David Nevue's Blog - The Life of a Concert Pianist - Solo Piano Music

An Update on the New CD, "Revelation."

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Just an update on the new CD, "Revelation," for those who are interested...

All the studio work for REVELATION is now complete. We're just finishing up the art design and then the album goes to the manufacturer for manufacturing.

REVELATION is comprised mostly of praise/worship song arrangements and improvisations. It is a continuation of my previous album, "Adoration." About half the recordings on the album were improvised and/or recorded and arranged "on the fly" while I was working on the "Adoration" CD. This will be my first album ever that is "improvisational" in nature. It is a soulful album. Quiet, peaceful, serene, prayerful. Great music to worship and study with.

Here's the final track list for the album...

A Mighty Fortress is our God
Sing Alleluia to the Lord
Awake to the Light (an original improvisation)
Softly and Tenderly
In the Shadow of Your Wings
Praise to the Lord, God Almighty
The Mystery and the Glory (original improvisation)
How Deep the Father's Love
Here I Am to Worship
More Love, More Power
Blessed Assurance
Your Holiness Surrounds Me
You Are My Hiding Place
Your Word (written by my good friend, Allison Long)
A Shield About Me
Holy, Holy, Holy
The Lion and the Lamb (original)
Amazing Love (You Are My King)
The Steadfast Love of the Lord

That's 19 tracks. The album will run just over 70 minutes.

Release date: Early December, 2009

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com
http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue

An Update on the New CD, "Revelation."

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:14:00 +0000

Fall 2009 Concert Tour Set List...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

I've come up with a set list that I like for my September/November tours. I may deviate from this a bit from place to place, as sometimes I get the sudden desire during a concert to play a particular song, and when that happens I usually go off script. But this will be the "planned" order:

The Vigil
Be Thou My Vision
Big Snow in Salzburg
The Gift
Sweet Dreams & Starlight
Overcome
As the Deer
Amazing Grace

- INTERMISSION

Psalm 77
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
While the Trees Sleep
Eden Again
It is Well With My Soul
The Amazing Accordion Man
No More Tears

If an encore is requested, I'll finish with one of the following depending on what feels like the right vibe for the show:

Doxology: Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
A Midnight Rain
Racing the Northern Lights
The Walled City
Castle Hunting

I hope you can make a concert. For my complete concert calendar, see http://www.davidnevue.com/calendar.htm

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com

David Nevue - House Concert in Seattle - March 21st, 2009!

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:52:00 +0000

I am returning to the Seattle area for another intimate house concert event on Saturday, March 21st!

I will once again be playing at Joe Bongiorno's place in Kenmore, just north of Seattle. We have just 35 seats available and the last time we did this, the concert sold out pretty quickly. If you think you might come, don't delay too long in getting your tickets.

WHY ATTEND THIS CONCERT?
Well, it's special! As before, we're recording it for a possible "Live" concert CD release! So if you're there, you might just hear yourself clapping on a future David Nevue CD release (well, let's hope there will be clapping!)

PLUS, it's a very intimate venue, in a terrific home, on a magnificent piano! One of my favorite pianos I've ever played.

General admission tickets are $15 each.

Here are the concert details:

SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST at 7:00 PM
David Nevue in concert with special guest, pianist Joe Bongiorno. Purchase your exclusive seats now by clicking this link: http://tinyurl.com/cbkubx

Or you can purchase the tickets through my web site at
http://www.davidnevue.com/calendar.htm

You can also call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 to order by phone.

WHERE: At Joe's Place, of course!
15744 62nd Ave NE, Kenmore, WA 98028
Map at http://tinyurl.com/awc7fo
Directions on the ticket page at http://tinyurl.com/cbkubx

SPECIAL BONUS "AFTER CONCERT" CONCERT!
For those of you who aren't in a hurry to leave, after the "formal" concert I'll be sitting down at the piano and playing a few more tunes. I would love it if several of you can hang out for fun, conversation, and some ad-libbing at the piano. Who knows what I might play. Maybe some new stuff. :)

I hope you can make it! If you have any questions, just email me at dnevue@rainmusic.com

Thanks so much.

David Nevue
dnevue@rainmusic.com
http://www.davidnevue.com
http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue
http://www.myspace.com/davidnevue

The New Album from David Nevue...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Just an update on the new CD, "Revelation," for those who are interested...

The studio work for REVELATION is now complete. Recording and editing is done. The final thing to do is to decide which tracks to include and which to drop, finish up the art design and then burn the final master for manufacturing.

REVELATION is comprised mostly of praise/worship song arrangements and improvisations. It is a continuation of my previous album, "Adoration." About half of the recordings were improvised and/or recorded and arranged "on the fly" while I was working on the "Adoration" CD. This will be my first album ever that is "improvisational" in nature. It is a soulful album. Quiet, peaceful, serene, prayerful. Great music to worship and study with.

Songs recorded for the album include...

Sing Alleluia to the Lord
Softly and Tenderly
In the Shadow of Your Wings
There's Just Something About That Name
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
I Love You Lord / I Exalt Thee
You Are My Hiding Place
A Shield About Me
Your Holiness Surrounds Me
Amazing Love (You Are My King)
Open the Eyes of My Heart
More Love, More Power
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
I Can Only Imagine
Blessed Assurance
Holy, Holy, Holy
How Deep the Father's Love
Here I am to Worship

Plus three original pieces.

That's 21 tracks recorded for the album. I need to narrow that list down to the best 15 or so, a process that won't be easily done!

Tentative release date: November 2009

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com
http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue

Lots of Questions for David Nevue.... and some answers...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:27:00 +0000

A fan just emailed me a rather long list of questions about my background, what inspires me, where my music comes from, my faith and so on. So many questions, in fact, that it would take me a good long time to provide a detailed answer!

Most of her questions I have actually answered at my web site and a few other places, so what I did was provide her a link to things I have already written.

So this blog posting is sort of a compendium of sources where you can learn "stuff" about me should you care to.

So here goes...

OK, first, here's a little background:
http://www.davidnevue.com/bio.htm
I really need to update that bio, but it will give you a good idea.

Also, read this FAQ:
http://www.davidnevue.com/faq.htm

And this forum thread at PianoWorld.com:
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/985190/1.html

And this interview:
http://www.davidnevue.com/interview.htm

My Fact Sheet:
http://www.davidnevue.com/factsheet.pdf

About my faith:
http://www.davidnevue.com/mission.htm

A detailed Fact Sheet specifically for churches - with more info on my faith and beliefs:
http://www.davidnevue.com/factsheet_church.pdf

My musical influences:
http://www.davidnevue.com/influences.htm

That will give you some reading! But it should answer a lot of questions if you have them.

