Grey Sled: News

September has been a productive month for Grey Sled.

Despite scheduling conflicts with the studio, Derek and Bethany have made a point of getting in whenever they can.

Taking a Monday (9/21) off of work, Derek and Bethany spent an entire day finalizing ALL vocals. Harmonies were finished on Calcutta and Home. The main vocal line for iMpefect was also re-done with more "attitude and emotion."

Special thanks to Mama Rogers who came out (with camera in hand) and shared part of the day capturing all kinds of good, behind-the-scenes moments.

On Friday (9/25) Derek and Bethany returned to begin the official "fine tuning" process of each track. They worked closely with Lance to get good levels on the djembe and found a really cool way to end the song...which will most likely be the final track on the album.

They have spent a lot of time listening--and then RE-listening--to several tracks and look so forward to ending a project that has taken a lot of hard work and time.

PS Teresa is currently living it up in New Mexico where she's showing off all the sounds that she get from that darn djembe and Alyssa is surviving a hectic schedule of music classes, orchestra rehearsals, and the very first round of exams.

Hope to have everyone together again soon!!

 

 

Well, here's where we stand:

Violin? Completely done.

Djembe? Completely done.

Guitars/mandolin/banjo? Done!

Bass? Still up in the air...

Derek, Bethany, and Teresa headed to the studio on 8/6 to listen to scratch vocal tracks and decide which parts need to be officially re-recorded.

The main vocal lines for Make Us Holy and Meet the Sunrise were better than everyone remembered and Captivate Me (the very first song of the project) was re-done beautifully.

Seriously can't wait to hear the final mixes! So exciting!!

Haven't updated too recently on where we are with studio progress...

Derek and Bethany spent a full Saturday with Lance and Andre laying down complicated 3-part harmonies and BANJO for Infinite and the newer, faster-paced version of Witness.

Alyssa and Teresa spent 2 days doing violin and djembe (half of it without Derek or Bethany there too!). All violin tracks/layering are officially FINISHED!

And, according to Teresa, we are only waiting on Djembe tracks for one more song--the newest, "surprise" addition to the album.

Grey Sled is so EXCITED about nearing the end of the recording project and happily anticipates the design/theme for the album "look" which is just around the corner!

Staaaaaaaaaaay tuuuuneeeeeeeeed!!!!!!!!

Well, well, well...

All Grey Sled members were present for Alyssa's 18th-bday + Graduation Bash on July 18th in @ Java Lake.

Derek DJ'd the event and the gang even played 3 songs live in the graduation tent: Infinite (the new violin parts are just amazing!), Captivate Me, and Bright Lights (No mistakes this time!).

It was so much fun and caused a fair amount of nostalgia as Grey Sled remembers meeting Alyssa last August and proudly watches her leave for Baldwin Wallace Music Conservatory very soon.

Alyssa has been such a JOY to have in the band and her violin parts have added so much to new and old Grey Sled songs!

LOVE YOU ALYSSA, GOOOOOD LUCK IN COLLEGE!

After quite a while of busy scheduling conflicts and trips to two different states (California and New Mexico), Grey Sled returned to the studio with all four band members!!

Teresa and Alyssa made the trek to the studio (after hunting down the djembe which sneakily tried to run away in the trunk of our agent's car) around 4pm. Teresa listened to the tracks that the other band members had been working on and then went right back into gear by laying down drum tracks for iMperfect and Bright Lights.

Derek came after work to offer moral support and helped Teresa (as he always does) "dig into her inner child" and play with feeling and emotion. :-)

Bethany also drove straight to the studio after a long work day and loved hearing about the adventures the other band members had been on without her.

Teresa then worked on "Road to Emmaus" while everyone listened, critiqued, and applauded her hard work.

There was a band meeting at Denny's over milkshakes and meals as they all discussed metronomes, song lists, and personalities.

It was great to be back together and everyone anticipates what creativity will do for the rest of the album!

Although, Teresa and Alyssa has been battling busy schedules Derek and Bethany have been at the studio as often as possible the past two weeks. They have been working on laying foundation tracks (acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass, and even an electric guitar plus vocals and harmony tracks) for the first 5 tracks: Captivate Me, Make Us Holy, Road to Emmaus, iMperfect, and Not Alone.

Lance and Andre continue to be great and we are all looking forward to the next time we have the whole band together.

Grey Sled made has made their way through the woods to the hidden, Narnia-like studio for three seperate recording sessions.

Highlights include:

Working on Captivate Me &
Make Us Holy
Alyssa's first time in the studio
Lance's hilarious "pitchy violin antics"
Derek's guitar freedom (His musical mind is going full force and it is awesome)
Teresa's "Impressive" drumming
Beth's "Nearly perfect picth"
Eating homemade chilli on the front porch
And so much more...

