us home ...

So that's what we celebrated tonight...

The Ascension stained glass window at St. John's York Mills.

The Vocal Sessions Begin...

Since we recorded the instrumental tracks for our new CD in March, we've been searching for the right place to record our vocal tracks. We wanted a studio with great vocal mics, a strong knowledge of Christian music, a great ear for harmony, and in an ideal world, somewhere close to our house.

And we found it! So tonight, we went to Emmanuel Recording Studios for our first vocal session.

Gerald and I have a really tight musical synergy when we perform live. Our voices blend seamlessly, and we can follow each other's every move. The challenge is capturing that in the studio.

Between the Infinitely More CD and Gerald's songwriting project, we're going to have lots of sessions over the next few months, so we decided to treat tonight as a playground session. We experimented with different mics, played with the song, tried different ways of recording our sound, and just got used to the whole set up.

Gerald and Carmon trying out different mics.

I'll be taking a photo or two at every session, and you can visit our photo album to see the whole set.

My 3rd Cut for Cancer

As we speak, 10 inches of my hair is in the hands of Canada Post.

My family and I gathered today for my 3rd Cut for Cancer. The first happened when we were living in Nashville and the second in Toronto.

Donating your hair is a fascinating process. During my first growing period, I was washing my hair one night, and I realized, "This isn't my hair!" The hair at the top of my head was mine, but the long strands in my hands actually belonged to someone else. Like a surrogate, I was caring for this hair until it was ready to be delivered to someone else.

At that point, I began praying for the woman who would get my hair. I imagined all the different things she could be - a mother, a grandmother, a teenager, an artist, a business woman, a woman of faith, an atheist. I wondered how far along she was in her disease. Maybe she didn't even know she was going to get sick. I prayed for healing, for all those who would handle getting my hair to her, and no matter what her faith walk, I prayed she would feel God's peace in her life.

The process has been no less profound this third time around.

At today's cut, Mom, Dad, Gerald, and I discussed the unique consequences of hair donations. With surrogacy, you know who owns the baby and where it's going next. With organ donations, you either know your recipient, or you've died and the whole process is anonymous. I think the closest similarity is blood donors - it's anonymous, and we're all walking around the next day. Who knows? I could ride the bus some day with the woman who's wearing my hair, and neither of us would be the wiser.

So my hair has been snipped and shipped, and I feel fantastic. Physically, I really do feel lighter! And I feel thankful that I have the hair to donate.

All this week, I've been reminded of these words from the Book of Common Prayer:

And here we offer and present unto Thee, O Lord, 

our selves, our souls and bodies, 

to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice unto Thee…

The cut is done! Me and my 10-inch ponytails!

I'll be posting photos and a video of the day on our site soon, but in the meantime, you can view photos on our Infinitely More Facebook page.

Book Review: A Year With Jesus, by R.P. Nettelhorst

It's been ages since I've reviewed a book! Not that I haven't read a slew of them, but it's just been a while since my last review.

Here we go:

"A Year With Jesus" is a devotional based on the words of Christ. Devotionals can be a real mixed bag for me. I find it so inconvenient when only the scripture reference is given, so you need to pull out a second book to look it up. And combine that with a flippant little interpretation about the passage, well, sometimes it just seems like a wasted death of a tree.

Happily, this book is something different. Each page contains a passage of scripture that includes the words of Jesus, and a meaningful piece of application. The scripture is long enough to actually give you a sense of context and story. The year is divided into themes of contrast and struggle: Love and Hate, Truths and Lies, Arrogance and Humility, Friends and Enemies, Deserved and Undeserved, and so on.

I really appreciate the style of this book. The entries are numbered but not dated, so you can pick it up anytime and start reading from any spot. It's the perfect length for a daily devotional, or it could also be used to read and reflect on a particular theme. Overall, I've really enjoyed this book, and it's earned a place in my daily reading book pile.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cause one CD is never enough...

This spring, we took on the long-awaited challenge of recording our first Infinitely More CD. We visited Nashville to record the instrumental tracks, and after much searching, we've found an awesome studio in Toronto to capture our vocals. This Saturday, we'll lay down our first vocal session!

Making a CD is always a challenge, and things are moving smoothly.

But then....

We got to thinking (always a dangerous notion for the Creative Brain) - Gerald recorded demos of his country songs a few years ago.

What if we removed the demo singer's vocals, had Gerald record his own vocals, and then released a solo CD for Gerald?

So that's what we're doing!

After going through the demos, we chose 5 tracks that we thought would fit well on a country, inspirational, songwriter type of CD.