If you have other questions, let me know!

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com
http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue

News from Pianist David Nevue - December, 2008

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Here's a copy of my latest newsletter. If you would like to subscriber, just visit my web site at http://www.davidnevue.com/subscribe.htm

David Nevue's "Notes from the Piano" - December 2008

_______________________________________________________________

E-News for friends and fans of pianist David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com
_________________________________________________________________

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to give you a few quick updates, including....

- 20% CHRISTMAS DISCOUNT ON CD Orders over $20.00
- NEW CHRISTMAS SHEET MUSIC
- UPCOMING PERFORMANCES in EUGENE OR, LOS ANGELES and SAN DIEGO
- BOOKING NOW for NORTH CAROLINA/SOUTH CAROLINA
- FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER - http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue
- The NEVUE FAMILY VIDEO on YOUTUBE

20% CHRISTMAS DISCOUNT - USE COUPON CODE: CHRISTMAS
Christmas is right around the corner. It's hard to believe we are
already just two weeks away. There is still time, however, to
order CDs to give to your loved ones gifts if you like. If you
order by mid next week, they should, hopefully, still make it to
you in time for the holidays - that is, providing you live in the
U.S.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Place ANY order at my web site for an amount
over $20, enter the coupon code "Christmas" in the shopping cart
and you'll save an additional 20% on your order. That deal is
good through December 25th and only good via the web site.

NEW SHEET MUSIC
I have four new sheet music selections in the works right now for
the holidays. They are....

Coventry Carol
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
Joy to the World
Watching Their Flocks

All from my "O Come Emmanuel" CD.

They are being proofed right now, and I hope to have them up on
the web site by Monday night. Once they are available, you'll be
able to purchase all four for $11.95, or get them for $3.95 each.
You'll find those at
http://www.davidnevue.com/sheetmusic.htm as soon as they are
ready. Be on the look out for them!

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

EUGENE, OR: Valley River Center Mall
I am playing at Valley River Center Mall several times before
Christmas. Come down, listen, buy some CDs for yourself, your
friends and gifts for the holidays!

Saturday, December 13th, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday, December 19th, 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 20th, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday, December 21st, 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Wednesday, December 24th, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

The date and times are set, but if we get some serious snow, as
is supposed to happen this weekend, it could effect things. If
there's no snow, I'll be there.

SAN DIEGO, CA: Friday, January 16th at 8:00 pm
I will be playing a Whisperings concert in San Diego with Joseph
Akins, Scott D. Davis and Christine Brown at the PianoSD Store in
San Diego. Tickets are $20 for Adults, $10 for Students. Buy
Tickets online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/49943 or
call the Brown Paper Tickets hotline at 1-800-838-3006 to order
by phone 24/7.

LOS ANGELES, CA: Saturday, January 17th at 7:00 pm
I will be playing a Whisperings concert in Tustin CA with Joseph
Akins, Michele McLaughlin and Joe Bongiorno at the "Soul at Home"
store, 17612 E. 17th St., Tustin CA 92780. This one is a FREE
concert, but an RSVP is required as seating is limited - only 60
seats available! Call 714-573-7685 now to reserve your seats!

For the complete concert calendar for upcoming shows, see
http://www.davidnevue.com/calendar.htm

---

BOOKING NOW.... for NORTH and SOUTH CAROLINA

I'm playing a show in Walhalla SC on February 21st with David
Lanz and Wayne Gratz. I'm looking for a couple other concerts to
book around that that weekend, either house concerts or church
concerts. Pretty much anywhere in North or South Carolina.

So if you're in North Carolina or South Carolina and would like
to consider booking a "David Nevue" concert for your home,
church, school or other venue, please get in touch with me at
dnevue@rainmusic.com . Let's talk about it and see what we can
work out.

About half the concerts I do are in people's homes on pianos of
varying quality. So you don't need to have a 9' Steinway for me
to come and play a concert in your home! I am happy to play on an
upright too.

I just ask that you try to bring 20-30 people in for the concert.
My fee for a house concert ranges between $300-$500 when
I'm on tour. The amount depends to a great degree on when and
where the concert is and what other things I have scheduled. I
try to get $500 for a house concert if I can, but I know not
everyone can afford that. Talk to me and let's see what we can do
for you.

For more information (details on rates and what to expect), see
my booking page at http://www.davidnevue.com/booking.htm

---

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER - http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue
Do you "tweet"? I've been using Twitter for the last couple
months and loving it. If you're interested in what I'm doing at
any given time, you can follow me there.

I'm also on MySpace... http://www.myspace.com/davidnevue
I'm also on Facebook... just search for "David Nevue"

---

NEVUE FAMILY VIDEO on YOUTUBE
I put a video together featuring some of my favorite family
photos from the last few years. The music you hear on the video
is my own, a song called "Sweet Dreams & Starlight" from my album
of the same name.

Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjZT0rO-WtQ
Be sure to view the High Quality version of the video if you can.
Please rate it for me if you like it!

One of the greatest things about touring all over the country
playing concerts is that sometimes I get to take my family
along... and as you can see, we have a blast. It's such a
blessing to be able to go on the road with my family. Many of the
shots in the video are taken while on the road. So many beautiful
places. Life is wonderful, no matter where you are. Don't take a
single moment for granted. Children are a treasure.

---

WHAT the FUTURE HOLDS...

In March I return to the studio to wrap up recording for my next
album, which is now called REVELATION. You can preview the cover
for that at http://tinyurl.com/5m5n5j if you'd like a sneak peek.
This album will be comprised of hymn and praise song arrangements
and improvisations. It it a continuation of my previous album,
"Adoration." Most of the recordings were improvised and/or
recorded and arranged "on the fly" while I was working on the
"Adoration" CD. This will be my first album ever that is
"improvisational" in nature. I am very, very happy with it. It is
a soulful album. Quiet, peaceful, serene, prayerful. Great music
to worship and study with.

Songs included on the album will be...

