The Story Behind...(I'll Drive Yesterday)

Track 6 on my latest project, So Human, is titled, "So, I had this dream..." It's a scene where I'm sitting down with my engineer/producer, Mike Manthei, and discussing the upcoming song. On the track, Mike and I are at a diner, talking about the title to track 7, "I'll Drive Yesterday." Now, there are some things you should know about this scene as it plays out on the CD. First, Mike and I were never at a diner. (Well, I mean we've had lunch together several times but this taping didn't take place at a diner.) Instead, we recorded the scene right there in the recording studio. I sat down on a stool, under the microphone, with Mikey (that's what I call him) sitting next to me. For a little more realism, I actually had a plate in front of me. On the plate was a slice of bread and a butter knife. I cut up the bread and ate it while we talked. The background noise you hear on the track was actually recorded a couple of weeks earlier--at my workplace. I sat a microphone and a small digital recorder out on a table in our cafeteria and just recorded people eating, talking, walking by. But the story I tell in the scene is true. The song really did come about as the result of a dream. Like I explain in track 6, I dreamed I was on stage in front of a massive crowd. My band began this chunky rock groove and I shouted in a pseudo-British/Australian/Cockney accent, "This song's called I'll Drive Yesterday!" And the crowd went nuts. They were screaming and yelling. But then I woke up. I didn't know how the song went. All I had was a title. Meanwhile, my guitarist, Brian DeKam, had written a cool guitar groove for another song that we ended up never using. But I really liked the music tracks. So I stole those music tracks and wrote the words to I'll Drive Yesterday to go with them. About the song: So I sat down and tried to figure out what the heck the words, I'll Drive Yesterday could possibly mean. And the only thing that I could come up with was God's promise...of taking those pains and sins of the past and throwing them away. Have you been lied to? Cheated on? Hurt? That was yesterday. God will drive it away. I also wanted to paint a picture of how holding on to past hurts can affect you:

"Yesterday's a prison. A room without a view.

A judge without a pardon and no remorse for you."

and contrast that with the hope that comes through Christ, who says:

" I'll Drive Yesterday all away and leave it all behind you

there'll be nothing to remind you of yesterday. It's gone today

and the pain and sorrow life put in your way, that was yesterday."

I think my favorite part of the song is the bridge. It has a bit of a "scat" feel to it and the message is, I think, important:

"All of the baggage, all of the scars

all of the wreckage left on your heart

you've gotta let go, it'll tear you apart

you've gotta give it away.

Ah man...that was yesterday."

So there you have it. Some truth. Some deception. But the real story behind the song whose title confuses so many folks upon hearing it the first time. Hope you enjoy!

The Race Is On!

WAY-FM's "My Church Band Rocks" Contest is now underway. They had some problems early on with the online poll, but it's working now

Will you please click on the pic below...it will take you to a page where you can scroll down and see the headphone graphic. Please vote for my song, So Human!

Music City

I love Nashville. I really do. The atmosphere is just contagious. I love that you can walk for several blocks downtown and hear live music pouring out of the various clubs and bars. The music scene in Colorado Springs is virtually non-existent compared to Nashville. I'm sitting in the Colorado Springs airport at 7:00am, waiting for my 8:00 flight. I'll be in Nashville til Tuesday...then I'm off to San Diego for two days. Gonna be tough to be away from home for that long. My son is in his "cling to daddy" stage right now and it's just so hard to say goodbye to him. (Truth is, daddy is in his "cling to Morgan" stage" too. Ha!) I wish I could say I was going to be doing some music on this trip, but I'm not. Sad to go to Music City and not do any music! Both trips are work-related...doing stuff for Compassion International. Speaking of music, my single, Open Up the Darkness, is now #10 on the Christian Radio Weekly Indie Rock Charts. Sweet! Thanks to all of you who are supporting my new album, So Human. If anything exciting happens during the trip, I'll write about it. Blessings!

I'm on the Cover!

It's been a good week here at Tim Glenn Music. First, my single, Open Up the Darkness, jumped to #14 on the Christian Radio Weekly Rock Charts. Yeehaw! Next, I'm going to be the featured article in Front Yard Worship Magazine for the January/February issue...which comes out next week. I'm even on the cover! Here's a sneak peek:

And...as if that wasn't enough...