As we speak, Gerald is upstairs on Skype, working with our producer and the session players, recording 5 more tracks to fill out the CD.

If you've been to any of our concerts in the past year, you'll recognize many of the songs on this project, including one of my favourites, "Every Church is a Small Town."

Arg!! Two CDs!!! My practical mind is thinking: twice the finances, twice the work, twice the stress.

But my Creative Brain is thinking: 

10 times the creativity, 

100 times the adventure, 

1000 more ways to put some good out into the world.

I think I'll let my Creative Brain take control...

New looks!

Over the next few days, I'm doing some experimenting with the template and format for my blog! It'll be like the weather in Newfoundland - changing every 5 minutes! (I can make that joke, being a Newfoundlander and all...)

I'd love your feedback on colours, format, and things you'd like to see on the new and improved Adventures of a Starving Artist blog!

New Video - Nearer My God to Thee

Last Sunday, we had a special night at The Gathering. Drew decided to preach Karl Barth's famous sermon on the sinking of the Titanic. The original sermon was preached just a week after the sinking, but the messages are still relevant 100 years later.

To highlight the story of those lost, especially the musicians, we ended the service with the classic hymn, Nearer My God To Thee.

You can see the video of Nearer My God To Thee HERE.

New Video - In Flanders Fields

Last November, Gerald wrote a new musical setting for the classic WWI poem, "In Flanders Fields."

This week, we remembered the anniversary of Vimy Ridge by creating a little home video of the song.

You can find it HERE.

The Vimy Ridge memorial.

The designer, Walter Seymour Allward, is buried in the churchyard at

St. John's York Mills - our home church for The Gathering.

Happy Easter - FREE PRESENTS!!

To celebrate Easter, we'd like to give you some presents for your cyber-Easter basket!

First, we'd like to give you a FREE DOWNLOAD of our recording of

"In the Garden."

We recorded this classic Easter hymn for my second Nashville CD, Hymns in the Key of Grace. Jazz pianist, Teri Reid, created a beautiful accompaniment and piano solo. And on vocals, I'm joined by my friend and mentor, Gaither Homecoming artist, Allison Durham Speer.

To receive your free download, please visit HERE.

As a second little present, I've created a video of "In the Garden"! I've used photos taken by myself and my Dad, Rev. Hollis Hiscock, that show gardens we've loved from Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and New York.

You can see the video HERE.

Please feel free to share these links and share the love!

Have a blessed and joyful Easter season!!!!

Good Friday

A day that blends tragedy, redemption, and hope.

The cross at St. John's York Mills.

We joined the congregation at St. John's York Mills this morning and sang Gerald's song, The Good Tree. This is one of my favourite Gerald-songs. It tells the "story" of the tree that became the cross that carried Christ. It was so awesome to share this song during this time of worship.

A day for silence and meditation,

but Sunday's coming...

Recording for The Gathering

We're creating a youtube commercial for The Gathering. It'll combine the talents of our band, tech team, and clergy to give people a sense of what they'll experience on a Sunday night at St. John's.

Today, we recorded a quick vocal for our song You Take Me Higher, using the track we recorded in Nashville. (We debated recording the band, but it was just easier to coordinate with the track.) Here's a photo of Gerald and Derwyn listening to the mix. I'll post the video when it's live!

Palm Sunday!

The Gathering is usually a free-flowing format of music, prayer, and message. Tonight, we shook things up to celebrate Palm Sunday and prepare people for Holy Week.

Palm branches in the lobby of the church.

After our opening songs of praise, we presented a dramatic reading from Mark's Gospel, starting with Palm Sunday, and reading through to the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. At specific points, we sang a song to emphasize that part of the story. At the Last Supper, we sang the Communion hymn, "Behold the Lamb" (Getty/Getty/Townend). At Gethsemane, I sang "Gethsemane Hymn" (Getty/Townend) as a solo. As we took people through the steps of the crucifixion, Gerald and I sang verses of "Were You There" (traditional) with Gerald's beautiful guitar arrangement.

We ended with a short reflection by Drew, and some great songs about the cross. The combination of story and song was powerful.

The feedback after the service was both overwhelming and humbling. I really feel like we set ourselves and our congregation in a great place to start our Holy Week journey.

We now start our walk towards Good Friday,

knowing the story doesn't end there...

Growing Through Lent - Help Those in Need

(This Lent, my Dad, Rev. Hollis Hiscock, and I are co-blogging! You can find our posts every Monday at my Blog and Dad’s Blog. Visit, comment, share, and most importantly, feel free to join us in the journey.)

