Terry Gomes: News

Dear Friends,

As some of you know I’ve been busy helping to care for my ailing father. As a result, I’ve put some musical endeavours on hold. Early in December, I had drafted the beginnings of some articles that would serve as a blog for my website. I’ve just posted the first one of these. It is under my, “Commen-Terry” link. I’ve started with an entry about acknowledging musical creators. I hope you take the time to read it. You won’t always agree with what I have to say, but either way, I hope you let your feelings be known. You can post comments at the very bottom of the article. It’s not necessary to leave an email address.

Secondly, my next musical project will likely involve doing an instrumental EP. This is also something I’ve wanted to do for awhile. I have several pieces that I’ve wanted to record and it now feels like the right time to pursue this project. I’m in the process of selecting, revising, and writing new material with this goal in mind.

I also hope to get back to some more You Tube work but it will have to wait as family does come first.

I’m sending good wishes your way for Valentine’s Day.

Best,
Terry

Dear Friends,

I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a great Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2010!

Cheers,
Terry

Hi there,

Just letting all of you know that my new album is now available for mp3 download, either by album or by track. If you click on the link that says, "Buy Music" on my website, it will take you to, Loose Ends. It was just posted yesterday and I've already had someone in Spain download my whole album! Very cool.

You can also go there directly via:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/terrygomes3

I have finished another You Tube video but have had problems posting it. I will keep at it though and hopefully it will be up in the next week.

For those of you who now have my album, your feedback on my guestbook would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Terry

Hi again,

Just letting you all know that both of my radio shows are now posted on my site. One is about 32 minutes and the other about 18 minutes. Please check them out under Radio/Reviews--"Recent Radio Interviews". There are also a couple of new photos added.

Happy Hallowe'en!
Terry

Yesterday’s radio show at U of O was great! It was nice being back at my old school. Not much has changed except that most students are now equipped with mobile technology of some sort. I will be getting a copy of the show soon and will post it on my site when it’s ready. My thanks go to Nick Taylor-Vaisey for having me on.

Secondly, I will be on CKCU next Saturday (Hallowe’en) at 8:00 am for their fundraiser and to plug my new release. I will be playing some of my “broodier” tunes to coincide with the day. This is a station whose members have supported me and I wanted to be there for their fundraiser. Community radio is a valuable resource.

Finally, I thank my good friend Harvey Glatt for expressing his concern regarding my new album. He found the overall level of the mastering to be a little low compared to other contemporary, commercial CDs. I just wanted to let you listeners know that this was a conscious choice on my part. There are certain songs on the album that have a wide dynamic range that I wanted to maintain for their emotional and musical impact. Had I mastered the whole project as loud as most new CDs, this impact would have been compromised. I personally find that most contemporary albums are way too loud and lack expression and musicality. To many this is known as the, “Volume Wars”. Consider the high level of TV commercials compared to programs you may be watching. Why are commercials louder? They want to get your attention. The same thing has happened with sound recordings. Even quiet, fragile moments of songs are so loud that they lose their impact. I feel that good music will get your attention, regardless of level. So, the solution is simple--please just turn it up if you find you need to. For more information please visit:

http://www.turnmeup.org/

Thanks and I hope that you find my CD to be an expressive listen.
Terry

Hi All,

I finally have it! A year and a half of my life etched into a small, circular disc for public consumption. Good grief. It will be available at the 3 CD Warehouse locations by next week. In the meantime, you can order it directly from me if you wish.

Unless you contact me with an objection, I would like to post some of your email comments on my website. Please let me know if this would be a problem otherwise I’ll assume it’s okay.

If you have a moment, please post a comment on my first You Tube effort. It would  mean a lot to me. More will be coming soon…

Lastly, I will be on:

Show: “Around the Block”, radio show with Nick Taylor-Vaisey
Date: Friday, Oct. 23 at 12:00 noon.
Where: CHUO 89.1 FM.

Please tune in! I will be previewing some of the new songs at that time.

