I suppose I could have titled this article "Gig Fishing" since it might be equated to "Fly Fishing" - searching for that perfect catch. Patience, enjoying the journey, and in this case, unemotional observation all came into play during the past year as I made attempts to corral the right show or shows for a live performance CD. Since I was recently asked by Singer and Musician magazine to compose a three-part series detailing the experience, process, and eventual promotional efforts involved in such a project, it seemed like an ideal time to expound on the wonderful world of knowledge I have in this area, when in reality, I can't! In fact, what I know about the entire mess can probably be stuck in a thimble.

I would imagine many touring artists might be in the same ballpark I was in about a year ago when I finally embarked lazily on my recording journey - unbeknownst to even myself that I would eventually wind up coming up with something usable and that the project would come to fruition. In short, the reason for the entire concept came from the fans who would often come up to me with a handful of my previously recorded CDs and inquire wide-eyed, "Do any of these have the 'Night of the Living Babies' or 'French Fry in the Eye' stories on them?" Over the years I have shared with audiences numerous road stories and human (or otherwise) observations during my shows, never realizing people would actually want the opportunity to hear them again!

I knew immediately that I wasn't about to sit in a studio, stare into a collection of properly positioned microphones, and spout off how I once jumped into the alligator pit at the zoo in Memphis, Tennessee to retrieve some $7.00 sunglasses that fell into the pit. The justification for my actions was that I had just purchased the glasses at the zoo gift shop and hadn't even worn them once. I also knew that if I recorded some live shows, extracted anything involving music with good energy, spontaneous events, and a laugh or two along the way, it might make for a decent addition for the collectors of "GillaGoods".

So the journey began and eventually required me to learn more about 24-bit versus 16-bit recording resolution, computer recording software, room mics versus "off the board" recordings, remembering NOT to talk in the middle of every song, and how to recognize when I was not the only one laughing at my jokes or stories! After reviewing about a dozen live recordings from my 2005 performances tours in small halls, large halls, intimate listening rooms and with-or-without accompanying players, Live from Second Street Theater will be released this summer. Thirteen tracks, three stories and a surprise spontaneous 4-track jam session with Radim Zenkl-Breedlove Guitars' astounding mandolin player/clinician- are all set in place and, at this writing, two days away from being mastered. Be sure to follow the entire process in Singer and Musician magazine this year at http://www.singermagazine.com/ .

Good luck to you if you venture down this path and be sure to listen to about 37.245% of what you pull from my diary (as if I actually kept one). By the way, I have never been fly fishing either.

Richard Gilewitz
www.richardgilewitz.com