“What a Show” Album Brings Neighbors Together Interview with Kerry Patrick Clark Virtual CD Launch Party via Zoom. Saturday, Septe path, I now KNOW there is a LOT more behind the scenes. It was at this moment that my lips curled upward… forming a smile:-) I thought to myself… perhaps even said out loud, ’nothing has really changed!”. Then the singer/songwriter in my started dancing with the thoughts and categories. That is where the album and songs came from:-) Ed: I am new to the whole album process. What goes into it from idea to finished product? By Ed Conn, TSN Art Director This April, when the StayAtHome order for Ohio was in full effect, there was an early spring day with temps hovering around 70 degrees, sunny, and perfect for a neighborhood drum circle. We sent out a callout for all aspiring noise makers to meet down by the river at 4. One of the affirmative responders was Kerry Patrick Clark and his wife Amy. 12 of us gathered with an assortment of percussion instruments, and spent an hour socially distanced, laughing, telling stories, and pounding out the Coronavirus cobwebs from our hair. The next day, Kerry called to discuss a project. He had seen some of my art on social media and asked if I would be interested in doing some art for the album. I jumped at the opportunity to do something new and add to my portfolio. What took place over the next several months, was a virtual connection of brainstorming, gratitude shares, and human connectedness that quite frankly kept me sane through the lockdown. The album is set for a virtual Launch Party on Zoom on September 12, and we still keep our social distance. My interview with Kerry took place through text and emails. Ed: This is obviously not your first rodeo as they say, given you have launched 7 albums prior to this one. How did What a Show come Page 8 about? Tell me about the Circus theme? Kerry- I actually have 8 previous albums: A Simple Man, Build A Bridge. Choose Love, 911… Songs To Heal A Nation, On The Road To Human Being, His Story my story, In A Perfect World nd The Heart Of Christmas. I have been remembering the first song I ever wrote… Circus Town. I was 11 or 12 years old! 6th Grade! The song was about a boy who’s heart was captured by the wonder of the circus… the majesty, the wonder, the spectacle. In my mind… it was larger than life and I dreamed of running away!! LOL! I was looking back at the circus because, now as a middle-aged, midwesterner… I still resonate with things, like the circus, that capture my heart but KNOW there is work and dirt and a lot of manure to shovel… behind the scenes… when the lights go dark and the show has to be packed up and moved to the next city! The reason I have been thinking about this is because of the current ‘circus’ it FEELS like we are living in. And, one may choose from many categories:-) Politics. Religion. Black Lives Matter. Poverty. Wealth. The list really is endless. Each, in it’s own right is quite a show! Able to grab the attention and heart of that 6th grader that remembers when his dreaming was of the circus. Given the state of my life and life’s work and Kerry- a LOT of work:-) First comes the songwriting. Working through each song until it says what I want it to say… or, the truth is, the song tells me what it wants to say and when it is ready for… recording and performing:-) There is the recording process… booking studio time and musicians. Mixing and mastering (polishing the mixed tracks so they have a cohesive sound and volume). Somewhere in the midst of the recording comes the album artwork and graphic design. We live in such a visual world… having stunning art/graphics really IS important! There is a legal side of registering the songs and album with the library of congress and songwriting royalty collection agencies. Then comes the planning of the release. Press releases to media (print, radio, tv). Release concert and social media marketing. Radio promotions both in the US and overseas. YUP! It’s a LOT!!! I am sure there are things I am forgetting:-) Then, one has to look at the budget and decide what is hired and what happens in house. Ed: Tell me about some of your musical collaborators on the project? Kerry- All the songs were written by me, which, unless I record a cover song, is generally what I record and release. On this album I have Nomad Ovunc. An INCREDIBLE keyboardist who lives in Nashville. We first met at the Kerville Folk Festival. I was drawn to the INCREDIBLE music Nomad was playing around a campfire. He had this… long…. straw-like hose coming out of his mouth. He was blowing into the hose while fingering the tiny keys of an instrument called a melodica:-) Think of it as if a Portable keyboard and harmonica had a baby…. LOL! I told Nomad how incredible he was! He laughed and said, ‘you ought to hear me on a REAL piano!’. I explained I didn’t need to… ‘if you can move my heart with that little thing… I know you keyboard skills will blow me away!” And, they did! Nomad is on my last 2 recordings:-) Chad Watson is an amazing multi instrumentalist who lives in Los Angeles. I heard Chad play at the FAR West Folk Alliance Conference in 2018. It, again, was one of those moments that moved my heart and I just KNEW!!!! The rest of the instrumentation came during the writing and recording process. I hear things and am lucky enough to have the technology in front of me to bring what is in my head to a recording. Ed: I have gone through the lyrics of all the songs. Since my son and
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