ever wonder why you see the trailer or preview of a movie, often a huge mega-blockbuster movie and the date that appears at the end is like 100 years from now? if it’s even a date at all. usually it’s some vague mention of a season like “Summer 2023” and you’re like? what the?? why so far away? well, that’s often how it goes with new music. people always want to know “when’s the new record coming out?” and you have to somehow explain roughly when and WHY THEN as opposed to say maybe, oh I don’t know? YESTERDAY?? we get so impatient when we want to see something or hear something we’ve been anticipating. so much so that it’s almost impossible to begin to understand what all goes into it and why things take so long to manifest. 

much like the feeling I’ll get after watching a trailer for the new Star Wars movie, it feels like I might explode if I have to wait any longer before I can share my new music with people. that being said, it’s only because I am the closest person to the process that I am able to somehow breathe through it all and trust that it really does take the time that it takes, and for good reason. there’s quite a bit of planning that goes into getting a project it’s proper ‘day in the sun’ if you will. if there’s any kind of real expectations for the project to succeed, you have to sort of trust in the process. and ironically, when things do begin to unfold, they do so very quickly. like today, I’m en route to LA to spend a couple days shooting a music video for the first single and take some pictures for the new record’s artwork. these are real shoots with real artists, crews, call sheets and so on. (oh to be an artist with a budget! even a modest one. just fine.) there’s an actual deadline now for the release of the single and the subsequent release of the rest of the project. there’s a radio team assembled. there’s a publicist with press releases at the ready. there’s an agent booking shows and a manager drumming up additional marketing opportunities. a band rehearsing for a promotional tour and a social media network a buzz with what’s to come. all of this takes a minute. more than a minute. I can only imagine how many minutes J.J. Abrams will need to dial in the return of C3PO and R2D2, Luke and Lea. 

at some point though, after all the waiting, the prep time, the pacing back-and-forth, back-and-forth, there’s invariably a moment when, if we’re lucky, we find ourselves honestly present, aware that it’s actually HAPPENING! like AS it’s happening. a true real-time experience when we forget about the anticipation, we forget just how long we actually waited, how long the line was when we got in it. when the previews are over and first few notes of that famous John Williams score belt across the galaxy and the yellow, angular words begin to scroll up and yes far, far away?  

or, in this case, when you go to iTunes and you’re finally able to click on the “buy” tab and begin the download. that’s a pretty awesome moment. for me, right now, I have a call time for a music video shoot. this too, is an awesome moment. it’s happening, folks. it’s really happening.