Craig McClellan

Why I've Stopped Trying to Single-Handedly Save the World Through Song

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:00:05 -0600

There is a myth in music that the most talented people work alone, and for the longest time, I bought into it. I would hear John Mayer talk about sitting down and writing one of his biggest hits in an hour. I would read liner notes of artists playing almost every instrument on a record, and I thought that was the pinnacle of success in artistry.

For me, that was a really discouraging way of thinking. I’ve wasted so many hours sitting in my room by myself trying to write a great song or produce an amazing track. While I can create things on my own, I do it better with other people involved, and it’s more fun. Still, I thought going it alone was the way it was supposed to be.

Living in Nashville has started to change that view for me. Nashville is a very collaborative town. Many of the best songwriters prefer co-writing instead of working alone. Having the best group of musicians that can work together to make a project work is often preferred.

I’ve always known I prefer to work with others, but working with my friend James Sweeting lately has driven this point home. You may have seen James in the video I posted earlier this week from the studio. I’ve been tracking guitars at the studio where James works a lot lately, and he has been engineering for me. Not only is he a great engineer, but he’s a great musician. He is constantly pushing my guitar playing and has provided a lot of great musical insight that is making Greg’s project so much better than if I closed myself off in a room and did everything myself. Plus, we have a lot in common, so the hours in the studio pass much more quickly than if I was alone.

I’ve come to realize that collaboration nor working alone is necessarily better than the other, but for me, collaboration has proved to be the most productive and enjoyable method.

Do you prefer working alone or collaborating? Let me know in the comments.

Video from the Studio: Guitar Tracking for Greg Wells - All of...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:18:06 -0600

Video from the Studio: Guitar Tracking for Greg Wells - All of You

Last week I spent a couple days at The Art House Studio doing guitar overdubs for Greg’s EP. I originally took this video for Greg who couldn’t be there that day, but thought it might be fun to share here as well.

Hope you enjoy a look into this project’s making, as well as a sneak peek at 2 of the songs.

Also, I am fully aware of my awkwardness on camera at the beginning, and apologize to you for it.

Four Takeaways from the Quitter Conference

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0600

This past weekend, my wife and I attended Jon Acuff’s Quitter Conference. If you’re not familiar with Jon, he is a writer, blogger, and speaker who gained popularity through his blog (and subsequent book) Stuff Christians Like.

The conference was centered around the subject of his book, Quitter, which discusses how to discover and work towards your dream job while still holding on to your day job. I attended the conference mostly to get to share the experience with my wife. I feel like I know what my dream is, and for the most part that I’m living it right now. I do still substitute teach occasionally, but I’ve seen a lot of growth in my career as a musician over the last year and am excited about where that’s going.

However, the conference quickly proved itself to be beneficial to me as well. Over its two days, I learned an incredible amount of information helpful to me as a musician. I thought I would share 4 of my biggest take aways.

Facing Fear

As a musician, one of the biggest struggles that I face is fear. This is most prevalent for me in songwriting. Fear leads me to start songs and never finish them because I don’t think they’re good enough. Fear can even prevent me from starting a song. I just don’t think I have what it takes to write anything worthwhile, so I don’t start. However, a quote from Jon really stuck with me after the conference. He said “The dream you never act on fails 100% of the time.” I love writing songs and making music. If I fail at writing one song, at least I learned something. That’s a bigger success than never trying at all. So here’s to the start of taking risks!

Match the Right Energy Level to the Right Activity

I’m not an afternoon person. I can wake up as early as you need me to and function well. I can also work late at night. Yet almost every day after lunch, I lose almost any ability to be productive. For some reason, I often plan my day where I’m answering emails in the morning, and writing a song or something else requiring focus in the afternoon. Jon encouraged us to make a list of activities that we need to do and the energy level they require. Then you can plan your day accordingly. It’s such a simple concept, but one that I think is going to majorly change my productivity.

Be Intentional with “Idea Time.”

