Sparks from the Fire

A number of you have asked whatever happened to my Inspirational music project called Goin’Home. 

 Goin’ Home
A Gospel Cantata
On Heaven and Beyond
Additional Music and Lyrics by
Peter Link

Yes, there is a light, and yes, there is a tunnel.  Turns out it’s an extremely expensive project that has been in the works for nearly two years now.  Time and money have, for too long, been the obstacle.  Now we’re poised to overcome both.

The plan is to get the CD out for Christmas of 2011.  But first we have to finish a song and a half, mix the album, master it, design it, manufacture it and promote it.

Originally, I raised about a 3^rd of the money for the project from two very dear friends and supporters, Watchfire Music put in the another third and then time and money simply ran out before the project came to completion.  There’s a missing third. (more…)

OK, I’ll admit it.  I hit the wall.  A life in Inspirational music is stimulating, intriguing, exciting and yes, even inspiring, and yet there is a point in any endeavor where you just can’t do it 24/7 anymore.  Instead of waking up with energy towards the day, you wake up with a groan and a longing to just go back to sleep.

For me, that’s always a sure sign of wall banging.  I’m definitely a workaholic.  9 hours out of 10 I love my work.  It’s what I’d rather do than anything — especially in the studio where creation is always fascinating and rewarding.  Even that 10^th hour of basic drudgery (which probably comes with any great job) I can normally handle.  Normally.

It’s no longer “normally”.  About two weeks ago I started sleeping less to get in extra hours in order to get more done.  I hadn’t had even a full day of time off for over a year.  I thought to myself, “Well, I love my work; I can do this and get away with it.  Besides, it all needs to get done and it’s on my plate, so I’d just better work those extra hours.

Well, I found out how far I could push myself – and how far I couldn’t.

I hit the wall.

I’ve since been thinking about this wall.  Nobody runs into a wall on purpose.  We hit walls occasionally while driving our cars, while turning corners and even walking.  We hit these walls not because we mean to; nobody does that.  It hurts!  We hit walls because we’re not really watching where we’re going, because we’re not really in the moment of now looking clearly at the future.  If we were, we’d see the wall and stop before we hit it.  Duh. (more…)

Inspirational music is a new category.  5-6 years ago it basically did not exist.  When Watchfire Music first began we googled the words “inspirational music” and up came 4 pages of references.  At about 10 references per Google page that’s about 40 in total.

Today, I just googled the term and up came over 65,000,000 references.  That’s an incredible growth over this short time.  For the past year this blog, Sparks From The Fire, has stood at #1 or #2 on page one of Google just about every time I’ve googled it.  That’s about once a month.  Watchfire Music is nearly always found among the first 3 pages.

It’s taken a lot of work and dedication by a talented staff here at Watchfire Music to keep us up on the top of those rankings.  It’s also taken a lot of writing on my part to stay high on the charts, so to speak.  I must say, I’ve enjoyed it.  Writing this blog has given me a great time to think deeply about life and the meanings of inspiration almost daily.

I sometimes wonder if I’m not writing a new kind of autobiography – like a diary of a lifetime of thoughts and stories.  It certainly has been an autobiography of the last 4-5 years.  This particular post is actually the 350^th that I’ve written these past several years.

Some bloggers write short, terse 1 paragraph posts.  I read several a day and they’re very popular.  Mine are more often 3 pages.  I ask myself why.  I know that nobody has time to read any more and figure that one look at one of my long posts can be daunting to most people.  I try to write short, but I guess that’s just not me.

I could never be a commercial writer as a composer either.  Writing 30-60 second commercial songs was always an area that did not interest me.  I guess I just like to stretch out and try to go a little deeper.

Call it style; call it a reflection of my deranged mind.  Whatever…

At any rate, I’ve enjoyed the ride.  It’s been a chance to think things out and talk to all who might be interested and create a dialogue of thought on the topic of all things inspirational.

Thanks for listening.

The great thing about being an Inspirational music composer is that, for me, there’s very little or no stress involved with the actual endeavor.  I love my work; therefore, it’s fun, it’s rewarding, creativity flows pretty easily for me and when it does not, I know how to get it all going again pronto.

The only stressful area I can think of at the moment is when I have some sort of technological problem in my studio (which is rare) and it keeps me from my work and thus my deadlines.  But that really has nothing to do with the actual act of writing, recording, arranging, orchestrating or producing music.

Sometimes certain artists can be stressful in the studio, but I find the studio to be the least stressful of all artistic workplaces.  Reason being that I’ve been doing this work for so long that I’ve figured out a way around or through most of the typical stress scenarios and, as producer, I’m pretty much in control of the sessions.

