Imagine my surprise when I came across an advertisement in the newspaper that totally refuted his premise! I, of course, needed to correct him quickly. So here’s our email exchange along with a copy of the ad below. Enjoy!

My email to Drew:
From: Scott Faris
To: Andrew Farley
Sent: Sun, January 3, 2010 10:43:41 PM
Subject: Who knew?!?

Apparently Drew, you have it wrong. This news paper advertisement proves it. It’s actually Jesus plus copper plus magnets!

:)

s

His response:
I had no idea, Scott. Thank you! I am contacting the publisher right away so that we can do some edits to the next printing of my book and add some insights regarding the truth of the magnet. I cannot thank you enough.

Drew

Dreams In Progress: Indie Producer Shares His Story

It was a really long and grueling day (18 hours non-stop) of behind the scenes work. Once in a while, in the middle of those kinds of events, something happens that just makes everything worthwhile.

One of my jobs is to make sure everyone knows where they need to be and that they have everything they need. I guess Ralna took a liking to me because, as I handed her the microphone for her last song, she said, “You are just wonderful!” And then she planted one on my cheek.

It was a really sweet moment. And I wore that red lipstick on my cheek with pride.

Web Design
Shane Shepherd, my partner in the web design firm FarisWheel Productions, and I launched a major website rebuild for WestMark Realtorsâ„¢ and their sister site Pat Ham Realtorsâ„¢ in our hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Their original site design was very dated and didn’t function properly. We updated the graphics, navigation and developed a database application that searches over 50,000 properties. It was a huge amount of work and a really rewarding project. These are before and after screen shots of both sites.

I also built an initial .psd design for the Apostolic Orthodox Catholic Church, Western Rite. It was extremely well received and the site is currently under development.

I’m in process for another site, as well. Juanita Ulloa is a phenomenal singer whom the Hispanic press has called “The High Priestess of Operachi.” A unique stylist, she blends Mariachi and Opera in a stunning fashion. You can check out her current site, and here’s a shot of where I’m headed on it.

In some old web design news, Shane and I also built a new site for country music legend Johnny Lee. You might remember Johnny from the ’70s movie “Urban Cowboy” and for the hit he sang, “Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places.” We did a cool knob-turning effect with Johnny’s favorite amp, a Music Man, for the navigation. Check it out: JohnnyLeeFanclub.com.

Producing, Recording & Album Covers
Les Eason and the Steen Regime
At the Amusement Park Studio, I finished mixing Les Eason’s debut release, New World. We’re super happy with the record. Les is an great songwriter. If he plays in a town near you, don’t miss him. He’s got a great sense of melody and some really infectious songs. You can here them on his myspace page. Listen now! The CD was mastered by Jim Wilson at Airshow Mastering.

I also am finishing up Les’s album cover. I’m finishing the text layout tonight so we can press it. Here are some proofs (without text).

Bobby Bookout
I’ve been working with singer/songwriter Bobby Bookout on his debut disc. We’re working with Travis and Paul, owners of the Slanted Shack Studio in Austin, TX. I’ve spent several months (with me ferrying back and forth from Lubbock to Austin) in pre-production with Bobby, and he is so talented. He works until the song is right. He doesn’t give up on a line, and I’ve never heard him say, “Aww, that’s good enough.” His caring level about his art form is off the chart, and that thrills me. I got back from Austin last week where I got to track a couple of my fav guitarists: Keenan LeVick and Cale Richardson. The tracks sound stunning. Great songs, great players, great tones. Man, pinch me. I’m having fun! I’ll be posting some rough tracks in the future. Cale will be tracking more guitar and Hammond organ with me at the Amusement Park next, as the band he plays with (Ryan James) will be a guest artist on Thursday Night Live at South Plains College.

No Fences and some final thoughts
Finally, Ben and I tracked a quick demo for local Texas country band No Fences. They are super nice guys. A cool thing happened on this project. They came in, and in a week, we handed them a five-song demo (including 200 units… I now own a duplicator). Back when I was full-time at the college, I couldn’t do that. My schedule was too full to work on projects like that. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t have gotten to do any of this if I hadn’t jumped off the cliff.

