In February of 2012 I began inviting bands to come into my studio to record a live 5-song performance for Musical Family Tree. I have been volunteering my time and resources to helping document local music in the hopes that it will somehow help to preserve part of America’s musical heritage. One of the reasons I wanted to offer these sessions to bands for free was because I didn’t want money/capital to the be a determining factor for which bands get recorded and remembered and which do not. I don’t want musical history to be financially biased. There is a lot of good music out there and there are a number of talented bands that may never organize the funds necessary to record a proper album before them dissolve. By offering MFT sessions, I hope to at least at least act like a net beneath the cracks.

The current MFT Session model is based on a pay-it-forward approach that will result in a end-of-the-year kickstarter campaign to help raise enough funds to perpetuate the project. These sessions have become popular rather quickly and I have received dozens of phone calls and texts by bands interested in being featured. Bands have driven to Muncie from as far as Chicago to be featured in these sessions. I know a lot of you are probably thinking… WHERE IN THE HELL IS MFT#010!!!!!!? You have every right to be curious. Up until this blog post, I have been releasing MFT sessions on a bi-weekly basis. I am constantly striving to ensure that each new release is better than the last in terms of content, quality, and format. Currently my only limitations with the project are my geographic location and the availability of local bands. That being said, let’s get on to the reason for this particular blog announcement.

The MFT Sessions that you have come to know and love are evolving.By the beginning of 2013 I am looking to take this project to an entirely new level. MOBILE! So what does this mean? Well, to put it simply… Rather than inviting bands to come into the recording studio to cut a live 5-song EP, I will be taking my studio to the bands. I want to capture the essence of a band’s inner sanctum… Their practice space. By bringing the studio into a band’s practice space, I am hoping to capture a more intimate and in-depth recording. The band will feel more comfortable in their own environment and the surroundings will tell a better story. The focus of our content revolves around the music but will also be augmented by the documenting process itself. The goal is to tell the story of the band being featured from the vantage point of a friend of the band that was invited to a practice. What could be more rad than recording songs in the very spaces that they were conceived?

I am currently putting together a mobile recording studio that will be capable of  traveling the good ol’ US of A in search of up-and-coming bands in the various music hotspots (as well as some lesser known spots). Each session will consist of a photo shoot, video coverage of the entire session plus an interview, a live 5-song performance recorded in the practice space, and a write-up of the entire event. These services will be provided to the bands free-of-charge! One of the most important aspects of this project is to document and preserve America’s musical heritage. I don’t want the ability to raise capital and ensure music sales to dictate what bands are remembered and/or forgotten.

So this is all fine and dandy but where in the hell is MFT#010!?!?!?! About that… The studio has been fairly busy lately and it has caused a few complications with schedules. I am trying to work in as many paying sessions as possible to help pay for the mobile recording studio purchases that I need to make. One of the most important purchases will involve a new vehicle! My car just isn’t cutting it. I can’t fit enough recording gear into it for it to be viable for the project. Ah well, I’ve already been hard at work looking for a new motor vehicle. I’ve actually decided on a 2012 Scion XB. I should be obtaining one of these in the very near future. Anyway, aside from getting a new car… I am also working on securing a number of sponsors from audio equipment manufacturers and distributors. It’s a lengthy process and is taking a lot of time and patience. Oh, and on top of all of this, I am getting married in September! So basically, MFT Sessions are being put on a temporary hiatus so that I can retool the entire project and get it ready for the new format.

Right now I am trying to raise all of the funds necessary to make this project happen via sponsors and my own hard work. However, if I am unable to hit my mark on my own… I will more than likely be putting together a kickstarter to help raise whatever I could not. So if it comes down to the kickstarter, any help would be greatly appreciated.

So I hope this helps to bring you all up to date. Stay tuned… Awesome things are in the works and I am excited to be able to share them with you.