Here is the link for the my musical premiere at Music Florida.
It will be located at Center Pointe Community Church in Orlando, FL
http://www.kempke.com/Kempke/site/MFSchedule.html
I was trying to go to sleep but I have had too much coffee and excitement today. I'm in Nashville writing songs this week. I was writing today with my publisher, Dave Clark. It was cool that while were "in the thick of it" he happened to get an e-mail from the director of Lillenas saying that they are doing a premiere of my musical "Sovereign Lord" at Music Florida in Orlando, on Jan 5th. And...it will be sung by the Disney Singers. Whadayaknow!!!!
I'm thinking Florida sounds good in January.
Today I hold in my hand a finished CD of my musical...sweet!
My friend Darin, who maintains my website, www.PhilMehrens.com, put some software on the site a while back that tells me what searches bring people there and what country they are from. Today someone in Zimbabwe, Africa searched for one of my lyrics.
I'm trying to figure out which makes me happier.
My Easter musical for '09 from Lillenas has just been released and is in stock ready to ship.
Preview packs and listening CDs are also available.
It is here!
Yikes! It's been a month since my last post.
I went to a writing retreat for my publishing company "Sunday Best Music" in the Smokey Mountains a few weeks ago. It was a great time to build relationships with our team...ala go carts and mini golf...as well as writing, eating, writing, times of worship and lots of conversation. What a joy to part of this creative community.
"Settled at the Cross" was just released by Brentwood/Benson in a choir octavo...yea! check it out :)
The workouts are feeling great now!
Had a date with my daughter last night...she is growing up.
Starting orchestra rehearsals for Christmas tonight.
The next few weeks will be slammed!
Phil joined the Y
Phil is sore
Phil's not 16 anymore
Please lift up my friend, Simon and His family in England. His father just had a massive stroke.
To join him in his prayers, here is today's post.
http://shhhmusic.spaces.live.com/
My publisher, Dave sent me a link to download the musical yesterday. I was on a staff retreat so it was late when Jodie and I got to my office at the church to listen to it. The first time through I was listening to the mix and running the recording process through my mind, remembering the different parts and analyzing the details. I think I had to get that out of the way. This morning I woke up at about 4:30, talked to the Lord about it and just listened to it like I was hearing it for the first time. I let the message soak in and just worshiped with it. I wept through the whole thing. So moving, So triumphant! My heart soared. I am so grateful to You, Jesus! It all belongs to You.
Highlights of yesterday
Lunch with Sue and the Wajonians (Write About Jesus Workshop people)
Travis Cotrell's session on inter-generation worship. Travis's heart really comes across in his teaching...a lot of wisdom here.
Hearing the song competition finals...Keep an eye out for Shelly Johnson. Great writer, singer, piano player, arranger. She took 2 first places in the semi-pro division. Give it up for Christopher Kai who placed in the competition with "Truly Jesus".
I managed to write a song, and turn it in for an upcoming kids project.
Eddie DeGarmo (head of EMI CMG) did a great workshop on all the changes going on in music industry. It's amazing the statistics he can cite off the top of his head.
I played another round of miniture golf with Jubi. Her form is coming along.
The concert was great last night. A little more acoustic. Shane and Shane (love these guys), Bethany Dillon, Joy Williams and Ben Glover. Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) is now in a trio called "Fiction Family" with Shawn Walker (guitarist). Such a cool, folky, slighty bluegrassy vibe. What melodies, progressions, and lyrical crafting this guy can come up with! Such a fresh sound. Hope they put out a CD soon.
I got to meet Chris Sligh (American Idol) last night at Cafe Estes and talk with him for a while about his new recording. Tony Wood wrote a song with him on the project. He has a #7 on the charts now. He is singing in the concert tonight.
This is the fourth day of Music in the Rockies. This year has been a little more relaxed than in the past because there are fewer workshops. I have been able to spend more time with Jubi and Jodie and my writer friends. I played soccer and miniature golf with Jubi last night. She hit two amazing shots that made the group behind us cheer.
I watched a preview screening of the movie "Fireproof" which produced by the same group that put out "Facing the Giants" It is about a struggle to save a marriage. The movie was very well done...very moving and triumphant. It had great elements of humor and wisdom. You were crying and laughing sometimes at the same time. With the miriad of romantic movies out there, I was struck by how fresh and compelling it felt because of it's biblical wisdom. Finally...some real answers to healing relationships instead of the usual fare.
