New EP: "Girl on a String" Free Download!

Click on the link below for a free download of our brand new EP, "Girl on a String." We'd appreciate your leaving a tip of your choice, but we mostly want you to enjoy the new music and tell all your friends.



Also, if you're in the Dallas area, don't miss our CD release party tonight, at Lake Highlands Church Coffeehouse. We start at 8:00, but be sure to come early to hear the talented Brian Holand at 7:30.

We have a limited number of physical CDs available, and if you come to our show, you can purchase a signed copy!

Thanks for all your support! We couldn't have made this EP without you!

CD Release Party

 Here's a sneak peek of the cover art,
courtesy of the very talented Krystal Wight Armstrong. 

Okay, guys, it's official: our CD release party for "Girl on a String" is happening Friday, September 23rd at 8:00 pm at Lake Highlands Church coffeehouse, with Brian Holland opening at 7:30. (See their website here for more info.) You do not want to miss this awesome, free, and long-anticipated event! Also, be sure to check back here on September 23rd to find out how you can get your free download.

In the Studio! (Pics)

So far, we've spent our Summer visiting the wonderful NoiseVault Studios here in Dallas, TX, to record our upcoming EP - Girl on a String.  (It should be ready by August or September.)  The music sounds better than ever, and the studio experience strongly exceeded our expectations.  (No, Noise Vault didn't ask us to say that, we're just extremely pleased with them.)  It's rare to find a studio that does things the way you want them to without spending half a day explaining how everything is supposed to sound.

Here's some photos of the process.:

(All photos in this group were taken by Connor Roberts.)

Christine's guitar work formed the foundation of each track, and she always got it right on the first take.

Here's Ed laying down the bassline for the song 'Open Country.'  Between the drums, the organ, the piano, the bass, and his vocal lines, Ed probably did more work than anyone else in the studio.  He's very talented.

Believe it, or not, this mic was used by Jennifer Lopez before it was purchased by our sound engineer.  It made Christine's voice sound great.

Even though I don't really play the piano in our shows, when we got to the studio I had an idea for a piano part on Christine's song, 'Girl on a String,' and I recorded on the next take (while Ed was recording the drums and Christine was singing in the vocal booth).  The ability to record a few separate tracks simultaneously made the process much quicker.  (In the background you can see that I'm under the intense scrutiny of our sound engineer, James.)

"I think you should turn up the guitar...uh, a little more...no, that's too much...wait, back up....no, down again...now, turn it up just a little...and back down...that's too far..."

The drums are my favorite part of the recording, so far.  They sound really great, and Ed's jazz/rock style gave our music a great sound.

We've been playing 'Open Country' for two years, but it only got a mandolin part a few weeks ago.  And, yes, tall guys look goofy playing little instruments.

It's a good thing we went to the studio to record some songs, because we really don't have many band pictures.

Thanks for your support, and keep an eye out for Christine Hand's EP, Girl on a String.

Performing Tonight @ White Rock Coffee in Dallas

Tonight, at 8:00 p.m.we'll be playing at White Rock Coffee House in Dallas, TX.  Their coffee is amazing and the people there are always great.  See you there!

Click here for directions.

(By the way, the spiced chai at White Rock Coffee is my favorite coffee drink in Dallas. -Adam)

Recording

We had a great time recording this weekend at Noise Vault Studio. We will continue the work this weekend, and we hope to have a new EP out by fall! In the meantime, come to one of our shows. This month, we'll be at Dallas favorite, White Rock Coffee on June 17th. Hear songs from the new record, and enjoy coffee from a coffeehouse recently voted one of the top ten coffeehouses in the nation! We'll look forward to seeing you later in June!

White Rock Coffee Tonight!

Tonight we are playing at one of my favorite places in Dallas, White Rock Coffee. Stop by anytime between 8:00 and 10:30-ish for great music and some of the best coffee around!

See y'all tonight!

--Christine

Amazing House Concert!

We had an incredible time performing alongside Vicky Williams and Grady Yates for a sold-out house concert, last night. I know what you're thinking. House concerts are small, cramped affairs where a few friends of a friend gather closely around, straining to hear the lone guitar and vocalist. We call this "intimate," to make ourselves feel better (though it really can be a lot of fun), and this is basically what I had in mind beforehand. Then we pulled up to this million-dollar, custom designed, 11,000 sq. foot home by Sharif-Munir, and we knew that this was no ordinary house concert.

The house is for sale, by the way, so if you happen to have that much money, go talk to the good people at sharif-munir -- then come talk to us about helping out with the production of our next record. :)

Playing this show was like being invited to a swanky party where people also want to listen to you sing and play original music -- and, better yet, they actually want to hear you talk about the songs and the songwriting process. This kind of thing very rarely happens in the music scene as I have experienced it, so it was truly a rare treat. Special thanks also go to Dallas Master Songwriting Sessions  for helping to organize and sponsor the event, as well as Grady Yates for putting the night together, Sharif-Munir for the excellent venue, and producer James Johnson of Noise Vault studios for running sound and recording the night's music. (Look for audio and/or video to come, soon!)

This sort of event restores my faith in the local music scene. The quality of writing and musicianship, the enthusiasm and support of the audience, and the friendliness and hospitality of those who made the event possible all made for the kind of community music experience that I often feel we have lost. So again, I offer a hearty thank you!