The Blue Arbutus - Expansion
This was the first full album that I wrote in my little studio on Haida Gwaii. It represents a major change in my approach to music and my life. This was the album where I really dug into the actual production of music. I was attempting to evolve my craft from that of a writer to a level where I dealt with all of the different aspects; the editing, mixing, processing, and most importantly, the overall sound of the record. This was a big step for me and it was not easy. Prior to this point, music had come easy. It was enjoyable and something that I did both to relax and to express myself. Sure I had to work hard at my craft and at getting better at my instruments but I was always able to do this through playing lots. The shift to production meant that I now had to wear a new hat and that a lot of production is not simply playing but playing and re-playing, editing minute details and really focusing on the whole song.
The particular genre that this album falls into also proved to have its own unique challenges. In many ways, writing electronic music is far closer to writing classical music than it is pop music. In the form that I chose, there were no verses or distinct choruses I could rely upon to give the song definition. Instead, I was chasing a flow - a feel to the song that had to evolve over the course of the piece. I used themes and phrases as opposed to standard pre-choruses and verses to advance my thoughts. It was tricky.
Where did I get the name from? I thought about it for quite awhile. Originally I thought about just naming the project Arbutus but felt it lacked punch. An arbutus is a tree that grows around the area that I live. (pictured left) It lives in really cool places, usually rocky areas with lots of sunshine. When I was doing a lot of rock climbing, a lot of the areas that we climbed were covered in Arbutus trees. It is a tree which lives in some of my most favorite areas. The Blue part came in becuase it's my favorite color. I figured I would combine my two favorite things into one...and that's the story. In the end I was pretty happy with how the album turned out. As is mentioned later on the other page, I eventually moved away from this style of music athough I still have another album's worth of material I need to release. I hope you enjoy it.
| Here We Stand....................... |  |
| Hello Blue Monday ................ | |
| Empty Organ........................ | |
| Blue's Groove........................ | |
| Fasting................................ | |
| This Fresh Sound................... | |
| Reception.............................. | |
| Blue Skies.............................. | |
| Three on Four........................ | |
| Poverty.................................. | |
| Chill...................................... | |
| Endurance............................. | |