tag:www.camimaree.com,2005:/blogs/a-journey-to-running-freeA Journey to Running Free2019-05-10T15:18:07-06:00Cami Mareefalsetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/56476692019-02-17T15:13:14-07:002023-10-16T08:45:14-06:00I Love My Church<p><span class="font_regular">I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY CHURCH… </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Not because it is perfect. Not because it’s better than any church out there. Not because it’s made up of perfect people – it’s not, but because it is filled with imperfect, real people with real problems, who’s genuine greatest purpose in life is to show the love and hope of Jesus to EVERYONE! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">In 2016 I was in a place where I didn’t really want much to do with the church. I still believed in God and Jesus but some devastation and destruction I’d experienced in the church, an extremely painful divorce, and some other heartbreaking experiences had caused me to not want anything to do with Christians or the church. I was immensely raw and broken in so many ways. I was in one of the darkest places I have experienced in my life. Any attempt I made to go to church during this time was extremely difficult and made me sad and scared. Having grown up in a Christian home and being a pastor’s kid a good portion of my life, this made me very sad. I knew something was missing in my life, but I was so depleted and depressed I felt I couldn’t do anything about it. So, I went on just barely surviving. Barely living. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I was out playing a show when a fan who had come to several of my shows mentioned the church where they play guitar and invited me to come. I quickly disregarded this invitation, but after some time it began to nag at me. I finally decided to go one Sunday. This was around the same time I met a man whom I also tried to push away because another relationship was something else I wanted nothing to do with. That didn’t work so well...It became very clear very quickly that this man was a gift from God and that he was here to stay. Forever. The timing of meeting this amazing man and finding this great church was no doubt a God thing,</span></p>
<p>The first time I walked into the church it was refreshing. It felt so alive. Everyone was genuinely welcoming and kind. They were passionate about worship and God. It felt like a family. The teaching was excellent. Not pretentious. Not fake. Not judgmental. But I still wasn’t ready for it.</p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I went a few times and enjoyed it, but it wasn’t until after I got married and after we attended sporadically for a year that it became more and more important to us. To all of us. Even the kids. We began to grow in faith as a family and individually. Over another year of really getting to know more people, getting more involved with volunteering, and hearing message after message that offered real, tangible, understandable life application, and experiencing how much this church cares about loving and serving each other and the community, it became something we didn’t want to miss. Then became something that we hated to miss. This church - the pastor, and the people have brought so much healing to our family. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The peace, love, joy, and hope this newfound family has brought to us is immeasurable. The knowledge and passion for Jesus the pastor has led us to is immeasurable. I am so thankful God brought me to this church, and back to Him through such a dark time. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I share this because I know many people have been hurt by the church. The church is people and we have all been hurt by people, and we ourselves have done the hurting. So, when you find a church that really gets it, that really gets who Jesus was and how he loves, and how we are supposed to be like him, you find something incredibly beautiful and amazing. When you find a church that focuses on loving and saving people no matter who they are, no matter their life choices, it is a gift. This church has been a gift. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">If you have been lost in life. If you are longing for peace. If you are feeling hopeless because of decisions you’ve made in your life or because of things that have been done to you, I want you to know that it is never too late. There is hope in Jesus. You are immensely loved and wanted. You are priceless. Wherever you are in life there is something to be gained from gathering with other imperfect people to learn, grow, and love. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">You can experience this with me at <a contents="Destiny Community Church" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://destinycommunitychurch.org" target="_blank">Destiny Community Church</a> in Newberry, FL. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have for me. Thanks for sticking with me to the end.</span></p>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/49259252017-11-09T11:05:36-07:002023-12-10T11:15:00-07:00Lots of Change<p><strong>HELLO FANMILY! </strong></p>
<p>Lots of change…Isn't that a constant truth?! Here we go... </p>
<p><strong>FIRST… </strong></p>
<p>I am officially changing my artist/stage/performance name to Cami Maree. You may have already seen this change on social networking sites, and my website. Though Cami Lundeen will still be out there for some time, and will continue to lead you to the same place, Cami Maree is what I will be going by. </p>
<p><strong>SECOND… </strong></p>
<p>For a while now, performing has been the means of supporting my family. I am very fortunate to have been able to support them, and also fortunate to play music for a living, but it takes a great toll. It takes a toll on me physically, emotionally, and creatively. </p>
<p>When I first started writing and performing I felt a very specific purpose in what I was doing. When someone tells you your music was the only thing that helped them through a devastating circumstance you don’t take that lightly. I don’t take that lightly. In my opinion that is the greatest compliment I can receive as an artist. </p>
<p>My purpose with my music, yes, is to entertain, but my greater purpose, I feel, is to impact lives. To give hope. To help others know they are not alone. To be an encouragement. An inspiration. </p>
<p>Over the last few years playing more “gigs” and fewer “concerts; with performing being my sole income, I have felt a great sense of loss. I have had shows every once in a while that would bring that purpose back, and be soul filling for myself and others; and the gigs I do play I am very grateful for, but overall I feel the absence of my true purpose. </p>
<p>Physically the gigs continue to get more and more difficult for me. I suffer from three chronic conditions that are greatly affected by performing in the respect that I am currently (long hours and very late nights of entertaining). </p>
<p>All of this is why I have made the decision to go back to school. I will be finishing my degree in an area that is true to my soul, and will not only compliment my music career, but will allow me to provide for my family, take better care of my health, and focus my music where it belongs. </p>
<p><strong>THIRD… </strong></p>
<p>And again, due to everything previously stated, I have had a renewal of self, a renewal of purpose, and I am redirecting the path of my next album. I am currently working on a music video for the title track (different from what I originally planned) that I plan to release along with a Kickstarter campaign in the beginning of 2018. </p>
<p><strong>FINALLY… </strong></p>
<p>If you have made it to the end with me please respond with the time and place your first saw/heard my music. </p>
<p>As always, I thank you so much for your love and support! </p>
<p><strong>Forever grateful, </strong></p>
<p><strong>Cami Maree</strong></p>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/45643882017-01-25T21:51:12-07:002021-09-16T22:15:44-06:00It's Been A Wild Ride!<p><strong>HELLO FANMILY! </strong><br> <br>It’s been a while. Quite a while. Too long…. <br> <br><strong>I spent a few days in the hospital this past week </strong>due to complications from my liver disease. It’s been a great reminder of how this musical journey began. A great reminder of my purpose. Who I was made to be. It has once again given me a fresh look at life. A new fire in my soul. The drive and the motivation to make some changes and take some steps I have felt unable to make for some time. <br> <br><strong>Here is a quick recap of my journey so far… </strong><br> <br><strong>2010…November…</strong>Began writing songs after diagnosis of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (autoimmune liver disease) <br> <br><strong>2012…May…</strong>Began performing <br> <br><strong>2013…August…</strong><em>Run Free</em> (my debut album) was recorded and released thanks to many of you, and other tremendously generous donors!! <br> <br><strong>2014…June…</strong>Nationwide Tour <br> <br><strong>2015 & 2016…</strong>Numerous major life changes. Breaking. Healing. Moving forward. <br> <br><strong>Since the release of <em>Run Free</em></strong>, I have performed hundreds of shows, toured the country, unintentionally settled in a new state, experienced some of the worst pain and the greatest happiness a person can experience on this earth, and as a result of this crazy, beautiful journey called life, MANY great new songs have come. IT IS TIME to give these songs a voice! <br> <br><strong>I am in the beginning stages</strong> of putting together a Kickstarter campaign for my second album <strong>WILD RIDE! </strong>The campaign is tentatively set to run through May and June of this year. Recording will take place throughout the summer and fall, and release will be this winter. I plan to travel to Washington and Alaska for shows in June to close out the campaign, as well as continuing shows here in Florida. <br> <br><strong>I am very excited </strong>about this upcoming adventure and this next stage of my journey, as I hope you are. Please feel free to ask me any questions. <br> <br><strong>As always, I am overwhelmingly grateful for your support! Thank you all so much!</strong> </p>
<p><strong>Join my mailing list for a FREE download</strong> of a rough, unedited, acoustic, iPhone recording of what will be the title track - WILD RIDE. This is just a teaser for only my mailing list members :-) The upcoming album will once again be a full band recording. </p>
