Track 4: from distant shores/cover art

Again featuring Javier on percussion (cajon and shaker), this song is in 7/8 which gives it a different feel.  I used the Takemine classical for most of it, with some background overdubs on the Taylor.  The bass is programmed in Logic using a sample from an upright bass.  I wrote the backing guitar line first (while visiting my friend Jeremy, sitting on his couch), then added the melody later at my home studio.

I actually wrote the melody out using the (piano) keyboard in Logic, then printed out the notation and read that on guitar.  That helped keep me from falling into some of the melodic ruts that composing on the fretboard can cause for me, and also helped me to navigate the time signature a bit better.

The 'dot' image from the front of the CD jacket is something I came up with.  I wanted to convey the idea of capturing beauty in a pseudo-pixilated, pointillistic way.  Several of the songs are quantized and looped, using digital manipulation and editing, so I wanted an image that would be obviously computer aided.  The image behind the dots is that of a sunset over Exeter, England, that I took during a mission trip in 2005.

I had Linda Bourdeaux, an award winning graphic designer who happens to be a friend of mine, help me with the layout and design.  You can check out her portfolio at The Design Desk.