Sing Alleluia to the Lord
Softly and Tenderly
In the Shadow of Your Wings
There's Just Something About That Name
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
I Love You Lord / I Exalt Thee
You Are My Hiding Place
A Shield About Me

and many others. Tentative release date: June 2009

Also in March, I hope to start work on A DELICATE JOY, a new
album of original "David Nevue" compositions. Recording for that
will start in March and continue into June. Tentative release
date: FALL 2009

April Through September will be "creative" working months for me.
I have decided to take some time off of touring and performing to
focus on writing, recording and getting a few other things done.
During this time, one of my priority tasks will be to get the
rest of my music turned into sheet music. I really need to
accomplish this, and that will be one of my major focuses for
2009.

2009 will also see the release of a DVD I've been working on for
a while now. The DVD features an hour long interview as well as a
few live concert recordings. Look for that in the Spring.

Planned Tours for the Fall of 2009 include trips to the South.
Specifically GA/TN - maybe a stop back on FL. Also, I hope to
visit KS, TX, LA, OK, MO and AR. If you're in one of these states
and are interested in booking a house, church or other concert in
the Sept/Oct/Nov time frame, email me at dnevue@rainmusic.com

---

OTHER STUFF....

ALL ALBUMS in MP3 FORMAT!

GREAT NEWS! You can now buy every one of my CDs in MP3 Format
(with NO DRM!) via the CDBaby.com web site!

You get the entire album as one zip download, which includes the
MP3s and a JPG of the album art!

They're regular MP3 files that play easy on ANY MP3 player,
whether iPod, cellphone, Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, Windows, Mac,
Linux, etc.

The MP3s are encoded at top-audiophile-quality (~200k VBR),
higher than iTunes or any other major store!

And EVERY MP3 album is only $9.95!

Just go to http://cdbaby.com/all/dnevue and pick an album! When
you click on the cover art, you'll be taken to the album page and
see the MP3 album listed under the cover art for $9.95!

---

JOIN the DAVID NEVUE PROMOTION TEAM!

If you'd like to help promote my music, I would very much
appreciate it! I get more support for my music via word-of-mouth
advertising from fans than just about anything else!

Here are some promotion ideas for you...

1) Tell your friends about my music. Better yet, lend them a
copy of one of my CDs! Warning - you might have a hard time
getting the CD back! If they really like it, you can always get
them a copy of the CD as a gift.

2) If you spend much time on MySpace, go to my MySpace page at
http://www.myspace.com/davidnevue and invite me to be your
friend. Then include some of my music on your MySpace page and
share my music with your friends.

3) Write a blog about my music, how much you like it, and how it
has influenced and inspired you. Post something similar on any
groups, forums or chat rooms you regularly participate in. Be
sure to include a link back to my web site.

4) Watch and recommend some David Nevue videos. Go to
YouTube.com, search for "David Nevue", watch some videos, rate
them, and then email your favorites to friends. You can find
several videos at http://www.davidnevue.com/videos.htm

5) If you're into iTunes, search for "David Nevue" on the iTunes
music store, pull up the details on an album and rate my music!
Help encourage others on iTunes who find my music to take the
plunge and purchase it!

6) Just like #5, do the same thing on Amazon.com and CDBaby.com .
Search for my music and add some customer reviews! Encourage
others to take a chance on the CDs.

7) Tune into Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio while you're at work.
You can tune in at http://www.solopianoradio.com . If you have
iTunes, just look under the Radio/Classical genre and you'll see
it there. When people come by and comment on the music, give them
the solopianoradio.com URL. If you REALLY like the station, sign
up for Whisperings PureStream and support the broadcast.

8) Get a David Nevue Ringtone for your cell phone! See
http://www.groupietunes.com/artists/davidnevue

9) If I'm playing a concert near you, invite all your friends and
family. Make a big "piano" party out of it! Have a nice dinner,
see a concert, and come say "hi" to me after. If you go out with
your friends for dessert after the concert, invite me. I might
come and hang out with you for awhile! Don't be shy!

If you have other ideas to help promote my music, email me and
maybe I'll put it in my next newsletter!

---

CDs and SHEET MUSIC at a DISCOUNT...

Don't forget that as a subscriber, you can get 10% more off on
any purchase over $12. Just use the coupon code "subscriber" in
the shopping cart

Also, ALL of my albums are now available to purchase as downloads
from a variety of stores, including iTunes. To see some of your
options, visit http://www.davidnevue.com/albums.htm

---

AND THE WINNER IS...

Every issue of this newsletter I give away free stuff (a CD or
sheet music - your choice!) to one random subscriber to this
list. Here's the catch:

1) Your full name and mailing address must be in my database!
Note that if you've purchased a CD or sheet music from me,
you're already there . There's no need to send me your info.
But, if you're not sure, feel free to email your name and postal
mailing address to me at dnevue@rainmusic.com and I'll add you!

2) If your name is listed below as the winner, you must respond
to this newsletter to collect your prize.

By the way, I'm not asking for your postal address so I can send
you stuff in the mail, I'm asking so that when you respond to the
contest, I can verify you are who you say you are! :)

The winner this issue is...

CRYSTAL BROWN of CALGARY, ALBERTA in CANADA

Crystal, if you're reading this, congratulations! Drop me a note
and you get the free CD or sheet music of your choice!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

That's it for this time. If you have any questions about
anything, just email me at dnevue@rainmusic.com

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com

Coming Soon from Pianist David Nevue...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:56:00 +0000

I think I just settled on the title for my next album....

I had been contemplating "Adoration 2" as a title for awhile, since the album was born right out of the "Adoration" recording sessions. However, I really didn't want to get into the "sequel" mentality. "Adoration 2" seemed a bit too lazy. I wanted a stronger title, something that still obviously carried on from "Adoration," but that would create a sense of progression from one place in time to another.

I wasn't sure about the title at first, but once we put the text on the cover shot we planned for it, well, I really, really like it.

BTW, the cover shot was taken by Yours Truly. It's the steeple from an old Methodist church in Lonerock, Oregon.

What do you think? Post your comments.

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com
http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue

Follow David Nevue on Twitter...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

I've not been too good about keeping up this "blog" thing, I must admit. Much of the reason is my obsessive nature and that I cannot seem to write anything of substance without spending hours and hours on it. I just don't have that kind of time.

However, I have come up with somewhat of a compromise on this... Twitter.

I've just recently set up an account on Twitter. You can see that at http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue. What's Twitter, you ask? Well, it's a micro-blog. It's like a blog, but you're limited to 140 characters. People use it mostly to add comments and short notes about what they are doing throughout their day. Essentially, all day long you answer the question, "What am I Doing Now?"

