Mel StirlingThere is nothing solo about being a solo artist. I raised this in my previous post but I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a solid team backing you up. I had an awesome crew of session musicians and engineers who shared my vision for the songs I wanted to create.
I showed them what I already had, explained the direction/style I had in mind and encouraged them to workshop their ideas before tracking in the recording studio.
It was hard to release creative control but it was also liberating and well worth it! When working with other artists (of any discipline) I try to give them the freedom to create without too many restrictions. This led to some pleasant surprises and I would often leave a recording session thinking, “how did they come up with that?”
The same can be said for the Slipping Slowly and Standing to Fall music videos (soon to be officially released so stay tuned). These videos required a director, editor (Christian Stirling), actors (Victoria Stirling, Joshua Mann, Beau Jones and Kristy Ellen Jackson) and money to produce.
When you have a small budget and limited resources you have to work with what you have access to. In my case, I was fortunate to have very talented people around me who were willing to donate their time and expertise in exchange for producing content they could use for their personal showreels.
I would like to personally thank everyone who has been a part of my dream team so far for their encouragement, dedication and support which includes Christian Stirling, Kelly Schinkel, Victoria Stirling, Joshua Mann, Beau Jones, Kristy Ellen Jackson, Michael Whitney, Luke Zahnleiter, Scotty Wade and Marly Luske. You guys and gals rock!
Of course, there are plenty of spots available on my dream team so feel free to get in touch if you wish to get involved.