That's it.  Tracking is completely finished for The Year of You and Me.  Bittersweet is all I taste.  I loved every moment of time spent at The Vanguard Room.

Here's a short clip of the last thing I recorded (video courtesy of closet videographer, Josh Davis).  Immediately after this, we hugged, packed our instruments up, and brought in the evening moon with lots of jokes and even more Kan Jam (look it up). 

On a high,

Michael

21. That's how many days I spent in the studio before taking a break.

We started our days at noon and finished them sometime between late and early. Doing anything 14 hours a day for an extended period weights heavy on the body and the mind. I would come to need some time away for inspiration and rest... and rest.

I was lucky enough to tag along on a trip my brother planned to Asheville, Knoxville, and Nashville to visit cafes for market research as he's getting ready to open a second Black & Brew. The trip couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It's hard not to feel love just being in a place like Nashville. I could walk downtown for hours.

I found myself daydreaming up new songs, sketching lyrics, and anxiously awaiting the moment I'd get to pick up my guitar again, give them color, and a name.

We're coming home now, and I'm writing this letter to you from the passenger seat. Low lying clouds gently move along the rolling hills and an overcast sky softens the sun, reminding me that the brightest days are still ahead.

I don't know why the rain inspires me so much. Maybe it's because, where I live, the sun shines more days than the rain falls. I prefer it that way, there's just something about the rain that separates me from now and puts into perspective, my whole life. So easy it is to reminisce on days passed when the sky cries. Life seems simpler. For me the rain doesn't signify sadness or gloom. Just peace.

We'll get back later tonight and I'll wake tomorrow with a full plate. I still have about a weeks worth of work left at The Vanguard Room. After which, the record will have to be mixed, mastered, and printed. Then I'll start planning its release.

I can't wait for you to hear these songs. Straight from my heart to a little round piece of plastic to your living room, or car, or shower. Whatever your style, I'm honored.

See you soon.

Promise,

Michael