I'm also featured in Christian Radio Weekly's daily e-newsletter that goes out to thousands of Christian radio stations across the country. I wrote the devotion for the issue. It's titled, "Lesson in Grace." Here's a sneak peek at that too:

Thanks for all of your support! If you're in the Colorado Springs area this weekend, I have two gigs. Would love to see you at one, or both! They're both FREE!

Friday, January 16th First Baptist Church Friday Night Coffee House 317 E. Kiowa St. Colorado Springs, CO 7:00-9:00pm

Saturday, January 17th Salvation Army Youth Worship Service 908 Yuma St. Colorado Springs, CO 5:30pm

Looking Back on 2008

It's almost Christmas. I can't believe it. 2008 whirred by. My baby boy is turning into a rambunctious little boy....and my wife's belly has gotten bigger! Work has been crazy. My music career has been crazy. Do you know that I played over 40 gigs this year? AND kept a full-time job! And was still able to be daddy and husband. Whew! I'm exhausted! This past year has come with all kinds of ups and downs. Here are a few of the "ups":

• Morgan celebrated his first birthday in 2008. That was definitely an "up."
• He also started calling me "daddy." Oh...heart melt!
• We found out that Morgan is going to be a big brother! Huge "up!"
• I released my new album, So Human in 2008.
• My first single from the album, Open Up the Darkness, landed at #18 on the CRW Rock Charts. That's a good thing!
• I updated my website....with a whole new look and feel.

And, here are some of the "downs":

• We went through a "restructure" at work. My job changed quite a bit. And I've really been struggling with it. (But I'm very thankful to have a job!)
• This year, I really struggled with a problem that has bothered me for a long time. I wish I could say I've overcome it...but I haven't. I appreciate your prayers.
• I've had a couple of friends who desperately needed prayer for loved ones who were sick or hurting. But perhaps this should be an "up" because so many of you prayed and God was gracious in both cases.
• The economic slump sent millions of people into joblessness...and millions more wondering where their next meal was going to come from. The housing bubble burst and we are all feeling the effects.
• The year started with the Giants winning the SuperBowl. Ugh. No one hates the Giants more than I do. And this season hasn't been all rosy for us Cowboy fans either.

All in all, I guess it was a fairly typical year. Ups...downs. In betweens. I look forward to 2009. We have a new president. We have renewed opportunities to live out our faith for a hurting and dying world. In April, there will be another member of the Glenn family. I can't wait to hold our little baby boy! Yeah, 2009 looks to be pretty promising. And who knows, I might even record a few new songs!

Tim Partners with iTunes To Bring You Music For Christmas!

Hey gang! Just wanted to let you know that we've got an agreement with iTunes that allows you to give my new album, So Human, via iTunes, for Christmas! Here's all you have to do: 1. Click here to open up the iTunes Store page for my album. You'll see a page that looks like this: <----See this little icon to the right of the album cover? It says "Gift this music" with a little red package. Click on that icon and follow the instructions from there. You can gift the entire album, or choose which songs you'd like to send to someone. A unique, personal, inexpensive gift for Christmas! God bless! tim

Stocking Stuffer!

Hi gang! Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer this Christmas? This week, we're kicking off an exciting Christmas promotion. As you know, Tim's new CD, So Human, just released this month. Between now and December 15th, if you order a copy of So Human, we'll send it to you, AUTOGRAPHED and WRAPPED for Christmas. All you have to do is stuff it in the stocking!

It's easy! Just send a check for $17 ($15 + $2 s/h) to:

Tim Glenn Music

7103 McEwan St.

Colorado Springs, CO 80922

*Make sure you put a note with your check that says "Christmas Special" and we'll make sure you get your wrapped, autographed copy in time for Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Become Part of My Street Team!