Thanks!
Terry

I am a posting one new song clip every couple of days or so and removing one so you get a feel for the overall album. I'll be doing this until Loose Ends is released. Please check back often to hear the new tunes. For today, a loving tribute to those young singers and dancers of today's "music" industry entitled, "Go Away".

Cheers,
Terry

Well, my album master is done and will be sent for duplication this week. I’m expecting it back in about 10 business days. I’m excited about it and I hope you will enjoy it. It is the result of a challenging year and a half’s work, both personally and professionally. It will be available right away from the CD Warehouse stores in Ottawa. It will eventually be available for download as an album or by track but that takes time as the distributors that do this process take quite awhile to do it. I also plan on having it available to order from all "brick and mortar" stores in the US. Please remember that since I’m not a touring act, I don’t make any money from T-shirt sales and other merchandise. Could you imagine a pair of Terry Gomes’ capris or bathrobe? I couldn’t. Sadly, this is how many musicians make most of their money these days. For me, the music and radio play is it. If you enjoy the album, please encourage others to buy it or even buy a copy as a gift for someone else.

I’ve posted three song previews on my site, with all the lyrics for the album as well. Just click on “Sounds & Words” and then look under the title, “Loose Ends”. You will find them there. There are still some bugs being worked out so please let me know if they do not play. Feedback on my guestbook or on my Facebook Wall is always appreciated. And yes, there are no other singers on this project but me—including backing vocals. For those of you who are from out of town and would like to order a copy when they come in (as store distribution takes awhile to get going), just let me know. They are $12 each. I can give you a better price if you are buying this CD with either or both of my other two.

I hope to have a You Tube clip up in the next couple of weeks and I have a radio interview at my alma mater tentatively scheduled for Oct. 23 (CHUO, 89.1 FM). More to follow…

Thank you as always for your support!
Terry

Hello all,

This is just a short note to let you all know that I'm finished mixing my new CD and now it has to be mastered. As with everything in this process, it’s now at the hurry up and wait stage. I won't be able to get the mastering done until mid-September as my producer is off on vacation. In the meantime I'll be preparing the artwork and getting the duplication process setup. I should have the finished product in my hands by early October.

Also, I've finally got around to joining Facebook. If you are on there, kindly link me up.

Hope you are enjoying the summer!

Cheers,
Terry

www.terrygomes.com

Hello Everyone,

Well, I’ve tried a few communication experiments over the last six months and I’ve decided to go back to the regular email approach. In the future, I’ll make any graphics or other material available on my website. It gives me more time for music!

I have steadfastly been working on my new album, LOOSE ENDS. It’s pretty much in the mixing stage and I am hopeful that it will be ready around the end of summer. You may be wondering what it might sound like. I’ve always been fond of the 60’s and 70’s as far as musical decades go. The Ventures, Brian Wilson, Simon and Garfunkel, Dire Straits and even a bit of Alice Cooper, help form the sonic inspiration and landscape for my new album. Of course, I’m well represented too!

I should mention that I’ve also added the original and abridged versions of my CBC Hockey Theme submission from last year. You can find it under my, “Sounds” link.

I am in the process of trying out a new look for my website to coincide with the feel of the new album. I will be adding the new images for the front and back CD cover, photographed by Mark Dillon. I will also be posting some pictures from the recording sessions last summer. Lyrics will also be added to my site when the CD is ready as they will not be available with the CD itself.

www.terrygomes.com

In the past I’ve mentioned that my music is available on Rhapsody. I was actually mistaken in that it has just recently appeared on there. It is an interesting site in that it pays artists for people just listening to their music. So, if you have nothing better to do and you’ve heard my songs a million times, why not make it a million and one?! J

http://www.rhapsody.com/home.html

Airplay of my two songs continues on the Jewel radio stations. Please support them at 98.5 FM if you live in Ottawa, or 88.5 FM if you are in Toronto.

http://www.jewelradio.com/

Lastly, I would like to ask you all a question. Do you still buy traditional CDs (in stores or online) or do you download mp3s to an iPod, etc… The move away from the physical product does seem to be on its way, but I’m not sure if we’re there yet. Your answer will help me plan for future projects.