For me, it allows me to "blog" without the pressure of having to write something "significant." I really like it.

So if you're interested in my music and want to follow what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis, come follow me on Twitter. Just visit http://www.twitter.com/davidnevue to do that.

Thanks everyone!

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com

My Little Girl is Growing up Too Fast....

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:09:00 +0000

Here's a picture of my little girl, Noelle, at about two months old. This is one of my favorite pictures of her and I....

Notice the back wall. This is the same "now famous" green wall we used for the cover of my "Overcome" CD. :)

But my, look how she's grown! Here's a photo from my recent California tour which included a trip back (the long way around) through Arizona, Utah and Idaho. This was taken at Zion National Park. She's almost four here...

And here she is again, being her fun self a day later!

This picture just totally captures Noelle's personality. She's fun, feisty, and always colorful! Would you guess she's a morning person?

The photo was picture taken at our favorite place to eat on the entire tour, the Bryce Canyon Resort Restaurant. Incredible service and amazing food! Here's a picture of it...

The place was really unassuming. It's about a mile down the road from the "main" resort that everyone goes to just before you enter Bryce Canyon in Utah. If you ever go to Bryce Canyon, you'll drive right past this place and almost not see it because you're so focused on the larger, "more attractive," tourist spots up the road. But don't pass it by. It's a hidden treasure.

David

Got a New Baby..... Grand!

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:05:00 +0000

I have a new instrument in my home. Well, new to me. It's actually used, but when it comes to buying a piano, I prefer to buy a used one (already broken in) than a new one.

I've been playing a Young Chang 4'11'' baby grand for about 8 years. I always dreamed of someday owning a Yamaha grand piano - and now I do!

This last week, I was offered a private showing at a piano sale here in town. I was invited to go down and check out the pianos before the sale was open to the public. The sale was offered by a Steinway dealer. I walked in and, sure enough, they had one solitary Yamaha piano there - a used Yamaha C-3, which is a 6'1" grand piano.

It was the first piano I sat down and played and after checking out many other pianos in my price range, I kept going back to it and finally decided to buy it. It was a really great deal, and I couldn't pass it up.

They delivered it on Sunday, and in doing so, took away my trade-in, my old Young Chang. I have to admit, I teared up a bit watching "my little girl" being packed away and carried off. I mean, I wrote a LOT of my music on that piano! It was really hard to see it go.

But then I sat down at my new piano and started playing and well, I'm over it now! It's got a really nice action, "like butter" as my wife said after sitting down and playing it for the first time.

The new piano was long overdue. The Young Chang I had was a great piano, but it has seen better days. It was a very inexpensive, entry-level grand piano, and really not made to be played two hours a day for ten years. I really put the miles on it.

Anyway, it's nice to have a new instrument with some life in it. I am so blessed!

David Nevue

Adoration - The Very First Review...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Thu, 24 May 2007 07:08:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, I decided to release the premix of my upcoming new CD, "Adoration," to a few choice people to get some feedback on it. For more details on the reasons behind that, read yesterday's blog. The long and the short of it is, I feel a lot of pressure about the release of this new album, and I'm not sure what I have in it. Is it a good album? Is it bad? Is it just "okay?" I can't be objective as I'm much too close to the music.

I want the album to be "Amazing." It has to be, as it's an album of Hymn arrangements telling a story of devotion to God. The music has to be worthy of the subject matter. I can't release a "worship" album that's just "okay." It's either worthy or it's not.

So I put it in the hands of others for feedback, others who can be more objective than I.

The first person to hear the new album, other than my wife, was Michael McDonald, who mastered my last CD, "Overcome." Now Michael is someone who doesn't give out praise lightly. Like me, he hears so much music in his profession that really, it all rather blends together. It takes quite an album to grab our attention.

I asked Michael to give me his honest opinion on it. How does it sound? Does anything about it bug you? Is the mix OK? How does it come across? Is it worthy of release as is?

After having the premix in his hands for two days, here's what he emailed me... this is the first "review" of the album.

"The album is stunning! I thought I'd put it on yesterday morning while I went over some paperwork with my coffee. I sometimes pick up on things better if I'm not completely focused on listening for details. After about 5 minutes I stopped the paper work and got taken away by the music. That doesn't happen often with me. I really like this album! Love the mix and reverb. It's a gorgeous sound and performance. It's a wonderful album and needs to be heard. Something about this body of work seems very blessed."

I read his comments with tears of relief. Seriously. I feel so much pressure about the release of this album - what a delight to hear those words of encouragement. I mean, he wasn't just polite, he was really and truly touched by it. What a gushing review!

If this album touches many people this way, I will be so blessed.

I continually stand amazed that God would use such an imperfect man as me to reach into people's lives with this music. After all, I'm just a piano player.

But what a joyous honor it is to be a piano player in God's kingdom.

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com/

In Anticipation of Adoration...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 23 May 2007 06:54:00 +0000

It's been 18 months since the release of my last CD, Overcome, and you know, never has there been so much pre-released excitement about a new "David Nevue" album as there has been about my next one, my CD of Hymn Arrangements called "Adoration."

Whenever I run into someone familiar with my music, they inevitably ask me, "When's the new Hymns CD coming out? I can't wait for it! It's going to be SO GREAT!"

Seriously, I get asked that question at least once a week. I don't remember any album of mine ever being so eagerly awaited for.

It's a bit daunting.

What if the album turns out to be just "okay." What if it's not "Amazing?"

I felt a lot of pressure going into the studio for this CD. I booked an entire week near the end of this last March. I wanted to take the time to make sure the album was perfect. I wanted to knock the ball out of the ballpark. I wanted to sit down at the piano, feel the Spirit move on me, and play these Hymn arrangements like I had never played them before.

At least, that's how I pictured it before I went into the studio.

It didn't turn out that way. It was the most difficult recording session of my career. On top of the "human" pressure, the pressure of knowing people expect me to put out a GREAT album, was the pressure of wanting to honor God with this music. I mean, Adoration is an album of songs that have been devoted to God for generations. These songs speak of life and hope and faith in God, the Eternal One, the Everlasting One. The Alpha and the Omega. The First and the Last. The Beginning and the End.

What do I do if the album is not "Amazing?"

After I finished recording the album, I couldn't listen to it for a month. Even now, almost two months later, I still can't listen to the album as "music." I'm hearing this thing in the mix, that thing, the other thing - stuff that bugs me in the recording.

And I keep thinking, what if it's not just absolutely "Amazing?" I can't release this if it's not worthy. It must be worthy.

