So guess what? We’re finished recording for the first of our two 2009 worship CD releases. This record, which has been code-named “Hi Wattage” because of it’s high energy, indie rock sound, now has a real title: Over The Grave: The Isaac Watts Project, Volume One.
Producer Neil Robins did something unusual in the last recording session, holding it in the gymnasium of The 930 Art Center, Sojourn’s inner-city Louisville home. Neil gets quite excited before, during and after recording sessions (and whenever he’s awake) but I got him to stand relatively still for two minutes before the session, so he could tell you what’s up:
After I stopped my pocket video camera and Neil ran down the hall, he assembled the “choir” and led us in choruses and other small sections to five songs on the upcoming album.
What’s next? Mixing, mastering and artwork (which is in the ever-so-nimble hands of Sojourn Visual Arts Director Michael Winters). Then, a spring release on both compact disc and through iTunes, Amazon and the other digital providers. Then we’ll do it all again for The Isaac Watts Project, Volume Two, an Americana-sounding record produced by Worship Arts Pastor Mike Cosper, who produced 2007′S Before The Throne and, with Neil, last year’s Advent Songs.
Incidentally, you can see a very brief aspect of this recording session — or rather, the pre-session camaraderie — over at TravelBlog, Sojourn’s online magazine. It amused me.
The man has boundless, crazy energy. It was all I could do to not be in a perpetual state of “falling on the floor” laughter, given his never-ceasing antics and crazy cool dance moves during the rec. session. All in all, a very fun morning.
Mike and Jamie recorded some of those dance moves, too, on the big camera. Very soon, all the world will see those crazy moves and hear the song “Refuge” from the upcoming CD.