As we study the Gospels (as recommended last week),

we see countless examples of Jesus helping those around Him:

If they needed to speak, He stopped and listened.

If they were sick, He healed them.

If they needed knowledge, He taught them.

As we move into the book of Acts, we see how the newly formed ‘church’ used their time, talent, and treasures to help those in their communities who were without.

So as we start to grow in our faith, we are encouraged to follow the model of Christ and His followers in helping those around us.

We posted the question,

“How do you use your time, talents, or treasures

($$$ or resources) to help those around you?”

on several Facebook forums.

Here are some of our responses (edited for space):

H.W.

My friends and I sing at three different senior homes once a month (volunteering). When there are needs, I pray for people whom I do not know ... I teach children from low income families free piano lessons. I drive widows to grocery shopping or doctor's appointments ... I donate money to support (music) ministries.

A.S.

I work at a hospital, changing undergarments, checking vitals, making my patients happy.

H.H.

I volunteer with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (Canada). We prepare (free) income tax returns for people with limited income. I expect to complete between 75-100 during March and April, 2012.

H.G.H.

I'm part of a team of pastoral visitors at St. Christopher's Church, and I help with our senior's luncheons.

A.K.O.

I write and create art daily for my blog that inspires others … I tithe to my church; I give to causes like the SPCA and the United Way. This evening, I spent a few hours to support and comfort friends who lost their mother.

B.S.

I teach art to adults … I welcome people to the Library and help them find what they need ... I make great signage that informs, instructs, directs to support others in finding what they are looking for! I smile a lot and spread sunshine wherever I go! :)

One person finished their response with this:

I am just sharing God's blessings and

all glory goes to our Lord Jesus Christ.

We encourage you to take a few moments today to think about your time, treasure, and talents, and how you might use them to help those in your community or abroad.

This is the final post for our Growing Through Lent co-blog.

Thank you for joining us on our Lenten journey!

CD Tracking Done!

This Nashville trip has been amazing. We spent yesterday at the studio, doing final touches on a few guitar parts, getting rough mixes of all the tracks, and just sitting in awe of what the musicians did with our songs.

Today, we enjoyed the city - eating, shopping, and time with friends.

Tomorrow, we start the drive home.

In the meantime, I've posted more photos!

You can see them on our SITE or FACEBOOK PAGE.

Not-So-Live Studio Blogging - Band Day!

(Long, amazing day that has surpassed our expectations.

It's been a long day, so grab a latte and enjoy today's journey...)

9:00am

Band day! Adding bass, keyboard, and percussion to all the guitar/vocal tracks we recorded last week. Starting with A Prayer Will Find You – the most rhythmically challenging song of the day.

9:27am

Sounding so amazing!!! Gerald and I are giggling like kids at the circus. This is gonna be a good day!

9:35am

First full take done. Doing another take with another kind of percussion.

These musicians are just amazing. They play it through so beautifully, and then they say, “Let’s do it again. I can do it better.” And it is better! How does that happen???

9:47am

The guys are joking about “Nashville pattern baldness” – a strip of bald across the top of your head from wearing headphones all day.

10:03am

First song done! Awesome! Donut break.

10:10am

Next song: Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone). The players are hearing the charts and working out their parts.

Everyone will play through the entire song. That way, in the final mix, we can pick and choose if we want, for example, drums the whole way through, or if want to pull them out for a verse.

10:33am

Just before we tracked my first CD, “Real Big Fan,” several people described a Nashville recording session this way:

A bunch of nondescript guys will enter the room. They’ll talk, crack jokes, drink coffee, eat donuts, and look totally unfocused. Then the downbeat will hit, and those nondescript guys will play your song better than you’ve ever imagined it.

So true…

10:37am

Adding the tiniest tambourine I’ve ever seen. To quote the drummer, “It adds pizzazz, yet hurts no one.”

10:46am

Moving on to You Are. To keep the percussion light and earthy, the drummer is using djembe and congos on this.

11:20am

Keyboardist adding string quartet patch to You Are.

11:35am

Living Manna is next. Probably the lightest instrumentation on the album. Denny loves this song (*blush*). Just complimented my melody and prosody.

11:39am

Musicians jamming as Denny sets levels. It’s always humbling to remember that after today, these guys will be back playing for all of Nashville’s top stars and songwriters.

11:55am

One more to hit before lunch: Wondrous Journey. Trying different sounds – drum kit and Wurlitzer electric piano.

12:20pm

Wondrous Journey done. Lunch break!

