Busiest month ever!

I can't exactly quite recall if we ever had a month before wherein we were able to play four gigs. Our aim has always been two gigs a month, but of course, the more gigs the better. So it came as a surprise to me that we are getting more and more invitations to which sometimes we would just have to decline the offer due to time conflicts and for other reasons. Just when I kind of reorganized the band's status quo, then the invitations came pouring in. And because of that, we have to speed up the rehearsals to accomodate the sessionists. And thank God they were able to hold satisfactory performances. But of course I have to admit, having lineup changes takes away the cohesiveness, tightness, and familiarity of the band. The latest band personnel that is leaving the band temporarily is Alvin Carreon (seated extreme right on the photo), who chose to pursue a teaching profession. Although I decided to not grant regular membership to the band members until such time they have proven their worth, the people pictured above are more or less the regular sessionists. Alvin has been the last remaining band member from the first ever lineup that we have formed. To lose him is a very sad event.      

I guess that's just it for bands. People sometimes come and go because of the uncertainty of the situations. But maybe the good thing about Thoughts And Notions is that we never promote the personalities or the technical skills of the band members. Right from the beginning we made it a point to focus on our songs and it's message. If you could look at our back history, we never thought that we would be where we are now because our intentions when we started this music project was just to help share God's love through music in our church and also to help raise funds for our church's youth group. Being old members in our church's music ministry, Wilbert (standing wearing a black shirt), Thrina (the only girl in the photo), and I decided to write and compose original materials for the said project. We never imagined that Praise Music would one day be interested to distribute our album nationwide. And when we finally signed the distribution contract, that's the time when we finally decided to audition additional band members to help bring our songs to a live audience. Two months ago, I decided to change the status quo of the band by not granting permanent members for the meantime, and allow sessionists to play for the band. I thought that live gigs would be scarce, I never thought that this month would be our busiest month ever. By allowing sessionists to join us, this gives us an opportunity to open our doors to budding musicians who are willing to share our vision and mission for our music. I am somehow inspired with how Hillsong was able to open their doors to different musicians. And in effect, multiplying their efforts to help share God's love through music.  

Thoughts And Notions has been existing close to four years already. The friendship that Wilbert, Thrina, and I have forged through the years is something that we deeply value. The friendship that we also have forged with those who played with us is also something that we are so grateful for. My only hope and prayer is that for everyone who has been a part of Thoughts And Notions, may they be able to nurture the seed that the band has planted within them. And for those who were touched by our songs, may you not only keep them by yourself, but may you also help share the word about our mission and vision. For this little band from Cagayan de Oro, that's what we can only offer. Our little voices to help share God's good news. To sing about hope and love. Our story and our songs will continue.  And we are going back to the studio pretty soon to write and record new materials. This will finally be a go. And I will be posting the details pretty soon. Check out my earlier post called "Thoughts And Notions the Demos (2005-2008)" for some ideas and hints for our new album.

We hope that you guys will continue the journey with us. And... gigs are always welcome. Hope you could invite us. Here's hoping for a fruitful July.