May 2007
I am now Dr. Gustavson... Beware! If anyone calls me that, I'll look over my shoulder for my father! Work continues on many projects, including the long-awaited Psalm Collection, and Troublin' Mind. Brand new work with Dejan Ilijic www.ilijicdejan.com, a talented musician from Serbia, will soon result in a full length album and some good music videos! Very exciting.
In late July, I will be traveling to Sweden to work with youth and adults at two different national conferences, and leading worship with my service Light into the World, as well as lecturing about liturgy and music. It should be a great trip!
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October 2006
I have officially advanced to candidacy for my PhD, and will be graduating in the spring of 2007. Very exciting news! I am also hard at working on further developing www.bloomingtwigbooks.com and www.ninetyandninerecords.com
Troublin' Mind has been on hold because of a medical emergency in the project's family, and will hopefully resume work in the next several months. This album will come out! In the meantime, I am working on several projects, including recording and writing music for film, and putting together some further worship resources, as well as two public interest organizations, both still in the heavy development phase, ChristianComposer.org and HumanePublisher.org
The Gospel Hymnal has had good success at several congregations, and the Complete Folk Psalmody is underway! All of the psalms have been written to music, but it takes a long time to produce all 450 scores that will be included in the final product!
It's a beautiful fall day, and I'm looking forward to the many projects that lay ahead!
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February 2006
I feel very blessed! Many new ideas in the works, and many exciting opportunities ahead!
I had three amazing sessions for the upcoming Troublin Mind album with Jamey Haddad, percussionist, Bakithi Kumalo, legendary bass player of the Graceland album, and Nick Reeb, fiddler for King Wilkie. Another session is coming soon with Ben Lively, an amazing jazz/funk/popular music fiddle player. Looking forward to that.
I can taste the end of my studies, and will advance to candidacy for my PhD in May. I'm busy writing music a mile a minute to fulfill the requirements for that.
I have re-released Mountain Vespers, and am working on the final touches of a complete piano accompaniment edition. It is available for sale in the NinetyandNineRecords.com Shop. The Gospel Hymnal is starting to sell in its Early Release Version, and the Psalmody is starting to gain momentum. Perhaps we can look for the complete release of both entire hymnals in the coming months.
And, on a personal note, I am now engaged to the very lovely Katharina Schuhmann, which makes me very happy. Check out my blog for more of my rants and personal details!
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December 2005
This has been a crazy month! I look very much forward to the session I will be having in January with Bakithi Kumalo and Jamey Haddad, hopefully finishing up my work on the Troublin' Mind album. We're going to record another 6 fresh tunes that I've written! I am also going to have old friends Nick Reeb, of King Wilkie and Ben Lively playing some violin/fiddle on the record. Very exciting!
On other fronts, I have almost advanced to candidacy for my PhD -- I have only a few months until I'll be done with official education for a good while! I'll be happy to reach that point!
I have set up some very exciting new sites this month, and look very much forward to filling them with useless information, and hopefully amusing some folks with it:)
I have built a podcast site for myself, very easy to syndicate. I have re-done the layout of my blog, which is much more user-friendly now, and I think, more attractive... I have also built a new store, which will make it much easier for folks to find the products of mine that they are looking for, quickly and effectively!
I also just had a wonderful performance of my newest classical composition, Song Between the Teeth, by extraordinary singers Rachel Schutz and Adam Ward, and pianist Sophie Patey in New York. Sound clip coming soon!
Have a wonderful Advent and Christmas season. Many blessings.
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November 2005
This site now has an Ordering Page, which should make things much simpler for confused site guests:) Many other things have changed in the last month, including my blog, which now is updated and full of amusing stuff, and hopefully will be written in more often! One Soul Online has also just been launched, and has most of my released music -- check them out!
Besides that, I'm immensely busy with all of my projects, but happy to be enjoying the last days of autumn. The Gospel Hymnal has had some early success: it is now available in an Early Release CD-Rom. I've put together a special price for it, and when the final product comes out, that will also be sent to the purchasers of the Early Release product. I am also releasing Mountain Vespers to the public for the first time on my site. Previously, Mountain Vespers had only been available from Holden Village. Check out the many changes to come on this site! And tell me what you think!
