22 Dreams

(This article will be published in the 'Songsmith'. But it'll need more proofreading & editing before I submit it.) “REVOLUTION is Nick Puñal’s first fully produced album. After several years and many trips to Sound Dog Recording Studio recording a song here and there (with plenty of breaks in between) the album finally came together in 2009.” These are the introductory words to Nick Puñal ’s official blurb & credit sheet for his new album, Revolution . The most striking facet of this album release is that it’s only available to download, through iTunes . Those who prefer the more traditional approach of a CD release would likely frown upon this venture, but a line has to be drawn between what is traditional and that which is practical. No one these days – particularly a self-funded artist – is expected to release his or her music on vinyl. The iTunes release is a crafty and intelligent way of selling and disseminating this music. For those who purchase th...

I had so much fun and fulfillment today. I was doing what I loved. I was asked to come into the studio to lay down some bass tracks for six songs. I'd already recorded five tracks for my friend's album three months ago. And this morning he calls me and says he can imagine a ukulele on one of the tracks, so I tag that along and hope for the best, even though I haven't touched the uke in months. Gav gave me these songs to learn, with accompanying charts, about six weeks ago. Naturally enough, like just about everything else I do, I've left it to the last possible minute to learn these songs. I flipped open the charts last Monday night and finally listened to the songs. I was beginning to sweat faintly, my stress levels rising, thinking that there's no way I could learn these songs in 5 days. The next night, still slightly stressed, I attacked the mp3s and charts again. On this night I fell into the groove and started to feel and understand these songs. I felt by that ...