Finally, I burned a few copies of the pre-mastered CD to hand out to a few people to get their initial response. And now I wait for the feedback.

And yet, even if they say they LIKE it, how will I know they really like it? How do I know they won't just tell me what they know I want to hear... that it's "Amazing," when maybe it's just "okay."

Alas, this is the torment I go through as an artist. With every album I release, I become more obsessive - my brain focuses in so hard on every little detail. I can't hear the musicality of what I've recorded because I'm zooming in on overtones, harmonics, imperfections in the instrument, mechanical noises - you name it.

I can't hear the music through all the noise.

And then I think back on my previous album, "Overcome."

I had the same problem with that one. For the longest time, I wasn't sure I wanted to release it. And then I did, it became a hit, and won an award for "best instrumental album of 2005."

It turned out to be "Amazing," despite all my fears.

And now I look back at Overcome and I see it as a defining album. One of the best of my career, even as good as The Vigil, which I have always considered a personal favorite.

And so, what of Adoration? How will I feel about it five years from now? Will I look back and think.... "that was Amazing!"

Let's hope so.

More on Adoration next time.

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com/

Day Seven: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 21:58:00 +0000

Finally, here we are on Day Seven - the final day of the tour! This is the day we travelled home, but FIRST there was a little more adventure to be had!

One of the highlights of the eastern Oregon high desert country is the John Day Fossil Beds. The entire area covers 14,000 acres, but there are four primary areas you can stop at and explore. On this day, we stopped at two of them. The first stop was was at the Clarno Palisades, which is about 20 miles west of the town of Fossil. You drive a VERY windy road to get here!

But there's some fun hiking in and around the area. And as you can see from the photos, we had a beautiful, HOT day to enjoy the trails. Here are a couple of photos from our hike....

and a close up of the rocks...

After our hike, we drove about two hours south to the town of Mitchell, Oregon where we stopped for a treat.

Now, Mitchell is a little tiny town in the middle of the desert with a population of less than 200. But for a tiny town, we had a lot of fun.

We pulled over at the local (and only) grocery store.

Note the wording across the front of the store...

"Antiques and Needful Things..." Needful things? Isn't that a Stephen King book? Yes, indeed. I this this is the first time I've seen that phrase used outside of fiction. Perhaps it's a generational thing.

Anyway, inside we found a delightful selection of ice cream to cool off with. My son, Nathan, decided to try something a bit different...

I have no idea what flavor that is....

But this is my kid - he loves to try different things. Just the other night, we went out and he had tarter sauce for the first time. He's like, "I've never had tarter sauce - I'll try it."

What a great kid, you never have to ask him to try something new. He's always up for a new taste and new experience!

Then we stumbled across this old relic of technology. Nathan tried to figure out how to use it...

"Papa, what's this?"

"It's a phone booth."

"What's a phone booth?"

"It's a public telephone."

"Why do people need these when we have cell phones?"

"Well, son, there was a time when there weren't cell phones."

"Really?"

Pretty soon he'll be asking me what a Compact Disc is and why people ever owned them.

So we headed out of Mitchell, and on to our next stop, The Painted Hills. This is a really beautiful area of the John Day Fossil beds just a few miles west of Mitchell. If you're EVER in this area, it is definitely worth the stop. I feared I might be disappointed - I mean, how "painted" could the painted hills really be?

Well, pretty painted!

It was a very colorful hike through the hills...

It was a lovely, memorable day. A nice way to finish the tour. A few hours later, we were home, and had to return our Ford Explorer "rental car." Leaving that and switching back to our old Honda Civic was a bit like seeing our ride turn back into a pumpkin. You really get used to being in that big ol' thing.

I hope you've enjoyed the tour. I enjoyed sharing the pictures.

Next time I'll give you a little preview of the results from our church location photoshoot - and a glipse at the new CD cover.

Chow for Now,

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com/

Day Six: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:50:00 +0000

Day Six of the tour was a day I was really looking forward to - the day I'd finally be able to track down some of the more secluded churches in Eastern Oregon that I thought might work for a photo shoot.

To recap, one of the objectives of this "tour" was to scope out possible locations for a photo shoot for my next album - an album of traditional hymn arrangements. I wanted to find a church that was secluded, run down and lonely - something that spoke of a bygone church era.

As the day began, we headed south on Hwy 19 from Arlington, Oregon. The first stop we made was at a road marking for the Oregon trail - the highway crossed the *actual* Oregon trail. So we got out of the car with kids in tow and walked on it for a bit. It was kind of surreal to know you were walking in the steps of the pioneers. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to talk to my son Nathan about Oregon's history. To the right is a shot of me carrying my daughter Noelle on the Oregon Trail.

And here is a *gorgeous* picture my wife Julie took of the landscape...

What a nice start to the morning!

We got back in the car and took a very exciting journey to our first "Ghost Town," the city of Lone Rock, Oregon. Lone Rock is so secluded that you can only get there by gravel road. You drive down, down, down into a lonely valley and then.... there it is.

For a small, hidden-away town, it has a beautiful welcome sign...

The sign is three-dimensional. Someone put a lot of care into crafting it. One very interesting little factoid - on all the "official" Oregon maps, charts, and government documents I found, the city of Lone Rock is spelled "Lonerock" - one word. But the citizens of the city itself obviously prefer two words - the more proper spelling. It makes you wonder if some government official mistyped it on a document long in the past and now the poor little town is forever a typo!

The population of Lone Rock was "24" according to the 2000 census.

The big draw of the town is the church, which is reason we went there. If you go here, you'll see an old picture of the Lone Rock church from 1963.

But here's mine...

and here's my favorite picture of the day, taken looking up at the bell tower...

Pretty cool, huh? I didn't even notice the weird cloud formations when I took the shot. When I looked through the photos later, I was startled by it. It looks very ghostly for being high noon!

The church was very close to the building style of what I was looking for for the photo shoot, but believe it or not, it's not quite secluded enough. There are lots of power lines around, plus just too buildings nearby.

Still, Lone Rock was a wonderful stop on our trip. And here's something I just had to show you. This "vehicle" was parked in front of a home in Lone Rock. Now THIS is how you mow a lawn... note the front bike "wheel."

That's not something you see every day!

From Lone Rock we headed northwest back out of the valley on Hwy 206 toward Wasco. The next church to visit on our trip was one I was very excited to see. I new it had potential based on the one single image of it I found online. The church is located in Locust Grove, Oregon, which isn't even really a town. Try finding it on Google Maps! Good luck, it's not there! It was tough to track down this "non-existent" place, but I did finally find it.