Please choose an answer and sent it back to me. Thank you!

A--I buy traditional CDs
B--I only download digital files from the web.
C—I do a combination of these.

Start enjoying your summer! I will be in touch soon…

Terry

It’s hard to believe that we’ve already have a substantial snowfall here in Ottawa--before Hallowe’en no less! I’m sure there’s a lot more where that came from. Yikes!

Not too much new has happened since my last message. I’ve been monitoring my radio airplay on the Jewel FM. On their website they list all the songs played within an approximate 5 hour span. It is a continuous list that’s frequently updated but not archived so it’s to be expected that I would miss some of the plays. To date I’ve observed and catalogued 14 plays of my songs (mainly If I Could Tell You from Gomesongs Side B) in Toronto, Ottawa and Hawkesbury. I certainly hope SOCAN is listening too! I had the biggest thrill driving to work on Hallowe’en morning and hearing my song for the first time on the radio. I know that they are being played regularly but it was the first time I caught one myself. If you click on the link below you will see the “Songs Recently Played” feature on all 3 stations. I encourage you all the check them out. They do play a great variety that you won’t hear anywhere else. If you look at the playlist, you’ll see what I mean. They play a wide range of vintage material and a sprinkling of contemporary as well. I wish there were more stations like it.

http://www.jewelradio.com/
Also, I now have my studio tracks recorded during summer in Chelsea at my home. I will be starting to lay down vocals on the songs over the next month or so as time allows. I’m hoping to avoid any colds or sore throats too! The bed tracks sound great by the way and I’m looking forward to getting at them.

My friend Mark did some nice work on the photography for Loose Ends a couple of weeks ago. The results are very interesting and I think they will suit the material very well.

In the meantime I’ve also been busy writing some new material for a future project. I’ve wanted to do an instrumental EP for awhile and this is something I hope to get to in the next year.

I hope all is well and I’ll drop by again in December.
Take care.
Terry

www.terrygomes.com

First of all, I have found out that at least two of my songs—If I Could Tell You and Lonely Together are in rotation on 98.5 The Jewel here in Ottawa and on 88.5 The Jewel in Toronto. Thank you so much to Harvey Glatt for the advice, information, support and the help in getting my music on the waves!

Secondly, I entered the Great Lakes Songwriting contest earlier this year with two submissions. It’s really hard to know what type of material to submit. In general I’m not a big fan of contests—they’re expensive, very subjective, geared towards mainstream top 40 airplay, and I seldom agree with the songs chosen by the judges. In this case, I thought I would give it a try as it was a smaller contest and more affordable. Well, I didn’t win, but my song, I Dream of Boats did receive an honorable mention (I made the top 10% of submissions) and my name, my city and the song title will be listed on their page beginning this week for the rest of the year. In hindsight, I would have likely chosen different songs to submit but I’m happy that this one got recognized. Thank you to the contest organizers!

I finished the guitar overdubs last Friday with Ross Murray for my new project, Loose Ends. There was a long gap in recording, (since August 8 due to other commitments on both of our parts), but now things are back in gear. In the next little while I will be starting to do the vocals and my friend Mark Dillon and I will be doing the photography for the cover. It will be much different than my last two compilations. So far, I’m very happy with the way things are shaping up. Thanks for your patience Ross!

Lastly, the 5 finalists for the CBC Hockey Anthem Contest will be announced each day this week on The Hour at 11:00 pm. At this stage, no one knows who the finalists are except the CBC and likely the five individuals. A lot of people are very disappointed, disillusioned and some downright angry at how this contest evolved. The rules were changed along the way, very little information was given to the entrants, there was no list of 150-200 semi finalists as was originally promised, and it became more of a reality show in which the best life story related to hockey superseded the music itself. I’m saddened by this because so many people produced some wonderful music that will go completely unnoticed. As for me, I’m very happy with the piece I wrote and will find another purpose for it in the future—either on a CD of mine or I will promote it elsewhere. Nothing created ever goes to waste unless you want it to. The CBC owns the rights to all of the submissions (almost 15000), for one month after the contest ends on October 11. Thank you very much to everyone who listened and supported my entry!

