Well, the kids get out of school soon for Spring vacation & the whole clan is packing up and headed to Nashville for a few days.  Along with songwriting co-writes and appointments, we’ll get some fun family time in as well.

Not sure how we managed this, but we’ve got tickets to the Grand Ole Opry while we are there.  They frequently add artists and change the line up for each show.  As of right now, our show consists of Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Mel Tillis, & Brett Eldredge (one of my new favorite artists.)  Love it.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, it seems to be a good time to talk about this song I wrote for my wife, Kelly.   Pretty sure I’m covered this year.

I asked Sue Smith to work on this one with me.  The last couple of years Kelly has taken a more “behind the scenes” role in our music ventures.  Much of the attention was focused on me and what was going on with “Chris.”  The phrase she used quite frequently was, “I’m Kind of a Big Deal…”     It became a fun little joke  in our circle of friends…Her niece bought her a plaque with the inscription on it, and it still sets in our bathroom.

Kelly was in Nashville with me during this co-write.  After Sue & I finished up, Kelly tried to ask me how it went.  She knew something was up when I didn’t share many details about the day.  We went out to dinner & enjoyed the evening, and I attempted to keep the song a secret.

About 11pm that evening, I couldn’t take it anymore – I got out my guitar and played her the song in our hotel room.  I wanted to make it a surprise and get it on the project without her knowing.  After thinking that through and realizing that wasn’t a possibility – I went ahead and played it for her.  Needless to say, she loved it.  However, the guest in the adjacent room did not – he called hotel security and we were politely asked to “keep it down.”  Oh well – totally  worth it.

Written with producer, Dennis Dearing & hit-songwriter, T.W. Hale, “Just Say When” is just one of those feel-good, windows rolled down on a Friday afternoon, kind of songs…  T. W. has written for numerous artists including Joe Diffie, Reba McIntyre, George Jones, & Randy Travis.  The three of us have co-written recently, and we have a really fun tune to share with you… we’ll keep you posted.

“Meeting My Maker” was a product of my co-write with Lee Black and Wendy Wills.  It took us two different writing sessions to get it the way we wanted.  In fact, the sessions were about a month apart, so it sat dormant for a while…  At the second writing session, I actually had another writing appointment, so I left before it was completed.  Lee & Wendy have to take the credit for an amazing bridge and final chorus.  They brought it to completion.

I personally love the outdoors.  After just getting back from a father/son weekend that included camping and hunting, it really made me think about this song.  It basically talks about a gentlemen that spent many Sundays out in the woods and would “meet his Maker” there.  He found God, not in a church building, but in the wilderness.  I might start repeating myself, but this really is one of my favorites on the project.

Since my first songwriting conference in 2005, Tony Wood has been a huge inspiration to me in the world of songwriting.  My brother, Bill and I had written with him in the past, but this was the first opportunity I had to write with him on my own.  There is definitely more pressure involved when you’re in there by yourself…

Basically this song is about the “first date,” and how it went from the male’s perspective.    The guy basically says, “It could’ve been better…”  Don’t worry, it has a happy ending – you girls should  like it.  :)

To attempt to give you Tony’s resume’ would be pointless – there are so many great songs that he’s written.  I am truly a fan.  You can check out some of his catalog here. Very grateful for the opportunity…

The title track of the album, “This Could Be the Day,” was co-written with Regie Hamm.  Regie is a well-known songwriter and author, who lives in Nashville.  He has his name on many hit songs, but one you are most likely familiar with is David Cook’s American Idol single, “Time of my Life.”  If you are a reader, I highly recommend his book, Angels & Idols.  (regiehamm.com)

We began the writing session by getting to know each other a little better… in doing so, we realized that we shared some similar struggles in the “music business.”  This song evolved from that conversation.  ”This Could Be the Day,” is hopefully relatable to anyone…no matter what you’re going through, you can have hope & things can get better.  Hopefully,  that doesn’t sound too trite.  I’m very proud of how this one turned out…hope you like it.

Ok – in getting ready for the release of the new project, I’m going to try to give you a little background on each song.  We’ll start out with one of my personal favorites, “Wild Indoors.”  I started writing this one on the last leg of our 10-state radio tour.  The family had been cooped up in our little rv for quite a while, and we were all ready to be home.  My brother, Bill, and I finished it together after I had been home awhile, and that might be another reason why I like it so much.  Even though we try, it just doesn’t seem like we get much time to write together anymore…

It is a little “racier” than some of our other tunes, but still family-friendly and hopefully one that all our married couples can relate to.   It’s basically about desperately trying to get some “alone time” with your spouse, and when those attempts to get away often fail, you can decide to have just as much fun in the “Wild Indoors…”  Kelly’s a little nervous about this one, but I’m pretty sure she likes it.  :)

Well, it’s been a busy harvest – still going strong… Honestly, the upcoming project has taken a back seat the last few weeks. Funny how something can consume you and then quickly fall down the priority list as “life” takes over.  We are  just about there… Decided today to set the “official” release date for the, “This Could Be The Day” cd release –  November 29, 2011 – my 40th birthday.  Seems an appropriate way to celebrate, don’t you think?

Well, we’ve survived summer… camps for kids, two August birthdays (celebrating is quite a chore, yes?), vacations, and the kids’ first year at the sweet corn stand…  It’s been busy, but overall a pretty great summer.  I forgot to mention, in the middle of all of that, I did get to make a couple more trips to co-write in Nashville, as well as finish up all the loose-ends to this upcoming project.  We are just about ready to send it off to duplication – yeah!

I also had the opportunity to re-write a song with Sue Smith – a personal song from 15 years ago that we are re-releasing.  For more info about that new venture, you can check out Kelly’s blog at www.kellyfiler.wordpress.com.

Lots more news to come soon!

Well, it’s official.  Tracking vocals completed and new album is close to being done.  We’re shooting for a release in about 8 weeks.  This one has come together crazy good.  I’ve really enjoyed the co-writing experiences this time around and I’m looking forward to getting these new “babies” out there for you all to hear… We’ll keep you posted!