A Musician, A Writer, Or Just A Good Granddad!

As follow up to my recent blog, My Musical Journey, I thought it would be fun to elaborate a little on the process of making my first solo cd, I'LL TAKE PARADISE. In order to put that in perspective though, I have to talk a little about the changes that have occurred in the last two and a half years of my life. Without question the CD would not have gotten finished as quickly, had I not been the beneficiary of an early retirement from my employer of many years. Suddenly, as a retiree, I found myself with more time to do those things I loved most. That included, but was not limited to, surfing, exercising, spending time with my kids, playing music, and writing. The writing part included not only songs, but a novel (unpublished) and several short stories.
Funny, like Jimmy Buffett once said, and I have always related to this, "I'm growing older, but not up; my metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck". So it came naturally to me to spend lots of my new found time with guitar and note pad or laptop in hand. I usually write using one my acoustic guitars, a Martin D-18 or my Taylor 814-CE. Sometimes I write a riff oriented song on bass guitar, (my G&L or Lakland) which happens to be my most natural instrument. As new songs came to me a few older ones also became renourished in the process of planning for the cd. Once I got a song to the desired arrangement, I began to record individual tracks in my home studio. Vocals, electric or acoustic guitars, bass, and the drum tracks were all recorded by me, one by one, allowing time to correct some gaffs. I even added a few simple keyboard tracks even though I am not a keyboard player by any stretch. Songs like "Jesse" (a bluesy story about Jesse James planning a robbery) and "Train" (1930's bluesy, a spurned lover taking revenge) were written quickly and specifically for this cd. Others like ""Rescue" (the spiritual battle of good over evil) and "Baby Boomer Blues" (an Arlo Guthrie styled acoustic ditty about growing up in the '50's and 60's) were written a couple of years back, then given new life for this project.
Along the way, I made a few surf trips to Mainland Mexico, one with surfing buddies and the other with my wife, Sandy. The heat of southern lattitudes and rustle of the tropical breeze in the palms fronds led to a few Latin influenced guitar breaks. One of my favorites is noticable in my song "Saturday Night" (another of those songs where, as in life, love took a wrong turn).
Without question though, the greatest blessing of the last two years for me has been the birth of my Granddaughter, Mariella Grace Powell. She presents such love and sweetness and has changed the lives of everyone in my family. As my songs presented thenselves the influences of my life taylored them. It's easy to see that little Mariella was an inspiration as my song, "The Truth Of Love" opines, "Just when you least expect it, the clouds will open wide, Just when you don't request it, love will open your eyes". Well, I could go on and on about her and the special love of a grandchild, but back to the cd.
Finally, after many lonely weeks, days, and hours in the studio, and after the expert assistance and encouragement of my friend, Ed Quidley who mastered the songs in his studio Dragon Soundworx, the cd was a wrap! On January 14, 2009, I had a wonderful cd release party at Sweet and Savory Cafe here in Wilmington. Many friends came. It was a great night and I will always have a special appreciation for those folks who were so supportive.
There is so much more to tell but as I write this, it's important to say that I feel truly blessed at this time in my life. As a member of 3rd Street Plaza and the Wilmington Writer's Group, I would encourage everyone to stop and seek their dreams as I suggested in my title song, "I'll Take Paradise".
As a guitar player/singer, not only do I appear at selected local venues, but I spend a lot of time performing at various assisted living centers in the area. This gives me the opportunity to make many new friends who are at a different place in life, and have so much love to offer in their own special way. It helps keep me grounded and refocused on what's really important versus the craziness of the world that surrounds us.
I would love for everyone taking time to read this little story to go to myspace.com/jerrypowellentertainment where you can hear a few of the songs and/or follow the link there to cdbaby.com where you can pick up a copy of the cd.
Thanks for reading...........Jerry Powell