Album Notes

Welcome to HeatherSong! Independent Music.

People love YO, IT’S CHRISTMAS! It’s cool. It celebrates ethnicity and diversity. It celebrates family. It celebrates the birth of Jesus. It’s funny and poignant. It’s a YOUR CAUSE Fundraiser. HEAR THE WHOLE SONG at www.HeatherSong.com

Here is HeatherSong’s 2005 debut album – all songs arranged, performed, produced and released by Heather Pahl dba HeatherSong. Marketed directly to the public. Hear the whole song for free at my website. Influences are from hiphop, rock, metal, jazz, reggae, funk, blues, gospel and electronic. Several guest artists are featured. Jim Bilinski’s alluring Tenor Saxophone (also Flute) contributes greatly to the appeal of this CD. This variety seeks to touch the different individuals comprising a family. See me on the web at HeatherSong for much more info, lyrics, links, free photo treatment and more. Music is a great opportunity to explore yourself and life! Let’s agree on an ASSUME NOTHING listening policy. Remain receptive at all times and you will be rewarded! HeatherSong is both Artist and Label on radio playlists and digi download services. HeatherSong is a recording phenomenon – no videos to date, no plans for touring or live performance. Please share this music with your friends. HeatherSong THANKS YOU for your LISTEN and your PURCHASE!

Character scenarios and sound effects are delivered in a variety of musical/ethnic stylings. These classic Christmas songs include three (3) instrumentals. 15 of 17 songs are derived from public domain, so Music Supervisors: available to license. Owned by HeatherSong, Master owned/controlled by HeatherSong, WEST HEATHERSONG Publishing, BMI. WINTER WONDERLAND and FELIZ NAVIDAD with permission. Some traditional selections celebrate the birth of Jesus, but this CD is not marketed specifically as “Christian music”. Tunes are kid-friendly and characters represent all ages. Endearing family members interact in wholesome but never boring “reality” scenarios that embrace life’s journey and include the “serious” balanced with plenty of humor and awe. HeatherSong has rewritten some of the lyric to update appeal, and offers two new verses to NEW LANG SYNE.

This holiday CD plays on scores (no pun) of Radio/TV FM/Internet stations internationally. See the LINKS page for the continuing count. The deliberate range of style appeals to fans of Alternative Rock, Electronic Pop Crossover, Children’s Music, Christian Music, World Fusion and more. HeatherSong has filled numerous CD requests for airplay/licensing/reviews from the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg, Japan, Brazil and Trinidad. We’ve received “bites” from impressive TV and film sources. As a final touch, YO, IT’S CHRISTMAS! was mastered by the pro who mastered the hit song MANIAC in the successful film FLASHDANCE. These 17 digitally produced songs were treated to “analog warming” during the crucial mastering process. UPC Barcode, shrink-wrapped, standard jewel case and featuring CD Text.

BACKGROUND_____________________________________________________________
Not too long ago when artists produced their own music it was usually as a SONG DEMO. This was a required step for seeking a publisher, label or cover interest. Advice varied as to desirable quality for song demos. Some said to keep them rough and basic – just enough to convey the actual song idea. You didn’t want to insult a producer with a finished product – and possibly intimidate them (and blow your efforts) if your demo proved exceptional. They wouldn’t want to hear your fully developed ideas, impressively executed. Don’t upstage! If you “sold” that song, you wouldn’t get a hand in the final product anyway. I heard directly from very successful and time-tested songwriters that, in fact, they were basically ignored and never invited in on productions once their contract was signed. And I mean the real “charters”. Ones who certainly earned a lot more courtesy and recognition than what they indicate was shown them.

Of course you’d still hear very highly produced song demos by those who firmly believed in that “edge”. By way of some contrast to the “It’s the SONG, stupid!” philosophy was a production philosophy well expressed in the outstanding indie film STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN. Musicians/arrangers (not renown enough!) responsible for a string of Motown hits insisted that almost anybody could have sung those hits. It was the musical production, arrangement, and well-finessed hooks that sold those tunes. I was listening . . . Maybe there are many kinds of songs, all appealing in their own way and to a significant audience? Because I do know for a fact that there is a certain level of successful diversity and always has been. Some would gladly ditch that precious diversity for their own purposes, leaving us all with the blandness of mashed potatoes – which would result from any repetitious monopoly of any music style whatsoever. Anyway, I don’t know if the verdict ever really came in on demo advantage, because midi showed up and changed the world. We’re talkin’ the ‘80s. And home recording studios, and digital, and the sacred Internet that facilitated easy, cost-effective distribution and the chance to sell directly to fans. The spin on that rough “song demo” changes with that evolution . . . revolution.

