Philhiggins's Blog

3..2..1…Launch

Phil Higgins — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:16:52 +0000

Hi All,

I’m very excited to finally be writing this. I am 100% finished with my album and necessary preparations to release it and finally share it with all of you. This has been an incredible undertaking requiring more time, patience, faith, money, and hard work than I would have ever guessed. It’s been a great journey though along the way working with Christian producer, Nick Coetzee in Florida, and then recording in Nashville with some incredible studio musicians. I have met some amazing people through this project and I am so thankful for every opportunity that has been presented to me. I’m so proud of the final product and I can’t wait for you all to hear it. I have named the EP “You Are God”, which is the first track of the album. I have made it available on my website www.PhilHiggins.com through all the main digital download sources (iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, CD Baby, etc). I also have plenty of copies with me so my hope is that it should be easy enough for you to get your hands on it! Again, I really hope you enjoy it and can share in the inspiration…

I will now be turning my time and focus to marketing and promoting this new worship music. My goal is to start playing these songs live at churches and Christian events throughout the San Diego area as much as I can. I am also looking for contacts and opportunities to get this music to christian radio stations. As I am just starting out, I will need all the help I can get with making new contacts and getting the word, and the music, out. I am often amazed at how many people we can share something with if we all put our contacts and social networks together to spread the word. God has presented me with some amazing opportunities since I began this project, and I’m sure if I continue to follow the path there will be many more. My first event will be at my own home church in Coronado. I have been given endless support and encouragement from the St. Paul’s church family and staff, and I am excited to debut this project there. There are many exciting things in the works so please stay connected by visiting my website for updates and signing up for the mailing list.

I would like to take a moment now to thank, once again, everyone who has helped me get this project completed. I definitely could not have done this without each and every one of you who have given their support and contributions. I am truly grateful and so honored that you all have believed in me enough to contribute. I have worked really hard to get this done and I hope you will feel proud and connected to both me and the music as you have played a major role in the entire process. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As I mentioned above, please take a trip to my website. I have recently re-built the whole site and added new pictures, music, and media. It is a big improvement and I’m excited for you to see it. I have added a facebook comment button on the home page as well if you decide you want to share it with your facebook friends.

Well, that’s it for now. Thank you for reading and I will be posting again with news soon!

Phil Higgins

The Light Is In Sight . . .

Phil Higgins — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:57:10 +0000

It has been several months now of hard work getting my first album put together and ready for release. This being my first real album release has shown me how much unseen work goes into getting a project like this completed. Things like getting all the artwork completed for the CD cover, getting the duplication set-up, getting a web site ready and iTunes account for online distribution . . .the list goes on. I am so anxious to get it finished and share it with all of you, and I just want to say once again that I could NOT have done this without each and every one of you who has shown me your support. Thank you so much! I can really see the light at the end of the tunnel now and I should be sending the record masters and the artwork for duplication within the next week. Very exciting! I will post an update as I send off for CD duplication. It’s almost here!

On a side, and more personal, note. . .I just got back from my wedding and honeymoon. It was a beautiful day shared with our families followed by an incredibly relaxing trip to Los Cabos for our honeymoon. I am so lucky and so blessed to be surrounded by such loving family, friends, and my wonderful sweet wife. God is great.

Home from Nashville. . .

Phil Higgins — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:45:52 +0000

I just got back from Nashville. I am still somewhat in shock about where I have been and what I have done over the past few days. When I think about the time I spent in the studio it really blows my mind. The musicians that I worked with are nothing short of amazing. I am so impressed and so blown away by these guys. I had Carl Albrecht on drums, who has a very impressive resume including being the current drummer for Paul Baloche, who is probably most known for the songs “open the eyes of my heart” and “God of wonders”. On bass was Matt Pierson, and electric guitar was Kris Donegan. Nick Coetzee, my producer, played piano, B3 organ, and keyboards.

My experience in the studio was like no other. Getting to watch my songs come to life by these outstanding players and engineers was awesome. Also, the cool thing about it is that both the musicians and the engineers working on my album are Christian studio guys. It was nice to have not only great musical parts, but also a solid faith and understanding behind the music. The first day in the studio we tracked all of the songs for the EP. I was really impressed with the speed and quality of work. We covered a lot of material in just one day. Each song was recorded live by me and the band, then we would do a second or third pass through the song to add additional parts. Some songs would get extra electric guitar parts, or other songs would get additional percussion parts. By the end of the day we had every part recorded for each of the songs, and it was sounding great! On the second day we started on the vocals. Since we had finished all the music the day before we had all day long to work on my vocal tracks. I recorded each of my lead vocals first, and then we went back through the songs to add harmony parts and back ground vocals. This was so fun for me since I was able to sing to the great music and back ground tracks that we had recorded the previous day. After a long day of hard work on the vocals we were able to finish everything. All the vocals and all the music was finished. It is shocking to me that we were able to get so much done in so little time. On a side note, I was surprised that Nashville studios and businesses are mostly converted houses. I was definitely not expecting this. The famous “music row” in Nashville appears to be a simple residential street. At a glance you would never know it was studio after studio. They do have signs in the front yard, but it was still very surprising to me. I took lots of pictures and some video so you can see what I mean.