When I was younger I remember that I would be stressful at times when I wouldn’t know what I was doing, but then I learned the huge importance of preparation.

The dictionary defines stress as, “(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; [verb] to test the limits of.  I find these definitions almost healing.  Think about it.  I love the sense of it being “a state of mental or emotional … suspense”  “Suspense”.  The act of not knowing something that you wish you knew.

These “emotional tensions” that we all experience on one level or another almost daily are the result of not knowing things that we feel that we should know.  Getting in over our head is always a case for tension or stress and ‘getting in over my head’ is something I get into nearly every day these days as I branch out into other jobs within Watchfire Music that I have no business or experience doing.  Because we’re a relatively small company, I’m often the one elected to do the hard jobs because I’m an owner and somebody’s got to do it, so I win the election. (more…)

NOTE: THE WFM LISTENING ROOM SERIES III CONCERTS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL THE FALL OF 2011.  STAY TUNED AND WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED AS TO THE COMING DATES.

Series III of the Watchfire Music Listening Room begins Sunday afternoon, July 17^th at 4:00 PM with Classical Crossover Sunday Afternoon – something a little different – something very special.  Inspirational music has never had it so good as to be presented most elegantly and professionally at 583 Park Avenue by a whole raft of world-class talent.

International artists such as Osceola Davis, Julia Wade, Gregory Emanuel Rahming and Marianne Moore will be joined by violinist, Alan Grubner and pianist, William Lewis, to present an afternoon of classic musical delights ranging from the works of Beethoven, to Ellington, to Billy Joel.  Don’t know how we can possibly fit such disparity into one afternoon?  Join us and experience for yourself!

The July 17^th Sunday Afternoon concert will be followed by three others this coming summer.  One is still in the assembling process, but others will feature WFMLR regulars Julia Wade, Chieli Minucci, Jenny Burton, Alan Grubner and newcomer to the WFM Listening Room experience, South American string quartet, Sweet Plantain, blending Jazz, Latin and Classic styles. (more…)

For those whose lives move beyond Inspirational music, you’ll be glad to know that baseball is alive and well.  Once, not so long ago, beleaguered by drug scandals and steroid doubt, our national pastime has now recovered and once again become the game Americans love.

How do I know this?  I’m a devoted Yankee fan.  I hope I don’t lose half my readership over this admonition, but yes, I love the Yankees – not a difficult team to follow.  Now I don’t want to brag, but winning is fun and consequently, it’s fun to be a Yankee fan.  Even this year when pitching is second rate and there are injuries a-plenty, they still win with regularity.

Even better, I, the jaded doubter of late, who was often quoted as saying that baseball was better on television than live, have discovered that I was wrong.  I’ll admit it.  Actually I am happy to admit it.  I was wrong.

Last night one of my best friends in life took me to a Yankee game at the new Yankee Stadium.  Wow!  What an experience!  It’s a modern 8^th Wonder of the World in its largess, grace and historical majesty.  It’s also simply a great place to watch baseball! And in between the innings, be totally entertained. (more…)

Two major productions, The Finale of WFM Listening Room Series II and Expanding Our Music – A Workshop On Church Solos both produced by yours truly and a major computer crash on my studio unfortunately coming right at the time of an album deadline have completely taken every moment of every day these past two weeks.

Consequently, I have not found the time to write and post.  For this, I am deeply sorry.  I’ve felt like a very special part of my life just went away.

But I’m back!  Productions over.  Computer problems contained.  Deadline within reach.  All is well.

Life of normalcy (whatever that is) returns.

I’ve missed talking with each of you.

Stay tuned…

Thrilling!  That’s the word that keeps coming up.  Absolutely thrilling!  Inspirational music took on new levels of inspiration last night as both Jenny Burton and Chieli Minucci and Friends closed out Series II in majestic form.

As I stood in the back of the room with the Missus and watched and listened and teared-up and danced, I was aware that we had reached, yet again, new heights.  This was an evening to be remembered.  (As if all the others weren’t?)  This was quickly becoming the new standard.

Here were four master musicians (Chieli Minucci, Philip Hamilton, Alan Grubner and Jenny Burton) taking us on rides of wonder, flights of daring, and journeys into the music of their minds revealing places never before visited.  Here was music pouring out of the minds and souls of master musicians – the kind of experiences that make us mere mortals sit in fascination and stand and scream in exhaustion when it’s over. (more…)