Here are some photos of the Locust Grove church we took that afternoon...

Now this, folks, is exactly what I was looking for! At this particular time of day (about 3 pm) the sun wasn't in the right position so the lighting on the structure is a bit shadowed, BUT I think you get the idea.

Aside from the trees, this church is all by itself - there's no other building for a block away. It's PERFECT! The main issue we'll have with the shoot is dealing with the trees and how NOT to get them in the shot too much. I kind of like the angle below as with this shot, the trees all appear behind the church. In the fall, once the leaves fall off the trees, this will make a nice location for a morning shoot, I think.

The Locust Grove church was built in 1895 and last used for a funeral in 1914. So it was only used for 19 years! That's rather sad, really, as it's a magnificent structure which so perfectly hails back to a past era.

The only potential problem with this location was that the church is on private property behind a barbed-wire fence! So I headed to the closest house, found out from that neighbor who owned the property and then tracked down the owner! I shared with the family what I was hoping to do with the photo shoot for the album cover and they agreed to let us shoot there! I'm hoping to do that in the next few weeks. If we get some good material, I'll post it here.

Our next stop was in Grass Valley, OR, just south of Locust Grove on Hwy. 97. Here's a picture of that church...

Notice how the trees there have totally overgrown the building. The front entrance of the church is completely immersed in trees! Here's the "entrance" side....

This was a really interesting building, but the exterior wasn't exactly the style I was looking for. However, the INTERIOR is wonderful. Take a look at this shot - this photo is taken using just the room's natural lighting - the sun coming in through the broken out windows....

I'm planning on doing a photo shoot here as well. I think this spot would make a wonderful interior and/or back cover location for the album.

The rest of the day, we continued south on Hwy 97 to a town called Shaniko, which bills itself as Oregon's "living" Ghost Town. It was a real disappointment as far as "ghost towns" go. It's a tourist stop, with ghostliness "hammed up" for kicks. While certainly it's a very old town, what they've done there in terms of design and decor comes across as very inauthentic. Kind of like spray painting your lawn white and calling it snow.

Finally, we headed back north and west to a little town called Maupin, which is basically river-rafting central. We stayed the night there, ready to head to John Day fossil beds the next day!

So all in all, Day Six was a successful, fun-filled day. I found the locations I wanted for the album cover photo shoot. It's hard to say what will come of those, but hopefully we'll get what I'm looking for. The potential is there.

Next up, the VERY LAST DAY of our trip!

David

Day Five: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:48:00 +0000

On Day Five we headed east from LaGrande, Oregon into the area some refer to as the "Alps of Oregon." If you take a look at this map you can actually see the very route we took, from LaGrande, through Wallowa, Enterprise, Joseph and finally Wallowa Lake.

It was a WONDERFUL, beautiful day of traveling and for this blog entry, I will let the pictures tell the story.

The first gorgeous site along the way (in Imbler, I believe) are the sunflower fields...

And then you get your first glimpse of the "Alps of Oregon" - The Wallowa Mountains in the distance...

In the city of Wallowa, there was this old church for sale....

The church had been converted to a residence. It was a mere $150,000 and a small part of my brain was thinking just how cool it might be to buy it. Not that I could actually *do* it, mind you, but still, it's fun to imagine.

Next, we stopped in Lostine, Oregon at this really cool coffee shack... The Blue Banana - and yes, that's an airplane going through the roof and a VW Bug through the wall. By the way, that VW bug is actually a "seat" inside the coffee shop.

and behind it is, well, "The Coffee Pot," where the family, um, took a little break. It's hard to tell in this shot, but that's a boat going through the roof.

Next, we drove through both Enterprise and Joseph, Oregon. Both were neat towns in their own right, but Joseph was really spectacular. Strangely, I didn't get any real great photos of the town, but you can go to the official Joseph, Oregon web site and get a good feel for it. You simply MUST check out the panoramas on the Joseph web site.

Finally, we arrived at the lovely Wallowa Lake... It is here that I got my favorite shot of the day of my son Nathan just chillin' out on the dock...

I just love the colors in that photo. And here's what he's looking at behind him...

Take a deep breath...

After some down time, we stopped and had some family fun!

That's a water pistol my little girl is holding and she took great joy in squirting mama and brother with her purple pistol! Nothing made me more happy this day than to see my entire family full of smiles and laughter.

It was a day of fun, relaxation, and simply enjoying life. After the above shot we took a two hour drive into the Willowa Mountains, and then headed back toward LaGrande. We ended the night (very late I might add) eating dinner at Shari's Restaurant and staying at the Best Western Inn in Hermiston, OR. That drive from LaGrande to Hermiston seemed very LONG after such a full day.

Well, Day Six brings more exploring as we hunt down some more old churches for a possible album cover photo shoot in Eastern Oregon!

Stay Tuned!

David

Day Four: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:42:00 +0000

Day Four of the "tour" was the day we entered my favorite part of the trip... the day we REALLY got to start exploring Eastern Oregon.

As I'd mentioned in the prelude to this blog series, one of the objectives of this week long excursion was to scout out possible locations for a photo shoot for my next album. As the CD will be an album of traditional hymn arrangements, I wanted to find a very old church - something that spoke to me of a bygone era of the church.

There were several "pioneer" style churches that I wanted to hunt down in Oregon and this day was the day we began the hunt. It was also a day of very long travel. We traveled north of Boise and came into Oregon via Hells Canyon. Here's a map showing both where we INTENDED to go, and where we actually got to.

We came back into Oregon via Oxbow and intended to go through Hell's Canyon all the way to the city of Joseph, Oregon on the other side. Unfortunately, a lot of the mountain country was on fire (imagine that - Hell's Canyon on fire!) so the road from HWY. 86 through Hell's Canyon to Joseph was closed.

We decided then to take the long way around - go through Baker City, up to LaGrande, spend the night there, and then head to Joseph the next day.

This made for a very LONG road trip, as is evidenced by this picture of my son, Nathan. What is he doing here? He is trying to tune out his three year old sister Noelle. You see, Noelle at this age talks and talks and talks - and never stops. After ten hours in the car, we ALL feel this way... I saw Nathan doing this and had to get a shot of it. It's cute.

