The New 2014 Christmas Track from Rogue/The Cruxshadows is Now Available! Light a Way (Back Home). Its a Cruxshadows Tradition:)
I guess I haven’t done much in terms of writing the News post lately. Fatherhood has occupied a significant portion of my time and I am just not as savvy about things as I once was. We are a slower burn I suppose… Which might be one reason for the longevity the band has had over the years; Slow and steady winning races and all that. I’m looking at the date and strangely enough my last post was exactly one year ago when I released the 2013 Christmas song December Lights🙁 Social Media has replaced the news feed in many ways… and now most of my interaction online happen via Cruxshadows’ twitter or instagram. But as I sit here writing this I realize just how little one can express with 140 characters. Sometimes the more we are ‘connected’ the less I think we connect… even online. Regardless, I apologize. I will try and do a little better going forward. Now to business:
First the other stuff. Afterall.
There is plenty going on. Brent and I are still working on our Rock opera AFTERALL. An early draft saw its first act read publicly at DragonCon(2014) this year. Since that time we have done some serious revisions, but I am really excited about the possibilities and direction of the project. We have had inquiries from a few film companies, theatre production companies, agents, and publishers so far that gives me serious hope that the project will be realized at some point in the not too distant future. Its very different than anything I have ever been involved with or even exposed to myself, and yet it feels familiar and natural. The story takes place upon the death of the main character. What follows is a mythology filled mish-mosh centered in the OZ-like purgatory we call Afterall… based on many of the concepts within Cruxshadows music as a whole, it unfolds in a compelling narrative all set to many of the Cruxshadows best songs. Exciting stuff, right? I completed a promotional poster for the project earlier this year… I see a lot of potential here, I think. You will hear more about this soon if all goes according to plan.
Artwork created by Rogue for the new Rock Opera AFTERALL
Christmas
Now for this years Christmas song.
I had planned to do more than one track this time out, and in all honesty I have not entirely abandoned that goal. But with time ticking away, I needed to at least get the first song out. We will see what happens with the others. Stay tuned to Cruxshadows’ Twitter & Facebook pages and I will let you know. It might be possible to get more tracks out before Christmas.
(Before I go any further, to those of you who are new to our little tradition here, you can download the other Christmas songs to the right. Their is a variety of file formats, and hopefully one of them works for you. When I have enough Christmas tracks I may look into releasing the whole group of them as a Christmas album.)
Ok- now that that is out of the way… Where was I?
This year I started working on three songs for Christmas. One is Celtic themed, one is a traditional, and the last is more of a CXS B-side style song from the days when singles came on LPs or CDs… (oops- showing my age there) … Anyway, I was able to complete the Celtic one this morning and mix it down with some basic mastering. I may be letting it go a little early, but it sounds pretty good to me and its important to get it out in time for Christmas:-) It has taken a few sleepless nights to complete, and I stumbled through a few setbacks along the way. But in the end I have created something that I hope you will enjoy- that will hopefully enhance your holiday- even if only in the slightest of ways.
Christmas is a mixture of so many different things; reverence, hope, nostalgia, comfort, childhood, family, & joy (to name but a few). But it also tends to highlight the emotions we tie to loss, fear, loneliness, and isolation… of missing something that makes us complete. Its one of the most overlooked lessons in life that we tend to take not just things… but people we love… for granted.
I used the familiar Irish theme of a lover lost at sea for my Christmas song. Aside from its obvious thematic link to a celtic style composition, the hinted story becomes a metaphor for Christmas that encompasses not only the fear of loss but also the anticipation, faith, and hope for an eventual return. There are no reindeer or jingle bells here… But it is a Christmas song none-the-less. Many of us have lost people we love(d) from our lives, whether through life’s unpredictable daily evolutions leaving us estranged and disconnected, or through the sudden and apparently permanent event of death. Still others are separated by states, countries, or continents and are unable to be with someone they love. That separation is defining to many.
I wanted to write a song about never taking what we have for granted; however small and meager it may seem. Sometimes its difficult to know just how much someone means to you, until you lose them… Every moment is a gift to be celebrated; Cherished. Christmas is everyday… the 25th is just the one day we realize it. Bad things will always happen and nothing in life is permanent. Even you and I will someday cease to be. Still, if life is to mean anything at all then we must find an appreciation for what we have, and what we have had in the past. It lends a new perspective to the difficult times. It helps us to soldier on when life is hard; it helps us to celebrate those we love when we have opportunity.
So here it is- Light a Way (Back Home), a new Christmas track from me to you. Rachel Whitford sang the female vocals on it as a favor to me and I think she did an awesome job. I hope you enjoy the track. Remember to get the other tracks if you haven’t already.
The songs are currenty offered as Free/Donationware, there is no charge to download it. But please, if you enjoy the new track or the other Christmas songs, consider sending us something via paypal. Thank you for your generosity and It really, really helps, particularly at Christmas time. Thank you for listening. Please spread the word- but share the link to our site and not the files if possible.
Merry Christmas- Live Love Be Believe
Rogue
*DOWNLOAD FILES BY RIGHT CLICK (pc) or CTRL CLICK (mac)*
Light a Way (Back Home) (AIFF)
December Lights (Merry Christmas Dear) (MP3)
December Lights (Merry Christmas Dear) (AAC)
December Lights (Merry Christmas Dear) (WAV)
Tabhartas Dé (MP3)
Tabhartas Dé (AAC)
Tabhartas Dé (WAV)
Anmi’s Christmas (AAC)
Anmi’s Christmas (MP3)
O Holy Night (MP3)
O Holy Night (AAC)
A Promise Made (Wedding Day) (MP3)
A Promise Made (Wedding Day) (AAC)
There is no fee to download. If you like the songs please consider donating. Any amount is appreciated:-)
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