In August 2024 I began recording on my first album project, Songs for the Way Home, with a lot of generous help from my friends and family. I selected a small solar-powered, woman-owned studio in a rural area in my current home state of Vermont and plowed through a full day of intensive recording, feeling pleased with how it went.
This past fall when I received my tracks—slightly edited and mixed—I realized I did not like the isolated sound produced by recording in a studio. I was used to the noises of birds singing along, a truck going by, or people singing along.
Over the course of months, through a gradual process, I decided to use tracks I have already created over the years: These, compared to the death-still simplicity of my studio recordings, seemed full of love and intimacy, messy and with a yearning to share. I made them for you.
So, after all, I am in the process of creating my “archival version”— 12 life-filled recordings, recorded over five years, of a solid range of some of my songs. I’m working on figuring out the best engineer to work with to do the rest of the process: to add some layers, make adjustments, mix, and master to make them more pleasing. Then CD pressing and music distribution.
THANK YOU! Because of many people’s generous support, I have funds available for these steps.
Songs for the Way Home will be an album of love and joy, with an emphasis on community. To give an answer to the question that is the title of this blog post, that is what matters.
C
Claire Bates Music 