I’m not good at giving my brain space to just think. Whenever I’m not working or doing a task, I fill the space with twitter, facebook, or TV. As someone who works in a creative industry, that’s not a good thing. So my goal in this area is twofold. 1) Set time aside for thinking (via journaling, or even just being still) and 2) If a thought strikes me in a moment that isn’t set aside, I need to be intentional to capture it for later use. Jon shared a great tool to help with goal number 2: an app called Evernote. I’m planning on a blog post solely on Evernote in the coming weeks. For now, know that in the 5 days that I’ve been using it, it has revolutionized everything from blogging, to taxes, to cooking for me.

Blogging

In one of the final sessions, Jon discussed social media. I consider myself to be quite good with twitter and facebook. Blogging however, has always been difficult for me. This stemmed from my blog not having a clear purpose. I am not a famous musician. I don’t have fans that want to hear about life on the road. I’m not an expert in my field that people want to glean advice from. To me, blogging felt narcissistic and like I was saying “Everyone, Look what I’ve been doing! Notice me! Give me more work!” That’s not enjoyable for anyone.

However, I also see the value in blogging. The primary benefit is that it gives me regular writing practice. It helps me be intentional about coming up with ideas. All of this can help me in my music career.

With that in mind, be on the lookout for some changes in the coming weeks to craigmcclellan.com. First, I’m going to be more planned with my content. It will still center around my experiences as an (almost) 25 year old musician. I’ll share things that have helped me, areas that I’ve struggled, what I’m currently doing, and things that inspire me. This isn’t because I think I’m all that interesting or an expert. It’s more to share and build community and to tell my story. Also, I plan on writing more consistently. I am still trying to determine exactly how many posts a week I can handle, but once I do, it will be consistent.

These are just some of the things are changing for me as a musician thanks to the Quitter Conference. If you’d like to know more about the conference, Jon, or the book Quitter, check out JonAcuff.com.

Great night tonight at Art House Studio tracking guitars for...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:50:17 -0600

Great night tonight at Art House Studio tracking guitars for Greg Wells’ EP.

I’m thankful tonight for James Sweeting’s friendship and musicianship. His engineering and musical ideas contribute so much to everything I work with him on.

I’m also thankful that Laura got to come to the studio tonight. It was awesome to have her there to experience what I do.

This record is sounding amazing, and I am beyond excited to share it with everyone!

Lead Guitar in Worship - Filling the Space

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:43:00 -0600

For the past 2 years, I have been incredibly privileged to teach a class at the Inspire Worship Conference on Electric Guitar in Worship. In that class, my main point is always that electric guitar in worship is supposed to supplement what the rest of the instruments are doing.

In my opinion, lead electric guitar is the least important instrument on a worship team. Take out bass, drums, or rhythm guitar and people will notice (unless it’s an acoustic service). The lead however, is not necessary. Too often when I visit churches, I’ll see an electric guitar player ignoring the rest of the team and playing what they want. I admit that I’m not perfect in this area either. Yet every time I step into a new worship setting, I should try to survey the musical space being taken up by other instruments first, then decide what I’m going to play.

For instance, two weeks ago I was serving on the worship team at my home church. It was a big weekend for the church so we had all 4 worship leaders leading together plus a choir. That’s 2 worship leaders leading from acoustic guitar, one from electric, one from piano, a choir, plus bass, drums, another keyboard player, and me. With 3 rhythm guitars and piano, I knew that there was no point in playing any rhythm parts whatsoever. I stuck to mostly moving lead lines or arpeggiated notes.

This past weekend, the band was much more sparse. One worship leader on acoustic, bass, drums, keys, and me. Unlike 2 weeks before, the keys were primarily rhodes and B3 sounds. In that case I chose to play more pad like sounds on my guitar during more quiet songs, and more rhythm to fill out the sound during bigger moments. I played lead lines when necessary, but for the most part I stayed simple. I avoided arpeggiated lines because that was being covered by the rhodes.