We're less than a week away from my CD Release Concert and I'd love to have your help with some promotion. No, I'm not going to ask you to beat the streets with flyers in hand (though, if you're willing, please let me know!) But I would appreciate it if you'd take some time to let your friends and family know about the concert through your email and social media websites: I've got two banners created...the first is an animated gif promoting the upcoming concert, the second is just a jpg promoting the CD itself. I'll let you decide which one you want to promote. First, to promote the concert, right click on the image below and "save picture as" and save it as a gif. Then you can paste it into your blog. If you could make the pic link to www.timglennmusic.com/cdrelease that would be great. Or you can simply copy this picture and add it, to promote that the new CD is available on iTunes:

And, on that one, if you could make it link to: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=295964773&s=143441

that would be awesome! That's a direct link to my page in the iTunes store.

Thank you for your support!

tim

We're #18!

So exciting! My first single off So Human, titled Open Up the Darkness, just debuted on the Christian Radio Weekly Rock Charts at #18! Yay! Thank you everyone for your support! Please call your local station and request that they play "Open Up the Darkness" by Tim Glenn.

You Can Now Buy So Human With a Credit Card!

Thanks to all of you who sent in checks to order So Human hot off the presses! You've helped make this a very successful launch for my new project! For those of you waiting to purchase the CD or download the mp3 tracks using a credit card...it's now available via CD Baby. CD Baby is a supplier to iTunes. But it takes iTunes a lot longer to get a new CD into their system. (Could be another month or so.) But you can go directly to one of their suppliers, CD Baby, and order it directly from them. And...it's actually cheaper. There are 17 tracks on So Human. Through iTunes, you have to pay 99cents per track. That's $16.83. But through CD Baby, you can download the whole album or purchase the CD for only $14.99! Just click on the screenshot below to read more about the album and even listen to several of the tracks ahead of time:

Order now and you'll still be ahead of the crowd. The CD Release Concert/Party isn't until November 21st.

Thanks again for your support!

The New Website Is Here!

Well, it's taken me awhile, but I've finally finished. When you're an indie artist, you sometimes have to do this stuff for yourself. I simply can't afford to pay a web developer. But I wanted to update the look for my website, while still maintaining simple functionality. So, you can still listen to music, view photos from my travels around the world, read about my upcoming gigs, shop for music, read my bio or sign the guestbook and say hello! There are also links to my facebook page, my myspace page and this blog. I think it's done, but I need your help. Would you please spend a few moments on the site and let me know if there's anything missing...anything not working? (It's best when viewed in 1024x768 or higher resolution.) Just click on the screenshot below to visit the site: Thank you! tim

"There's Probably No God..."

I don't know about you, but I don't think about spiritual warfare everyday. I work for a Christian ministry. I am a Christian musician, writing Christian songs. I lead worship at my Christian church. I may be so surrounded by other like-minded folks, that I forget there are people out there who very much want to tell the world that my religious beliefs are a lie.

Consider this new ad campaign, by a group of athiests in London:

Photo from AFP.com

The banner on the famous London double-decker bus reads:

"There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enoy your life."

At first glance, you might think it's a typical attack from athiests. But look closer. Pay attention to the words. "There's PROBABLY no God."

This is an interesting tact by the non-believers. If the banner had simply said "there IS no God" they'd be written of as extremists. But with this wording, they appear more approachable, don't they? This group knows exactly what they're doing. They're trying to plant seeds of doubt, because they know they can't outrightly claim there is no God without proof. But if they can get you to consider that there PROBABLY isn't a God, then they've won the battle. It's a slippery slope from there, folks.

The rest of the message is interesting too. Coming at a time of economic uncertainty. Coming at a time of turmoil...war...the message is simply: "Don't worry. Enjoy life. Why bother stressing and praying about such things. Just enjoy life!"

What's sad is that it's that very message that brought us to this economic instability to begin with. "Enjoy life. Get a bigger house that you can't afford. Spend money on things you don't need. It's okay. It'll all work out in the wash." Now, somehow, this group believes that the same message will get us out of it?

Jesus said,

"The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." --John 10:10

Now that's enjoying life. I invite you to pray that this ad campaign will be an unmitigated disaster for this organization. Pray that they can't rest or "enjoy life" until they come to see the message they are spreading for the lies that they are. May they come to know true joy. May they come to know the one who gives life more abundantly.

The CDs Are Here!

