OK this is gonna be longer than usual...but hopefully you'll indulge me :)

Back around 2003-04, I was in a long term relationship that had hit a major crossroad.  When you've  been together with someone for a long time, the question of marriage is oftentimes brought up by family and friends.  Unfortunately, we weren't in an ideal situation to take that next step and it was causing a lot of stress between us.  And so I wrote this song.  

This was my way of reassuring my girlfriend and being thankful for the life we shared together.  It didn't matter what others around us or even societal norms expected out of us. What was important was that we had each other and that together we could see all this stress as yet another challenge in our lives and move forward together....at our own speed....we're not under pressure.

Ultimately though, it didn't work out between us, and we moved on and started our own respective families.  But we have remained friends through it all so I guess that counts for something. 

Some of the best songs are those written for or about people we love.  The problem is that if things go south with that person, these songs are oftentimes shelved and forgotten, which while understandable can be such a shame.  But I didn't want that to happen to this song which to my recollection, is the last song I ever wrote  up to this point.

Even if the relationship behind "No Pressure" didn't last, I still feel that the message of the song is still a relevant one; that it's really up to us to decide how we define all the trials in our lives as either something bad or opportunities for growth.   So I'm happy that I finally managed to revisit it.  And hopefully once I'm done reworking all my old songs I can finally move on to something new.

No Pressure

Vocals:
Julia Louise Blanco
Miko Cano
Macie Carlos
Rocky Chan
BJ Mapua
Quito Ocampo
Chris Tordesillas
Ton Ton Yulo

Additional Drums by:
Javier Mariano Laurel

Mixed by:
Ian Monsod

Mountain Top

For most Lukers, this is usually the first "slow song" we are taught in the Weekend, mainly because it's a fairly easy song to play and learn. It's also quite fitting because I believe this song perfectly encapsulates how we praise the Lord though our singing.  As an adult leader, I have always tried to teach the younger Lukers this; that it doesn't matter if we feel that we can't keep a tune or can't stay in time, as long as we are sincere in our efforts and sing from our heart,  our song will always be a sweet sweet sound, in HIS ear :)

Sung by:
Darling Sanchez-Arduo
Miko Cano
Macie Carlos
Rocky Chan
Os Francisco
BJ Mapua
Rina Marquez
Emma Peckson
Caren Tordesillas
Chris Tordesillas
Tonton Yulo

I Love You Lord

Sung by:
Darling Sanchez-Arduo
Miko Cano
Macie Carlos
Rocky Chan
Os Francisco
BJ Mapua
Rina Marquez
Emma Peckson
Caren Tordesillas
Chris Tordesillas
Tonton Yulo

I Love You Lord (a capella)

Vocal, melody, lyrics: me
Arrangement: Teb Leung

Safe & Sound

Recorded live 4.22.14 on WXPN's 'The Leicht Lunch' with Helen Leicht.

2014 04.22.14 - Jim Boggia with Ali Wadsworth - Love Hurts - WXPN - Philadelphia, PA

From our live session with Jason Falkner in Los Angeles in 2008.

I Don't Mind (Live) - Jason Falkner

This Time (Live) - Jason Falkner

Radiohead cover
–
Written by Radiohead
Produced by Jamey

Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead Cover)

I know I say this a lot but this really was one of the first songs I ever wrote.  It's actually a collaboration I did with another old friend of mine, David Esteban.  We were at his house one afternoon when we decided to write a song. I think he had recently broken up with someone as he was really feeling it and basically just free flowed the lyrics for the verses.  I just wrote everything down.  It wasn't until later on that I added the chorus and the basic chords.  Again, really cliche stuff but what can you expect from a couple of teenagers? 

Like everything back then, I initially envisioned this song to be a rock song....but that idea significantly mellowed over time.  I'm not exactly sure when it turned into a country song, but I think it worked out pretty well for my first effort into the genre.   Interestingly, Garageband doesn't have a virtual fiddle on hand, so I actually used a Chinese string instrument called an erhu instead.  

This one was definitely out of my comfort zone , but it was fun to do and I really didn't want to overthink it.  If I were doing an actual album, this song would be the extra hidden track at the end.

100,000 Miles Away

It’s been over 10 years since we were all in the same room making music together. We may still not be in the same room but at least we finally made some music together. Leave it to the ECQ & Circuit Breaker period to finally push us to make this virtual reunion happen. Recorded in Manila, Singapore and Australia.

100,000 Miles Away

MindHouse

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