Hello everyone!  I am very excited. We just finished the photo shoot for the upcoming album.  The photo shoot was done by the talented Jon Woodbury.  While we were there his assistant, Lyndsey Jackson, was kind enough to create a behind the scenes video. 

It's been a few weeks since I've done a music update so it's about time I fill you in. I'm nearing the final months of recording and the album is about 75% complete. There are still a few songs I haven't told you about, one of which is coming back for a reappearance from the last album.

I generally frown on using material from a previous album when recording a new project. I soon realized, however, after a complete reinvention of Seaside’s sound design, I just had to put this new version on the album.

What's different about it? Well for starters I completely reworked the introduction to give it a calmer, more relaxing feel. The real spectacle, however, comes later when a breathtaking cello takes the song to new heights, ushering in an exhilarating string movement with accents from 20 or so 1st and 2nd violins. The difference between the old version and the new is night and day. It's quite remarkable how well the song came together in this new rendition. It's about as close to perfection as I believe Seaside can get.

I'd keep writing but I'm off to do more recording and a photoshoot for the album artwork this week. Check back in a week or so and I'll post some behind the scenes photos from the shoot.

-Kevin

Congratulations Kevin on being accepted onto Pandora!   Kevin can be heard on: Pandora - Spotify - Google Music - Last.fm - ReverbNation   along with these other sites.

 

-Bryan

I wrote a song a couple years back that was very different from most songs I write. This song didn't use a piano; it was just under 2 minutes long and was unconventional in almost every way. I get a little nervous any time I start writing a song that wants to break the typical "unwritten" rules of songwriting. Even in instrumental music I find it a good idea to generally follow the verse - chorus - verse - chorus - bridge - chorus - end structure of songwriting.

This song which will be on the new album is called Prelude. I guess you could say Prelude could be classified as an introduction if you want to get technical, as it plays a very transitional role to the song I wrote about an Estonian forest.

It takes place on the water before you reach land and discover a very enchanting, mystical forest. The air turns misty and time seems to stand still around you. A haunting flute plays out from the distance and sets the stage as you drift towards a shoreline barely visible through the fog. A series a keyboards are carefully mixed and layered together creating an effect of mystery and enchantment. An ancient Middle Eastern flute mixed with a special reverb completes the mix giving the song a mesmerizing, almost spell-binding feel.
 
More than anything I want this album to connect. It follows a journey which I've described as a tale of exploration and finding yourself. While this story tells you a lot about how the songs were written, the most important aspect of the entire album is the message it conveys emotionally. The songs talk about life and various challenges and feelings I've experienced. If I do my job correctly, those emotions will communicate and connect with the listener. While I enjoy sharing the story with you, it's really a secondary way of communicating the emotion. It really comes down to how you connect with the music as the listener.

Progress in the studio is going very well! I'm well over half-way through the recording process and still working hard. Amidst all of this I've also been working on a brand new recording using the new piano. I'm planning on debuting this recording in a couple weeks, along with some sheet music and a newly remastered single! Until then - it's back to work ;)

-Kevin

For the past 10 years I have been using keyboards for all my recording and performing needs. Now thanks to Yamaha's breakthrough state-of-the-art digital piano technology, I have added a new piece of equipment to the studio - my very first piano.

As a pianist-composer I've been faced with the challenge of finding an instrument that has the tone of a concert grand piano, the mobility of a keyboard and doesn't cost so much that if you sold it, you could build yourself a brand new basement and still have money left over! Yamaha has taken their grand piano action and put it in a small format, upright piano with finely precisioned optical sensors. These sensors trigger a range of sounds sampled from Yamaha's world acclaimed concert grand piano. To put it simply, it's a hybrid piano. The keys feel exactly like an acoustic piano, everything else is digital.

What does this mean? It means I can record high quality piano tracks on a real piano keyboard. The sound is another step up in my quest for audio perfection. For now pictures will have to do. I am in the process of preparing a new single that will let you hear the difference for yourself!  Until then it's back to the studio. If you would like to see more pictures please visit the photo gallery.

-Kevin