All the band members have been truly enjoying the whole process and already begin to see how amazing the final product will be!!

Thank you Lance and Andre!!


More to come!!

Yep, yep! APRIL 18TH Grey Sled OFFICIALLY begins recording!! Keep an out for more blogs on the whole process!

THIS MONDAY (4/6/09) Grey Sled starts the recording process by meeting @ Dreamwave Recording studio! Check out the Calender page for more details...

Yes, yes...We know you waited through the long, hard winter just as we have. Be rewarded with NEW PHOTOS!! The photographer's favorite is the one of Teresa leaning against the white wall...turned out awesome. Let us know which ones YOU like!!

Check in the link section to find out more!

The Grey Sled gig at the Town Hall in Orangeville proved to be a fun time for the band members and our cozy-sized audience.

Special thanks to Maureen (and her helpers) who organized the event as well as the providers sponsoring the event!

Grey Sled was excited to work out a set-list that show cased how the band members found each other and enjoyed sharing bits of individual backgrounds.

The show started with Bethany, her song from Jeremiah 29:11-13 and her story about trusting God and not heeding her mother's advice about "Not moving to the East Coast, falling in love, and staying there..." (Sorry Mom, you know we love you!)

The stage grew from a solo project to a duet when Derek stepped up and continued the story of how he met Bethany. They sang the oldie-but-goodie: Wind Blows By

Next, Teresa joined them and shared her history as a missionary. All three stressed how God provides things we aren't even looking for. The trio performed the spanish, rythym-driven song "Like 2 Like U"

Last but not least, Alyssa joined the group talking about her violin playing. She also found the need to clarify the fact that just because her family owns horses does not mean she runs a farm. As a group, the band played iMperfect (normally saved for finale but moved up on a good call by Teresa) and continued with their play-list...

Make Us Holy
Road to Emmaus
Captivate Me
Bright Lights (Almost there...)
Infinite
Not Alone
On My Knees
I Knew You Were Mine (DEBUT of our first PRO-LIFE Song!)
Meet the Sunrise (Debut of the first song entirely written by all four band members)
Witness

There was also a break in which Derek competently lead the audience in a rocking rendition of the familiar tune "If you're happy and you know it--say Grey Sled!"

Highlights included:
Meeting all the great people

Having Teresa's Mom, brother, and brother's girlfriend Kim there
(Hi guys!!)

Using our own equipment to get a "pretty good" live recording of most of the tracks

And of course...
Bethany enjoyed sitting in the official judges chair and swinging a mallet (Check out the photo in the gallery)

St. Brigid's in Byron-Bergen, NY receives the award for "MOST INTERACTIVE CROWD"

It was great to play for a group that was clapping, hand-motioning, and even STANDING without being prompted to do so!

Initially Grey Sled was both excited and nervous about the challenge that was before them: Play and speak for two hours to a parish that is still dealing with recent death and tragedy within their small church and school communities.

We prayed about saying the right thing, choosing songs that would convey the proper mood, and just keeping the attention of the audience for two whole hours.

As it turned out, the families of Saint Brigid's were all so beautiful and it was very special for the band to be invited to help share in their grieving process.

The LONG set list comprised of Praise & Worship songs, originals, a surprise or two, and talks by both Derek AND Teresa went something like this:

PW Set:
Let Everything that has Breath
LILYNOH
Awesome God

Intro to the Band

Grey Sled set:
Make Us Holy
Road to Emmaus
Bright Lights(So much better this time around!)
Captivate Me

Talk #1
Purgatory (Derek)

iMperfect

5 MINUTE BREAK

Impromptu Song Set:
"Come Back, Come back to your pew" (Everyone jumped right in clapping and singing as we laughed at the situation and the audience found their seats haha)

Clapping Challenge Game

If You're Happy & U Know It
(Special thanks to AARON who lead the group in the "Soldier Boy" portion of the song)

Talk #2 Losing Friends at a Young Age, Tribute to Chris
(Derek)

Infinite (Probably the best-placed version of this song we have ever done)
Home
Send It Down

Talk #3 God is Bigger than we Are (Teresa)

Lead Me On
(A few people were surprised to see our DRUMMER pick up a guitar and take center stage. Her song was perfect for the event and she played it so well--it was awesome to hear harmonies, violin, and a second guitar added to this song in a spontaneous moment that just "worked")

Trading My Sorrows
Witness
Time of Your Life (Greenday)

Overall, we are just so appreciative to have been asked to host this Memorial event. We met a lot of great people and want to give a special thanks to everyone that sang along, Mama Rogers, John Rogers & Matt Jung for making the trip with us, and especially Mr. Cummings who was so willing to give us this opportunity (you were GREAT!)!