<p>If you made it to the end with me, please respond by telling me what you are looking forward to most in 2017. <br> <br><strong>Humbly, <br> <br>Cami Lundeen</strong></p>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/36750282015-04-24T11:09:06-06:002021-12-15T15:41:27-07:00It's Been A While...<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>SUNNY GREETINGS FROM FLORIDA!</strong><br> <br>I’ve had a difficult time getting myself to sit down at my computer and send you all an update.<br>It’s been far too long and I know I have a lot of new followers and people who have followed me for a while<br>wondering <strong>WHAT</strong> is going on and <strong>WHEN</strong> am I coming home, and <strong>WHEN</strong> am I coming to your state,<br>and a multitude of other questions.<br> <br><strong>Well…IT’S COMPLICATED! Isn’t it for us all?! :-)</strong><br>DO I miss home? <strong>YES!</strong> Do I miss the road? <strong>YES!</strong><br>Do I know when or where I am going from here? <strong>NO!</strong><br>Do I have any idea what is happening with my life? <strong>NO!</strong><br>But that’s ok…I think…<br> <br>After touring the country from June through September of last year,<br>my husband, children and I arrived in Florida mid-September. Our plan was to stay a few months with family here,<br>through the new year, then hit the road again in February to head back through the south of the country.<br> <br>After some much needed R&R we realized that with our funds now depleted my shows alone couldn’t continue to<br>sustain us on the road. We decided to stay here and find some work to save up money to get back on the road.<br>My husband got a temporary job working at the Amazon warehouse in Kentucky for the Christmas shopping months<br>while I stayed with our children in Florida continuing to pursue performance opportunities.<br>It helped keep us afloat but wasn’t enough for us to save up to hit the road again…so we both began frantically looking for<br>work here. I began to book music gigs every week, and soon filled up both weekend days and some weekdays<br>for a few months out. Due to our location (being in the middle of nowhere in Florida) it’s been much more difficult<br>for my husband to find work, and we are forced to look at any possible option wherever that may.<br>Thankfully my children and I have a roof over our heads and income from my gigs to provide for our basic needs<br>while my husband pursues permanent or temporary work opportunities anywhere in the country…or out of the country.<br> <br>The past few months have been some of the most challenging of my life on many levels.<br>Financially. Relationally. Physically. Musically. I’ve been extremely worn down. Hopeless at times.<br>I’ve struggled with losing sight of who I am and my purpose.<br> <br>I am SO grateful for the gigs I am playing. I am grateful that I get paid to play music.<br>I am grateful that I have been able to do something to provide for my family and I am happy and more than willing<br>to do this for them…BUT I know my music and story is meant for so much more than entertaining the bar crowd<br>who, yes, love my music and definitely have fun when I’m playing, but don’t really care about me and my mission.<br>It’s exhausting and it feels soulless and purposeless at times.<br>And as much as I do enjoy it, the late, late nights take a toll on my already ailing body.<br> <br>As an independent musician I have always done everything myself. It’s a thousand jobs in one.<br>I also home school my four children, which severely limits my time to spend developing my music career.<br>Currently every penny I make goes to bills and taking care of my children.<br>I don’t have the funds to continue doing the things I feel are necessary to further my career,<br>like fix our van that is sitting at the mechanic’s shop until we can save enough money to repair it.<br>Record another album (which is absolutely necessary to get anywhere in today‘s indie music industry)<br>Fly back to Seattle to play shows for my hometown crowd and other cities where I have a following.<br>Hire a booker. Do a radio campaign. Attempt to get my songs into the TV and movie market.<br>And anything else I can think of to get my name and songs out there.<br> <br>I don’t believe we are given gifts and talents to sit on and have just for ourselves.<br>We are given these gifts to make a difference. To help other people.<br>Our trials are pointless and terribly depressing if we can’t use them in some way for good.<br>To inspire others.<br> <br><strong>I am content to be where I am, when I am. </strong><br>I have faith and hope that someday my music will again be where it is meant to be. <br>We can’t change our circumstances but we can choose to not let them control us,<br>and we can choose to make the most possible with what we are given.<br> <br>So I try every day to be grateful for what I do have.<br>I look for ways that I can make a difference in someone else’s life even in the smallest way.<br>If I can’t change my own circumstances, but I can give someone else even a little hope,<br>it lessens the sting of whatever I am going through.<br>I challenge you to do the same.<br> <br>Thank you for sticking with me to the end. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for supporting me.<br>Thank you for being YOU because the world needs YOU!<br> <br><br> <br> <br><strong>Always,</strong><br><strong>Cami Lundeen</strong><br> <br><a href="http://www.camilundeen.com/">www.camilundeen.com</a><br><a href="http://www.facebook.com/camilundeen">Facebook Musician Page</a><br><a href="https://twitter.com/camilundeen">Twitter: @camilundeen</a><br><a href="https://instagram.com/camilundeen">Instagram: @camilundeen</a>
</div> <br> Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/31714582014-09-04T13:17:39-06:002019-11-19T23:15:51-07:0072 Days On the Road<strong>72 DAYS ON THE ROAD! WOW!</strong><br> <br><strong>First I must say </strong>the only reason this tour is happening and continuing to thrive is because of the numerous generous people who believe in what I am doing and have supported my family in multitudes of ways!! So <strong>THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU</strong> who have cared enough to put your valuable energy, time, and money into helping us in any way you are able! Please know I am grateful beyond words.<br> <br><strong>I cannot believe </strong>we are already into the third month of this tour and I have not sent out an update or written a blog post! I typically try to send out updates once a month; however, this one will cover three months and there is so much to tell so bear with me.<br><br><strong>We have had some truly incredible experiences</strong> in beautiful places, met many amazing people, reunited with lots of family and friends we haven't seen in far too long, played so much music for many wonderful crowds in great venues. We have also experienced many difficult days we’d like to erase from memory. We are exhausted, and stressed figuring out this new life and how to make enough money and make sure our children are safe and nurtured. This is hard, hard work, but nothing worth having is easy. It’s about perspective. We take the bad with the good and choose to see the rewards of this journey above the trials. We are truly loving this new crazy life!<br> <br><strong>TWO RECENT NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS</strong><br><strong>- "How Do We Wanna Go Out”</strong> - I received the final version of my recently recorded unreleased single “How Do We Wanna Go Out”. This song was featured in <a contents="Jessika Satori’s" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.audaciousaperture.com" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Jessika Satori’s</span></a> short film by the same title, which was entered into the <a contents="Action on Film International Film Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.aoffest.com" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Action on Film International Film Festival</span></a><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span>in Monrovia, CA and won best music video!<br> <br><strong>- FOX 47 TV Rochester </strong>and India Everett featured my story in a segment for their morning show.<br><strong>Watch the FOX News Video Clip:</strong> <a href="http://www.myfox47.com/category/136740/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10515414" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://www.myfox47.com/category/136740/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10515414</span></a><br><strong>Read the FOX News Article:</strong> <a href="http://m.myfox47.com/w/main/story/119472012/" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://m.myfox47.com/w/main/story/119472012/#</span></a><br> <br><strong>We are currently in Michigan. Ohio is next, then NEW ENGLAND for the rest of September. </strong>After New England we will be spending some extended time in<strong> FLORIDA</strong> (with my parents who have recently relocated) to work on booking the next leg of this tour, which will include going back up the east coast, Tennessee and all of the south back up to the northwest. If you have any friends or family who would be interested in hosting a house concert or if you have any venue connections or recommendations please let me know ASAP. Email me at <a href="mailto:cami@camilundeen.com" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">cami@camilundeen.com</span></a><span style="color:#FF8C00;">.</span><br> <br> <br><span class="font_large"><strong><u>TOUR RECAP:</u></strong></span><br> <br><strong>JUNE 24<sup>th</sup>, 2014</strong> - I (along with my husband and four children) departed Vashon Island on the 10:30am ferry. Bittersweet. We love our island and it’s people so very much.<br>First stop was a very rustic, secluded horse ranch (<a contents="Ekone Ranch" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://ekone.org" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Ekone Ranch</span></a>) in the middle of nowhere in southeastern Washington. I got to play two nights in a row for a group of young teens. The chance to be a positive influence on kids struggling through the teen years, figuring out who they are and what life is about is a priceless experience. This was a perfect, unplugged start to this journey. We finished the month with a house concert near Portland, Oregon for the family of a precious friend. <br> <br><strong>JULY</strong> was spent in California. Beaches. Sun. Sand. Summer all the time. Though I was young when my family left this state, I believe being born here makes it an innate part of my being. :-) I had the opportunity to be part of several singer-songwriter showcases (through <a contents="Songwriters at Play" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://songwritersatplay.com" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Songwriters at Play</span></a>) that were all wonderful experiences. We encountered some very generous people who supported my tour beyond what we even hoped, made some great new friends, and spent some special time with family. It was definitely very difficult and sad to leave this state.<br> <br><strong>AUGUST</strong> brought us through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah to Colorado, then Nebraska and Iowa to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan.
<ul> <li>We had the pleasure of spending two nights and one day in <strong>Las Vegas</strong>. I must say it was better than I imagined. I look forward to going back with no children and more money :-)</li> <li>Despite the weather <strong>Colorado</strong> was great! I played a couple house concerts, a few favorite venues of the tour so far, spent time with family and saw some of the incredible beauty that is Colorado.</li> <li>
<strong>Minnesota</strong> was a whirlwind - five shows in four days with only a couple days off. I had the amazing opportunity to perform at the iconic Minneapolis venue First Avenue/7<sup>th</sup> Street Entry, in addition to some other fun shows. Once again trying to catch up with many family and friends we haven’t seen in far too long. In Rochester I got to play for the families at the Mayo Clinic Ronald McDonald house - wonderful experience.</li> <li>Never would I have guessed <strong>Wisconsin </strong>would be the place to hold probably two of the most fun shows I’ve played on this tour so far. I was reunited with several friends from high school, got to play for my high school class reunion, spent time in Amish country and on my aunt’s dairy farm, last minute decision to stop and stay at a water park in Wisconsin dells before a quick trip to a show in Madison.</li> <li>
<strong>Chicago. </strong>What can I say?! Hot Beef and hot dogs and hot pizza, oh my! I had more hot dogs than I care to admit, but it was a real Chicago experience thanks to great family and friends who showed us around. I also played at the divy-est dive bar I’ve ever played. Good people and good fun though.</li>
</ul> <br><strong>SEPTEMBER </strong>brings Michigan, Ohio and New England.