They've finally arrived! The first batch of So Human CDs is here! The UPS man delivered them this afternoon (thanks Mr. UPS guy!) To give you an idea of how long I've been waiting to have this CD in hand, ready to sell...well, our first studio recording session was in August of 2005. That's right--over three years. But the songwriting began several months before that. So this project has taken nearly four years to complete. (Of course, I took a few months off during my wife's pregnancy and a few months after Morgan was born too...but still-four years!) Part of it is that I just wanted this project to be as good as possible. So, I was extremely picky...finicky perhaps. We added songs mid-stream, subtracted songs. We brought in musicians and vocalists and then brought in more. It was a lengthy process, but the end result, I believe, is the best CD I've ever produced. The songs on So Human are honest...they are real. There are lyrics that I think you will definitely be able to relate to, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey. So...how do you get one? Glad you asked! Right now, the CDs are only available by sending a check for $17 ($15 for CD, $2 for shipping/handling) to:

Tim Glenn Music

7103 McEwan St.

Colorado Springs, CO 80922

If you want to purchase with a credit card, you'll have to wait til they're available through iTunes and/or CDBaby. That will take about another month. Or you could come to my CD Release Concert on November 21st. Here are the details:

Tim Glenn CD Release Concert

Friday, Nov. 21st

7:00pm

Rocky Mtn. Calvary

4285 N. Academy Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO

FREE!

God bless! Tim

Big Day!

Today is a big day! For a couple of reasons: 1. The final artwork and audio master have been approved for my new album, So Human, so that means the copies are being burned and printed right now. Yep, as you're reading this, a factory in New Jersey is making mass quantities of my CD for sale. Yay! It will be available through my website in about two weeks. It will be available via iTunes and CDBaby in about 4-6 weeks. 2. Today starts the national radio promotion for my first single from So Human. The song is called Open Up the Darkness and it's being promoted to nearly 1000 Christian radio stations (mostly Christian rock) across the country. One station, WSNL in Flint, Michigan, has already started playing the song. Wanna help? Contact your local rock radio station--Christian or secular--and ask them to play Open Up the Darkness by Tim Glenn. You can also hear the song on the music player on this page! The date for the CD release concert has been set. Info is below.

Fan

This past weekend I sang on the worship team at my home church, Rocky Mountain Calvary. It was such a nice release. I can honestly say that I desperately needed it.

Just before one of the services, the entire worship team was backstage with pastor Eric, when the conversation turned to football. Eric said, "I could take it or leave it. I don't really need to watch the games, just hear the scores once they're over."

WHAT!!??? My jaw dropped. My eyes bulged. My heart raced. What sort of human is this? What sort of being doesn't live vicariously through his/her football team? I'm sorry. This does not compute.

Needless to say, I'm a fan. As in short for fanatic. As in my life is seriously affected by how well my team does. I can get physically ill if my team is playing poorly--I kid you not. I'm a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, so you can pretty much guess that I've been physically ill for the past 11 years--at least during football season. This year, the team looks good. (But it's still early in the season, and as the Patriots learned, anything can happen.)

That got me to thinking though. I wonder why? Why are there so many fans, like myself, who take the game so seriously? At the risk of being completely transparent, wouldn't it be nice if I was as passionate about my job as I am about my football team? Or what if I was as passionate about my religion as I am about football? Some fans I know are more passionate about their team than their own family. Though my wife may say I get there sometimes myself, I'm not quite that bad.

I don't think.

Crud.

I may be.

I guess, in a way, it's sad what we choose to be passionate about. When I'm gone, if someone ever asks "What was Tim passionate about?" I don't want the only answer to be, "The Dallas Cowboys." I want people to know I'm also passionate about my family, being a dad...I'm passionate about making honest music that people can relate to. I'm passionate about releasing children from poverty. I'm passionate about finding meaning in this life. And I want to be known for being a passionate follower of Christ. I've still got work to do in those areas, but I want my passion to grow. You could say I'm passionate about being passionate! Ha!

What are you passionate about?

FINISHED!

I'm so stoked! Last night, 8-8-08, (which was also supposedly the start of some big sporting event--wink wink!), we finally finished the album. Just to give you an idea of how long we've been working on this project, our very first recording session took place on 8-29-05. That's right...almost THREE YEARS AGO! And that doesn't include the time writing and learning songs BEFORE we started recording. (Now, of course, we took a lot of time off, to have a baby and all...but it's still been more than a three year process.)

