I've spent the past two months working non-stop on finishing up my debut Christian album Marathon since the day we ("we" being my music production and songwriting team known as "thebridge") wrapped up our production work on Lecrae's Gravity album (props to Lecrae, Street Symphony and the whole Reach Records team), dropping September 4th, on which God blessed us to write and produce the song "Higher" featuring the phenomenal Contemporary Christian Music rock band Tenth Avenue North. The songs on my album have all been written, arranged, and produced by thebridge, which for the purposes of Marathon consisted of myself, JayTel, Ty Steez, and Aphillyated, (but also includes my sis, award winning rock singer Sheila Swift and big bro, decorated piano virtuoso Jodi Mayfield) who between us handled the gamut of engineering, writing, vocal arranging, producing, and live musicianship necessary to consistently deliver quality music, and are every bit as sonically diverse as I always envisioned my solo album being.
The album creation process began with a song called "More Like You", a pop/R&B ballad which I envisioned originally as being the first single from the album, but quickly expanded to cover musical ground such as huge praise songs ("Chasing After You") to swagged out ("All You Want Is You") and soulful ballads ("Enough" and "Put Up With Me"). When God gave me the initial vision for the album, it was to cover as much ground as possible, writing songs that were all rooted in the Word of God lyrically, that were irrespective of race, denomination, or musical genre, and sonically and melodically were able to appeal to even those who do not normally listen to Christian based music. The album has become all of that, and so much more than I even forsaw.
As I type this, I am today finishing recording on the last two written songs for Marathon. This has been the culmination of a lifelong dream, one that God did not allow to come true until I got my head together, accepted my call to Pastorship, and realigned my priorities as He always intended (God, Family, Everything Else). I'm thankful for that, because if God had allowed me to achieve this level of success and opportunity back when I signed my first record deal, I would not be here now, but would have followed my own way into what I'm pretty sure would have been destruction and shame. Now, I am not moving until God says move, and am focused on doing only what He would have me to do, and He has been allowing me to find favor with many in positions to help me to accomplish the task He placed before me when He promised years ago to lift me up so that I would be in a better position to lift Him up. I worship God for all that He has done....and I patiently rest in the knowledge that my best, and that of thebridge, is yet to come.
Lecrae's album Gravity drops September 4th, and then the multimedia campaign will begin to launch Marathon, which I anticipate will now drop either 4th quarter 2012 or (most likely) early January to allow us time to effectively market the album and movement. The phenomenal photo and graphic design company PDL Studios is about to begin work on the artwork for the album cover and booklet after our conference call earlier this week, and I'm meeting with video directors now to determine who will shoot the first official video from the album (which I still at this point don't know which song it will be for due to the number of awesome songs on the album to choose from; a wonderful dilemna!)...it doesn't matter how impactful or powerful your music is if noone knows about it, and so we're putting together plans to launch the album first in the public consciousness, and THEN on shelves, iTunes, etc. I can't wait until the totality of the vision God has given us is able to be revealed to everyone, and to have a chance to get out on tour and see the impact that the songs will by then have had on the lives of those who enjoy them, and I give my sincere thanks to all who those have musically contributed to this incredible body of work for the Kingdom....Stay tuned!
#IMPECCABLEGRINDUNSTOPPABLEDREAMS
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Scriptwriters 10x10 in Houston
After the shoot concluded on my first film, Chance 27, I had the opportunity to ask the more seasoned actors on the film for advise regarding polishing my acting skills. With anything that I willingly devote time to, I want to be the best at it, and acting was no different, so I asked the other actors what they recommended I do to become better. The #1 answer I got was to do stage acting as a way to perfect my craft. This made perfect sense...kind of like the difference between singing live versus studio singing. On stage, you have no do-overs...no retakes or chances to edit. No film tricks or camera techniques...it's just you and your fellow actors, the set, the stage, your voice, and the audience. You have to convey everything with just your words, actions, and expressions.
I immediately began looking into ways to get on stage, and found the Scriptwriters 10x10s at the behest of my good friend Hector Luna, who introduced me to the Houston film community to begin with. I found out when the auditions were going to be held at the Country Playhouse, and after setting up an audition time with Christine Weems, I began looking up notes for effective cold readings of scripts in preparation.