<ul> <li>
<strong>Michigan</strong> – As I write this, here I am…sitting at the table in the house my great-great- grandparents and great-grandparents lived, where now my grandmother lives, less than a mile from the home my mother grew up in, where my uncle still lives with his family in this tiny farming town, reminiscing my many childhood visits. My only show here in Michigan is a house concert tomorrow evening and it will be amazing! It will make up for a week's worth of shows. I promise. I’ve spent most of my time here reliving memories with family, working on booking and planning for what’s next on this tour.</li>
</ul><strong>Social sites to follow my Run Free Tour and The Lundeen Roadshow:</strong><br><br><a contents="www.camilundeen.com" data-link-label="Run Free Tour" data-link-type="page" href="/run-free-tour" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">www.camilundeen.com</span></a><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span><a contents="www.lundeenroadshow.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lundeenroadshow.com" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> www.lundeenroadshow.com</span></a><br><a contents="www.facebook.com/camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.facebook.com/camilundeen" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">www.facebook.com/camilundeen</span></a><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span><a contents=" www.facebook.com/lundeenroadshow" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://%20www.facebook.com/lundeenroadshow" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> www.facebook.com/lundeenroadshow</span></a><br><a contents="http://twitter.com/camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://twitter.com/camilundeen" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://twitter.com/camilundeen</span></a><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span><a contents="http://twitter.com/lundeenroadshow" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://twitter.com/lundeenroadshow" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://twitter.com/lundeenroadshow</span></a><br><a contents="Instagram.com/camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Instagram.com/camilundeen" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Instagram.com/camilundeen</span></a><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span><a contents="Instagram.com/lundeenroadshow" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Instagram.com/lundeenroadshow" style="color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Instagram.com/lundeenroadshow</span></a><br><br><br>Thank you once again for everything each one of you does to make my music and this journey possible!<br><br><br><strong>Love and hugs to you all from the road!<br><br><br>Cami Lundeen</strong>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/30231932014-06-18T01:47:07-06:002019-11-19T23:16:18-07:00Emailing List Newsletter for June 2014<strong>WOW! </strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">There are no words to quite sum up the emotions of the tour launch party and everything else that has been happening since the last email. I’ll give you an as-brief-as-possible rundown with links for more. :-)</span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="THE RUN FREE TOUR LAUNCH BENEFIT SHOW" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/253219578195945/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">THE RUN FREE TOUR LAUNCH BENEFIT SHOW</strong></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span>this past Friday was a raging success on so many levels! Great turnout and an incredibly magical experience. I am humbled by the generosity of my community! I now have a jump start as I head out with my family on this great adventure. Here is my blog post from the day after the show:<span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span></span><a href="http://camilundeen.com/blog/blog/a-letter-for-my-community" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://camilundeen.com/blog/blog/a-letter-for-my-community</span></a><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Big BIG thank you’s to everyone who came out to support me in a multitude of ways.<br>I am blown away by the sacrifice of so many for the benefit of my music!<font color="#000000"> </font></span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If you weren’t able to attend the show but would like to support my "</span><a contents="Run Free tour" data-link-label="Run Free Tour" data-link-type="page" href="http://bandzoogle.com/run-free-tour" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Run Free tour</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">", you can contribute at<span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span></span><a href="http://camilundeen.com/donate" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://camilundeen.com/donate</span></a><a contents="http://camilundeen.com/donate&nbsp;" data-link-label="Donate" data-link-type="page" href="http://bandzoogle.com/donate" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span></a><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">FRONT PAGE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE.</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </strong></span><a contents="The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> published a front-page article about my family and our upcoming adventure. They did an excellent job on it! Here is the link to the article: </span><a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/262590381.html#storyComments" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/262590381.html#storyComments</span></a><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">KJR-BOB RIVERS SHOW.</span></strong><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"> </span>I was featured on </span><a contents="The Bob Rivers Show" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.957kjr.com/onair/n-a-50651/cami-lundeen-12450918/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">The Bob Rivers Show</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span>on KJR this past week. You can watch the video of my live interview and performance here: </span><a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.957kjr.com/onair/n-a-50651/cami-lundeen-12450918/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://www.957kjr.com/onair/n-a-50651/cami-lundeen-12450918/</span></a><br><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="FREE TICKETS. THIS SUNDAY! June 22nd 6pm" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1495623383984562/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">FREE TICKETS. THIS SUNDAY! June 22<sup style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">nd</sup> 6pm</span></a> at <a contents="Neumos in Seattle" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://neumos.com/venue/neumos/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92);" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Neumos in Seattle</span></a></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">. I am performing for the </span><a contents="RAW Artist Showcase" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rawartists.org/seattle/panorama" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">RAW Artist Showcase</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">. Forty different artist’s work will be displayed, including two bands (one of which is me) and a full live fashion show. It’s cocktail attire and 21+. Should be a great time. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND - I have several FREE tickets available. Please respond to this email with your name and email address for you and anyone attending with you. I will give them out by order of response.</span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="font_large"><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">NOW - THE QUESTION OF THE DAY - WHEN ARE WE ACTUALLY HITTING THE ROAD??</span></strong></span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Our departure has been delayed due to complications with U-Haul and the wiring on our trailer hitch. With that being said our plan is to take the next few days to “rest” somewhere in our camper, play the Seattle show this weekend, then officially hit the road Monday, June 23</span><sup style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">.</span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Since this decision to tour had to be made very quickly, we haven’t had the time to get everything booked prior to our departure. Now that we are out of our house booking is our main priority. We will soon have cities/states with a time frame posted on </span><a data-link-label="Tour Dates" data-link-type="page" href="http://bandzoogle.com/tour-dates" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">http://camilundeen.com/tour-dates</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> </span>and </span><a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lundeenroadshow.com/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">www.lundeenroadshow.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> so you can see our schedule and how you can help with house concerts or venue contacts.</span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thank you so much for your continued support!</span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="font_regular"><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><i>Cami Lundeen</i></b> </span></span></span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">"Run Free and be who you were made to be"</span><br><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="Facebook&nbsp;- camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.facebook.com/camilundeen" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">Follow me on:</span><br><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Facebook</span></a><a contents="Facebook&nbsp;- camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.facebook.com/camilundeen" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - camilundeen</span></span></a><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="Twitter&nbsp;- @camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://twitter.com/camilundeen" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Twitter</span></a><a contents="Twitter&nbsp;- @camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://twitter.com/camilundeen" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - @camilundeen</span></span></a><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="Instagram&nbsp;- @camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://instagram.com/camilundeen" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Instagram</span></a><a contents="Instagram&nbsp;- @camilundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://instagram.com/camilundeen" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> - @camilundeen</span></span></a><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="Twitter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/LundeenRoadshow" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;">Follow the Lundeen Roadshow on:</span><br><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Twitter - @lundeenroadshow</span></a><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a contents="Instagram" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://instagram.com//lundeenroadshow" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 1, 92); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank"><span style="color:#FF8C00;">Instagram - @lundeenroadshow</span></a></span>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/30164752014-06-14T20:00:59-06:002020-11-17T04:32:35-07:00A Letter For My CommunityWhat do I say after a night like last night?<br>How do I express the overwhelming love and support that filled the building so much<br>that every person in attendance felt it?<br>How do I say thank you to the multitude of people who went far above and beyond what I even hoped?<br>How do I show my gratitude for a community who gave so generously because they believe in me<br>and care so deeply about my music and my family’s journey? <br><br>There are no words.<br><br>There is nothing I can do or say to even come close to what I felt last night,<br>and what I feel today as I think back on last night.<br>I sit here with eyes flooded, endless tears streaming, and a heart so full it hurts…almost too much.<br> <br>I don’t have enough strength to do what I am about to do.<br>I can’t take this step without knowing so many stand beside me in this endeavor.