Thanks to everyone for supporting me in my leap of faith. Special thanks to all my friends out there who have and are praying for me and my family during this transition. I feel it, and it brings me closer. Next blog, I’ll finish with the David Brandon sessions… and I have a big announcement as well. Until then!

For the last nine years I have had the pleasure of teaching at an incredible music school in Levelland, Texas: South Plains College. SPC is world-renowned and is the alma mater of Natalie Maines (The Dixie Chicks), Heath Wright (Ricochet), The Spring Creek Bluegrass Band, Jedd Hughes, Cale Richardson (former guitar for Honey Browne and now with Ryan James), Leann Wommack, A Road Less Travelled, and countless other talented and successful musicians.

I’ve served as the Director of Guitar Studies, Co-Director of the Entertainment Business Program and as the creator/producer/director of AlternaTV (an amazing live rock television show). I’ve also served on the scholarship committee, the video production technology committee, and on the Creative Arts Management Team. I’ve taught Performance and Promotion For the Independent Artist, Survey of the Music Business, Live Music and Talent Management and numerous rock ensembles. I’ve taught hundreds of students, met some incredible players (Johnny Highland, Eric Johnson, Ian Moore, David Brandon, Gary Hoey…) and made some amazing friends.

So it is bittersweet that I announce I won’t be returning to full-time service at South Plains College in the fall. For those of you attending this coming semester, don’t worry. I’ll still be around teaching part-time. But other demands in my life now have to come to the fore.

You see I have a secret. And it’s time to share it with the world. My wife Amy and I have always dreamed of working together creating art and music all day. We started our marriage that way… touring with a band called Rapunzel. We worked with kids and in recovery circles. I did sculpture, painting and teaching on the side. We had a daughter, toured with Curt Dubose, 100 Love Sonnets, Meltdown Morning and The HiFi Collective, and I did album covers. We created and shared everything together.

But over the last few years, life has seemed to get more and more complicated. We began to work together less and less. And with that, we created less music and less art.

So I’m announcing that Amy and I are pursuing our dream. We’re both dedicating ourselves full-time to the creation of great art and music. Our two companies will take a majority of our time (FarisWheel Productions and the Amusement Park Studio), along with playing in a new, as yet unnamed original band. Not to mention raising our amazing daughter and volunteering for Ballet Lubbock. Our plate is full. And all of it is love.

To those of you I’ve had the pleasure of teaching over the years, thank you. You have inspired me more than you know. To those of you that I’ve worked with and for at South Plains, I sincerely appreciate your support, friendship and the opportunity to work at an amazing place.

So if you’re out there and need a website, album cover, poster, business card, album recording, jingles, music production, car washed, etc… Drop me a line. We deliver amazing art and music.

Wish us luck. Here we go off the cliff!

Love, Scott & Amy

And now in August a dear friend of the family and one of my grandpa’s best friends has terminal pancreatic cancer. She’s a wonderful woman who became a part of our family. And she’s been an adoptive grandma for my daughter.

As soon as we found out, we took off for Colorado where she lives. On our first visit, we were able to spend time with her on a afternoon. She was alert and so thankful we had come… and so were we. She is a person of faith, and she knows where she is going. She is at peace, and it was beautiful.

Yesterday, we visited for the last time to say goodbye. That’s a really hard task when you know it’s for real. She had asked earlier if I would play guitar for her, so I took my acoustic and played. In the course of my life, I have played at the death bed of three people: my grandpa, my grandma, and now my friend. There is a lot to learn in that moment. And there is one piece of music that I played for all of them that will forever have new meaning for me.

It’s so important to let people know you love them while they’re here. So many times, we don’t get that opportunity. This summer, I was fortunate to get the chance to tell two people I loved them before they left this world. For that, I am grateful.