Whack! Uh oh, that’s not good…

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Not the sound you ever want to hear from your guitar!

Video with the Euphonic & String parts to “Like A Child” c. 2018 Rhon Van Erman

Well, it’s been an interesting few weeks to say the least. Man, I was truckin’ along (yes, I’m older) with my BluesGrass, 80’s riff induced version of “Amazing Grace” and on the last day of rehearsing some final changes, it happened. In my enthusiasm of the sound of the Hymn I got up fast from the couch and started to hold my guitar high in an old stage move I did when I was on the road and “Whack”….  time stood still….that was really stupid Rhon….what were you thinking? I had banged the back of my guitar with my knee. “Well dude, you really did it now”, I mentally beat up on myself for what seemed like an eternity and I looked it over and to my surprise didn’t notice any visible signs of damage. Well, that’s a relief. So on I went and recording was tomorrow, so I thought I was good.

The next day I recorded a few takes and got a good one only to hear some distortion right at the end of the track. Hmm, wonder if I just had to much signal? I listened back, pulled down the fader and there it was…the thing I’d craved for all my guitars when I was 12 years old…Distortion!…but, this wasn’t the type of distortion I wanted any part of. It was just plain hideous. Now what?

Some things work themselves out in the long run and the plans we make don’t always turn out the way we wanted. Honestly, as a Christian I know this and need to be humble to it, but as an “A” personality and “let’s get it done” type, I thought I had done something wrong or God was shutting me down. That’s the problem with my way before His way.
So after a bath in frustration I forged on. I had purchased some digital samples back in November of ’17 and had been wanting to get to this sound called the “Soft Piano” or “Felt Piano”. This was my chance! It is the most beautiful piano I’ve played. I got it loaded into the computer and upon the first chord played I was transported into the happy place I haven’t been in quite some time sonically. I played for about 20 seconds and there it was….my next single. It had a childlike sound with a very intimate character, which just happened to tie into a Bible reading I’d had a couple days before when Jesus said ”  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Perfect! And it reaffirmed for me that I must do my best to please my Father in Heaven especially when things don’t go as planned. Yes, easier said than done but this has become my next offering. I would love to hear your stories of “Plan B” and how it shaped your relationship with Him. I will be posting more video and updates until release of this very unique and intimate song. As always, may my words and notes be a blessing to you!

Rhon

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Euphonic & String Parts to “Like A Child” c. Rhon Van Erman 2018

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Rest Or Stress?

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That is the title of the song, right? “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, not “God Stress Ye Merry Gentlemen”. And yeah, what bout the Merry part, do I have that? And what am I Merry about? The here and now, or the Hereafter? Intriguing questions as the 25th of December inches ever closer. An even better question come the 2nd of January when all is said and done.

The CD, Christmas The Reason, was recorded purposely without words to let your mind ponder the meaning of Christmas. Your personal quiet time. Sitting by the tree at night, or early in the morning before everyone gets up. Rest from the go here, and go there. Rest from the stress.

One of my favorite things to do during December is to get some windshield time. Probably from my road days, but it helps me to mentally and spiritually breathe. A different kind of quite time. My arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” was written with this mood in mind. Like a nighttime drive in the city, with the snow gently coming down and the Christmas lights reflecting from the business windows. The air perfectly crisp but not too cold. Driving around neighborhoods looking at all the lights. Kind of makes you feel like a kid again. And as it says, “to have a child like spirit”. That’s something I never want to lose.

This is post #2 for the inside look at Christmas The Reason. Don’t forget to push the play button on the video above. It will play the song while you read this post. And please comment to me and share this blog across social media or email. And as always, thanks for listening!

– Rhon

Email me at rockin@rhonvanerman.com 

“Capture Me Again”

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“She stole my heart, not long ago.

Now it’s time for her to play the thief again”. (Verse 1)

Ah the Honeymoon. When all is right with the world and the only cares we have are for each other. Sleep in, then sleep some more. Eat, drink, be merry, and be happy to be married. If only this could last forever. Right?

Well, this is the first day of the Honeymoon. Sometimes the second day brings some odd characters to the mix. Expectations being one character. The hope that day two will be just a great as day one, or, better yet, exceed day one! There are other characters in this story you probably know all too well if you’ve been married for longer than two days. Whether we want to admit it or not, we can be a bit selfish with our better half. And that is what you call them, right?

Capture me again is written about getting back the Honeymoon and keeping it. Yep, it’s possible, but we have to keep it alive. Remembering that love, just is. It’s not a job with a clock in card. And when life caves in around us, there is a place we can go that makes it all go away, your better half’s arms.

There is a play on words with the lyrics to this song that uses stealing, incarceration and such, in a good way… read the lyrics at this link – http://www.rhonvanerman.com/Capture_Me_Again_Lyrics.pdf

Remember when all you could think about was how soon it would be until you saw them? That’s it. Keep it alive!