In conclusion, I’m looking forward to piles of leaves but not what follows….

Be well everyone and thanks for your support!
Terry

Hi Folks,

Just a brief update about three pieces of news. First of all, my good friend and keen supporter for many years, Janine, informed me that one of my tunes--"If I Could Tell You" was played on 98.5 The Jewel on Sunday evening. It appears to be in regular rotation. I don't know if it's the only song they're playing but I'm thrilled. I was informed that some of my music was being played on there but I hadn't heard anything until now. Thanks for the heads up J.!

Next, a big thank you to Laurie-Ann and Tony Copple on CKCU's Window of Opportunity. They will be re-broadcasting my interview with Laurie-Ann from January 18th of last year. If you didn't catch it the first time or want to experience the pleasure of hearing me again (ha ha), then it will be on Sept. 12 from 3:00-3:45 on CKCU 93.1 FM.

Finally, I was asked by the National Archives to provide both of my existing CDs for legal deposit, as well as any future recordings. I guess I'm now considered part of Canada's musical heritage. Yahoo!

Thanks again!
Terry

Greetings All!

It’s been a busy summer. I managed to finish all of the bed tracks and most of the overdubbing for my new album, Loose Ends. It’s sounding very good so far. I had to defer working on the rest of it as my producer was in Beijing for the Olympics. I hope to finish the overdubbing in early September and then I will begin working on the vocals.

During the third day of recording an idea for CBC’s Hockey Anthem Contest occurred to me. I waited until the sessions were done and then I set to work on it for about a week. I submitted an initial entry but after considering some thoughtful feedback, I abridged the theme and that’s the version that has received the most exposure. You can listen to it and the extended version at the link below. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you will see, “More from Terry Gomes”. Click on this and it will show you the other choices. Please leave feedback if you can. It would be appreciated. If you have trouble with the link, try cutting and pasting it into your web browser or try again later.

http://anthemchallenge.cbc.ca/mediadetail/310670
The CBC will condense the thousands of the entries down to 20 semi-finalists on October 4. I don’t envy the job they will have to do. After this point, the public will do the rest of the voting for the winning anthem. I personally wish the CBC or the NHLPA was doing the voting for the winner. Otherwise I fear it will simply become another popularity contest like the Idol shows. When things reach that point, it will have nothing at all to do with the music and that’s a real shame. We’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime I hope all is well with you and yours and that you are ready to enjoy the impending beauty of fall.

Cheers,
Terry

Hello Friends,

I’m sorry that it has been awhile since my last post. Family matters have been keeping me occupied. Thank you for your kind words regarding my father. He is stable for the time being.

As for music, I’ve decided to forge ahead with a new recording. I’ve been waiting to record these songs for awhile now. Some of them were written 3 years ago and others as recently as last spring. I had always planned to do this project after I had released some of my older songs which you know as Gomesongs Side A and B. This endeavour marks a big change for me, or more accurately, a return to the ways of old. In addition to me singing all of the songs, the tunes will be recorded in Chelsea, Quebec with producer/drummer Ross Murray. Ross has produced a wide variety of acts including Bruce Cockburn and Great Big Sea and I’m really excited to be working with him. Another talented musician, Rene Gely is also going to be playing bass and some guitar as well so it will be the three of us putting down the tracks. It’s been a long time since I’ve played together with other musicians (as opposed to working alone) and I’m thrilled to be back doing this. There are 10 songs and the CD will be called “Loose Ends”. My goal is to record all of the bed tracks this summer and do the vocals in early fall.

Also, I have recently discovered that some of my music is being played on 98.5 The Jewel. I have been unable to find out what songs though. If you have the chance, please call or email them and request one of my tunes off of Gomesongs Side B—it’s the only one they have. It would be greatly appreciated. Their web address with contact information is:

http://www.985thejewel.com/contactus.php
In the meantime, I hope that you’re all surviving the summer heat and enjoying yourselves. I will catch up with you in August…

Take care.
Terry