Finally, a special "shout out" to singer/songwriter JOHNNY CUMMINGS who made our night by just listening to a couple of our songs.

God Bless all of you and remember: Keep Sleddin'!!!

Due to many requests...
We have posted MORE pictures from a sunny, afternoon photo shoot at an old hotel!

LEAVE US MESSAGES TO LET US KNOW WHICH ONES ARE YOUR FAVORITES!!

Last night Grey Sled was honored to return to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton school for a night of music, coffee and homemade pie! This was the third year that Derek and Bethany have been to this event and they were so proud to share the stage with Teresa and Alyssa this time.

A "shout out" to all the people who made this event possible and especially the ones that invite us to come back each year...

Oh yeah...and thanks to "Mama Rogers" and the Logan family who showed up too!!

And GINNY...you know who you are...you're always a light in our musical world!

The Set List:
This is Halloween (A tribute to the Nightmare before Christmas)
Make Us Holy
Bright Lights (Unfortunately this NEW SONG wasn't quite ready for an audience and we butchered most of it but laughed our way through it...haha)
iMperfect
Captivate Me
Witness (The Band Favorite)

We had a really good time chatting with everyone afterward, got called "Inspiring" by a great gal from Harvest Chapel, and Teresa even gave an impromtu lesson on the djembe!

If you were AT THIS SHOW please sign the guestbook and let us know what you thought!!

Keep sleddin and praisin the LORD!

Grey Sled gathered together and visited a great studio that is LITERALLY in the middle of NOWHERE. The place has a good vibe, the engineers are very laid back (but professional), and the quality of the end product should be "amazing."

Here's where we are now...we like the place, we have plenty of material to record, and we need $!!

Anyone got any rich relatives out there???

If nothing else, please keep Grey Sled in your prayers as we feel this is a very important step in getting our sound out there.

Last night Grey Sled rocked for God in an elementary school gym in Leroy, NY for the opening night of the religious education program for Our Lady of Mercy Parish. There were about 75 highschoolers + several great teachers/leaders/volunteers.
We brought our own sound equipment. All four of us were together and Derek spoke (for the first time) about discipleship and the many distractions facing youth today.

We all re-iterated the fact that the youth are NOT the church of the FUTURE but, rather, the church of TODAY!

The Set List:

We Will Worship
Trading My Sorrows
Awesome God

Make Us Holy
Road to Emmaus
Infinite
I'm Alive (Samuel's Song)
Captivate Me (AWESOME!)
Not Alone
Witness (They Loved It)
iMperfect (Cool solo, beat boxing, and dancing kid from crowd)

Jesus Lifted High

Grey Sled feels very blessed to have been asked to play and look forward to returning to this God-filled group again!

Just an update for anyone out there reading this:

You might have noticed a few changes around our site...We're right in the midst of some great things that really make us smile.
Things always seem to go best when they just sort of "happen."

Teresa (aka awesome drummer!) found more time in her busy schedule, Derek and Bethany prayed a lot about their music ministry, and somehow (God truly is so good!) a 17-year old violinist (we'll call her a prodigy even though she wouldn't) just happens to have always wanted to be part of a Christian band.

We've been meeting at the old hotel for Sunday afternoon practices and are using any money (from donations) toward recording a CD with all this new material.

Mostly, we are all EXCITED and exploring the way to bring all of our gifts and talents together.

One of the greatest things about being married is enjoying little things. Most of the time these aren't even significant enough to write down. The great part about being in a band together is that we have this handy website that is perfect for recording little moments that just might make other people smile too!

The following is one of those "Not Big" moments that you just might like to hear about...

The other day we were both TIRED at work because we had stayed up way too late the night before just talking. We debated about the plot line of a recent movie we saw (Bella) and commented on the strategies of different players from the Survivor finale the night before. I can't even remember all the things we laughed about and shared in the dark when we probably should have been sleeping.

It was a great night and way worth the lack of energy the next day.

There is no way I could re-capture all of the lessons learned and stories made since the last time we added anything to this section of this website. I would like to attempt to remember a few things...

#1 It is hard to tell if the large black image zooming toward you at night is your cat. Once it slams into the window a couple times you will realize it is actually the neighbors cat that got locked in your home by mistake somehow. You will let him out and then laugh about the shock of it all.

#2 If you ever have to wait in an airport for over 9 hours be sure to rescue a hidden football. It will make for a better story if you rely on the knowledge of 3 traveling engineers, a woman in a bright orange coat, and as many shoe laces as you can find. Be assured that the security guards will do nothing but stand by and shake their heads as you watch your husband being lifted onto a trashcan by several willing helpers.