1:15pm

Starting the afternoon with I Wanna Make Some Noise, the song I wrote while stuck in QEW traffic one day. I’m singing the scratch vocal with the band.

1:44pm

Vocal done! Two takes done! This totally rocks!!! Bluesy, Black Gospel, old school R&B – whoo!! We are having some church right about now!

Doing another take with electric guitar and Hammond B3 organ. They’ll play on the track, and also on the instrumental solo verse.

2:00pm

I Wanna Make Some Noise done, and sounding awesome!! Moving on to How Great Thou Art.

We’re so excited about everything! Denny is loving it too. It’s hard to put all this into words.

2:11pm

Electric guitar sounds so amazing, Gerald and I both just had the same idea – he’s going to play the melodic ("Then sings my soul") hook just before the rhythmic intro. Nice.

2:32pm

Adding a little guitar solo after the second chorus.

2:43pm

Next song: There is a Voice.

2:56pm

Just started intro - Gerald and I are giggling like school kids.

3:20pm

Espresso break! Making espressos for the band...

3:35pm

Moving on to You Take Me Higher.

3:55pm

Awesome! We’re calling that take the Espresso Remix!

4:12pm

You Take Me Higher is sounding incredible. A flock of birds just started singing outside – even nature likes our new CD!

4:19pm

Two more to go. Listening to Infinitely More with the players now.

4:30pm

Flashing back to Cape Breton where we started writing Infinitely More. Oh the things that can come out of a smoky hotel room in Cheticamp…

4:44pm

Last song! Real Big Fan. Save the fun for last!

5:35pm

Real Big Fan done! Sounds bluesy and amazing. What an incredible day. Just took a few photos with the band.

Keyboard player staying to record a few more overdubs.

6:27pm

Keyboard player has added tweaks to Real Big Fan and fantastic B3 organ to Wondrous Journey.

Now adding more string parts to You Are. I really appreciate the detailed approach these musicians take. The whole song can sound amazing, and they’ll say, “Hey, can we go back so I can replay the 3rd bar of the 2nd chorus? I can do something better there to lift that section.”

6:43pm

Polishing the piano solo on Living Manna.

7:05pm

Done! What a day. This has gone beyond our expectations.

Returning tomorrow for a few tweaks and just to make sure we’ve got everything covered.

Growing Through Lent - Read the Bible

(This Lent, my Dad, Rev. Hollis Hiscock, and I are co-blogging! You can find our posts every Monday at my Blog and Dad’s Blog. Visit, comment, share, and most importantly, feel free to join us in the journey.)

“Don’t get hung up on the actual words in the Bible;

get hung up on the messages conveyed

by the words of the Bible.”

“Treat the Bible like any other book,

and you will discover it’s not like any other book.”

The church encourages us to read the Bible daily, and extra during Lent.

The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) - the contemporary prayer book of the Anglican Church of Canada - invites us to have a holy Lent “by reading and meditating on the word of God.”

This means more than just speed reading the text. It entails thinking about the passage, searching for its message, and then applying it to our daily living. Some may recall having to memorize the Sunday prayer or collect (BAS page 391) which assured us that the Bible was “written for our learning,” and we need to “hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest” Holy Scriptures.

For Christians, the four Gospels are the foundation of faith. It describes the life of Jesus Christ - his birth, youth and adult years, culminating in his death, resurrection and ascension. It also contains the teachings of Jesus – describing what God is like, and providing principles upon which people should model their lives mirroring the Master’s example.

The other New Testament writings, mostly letters, attempt to clarify the teachings of Jesus and answer practical questions posed by adherents of the newly found faith. The writers, recognizing the persecution being unleashed towards the Christians, encouraged them to remain faithful and stay the course. God has not abandoned them and in the final analysis, they will receive their eternal reward.

The Old Testament rounds out the triad or trinity of scriptures. It gives an account of our human development and illustrates how religion, culture, politics and history are often interwoven in the lives of people – sometimes too much. Yet to understand where we are now, we need to delve into the past to decipher how God acts and reacts with humans.

We are suggesting that you read John’s Gospel during Lent - maybe reading the last chapters first in order to better understand what Jesus did, and how his life and teaching reflected why he did what he did.

As always, we encourage your thoughts

in the comment space below.

Recording Photos!!

I've posted photos from our Nashville recording sessions!

You can find them on our SITE or FACEBOOK PAGE.

We'll post more next week after the band sessions.

Not-So-Live Studio Blogging - Day 3!

12:30pm

Back for one more guitar track before Monday. Recording Chris Tomlin’s Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone.) Singing it live for Denny while he charts it.

