I’m back in Houston, working hard to get the new release off the ground as I’m gearing up for an exciting time Monday night when my song, La Casa Que Yo Amo from The Road Less Traveled, which is about my neighborhood here in Houston, will see its film debut in a private screening at the historic Landmark River Oaks Theater. The movie is a thriller called Playing House, about two newlyweds who ask their best friend to move in with them so that they can afford their dream house. “It proves a dangerous decision when their friend brings home a stunning temptress who will do anything to achieve her own dark idea of the American dream”—I must say that I’m intrigued and curious to see how the movie and its soundtrack will unfold. Looks like I’m going to Hollywood in Houston. I wonder if there’ll be a red carpet?
It’s good to be home from a month-long stay in Manhattan, the highlight of which was near the end of my sojourn, a mid-morning subway trip, guitar in hand, to Lincoln Square, where I visited the impressive ASCAP offices, had my picture made to clear security, and met with one of the Vice Presidents about the progress of my music. I really felt like a kid on a field trip that memorable day when I realized something very important about the direction of my life.
Now, I’m back to playing the weekly shows with my good friend and fellow songwriter, Jimmy Pizzitola, here in Houston, and then I’ll be off to Nashville in September for the Americana Music Conference, where I’ll be meeting with the team who are handling the release of Perfectly Legal just after the conference. It’s been about two years’ worth of songwriting, rehearsing, recording, mixing, mastering, manufacturing, copyrighting, registering UPC codes and ISRC codes, registering titles with ASCAP, setting things up with the distributor, setting things up with the publicist, promoters, and producers—all of this going on behind the scenes, while traveling and playing shows, live and on the air. It is truly a road less traveled, but I’m so glad I ventured down this winding, wayward path to self-discovery. One of my favorite Edward Albee quotes sums up my experience pretty well: “Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly.” I’m so glad I decided to go that distance out of my way a few years ago. The alternative would be unthinkable now.
And this brings me to the third song in the installment of eight that I’ve been posting on my Web site over the last month or so. These Days is the third track on the new release, recorded out at Jimmy Pizzitola’s enchanting 1940’s Texas ranch house/studio. It’s about a life never lived, dreams never realized. I’d say the mood is “haunting.” Sometimes I think Jimmy’s place is haunted by the ghosts of all those by-gone souls who came to hear the music of the roving Texas bands that graced its stage back in the long-ago days. I could swear they were there with me behind that mic when we captured These Days on a magical first take. Go to glennabell.com and give it a listen. What do YOU think, my dear reader? Y’all come!