<br>So while leaning on the God I put my faith in, I also take every one of you with me by my side - those who came to me in tears saying my music resonates so deeply with where they are in life, those who have said I am already the change in the world I long to be, those who have said I have inspired them to truly live, those who have implored me to continue making and sharing my music, those who just plain love the music and my voice. :-) I take you with me. I wouldn’t be here without you. I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing without you.<br> <br>As I said last night, this island of Vashon that I call home, and it’s people, will always be very dear to my heart. This is where I began. This is where I became who I was made to be. You have nurtured and supported me so I could grow to where I am today, and now you are sending me off into the world to share my gift. No better place, no better people, and no better way to be sent out into the wild unknown.<br> <br>So I leave you with a most heartfelt “Thank You”<br>knowing that it doesn’t even give you a glimpse of my gratitude.<br>This is what it’s all about…changing the world one song at a time…one heart at a time.<br> <br>See you again my friends.Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/28579252014-04-09T14:40:38-06:002019-11-19T23:16:55-07:00How Do We Want To Go Out<span class="font_regular"><strong>HEARTBREAK TO OPPORTUNITY. UNEXPECTED LIFE CHANGE. NEW ADVENTURE. NEW WAY OF LIFE.</strong> <strong>TERRIFYING. THRILLING.</strong></span><br><em>The most exciting and fulfilling things in life are also the most terrifying. I don't think it can be any other way.</em><br><br><br>Over the past six months my family has been dealing with several heartbreaking events including death, loss of home, loss of jobs, loss of friends. In many ways, loss of life as we know it. It has been one of the most emotional periods of my life. It has been one of the most shockingly unbelievable times of my life; Yet it has now given me the opportunity to embark on a journey that, up until this point, I have only been able to dream about. It has caused me to dig deep into the true purpose of this life and what we should be doing with it. It has caused me to once again narrow my focus to what is truly important. After returning home from my grandmother's funeral, I stood in the kitchen talking to my husband and said "if this could be any one of us any day, if there are no guarantees in life, how do we want to go out?" I have been broken open and raw for so long, and this question weighs heavy on my heart. I have been struggling with the idea of death and I've been unable to process all that I've experienced during these past six months. The best way I deal with my emotions is through writing a song. I wrote a song called "How Do We Want to Go Out".<br>You can listen to a very raw iphone recording of this song here <a contents="https://soundcloud.com/cami-lundeen/how-do-we-wanna-go-out" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/cami-lundeen/how-do-we-wanna-go-out" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/cami-lundeen/how-do-we-wanna-go-out</a><br><br>So what is truly important in this life? And how do I want to go out? God is important. People are important. Love is important. Doing what you were created to do is important. I want to make a difference in the lives of others. I want to share my music with those who haven't heard it. I want to give them the hope that I have. I want to experience amazing adventures with my husband and children. I want to leave a legacy to be proud of. I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<br><br>So how do we do this? What changes do we make? Only you can answer this question for yourself, but hopefully my story will be an inspiration for you.<br><br>Due to these recent life events and contemplations, my husband and I, along with our four children, have decided to pack up and hit the road this June. We will be selling our possessions and setting out with our van towing a camper of some sort (which we have yet to acquire). Our goal is to spend an undetermined amount of time touring the United States so that I can focus more on building my music career, and my husband can work on a photography project he's had in mind for some time. While some may think this is crazy, we feel we've been given an opportunity that few others get, and even fewer seriously contemplate. Nothing about my musical journey so far has been conventional, so why start now? We will be creating a blog for our sure-to-be crazy travels so you all can live the excitement with us.<br><br>I have nothing short of a mountain of work ahead of me. It's incredibly overwhelming and terrifying, but the excitement of this journey will be my motivation. Well...and the need to provide for my family :-) We are currently working on our map. Once we have it all set we will let everyone know our timeline. I will be booking several different types of venues (colleges, restaurants, bars, wineries, festivals, farmers markets, etc.) as well as living room shows/house concerts. My photographer husband will also be booking photo shoots and other photo work along the road. Any connections any of you have to help us along the way would be greatly appreciated!<br><br>Throughout April, May and the beginning of June I am booking fundraising house concerts in the Seattle area in an attempt to help launch us on this great new adventure. We will conclude the fundraising with a final send off show with my band in the beginning of June.<br><br><strong>HOW CAN YOU BE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF MY ADVENTURE?</strong> <strong>HOW CAN YOU HELP THIS CRAZY FAMILY?</strong><br><br>- Host a fundraising house concert in the Seattle area between now and June<br>- Hire me to play for your party<br>- Make a donation to the Cami Lundeen Run Free Tour<br>- Host a house concert on the road<br>- Connect me with venues, or press contacts along the road<br>- Hire my photographer husband <a contents="Erik Lundeen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.eriklundeen.com" target="_blank">Erik Lundeen</a> for photo work<br>- Connect us with odd jobs along the road<br>- SPREAD THE WORD FOR ME<br><br>Please contact me at <a href="mailto:booking@camilundeen.com" target="_blank">booking@camilundeen.com</a> if you are interested in supporting this next stage of living my dream.<br><br>We have an immense love for this island we call home and its people. We plan to return upon the completion of our wandering, but we are open to wherever the road takes us, and we are willing to see where the music leads.Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/23117032013-12-31T16:31:31-07:002020-07-15T23:12:48-06:002013 - The End of the Beginning - December 31, 2013<strong>I’m not a huge fan of Christmas & New Year’s letters.</strong> In fact, I can’t remember ever writing one, but as I was typing this I realized I had unintentionally written exactly that. Something else I realized was that I needed to do this. I needed to revisit all the amazing things that have happened this year, not that I have forgotten, but I needed to go back and focus intently on them again. This past year has been the worst and the best in so many ways. This Christmas season in particular definitely did not make the favorites list. Reflecting on the best of this past year has taken my mind off the disappointing, heartbreaking evils of this world. If we force ourselves to focus on the good things; even on the smallest seemingly unimportant things, we allow them to overshadow the bad. Right now I need an overshadowing of the bad, as I’m sure many of you do.<br><strong>So I invite you to look back with me, to rejoice in the great, to let the far less than great fade away, to move on in hope for the New Year – a new chapter.</strong><br> <br><strong>Before we go back, let me look forward a bit to what I have currently happening.</strong><br><strong> - <a data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store">Online Store</a></strong> – My online store is up and running. You can purchase physical CDs, digital CDs, t-shirts, stickers, temporary tattoos, and signed album cover photos. Check it out.<br><br><strong> - Friday, January 10th at 4pm</strong> I will be on KOMO news here in Seattle. I will most likely be telling a little bit of my story and playing a song. This will hopefully be some good exposure.<br><br><strong> - Wednesday, January 15th</strong> I will be playing at <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://sunsettavern.com/event/?event_id=3965244">The Sunset Tavern</a> in Ballard with a band.<br>I am opening for <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://colinbradford.bandcamp.com/">Colin Bradford</a>, along with <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://handintheattic.bandcamp.com/">Hand in the Attic</a>. Doors open at 8:30pm. Show starts at 9pm. <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3965244&pl=sunset">Purchase tickets for only $6</a>. Please help spread the word about this show for me. If I bring in a good crowd and do well, it will lead to bigger and better shows.<br><br><span class="font_large"><strong>2013 – Reminisce with me - let's start at the beginning...</strong></span><br><strong>This may look a bit long, but I promise it’s an easy read. :-) Are you with me till the end?</strong><br><br><strong> - January 2013</strong> - Through a friend, I got hooked up with a fabulous director from Seattle to film a <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdBsotfhxgs">music video</a> for the pre-album acoustic recording of <em><a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdBsotfhxgs">Run Free</a>. </em>We shot the video in 2 days here on Vashon. This was a first for me - first time in front of the camera...the sole subject...it was very weird, but SO much fun!<br><br><strong>- February 2013 </strong>- Launched my <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/camilundeen/run-free-cami-lundeens-debut-album">Kickstarter campaign</a> (along with my music video) to raise money for my debut album. This was a huge step of faith - very scary.<br><br><strong>- March 2013</strong> - First official interviews. I was interviewed by <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://dev.workingmothersrevolution.com/spotlight/">Working Mothers Revolution</a> and <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://epicvictories.com/cami-lundeen-inspiring-others-through-music/">Epic Victories </a>about my story and my music career.<br> <br><strong> - April 2013</strong> - <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/camilundeen/run-free-cami-lundeens-debut-album">Kickstarter campaign</a> successfully funded!! Final amount: $16,136. This was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Seeing how much everyone cared about this, complete strangers posting my link on facebook, receiving messages from people I didn’t know about how my music and story was touching their lives, knowing they were sitting, watching, and increasing pledges in the final hours, brought me to my knees in tears!! I knew going into this that it was a long shot. Even my producer thought I was crazy. I had many people tell me it wouldn't happen, but I had peace through it all. I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. I will never cease to be amazed over what WE accomplished, and how everyone pulled together to help me in so many ways.<br> <br><strong> - April/May 2013</strong> – In the studio!! 10 days at <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/fiveacresstudios">Five Acres Studio</a> in British Columbia recording<br><em><em>Run Free</em></em> was absolutely incredible! I actually started a <a data-link-label="Blog" data-link-type="page" href="/blog">blog </a>to document my days recording. This was a first on so many levels. Considering I knew literally not a single thing about the music industry or any part of it until summer 2012, this was very overwhelming – in a great way. A cool fact I didn’t notice until just now – one year from the exact day (April 30<sup>th</sup>) I wrote Run Free, I began recording my album <em>Run Free</em>.<br> <br><strong> - May 2013</strong> – One year anniversary of performing – May 19<sup>th</sup>. I began planning my album release party; little did I know it would take every waking (some sleeping) hour of every day for the next 4 months! I also performed in Seattle’s big local music festival <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.nwfolklife.org/festival/">Northwest Folklife</a>.<br> <br><strong> - June 2013</strong> – Performed in my first singer-songwriter storyteller showcase. It was so great. I absolutely love playing with a band, and I prefer that most of the time, but there is such beauty in the simplicity of playing completely alone and getting to tell your song stories. The end of June brought one more visit to the studio and the completion of the album. Also my first practice with a band playing my songs!<br> <br><strong> - July 2013</strong> – Sent out digital albums to Kickstarter donors, lots of shows including a few big venues in Seattle, some festivals and private shows, and lots of planning and promoting.