James Kinne: Latest

Working hard in the studio. To be honest, working hard acorss the board. I've opened up a store in VT, I'm working on my wedding business, and I'm working in my studio with clients.

Life is happily busy. Plus, I have an almost-14 song album almost complete in my studio. I'm busy working on words and stories, and finishing up melody lines and parts. I don't really know where this new batch of recordings will end up, but my hope is for this third complete album. I think I owe it to my friends, family & fans to put out something better than "Fleeting".

Some awesome person has uploaded a concert from back in my days playing bass for Angry Salad.

We played the Whiskey A-Go-Go in LA in 1997, and they taped the show for the club and video sale. I had a tape myself at one point, but lost it in the shuffle somewhere.

Now it's back and online - and pretty neat to see the old footage.



More on YouTube, obviously. Thanks for posting the old video!

A big creative blast happening right now. I've finally found with the first alternate tuning I like since Chasing Gray, and ideas are pouring out of it.

I've also ordered this really cool groove module for the studio - thousands of hours of loops & samples. I'm going to try and write things around these custom beat sections.

Plus, spring is finally (yet slowly) starting to come around... spring has always been a big songwriting time for me... looking forward to the next few weeks.

Lastly, if anyone has any cool album title suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.

I've never had this many musically diverse things happening at once.

1. Writing & producing new solo material, and playing solo shows.
2. Writing & producing material for the wedding guitar business, and playing weddings.
3. Writing & producing new NAG & Tara material.
4. Recording & producing bands & musicians from N.E.
5. Doing live sound at shows.

I honestly thought I had peaked musically years ago. Looking back at that, I hadn't really gotten started yet.

Good days.

Going against what I have said about not releasing a third solo CD, my recent creative (explosion, really) writing period has inspired me to create another full length CD. I actually had a listen to Fleeting the other night, and it occured to me how much my music has grown since that CD. If there has ever been a "right time" for me to record a new CD - it's now...

One song in particular has pushed me over this line, and it is the first song on this new (as yet untitled) CD. So there's already one song almost completed for it. I'm not sure how many will make up the final version....

At any rate, I'm psyched about it. Got any CD title ideas? I'm open to suggestions...

Off to keep working. Man, I love recording at home. (see next journal entry for more on that...)

Stillwater Studio (old picture!)

I know there are some out there who wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. I also (to a certain extent, truthfully) can appreciate the benefits of analog recording and the sound it provides.

But-

I love the fact that I can create any song I want now - here at home - and craft it any which way I want. While my production skills are in constant improvement and far from skilled, I have yet to feel like I'm lacking or short on ideas.

Also, I love the realism of the home recording route. To me, a overly polished, perfect record is simply not real anymore. I can always change the recordings and improve them - and even if I put a song out one way, I could remix the tune differently and repost it anytime I want.

Then, I can transfer that finished song on this little key card, put it on my online stores, and sell it an hour later. That, is simply the coolest thing ever for an independent musician like myself.

I'm very excited to have discovered these new paths to creating and sharing my music - I think 2008 is going to be a big year for me.

Wow, time is flying. Working up at the resort, and times are busy. Still really busy constructing new music - both full JK songs and the guitar stuff. I'm having a blast, but just wish I could have more time to work on music... hopefully after the holidays.

Posted some more new music. Let's see how many I can before I crash the server...

I hadn't planned on writing another entry here until after the new year, but I have been so inspired by whatever has prompted this writing phase I am in currently.

I have loved music my whole life, and I have always cherished being able to write and create it. Even if no one liked it, I loved the process of writing it. It was, and apparently still is - therapeutic to me.

In the last several years, the stars had sort of fallen from my eyes for writing and creating new material. And this new re-energizing of my musical spirit wasn't something I was looking for, or expected.

But here I am, and I'm so psyched to be in-love with writing music again. Not only that, but writing in a whole different style of music too - a mostly instrumental style. Not quite sure where I am headed in that direction, but I am sure having a good time seeing where it's going.

Enough rambling. I just like to acknowledge a really good (and lucky) thing when it happens.

Alright - see you next year. Happy holidays...

I have had friends tell me quite recently that I should have something like a blog or journal online for people to read some of my stuff... I've always had a love/hate thing with blogging - but I suppose that I should give it a shot. I've never done it before, so why not. I have a lot of interesting stuff happening in my life right now, why not share it?

2007 has been a huge year for me. Easily the biggest ever. The year started with me buying a home in the very same valley in Vermont I've loved since childhood. First time homeowner - what fun...

Next up was my wedding. Tara Orion and I tied the knot on September 8 right here in the Valley. We honeymooned on the west coast of Mexico for a week - and it was paradise.

Musically, I've found myself coming into a place I've never dreamed of before. I have access to a whole world of new sounds, thanks to my home studio. Most of the newest music is coming totally free form to "tape", and I'm writing music based in layers now.
Put simply, I'm more inspired as an artsit/musician/songwriter than I ever have been before.

I still love the acoustic guitar, and still plan to record the same style material as I always have - I just love that kind of sound. But I'm definately stretching out (musically speaking), and I hope you all enjoy the directions I'm trying to go.

So, to try and sum up, I am a very thankful man. I love where I am, who I am with, what I am doing, and where my music is headed once again.

It's been a tough road to get to this space, and to those of you I may have hurt along the way I am sorry -

But it is really nice to feel at home and safe in the world again. I think the new music reflects that, and I'm really thankful to be excited about writing music again.

To be totally honest, I feel like I just stumbled onto the right musical path that has eluded me for a long time. We'll see...

Happy Holidays and have a great New Years. Hope 2008 is as promising to you as it is to me...