Tuesday, December 29, 2009


SARAH HART CONCERT!!

We are thrilled to have Sarah Hart, national award winning songwriter come to Kitty Hawk on Sunday Jan 31 .

This family event is at 3pm at Holy Redeemer fellowship hall. If Sarah's name sounds familiar maybe it's because half of the material I've recorded on my CDs I'm Not Alone and Let the Door Swing Wide were penned by Sarah, including the title tracks. Come join us for a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, bring the family! Tickets are available on this web site. Here is the press release:

Listening to the music of Sarah Hart is a transforming experience. Put any of her recordings on your player and you’re immediately hooked by her sweet, compelling voice. Follow the lyrics, and you become immersed in the spirituality and honesty of a seeker who helps us discover the God who walks with us in our daily lives. Sarah’s lively, contemporary blending of folk, pop and rock welcomes and delights listeners from every age and background.Sarah is currently a staff songwriter for EMI-CMG Music in Nashville, TN and Spirit And Song in Portland, OR. Her songs have been recorded by numerous artists such as: Robbie Seay, Matt Maher, 33 Miles, This Beautiful Republic, Sarah Reeves and Jaime Jamgochian. Her music has appeared in the television shows “Joan of Arcadia” and “Strong Medicine”, and most recently in the new film “Coyote County Loser”. Her songs can be found in print in almost every Catholic church in the U.S. Sarah has also penned music for two musicals, and works as a songwriter and voiceover artist with the Tom Tichenor Children’s Theater in Nashville, TN. She is the recipient of six Unity awards for her work.

At events, Sarah’s love for music and ministry intersect in amazing ways. As an artist with Spirit and Song, Sarah travels all over the United States and the world. Her special passion for women’s ministry has prompted her to write the first two of what will likely be several retreats for women, which she carries to parishes as a mission. She performs at such events as NCYC, LA Congress, and World Youth Day, as well as churches and colleges; and she loves performing at such small venues as The Bitter End and The Bluebird CafĂ©.

Sarah’s newest recording, “SaintSong”, highlights the texts and lives of twelve Saints; she studied the texts and wrote contemporary music to their brilliant thoughts. The enhanced CD includes a devotional book penned by Sarah.

Sarah’s favorite “job” is that of wife and mom to her two young daughters.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Merry Christmas!


I can see the light...sorta...tis a busy season...wishes for peace within your circle of friends and family this season. Thank you hugs to all who sent emails and cards...great to hear from everyone!

Bobbi & Ed Beckley volunteer for the Salvation Army every year and sent this with a note that they were dancing to my A Christmas to Remember CD while collecting. They win the "most creative way to use my music for the community" award! Thanks Bobbi & Ed for all you do!
With the in-stores, privates parties and masses behind me, I'm working on material for the new CD (release date April/May 2010). We were in Nashville a week before Christmas (who's in charge of scheduling!?) cutting instrumental tracks so I can practice before hitting the studio again Jan 11...so that's what I'm doing...in my "free" time (HA!) & in my sleep! This CD has some beautiful tunes on it and is really taking on a life of it's own.
Many have asked about the recording process - it is VERY different than a "live" performance. Singing to walls that don't give back any energy can be grueling but I have found that with the right attitude and energy of my own it is well worth it. I have been working with my producer, Kenny Royster and most of my studio musicians for 10+ years recording all of my projects with them. We have a 5 piece core band: drums, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard and bass. They put tracks down in 3 hours sessions, usually 10-1pm, 2-5pm and 6-9pm depending on how many songs and their complexity. That is done on Monday. Tuesday I usually have my auxilary crew in: acoustic guitar, keyboards and stand-up bass, cello, violin, harmonica, saxophone - not all in the same time frame ie guitar & keyboard, bass 10-12pm, cello & violin 12-2pm again depending on the songs and arrangements. Remember these musicians do this for their living: they read, eat and sleep music so laying down tracks to what sounds like a complicated song can take less than an hour for most songs. When I go back to do vocals, I'm in the studio 10am-10pm, singing, listening, drinking lots of coffee & water! and tweaking, tweaking and tweaking...when I'm done with my vocals I bring in my backup vocalists. On this project, I have my 4 who I've used on past projects: Kim, Vicki, Robert and Kim (Yes 2 Kims NOT including me) and I have my bassist, Dave Francis doing some vocal parts. Dave did some parts on my CD Moonlight (the first project I did with the gang). All of these musicians are AWESOME and I truly value their gifts and friendships. After the vocals are done, the mixing begins and THAT is tedious!! It is usually a week long process & could be longer...my ears are usually fried and I drive back to the beach in silence (13 hour drive from Nashville). It then goes through various manufacturing stages before getting to the customer: mastering, graphics, packaging, shipping. Every artist has their own process depending on financial resources and time, but this works for me. Yes a labor of love...so when people buy the new CD and then come back a month later and ask when the next one will be out I do have to laugh...it's like giving birth: do you really want to do that again in less than a year? Between researching material and the actual project, it really does take about a year or longer from start to finish.
New Years Eve will take me to Williamsburg for their First Night celebration this year...I'm excited to see old friends and meet some new folks! Beyond that I'm still at Bagels to Beef in Southern Shores when I'm in town (check the calendar) and Holy Redeemer and Holy Trinity...Florida the end of Feb where I'll be at The Villages (Church on the Square). I'm looking to book churches in the area so if you're interested please email or call.
Thank you for your emails, calls and notes...I love to sing, but I love singing for you!
Be safe, stay warm...see you in 2010