Once the day came for auditions, it was a round-robin of going in the theater before the various directors and reading a variety of parts for a variety of plays with a plethora of actors and actresses, many of whom were very, very good. I enjoyed the interplay between them and myself during the auditions and made sure to apply what I'd learned from watching Lee and Lawrence in my interactions with each, so that my performances were subtly different based on who I was playing against. Once I'd read for several parts, Christine said that I was done for the day, and that she would be emailing me to let me know if I was chosen for any of the parts. I felt confident that I'd done my absolute best, and had a wonderful time in the process, so I said "Thank you" and headed out.
Within days, I received two emails for parts I was selected for, one being Bobby Ackerman in the play "Waiting in the Lost and Found", and Nerve in the play "Body Politics". I began reading over the scripts and loved both of them, and more than anything loved the fact that both parts were completely opposite from each other, which meant that two different directors saw me being capable of playing two completely different parts. I relished the opportunity to show that I could do both, and do them both very well.
The first day of rehearsals for both was a conflict, because they were both being held within two hours of each other and were on different sides of Houston, so I got to the "Waiting..." rehearsal wayyy late after leaving the "Body Politics" rehearsal. My fellow actors Erin and Marc were gracious, but I knew they had to be miffed at having to wait so long for me, so I wanted to make sure I went above and beyond in the rehearsal to make up for it. The rehearsal went well, and the future rehearsals, I made sure to be on time, if not early (as much as my music schedule allowed, that is).
Finally, came Tech Week (which is where the crew at the theater has all the plays go thru their entire shows, while the crew works out the lighting, curtains, timing of each show, etc) and the chance to really run thru our shows on the main stage where we'd soon be performing for audiences. I have never been shy or afraid of the stage due to growing up singing in churches, talent shows, malls, and pretty much just about anywhere else I could find an audience, so I welcomed the opportunity. Due to the awesome work of Christine Weems and the entire team, Tech Week ran smoothly.
The shows opened Thursday, August 2, 2012, to a nice sized audience at 8 PM, and ran without a hitch. In my first play, we had to slide our props out from behind the curtain in the dark, and carry them offstage the same way. Because of how dark it was, we nearly fell over the edge of the stage trying to walk off after our bow, but otherwise the show was wonderful. My fellow actors in "Waiting", Erin, and Marc, are both stage veterans and are both phenomenal actors. I learn more about the craft during every show watching their interactions before I walk out on stage to join them. Erin has a natural poise and grace...e'lan...about her that draws all eyes to her while on stage. Marc has the ability to disappear into his character and BECOME whoever he's playing. I intend to harness both of these abilities in myself, and am fully confident that I will, with more time spent learning characters and reviewing my performances on tape.
My second play, "Body Politics", is so funny that even my fellow castmates and I have a difficult time not laughing while onstage. My character, Nerve, is supposed to be the "enforcer", and is supposed to be brawny, but not brainy, and was described to me by the director, Elvin, as being a big guy with a little voice, so I broke out my Mike Tyson voice for the character, and am blessed that the crowd reacts to it every single time I speak on stage. They laugh so hard that I often have to bite the inside of my jaws to keep from cracking up myself. All the other characters have their humorous aspects to them, and the play is just a blast to perform.
Every night of the play has been wonderful, and has gotten better each time, as most things do. I type this before leaving to head to the last showing of the play, today (Sunday, Aug 5) at 2:00 PM at the Country Playhouse in City Centre, and am excited to knock these last performances out. I'll miss the interaction with the other actors and getting to be a part of the entire production, and have had a wonderful time, but God is calling me to finish my album Marathon, and I can't allow anything else to come between me and that goal. Lord willing, once the album is out and successful, then maybe next year I can come back and be a part of the entire experience again. Either way, this has been an experience I'll never forget, full of working with people I'd gladly work with again in a heartbeat.
Below is a link to the Houston Chronicle Blog review of the Scriptwriters 10x10s, with my play Body Politics highlighted as one of the reviewer's favorites. This is my first write up in the Chronicle, and I am excited to share it. A wonderful, wonderful experience!! #IMPECCABLEGRIND
http://blog.chron.com/criticscritic/2012/08/scriptwritershouston-presents-captivating-22nd-10x10-festival-at-country-playhouse/
I immediately began looking into ways to get on stage, and found the Scriptwriters 10x10s at the behest of my good friend Hector Luna, who introduced me to the Houston film community to begin with. I found out when the auditions were going to be held at the Country Playhouse, and after setting up an audition time with Christine Weems, I began looking up notes for effective cold readings of scripts in preparation.
