Dan Chisholm - 'From The Ground Up'

Dan Chisholm - 'From The Ground Up' OUT NOW!

Dan's first album since Excess Baggage released in 2004.
'From The Ground Up' is a new country-rock album which has been written and produced breaking conventional song writing.

Just a reminder that the CD version of my album is available from this page on and includes the current single 'The Syst...
10/12/2024

Just a reminder that the CD version of my album is available from this page on and includes the current single 'The System' which is available on disc for the first time.
With Christmas postal deadlines nearing soon, you will need to contact me asap if you'd like a copy for yourself (or to send to someone you don't like).
Well it was just a thought ...

MY CHRISTMAS SINGLE ‘THE SYSTEM (2024 REMIX) ’ IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD:You have a sense of Deja Vu? Allow...
22/11/2024

MY CHRISTMAS SINGLE ‘THE SYSTEM (2024 REMIX) ’
IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD:

You have a sense of Deja Vu? Allow me to explain ...

I wrote the song after watching a TV news report on Christmas Day 2018 about a charity which hosted local homeless people where they were fed, clothed and offered a haircut and tidy-up.

The report had a big impact on me; I had recently been shopping in a Cotswold market town and noticed a homeless man sitting in a shelter in the bustling town centre and wondered how he would be spending his Christmas Day - and what his back-story was.

I turned off the TV and took a cup of tea into my studio and sat at my piano. Under an hour later, 'The System' was born.
I recorded a piano and voice outline of the song and planned to do something with it the following year.

Winter 2019 was approaching when I considered releasing ‘The System’ as a charity single and wondered how it might sound as a country track.
Having already recorded 'All I Want Is You' with my new American friends, I knew their work was excellent … but this was quite different to what they’d typically record.
I decided to take a gamble and sent John my piano and voice demo with the chords structure, lyrics and my ideas. I only offered a suggestion for what I wanted for Daniel’s lead guitar solo and gave no further direction - other than to do what felt right for the track.

The morning after the recording session, I awoke to an mp3 recording for my approval. I got the lyric sheet and settled down to sing with the track - not knowing what I was about to hear.

I soon realised it was better than I could possibly have imagined. They had done a fantastic job ... Daniel’s lead guitar part around the line about the International Space Station was perfectly placed for the backing vocals and choir I hoped to add.

After my additional production was completed, time was very tight for a Christmas release, so the mix was the best I could achieve in the time available.
It wasn't easy - this was only my second attempt at mixing a live drum kit - and I wasn't sure whether sleigh bells were now too much of a cliche.

It was uploaded for release but with little time to promote it, ‘The System’ got some radio airtime – including the BBC.
Sadly, it didn’t translate into sales as most people streamed the track. Despite failing to make much money for homeless charities, embarassed by my 'failure' I donated some savings and hoped to try again the following year - the year of the pandemic.

A lot happened in 2020; the loss of my father to Covid was hard and music was furthest from my mind. However, I figured as more people were a captive audience rediscovering their radio, I could be more successful. I decided to release the alternative mix (minus the sleigh bells), but when few people bought it again, I began to doubt the quality of the song.

Believe me, when you personally fund a recording with top musicians, it’s expensive by the time your track is distributed and goes out into the world. As the final stages were all done at my studio, the costs of engineering, production and mastering were already covered.

Every professional musician I played the song to said they really liked it; John and the guys in America said they enjoyed the challenge of a more complex piece of music ... and they had done a great job. I vowed that one day I would return to it.

After rediscovering my passion for music through working with 'my band' 😊, I set about finishing the album project - and concluded that as I now knew far more about mixing and engineering, I could revisit 'All I Want Is You' and 'The System' as bonus tracks only available on the CD version of 'From The Ground Up'.

But with Christmas approaching, we should never forget those less-fortunate than us who will be having just another day on the streets.

I am very proud of this 2024 remix and this song will always have a place in my heart, as I hope it will have a place in yours.

PS:
Back in 2019, I was asked for a radio-friendly version of the song. I was puzzled as there is nothing offensive in the lyric.
For the avoidance of doubt, the words are:

"I once wore a suit ... and wasn't FIZZED as a newt ..."

After my career as a broadcaster, I knew it would be foolish to jeopardise my changes of airplay by singing an unsuitable sentence. So, I chose the word FIZZED as everyone would know what i meant.

Oh well!

