Zach and Sal Episode 2

Zach and Sal Episode 1

What You Do To My Heart

So I do this thing where I go back and listen to a bunch of my old songs, pouring over each one, borderline obsessively.  I don't do this because I'm in love with myself (Kanye. DOWN BOY.) but because my creative mind is almost always hearing new things each time I listen to the tune.  New ideas form, or old ones get cut.  It's truly one of my favorite parts of the creative process!
Anyway,
I wrote this a while back and released it as a single.  I hope you enjoy it!

Zach Trandum Presents: I'm So In Love With You

Just a couple years ago I composed this little ditty.  Coffee in hand, surrounded by the walls of our cozy little apartment, my 12 year old Mac working it's tail of to do pretty much anything.  This isn't even close to a finished product, but I came across it in my archives fairly recently and fell in love with the song all over again.

Psalms: Sandra McCracken

Via Relevant

Sandra McCracken is a singer, songwriter and producer from Nashville, TN. Over the course of eight critically acclaimed studio albums, Sandra has developed a body of work that encompasses hook-driven melodic pop, No Depression-style Americana, contemporary recastings of classic hymns, and even children's music as part of the Nashville alt-folk super-group Rain For Roots.
Read more...

Songs that Hit You: Nothing but the Blood (Featuring Julieanne Marie)

There are certain songs that hit you.  As you walk from day to day with the radio playing or your headphones in, marching along to your job, letting the sounds of your favorite band pump in to your ear drums, there will eventually be a song that, almost physically, punches you in the heart.  Maybe it's the lyrics that seem to be speaking directly to you and whatever circumstance you find yourself in.  It could be a haunting melody that moves you to tears.  It might be the ramped up energy of a chorus that boosts you as you push through the last mile of your morning run.  What song is it for you?

I had the honor of sharing the stage with a rising star, Julieanne Marie.  We didn't think we were going to have time to sing this song, but were asked to by the event organizer.  He'd heard us practice the music before things kicked off and I am SO glad he asked us to sing it as encore.

This is "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus".  What an incredible tune this is!  I don't want to say it's rare, but music usually doesn't strike me to my core the way that this song does.  I dig, and dig, and dig to find truly great music, great singers, and great songs.  This timeless song is an honest, outcry of the heart as it declares Jesus as the only source of life and strength.

I hope you enjoy this worshipful duet featuring Julieanne Marie (watch out for this girl!  She's taking off!!!)

Songwriting is a Muscle

Songwriting is like a muscle.  If you don't work it out its going to get mushy and weak.  With this in mind I try to spend time every day writing something.  That doesn't mean I'm always sitting down with guitar in hand or piano keys under my fingers.  Sometimes I just sit and write out lyrics even if those lyrics never get used.  Whatever it is I am working out that creative muscle.

Here is a little something that came of a creative writing session.  I wasn't actually planning to get anything much out of this particular session, but I grew rather fond of the sound I was coming up with.  Here is the rough draft of "Always For Me".


(If you listen closely at the end you can hear my in-laws wiener dog barking in the background.)

Trent Dabbs - Believer

There are a few resources I use to find new and interesting music.  Amazon Prime is one that I'm test driving at the moment and I'm pretty happy with it so far.  I also tap in to magazines like Relevant for some great insight in to new tunes.  Being as picky as I am when it comes to my music library I can be a bit hard to please but today Relevant pleased my musical pallet.

Check out Trent Dabbs album Believer.  The sound is definitely singer/songwriter, sporting an extremely raw and honest sound and all the acoustic deliciousness my little heart could handle. I'll let you be the judge, but take a look at Relevant's article and be sure to listen!  My favorite songs on the album are "Goes Without Saying" and "Here On Earth".

Believer - Trent Dabbs  (Via Relevant)

Weekend Wishes

Finding solitude, in the parking lot of the gym I used to go to, inside a magical place called "Escape", I unsheathed my iPhone and proceeded to craft a harmonious wish for all of you.

Zach Trandum Presents: Wash Us All

February 27th Will be Soulful

The Daily Tune: Tyshan Knight

Today's featured artist is Tyshan Knight. 
The guys truly got an incredible voice that harkens back to the days of Brian McKnight, and Boyz 2 Men.  Basically, its delicious and you should be listening.  So tune in!

Ain't Nobody Got It Easy Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors

 

About the Artist

For Nashville based, Memphis born Drew Holcomb, “music is medicine” and it seems only fitting that along with his band The Neighbors - wife Ellie (vocals, guitar), Nathan Dugger (guitar, keys) and Rich Brinsfield (bass) - the group will celebrate a decade long career with the release of their new full-length studio album Medicine.

Read More: http://snip.ly/y9uF

Holy Relics: The Acoustic Guitar

His hands are tan; his cuffs have been upturned but not rolled, and the top three buttons of his black shirt hang open under his chin. His hair knifes out variously in a style best described as “subdued anime.”
Read more: http://christandpopculture.com/holy-relics-acoustic-guitar/ 

I'm So In Love With You

Sometimes I stumble across old songs I recorded samples of years ago and then completely forgot about. Well here is one of them.

Sell Music online at ReverbNation.com

A Re-refreshing

I believe I've already shared this song in a previous post, but I felt like sharing it again.
Sometimes it's good to go back and let certain things refresh you.  Today, this song is exactly that.  Yeah, I am that guy that goes back and listens to his own stuff over and over again, sometimes obsessively.  Today is a little different though because I wasn't listening with the intention of changing anything.  I was instead settling back in to the memory of the moment I sat down for what was supposed to be just another songwriting session but morphed in to an intimate time of worship.
As I sat here on my lunch break, letting the sounds pour over my ears again, God began to whisper away thoughts that I've given way to much authority to.  He was refreshing me all over again.

My prayer is that this song serves as a refresher for you as well.  I cross my heart, and promise to record a high quality version for you later.  Right now, you'll just have to put up with fairly decent iPhone mic quality.