Despite the long journey in the car, we still had some fun. One of my favorite stops this day was a little town called Halfway, Oregon. Halfway is sort of famous (or rather infamous) for changing it's official town name to half.com during the dot.com boom of the 90's. It was rather a failed attempt as the city doesn't even own the domain anymore! How sad is that? This is the closest thing the town has to a web site now. I should move there just to give them a decent web site! There is this cool little sculpture there in Half.com - a bicycle in the shape of the state of Oregon...

OK, I'm getting off the track here! This day was mostly traveling but we did make it to Cove, Oregon where stands Ascension Chapel, built in 1869.

Here are a couple photos of it...

a straight on shot from the front (that my daughter Noelle exiting the building)...

and from the side...

The inside was very nice - with beautiful stained glass and an air-pedal powered organ that I played a bit. It had two pedals side by side at the foot of the organ - you pushed them down one after another (kinda like pedaling a bicycle) you could get enough air power going to play the organ which sounded very much like a miniature pipe organ.

Here are some of my other favorite shots from the Ascension Chapel... the view as you entered the front door...

the rafters and stained glass (I really like this one)

and a stained glass close up...

A delightful church indeed!

In terms of the photo shoot, however, the Ascension Chapel doesn't fit what I'm looking for. I wanted to find a more classic "steeple" look, plus the front of the building is nearly totally obscured by trees. It doesn't quite have the isolated, lonely look I'm looking for.

We ended the day in LaGrande, OR. We had a WONDERFUL pizza dinner at Pizza Hut (it was truly delicious!).

We also achieved a dream of Nathan's - staying at the Best Western motel! Don't ask why, but my son has been obsessed with wanting staying at a Best Western ever since he saw a television commercial about it. So, we got a room there. As it so happened, the first room they gave us smelled like someone just changed a diaper - eewww! - so the management gave us a suite instead! So Nathan's first experience at a Best Western hotel was staying in the suite - and he is now forever a fan of the hotel chain. The room lived up to his expectations. :)

Thus ended Day Four. On Day Five we venture on to Joseph, OR and the very beautiful Wallowa Lake.

More to come!

David

Day Three: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 03:08:00 +0000

We arrived in Boise, ID late on Saturday night and got up early for my performance at Cathedral of the Rockies, First United Methodist Church.

My family and I stayed in Boise with pianist Christian Housel and his family. It was Christian, actually, who invited me to come and play for his church there in Boise. Very nice of him! Christian and I had played a Whisperings piano concert together only a month before, and here we were, together again! if you like my music, check out Christian's as well. You'll like it!

For the morning church service, I played three songs. I opened with "Be Thou My Vision" (played as a prelude to the service) and then I played "The Vigil" as special music. Finally, I played "Eden Again" for the postlude.

One of the reasons I played the morning service was to give folks a "preview" of the evening concert and to encourage them to come.

So, after spending a fun afternoon with the Housel's, we returned to the church for the concert that night. It was a really nice setting, on a beautiful 7' Steinway piano. We had about 80 people in attendance.

The concert wasn't just myself, but Christian also. We took turns. Christian opened with three songs, and then I played three. Then he played three more and I played three.

At the end, we got a standing ovation, so we each played one more. Then he and I did some improvisation together, finishing up with a four-hand version of Pachelbel's "Canon in D." It was great fun!

To the right is a photo from the concert. It gives you some idea of the setting. It was a nice, mellow evening. :)

For the concert I played....

The Gift
Sweet Dreams & Starlight
Big Snow in Salzburg

As the Deer
No More Tears
It is Well With My Soul

Overcome

That pretty much sums up day three. Most of the day surrounded events at the church, going back and forth, and then spending some time with the Housel family just hanging out.

Coming soon... Day Four!

Day Two: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:24:00 +0000

Day Two was one of the longest and most eventful days on the Tour.

We started the morning by going up to "Radar Hill" just outside Burns, Oregon to visit the old air force base there. My father-in-law was stationed there about 40 years ago. So for my wife it was a chance to "stand" where her father stood decades ago.

The base is all but torn down now, but you can still see the remains. It's a "ghost" air force base.

I won't bore you with all the details of our time there. It was more of a personal trek, reflecting on family history, but we enjoyed it. My son Nathan, in particular, enjoyed walking on the remains of old buildings.

Once we were finished there, we decided to take a bit of a detour. Instead of heading straight to Boise, Idaho, which is where I was performing a concert the next morning, we decided to first head south to take a driving tour of the Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon.

Man, oh man, what a day we had ahead of us.

The trek around the Steens is about 60 miles - all on gravel road. But it is such beautiful driving. Probably the only disappointing thing about the trip is that we were there in late July, too late to see all the flowers in full bloom. Still, the landscape was incredibly beautiful.

I must tell you, the views at the Steens are breathtaking. I've rarely seen more beautiful country. There's one point where you're sitting above 9,000 feet and you can miles and miles of country 5,000 feet below you. A few of those viewpoints are no place for anyone with vertigo to stand!

Here's a photo I took of one of the glacial carved valleys. I truly wish I had something in the picture to give you a perspective on the size of what you're looking at. The photo makes it look much smaller than it was. Let's just say that in order to truly photograph the entire expanse, I had to do it in three pictures. This is just the center one.

And here's my daughter, Noelle, relaxing at the edge of "Fish Lake," one of my favorite spots on the Steens tour.

Aren't the colors beautiful? All the greens, blues, yellows and browns create such a lovely canvas.

Just mile after mile of epic scenery. Like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

A good four miles of the Steens loop trip is impassable (at least safely) by any car not equipped for it. Once we reached that point of the tour, I was so very glad we rented a Ford Explorer and not a mini-van! Even with the Explorer we were going really slow - like maybe 1 mph. Even at that slow speed we were being bounced around like dog toys in the truck as we drove over that crazy, crazy road!

I had estimated the 60 mile loop would take us 2 and a half hours. It took us 4 and half with stops! By the time we were through it, we were glad to be on paved road again. But the trip was worth it.

For anyone thinking of taking this drive, a recommendation: Start the loop at Frenchglen, Oregon, and then drive up to Wildhorse Lake. At this point, rather than continuing on to the "rooster road," just turn around. The rest of the loop is tough driving and though it's beautiful, it doesn't match the beauty of what you've just come through. The last 20 miles or so of the loop are really LONG miles!

From the Steens we headed north east back up to Boise. We arrived at about 10:30 pm. It was a long day in the car for the kids, but we were ready for the next day's concert.