This has made my day! John, George, Daniel and Rhett are fantastic musicians, but also very special people. You can hear...
20/11/2024

This has made my day! John, George, Daniel and Rhett are fantastic musicians, but also very special people.
You can hear how good they are on my new single (released this Friday 22nd) called 'The System' (2024 remix).
It's a song I wrote on Christmas Day 2018 immediately after watching a news report about a project supporting homeless people.
I'll share the full story on Friday ...

Hope you’ve had a good week - I’m disillusioned. So little positivity (or at least) feedback, for an album which many sa...
16/11/2024

Hope you’ve had a good week - I’m disillusioned. So little positivity (or at least) feedback, for an album which many said they would support and haven’t.

After six long years I am proud of my achievement. Cancer surgery removing 32 lymph nodes close to my vocal cords meant relearning how to use my singing voice again - and as I’m getting older, it wouldn’t improve anyway.

Maybe you could consider buying a CD to give to someone you don’t like for Christmas?

Failing that, next Friday you’ll have my Christmas track to hate too. 😂

I’ll soon be gone from Twitter and IG very soon. But you can now find me here!
15/11/2024

I’ll soon be gone from Twitter and IG very soon. But you can now find me here!

Update: If you don't already have your CD and would like one, there's still time.Of the people who joined this page for ...
12/11/2024

Update:
If you don't already have your CD and would like one, there's still time.
Of the people who joined this page for news of the album, few have bought a CD copy. Thank you to those who have bought the limited edition and especially to those who got the even rarer bonus gift!
It'd be a shame if the only way people want to hear it is if it becomes a posthumous album! It'll be a bit late then as I won't be able to send them out ... 😂

With Tunedesigner.com – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉 (They know this anyway!)
11/11/2024

With Tunedesigner.com – I just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉 (They know this anyway!)

"I WANNA TELL YOU A STORY"On Christmas Day 2018, I was watching Sky News and saw a report about a scheme where a charity...
10/11/2024

"I WANNA TELL YOU A STORY"

On Christmas Day 2018, I was watching Sky News and saw a report about a scheme where a charity invited homeless people for a special festive treat.

Their guests arrived in the morning and were given breakfast and a shower, shave and haircut and clean clothes. Father Christmas arrived with presents and they played board games with others before enjoying Christmas dinner and then settling down for the night.

The report had a huge impact on me; a few days earlier I had been shopping in a Cotswold market town and noticed a homeless man sitting in a shelter and I now reflected on how he coped with Christmas.

I immediately turned off the TV, headed into my studio and sat at the piano. Within an hour the song 'The System' was born.

The following autumn I thought about recording the song as a charity single using the guys I'd discovered in America. My track was a little more complex than most country songs, but they loved the idea and I commissioned them to record the backing track.

When the recording arrived, I decided to just play it and sing with the track. By the end, I was quite emotional because John and the guys had recorded an outstanding audio framework for me to complete. I'd requested a specific 'rise and fall' in the arrangement after the line about the International Space Station including Daniel's soaring guitar solo.

I put together the backing vocal arrangement, added some instrumental parts and finally the lead vocal. The mix had to be done quite quickly as it was close to the release deadline.

I decided to donate all proceeds to Shelter UK and despite a decent amount of radio airplay, few people bought it - most streamed it - and it made virtually nothing. So instead, I donated £150 to Shelter and vowed to return and remix the track in the future.

Since then I have learned a lot about engineering a music production and knew that a remix using the knowledge and expertise I have acquired would greatly improve the sound. Everything is clearer, polished and shows off a song I am very proud of.

If you have a CD copy of 'From The Ground Up', the 2024 remix of 'The System' is a bonus tracks which is the only song on the album to have been written the traditional way, but using the same team I have been working with since 2017.

If you have streamed or downloaded the album, 'The System (2024 remix)' will be digitally released on Friday 22nd November.

Hello everyone.Thank you for your comments and reviews ... and it has been interesting to read your interpretations of m...
04/11/2024

Hello everyone.
Thank you for your comments and reviews ... and it has been interesting to read your interpretations of my lyrics.
Songwriting is a process where you release your efforts into the world and the rest is up to the imagination of the listener. I tell stories and set them to music, perhaps a bit more Enid Blyton than Charles Dickens.
'From The Ground Up' is a collection of songs mostly inspired by things I have read, seen or heard. Events which have inspired me to share a perspective which others can related to - not completely autobiographical.
The album is unlike any other you may have heard; I started with the music arrangements before writing the melody and lyrics - essentially writing back to front, before adding instruments and vocal arrangements and finally, mixing the tracks in my studio.
The whole process took five years from start to finish, so I hope you like. It's a different way of writing and got me out of my 'writer's block'.

(Photo: it's November and one rose is still growing - from the ground up!)