The workshops have been great. It doesn't matter how many times I hear Tony, Sue, and Dave, I always walk away with cool new insights into improving my writing. Adam Watts and Andy Dodd had a great workshop today on elements of contrasts in great songs...so useful. It was also great to hear Gary Rhodes talk about writing musicals after going through the process recently. So many things clicked.
I got together with Lee and Melissa Black after lunch...it was great to catch up.
Jodie, Jubi and I sat with Sue Smith and her grandaughter at the concert tonight. The highlight for me was hearing Travis Cottrell sing "In the First Light" recorded with the London Symphony...what a moving piece. Then he led us in the song "In Christ Alone".
I heard from Dave Williamson that they were mastering the musical today. I hope to hear it soon. It's like waiting for Christmas morning.
I got in on the first day of mixing the musical. So cool! We had to leave Nashville today so I could get back to Joplin to pick up my family for a trip to the "Seminar in the Rockies"
I uploaded a video of Dave Williamson listening to the final mix Randy Poole did of the opening song. To quote a friend "It blows my socks off...and I am usually in good control of my socks"
Here is the link to the video on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=25672456276
We started tracking the rhythm section of the musical Friday night at Randy Poole's brand new studio in Franklin. We literally the had the best session players in Nashville there. Dave Cleveland on guitars, Scott Williamson on Drums, Craig Nelson on Bass, and Jason Webb on keys. There is no way to describe what it feels like for musician of this caliber to play your songs.
The musical title is "Sovereign Lord" The theme focuses on Christ as the risen, exalted, and coming King. It has been a thrill watching Dave Williamson produce his arrangement. When he turned to me in the session and said "Phil, I so want these songs to get out there. I fell in love with them." Those words were so significant to me because I had been praying that exact prayer...that whoever did the arranging would fall in love with the songs like they were their own. I've never had such an intense day processing what was going on musically. The level of musicianship and creativity in that room was so inspiring and yet it wore me out trying to track everything that was going on.
One of the really fun parts was seeing the enthusiasm and smiles and hearing the comments of the musicians about the songs as they first heard them...then to see them lay them down in one take like they had played them 100 times. Dave Clark said to me after all these years this part of the process never loses the wow factor for him. I am waking up at 4 am every morning due to the adrenaline so I walk down the streets and pray about what is going on that day.
Today we recorded the string and brass parts. There were moments I fought back the tears at the beauty of what Dave has orchestrated. What a gift. I just sit there wondering when the next wave will come. I will never take this for granted! What a priviledge this is. At one time Gary Jordan who came with me to watch the process was moving to let the assistant engineer throught and said "let me get out of the way so you can work, I am just a spectator here" and Dave Clark responded "We are all spectators" meaning God is doing something here that none of us could pull off by ourselves. It is the conjunction of rivers of gifts given by the Lord. His ideas flowing into songs, arranged and copied, passing through the hands of musicians and the voices of singers, captured by an engineer under the direction of a producer. From there it will be printed, distributed to church choir directors, choirs, and orchestras and shared with worshippers who offer it to the Lord. We all watch. We all are a part of it somewhere.
I put some videos and pictures of the process on my facebook page if you would like to watch.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=664691276
With the three Sundays planned and ready, I head to Nashville tomorrow for the recording of the Easter musical.
More to come...stay tuned and keep praying.
After that we are spending a week at Estes Park for the final GMA "Seminar in the Rockies". Our family will miss the wonderful times we have spent there the last several years. Jubi will miss the horses, and I will miss the time away listening to sessions and reviewing my life with the Lord.
My first Estes was a spiritual experience for me, trying to figure out if the Lord really wanted to use my writing. It was at Estes in 2002 that James Rueger (who did my first ever song critique) said to me, "You really need to check out Write About Jesus" during the final concert. Those words changed my life. That's where I met Sue Smith, who has been such a great mentor and encourager to me and Dave Clark, whose teaching so inspires me and who is now my publisher. I wrote "Sovereign Lord" on the way home, dictating the lines to my son as I drove. It has become a kind of...life theme for me. I'm so glad I can trust that He is in charge of this whole wonderful trip.