<br> <br><strong> - August 2013</strong> – Received my physical albums and other merchandise in the first week, then Augsut 16<sup>th</sup> – my release party!! The party was amazing! It was everything I hoped it would be. Wonderful friends & family worked together to put my many, many hours of hard work into action. I had a very difficult time believing this was all for something I had done, everyone was there for me. Who am I that all of this was happening??!! Another completely surreal experience to top my list of surreal experiences this year. I also played my first “real” rock show in Seattle at The Crocodile.<br> <br><strong> - September/October 2013</strong> – September and October were pretty rough months for me. I went through a very difficult time physically and mentally. Most days I could hardly get out of bed, and the days I was out I was barely functioning. I had zero energy and felt very out of control of everything in my life. One good thing in the end of October - I began meeting regularly with an artist coach who is helping keep me on track with my goals.<br> <br><strong> - November/December 2013</strong> – These months (although still incredibly tough) brought some very good things. I got my music on <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.playnetwork.com/">Playnetwork</a>, who supplies music for airports, retail shops, businesses, etc. I got accepted to <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.pandora.com/">Pandora</a>! This was a pretty big deal. I’m nearing the 8 week mark, which is when my music should be up. I got my first interview and <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://innocentwords.com/innocent-words-publisher-troy-michael-reviews-favorite-releases-of-2013/">album review</a> with a music magazine <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://innocentwords.com/">Innocent Words</a>. Even though I am not the kind of person who just <em>loves</em> to talk about myself, I do really love interviews. The interview should be out near the beginning of 2014. Here is a link to the awesome <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://innocentwords.com/innocent-words-publisher-troy-michael-reviews-favorite-releases-of-2013/">album review</a><a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://innocentwords.com/innocent-words-publisher-troy-michael-reviews-favorite-releases-of-2013/"> - Run Free is 3rd album from top</a>. I made their top 10 favorites of 2013!<br> <br><strong>I am GRATEFUL</strong> for the most awesome fans! <strong>I am THANKFUL</strong> for blessings too many to count, and wonderful friends too many to count. I am completely <strong>HUMBLED</strong> by everyone who has played any part in getting my music “out there.” Thank you for reminiscing with me. I hope you enjoyed it.<br>So I know that you stuck with me through the letter, please respond with the name of your favorite song from my record :-)<br> <br><strong>As 2013 comes to a close, it marks the end of the beginning for me.</strong> Though sad in many ways to see this chapter come to an end, I have hope for 2014, and so should you. I pray 2014 is a great year for all of you! I hope there is much more joy and excitement in store for each of you. I wish for you to be blessed and encouraged in the ways you have done so for me.<br> <br><strong>Here’s to a New Year - a new chapter, a chance to write something fresh, to create a unique piece to the puzzle that is your story…</strong><br><br><br><strong>Cami Lundeen</strong><br> <br><br>Please take a moment to "like" my facebook page and follow me on twitter if you have not already. Thanks! <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.facebook.com/camilundeen">www.facebook.com/camilundeen</a> <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://twitter.com/camilundeen">http://twitter.com/camilundeen</a><br> Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/8477772013-05-30T10:00:00-06:002019-11-19T23:17:28-07:00The First Song - Tuesday, May 23, 2013<span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>10:34am</b></u><br><br>
I’ve just received the mp3 for Run Free.<br>
It’s been 2 weeks since I came home from from the<br>
studio in Canada. Ryan has been working on this<br>
for 2 weeks. I’ve been waiting patiently (sort of),<br>
knowing that the longer he took, the better it<br>
would be. I’m planning on releasing “Run Free”<br>
as a single and re-releasing the video,<br>
which is why this is the first song he worked on.<br><br>
I’m sitting here with my phone in hand,<br>
and earbuds plugged in, but I can’t bring myself<br>
to play it. I’m TERRIFIED to listen to it!<br>
I’m so nervous. This is an historical moment for<br>
me – a defining moment. This will set the direction<br>
for the whole record. It’s the first song to<br>
be heard - After everything I’ve done, how hard<br>
I’ve worked over the last year, this is what I<br>
will have to show for it. I will never again have<br>
this moment. I want to savor it. I’m a save the<br>
best for last kind of person. I would probably<br>
sit on this all day if I could, but given<br>
other circumstances in my life right now,<br>
I need to listen to it. I really need this<br>
today of all days.<br><br>
I’m on the edge of the unknown, trying to<br>
anticipate what it will be like, and what I<br>
will think and feel; but I have no idea.<br>
I just have to take the plunge.<br><br>
So off I go…</span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/8460772013-05-29T22:00:00-06:002019-11-19T23:17:40-07:00One Year Anniversary - Sunday, May 19, 2013<p><br>One year ago today, May 19, 2012,<br>I made my public performance debut.<br>The Vashon Island Farmer's Market was<br>my first official gig & it was paid!!<br><br>One year ago today was the first time<br>my songs were heard. One year is a<br>long time - yet it's not that long at all.<br>It is unreal all that I have crammed into<br>the last 365 days, and to think that I just<br>finished recording my debut album after<br>only a year of performing!<br><br>A year ago someone took a chance on me –<br>allowed me play music (for entertainment)<br>in front of many people, who had no idea<br>who I was.<br><br>Reminiscing about the way I felt then,<br>I wonder what on earth possessed me<br>to think I could play in front of people - songs<br>that I wrote - something very new to me.<br>How did I think there was any way I could<br>do this? What made me think I was good<br>enough to make people care about what<br>I was doing and saying? Today it seems easy,<br>but I wasn't where I am now a year ago,<br>so how did I have the courage to put myself<br>out there like that?<br><br>I had been leading music<br>at my church for two years at this point,<br>so I did have experience playing in front of<br>people, but not for entertainment purposes,<br>and not my own songs - totally different world.<br>I had been writing songs for a year now.<br>Shortly after I began writing, I made myself a<br>promise that I would play at the Strawberry<br>Festival the following year. The Strawberry<br>Festival is the big summer festival, in July,<br>on our island. It's a pretty big deal - lots of people<br>come from off island for the music we have here.<br><br>I finally felt "ready" - that I had enough songs<br>for a good setlist, and an urge to share them –<br>so I started pursuing playing live shows –<br>with Strawberry festival being top of the list.<br><br>My husband contacted the main music booker<br>here on the island in January 2012. He sent him<br>some sound clips of my songs and boldly asked<br>if I could play at "The Roasterie", a coffee<br>shop here on the island that has live music<br>sometimes. The booker took a long time to<br>reply. He was very reluctant – kind of put us<br>off (which I totally understand since he had<br>no knowledge of me). Didn’t look hopeful.<br>Erik is very protective of my feelings, and is<br>so worried about rejection that he was very<br>hesitant to reach out any more.<br><br>In the end of January I played a small house<br>concert in my parent's home for a few friends<br>and family - just to see if I could do it.<br>This gave me enough confidence to be more<br>persistent. I decided to contact the booker<br>myself. After some waiting, (March) Mr. Booker<br>ended up giving me a few names of some<br>other contacts for events/venues to play<br>on the island - one of which was the contact<br>person for the farmer's market. I emailed all<br>of the people he gave me info for, and heard<br>back from the market promptly that they<br>wanted me to play soon. I had already<br>gotten together some covers I thought would<br>be good to play, and began working hard to make<br>sure I could play everything really well.<br><br>I wasn't really nervous about it. I was more<br>nervous about the unknown - and the sound<br>system - since I didn't have much knowledge<br>of equipment last year. I was very excited<br>though! I knew the island booker would<br>probably stop by to hear me. I had a feeling<br>that he wanted the market to test me out - see<br>if I was any good before he booked me for<br>anything else. :)<br><br>On the day of the market show it was<br>absolutely beautiful! We got there and set up –<br>not too difficult. We played under a tent in<br>case of rain, of course! You could tell I was a little<br>nervous during the first song, but then I was fine.<br>It was so much fun to play for a crowd! I never<br>had any idea what it would be this great!<br>There were a lot of people. Some camped out<br>on the grass to listen, some stopped briefly on<br>their way around the market. I received an<br>overwhelmingly great response from all who<br>passed by. Mr. Booker did show up and listen<br>for a little while, and he posted a picture on<br>Facebook commenting that I played a great set!<br>I was now on his radar for playing Strawberry<br>Festival, which was only 2 months away!<br><br><br><i><b>The Market 2012</b></i><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/849d3a1e223381fc81b4224fa9e3e0f2f140a5ad/medium/Market-2012.JPG?1369940239" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="323" width="300" /><br><br>Last summer I played the market once more –<br>a month later, and then went on to play<br>Strawberry Festival, 2 others island festivals,<br>a couple house concerts, acquired a regular gig<br>at Nirvana (an island restaurant), as well as a<br>regular off-island gig, a church music & BBQ<br>event AND… "The Roasterie"!<br><br>This was a crucial part of my journey to<br>realizing who I was made to be.<br>I had written "Run Free" almost exactly<br>one month before the market performance.<br>Writing "Run Free" is what pushed me to<br>share my songs. I now had an overwhelming<br>sense of my purpose on this earth!</p>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/8329182013-05-28T09:55:00-06:002020-10-12T05:25:29-06:00In the Studio Day 10 - Sunday, May 12, 2013<span style="font-size: small;"><br>
Kids were up at 8am, of course. I showered and got<br>
somewhat presentable before I met these relatives <br>
(who live in this house) for the first time! They are <br>
cousins to my husband’s father. Really wonderful <br>
people. It was so great to finally meet them.<br><br>
I kind of forgot it was Mother’s Day. Oops!<br>
My children were so excited to give me the<br>
beautiful cards they had made. They also had a gift <br>
for me, which I wasn’t expecting. I figured my time<br>
away in the studio was what I was getting this year.<br>
They got me my first pair of Tom’s! <br>
Yeah I’ve got the best kids!<br><br>
After cards and gifts, we sat down to a lovely<br>
breakfast, then spent the rest of the morning catching<br>
up on each other’s lives, talking about music, <br>
watching videos, reminiscing, etc. The kids were <br>
occupied with the game system, and pool table in <br>
their entertainment room.<br><br>
A while later their daughter and son-in-law came <br>
by with their 3 month old baby to meet us. <br>
The son-in-law, Steve, also happens to be a <br>
producer/studio owner, and is good friends with <br>
Ryan. We hung out with them for awhile, ate some <br>
lunch, then headed back to the studio - around <br>
2:30pm – to finish up.<br><br>
Crazy ton of people hanging out at the McAllister <br>
residence! We were going to try to finish up quickly<br>
and get out of their hair! Once again the kids ran<br>
around and played while I finished background <br>
vocals on “Not Be Afraid”. We also decided get a <br>
double of the vocals for each song, just in case Ryan<br>
needed anything extra. So I sang through every song<br>
twice – then Erik stepped in to play some cajon.<br>
Ryan has given him the nickname “Sugar Beats”. <br>
From now on, Erik demands to be referred to<br>
only by this name!<br><br><br><br>
I’m going to have acoustic versions of 4 songs to<br>
have as representation for my live sound without<br>
a full band. Erik tracked cajon for “Eyes of a Child”<br>
and “March On”. We already have the acoustic <br>
versions of “Run Free” and “The Rainbow” so we <br>
just needed these two. <br>