– Rhon

If You Were My Guitar

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Well Hi There!
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted so I thought I’d give you a little clip of a video I did on my iPhone via my guitar’s headstock (it’s the end of the neck where the tuner thingys are).
This will give you a perspective of what I see when I play notes and what might be going through my head at the time. Yes…sometimes I’m thinking about food : ) The guitar is tuned for the song “This Side Of Heaven” which is very whacked out but fun.
Thanks for reading and watching!

Christmas – The Reason EP

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As the saying goes “It’s all in the timing”. I would have to agree with that most of the time. So I’ve always struggled with prepping, arranging, and being in the mood to record Christmas songs in the middle of August. For whatever reason this year it fell into place. And not only has it been a blast to record, but, the Spirit in these songs has been moving.
First of all this will be an EP (Extended Play) release. Longer than a single but shorter than a CD. There are five songs in which I played all the parts of this all instrumental work. Some Jazz with “What Child Is This”, “Away In A Manger” for solo piano, and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” with the vibe of driving down a city street on a snowy night. “Silent Night” has a dreamy tone as that reminds me of when I was a kid and I’d sleep by the Christmas tree until Mom woke me up. One departure from the reflective mood of the EP is “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”, which started out acoustic and slowly manifested into a rocker. The main focus in this recording is to give the melodies and arrangements the opportunity to create a time to reflect on the reason of Christmas, where-in the title of the EP came about. Personally, one of the things I enjoy during Christmas is sitting by the tree late at night when it’s quiet and reflecting on the blessings of this miraculous event. To look up at the sky in the cold of Winter and know there is a divinity of this creation that gives me peace on a silent night. A reason I feel at rest in a place that is bigger than my mind can imagine.
My hope is when you listen to these songs you will take some time to reflect. Your blessings, your journey, and the mark you make on those around you.
This EP is scheduled for release around Thanksgiving. You can subscribe to this blog with your email address, or email me at rockin@rhonvanerman.com to keep up on all the details. And for events and daily goings on you can follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RhonVanErmanFanPage and Twitter https://twitter.com/RhonVanErman
As of this writing (11-8-13), the picture below is a copy of the artwork for the cover. I will be posting more about the EP the closer we get to release. Thanks for reading and for supporting my music. Time to get back to it, the Christmas clock has started!

Rhon –
rockin@rhonvanerman.com

Thank You, I’ll Take Another!

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Rhon Van Erman & Darrell Powell

Telly Award #2! –

The call, the email, or whatever form it comes, the sound on the other end of the line telling you of the recognition of your peers always sends a jolt of excitement through your being. The gift God gave me I chase with a passion that would be pleasing to Him and to all that it may touch. The icing is when others in your craft note your work and reward you for it.
In the provided picture I am holding Telly Award #2 for one of the videos from this blog for the recording of the Revolution CD. Pictured along with me is Darrell Powell, owner of Studio D in the sleepy town of Summitville Indiana. It’s not the place you live but how you live in the place you are.
This is a great honor, and I would like to recognize some of those who have helped with the making of these videos.

Jared Powell – Cabin14films
Garrett Matney – Cabin14films
Darrell Powell – Studio D
Dane Clark – Drums
Randy Melson – Bass
Phil Maxwell – Back round vocals

These are just a few of the people who were involved not only in the video but the recording of the Revolution CD, thank you all for your expertise!
Onward and upward! This day I have and I will seize, the best of what is given me.

Rhon

Are You The Wanted Man?

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Hook –
The Wanted Man, will he be the one?
To break the chains, and be the wanted man –

Breaking the chains of the unknown, the past, the hurt, the list goes on and on. The second video release from the Revolution CD is the song “Wanted Man”. It deals with wading into the waters of the unknown one step at a time. The trust, attraction, and all the things that go into choosing the one we think could be the right choice.
One of my favorite lines is –

She wanted him, to be the one
To sweep her away and not be just a dream

If you are looking for a life long mate, you have the dream, however, reality may take a bit longer than we like. Here is the music video, enjoy and best wishes ladies for finding your Wanted Man.

Rhon-

The “Revolution” CD Is Live!

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The “Revolution CD was released Tuesday, March 5th, 2013. This was an amazing day that I will not forget! Watching iTunes, CD Baby, YouTube and all the other places that this recording was going live around the world was awesome. I will continue to say that when we lose the amazement of what is afforded to us, we’ve lost gratitude of the blessings that surround us.
I am grateful that this medium of expression called a Music Blog, has given me a more detailed way to share with you how a song starts and continues to grow as time moves on. This body will one day breathe it’s last, but the songs created will live on. These are the things we pass on to our children, how we reacted to life, and what it all meant. Yeah, maybe that’s deep, but without connecting on this level with your family, friends and fans, life is just going through the motions. So, thank you for sharing in this ride with me. Remember the definition that is used for revolution is – “A sudden, radical, or complete change”, and my hope is you experience one of these in your life to make everyday count!

– Rhon