Thursday, October 31, 2013

A Note to Sinfonians about Born This Day

To My Sinfonian brothers,

I am a LifeLoyal member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. This is THE professional mens music fraternity.  I joined the Pi Tau chapter at Oklahoma Baptist University. '95.  (Note: for those reading who aren't familiar, LifeLoyal is a lifetime membership program that is a great way to stay involved and support the fraternity). 

Until two years ago all of my musical pursuits were instrumental.  As a multi-instrumentalist, I focused mostly on acoustic guitar and piano.  I play multiple genres but began songwriting in 2011 and later discovered my voice. 

My debut album, Born This Day, is a country Christmas LP with 10 songs, including a nice mix of 5 covers and 5 originals.  It is primarily in a traditional country style and designed  to be the perfect companion for holiday drives over the river and through the woods. 

This is not a home studio recording or cheap demo. This was recorded in a Nashville master studio with A list players.  We just got the masters back, and I can tell you that this is the same audiophile quality as a 
major label release.  

Also the level of musicianship and songwriting should appeal even to perfectionists like me.  Let me give you an example to underscore the musicianship and vision of this album. 

The fiddle player in this session, Rob Hajacos, was specifically sought out by me for this project.  

Rob is one of the original G Men. He played on all of Garth Brooks' studio albums and is still highly in demand for his artistry by folks such as Taylor Swift (Also playing on all of her albums). 

In short, Rob's fiddle style is what I love about such iconic recordings like Brooks & Dunn’s 'Boot Scootin’ Boogie', Clint Black's 'Killin' Time',George Strait's 'Unwound',  and Kenny Chesney’s 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems'. 

The steel player, Scotty Sanders, is a current ACM player of the year nominee and heard all day on country radio hits.  But I can't go on about all the players, you'll just have to listen for yourself. 

Born This Day single release 

I cowrote the original title track which will be released to radio next week.  This is one I am happy to put my name on as I composed the music arrangement on piano.  This is not a 'typical country' song.  It has III major chords and flat 9s.  

As thousands of composers can tell you, all the music theory in the world cant make a hit.  Based on our focus groups, though, we feel that this single will have strong country/AC/Christian crossover appeal.  It is being promoted to secondary radio, so we know we will be getting airplay.  

I always love it when i discover new music by Sinfonians.  So, I thought it would be cool in case you hear this one on the radio, that you know it's from a brother.   

Incidentally, I am not related to Grammy winning Oklahoma songwriter Jimmy Webb--but maybe someday I can join him.  After all,I am a Recording Academy member ;)

OAS, AAS, LLS!

JRW

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