Then…<br><br>
It…is…finished…done…finito…the end…over…<br>
We invited Erik, his mom, and Ryan’s wife Amanda in<br>
to listen to 3 of the songs. Everyone sat in awe…<br><br>
Time to pack up. The kids were soaked because<br>
it had been raining and they were jumping on the<br>
trampoline, and not caring one bit. It took forever<br>
to get everyone cleaned up, loaded up, and goodbyes<br>
said. Everyone was falling apart – including me!<br><br>
We pulled out sometime around 6pm.<br>
We grabbed some quick dinner shortly after <br>
crossing back into the US. Made the 9:40pm <br>
ferry home. Erik’s mom leaves in the morning,<br>
and it’s back to real life. This is going to be very <br>
difficult. I think this will be the toughest re-entry<br>
for me. It’s going to take a while!<br><br>
Although I am so sad this part of the journey has<br>
come to a close, I am immensely grateful that I<br>
even had the chance for this opportunity.<br>
This is truly a dream come true, and I would not be<br>
doing this with out the love and support of my<br>
family, friends, fans, and Kickstarter donors.<br><br>
Onto the next stage…<br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/8320872013-05-28T08:30:00-06:002019-11-19T23:18:07-07:00In the Studio Day 9 - Saturday, May 11, 2013<span style="font-size: small;">I had a bacon/tomato sourdough English muffin <br>
sandwich for breakfast (I can have sourdough). <br>
I’ve had the same thing every day for breakfast <br>
this week! So has Ryan – except he had his on <br>
bread. Kind of a funny story…<br><br>
Tuesday, before my family left, I sent Erik to<br>
the store to get bacon for me – something I can <br>
actually eat for breakfast. I know, sounds odd that <br>
I can eat bacon. I don’t eat it that often, and when <br>
I do, it’s uncured, preservative free bacon. I have to <br>
have some kind of protein for breakfast - no eggs, <br>
no bread, nothing sugary – that eliminates every <br>
breakfast food. If I am home I come up with other <br>
things to eat, but being away, I needed something <br>
easy. Somehow there was a miscommunication and<br>
Erik came back with NO bacon at all! I was just a <br>
teeny bit upset about this, which is why Ryan came <br>
back with a huge Costco pack of bacon the next day! <br>
We have made a package of bacon every morning <br>
this week! Just a little something to add the experience <br>
here. We finished off the last package of bacon this <br>
morning. Sadly, my bacon trip has come to an end, <br>
but it was wonderful while it lasted!<br><br>
The goal for today is to finish up all the background <br>
vocals – which is ALL we have left! I’m beginning to <br>
feel pretty sad that this is almost over. This week has <br>
been truly incredible. I will never again make my<br>
debut album, and I’m having a difficult time with that <br>
fact – it’s got me a bit weepy! My family is coming this <br>
evening. Once they arrive – this all comes to an end - <br>
so I’m relishing the remaining moments.<br><br>
We started around 10am again. We tracked backgrounds <br>
for “Clouded Eyes”, “Life Changes You”, and <br>
“No Going Back”. Great stuff on these! <br><br>
In between songs we would discuss what’s next, <br>
and talk about more serious matters of where I go <br>
from here. It’s very helpful to have someone like Ryan <br>
to talk about this – makes me feel a <i>little</i> less lost. <br><br>
As we were finishing up the rest of the songs, <br>
Ryan took a break, because he had some family <br>
arriving, and a few things to take care of. He has 7 <br>
brothers. They are all married, with kids, live nearby, <br>
and come over every weekend – always a big party. <br>
This was a great time for me to sit alone at the desk<br>
in the control room and take everything in – reflect on<br>
the last two weeks and everything that has happened - <br>
which, of course, ended in tears. I don’t know why <br>
I am such a sappy crybaby! I feel everything so deeply, <br>
and I get very attached to people and experiences. <br>
I’m done trying to explain it away though, I’ve accepted <br>
that this is who I am, and this part of me can and <br>
will be used for good.<br><br>
Ryan finished with whatever the heck he was doing, <br>
and we started again. About 7:45pm we were in the <br>
middle of wrapping up “Not Be Afraid” – the very <br>
last song, when my family arrived. And just like that…<br>
my beautiful bubble began to deflate. :(<br>
I did everything I could to make it happen slowly. <br><br>
We took a break to say hi, hug everyone, and have <br>
some dinner. After we ate and hung out for a bit, <br>
Erik and his mom (who came up with my family) <br>
took the kids to the house we are staying at tonight. <br>
We found out we have some relatives in Abbotsford <br>
who also know Ryan. Small world! They invited us to<br>
stay with them while I was up recording, so we decided <br>
tonight would be the night. While Erik took the kids, <br>
I stayed back to finish the last song, and he would be <br>
back to get me.<br><br>
We had EVERY intention of going back into the studio, <br>
but there was wine, and beer, and Vodka from <br>
Seattle Distilling Company (if you've tried it you'll <br>
understand, if not, go get some) and food, and fun <br>
people. And we worked so hard this week. <br>
SOMEHOW we never made it back out. We ended <br>
up sitting at the McAllister’s dining room table with <br>
Ryan’s wife, and his brother and sister-in-law<br>
partying the night away…until someone’s child woke <br>
up crying… and it was all over.<br><br>
I was hoping to have a wrap party tonight with all the <br>
musicians who played on my record, but none of them <br>
could make it. This ended up being a perfect wrap to <br>
the day anyway! I’m thankful that I had this night to <br>
top things off.<br><br>
2am we headed to the house where the rest of<br>
our family was sleeping soundly. After feeling our <br>
way around an unfamiliar house in the dark, we fell <br>
into bed. <br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7992032013-05-22T18:27:15-06:002022-05-22T22:31:00-06:00In the Studio Day 8 - Friday, May 10, 2013<br type="_moz">Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7988652013-05-22T14:35:00-06:002013-05-22T14:35:00-06:00In the Studio Day 7 - Wednesday, May 8, 2013<span style="font-size: small;"><br>
I'm feeling a little funny this morning.<br>
I'm having a difficult time processing all <br>
of this. It's so overwhelming - in a good<br>
way - it's great and awesome, but some<br>
of my songs are pretty difficult emotionally<br>
to sing over and over. I got up this morning<br>
and just sat in a chair in the sun for about an <br>
hour hoping to refresh my mind and spirit<br>
before the electric guitarist arrived.<br><br>
Enough of that crap - time to ROCK!!<br><br>
10:00am Jonathan Anderson showed up to play <br>
electric guitar. He brought 5 guitars, lap steel,<br>
pedal steel, banjo, and a whole ton of pedals<br>
and gear that I don't have the first clue with<br>
what you would do. Little did I know all the tricks<br>
he had in his bag... <br><br>
Once again, here is a musician who has never <br>
met me, has never heard any of my songs, and<br>
is going to be creating parts for 10 songs in 2 days.<br>
We are hoping to get electric tracked for about<br>
half of the songs today. We’ll see…<br><br>
We started with "March On". Ryan wanted to<br>
go for a “T-Bone Burnett” sound on this one.<br>
Jon added 2 electric guitar parts <br>
(with different guitars, of course), <br>
lap steel, and a little bit of banjo – just for fun. <br>
I'm not sure if we will use all of these parts <br>
in the final mix, but we'll record any ideas <br>
just in case – even if they seem totally whacky!<br><br><br>
I am beyond speechless! <br>
I have no words to describe his talent.<br>
I'm sitting here listening unable to process what is<br>
happening. The music just cuts right to the soul.<br>
You can feel it so deep within, which is exactly <br>
what I'm going for. It’s a difficult thing - letting <br>
someone else take over something you have <br>
worked so hard on. To let them put their spin<br>
on what you’ve created. It’s hard to let go and <br>
trust that they will create something that is <br>
“you” – that fits with what you are trying <br>
to create. I have nothing to worry about here.<br>
He's nailing it! My mind is blown!<br><br>
We worked on “No Going Back” before taking<br>
a lunch break. Some pretty awesome stuff in<br>
this one too – a really cool hook in the chorus.<br>
There is no way I’m going to be able to put the <br>
experience of watching Jon come up with parts <br>
for my songs into words. I cannot do this <br>
experience justice. I am in complete awe!<br><br>
After lunch we worked on<br>
“Not Who You Said You Were”,<br>
“The Rainbow”, “Run Free”, and <br>
“So Long Insecurity”.<br>
Everything he came up with was so incredible.<br>
I’m going to run out of words to describe<br>
how awesome this is!<br><br>
Some highlights on each of these songs:<br>
“Not Who You Said You Were” has a great little <br>
riff in this special part – a second part of the<br>
chorus. It’s the climax of the song. Jon definitely<br>
added to the 50’s sound, but in a very modern <br>
way ☺<br><br>
“The Rainbow” was already pretty powerful<br>
and intense. Jon added some parts that build<br>
the intensity – which is what I wanted. <br>
It’s very moving. I love it! <br><br>
If you liked “Run Free” before – you will be blown<br>
away by it now. Don’t worry – we didn’t change<br>
the song - we just took it to a whole new level<br>
of amazing. I can’t listen to it without an <br>
enormous, uncontrollable smile on my face.<br>
When Jon first listened to it, we weren’t sure <br>
where we would even go with it, because <br>
it’s pretty full already.; but he managed to come up <br>
with something perfect for it.<br><br>
“So Long Insecurity” has a full-on blues <br>
solo. It is SO COOL! That was a lot of fun<br>
to watch. He played through it a few times<br>
and it was different every time.<br><br><br><br>
By 6:30pm we had completed electric guitar<br>
tracking for 6 songs – more than half!<br>
Jon headed home. <br><br>
I am seriously dumbfounded by his ability <br>
to come up with something incredible, for a <br>
song he’s never heard, in a matter of minutes.<br>
Some extremely magical musical moments<br>
today! I am so very happy with how all of the <br>
songs are turning out.<br><br>
We had dinner after Jon left; then we were <br>
supposed to start some background vocals. <br>
At about 9, after some discussion on songs, <br>
Ryan put a song on for me to practice harmony, <br>
went in to put his son to bed, and never <br>
came back. Well… he eventually came back…<br>
about an hour later…after he woke up and <br>
realized he’d fallen asleep and left me! <br>
I figured that’s what had happened. <br>
We called it a night – earliest night by far.<br>
Of course I didn’t go to sleep right away.<br>
I stayed up writing this and now I’m going<br>
To fall asleep working on vocal harmony <br>
for the 7 songs I don’t have figured out yet.<br><br>
Tomorrow Jon is coming back to finish<br>
electric guitar on the rest of the songs, as well<br>
as organ and piano. It was a fantastic day! <br>
Very productive, very exciting!<br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7811822013-05-20T08:03:08-06:002019-11-19T23:18:21-07:00In the Studio Day 6 - Monday, May 8, 2013<span style="font-size: small;"><br>
Another sleeping in day! <br>
Ryan had to go pick up a pop up tent trailer for <br>
his family, so I slept in till 10:30. Aaaahh! <br>
That’s crazy late. In my defense, I did not go to sleep <br>
until the wee hours, so it doesn’t really count as sleeping in! <br>
I worked on some things for t-shirt and sticker design, <br>
and practiced some vocal stuff, while I waited for Ryan to get back.<br>
He got back around 11:30am.<br><br>
It’s been a fairly “lazy” day because <br>
Ryan has lots of vocals to edit before we can move on. <br>
While he worked on editing, I’d had enough of my voice, <br>
so I sat and talked with Ryan’s lovely wife, Amanda. <br>
She just had her fourth child 4 weeks ago. <br>
She’s been super great – very hospitable, feeding me, <br>
not complaining about her husband being up so late workin.g <br>
on my record, being the generally wonderful person that she is. <br>
It was nice to sit and talk.<br><br>
We still had 4 songs to finish vocals for. <br>
Ryan took a break from editing so we could record vocals for <br>
“Eyes of a Child”, and some more takes for “No Going Back”<br>
and “So Long Insecurity”. We tried the final song “Not Be Afraid” <br>
but my voice needed a rest. Ryan went back to comp-ing vocals, <br>
and I read some articles from a music marketing guru on…<br>
..music marketing. Really great information. I’m trying to get a plan <br>
together to promote my record’s release. <br>
So much to think about, and lots of work to do!!<br><br>
We took a break to eat some dinner - spaghetti and salad by the<br>
fabulous Amanda. I have failed to mention eating until now. <br>
