Moving Forward

Dean Hall: New CD on the Horizon

What’s Up?

Admittedly, taking a break from playing live music has been cathartic. The logistical, organizational, and managerial challenges to tour and play live shows was draining my creativity. Every day I would wake up to a to-do list, and none of it involved reading a book, writing a song, or playing the guitar. It doesn’t take long for that to get old. So I decided to take a break…sort of.

Middle Tennessee State University

I’ve probably been a MTSU student longer than anyone on the planet. I started taking RIM (Recording Industry Management) classes there in 1982, when the program was in its early stages of development. On and off, I’ve taken classes at MTSU ever since. My education (and GPA) was often interrupted by tours with other artists, which sometimes lasted anywhere from days to years. Although I advanced in the RIM program very quickly and managed (with the generous help of friend, professor, and former department head Chris Haseleu) to record my first two CDs there, I still had a lot of work to do. Due to time and monetary restraints, I could only take one or two Tuesday/Thursday classes throughout the semester. With the help of a clear schedule and Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), I’ll be able to finish my degree in RIM as well as one in Philosophy. Upon my return to MTSU a few years ago, I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA in all my classes. Last semester I took a full load of 15 hours, and my 4.0 GPA landed me at the top of the Dean’s List. Pretty proud of that!

I’ve got about 3 semesters left to finish up both degrees, which is really exciting.

New CD

The new CD is almost finished. All the drum-tracking is finished, and short of a few background vocal overdubs, I’m mixing. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait. Right now, you can download the songs that are completed for FREE. I really appreciate everyone who comes to this site and reads over my self-indulgences. It’s the least I can do. There is an individual page for each song that is finished under the “Music” tab on this site, or you can go to my SoundCloud channel and download them there. It’s free! You can share the songs with your friends and family if you wish. In fact it would really help if you did. It would really help get the word out about the new CD. If you sign up for my mailing list, you will get free updates when more new songs are added. There are at least eight more.