The last few months have been a joy, spent composing, recording, and mixing in my recording studio. Inspiration is always just around the corner, so I preferred to let it flow. Though there’s already enough material for an album, new songs are still coming, and I need to finish a couple of others. I love this process so much. Starting with nothing, no sound, just a feeling, a hunger, that tells me a song is out there waiting to be captured. Picking up an instrument and witnessing a song come to life is magical. Then come the lyrics. As I sing random words while composing, I have to keep some of the important sounds at key moments, to avoid killing the song. The voice is an instrument as much as a means to convey words. But it’s also important to write something meaningful and pay attention to the form. Then there’s the recording. I prefer complete takes, not cut & paste & comp. Arranging, layering instrument after instrument, watching a recorded song take shape. This is the best part.

I also had the joy of playing live at the Case à Chocs in Neuchâtel in May. I got to take some of my guitars out for the Having a Ball project. Last year, in the US, I played some solo songs with an electric guitar, sometimes adding a couple of echoes and effects. I continued in this vein here.

In June, my guitarist friend Guthrie Lord came from New York to play and create music. Collaborating with easy-going musicians is, of course, synonymous with happiness, and I was looking forward to it. We played some live dates, the main one being the Fête de la musique in Yverdon. We also composed and recorded some new music. I’ll write a new post presenting the song we produced.