We have been taking meal breaks and eating, just not very often. <br>
We eat breakfast before we begin in the morning. <br>
Ryan usually takes a few minutes in the afternoon for lunch – I don’t, <br>
and we always break for dinner. I have several dietary restrictions and<br>
sometimes it's easier to not eat. Especially being up here<br>
recording - I don't want to mess anything up and get sick.<br>
I did bring my own food, but Amanda insists on feeding me.<br>
She has been very sensitive to my restrictions, although<br>
I certainly have not expected her to.<br><br>
After dinner I facetimed my family – <br>
they are missing me terribly – it’s good for them. :-)<br><br>
After more editing on Ryan’s part, we have to record vocals <br>
for the final song, then we’ve got Sam and Jer coming back <br>
to lay down drum and bass tracks for “Run Free” <br>
and “The Rainbow”! These two songs are already recorded <br>
and produced. I am SO excited to hear what they will do<br>
with them!<br><br>
We finished up vocals for “Not Be Afraid” – the last one! <br>
I had a little breakdown for a moment...or more.<br>
As I was singing through “Not Be Afraid” – which happens <br>
to be about choosing to live life without the fear of death – <br>
Ryan said (in one of his many ridiculous accents) <br>
“really listen the words and sing them from your heart”. <br>
In the middle of the song he stopped me and suggested <br>
a small lyric change that was more poignant. <br>
He said that this particular part of the song should feel like <br>
I was "falling apart" a bit more. We thought about what to throw <br>
into this spot. He came up with something he wanted me to try, <br>
it was really so simple, but when I sang it, I totally lost it – I fell apart. <br>
I guess the lyric change had the intended affect!<br>
Yeah, embarrassing, but he had no idea. I just told him I needed <br>
a minute, and tried to compose myself. I did actually have to <br>
step out to the bathroom because I couldn’t get a grip. <br><br>
Now you know what went into that song! <br>
Great timing. Sam and Jer just arrived, so I’m off <br>
to hear some musical magic being made, once I pull myself together!<br><br>
Just finished up with Sam and Jer. <br>
They are freaking awesome! <br>
They laid down some pretty sweet beats for <br>
“Run Free” and “The Rainbow”! <br><br>
All the songs are really coming together now. <br>
Tomorrow the electric guitarist is coming for 2 days. <br>
I absolutely cannot wait to hear what he is going to do with <br>
my songs. This is all SO ridiculously exciting!! <br>
I cannot wait for you to hear everything we are creating!<br><br>
It’s still very difficult to believe this is actually <br>
happening – that I’m not going to wake up and have it all <br>
disappear. I’m so emotional over it all. I wish for everyone to <br>
experience this kind of excitement at least once in their life.<br>
On that note – it’s now 1:00am. <br>
Sleep well and I’ll be back in the morning.<br><br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7722292013-05-18T13:20:00-06:002019-11-19T23:18:34-07:00In the Studio Day 5 - Tuesday, May 7, 2013<span style="font-size: small;"><br>
Goal for today – finish acoustic guitar <br>
tracking for the remaining 5 songs, <br>
and as many vocals as possible.<br><br>
We, once again, started around 10am, <br>
with guitar for “March On”. <br>
It went very smoothly – only a few takes. <br>
Then we tracked “Clouded Eyes”, “Life Changes You”, <br>
and “So Long Insecurity”. Ryan played acoustic <br>
for me on these 3. I liked how he was playing them <br>
better, and it would have taken too much time for me <br>
to learn them properly. Apparently it’s common for artists <br>
not to play on their own records, but this was my choice, <br>
so we were both ok with it. <br>
While he played I got to be producer. I sat in his chair, <br>
pushed the talkback button, and pushed the record button. <br>
So I officially get an engineering credit! <br>
Oh, the power you feel from that chair, pushing buttons! <br><br>
Only one song left, but it’s not going to have acoustic <br>
guitar in it, so we aren’t doing it today.<br><br>
Next we did more vocal tracking. <br>
This works similarly to guitar tracking. I am in the <br>
tracking room with headphones and a mic setup, <br>
standing up this time of course though. <br>
Ryan will play the track through the headphones, <br>
and I’ll sing through the song a few times until <br>
he feels like “we’ve got it”. After each time through <br>
the song he’ll say "encouraging things", and we’ll <br>
talk about anything I should do differently or any <br>
changes, then go again. If I mess up, he stops the <br>
music, then I “punch in” – go back before the mess up, <br>
and sing it again.<br><br>
**PHOTO**<br><br>
It’s a bit unnerving having someone sitting <br>
in close proximity, listening to every waver <br>
in your voice, and every wrong note <br>
(not that I ever hit a wrong note ☺), quite loudly,<br>
on enormous speakers, knowing they are recording it. <br>
It takes some time to feel comfortable enough to <br>
sing without worrying about making mistakes. <br>
You can’t worry about that though, otherwise it won’t <br>
turn out well. You just have to let it go and go for it. <br>
Fortunately Ryan is very easy to work with. <br>
He never makes you feel bad, and is very <br>
encouraging (mostly ☺) I can’t imagine being more <br>
comfortable doing this around anyone else.<br><br>
We tracked lead vocals for “Clouded Eyes”, <br>
“Life Changes You”, “March On”, and “So Long Insecurity”. <br>
They all went really, really well. Just a few takes of each. <br>
We will probably do a few more takes of “So Long Insecurity” <br>
on another day since there is some belting in it, <br>
and my voice was getting pretty worn.<br><br>
Erik and the kids left this afternoon for home. <br>
I now get to savor this time on my own <br>
for the rest of the week. <br>
I’m just a tad bit ecstatic about this!<br>
Not that I don’t love having my family here, <br>
but it will be nice to just get in the zone and <br>
not worry about anything else – to really be able <br>
to soak up this experience!<br><br>
Now I’m sitting here writing this while I listen to <br>
Ryan “comp” my vocals. “Comp-ing” vocals consists <br>
of listening to each phrase of every take, <br>
of every song, over and over, while he selects <br>
which portions from each take he likes the best. <br>
He then puts them together to form the vocal track <br>
that will be used in the final mix of the song. <br>
It can be funny and terrible listening to yourself sing <br>
something over and over. I enjoy listening when he <br>
does this (although it's not recommended that an artist<br>
listen at this point) because I feel like I learn a lot about <br>
how to improve my vocals, but then I easily get very sick <br>
of hearing my voice! In my mind I think he’s sitting <br>
there suffering through trying to decide which takes <br>
don’t sound as terrible as another. In reality he’s listening <br>
to the different inflections, and tones, and quirks in my<br>
voice and picking which are his favorite. <br><br>
Today, although loads of fun, has completely <br>
exhausted me! I put a lot of energy and passion <br>
into my singing – it’s a whole body experience.<br>
I dance and jump around a lot when I record vocals. <br>
Ryan always has all the lights off and candles lit in the <br>
tracking room (helps the mood), and fortunately <br>
he has me positioned in the room where he <br>
can’t see me looking ridiculous. :-)<br><br>
Another very exciting, very successful day has <br>
come to a close. Time for bed!<br>
Bed, by the way, is the leather couch in the control room. <br>
There is a twin mattress I could sleep on in the <br>
tracking room, but that’s too much effort to set up and <br>
put away everyday. I’ve also been offered to sleep <br>
in the house, but I prefer the solitude out here <br>
in the studio. It’s very peaceful.<br>
It’s about 3am. I’m out…<br><br><br><br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7666652013-05-17T05:58:24-06:002019-11-19T23:18:48-07:00In the Studio Day 4 - Monday, May <br><span style="font-size: small;">Today is a full on summer day! <br>
The kids (along with Ryan’s children) are in <br>
swimsuits jumping on a <br>
trampoline with a sprinkler under it. <br>
They proceed to do this the entire day!<br><br>
With everyone happily occupied, <br>
Ryan and I can get to work. <br>
At about 10am we start the day with Ryan <br>
finishing up the editing of drum and bass tracks, <br>
while I practice my guitar parts. We will be <br>
attempting to record acoustic guitar and <br>
vocals for 4 songs by the end of today.<br>
Good luck to us!<br><br>
It is incredibly gorgeous outside, but I’m holed <br>
up in the studio. I get glimpses of the sun <br>
when I step out for a few brief moments.<br><br>
Erik will be wandering around taking pictures <br>
of me today. I have promised Kickstarter donors <br>
a Limited Edition Signed Studio Session photo,<br>
so he is getting some great shots for that.<br>
Sorry, can't post those yet :-)<br><br>
Time for guitar tracking!!<br>
Ryan set up a nice little semi-booth<br>
for me to sit in to record -a chair, <br>
baffling and a 3 mic setup.<br><br><i><b>Guitar Tracking Booth</b></i><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/605bb2209239d789a49aa55fe50dec1105373c4c/medium/Guitar-Tracking-Booth.jpg?1368816326" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="300" /><br><br><br><i><b>Mic Setup</b></i><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/2668e60a36df8305f990b805f5b36589e65d89a8/medium/Tracking-Mic.jpg?1368816848" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="300" /><br><br><br>
So this is how it works – <br>
I am in the tracking room, <br>
and Ryan is in the control room. <br>
I have headphones on, in which I am <br>
hearing the track being played <br>
(as of now consists of drums, bass, acoustic guitar, <br>
and the click) and Ryan’s instructions. <br>
He has an appropriately named “talkback” button <br>
that he must push for me to hear him. <br>
Sometimes he gets pretty talkback happy. <br><br><i><b>Ryan on his throne</b></i><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/28dfc9ef4b714d6ff3d3dda4909ccb63831547f8/medium/Ryan-Control.jpg?1368816328" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="399" width="300" /><br><br><br><i><b>My View From the Tracking Room</b></i><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/69ba366e239489d0b762d7060564b280ff8e5fc0/medium/My-View.jpg?1368816331" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="225" width="300" /><br><br>
So we pick a song, I sit in my chair, <br>
tune my guitar a hundred times, <br>
and play through the song as many times <br>
as necessary to get a good recording.<br>
It took 3-4 times through for each song. <br><br>
We completed acoustic guitar tracking for <br>
3 songs – “No Going Back”, <br>
“Not Who You Said You Were”, and <br>
“Eyes of a Child”. It was fun to play guitar <br>
without singing – to be able to focus on the <br>
playing only – not something I get to do often. <br>
I get nervous though, playing in front of Ryan. <br>
It’s intimidating because he is SO good. <br>
Oh well…I have to get over it.<br><br>
Ryan had to edit the guitar tracks to get them <br>
ready for vocals. When he edits the tracks he is making <br>
sure every part sounds good (no mistakes), <br>
and is lined up with the tempo. <br>
I practiced while he spent some time doing this. <br>
I also got a chance to lay out in the sun for a bit, <br>
and I might have fallen asleep. <br>
It was 32 degrees here! Glorious! <br>
Oh, in America that’s about 90.<br><br>
We didn’t get to vocals until pretty late. <br>
Which is normally good because my voice is <br>
well worn and has a great sound at night, <br>
but if it’s too worn, it won’t last. I started with<br>
“Not Who You Said You Were”. It went great! <br>
I love recording vocals! We also did a couple takes of <br>
“No Going Back”, but decided to wait for another day <br>
because my voice was tired, and we knew we <br>
weren’t going to get the best take out of me.<br><br>
Finished up about midnight – a little after. <br>
I have no concept of days or times – <br>
everything is running together.<br>
Saving the rest for tomorrow…nighty night!<br><br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7573572013-05-16T05:15:00-06:002019-11-19T23:19:06-07:003 Days In Between<u><br></u><b><u>THURSDAY MAY 2ND, 2013</u></b><br>
Up at 6:00am – out the door at 6:45am. <br>
I am dreading the return to the real world!!<br>
I head home with my dad and daughter.<br>
We drop my dad off at the airport, catch a ferry home, and <br>
the second I pull in the driveway, I grab kids and take them <br>
to swimming lessons, ballet, tball game, awana, <br>
and home at 8:30pm. <br>
LONG day - I am seriously pooped!<br><br><b><u>FRIDAY MAY 3RD, 2013</u></b><br>
I have a gig at a coffee shop tonight that I maybe.. sort of.. <br>