I feel so fortunate and so blessed that I was able to experience this incredible adventure to Nashville. It is something I will never forget, and it has exposed me to a whole new level of music, songwriting, producing, and recording. Thank you so much for all of your support. I really could never have done any of this without each of you. I am really happy that I have this opportunity to share it with you. Thank you!!

So the next step in my project is to get all of the songs mixed and mastered. This is the final step in the audio recording. Basically, this involves getting each song balanced and ready for CD duplication. This is a really important step in the process. A song’s mix can really make a difference in how the listener hears the song and the lyrics, and ultimately can be the difference between someone liking the song or not liking it. I’m not worried at all though since the engineer working on it is one of the best around. There is no doubt that he will come up with amazing mixes for all the songs that are right on point!

It feels really good to have completed another step of my project. I’ve worked very hard and I’ve come really far over the past several months, and I’m getting really close now to reaching the end goal. I will be scheduling some more events soon so that I can come up with the rest of the funds to complete my album. Again, thank you so very much to everyone who has shown their support!

So in short, Nashville was a GREAT success. I really can’t wait to get the songs mixed and the CDs duplicated and packaged. I have some pictures and video clips from the studio that I will posting in the near future so please keep an eye out for it. I think you will really enjoy seeing it! Well, that’s all for now…

-Phil

Nashville

Phil Higgins — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:52:36 +0000

I hope you had a great Easter! I have spent the past 2-3 weeks working on writing out charts for my songs as well as recording home demos of the songs to reflect the changes made to the songs during the pre-production work I did in Florida. The charts I made will be used by the musicians playing at my upcoming concert on April 11th at 4:00pm at st. Paul’s Methodist church 700 d ave. Coronado, CA 92118. The charts will also be used by the studio musicians in Nashville when we record my EP album.

I had my first rehearsal yesterday with the musicians that will be playing with me this weekend. It is so fun to be putting together a full set of worship songs. I am really pleased with the way things are sounding. I really hope to have a good turnout though. I’m a little nervous facing the cost of this production. It is clear to me now more than ever that this is in God’s hands and I won’t be able to complete this project without the help and support of all of you. On that note, thank you thank you so much to all of you who have given your love and support. It means so much to me and I am truly blessed to have you all around.

So, next stop is Nashville! I really can’t believe it. Just to be heading there to record is so exciting, but on top of that I will get to work with some of the best a-list studio players in contemporary Christian music. I am just so amazed by this opportunity, and I am happy to be able to share it with all of you. I will be there from the 14th through the 17th. I will be sure to get some pictures in the studio while I’m there so look for those to come.

Thank you again for your interest and support. This is a great chance to share my music with the world with the hope that it may inspire some of those who hear it to come closer to God. Hope to see you this Sunday afternoon!

www.philhiggins.com
-Phil

My first EP record is officially underway. . .

Phil Higgins — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:11:44 +0000

I know it has been quite a while since I have written. Things have been incredibly busy here lately. I’ve been busy with the usual work of teaching guitar lessons and doing sessions at the studio, but also with various events and extra productions at church since it is getting closer to christmas. I have just gotten back from a trip to Florida and I am so excited to tell you about my trip!

Not more than two weeks ago I received my agreement from RainMusic Productions to produce an EP recording in Nashville. After signing and returning the agreement, I have been quite busy with getting my songs ready for pre-production with producer Nick Coetzee in Florida. I spent 4 days there in the studio arranging and working out 5 of my worship songs. I am so pleased with the outcome of my sessions. His influence and suggestions for my songs has really brought them up to a new level. I am sure that they will be even more effective now in touching people’s hearts and inspiring them to come closer to God. We put together a short demo of one of the songs to give you all an idea of the direction and the high level of production we will be achieving. I will be posting it on my website so be sure to go check it out! I hope you will all enjoy the sample.

I’d like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude and thanks for all of you who have shown your support for me in this project. I am not just saying this when I tell you that I could not do it without you. I am so lucky to have each of you in my life, and I hope you know that you really are a huge part of this project. You will be there each step of the way, and I am so happy to be able to share it with you. I have been thinking of each of you the past few days as I’ve been in the studio working on these songs, and I just wanted you to know that. Thank you all so much!!

