By Chris Moore:

Tonight is the beginning of a side project that will take me as late as next summer to complete…  a new album!  You may be asking yourself, okay, so you’re going to record another new album.  It’s about freakin’ time.  And you may also be wondering what that has to do with the Laptop Sessions.

Well, I’m going to tell you!

Having been thinking so much recently and having been so inspired by a number of factors — not the least of which are hearing some leaked tracks from Jim’s forthcoming release and some awesome new albums this year by songwriters like Brian Wilson and bands like R.E.M. — I have been working on and arranging tracks for a new album, ironing out arrangements, finishing lyrics, etc.  Now, I bring my motivational and promotional project to the Laptop Sessions…

Every three weeks (or so, once we hit the new year), I will release a demo of another track from the new album.  Not only will I release the tracks, but I’ll do so in order!  Thus, tonight, I bring you what will be track one of my next album.  Now, in the spirit of the Laptop Sessions, I bring this song — “No Lights, No Sound” — to you as a recording of only my third complete performance of the song ever.  In other words, I rolled out of bed, finished writing the lyrics and the entire middle section, and recorded this demo.  This is hot off the presses.  This is the song in about as early a form as you’ll see here on this music blog.

And, that being said, I hope to get an amazing, yet fairly affordable producer to make it the perfect opening track!  (Anybody know a good producer, by any chance? ;- )  I’m thinking either Rick Rubin or Jim Fusco.  I figure I’ll send out for a bid in a couple of months and see what’s in my budget.  (Actually, no offense to Rubin, but I’d take JIm any day.  Even though he does NOT wear a fashionably immense and flowing beard…)

As you listen to the demo, you might notice that it’s a bit slow at first for an opening track.  I’ve since worked out a better version of the tempo I’d like to use, and I hope to have it build up right after the chorus and incorporate drums, bass, etc. before getting to a solo and eventually ending with a repeat of the first verse with only an acoustic and lead vocal.  But, we’ll see what the finished version holds.

In closing, this really puts the pressure on me to finalize my track listing and finish writing these songs.  I plan to record them as soon after writing them as possible, which will make it all the more interesting to look back and compare them to the final versions some day!  (And I don’t doubt that some won’t make the final cut, or that I’ll change the order as I go, but I’ll try my best to decide an order soon and stick to it.)

I truly hope you enjoy this side project for me here on the best acoustic cover song and original music blog in the universe!!  Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and Friday for a double dose of one Jeffrey Copperthite…

See you next session!