a little tipsy on our own kool-aid
we gather around the sounds we have made
(and adjusted and tweaked and rethought and retweaked and readjusted)
we listen together, intently
it is something to experience this focus collectively
after the long haul of creation and performance
the sifting through and rearranging and deliberating
the complex system of dialogues branching off
in all the multiple directions and combinations possible
between seven collaborators
on twelve songs
over a six-month period
that has yielded these decisions:
these songs
these forms
these riffs
these melodies
these words
these harmonies
these counter melodies
these rhythms
these dynamics
these timbres
these styles
these instruments
these amps
these effects
these EQs
these levels
to say nothing of the emotional journey we have all taken together:
the risking
the defending
the struggling
the relenting
the reaching
the letting go
the questioning
the encouraging
the grappling
the giving
the worrying
the trusting
the stepping up
the stepping down
the hard, hard swallowing of pride
the hard, hard baring of heart
the waiting
the wandering
the flashes of inspiration
the flashes of awe
the celebrating
the coming together
to this moment
one final listen
one final review
of the world we have created here together
before we nod: and it was good
(really, seriously, effing good)