It has been such a cool journey so far with song writing, finding a producer, playing the songs for worship at church, and organizing events. It has really brought me closer to God, and I’m so happy to be on this path. It’s so cool to see so many doors opening and amazing opportunities presenting themselves. It becomes so powerfully obvious that all these great things are nothing other than God’s plan.

So, the songs we chose for the EP are. .

Here We Stand
I Am Yours
Let His Name Be Known
Wonderful
You Are God

I literally can’t wait to get to the studio in Nashville to get them recorded. I am putting together some more fundraisers in the near future including a performance of my songs with a full band so stay tuned for details. I will be giving updates on my website, facebook, twitter, and blog, so please make sure you get connected. Also, please please please share this with anyone you think would be interested. I am going to need all the help I can get to get this music out there. Once again, thank you so much for your support!

-Phil Higgins

I Am Yours

Phil Higgins — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:30:46 +0000

Here are the lyrics to a new song I just finished. It is called “I Am Yours”. This song is basically about realizing that you must surrender yourself to God and what he wants for you in your life. It recognizes His power and ability to save us and show us how He wants us to be. I hope you like it. . .you can hear an audio clip on my website www.PhilHiggins.com

I Am Yours

Open my eyes to see

What you want for me, I will follow you now

Teach me your way, oh God

I just want to be closer to you

And I will worship you for the rest of my days

Save me for I am Yours

Show me Your way

Love me for I am Yours

My hands are raised

Open my heart to You

Let the love pour through as I sing to You now

Offering praise to You

I just want to be pleasing to You

And I will worship You for the rest of my days

Save me for I am Yours

Show me Your way

Love me for I am Yours

My hands are raised

I will be posting more song lyrics soon. Please check out my other songs at the website. I have lots of exciting news about the start of my recording project. . .Stay tuned!

New songs. . .

Phil Higgins — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:45:49 +0000

With my project underway and my committment as strong as ever, I have come across what looks like a great opportunity. After sending out emails and demos to several managers, producers and labels, I connected with a really great producer. His name is Nick Coetzee. He lives in Florida and has his own studio, but does a lot of work in Nashville in a great studio working with some excellent musicians and engineers. He has definitely expressed interest in working with me, and has shared many ideas and options for me to further my music project. Currently, I am putting together some fund raising ideas for a recording with Nick, and getting my music and presence online. I started a facebook music page, I’m working on my website, and yes. . .even a twitter account. Although, it’s weird because I have heard so much buzz about twitter but now that I am on it I can’t find anybody who actually uses it. Go figure.

In addition to budget planning and internet surfing, I have started teaching my songs to the praise band at my church. It has been an incredibly fun and rewarding experience to be able to share my songs with them, and then watch the songs come to life as we play them together as a full band. The past 2 weeks we have played two of my songs, “By Your Grace” and “Wonderful”. I feel really good about how they went, and I was very pleased to see that most of the congregation was already singing along half way through the songs. This was a very important factor for me as I was in the process of actually writing the songs. My goal is to really make these songs accessable for people. In other words, I want anybody out there to be able to hear the song and immediately be able to get the message and participate by singing if they feel so inclined. We are continuing to learn more of my songs at my church, St. Paul’s Methodist in Coronado, and I’m really enjoying every step along the way. By writing and singing these songs it has really heightened my awareness of God and brought me to His path.

I have some new lyrics that I will be sharing soon. . .

-Phil

The Journey Begins . . .new worship music in san diego, ca

Phil Higgins — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:41:12 +0000

This begins my journey as a new worship music artist in San Diego, CA. I will be sharing all my experiences with writing, recording, and finding my way through the maze of the music industry, while maintaining the balance of the true intention of the music being written, to praise God. I will have audio clips and news updates as well on my website, www.PhilHiggins.com

I have recently decided, after 8 years of playing music professionally around the San Diego area, to begin a new music project. I currently play in the praise band at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Coronado, CA. I have also accepted the role of leading the youth praise band in their Sunday evening services. I work with them every Monday in rehearsals, and we have a short youth worship service Sunday evenings at 6pm.

Sometime around January of this year I was struck with this clarity and desire to start using my music and songwriting talents for worship music. I have become reasonably familiar with praise music over the past few years from playing in praise bands at my churches. It has proved to be the most exciting and fulfilling music project I have ever been involved with. I have a small home studio available to me for recording demos of the songs I write, and coming this fall we will begin learning some of them in our praise band. I will be posting blogs of my experiences and journeys, as I learn, as I hit dead ends, as I get filled with inspiration, and as I am stuck with decisions to make, and unanswered questions about the music industry and getting new worship music out there for other believers to hear. My hope is that with guidance and perseverance, I can share my music with many people and they can share the same inspiration and love for God that I have through my music. Stay tuned…

-Phil