It’s easy to get a big head as lead guitar players. We think we’re cool and want others to think so too. I want to challenge all of us to take our egos out of being the lead guitarist and ask what we can do to contribute exactly what the rest of the team needs, not what makes us stand out.

Music Monday 08: Pentatonix - Somebody That I Used To Know...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:40:24 -0600

Music Monday 08: Pentatonix - Somebody That I Used To Know (Cover)

Laura and I have been hooked on The Sing-off since Season 1. However, we’ve never enjoyed a group as much as we did this year’s winners Pentatonix. This is why.

This is musicianship at its finest.

pentatonixofficial:

Our cover of “Somebody That I Used To Know” is OUT! We hope you all enjoy it!

popculturebrain: New 30 Rock Webisode Featuring Donald Glover...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:17:34 -0600

popculturebrain:

New 30 Rock Webisode

Featuring Donald Glover (as Childish Gambino with a brand new rap), Ryan Adams, Michael McDonald and Cee Lo Green.

Because you know you’ve always wanted to hear McDonald’s version of the “Saved by the Bell” theme song.

(via E!, Alec Baldwin)

Yet again, Michael McDonald has made my day.

Oh early 90s Christian music. How I love/loathe you. Thanks to...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:41:13 -0600

Oh early 90s Christian music. How I love/loathe you.

Thanks to Karl at guitarforworship for sharing this this morning.

It is difficult to put my experience from Friday into words. I find that all I can do is repeat the...

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:38:56 -0600

It is difficult to put my experience from Friday into words. I find that all I can do is repeat the same phrases over and over again. “I’m so proud of these songs” and “I can’t wait to share this with you” keep coming to mind.

Friday really was a spectacular day, and it was so cool to see these songs we wrote really start coming together under the incredible talent of Ben Phillips, Brian Yak, and Travis Cullman.

Programming and overdubs begin tomorrow.

Again, I can’t wait to share this record with you.

Killer day so far In the studio for @gwellsworship’s EP....

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:00 -0600

Killer day so far In the studio for @gwellsworship’s EP. Can’t wait to share this album! (Taken with instagram)

I haven’t blogged as much as I would like in January. The new year has brought with it a ton...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:58:47 -0600

I haven’t blogged as much as I would like in January. The new year has brought with it a ton of great things to keep me busy and keep me away from the blog. However, the hiatus has all been leading up to tomorrow. I’m headed into the studio with Greg Wells to start tracking on his EP. Be prepared to be bombarded with updates tomorrow.

Spending my Saturday night working on PrePro for Greg...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:24:12 -0600

Spending my Saturday night working on PrePro for Greg Wells’ EP. Tracking starts Friday! (Taken with instagram)

joshtheoak: Not an error.

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:17:50 -0600

joshtheoak:

Not an error.

Cartee Band rehearsal for @CRWorldwide Winter Conference. So...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:10:57 -0600

Cartee Band rehearsal for @CRWorldwide Winter Conference. So happy to be with these guys again. (Taken with instagram)

My Favorite Albums of 2011 I am generally not a fan of New...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:06 -0600

Augustana

Leagues

All Sons and Daughters

NEEDTOBREATHE

Katie Herzig

My Favorite Albums of 2011

I am generally not a fan of New Years. In my opinion, it is a lot of hype for something that is often a let down. One thing that I do look forward to around the holiday is publishing my annual favorite albums list (Check out last year’s post here).

So I present to you (in order of release) my favorite albums of 2011

Augustana - Augustana
Though this album was released before any of the others on this list, it is my most recent discovery. In November, while on the road with my friend Brett Rutledge late at night, everyone in the van was putting on their favorite albums to keep us awake. Brett put on this album, and I was hooked after the first minute.

This album is such a great pop rock album. The melodies are incredibly catchy. The production is great. Every time I listen to it, I can’t help but say “man, that’s a great album!” This is pop music at its best.

