2013 goals

I'm hoping 2013 is going to be a big year for me.  Obviously, I can't predict these things with any sort of certainty, but I'm choosing to remain optimistic.  Well, okay -- cautiously optimistic.

There are a number of things I'm hoping to accomplish this year.  First up is a new album.  At the moment, I'm sitting on somewhere around fifteen new songs that I've recorded, with at least half a dozen more that are written but haven't been recorded yet.  It's particularly gratifying to me because, leading up to releasing my first album, I had been suffering from a severe case of writer's block.  Seriously, I was getting to the point where I was afraid I was never going to write a song again.  When you're a young singer/songwriter that believes you have something left to offer, the thought of permanent writer's block is a terrifying thing.  A few life changes (chief among them, quitting my incredibly stressful job) helped me move past my block -- as a result, I've been writing songs with a vengeance.  Honestly, it has been years since I've been able to crank out this large a volume.  Not sure how long it'll last, but I'm enjoying the ride.

I also really want to put out a Christmas album by next Christmas.  I've already got some ideas in place: mostly traditionals, but with a few originals thrown in.  I've never written a Christmas song before, but I do have some thoughts.  Brand new territory for me!

A few years ago, there came into being a horror movie called "Snapped."  To give you some background, I live in the tiny town of Chewelah, located in northeast Washington state.  "Snapped" was filmed in the even tinier town of Valley, a few miles south of Chewelah.  To call "Snapped" a B-movie is to underestimate its frugality.  And to call it a horror movie is also a bit of an injustice, because it's much more funny than anything else.  And to call it a well-thought-out movie also doesn't quite work, because the movie makes absolutely NO SENSE.  All that said, though, it is one of the funniest things I've seen (in case you can't tell, I'm a big fan of Mystery Science Theatre 3000).

The reason I mention this is because, while discussing this movie with my wife (and its sequel, which I had a small, 5-minute part in this past summer), she told me that she and my brother Nick had been talking about "Snapped," and Nick thought it should be a musical.  My brain almost melted -- first off, because that was a brilliant idea, and secondly, because I was mad that I hadn't thought of it first.  Since this ephiphany, I have rewatched the movie countless times, and have around nine or ten pages of notes that I'm hoping to turn into lyrics.

So there you go -- another goal for 2013 is to write "Snapped: The Musical."

Finally, I'm really curious to try my hand at a series of House Concerts in the local area.  There aren't a lot of venues to perform where I live, but the concept of a House Concert really intrigues me: small, intimate gatherings, not having to shell out a bunch of money to rent a place, people who (for the most part) will be friendly towards your music...seems like a win-win, really.  I'm hoping to craft some fliers or something to help promote the idea, see if people respond positively.

Well, now that I've brought you up to speed on my plans for 2013, I figure I should wrap this up.  I'm hoping on my next post to include some more pictures, and I'm in the early planning stages of shooting a music video.  Exciting stuff.

Until next time,
Aaron
www.aarongabriel.net