Making of "Everything Hinges"

The goal of making an album began a couple of years ago. I wanted the songs to be simple acoustic with no effects. However, you need a place to record and equipment for recording. I had niether.  Our (Cortney and I) life circumstances were crazy at that time and we were living on very little. So, it wasn't realistic to pursue a recording project. However, we kept in the back of our minds the goal of recording a home album when the time was right.


Fast forward to 2011, we moved mid-year to Nor-Cal for a Park Ranger position. One day I was cleaning up my garage and wondering what to do with a bunch of spare lumber that was left at our residence before we moved in. Then the idea hit that I could build a make-shift, hillbilly style structure - a studio - to record in. After all, I had some nails and a hammer!

Riley (our daughter) was on the way in September and the budget was tight. Still, we felt that the time was right to go for it, so long as we could record on a small budget of $500 over time. We knew I would have to be flexible and understanding if the Lord were to bring other things my way which would require putting the project on the back shelf.  

It took 2 months to build the studio. Mostly working a couple of hours on my days off. We put about $70 into it - gathering what we could, using heavy dudy quilted moving pads and buying egg shell foam for sound absorption. Then, over the next few months we managed to buy a couple discounted microphones and a M-Audio fast track pro usb interface with limited recording software pre-installed (Abelton Live Lite). All for $500. That was it... and that was all we could afford... so it
                                                            would do and we were thankful.  

I started recording in January 2012. This process took a long time. Not only did I have to learn the software, but I had to do it all on very little time. Mostly a coulple of hours a week - which felt like eternity because every moment I was away in my little "studio" Cortney was taking care of our new baby. She sacrificed so much. Thank you, Lord, for my wife!  It was hard balancing work, family-time and my job with a recording project. Eventually I got all of the kinks worked out and the songs were recorded.

This album isn't perfect. It's homemade. From scratch. It's simple, it's imperfect.   
It refects the abilities that God has given me and I'm proud of it. I hope you enjoy the songs.