Standout Song - Shot in the Dark

Leagues - Leagues EP
Let me introduce you to my new favorite band. I was excited about Leagues before I ever heard a single song. They are a super group of 4 incredibly talented musicians, including one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Thad Cockrell. His solo album “To Be Loved” is one of my favorite albums of all time. Leagues Drummer, Jeremy Lutito, has played on many albums that I love as well.

Cockrell’s sense of melody and incredible voice combined with one of the best rhythm sections in music make for an amazing EP. It’s pop with some rock and old R&B as well. This EP was released to help raise funds to finish a full length album. These 3 songs definitely have left me wanting more from Leagues.

Standout Song - Magic

All Sons and Daughters - Brokenness Aside EP
I have already done a Music Monday Post on this EP, so I won’t speak too much more about it. However, I will say that I love this album as much today as I did in July. I can’t wait for the follow up to this album which will be released on January 17th!

Standout Song - Brokenness Aside

NEEDTOBREATHE - The Reckoning
NEEDTOBREATHE’s album, “The Outsiders” was on my top albums list in 2009. It remained in frequent rotation in my car from then until September of 2011 when “The Reckoning” was released. I was worried as to whether or not they would be able to create another album that I loved as much as “The Outsiders,” but “The Reckoning” put those fears to rest.

Needtobreathe has a very distinct sound that begins with Bear Rinehart’s powerful vocals. These are accompanied by a great combination of folk, country, and rock colors. I genuinely don’t know what else to say about this album. It’s amazing.

This is my most difficult album to pick 1 standout track for, but if I have to:
Standout Song - White Fences

Katie Herzig - The Waking Sleep
Another album which has already been featured in Music Monday. In that post, I said lookout for this album on my best of 2011 list. I was correct. This album has continued to be a musical inspiration to me over the last few months.

Standout Song - Lost and Found

I am so thrilled that Greg’s kickstarter goal has been...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:40:06 -0600

I am so thrilled that Greg’s kickstarter goal has been met. That means we’ll begin tracking on his project hopefully by the end of the month. We are so thankful to everyone who gave to the project in order to make it happen.

That being said, there are still a couple days left to give! The kickstarter will close on Wednesday at 8PM Eastern. Any money earned after that will be used to make the record even better, so if you haven’t donated, please consider it.

I am so proud of the songs that we have written for this album, and really want to share them with you. You can donate just $10 and get a digital copy of the album before it releases elsewhere.

Thanks again to everyone who donated.

Greg’s Kickstarter

Music Monday 07: DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2011 (World Go...

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:17:38 -0600

Music Monday 07: DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2011 (World Go Boom)

It has been a long time since I last posted a Music Monday, and admittedly, it is 10:15 at night. However, one of my favorite parts of December is here, and I have to share.

So I bring you this year’s DJ Earworm mashup.

As a side note, I just read an article on Mashable that says this was created in Ableton Live. It makes me proud to be a Live user.

"Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give..."

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 08:37:23 -0600

“Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth”

- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Merry Christmas

An appropriate song for today from my favorite Christmas...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:24:23 -0600

An appropriate song for today from my favorite Christmas movie.

Merry Christmas!

Free Download: O Holy Night - Brian Yak and Craig McClellan I am...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:31:48 -0600

Free Download: O Holy Night - Brian Yak and Craig McClellan

I am so excited to finally be sharing this Christmas song with you. Brian and I have been working on it every spare second we’ve gotten over the last few weeks (which during the holiday season is very few).

I’ve asked all of my friends to vote, donate, and listen to a lot this year. I thought I should do something to give back to them. So here it is. No strings attached. A free Christmas song.

All you have to do is click the link at the bottom of this post that says “soundcloud/craigmcclellan.” Once at the soundcloud page, at the top of where you listen to the song, there is a little down arrow where you can download an mp3. Enjoy, and be on the lookout for more pop goodness from Brian and myself in the new year!

Vocals and Bass by Brian Yak
All other programming and mix by Craig McClellan