Two Different Worlds

On August 6th, 2012, I had the good fortune to meet with Michael Vesterskov as part of Austin's House of Songs™ project.  Michael is one of the many Scandinavian Songwriters that Troy Campbell's organization brings to Texas every year. The House of Songs™ invites talented musicians from various countries to collaborate, then helps them share their work with audiences around the world.  Troy's vision states that "By bringing artists from different cultures together, we inspire creativity, and by sharing the results internationally, we cultivate greater understanding and ultimately, peace".




Both of us were uncertain of how to begin so we discussed our lives and families and the song Two Different Worlds started to grow from there.  After a couple of hours we had a rough idea of where this was going but basically ran out of time and energy during this first meeting.  We took a break, had some lunch and then swung by Chris Gage's Moonhouse Studio to drop off a couple of copies of my latest CD and then on to Terra Nova Mastering to pay off a mastering invoice.  All in all, Michael and I had a very pleasant afternoon while getting to know each other better.




Rather than rush the songwriting process, we agreed to meet again on Sunday for breakfast and to spend some time in my Salado studio to finalize the song and record a demo.  We were both very satisfied with the song and decided that we wanted to release it as a single.  Once Michael got back home to Copenhagen, he and his friend, Soren worked up some keyboard and string parts to fill out the arrangement.  I asked a new friend of mine, Kasey Dixon (ne: Hunter) to add some cello to the mix.




Like everything else in life, releasing this song as a single was a great idea that took much longer to bring to fruition than planned.  First, funds had to be raised to pay for the recording and musicians and then we had schedules to work out (Chris Gage and Will Taylor are very busy men).  Of course, Michael was back in Copenhagen and had to find time to record his vocals in Denmark then send them to us to add in to our recording here in Texas.  And lastly, it took me forever to get the publishing contracts, copyrights and ASCAP registration completed.  I still had to upload to the internet sites, finalize a video and get everything loaded on to my website.  Many who know me know that I tend to procrastinate especially with things that I have never done before.  Ah, but that's a totally different song.




The final recording was completed and it is a very close representation of that original demo with each of the musicians expanding on the original ideas and taking their parts to a new level.  I am very proud of this collaboration and hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it together.    After all, it came from Two Different Worlds.

"         Michael (Westwood) Vesterskov, Vocals

"         Richard Paul Thomas, Acoustic Guitar, Triangle and Vocals

"         Chris Gage, Piano, Bass and Drum programs

"         Will Taylor, Violin, Viola and string arrangements

"         Brian Standifer, Cello

Two Different Worlds

Someone once told me that I should give up on old dreams which inspired this song.

I Have Faith

Pray To Save Our World

My Wife, Linda and I play Thunders Storm CD's all night long.  Our Anniversary was coming up so I decided to writer her a song trying to express what having her in my life means to me.  This is the result.

Raging Storm

Light Jazz Rock tune that shows the appreciation for each new day.

Every Days A Present

A fun filled rocker discussing the joys and tribulations of procrastination.

No Excuse

A divorce song for the end of a relationship.

The Place Where No Love Lies

A Cajun feel that talkls about songwriting and search for approval.