Getting closer. I've been working on the mix to If We Were. It's tough because there are so many different lines going on at once. It's hard to decide what should be in focus, and what should be background. I'm also having trouble striking the balance between sound that's intense and enveloping and sound that's not painfully loud. I guess that's why people use compressors, but I hate them. Dynamic range is the key to everything I do, little expressive subtleties, quiet breaths and crescendos. Without those, it's too close to the same old shit.

I'm also starting to plan the big release show. I've got most of the band in place, and they're pretty awesome. There are a lot of possibilities floating around in my head. I think it's going to be leaps and bounds beyond the last one. I'm really looking forward to new arrangements, new ideas, and new songs. Now I need to get the venue a picture, a bio, a blurb, etc. for their own promotion and press. Uggh. I don't know why I find self-promotion so difficult. I think it's the idea of having to manufacture an image. I'm happy to give people what I am; I'm happy to share that truth. It's when I have to stylize that, and shape it into something, that I start to bristle. I need to figure that one out.

All in all, things are good. I plan to finish mixing (finish If We Were and revisit glitches in the other songs) by the end of this month, which puts me right on schedule for the release date. The art looks amazing; I can't wait for everyone to see it. I've been meeting a lot of wonderful people recently, including one who's beautiful and consistently grin-inducing. I've been rehearsing for a gig at a friend's party, playing soul covers with a great band. Just on keys, and occasional djembe. It feels good to be able to concentrate on one thing at a time. I hope to do more of that when the Geniuses get back on stage.

The juices are flowing. Things are afoot. Life is good.