Craig Cummings Music

Brewer’s Alley Songwriters Showcase

craigcummingsmusic — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:42:17 +0000

03 Leaving Lafayette
On Monday night I played a short set as part of the the Brewer’s Alley Songwriters Showcase. This wasn’t my first appearance there and it won’t be my last. The showcase is run by Rod Deacy, Todd Walker, and Ron Goad. If you are reading this post and you live in Maryland, I am sure you’ve heard of these guys. They seem to be everywhere, playing and promoting music, writing songs, and supporting musicians whenever possible.
If you’ve never stopped by Brewer’s Alley, and you enjoy listening to songwriters perform their work, then Monday nights are a happening you should not miss. This is a listening room with good food, craft beers, and a positive and friendly vibe. The shows begin at 7:30 with a piano set and usually includes 3 or 4 musical performers and the local poet laureate, John Holly.
I know that a Monday night is not usually a night out for people, but you may want to make an exception for this. Who knows…I may be playing that night.
Check out Brewer’s Alley on Monday nights – and enjoy the song I’ve posted above. It is from my newest CD, Whispering Low. The song, Leaving Lafayette, features incredible fiddle playing from Bob Spates of Silver Spring, MD. If you like it, it’s available on iTunes and CD Baby

Opening Night at Joe Squared Power Plant Live

craigcummingsmusic — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:26:34 +0000

I performed at the new Joe Squared location at Power Plant Live on their opening night. This place is going to be a bonanza for the Joes and a great place for pizza lovers and musicians. Their pizza is – well, it’s the best around. For musicians, there will be a good walk-through crowd, there is a nice bar for patrons to drink, eat, and listen, and once it is all put together properly, a great sound system. I love playing both Joe Squared venues. They treat their musicians well, and the venue draws a crowd that is always interested in the music, even if they are not the sit still and listen types. It is a bar…but a good one for any performer who likes to interact and be friendly with an energetic audience. See you there!

Whispering Low – Looking Back/Looking Forward

craigcummingsmusic — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:35:40 +0000

01 Whispering Low

Well, the new CD, Whispering Low, was delivered to me in May and I immediately started my PR push. I was, and still am, extremely happy with this CD. I believe in the songs and I think they are well-performed and well-recorded. The whole experience was a blast from start to finish. I again worked with sound engineer Nick Sjostrom at Clean Cuts Music in Baltimore. Nick also recorded my first CD. You couldn’t ask for a better sound engineer. Nick is easy-going and talented. He is not afraid to offer suggestions yet he also remembers that his job is to help the artist achieve their vision – and not to determine that vision. The band played extremely well. Edward and Doug provided a solid rhythm section and Kurt’s guitar parts on the songs were great performances. Also got to bring in Mike Henley to play organ and piano, and my good friend Wall Matthews again provided some key guitar tracks – this time on the song Life Without Fear.

Initially the CD sold well. Lots of sales in the first couple of weeks. Then the real challenge of keeping sales of the CD going begins to set in. The CD release party was a blast. Had a good turn out for that show, and Joe and Daren, the owners/operators of Joe Squared (the venue) couldn’t have been nicer or more supportive. And now, where to go from here.

If you’re not touring, it is an even greater challenge to keep sales and interest in your CD going than if you are on tour. I’m playing a bunch of shows in September and continuing to work on adding additional shows in new venues throughout Maryland, northern VA, DC, and surrounding areas. You can check my website and Facebook pages for more information and locations of my upcoming shows. I think the best thing to do is put one foot in front of the other and just keep getting the music out there. I am also hoping to find some better ways to get my music in the hands of people who already have recording deals and are looking for songs. The songs on this CD are well-written. To show you what I mean, I’ve posted the title tune from the CD on this blog entry. Enjoy – and pass the word. I appreciate everyone’s support. I’m looking forward to playing more gigs and selling more CDs.

Recording Update #3

craigcummingsmusic — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:25:10 +0000

Well I’ve finally finish recording all of the instrumental and vocal tracks for the new EP. This past week, I completed the lead vocals and I brought the wonderful Sahffi into the studio to sing background vocals. I am really excited about this project and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. I’ll be doing the final mix this week and when I am finished I will post a cut from among the final mixes. Once the mix is done, it is on to mastering and production. Hoping for an April release.

Recording Update #2

craigcummingsmusic — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:29:34 +0000

We recently finished laying down the basic instrument tracks (electric guitar, bass, and drums) to go along with the previously recorded acoustic guitar and reference vocal tracks. We had a really fine time putting all of this together and the songs are starting to take shape, although there is still much to do. Nick, our engineer, did his typical fine job. The band was well-rehearsed and gave me the backbone of the tracks. Next up is refining some of the recently recorded parts and adding other instruments – fiddle, piano, maybe some dobro, pedal steel… Putting the songs together is an adventure. Each new instrument provides a different flavor to the songs.

This is going to be a country record. I’m looking for a fairly classic Nashville production – I’ve been listening to some of Billy Sherrill’s work to inspire me with the production work. I’m excited to make it happen. I am posting one track from the latest session. Keep in mind that it is raw, but if you have heard the totally acoustic version of Summertime Love at one of my shows, this version with the band will give you an idea of what is to come. Enjoy this peek into the recording process and let me know what you think.