In the next blog, I'll include a photo from that concert, plus a couple more from this day's adventures.

David

Day One: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 06:27:00 +0000

The first day of the tour we decided to travel as far as Burns, OR, which is about about six hours away from my home in Springfield.

There's a very common misconception about Oregon.

1) That it rains all the time. It really doesn't.
2) That's it's all forest and trees. It's really not.

A good half (at least) of Oregon is desert - and by desert, I don't mean all sand like the Sahara. I mean what they call "high desert country." It's wide open space and lots of heat.

Here's what I mean...

Yes, folks, that's Oregon, and a WHOLE lot of it looks like this. But you know, I really LOVE it. I love the quiet and the open sky. When I was younger, I was really into the forest, and while I still appreciate the beauty of the trees, I think that the desert speaks more to me now. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's just the openess of it. You can see for miles and there's no hiding anything.

One of the most popular travel destinations in Oregon is a little tourist town called Sisters. It's right at the foot of the Cascades. There are lots of little shops and fun things to see. It's a nice place to spend an afternoon. But, NO ONE but no one has heard of Brothers, Oregon, and that's where these photos were taken... Here are a couple of my favorites...

This one of my little girl, Noelle, out hunting for rattle snakes (a daring one, she is).

And this, one of my favorite photos from the entire trip. This is SO eastern Oregon...

All of these were taken at a rest stop in Brothers, which has a population of about 50 people. Brothers is also SMACK DAB in the middle of the state. Right on Hwy. 20 between Bend and Burns.

At the end of Day One we stayed at the Comfort Inn in Burns and had a wonderful family dinner at Applebees. It was a nice, hot day to drive across the desert. What could be better? You'll see in my next post.

Day two was a day of REAL exploration!

David

Prelude: The Boise / Oregon Ghost Town Tour...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 06:10:00 +0000

I just returned from a week on the road, having played a concert in Boise, Idaho. I thought it would be fun to use my next few posts to tell you about the trip and share some photos.

For this concert event, I decided to do something I'd never done before - take the whole family with me! Boise is just an 11 hour drive from my home, so it was pretty much a no brainer. We rented a Ford Explorer so we could fit the entire family PLUS all my usual "tour" stuff. I had intended to rent a mini-van, but the vans were all gone when I went to pick up my rental. So, I was upgraded to an Explorer. Initially, I wasn't very happy about it, but in the end, I'm really glad we had the SUV. You'll read why in my next post.

Since I was traveling through eastern Oregon to get to Boise, I decided to also use this trip to scout locations for a photo shoot. For my next CD, an album of traditional Hymn arrangements, I'm trying to locate a very old, isolated, pioneer era church. Something that just gives the impression of a past generation. I want the album cover to have the "feel" of a bygone era.

I had a few photos of some old churches in Oregon that I'd found on the Internet. I wanted to hunt those down, plus explore a number of "ghost towns" in Oregon to try and find just the right location.

So all in all, the objective of this tour was...
1) To play the concert in Boise
2) Spend quality time with the family
3) Search the back roads of Oregon for the perfect "pioneer church."

It was a GREAT trip! More to come...

David

David Nevue: Mogul of New Media?

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 20:08:00 +0000

I thought I'd pass this along as it's pretty cool....

I just got mentioned with my photo in the Wall Street Journal.

They were doing an article entitled "Moguls of New Media" about unknown producers being "catapulted into positions of enormous influence." Apparently, I'm one of them. :)

They interviewed me a couple weeks about for about an hour. Here's a link to the Wall Street Journal article.

Funny, I don't feel like a "Mogul." :)

The mention/photo is underneath the text of the article, in the "New Media Power List" portion.

Enjoy!

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com

David Nevue Q&A at the PianoWorld Forum...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 21:46:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I've been participating in a very enjoyable Q&A about my music in the PianoWorld music forums. For those of you interested in an inside look at my creative process, check it out. The link is as follows....

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/32/2574.html

Any guess what this is?

This is the house I grew up in. My earliest memories are still inside. The house/yard has been taken over with weeds and blackberry bushes now. When I lived there, the house was in a big open field and I had a LOT of room to play in.

Time moves on, doesn't it?

Cheers!

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com/

The Dreaded Silence...

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 06:38:00 +0000

So, here's the "David Nevue" blog and I haven't updated it in what, three months?

What's going on, you say? What's David up to? Why isn't he writing?

As you can imagine, I have been very busy. But there's more to my lack of writing than that. I've been all too aware of this blog sitting here in cyberspace waiting for me to do something oh-so-magnificent with it. However, I haven't in awhile and here's why:

I'm, um, obsessive.

Especially about writing, you see. Once I start typing, I edit and edit and edit and edit and edit. I can't stop.

I'm fine when it's conversational, like email, for example. But when I'm typing something "serious", such as this blog tends to be, I get very particular about every single word I write.

When I was in college, I used to LOVE writing. I wanted to write and edit for a living. But now, in my "old age", I've become an extreme perfectionist. I can't stop editing.

Even as I write this, I'm editing now. Ugh.

Well, here's the deal. I have stuff to update you with and I want to do it, so instead of writing these long, detailed blogs, I'm going to try and be fairly short and to the point.

I'm going to force myself to do just one (okay, maybe two or three) edits before posting.

That way I can blog and get on with my life. No more spending 8 hours writing and editing what I can freely type out in 10 minutes!

Plus, I have this nifty little digital camera now with lots of "life pictures" to share. YES, I'm getting with this technology thing! I've made the switch from film to digital. Who knows, maybe someday I'll actually own a cell phone!

And so I present to you...

A picture! My two lovely children at Rockaway Beach, OR....

Two seconds after this shot was taken, my son Nathan fell backwards off the log and onto his backside!

More coming soon (very soon) . Really!

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com

Faith in the Midst of the Storm....

dnevue@gmail.com (David Nevue) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 23:16:00 +0000

Remember Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?

There are many who will never forget because their lives were so intensely affected.

I am so proud to have had my music included "Faith in the Midst of the Storm," a video project released by The TELLing Synod. This short video documents, to a small degree, how these great storms tore up churches and displaced congregations in south Louisiana and East Texas.

Play the Video

The video features two songs. A beautiful solo piano piece called "Restless" by Fred McKinnon and my own arrangement of "It is Well With My Soul" from my Overcome CD.

Many thanks to John McCullough Bade, who produced the video.

I am honored.

David Nevue
http://www.davidnevue.com
http://www.myspace.com/davidnevue