Current Projects

So it's been a while since I've posted anything here, and the reason is that I've been quite busy. I'm currently doing a postdoc, buying a house, looking for a job, and studying for the national psychology licensure exam. However, my life has not been too busy to engage in some musical adventures. Here's a little peek at what I've been doing:

1. The Sigmund Blue album

I'm thrilled to say we've finished recording, mixing, and mastering the new Sigmund Blue album. We're currently working on the cover art and a few other details. This album ROCKS and I can't wait for people to hear it.

2. Re-working of Volumes I and II

I recently started thinking about remastering my 2002 two-volume set, as well as culling some of the (in my opinion) weaker tracks from the package to reduce them down to one standalone album. I figured while I was bothering to remaster things, I might as well bust out the original project files and remix them in my current studio (which has much better plugins, etc.). Lo and behold, I found two long-lost songs that were set aside back in 2001-2002, but would have otherwise appeared on those albums! I had to finish some of the tracking for these before they could be released, which I did, trying as much as possible to match sounds to those that would have come out of my studio in 2002. So now, in its current state, I have an album I am tentatively calling "Volume Adjustment," which features 12 songs (10 from the original Volumes I & II plus the two long-lost songs). Things are sounding magnificent, so I am very excited about this.

3. New album

I have begun work on an all-new solo album. There are currently 7-8 songs in construction, and I am planning to add 4-5. For this album, I have adopted a different writing process than usual. Truthfully, this was very much inspired by my recent work with Sigmund Blue. Instead of sitting down to 'write a song' and then later recording that song, lately I've been writing as I record (recording as I write?). This allows me to record a chord progression or a tidbit of an idea, then come back later to add to it. I'm finding that as a result, the chords are generally getting written first, followed by the words/melody (usually I would write the chords and melody simultaneously). The songs have a slightly different flavor than usual as a result, in my opinion. So far there is one exception to this process, a song called "Recipe for Ruin" which I originally wrote for Todd Rooster. The song was played live a few times, but nothing much ever came of it. It qualifies for this project because it was written in a similar way: the bass riff was the genesis of the song, followed by the chorus chords, and then lastly the words/melody. I'm happy (and also frustrated) to report that the songs on this album are sufficiently catchy to get stuck in my head at work every few days.

4. New long-distance collaboration

I am delighted to report that I've begun working on a collaborative recording project with guitar virtuoso David Michael Tafe of Boston, MA. Mike and I went to high school together in New Canaan, CT and used to jam together pretty often. We always respected the hell out of each other as musicians, but never found a way to work together on a project. Well, now we're giving it a shot, long-distance. One thing you can bet on: this project will sound very little like anything I would do as a solo artist! Mike's influences range from classical to metal to folk, and his songwriting has a distinctly Alice In Chains/Soundgarden flavor to it. I'm really excited to hear the results of our efforts together. It's been a lot of fun so far!


Have a suggestion for a project I should consider? Drop me a line at GregGoldman@gmail.com and let me know! I'm always interested in new ideas.