Recording Update

craigcummingsmusic — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:37:28 +0000

My newest recording project is moving along. I laid down the down the acoustic guitar tracks in late August and I’ll be taking the band into the studio this Sunday. My core band includes Kurt Hammond on guitar, Edward Graham on bass and Doug Workman on drums. I call them the Wildcards. We’ve been rehearsing for the past 2 weeks and I’m excited about the songs. I have high hopes for this CD. The songs have plenty of lyrical integrity (no silly stories about green tractors and such) and also have good commercial appeal. My current CD is getting airplay on country radio stations and I think many of the songs on the new recording will be even more appealing to radio programmers. I’ll write again after the recording session this weekend and will probably post a rough cut of one of the songs.

Craig Cummings Working On New CD

craigcummingsmusic — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:46:28 +0000

Well, it’s been a while since I last posted anything on my blog (life is busy), but I’m back to write about the new CD I’ve started recording. Unlike my last CD (Road Trips and Relationships), which was a full-length CD, this one will be a 6-song EP. I’ll be featuring Baltimore area musicians on this recording. For those of you who caught my show at the Senator theater in March, the musicians who joined me that night will be featured on this new project. I’ve dubbed them The Wildcards. I’m sure there will be other guest musicians as well. In August I laid down the basic acoustic guitar tracks. The band is scheduled to join me in the studio in mid-September. We’ll be recording at Clean Cuts Music with Nick Sjostrum engineering. I’ll keep you up to date on how the project is proceeding and post some of the music as it develops. Stay tuned.

Jakob Dylan At the Rams Head Live in Baltimore

craigcummingsmusic — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:37 +0000

Jakob Dylan and his band rolled into Baltimore Thursday night fresh off an appearance on the David Letterman Show. Night owl that I am, I saw the Letterman performance and went to bed determined to see their live show last night. Jakob chose to play Nothing in the Whole Wide World for their Letterman appearance and on Thursday night they chose the same song for their opener. From the start it was clear that this was not going to be an opportunity for Jakob to revisit his indie rock career – different band and a whole different feel. On this night Jakob presented an Americana vibe – a little country, a little bit of folk, and some occasional forays into rock n’ roll. With Neko Case and Kelly Hogan providing understated but beautiful back-up singing, this performance was all about putting the songs first. And, Dylan’s writing gets better as he goes along. The songs are more personal, more direct. His singing benefits as the writing takes on more of a first-person narrative. His voice, with echoes of his famous father, has its own resonance and identity. He know how to deliver a song effectively, yet he allows the song take center stage and never demands the personal spotlight.

Also notable were the musical performances of his band members, particularly the contributions from his pedal steel and stand-up bass players. Fans of Americana music or anyone who enjoys good songwriting and honest straightforward musical performances will leave his show wishing he was a local who they could see sometime soon in another venue across town. AS he tours in support of his latest CD, Women + Country, be sure to buy your ticket.

Some Thoughts on Contemporary Country Music

craigcummingsmusic — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:41:51 +0000

Those of you who are personal friends or who read my blog or interviews I’ve given have surely heard me lament the state of contemporary country music. Oddly enough, country music has never been more popular than it is today. So what do I have to complain about? There is no disputing the talent of a guitarist such as Brad Paisley or a singer like Carrie Underwood. These are gifted performers who will be making music for a very long time.

My chief complaint is the over-commercialization of country music. Country really isn’t country any more. It’s rock n’ roll with corny lyrics. It’s macaroni and cheese in a box instead of the delicious casserole made from scratch with real ingredients. Contemporary country music fans often don’t even realize that many popular songs satirize the very lifestyle they think the songs so genuinely represent.

I listen to contemporary country radio a few times a week because I am curious to see what is being played, and hopeful that stuck within the dreck are some real gems by authentic country artists that perform songs with honest straightforward lyrics, and a minimum of guitar and vocal pyrotechnics. I am usually disappointed. I picked a couple of very popular current songs that I kind of liked and learned to play them. I wanted to see if I could make them work for me – if there was a way for me to make them feel somehow… authentic. I couldn’t do it. Sure I can play the chords and song the notes, but I just cannot make the songs have a soul. Real country music has a soul.

I would like to suggest that you read a recently published article in the PopMatters online magazine written by Steve Leftridge, a high school teacher and columnist from the midwest. His article, Pour Some Sugarland on Me: Why Country Music Is The New Classic Rock, is a terrific read. The comments that follow are almost as good. This article deserves the credit for inspiring this post.

Wouldn’t it be great if contemporary country music stations featured performers like Roseanne Cash, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Rodney Crowell (to name just a few). These are country artists with soul – artists whose songs and performances represent what country music is really about – authenticity, lack of pretension, and honesty. Read Mr. Leftridge’s article and then cue up Buddy and Julie Miller’s Written In Chalk, or Rodney Crowell’s Sex and Gasoline. You won’t miss the point.

Live Show March 6th At The Senator Theater in Baltimore

craigcummingsmusic — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:24:53 +0000

I will be appearing live at the historic Senator Theater in Baltimore on Saturday March 6th back by the Wildcards, a wonderful trio of musicians including Kurt Hammond on guitar, Edward Graham on bass, and Doug Workman in drums. Also appearing that evening will be T. Edwin Doss and Steve Hung. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. They can be purchased online by clicking here

The Senator is a beautiful venue and provides a concert setting for this evening of country/Americana music. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the music begins at 8:30 p.m. For information and directions to the Senator Theater visit their website