If you're looking for something crazy and insane to do this summer, how about this:
First, write a theme song for the summer youth conference you're leading music for.
Then, go into the studio to record that song, inviting some good musical friends/former bandmates to join in the fun. Totally overestimate your own ability on instruments you really don't know how to play (read: mandolin and accordion). Learn the hard way that "faking live" and "faking in the studio" are two very different things.
Next, come up with an idea that, at first, sounds simple enough: since the song is written to be sung in a large group setting, why not ask your entire church youth group to travel down to Winston-Salem one weekday evening and record the choruses in the studio? And while you're at it, coax your wife and boys to tag along.
After that, schedule a run-through the night before that doesn't even last an hour. Meet in the youth house, sit on couches, play the demo on your ipod. Do crazy stuff like asking them to split into guy parts and girl parts on the middle eight.
And then, to top it all off, ask your DCE to pile them in the church van and a member's minivan and drive them all to the studio. Which, in this case, is the bottom floor of a two-story garage behind your buddy's house. He's fixed it up extremely nice as a band room, but never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine 20+ middle and high schoolers cramming in there around a condensor mic. Much less a 15-passenger church van parked out in front of his house. Hand out three headsets and keep one for yourself, and ask these non-professionals to sing to a track the vast majority of them will never hear. Wave your arms wildly in the air to bring them in and out and keep them in time.
Oh, and sweat profusely, since the A/C unit has to be turned off during the recording, lest the sensitive mic pic it up and transform it into the sound of a gushing wind.
Ask these kids to be totally silent until the moment they start singing, and then totally silent when they're done. Ask them to cut their "s's" off at the same time so it doesn't sound like a snake pit. Ask the young middle school boys to do their best impression of a grown man's deep voice, and ask two of the girls to sing the women's part an octave higher than the others - but not too loudly.
Did I mention the sweating profusely thing?
And then, when it's all said and done, tell them what an incredible job they did and how proud you are of them, because that's exactly what they did, and that's exactly how you feel.
If you can swing that, my friends, then it's already a pretty awesome summer.
Dude, looks like all of you had too much fun. That is why you are the MAN!! ;-)
Peace,
Byron
Posted by: Byron Wade | June 28, 2013 at 07:28 PM