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Oh man-  Still riding high after last week.  Crazy in the BEST WAY!!!!

My producer and I spent Monday going through tracks, reviewing arrangements, and preparing for drum and bass tracking.  I knew going into this that 6 tracks was a lofty goal for 5 days of work.  My producer however was optimistic and said we would shoot for it!

On Tuesday we cut Drum and Bass tracks for all 6 songs.  After spending nearly half the day Monday getting drum sounds just right in the recording room-  Tuesday ended up being a very creative day, exploring different drum patterns and creating the foundation for my songs. With the exception of one tune, my original arrangements made the cut.  One song we changed the music to align with the lyric content better and as soon as I heard it back, I knew we made the right call.  Can't wait to share it with you!

On Wednesday we cut more scratch tracks on vocals and guitar along with main tracks for lead guitar, fiddle, viola, dobro, and lap steel. This ended up being a 13 hour day, but I was really thankful that my musician friends were there to support, and create really amazing instrumental parts.

Thursday was a vocal prep day, where tracks were reviewed and mixed down into something I felt good singing vocals to.  We really had to get after it on Thursday and Friday-  my flight home was Friday evening which didn't leave a lot of time after returning my rental car and taking a shuttle to my gate.  We finished vocals on the very last song with about 2 hours to spare!

 I haven't heard my vocal tracks yet, but I have heard all the music (both live and recordings) and I am beyond pleased.  It was TOTALLY worth working these songs out, and I don't think I could have chosen a more perfect team of pros to get it done.  I'm super grateful for this experience and it really confirmed that I will likely go down to finish my album with this team, hopefully next spring.

Now the engineer and producer start the process of preparing tracks for mixing and mastering.  I'm being patience and letting them do their work, but secretly I am going crazy waiting for the first full rough mixes.

The songs we tracked for the EP are:
"The  Joke"
"I Blame You"
"Control"
"Guy Like Me"
"Slow Dance"
"On a Roll"

While I don't plan to share any of THESE tracks until they are all finished, I do plan to start releasing some demo recordings.  I'll be dropping them as Exclusive Content for the folks that backed this project, and then a few weeks later these Demos will be available on Spotify.  Some of these recordings were done in local studios, some of them were taking on a cell phone- but all of them are small glimpses into how each tune started it's life before being professionally recorded.  I can't wait to share them with you!

My next update will come once I have something new to report.

Cheers Ya'll!
Ty

Howdy Ya'll!
Tomorrow I start the real work- tracking.  So far it's been a crazy whirlwind of a trip.  I've got 4 1/2 more days to try and get through 6 songs.  It's going to be a marathon, but that's what I'm here for.  It's go time 👍

So I had to attend my day job business conference Mon-Thurs in Arlington.  It was a lot of networking (aka wine and dine).  I was able to make a break for it around noon.  Grabbed a cheapo rental car and boogied on down to the Ft Worth Stockyards.  It's always been somewhere I wanted to see and couldn't pass up the opportunity.  If you haven't been, I think "Cowboy Disneyland" sums it up nicely :). I also popped into Billy Bob's because it's freaking Billy Bob's.  What a cool place.  Someday I'll catch a show there.

From there, I hopped back in my car and braved the freeway through Dallas. Nobody warned me about the freeways in Dallas.  They are not normal.  The slow lane is actually the +10 lane, and the fast lane is unlimited. Learned a lot today.

I'm ending my evening at a coin op Laundromat, where I'm writing this. I got a couple light days and tracking starts Monday.

Time to get some rest and get those creative juices FLOWING.  Looking forward to hunkering down and creating.  Stay tuned!
Thanks for joining me on the ride 👍
-Ty

What's going on, my Backer Family?

As I write this update, the clock is winding down on my backer campaign. I still can't believe that you all made this happen. You might be sick of hearing this from me, but I'm very grateful for you all—Thank you.

Once this backer promo is over, a survey will be emailed out. For those of you who signed up for a backer package—THE SURVEY IS IMPORTANT as it helps to specify what products you'll be getting, including shirt sizes, etc. You'll also have an opportunity to add on any additional items if you want. Please be sure to fill it out and get it back so we can start preparing merch.

As some of you know, I linked up with Pendleton's own Scotty Wilson (formerly of Little Mckay Creek Band) and his current outfit, "Music Medicine" last year when his guitar player decided to move outtta town. Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending 2 days at Rainmaker Studio in Pasco, WA helping to bring Scott's songs to life. It was really good being in the studio again and a great reminder of what's important to brush up on and what's not. Keep a look out for Scott's release—I'll share it out on the socials when it's all done :)

For me? In 10 days, I'll be on a plane to Dallas and as far as my Texas recording plans are concerned everything is dialed in. Producer is ready, musicians are ready—hotels, transportation, flights, all of it. I feel about as prepared as I can be and I can't wait to immerse myself in this experience and focus on the music completely. Seriously, what a gift to be able to do that in a life that's so busy all the time with just...life stuff.

OK, I gotta get back to the daily grind but quick recap:
• Thank you
• BackerKit campaign ends today
• A survey will be sent via email—Please fill it out
• Everything is awesome and going to plan
• Recording starts in 10 days
• Thank you—again and over and over

~with gratitude,
Ty

THANK YOU doesn't cover it...doesn't even come close.

When my wife set me down at the table a few days ago to give me my birthday card and my birthday beer I would never have guessed she was giving me the biggest birthday surprise ever.

FULLY FUNDED!

Opening my birthday card revealed that while I was struggling to figure out how we were going to make up a $3K deficit in funding, she quietly removed my access to social media, and went on a wild fundraising campaign reaching out to additional backers and EXCEEDING our original goal.  Needless to say, I was (and still am) floored!  It took me a few days to really let it sink in that everything I was hoping for on this project continues to fall into place, even when it probably shouldn't.

At the ripe old age of 45, I feel like I'm getting a chance to see what I can really do with my music, and that's what I've always really wanted.  It sounds cliché, but it's never been about "making it", or fame and riches (I mean, that would be nice and all though!).   Recently, I had a friend come out to a show and tell me how much they connect with one of my songs called "The Joke". It's about the struggle of family farms, and the hand-me-down nature of them.  Moments like that are REALLY special to me- and if I'm being honest, that's what I'm chasing.

I'm officially 24 days away from being in the studio.  Now, I get to focus on the pre-production and creative work.  I get to focus on the music, the writing, the merch designs, and making damn sure I crank out something you all can be proud of supporting.  To my friends, family, and everyone in between who has gotten behind me on this, please know I couldn't have gotten this far without you.

Thank you doesn't cover it...not by a long shot.