Autumn blessings to all!
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October 2005
The Gospel Hymnal is finally available. After a few touches, the CD-Rom will be sent off for production, and it will be available with an audio CD. Work continues on the inclusive Psalm Book . A new project should be done by December -- a songbook for Clint Howard.
In August, I went down to Tennessee to meet a great legend of old-time music, Clint Howard. I spent many hours with him playing tunes and sitting on the porch -- the time of my life! Truly a great man, a great musician, and a great storyteller. One Soul Records will hopefully be working with Clint in the next few months on several projects -- which makes me very happy and excited.
Troublin' Mind is still on a back burner, but is due out for release in May of 2006. In January, we are going to put the shoulder to the grindstone, and turn out a beautiful product (we'll see!)...
PhD work continues, and only a few months remain until I advance to candidacy, and only a year or a bit more until I'll be Dr. Gustavson. Of course, I'll always turn around and think that someone is asking for my father:)
I am also continuing work on a manuscript, and talking with several presses and an agent... Soon, I will reveal more information about that!
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June 2005
The month begins with an incredible opportunity for me to do research in Washington D.C. and in North Carolina. Mixing continues on Troublin' Mind -- a single of 'Blue in the Morning' is probably the next stage. Look for updates! I've updated the site with new Radios of my music (visit sounds page) thanks to Kek, an amazing flash designer. Three more songs and a lot of mixing lie ahead, but the end is in sight for Troublin' Mind.
I am also hard at work on the Bluegrass Gospel Hymnal, which will hopefully be ready by the fall.
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May 2005
After a very successful workshop in Minnesota, Light into the World has been adopted by yet another few church musicians. Slowly, but surely, the service is starting to spread. I am holed away studying this month, near the end of the semester, and working in the studio on a new set of songs for Troublin' Mind. I only have another year until I advance to candidacy for my PhD: the end is in sight!
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April 2005
April has proven to be a very eventful month, with doors opening everywhere. Deciding each day which door to walk through took serious consideration and planning! A workshop for Light into the World is planned for the weekend of April 29-May 1st in Minneapolis, MN, sponsored by Trinity Ministries with funds from the Lilly Endowment. Micah Schonberg and Jeshua Erickson will be joining me for a gospel concert Saturday night, and Saturday all day will be a workshop with church musicians from around the midwest. Sunday will be a worship service. For more information, visit www.bethlehem-lutheran.net/bluegrass.
Live in Vermont is being played on the radio very frequently, and has traversed the globe -- getting the larger portion of airplay in Australia and Europe! The album was also featured on my local NPR station -- which greatly amused me -- here is a brief description of the program: www.wshu.org/profile/2005/pr050311.asp. Stolen Shack has also gotten into the 'country' radio charts in Europe in a few areas, and has played a few gigs recently.
However, the bulk of my time has been spent working on my first PhD thesis, about Doc Watson, teaching, and going into the studio to record on the Troublin' Mind project. The project has grown out of proportion (in a good way), and is attracting all sorts of amazing musicians. Patrick Lo Re is producing the album for One Soul Records, and we have had the immeasurable assistance and care from Jamey Haddad, known for his percussion on Paul Simon's records. Keep checking in for updates -- it proves to be an interesting album!
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March 2005
The Lutheran Magazine and Sojourners Magazine are both carrying advertisements for Light into the World this month -- it will be exciting to see the response. Troublin' Mind work continues to change and develop the project at One Soul Studios in New York. Very soon, they will be testing four of the songs from the upcoming album on the internet, using Kek, a wizard of flash design to build a 'Music Machine,' with one of my tunes, similar to the one he designed for Alexandra Montano's new CD (check her machine out at www.onesoulgames.com/medieval). Live in Vermont has been getting airplay on old-time music radio stations across the globe: Australia, Austria, England, Germany, France, Canada, New Zealand, and more... and Stolen Shack has really started to develop a following as well, garnering airtime on prominent networks across the country, one year after its debut on NPR's All Songs Considered. Keep checking back here for new announcements, or visit Kent's blog site -- where there are updates almost every day -- free music, links to Kent's favorite sites and more.