Once the day came for auditions, it was a round-robin of going in the theater before the various directors and reading a variety of parts for a variety of plays with a plethora of actors and actresses, many of whom were very, very good. I enjoyed the interplay between them and myself during the auditions and made sure to apply what I'd learned from watching Lee and Lawrence in my interactions with each, so that my performances were subtly different based on who I was playing against. Once I'd read for several parts, Christine said that I was done for the day, and that she would be emailing me to let me know if I was chosen for any of the parts. I felt confident that I'd done my absolute best, and had a wonderful time in the process, so I said "Thank you" and headed out.
Within days, I received two emails for parts I was selected for, one being Bobby Ackerman in the play "Waiting in the Lost and Found", and Nerve in the play "Body Politics". I began reading over the scripts and loved both of them, and more than anything loved the fact that both parts were completely opposite from each other, which meant that two different directors saw me being capable of playing two completely different parts. I relished the opportunity to show that I could do both, and do them both very well.
The first day of rehearsals for both was a conflict, because they were both being held within two hours of each other and were on different sides of Houston, so I got to the "Waiting..." rehearsal wayyy late after leaving the "Body Politics" rehearsal. My fellow actors Erin and Marc were gracious, but I knew they had to be miffed at having to wait so long for me, so I wanted to make sure I went above and beyond in the rehearsal to make up for it. The rehearsal went well, and the future rehearsals, I made sure to be on time, if not early (as much as my music schedule allowed, that is).
Finally, came Tech Week (which is where the crew at the theater has all the plays go thru their entire shows, while the crew works out the lighting, curtains, timing of each show, etc) and the chance to really run thru our shows on the main stage where we'd soon be performing for audiences. I have never been shy or afraid of the stage due to growing up singing in churches, talent shows, malls, and pretty much just about anywhere else I could find an audience, so I welcomed the opportunity. Due to the awesome work of Christine Weems and the entire team, Tech Week ran smoothly.
The shows opened Thursday, August 2, 2012, to a nice sized audience at 8 PM, and ran without a hitch. In my first play, we had to slide our props out from behind the curtain in the dark, and carry them offstage the same way. Because of how dark it was, we nearly fell over the edge of the stage trying to walk off after our bow, but otherwise the show was wonderful. My fellow actors in "Waiting", Erin, and Marc, are both stage veterans and are both phenomenal actors. I learn more about the craft during every show watching their interactions before I walk out on stage to join them. Erin has a natural poise and grace...e'lan...about her that draws all eyes to her while on stage. Marc has the ability to disappear into his character and BECOME whoever he's playing. I intend to harness both of these abilities in myself, and am fully confident that I will, with more time spent learning characters and reviewing my performances on tape.
My second play, "Body Politics", is so funny that even my fellow castmates and I have a difficult time not laughing while onstage. My character, Nerve, is supposed to be the "enforcer", and is supposed to be brawny, but not brainy, and was described to me by the director, Elvin, as being a big guy with a little voice, so I broke out my Mike Tyson voice for the character, and am blessed that the crowd reacts to it every single time I speak on stage. They laugh so hard that I often have to bite the inside of my jaws to keep from cracking up myself. All the other characters have their humorous aspects to them, and the play is just a blast to perform.
 |
| The cast of my second play, "Body Politics" |
Every night of the play has been wonderful, and has gotten better each time, as most things do. I type this before leaving to head to the last showing of the play, today (Sunday, Aug 5) at 2:00 PM at the Country Playhouse in City Centre, and am excited to knock these last performances out. I'll miss the interaction with the other actors and getting to be a part of the entire production, and have had a wonderful time, but God is calling me to finish my album Marathon, and I can't allow anything else to come between me and that goal. Lord willing, once the album is out and successful, then maybe next year I can come back and be a part of the entire experience again. Either way, this has been an experience I'll never forget, full of working with people I'd gladly work with again in a heartbeat.
Below is a link to the Houston Chronicle Blog review of the Scriptwriters 10x10s, with my play Body Politics highlighted as one of the reviewer's favorites. This is my first write up in the Chronicle, and I am excited to share it. A wonderful, wonderful experience!! #IMPECCABLEGRIND
http://blog.chron.com/criticscritic/2012/08/scriptwritershouston-presents-captivating-22nd-10x10-festival-at-country-playhouse/
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