forgot about. I really don’t feel like going, not that I don't want<br>
to play, I’ve just been going non-stop since getting home, <br>
and I’m so wiped out. Luckily the weather is fabulous, <br>
which always makes me feel better! <br>
I spent most of the day outside with the kids (practicing), before<br>
heading to the airport to pick up my mother-in-law. <br>
She flew out to help with kids while I’m gone next week. <br>
I took her to my gig, along with my youngest daughter, Isla. <br>
Although not many people showed, (no one wants to <br>
be inside on a day like today) I made a few hopeful <br>
connections, so it was worth it.<br><br><b><u>SATURDAY MAY 4TH, 2013</u></b><br>
In the middle of children’s activities, cleaning, <br>
and mass chaos with our landlords putting our home <br>
up for sale soon, I got a tattoo of my album artwork script <br>
that was designed by my album artwork artist - Jenna Riggs.<br>
I have been wanting to do this for awhile and I’m so excited!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/63fafe66f18365808d956c3978207d6802e7b45a/medium/Run-Free-Tattoo.JPG?1368729217" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="399" width="300" /><br><br><u><b>SUNDAY MAY 5TH, 2013</b></u><br>
At 2 o’clock in the morning I get an email from Ryan <br>
(don’t ask why I was checking my email at 2am) <br>
He had gone to the emergency room with really bad <br>
chest pains, thinking he was having a heart attack. <br>
Turns out he had some broken ribs from a “fight” <br>
with his bandmates at their photo shoot the week <br>
before I began recording. <br><br>
Since the injury was due to immaturity :-)<br>
it wasn’t going to affect my recording timeline!<br>
(Sorry Ryan!) Really, I'm glad he's ok!<br>
So Sunday evening, after going to church and <br>
partaking in a wonderful Cinco de Mayo meal that <br>
our lovely chef at church slaved over, <br>
I made the trek back to Five Acres, this time <br>
with husband and two oldest children in tow. <br>
My awesome mother-in-law, who has come <br>
out for the week to help with the kids while I record, <br>
has two youngest at our home with her for this trip. <br>
We arrive about 8pm. <br>
No work tonight, just hanging with Ryan and his family <br>
watching his patience be tested as his beloved hockey team <br>
slowly slides further away from their chance at the Stanley Cup.<br><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7435202013-05-14T16:30:00-06:002020-05-24T12:57:38-06:00In the Studio Day 3 - Wednesday, May 1, 2013<span style="font-size: small;">Ryan had a dentist appointment this morning <br>
that he had forgotten about, so I got to sleep in till 10:30, <br>
and take a shower. Woohoo!<br><br>
We started working around noon, with 5 songs to arrange, <br>
make scratch tracks for, and record drums and bass. <br>
We worked on the scratch tracks for most of the <br>
day again. The first few songs went pretty easily, <br>
but the last two were a little difficult. <br>
We spent a while trying to come up with something <br>
unique for each one. Ryan came up with a few <br>
things that are either going to be terrible or amazing!<br><br>
Sam and Jer came back around 6pm. <br>
After setting up and messing around they started <br>
on “Life Changes You”. I was out of the studio <br>
when they began working on it, so I didn’t get to hear <br>
the beginning stages. When I walked in, I heard what <br>
sounded like a normal drum beat, and I was about to be <br>
a little disappointed when it exploded into <br>
something I was not expecting at all. It was brilliant! <br>
I wanted them to keep playing it over and over, <br>
which they did for awhile. :-)<br>
Next up was “Not Who You Said You Were” <br>
(yes, I know – very dramatic title). They came up <br>
with a 50’s-ish sound for this one. Jer started it with <br>
a super cool bass line that led <br>
the whole feel of the song. It’s pretty sweet. <br><br>
They worked on Clouded Eyes next. <br>
It has such a great feel. It’s a favorite among the guys. <br>
Sam was playing the drums one handed <br>
with a shaker in the other. It’s a pretty killer beat. <br>
So Long Insecurity and Not Be Afraid were the <br>
last two songs. Ryan’s terrible or amazing ideas <br>
ended up being amazing! They sounded great <br>
with the bass and drums. <br>
There were a few moments in there where <br>
I was wondering if the guys were going to get <br>
what I was going for, but they always did. <br>
I loved everything! We finished all of the songs! <br>
It’s crazy that we got it all done. <br>
I’ve never been a part of anything like this before. <br>
It’s been an incredible experience witnessing <br>
creative genius in action. <br>
They are a crazy bunch of guys. <br>
Never a dull moment at Five Acres!<br><br>
Ryan is sending me home with <br>
rough mixes of each song to practice vocals with, <br>
but I can’t let anyone hear them. Sorry :-(<br>
Now it’s off to bed and a 6:45am departure <br>
for Seattle. Ick! My dad is picking me up and <br>
I am dropping him at the airport. Ryan will be spending <br>
the next few days editing drums and bass <br>
while I am back tending to matters of home and family.<br></span><br>Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7347902013-05-13T17:45:00-06:002019-11-19T23:19:38-07:00In the Studio Day 2 - Tuesday, April 30, 2013<span style="font-size: small;">My family headed back home this morning,<br>
but not without tears. My youngest child had <br>
a difficult time leaving me :( My oldest daughter, <br>
Chloe, stayed with me. She has friends up here to <br>
hang out with while I am recording.<br><br>
We started working about 10am. The session artists<br>
who are playing drums and bass on my record are coming<br>
tonight, so we have to get the scratch tracks finished for<br>
them. The morning and afternoon have been taken up<br>
with making scratch tracks for the 3 songs we worked<br>
on last night. Ryan set up a mic in the control room, and <br>
I sang and played through the songs while he recorded.<br></span><br><span style="font-size: small;"><br><b><i>Control Room</i></b></span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/aa0843f7e58c69003dc3d464bc4dfbddc2672434/medium/5Acres-Control-Room.JPG?1368522830" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Control Room" height="225" width="300" /><br><br><span style="font-size: small;">We were finishing up the last scratch track as the <br>
drummer and bassist were arriving - about 5pm.<br>
It takes awhile for them to get everything set up - <br>
especially getting the drums set with the right tones,<br>
so I sat and watched them.<br><br><i><b>Setting Up</b></i></span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/1180922b430b4db210f5ecd52669155e62dedab2/medium/Drums-Bass-Setup.JPG?1368522816" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="300" /><br><br><span style="font-size: small;">Samuel (Sam) Heard is the drummer, and <br>
Jeremy (Jer) Friesen is the bassist. I have never<br>
met them and they have never heard my music, so<br>
when they are finally ready, they ask me some questions<br>
about my style and what I am looking for in sound.<br>
This is always a tough question. I sort of gave them<br>
some not very helpful answers, then we listened to the<br>
first song - March On. This is a good one to start with.<br>
It's very vibey and smooth. They took some notes as they <br>
listened, and we discussed the dynamic of the song,<br>
then they got to work. We record drums and bass playing<br>
live together (as opposed to one at a time) because<br>
they feed off each other. They played through the song<br>
several times, and threw in something different each take.<br>
They are a bit quirky, which is exactly what I want. <br>
Ryan says you never know what you are going to <br>
get with Sam :) I am absolutely ecstatic over what they <br>
came up with!! They are incredible musicians! <br>
I feel very fortunate to have them on my record!<br><br><br><i><b>Sam</b></i></span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/a318ddeb21289fec45b529602803afab6e50f566/medium/Sam.JPG?1368522816" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="300" /><br><br><br><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Jer</b></i></span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/62156/46c439f56b1ec1b87e13de8b365b7745ffa3eeef/medium/Jer.JPG?1368522820" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="300" /><br><br><span style="font-size: small;">When we finished March On, we moved to Eyes of a Child. <br>
This one has been fairly complicated (I'm figuring out that <br>
I am a very outside-the-box songwriter ;) it has taken <br>
the longest, but they came up with a pretty spectacular <br>
groove for it. By now it's getting pretty late, and the <br>
guys are wanting to head home, but Ryan began playing <br>
the 3rd song - No Going Back, and they immediately <br>
rushed back to their instruments and starting playing <br>
a crazy beat. I was blown away. It brought me to tears.<br>
It's unbelievable and overwhelming for me to see<br>
someone be inspired by something I have done, and to <br>
hear their perspective, and see them create something so<br>
cool. They are bringing my music to life in ways that<br>
I cannot do myself, but have so longed for!<br><br>
We ended at midnight again tonight. Tomorrow we have 5<br>
more songs to make scratch tracks for before Sam and Jer<br>
come back. What an awesome evening! Besides being <br>
able to sit and play music all day, these guys are hilarious<br>
and terribly entertaining. I have a feeling I'm going to be<br>
laughing a lot through this recording process!<br><br>
Another big day tomorrow and I am SO tired.<br>
Goodnight!!<br><br><br></span><br type="_moz">Cami Mareetag:www.camimaree.com,2005:Post/7321372013-05-13T05:45:00-06:002019-11-19T23:19:49-07:00In the Studio Day 1 - Monday, April 29, 2013<span style="font-size: larger;"><br>
Thanks to tons of very awesome people <br>
who believe in me and my music, this morning <br>
I departed Seattle (with my family) <br>
for <a target="_new" href="https://www.facebook.com/fiveacresstudios">Five Acres Studios</a> in Abbotsford, British Columbia, <br>
to record my debut album "Run Free".<br><br>
Abbotsford is only about 2 hours away, <br>
but given the fact that we have 4 kids, <br>
we arrived at the studio 6 hours, <br>
and 1 border crossing later! <br>
This put us there about 6:30pm. <br>
The studio is a renovated barn <br>
in the backyard of the owner/producer's home, <br>
on a peaceful - you guessed it - 4.7something acre lot! <br><a target="_new" href="http://ryanmcallister.com/">Ryan McAllister</a>, the owner of Five Acres, <br>
lives on this lot with his wife and 4 children. <br>
We have much in common!<br>
We unleashed our kids from the "torturous" <br>
hours in the car, and they ran around wildly <br>
as we adults chatted for a bit.<br><br>
Around 7pm we got started on pre-production. <br>
Pre-production is pretty self explanatory. <br>
It's everything you have to do before <br>
you can actually record - playing through songs, <br>
making changes, planning etc. <br>
First we dealt with the business/money matters <br>
to get them out of the way - no one likes this part, <br>
especially Ryan. He would do it all for free <br>
if he didn't have a family to support! <br>
I will be recording a total of 10 songs with a band <br>
for a full album (YAY!), as well as <br>
recording acoustic versions with my husband <br>
on cajon for 4 of the songs. <br><br>
I played through some songs for Ryan. <br>
I would pick one of the songs <br>
that will be on the record, play it for him, <br>
then get his feedback. <br>
He would tell me anything that he is <br>
"hearing" - specific musical or vocal parts, <br>
changes to the structure, lyrics etc. <br>
We would discuss these ideas and agree <br>
on a direction for each song. <br>
As I played through the songs, <br>
Ryan sat with his guitar <br>
and played along, or sang along to <br>
"feel" the songs and come up with ideas. <br>
We spent the evening working on <br>
improvements to March On, Eyes of a Child, <br>
and No Going Back. Ryan had some great ideas. <br>
They're gonna be awesome!<br><br>
This was all we had time for today. Tomorrow we will make scratch tracks for the songs we worked on tonight. A scratch track is a simple recording of guitar and vocals only, that I play to a click track (metronome) to be sure my tempo is exact. This will not be used in the final recording, but it is used for all the musicians to play to, so that their tempo is exact. Yeah, tempo is a pretty big deal on a professionally recorded record. :-)<br><br>
We finished up about midnight, rolled out our air mattress in the studio, made up some beds for the kids, and pretty much passed out.<br>
Big day tomorrow! I'm so excited! Living in a dream...<br><br><br>
To get a glimpse into my "home" <br>
for the next two weeks, here is a video of <br>
Ryan giving a tour, and telling the story of the studio.<br>
Please take a few moments to watch it. It's excellent! </span><br>Cami Maree