I Wonder As I Wander

I am almost bursting with excitement!

Jazzy Christmas To You II! is almost ready for mastering! We made a last-minute addition of I Wonder As I Wander to the album. I have always loved I Wonder As I Wander, but each time I've tried to perform or record it, it never came out the way I envisioned...until now!

Jesse Quebbeman-Turley and Zach Wiggins created a beautiful drums/piano/voice arrangement. Tonight I record my vocal overdubs and I am stoked! The arrangement is haunting yet fresh and has a decidedly Celtic flair.

Check out recording photos and stay tuned for more music!

Saying Goodbye...

So what does it mean when I wake up and wish my alarm were going off, telling me I had to get up at 5:50 AM to go to work? It means I miss my internship with Cumulus! (Check out more pictures on Facebook!)

Erik, my brother, and I absolutely LOVED interning at Cumulus! Last year we interned during the summer and returned again!

I thoroughly enjoyed being on-air daily with Chris Farber on Y105! I learned how to prep news for the Hollywood Scoop, Music Minute, and Weird News. Then Chris gave me my very own spot: Olympic Moments!

During the Olympics I scoured the news (and, of course, watched the Olympics) for not only results but also noteworthy human interest stories revolving around the Olympics. The first week had a lot of Michael Phelps...the second week a lot of Usain Bolt! But I learned to sift through the mounds of information I had collected and compile it into a 3-minute informative yet interesting daily piece.

After the Olympics ended, I thought my spot would end, too. But it continued as Back to School Tidbits. This spot was a real challenge for me! How many different items of Back to School news could there really be to talk about?

My first spot was easy: Back to School shopping. Then Back to School anxiety the next day. I wasn't sure where to go next.

Fortunately, the ideas started coming. I talked about Back to School for senior citizens, safety tips for college students, communication ideas for parents and new college students, communication ideas for parents and k-12 students, reducing Monday morning stress by having a homework plan for the weekend and packing backpacks Sunday night. I loved finding new and fun ways to talk about one subject: Back to School!

I learned a lot of other things from Chris, too! Will tell you about them tomorrow, as well as what I learned from everyone else at the station!

Recording and Meet the Band!

Recording success! After three days of intensive recording, we completed the remaining songs for three albums to be released this year.  Now we need a few vocals then we will be ready to mix, master, and release! See the photos here.


Meet the band, sound engineer, cinematographer, and songwriting partner:


James Archibald, bassist. James has been with the band for over six years and is always good for comic relief in addition to solid bass lines. He debuted his singing voice last year on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and is back again for "Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."


Zach Wiggins, pianist. Zach is new to the band and wows with his jazz chords! I am partial to his substitution chords. He astounds with mean Latin lines! His piano arrangement of "While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks by Night" is pure delight. He can take what may seem like a mundane chord progression and lift the accompaniment to soaring heights. You'll love Zach's talent for Latin the way it shimmers in "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To."


Jesse Quebbeman-Turley, drummer. Jesse is also new and fortunately for me, is Zach's roommate. That's how I found him! Jesse's arrangements are fresh yet accessible. His understanding of melodic theory makes him a unique force as a jazz drummer. You will love his jaw-dropping soloing on "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus!" One of my favorite "Jesse" arrangements is "Santa Baby" as you've never heard it before!


Erik Chaston, sound engineer. Erik is a master of infinite skills. As my brother, he jokes that I'm lucky I have him to work for free. No joke though, Erik is the best! Without Erik, these days of recording would not have happened. He puts together old analog equipment with new digital technology so that my vocal recordings are lifelike and accurate.  He can fix just about any equipment and improve it!


Brett Bird, cinematographer. While Erik captures the sounds, Brett captures the movement. Thanks to Brett's skills, we will have music videos to post on YouTube of our recording sessions. Also, Brett takes great still pictures because he doubles as a photographer.


Justin Jensen, songwriting partner. Justin and I were paired in a songwriting class and our writing methods clicked! Our pop song, "The Moment You Came Into View," will be released as a single in the coming months. Our Christmas song, "Santa Blues," will be on the next Christmas album. We have other songs still in the writing stages.  We are very anxious to finish and release those songs as well.


Mixing and mastering of the tracks is slated for early summer while Erik and I intern at Cumulus radio in Iowa! 


I will keep you posted as the albums near completion!  Fun times ahead!

New Pictures!

New photo albums on Facebook!

Friday, August 7 Gig

Chaston Anniversary Reunion Party

Family Jam Session 8 10 09

Recording August 12, 2009

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who voted for the band and me! We appreciate all your support!

New pictures, free download, and YouTube video coming soon!

Guest singer is a hit at his birthday party!

This Friday (7/10) we played a private birthday party in Kaysville. Everything went well-- especially the live recording of the event. (More on that later.) We played a pretty wide set of songs: standards, originals, everything in between, and even "Happy Birthday." But it wasn't until the band brought on a "guest artist" that things got really interesting.

The lady organizing the party contacted me before hand and told me that the "birthday boy" (Doug Jones) was an avid karaoke enthusiast and asked if we could prepare a few of his favorite tunes in case he wanted to sing a few at his party. After we had played most of our set, we invited him on stage and he sang with us. After playing "Born to Be Wild" and several other rock standards (it turns out no one actually knew ALL the lyrics to "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream), Doug decided it was time to sing the Latin jazz standard "The Girl From Ipanema." I am not usually a big fan of singing bossa nova, but I survived well. The song ends with the line "And when she walks, he smiles/but she doesn't see..." At this point Doug added an emphatic "...CUZ SHE'S BLIND!!" and on the second time an even more enthusiastic, "REALLY BLIND!" Needless to say, our guest singer was entertaining and hilarious!

We played into the night closing with "Chameleon." There are photos on Facebook). I hope to see you at my next performance!

New Pictures

New pictures are up on my photo page!  The albums are Practice 04-27, Practice 04-28, KUTV Studio, Soundcheck May 2, Performance May 2, and After Performance May 2.  Check them out!