All the recording is done. All the mixing. The mastering.

Now, the cd is ready to send off for printing, duplication, etc. And, I'm also excited to tell you, Chris Tschamler has come up with some great new artwork for the project. Check out the new album cover: Sweet huh?

I'll let you know once the cd is in ourhands...and ready for sale! Probably another 4 weeks or so.

Final Mixes!!!!

While you were gathering with friends and family around the grill yesterday for the 4th of July, I locked myself in the recording studio for 12 straight hours...and finished mixing the new album, So Human!

Mike Manthei, the engineer, was gracious enough to give up his Independence Day celebrations too, so we could get this crucial stage of the album done.

That means all the songs are mixed...ready for mastering! We're getting close! We've got another couple of weeks to go...for mastering, etc. And the graphic design for the album isn't finished yet. So, it's conceivable we could have everything done by the end of July (though that's pushing it. Most likely mid-August.)

But you don't have to wait til August to hear some of the songs.

Listen now!

See the music player just to the right there? I put some of the new mixes there. You can hear the final mixes for:

So Human
My Cross
I'll Drive Yesterday
Open Up the Darkness
Come With Water

Thats just 5 of the 13 songs that will be on the album. Enjoy!

Sick

Hi gang... Well, I had to cancel my gig last night because I've been hugging the porcelain for the past 24 hours. Around 5am on Friday, I woke up, feeling sick...and it was downhill from there. Never fails, everytime I use a vacation day, I end up staying in bed sick! Ugh! Thankfully, I'm feeling a little better today. I was able to eat some toast...and a little bit of soup. I'm going to actually try to do our gig tonight at SpiritFest. Please pray for a little supernatural healing. Thanks!

Two Gigs

Hi friends! I have two gigs this weekend. I'd love to see you at any one of 'em. On Friday night, June 13th, I'll be playing/singing with the worship team at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Monument. It's a neat little church with about 60 people in attendance. Good people. Great teaching. Service begins at 7:00pm. There's a time of fellowship and snacks afterwards too! On Saturday, June 14th, I'll be playing at SpiritFest on the Riverwalk in Pueblo. It's an all-day Christian festival that takes place all along the riverwalk. There are several stages that will host musical artists from around southern Colorado. I'll be performing on the main stage in the amphitheatre at 6:00pm. We'll be performing some original tunes from my upcoming album, So Human, as well as tunes by Hoobastank, Lifehouse, Collective Soul and Daughtry. Admission is free. After we go on, Christian artist Jaci Velasquez will be performing on the same stage. Come check it out! Hope to see you this weekend!

Sitcom Songs

I love sitcoms. I really do. Maybe it's because I feel such a need to laugh lately. Work is stressful. Gas prices and grocery prices are putting quite the pinch on my family. Sitcoms are a nice release. And I'm so thankful for Monday nights. Monday seems to be the toughest day of the week to go to work. But on Monday night, I get to watch 4 sitcoms in a row. First, there's Big Bang Theory (one of my absolute favorites.) Followed by How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement. Yep, Monday nights are a good time to laugh, relax and let go of the pressures of the day. If only life were like sitcoms. If only every problem was solved with a smile and a punchline after thirty minutes (22 minutes after you factor in commercial breaks!) Wouldn't that be nice? Christian music, I think, has become quite like a sitcom. On the rare occasion that a Christian song will address any real-life issues, they quickly resolve it with a happy-feel good ending. I'm not dissing that. But I wonder if there's room out there in Christian music for songs that don't resolve every issue in two and a half minutes. That's what you're going to find in my new album, So Human. Not sure how it will be received, but it's what I feel called to do right now. I want my songs to be an honest look at my spiritual journey. Yes, there's a "happy ending" to the album, but not to every song. You have to listen to the project in its entirety to get your sitcom smile. I'm not against the songs that are so popular in Christian radio today. I know there's a reason for them. But I also worry about those people who don't know God...wondering what they must think of this "happy feel good religion." Do we honestly portray Christianity in our Christian music? Anyway. Just something I've been thinking about lately...a lot.