'From The Ground Up' was born one week ago - thank you to those who've been kind enough to share their reviews and opini...
01/11/2024

'From The Ground Up' was born one week ago - thank you to those who've been kind enough to share their reviews and opinions on this page. If you haven't already done so, please feel free to comment - I would appreciate hearing from everyone who has listened, irrespective of whichever platform you preferred.

A special shout out to the radio stations who have supported me with airplay - the current single, 'Best Friends' (featuring Mick Smith), seems to be a popular choice.

The CD version includes two additional bonus tracks (currently not available on any other platform) and at £12* (including P&P), I hope you agree it's great value at less than £1 per song. The price includes £3.60 Tracked 24 delivery in a padded mailer to ensure safe arrival. I have kept the costs down to encourage more people to choose this option.

It is a limited edition, so don't miss out!
1: Send me a message
2: I'll send an invoice
3: After payment is received, your CD will be mailed
(personalised if you wish)

*£12 inc P&P for UK delivery; £15 for untracked delivery across Europe and beyond

Wishing you a great weekend.
Dan

If you've heard 'From The Ground Up', how about a review ... and/or sharing on your page? It will really help! Thank you...
31/10/2024

If you've heard 'From The Ground Up', how about a review ... and/or sharing on your page? It will really help!
Thank you.😀

So, after five years of hard work ... you have heard the CD or download/stream ... what's your verdict?
26/10/2024

So, after five years of hard work ... you have heard the CD or download/stream ... what's your verdict?

25/10/2024

AND FINALLY - IT'S RELEASE DAY!

FROM THE GROUND UP is now available on all streaming and download platforms. For details of how to obtain a CD copy (with a surprise bonus), see the pinned post on this page. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have done making it.

24/10/2024

AND FINALLY - IT'S RELEASE DAY!

FROM THE GROUND UP is the musical collaboration I never expected.
In a bid to break 'writer's block' I commissioned a series of recordings from a talented group of country musicians in the USA.
All ten songs were composed breaking conventional songwriting by being written from the ground up - starting without a melody or lyrics and being inspired by the musical arrangements. I then completed the recordings here in the UK.
It's been an interesting journey - I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have.
FROM THE GROUND UP is available on all streaming and download platforms, but a limited number of CDs are also available (including a surprise bonus) - full details are in the pinned post at the top of this page.

Once you've heard 'From The Ground Up', what about sharing your thoughts with others by leaving a short review for other...
24/10/2024

Once you've heard 'From The Ground Up', what about sharing your thoughts with others by leaving a short review for others to read?
The photograph posted her shows you where to click.
Thank you!!!

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG:'Big Fat Lie'Facing a life-changing health diagnosis is hard. But this song is how it feels to...
24/10/2024

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG:
'Big Fat Lie'

Facing a life-changing health diagnosis is hard. But this song is how it feels to be sitting in the hospital waiting room wondering if the boomerang has come back again.

The CDs are in the post - Tracked 24 and should arrive tomorrow in the UK. Don't worry if you will be out as they don't ...
24/10/2024

The CDs are in the post - Tracked 24 and should arrive tomorrow in the UK. Don't worry if you will be out as they don't need to be signed for.
Meanwhile, the online listening session for those who placed advanced orders will be at 7pm prompt using the link you should have already received.
As the call limit is 40 minutes and the album is 37'12", it will be a prompt start - so getting online early and in the waiting room is recommended.
Thanks everyone - I hope you like it.

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FROM THE GROUND UP
FROM THE GROUND UP

AND FINALLY - IT'S RELEASE DAY! FROM THE GROUND UP is the musical collaboration I never expected. In a bid to break 'writer's block' I commissioned a series of recordings from a talented group of country musicians in the USA. All ten songs were composed breaking conventional songwriting by being written from the ground up - starting without a melody or lyrics and being inspired by the musical arrangements. I then completed the recordings here in the UK. It's been an interesting journey - I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have. FROM THE GROUND UP is available on all streaming and download platforms, but a limited number of CDs are also available (including a surprise bonus) - full details are in the pinned post at the top of this page.

After thinking about the way modern technology has impacted social interaction among the younger generation, I reflected on how different our lives were as teenagers. Mick Smith and I have known each other for over forty years, but despite talking about ‘doing something together’, it only happened after his recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis when he played me a new song written for his lovely wife, Diana. I offered to produce the recording for him in return for the loan of his voice for this duet. Mick is now in his early 80s but the quality of his voice is undiminished by his illness or advancing years. I love the warmth, joy, fun and happiness we captured on this recording.

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