09

On New Year's Eve, before the full festivities (such as they were) began, we had a quiet beer and did an accounting of 2008... okay, we had a quiet beer after a quiet bottle of champagne...

And it was pretty striking how much we accomplished in 2008 and how much we set ourselves up to accomplish in 2009. From promotions, to artistic creations, to a new home... Sure, there were challenging moments and times... sure, everything didn't go completely as planned. But that's the way most years go. 2008 was also a year of healing... a year of the heart really and truly moving on.

It's weird how the recording process lags behind the writing process... the lyrics to the songs I sang in 2008 were largely written in 2007... and so, as I've mentioned here, it was strange to revisit them when I had clearly moved past a lot of the subject matter and a lot of the emotions.

Listening to the final mixes over the last week has been challenging and incredible... mastering happens next week, and I have in my possession the album packaging (which turned out amazing). It's weird how songs turn out... you never really know what they're going to sound like, even down to the very end... such is the mixing process.

Perhaps the best song to sum up 2008 is How the Heart Moves On. I wrote this song very quickly with 4 chords. The lyrics are super simple and direct... probably the simplest on the album. I was trying to capture some of the start and stop nature of healing... The recording turned out great... it's just a rock tune complete with a guitar solo... nothing out of the ordinary but, I think, very effective.

So... on to 2009... can't wait.

HOW THE HEART MOVES ON Slowly With hesitation Pulling away Trying In silent spaces What can be saved? And while we're sleeping Someone is leaving Someone is breathing In and out and in and out Sinking Into the hollow That swallows us in the dark Fighting Will desparation To hold on, hold on to the spark And while we're sleeping Someone is leaving Someone is breathing In and out and in and out

jbg