For many of us now, the motivation is to write and produce the highest quality we can to appeal directly to potential customers – as independents. Many artists feel that this developing avenue creates a much friendlier venue for true creativity and variety. A chance for artists to realize more appropriate reward – yes, profit – from their own efforts at some considerable debugging of shamefully lopsided music industry inequity. It’s also now possible for Music Supervisors to look more seriously to “indies” – independent artists, writers and musicians – for music needed for film, tv, etc. Cost-effective if they can find quality they need. As a result of these massive changes, there’s a burgeoning world of indie creativity. It’s exciting for everybody, but I must guess that this proliferation complicates the lives of Music Supervisors. Fact is, if they’re serious about their task, they know there’s some exceptional material out there – and they want it! How to sort through all of it for specific needs is not always an enviable task. We should remember that about these dedicated and maybe a little overwhelmed folks, you know? Head-spinning, really. It’s interesting to watch what they come up with in an attempt to orchestrate all of this. And it implicates artist attempts to reach them – politely, effectively, while avoiding some paid-up-front interim schemes that may be solely motivated to make money from our pathetic “wana-be” attempts. So many webs -- of the spider persuasion!

So I first explored music production out of my need – as a prolific writer – to create cost-effective song demos. I was pleasantly surprised to discover my capacity for the production process. It became clear to me that I was heading for producing my own music, in a miraculous new “direct sale” environment! I decided for practical reasons to make the first attempt at sales a Christmas album of mostly public domain songs. Public familiarity, the excuse to do something unique and creative with VERY familiar material, the chance to have fun with family involvement . . . this would give me a great opportunity to learn and experiment with production. The seasonal element being both a marketing plus and detriment to a beginner. Mixed bag. Make use of society’s trend towards more forgiving, more natural “reality-based” shows. If the TV industry can do that to reduce production costs (yes, that’s how it evolved!) then why can’t I? Luckily family members were game, and a few talented friends too. Seventeen (17) songs is a lot of production but I was determined to offer diverse selections in a generous mode. A couple are of non-standard length. It was a very ambitious “first project” and I remain proud of all results, and so grateful to all participants. Sales continue, even all year ‘round (what?). Digi sales are encouraging and international. Nothing huge yet, but steady and promising for a seasonal product. More exposure would help as there is definitely a level of interest. And there’s been impressive interest in every single song – no disinterest among the seventeen! I’d still like to see fundraiser interest for the physical CD. It would go well. A very great honor was having the instrumental WE THREE KINGS (We 3 Kings) included in the Rumblefish holiday compilation CD. Plenty of competition in that selection process, and FRESH CUTS gets international distribution (see tab News/Blurbs). Thank you Rumblefish!

To date nobody has had the chutzpah to actually use this unique music in media, although it’s currently represented by two impressive placement firms. Those few in the music industry who bother to contact me to explain that it’s all about money -- implying or otherwise that I’ll never make it with my resources – are insensitive, wrong, and cling to their advantages. Even if they are convinced of their great intentions. Art is by humanity and for humanity. Everybody. There are worthy expressions on many levels, ready to touch their particular receptive audience. Art can show us how to become more whole. Helps to bridge the great devoid – and we dearly (or is it desperately?) need that. Law doth not tame the hostile, inappropriate, ineffective, dysfunctional, lousy and inhumane attitude. And law doth not always balance those scales – just in case that’s really everybody’s goal.

It’s all good and it’s all interesting, but of most interest to me are the numerous and surprising contacts of encouragement and inquiry from amazingly successful and powerful folks in the industry. Just adds to the “elusive butterfly” quality of perspective, eh? I hear from an impressive array of DJs, Music Supervisors, Music Producers, Music Engineers . . . and internationally. Some of these folks are like movie critics who are saturated with steady diets of the same ‘ol thing – so the creative, the different, the experimental and the truly unique tend to breathe life back into them. Softens the numbness of repetition. It gives me pause when such a person contacts me with what amounts to recognition of my at least noticeable skill level . . . and my refreshing creativity. Some of them like my voice, and notice its mockingbird dimensions. OK – for non-bird lovers, NOT the capacity to mock. But the talent to come up with a lot of different but convincing sound qualities. They haven’t even heard my real strength yet: my original songs. I may have a way with (too many) words, but I’m very honest and do not pad. I REALLY DO hear from accomplished industry professionals in the most complimentary and personal way sometimes. Internationally. You know who you are! I THANK YOU for your support and encouragement! It’s often a lonely job . . . and it’s lonely OUT HERE! I assure everybody that I will continue to work tirelessly and artistically to bridge the gap that shouldn’t be! Let’s keep in touch, shall we?