This morning, a guy was playing bagpipes outside Tara and Kyle’s apartment for St. Paddy’s Day. Wishing we had him here right about now…

12:56pm

Denny is setting Gerald up in the booth to record the guitar track. Using the Bourgeois, but tuned down half a step. Going to sound really warm.

1:11pm

Choosing the exact tempo using the metronome. This is one of those things you do instinctively live, but you need to nail down precisely for recording.

1:34pm

Guitar track done and gorgeous! Going to record scratch vocal now.

1:43pm

Vocal done. Love singing this song together! I’m so glad we decided to include it on the CD.

Done!

Ready for the band on Monday morning!

Eep!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

I found a 4 leaf clover on

St. Patrick's Day!!

Talk about luck o' the Irish!

(I'll post our next studio update tonight.)

Not-So-Live Studio Blogging - Day 2!

10:30am

The rain is still coming down! We’re back at the studio for another day of guitar tracks and scratch vocals. Charting all the songs for the day. Denny is loving Gerald’s chord choices on the originals and the covers.

All the band charts will be written in the Nashville Number System. I’ve written about that before, but the quick review: NNS uses numbers to signify the chord changes. It's used extensively in Nashville studios, and allows the band to learn songs quickly and change keys easily. Instead of pages of sheet music, each player has only one piece of paper covered in numbers, lines, and diamond shapes to signify the shape of the song. Their own creativity fills in all the musicality of the piece.

11:13am

“Great songs are a combination of the surprising and the familiar.”

11:48am

Starting with the guitar track for Infinitely More, recorded on the Bourgeois (steel stringed acoustic guitar). We’ve tweaked a few little things in the guitar arrangement – going to give it some great energy!

Using mics on this guitar, so Denny is in the futzing stage again, trying to glean the best possible sound for the guitar.

12:45pm

So, we did the guitar track, started to sing along and realized, “This is way too fast!” Just sat with the metronome for a bit, and we’ve taken it back 6 beats per minute. Much better! Feels like a groove song now. Gerald is back in the booth to record the guitar again. Better to find out now and redo it than get to the vocal recording sessions and find it’s too fast.

1:01pm

Track done and the groove is perfect! Time to record a scratch vocal. Gerald and I will do this in the booth together.

1:15pm

Vocal done! Love recording the parts in the same booth, sharing one mic. It feels more like singing live. Might do some of this when we're doing the final vocal tracks.

1:18pm

Lunch break!

2:05pm

Afternoon session! Starting with How Great Thou Art. Double checking notes and chords on the chart. We want to do our own arrangement while honouring the original.

2:43pm

Just laid down a guide vocal for Gerald as he does a few takes of the guitar for How Great Thou Art. We do this song a lot live, so it’s interesting making the small tweaks to make it sound great in a recording.

2:52pm

Gerald and I going in the booth to record scratch vocal for How Great Thou Art.

3:11pm

Moving on to Real Big Fan. Yes, that’s the title song of my first CD. When Gerald wrote it, I heard it as a jazz song, which is how we recorded it first. Now, we’ll record Gerald’s bluesy, old school R&B version.

3:24pm

Taking a while to work out the chart on Real Big Fan – no simple chord progressions in this one!

3:55pm

Ready to record Real Big Fan now. It’ll be as close as we can get to live-off-the-floor. Gerald will record the guitar without a click, and record the vocal at the same time. I’ll jump in the booth to do my harmonies at the same time. Just choosing the right guitar patch for the electric guitar. Getting wild in here!

4:21pm

Well after all that, we’ve decided to ditch the track and actually do it live off the floor on Monday! It’ll give it a real jam band feel.

Denny’s making the chart now for I Wanna Make Some Noise. This will also be done live off the floor with the band on Monday.

4:52pm

I Wanna Make Some Noise is gonna rock! Just reworked it Black Gospel style. So excited to hear the band work this up!

4:59pm

Two songs to go! Moving on to Wondrous Journey. Gerald is sharing the story behind the song while Denny works up the chart.

5:30pm

Chart ready to go. Locking down the guitar vibe. Ready to go in the booth to do the scratch vocal.

6:30pm

After working on Wondrous Journey, we're rethinking how we're going to record it. Originally, I was going to sing the verses. But we've changed the vibe, so maybe Gerald would be a better fit? How does this affect the vocal balance of the CD? We need to take a second look at things....

Heading off for dinner to discuss. Coming back to the studio tomorrow to finish up the final guitar tracks in prep for Monday.

A great day's work!

Really looking forward to hearing how this all sounds with the band.