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 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

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!

One More Track

Hi gang!

Tonight, we will record the last track for the So Human album...a guitar track that my co-songwriter, good friend and amazing guitarist Brian will be laying down.

That means that, after this weekend, all that's left to do is mix the album! That will likely take a few weekends...into mid/late June. Once the album is mixed and mastered, it will have to be sent out for printing and duplication. That's another three weeks. So it's possible we could have the project in hand by the end of July!

:fingers crossed:

I'm So Excited!

This past weekend, I spent some time in the recording studio...and we are definitely getting close to finishing the So Human project!

Yesterday, Bret Major came in and recorded a kick-butt bass track for Simple Me. Then, I had to do some background vocal work on a song called, I'll Drive Yesterday. I was really struggling with the song and had pretty much decided that if I couldn't get the background vocals to work, I was going to scrap the song. Luckily, I was able to make them work. So the song stays!

All that's left is a lead guitar track on Forgive and Forget...and background vocals on Turn Your Eyes. Then we start mixing!

Best case scenario: we could have this album ready for duplication by the end of May. Though that may be a bit of a stretch, because I'm pretty much booked with something every weekend in May. Ugh! So, most likely, we'll be ready for duplication sometime in mid-late June. It will take about three weeks or so to get the CDs back in hand...so they should be ready for sale by mid-July! Yay!

I'll be sooooooo glad to get this project finished...and make it available so you all can hear what I've been working on for the past two years! (With an 8-9 month break to have a baby of course!) Once we have a more firm date for the cd release, we'll start booking concerts to promote it.

I'll keep ya informed!