#3 If you see a bee on the playground. Run and scream. Alert anyone else around. It is a very, very fun game.

#4 Being the "un-tangler" is a very important job.

#5 A few scoops of peanut butter ice cream and a big blue bowl make a wonderful dinner.

Denny's is a cool place. I am sure with being open late, a lot of weird things happen. Beth and I we standing waiting to be seated when a heard a thunk. I didn't think anything of it and then I heard a "Help me!" in a strange voice. I glanced around and then saw arms and legs kicking on the floor 30 feet away near the restrooms! Holy vegas! It was an old lady! As I was running towards her I was thinking what I should do and why she was kicking her arms and legs. The moment was strange! I got to her and she was fine but thrashing on the floor. She thanked me before I helped her. I asked if she was hurt and she responded by saying "I tripped on my dam walker and yes I am fine." I was not very skilled in helping old ladies off the floor but I did a decent job. She thanked me and then I heard another lady yell, "Stella! Stella! What is wrong with you!?" The old ladies yelled at each other for a moment and then thanked me. Stella then proceeded to the men's room and I pointed out her mistake. I think she was annoyed with me. As I walked back I felt like spiderman: misunderstood but still a hero!

Some cool things coming up and some of them are in the form of songs. A new cd has been mentioned and a local studio seems to have some allure. This old hotel has some big plans in store. Possibly a coffee house with local music, speakers, video game tournaments and such. Keep watching...

There can be great humor in doing things for God. I wonder if he finds them as entertaining as we do.

I came home after a long day of pharmacy work. My legs were tired. My head was tired. I was, however, glad to have an earlier shift which meant I was home in time to make a nice dinner. As I worked in the kitchen, I noticed a large gallon jug of milk and a tantalizing container of chocolate syrup. This combination smiled at me just about every time I opened the door to the refrigerator. Oooh…Chocolate Milk…Yeah. That would be great. The thought of enjoying it as I cooked made me grin. Yep. This was going to be the best glass of chocolate milk ever made.

I poured the milk into a cup, I squeezed a very nice portion of chocolate into the same cup and stirred away.

Suddenly a very stark reality hit.

We are currently in the Lenten season. It is a time of sacrifice—a time of dying to self.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the chocolate that I had—by choice—given up this year. Rather, I am desperately trying to hold to a strict water-only drinking policy.

So, I debated for a moment what I would do with this sweet beverage.

Pour it down the sink? I don’t think I could bear it.

But I do love God.

Oh yeah, and I love my husband too.

I decided to give it to my unsuspecting husband. I also decided I wouldn’t say anything about the fact that I had intended this treat for myself. Somehow I thought the sacrifice would be better this way.

I walked upstairs carrying the drink and mustered quite an impressive act.

I used my loveliest tone.

“I made you chocolate milk!”

He looked at me, smiled, and finished it all by the time I came in with our dinner.

It wasn’t until much later in the evening when it finally hit him.

“Why did you bring me chocolate milk?”

I laughed out loud. I guess it was a pretty odd thing to do.

We had a great night tonight. Some key words to think about: Snow. Driving. Younger Brothers. Inspiring Conversations.

After a fun bowling night, we drove Derek's younger brother and lovely friend home.

After dropping off the girl, we heard updates of the March For Life in Washington, DC this past weekend. We weren't able to attend but the younger brother went.

Without too many details, it was such a wonderful thing to hear how a young, awesome highschooler defended his faith on a bus ride back to Buffalo.

Being proud of this great guy is two-fold. First, he is our brother. Second, he was our Confirmation student.

The conversation was inspiring because it makes you realize how possible it is to be a witness and encouraging to realize that you may have played a tiny role in someone else's strength in that same situation.

God Bless fearless, capable, well-spoken younger brothers.

We love you, Johnny!

Today I went into an unfinished room to look for a sweater. We keep the door to this room closed to keep the heat in our half. On a December morning in Buffalo, this room is cold. As I walked in, our kitten followed behind. She scurried off to investigate a space she is seldom allowed to roam. I got what I needed and called to the cat to follow me out. She looked at me, looked around the room, and chose to stay in there.

I shrugged my shoulders, walked out and closed the door behind me.

Only a few minutes later, I could hear her crying. She had had enough of whatever it was she thought she needed. She was done but couldn’t get out on her own. She needed me to open the door for her.

I shook my head knowing all along that the situation would play out this way and let her out.

She glanced at me as if wondering if she might repeat the whole thing again.

Rather than running away this time she zoomed past me and back into the side of the apartment that is much more familiar to her.

How often are we just like that cat? We follow God to a certain extent but then “allow” Him to leave us alone for awhile while we do what we want only until we realize we needed Him all along.