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February 2005
The Rocky Mountain Synod Evangelical Assembly of the ELCA used Light into the World on February 3rd for their worship service. Preparations are underway for the upcoming Light into the World workshop in Minneapolis, MN on the weekend of April 29-May 1, 2005! There will be a full day of activities and workshops open to the public on Saturday, followed by a concert by Jeshua Erickson, Kent Gustavson and Micah Schonberg as well as other guests and participants in the workshop. Come check it out!
Troublin' Mind has hit the cyberspace age... Patrick Lo Re of One Soul Studios has been working with folks in France towards creating some sort of internet game that will feature songs from the upcoming album (not a shoot-em-up kind of game, but a musical game of some sort) -- as promotion for the new tunes and to gauge the response of folks all over the world before proceeding... We are all hopeful, but nervous. There are other interesting proceedings on that recording as well -- to be revealed slowly, so as to pique your interest!
Stolen Shack and Live in Vermont have both been played recently on the radio in Great Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Canada and all across the United States. For more information, or for Kent's musings, visit his blog (click here!).
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January 2005
Light into the World has been taking a life of its own! Preparations are underway for the Rocky Mountain Synod Evangelical Assembly in February, where the service will be used. Kent has provided Psalm 24 and 84 for the service from the upcoming book of inclusive psalms. Light into the World will also be advertised in the March issue of the Lutheran magazine -- exciting news!
Kent is, as always, in One Soul Studios recording new songs for Troublin' Mind... For a preview, go to the sounds page!
Kent has also started to write in his very own blog.(Click here!)
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December 2004
What had been final editing on the Troublin' Mind project has turned out to be just the beginning! Kent has been busy writing new songs, and Patrick at One Soul Studios has been busy finishing the first several tunes. We are deciding to follow our noses and head in a different direction with this one. Keep in touch to see what happens!
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November 2004
Wonderful workshop for 'Light into the World' at Fellowship Lutheran Church in Tulsa, OK.
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October 2004
Final editing on Troublin' Mind project with Patrick Lo Re at One Soul Studios in New York City. Due for release in early 2005. Go to www.onesoulrecords.com for all of Kent's recordings and products.
Light into the World chosen to be used at the ELCA's Rocky Mountain Synod Evangelical Assembly early next year.
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September 2004
Kent's new worship service, 'Light into the World: Hope for a New Day' awarded a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, thanks to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Longmont, CO.
Light into the World workshop in Longmont, CO with 50 musicians from around the Rocky Mountain Synod.
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August 2004
Light into the World: Hope for a New Day, a new setting of the Eucharist, released in hard-copy editions, CD and CD-Rom by Owl Mountain Music in Fort Collins, CO, and available for purchase and licensing at www.onesoulrecords.com
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July 2004
Kent's new live duet recording with his good friend Micah Schonberg, Live in Vermont, released by One Soul Records. Available at www.onesoulrecords.com
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June 2004
Kent records with his good friend Jeshua Erickson at Two Fish Studios in Mankato, MN.
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May 2004
Jamey Haddad, percussion master, records on Troublin' Mind at One Soul Studios in New York City.
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April 2004
Kent featured on NPR's All Songs Considered singing 'Poor Wayfaring Stranger' with his trio Stolen Shack.
'Providence' premiered by Nicholas Walker of New York City.
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March 2004
Kent's debut CD with Stolen Shack released on the One Soul Records label in New York City. For sale at www.onesoulrecords.com
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February 2004
Initial recording sessions with Micah Schonberg and the musicians of Stolen Shack, working on Kent's first solo project, Troublin' Mind, due to be released by One Soul Records in early 2005.
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December 2003
Final editing, mixing and mastering on 'Stolen Shack' at One Soul Studios in New York City.
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November 2003
Recording session at Kiva Studios in Fort Collins with local Colorado musicians for the Light into the World audio recording.
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