Adam Holt's Blog, page 4
July 24, 2017
Song of the Day #5: Stars Above Our Heads (dedicated to Mission Control)
Well, my songs posts got delayed this week for a very, very good reason. The next song, "Stars and Wonder," is the only praise song we recorded, and I'm posting it today as well as dedicating it to the following campaign.
Via my Facebook page:
This is a long post. It's one of the most meaningful moments in my life. I've got tears of joy in my eyes as I type, and I had to keep it a secret - or try - for about a year. I was the crowdfunding consultant on this campaign to restore Mission Control. Yes, THE Mission Control, where my dad worked in the Apollo era. It's in shambles and has been for a long time, but a variety of people had the vision to restore it, including folks from NASA, Space Center Houston, my dad, and, somehow, me. /// We started discussing how to raise the funds about a year ago. At this point, it's going so well and is about to get ten times better. So our goal is to raise $250K through Kickstarter, and every dollar will be matched by the City of Webster. The city has already donated $3.1M to the project, and now we the people get a chance to take part. /// It's going to happen. I believe in this project, in preserving this space icon for a hundred generations to come. We can't miss opportunities to preserve heritage sites like this: like with the Alamo, we may debate over how to preserve it, but we all know the message behind the place needs to live on in the imaginations of future generations. "Failure is not an option," Gene Kranz told his team as they were trying to save Apollo 13 and bring it back home to Earth. Two hundred years from now, a kid who just saw an astronaut take the first steps on Mars, or maybe who is visiting Earth for the first time, will visit THIS place, Mission Control, and look at the dinky old dials and computer screens in wonder. He'll ask the question: "Is this where it all started?" "Yes, it is, honey. Yes, it is." To end, here's a pic of my dad and me with some moonshot space swag. Those aren't on the Kickstarter, but some cool stuff is, like signed copies of Andy Weir's new book.
All systems are go.
Love and rockets, Adam
Via my Facebook page:
This is a long post. It's one of the most meaningful moments in my life. I've got tears of joy in my eyes as I type, and I had to keep it a secret - or try - for about a year. I was the crowdfunding consultant on this campaign to restore Mission Control. Yes, THE Mission Control, where my dad worked in the Apollo era. It's in shambles and has been for a long time, but a variety of people had the vision to restore it, including folks from NASA, Space Center Houston, my dad, and, somehow, me. /// We started discussing how to raise the funds about a year ago. At this point, it's going so well and is about to get ten times better. So our goal is to raise $250K through Kickstarter, and every dollar will be matched by the City of Webster. The city has already donated $3.1M to the project, and now we the people get a chance to take part. /// It's going to happen. I believe in this project, in preserving this space icon for a hundred generations to come. We can't miss opportunities to preserve heritage sites like this: like with the Alamo, we may debate over how to preserve it, but we all know the message behind the place needs to live on in the imaginations of future generations. "Failure is not an option," Gene Kranz told his team as they were trying to save Apollo 13 and bring it back home to Earth. Two hundred years from now, a kid who just saw an astronaut take the first steps on Mars, or maybe who is visiting Earth for the first time, will visit THIS place, Mission Control, and look at the dinky old dials and computer screens in wonder. He'll ask the question: "Is this where it all started?" "Yes, it is, honey. Yes, it is." To end, here's a pic of my dad and me with some moonshot space swag. Those aren't on the Kickstarter, but some cool stuff is, like signed copies of Andy Weir's new book. All systems are go.
Love and rockets, Adam
July 19, 2017
Song #4: Meet Me in Deep Waters
Meet Me in Deep Waters (feat. Seven River Day)
Here we get Andy's thoughts on the song, and then mine.
"I can't regulate you so high above, through the slipstream on the wake of love... see my transgressions..."
AJ:
Adam began this lyric in a cafe in Culver City, CA....
At the time, we were focusing in on specific meaningful words...
And these words became magic to me as they grabbed my imagination.
"I was born here in unforgiving land, that broke my father and bound my hands"
These were the words I needed to know and say.
"Let's leave our places, and leave our paths... and find a new one where no footprints last"
"In deep waters... running fast and free, to the place where we will only be.... only be"
As the words joined into the song, I could feel my story in the lyric.
A story of finding someone you thought could never actually exist.
A story of escape into the newfound reality that could hardly have been imagined, let alone hoped for
A story of new starts -- and finding wholeness that is greater than the brokenness and challenge.
I am so thankful for these words, and I want to sing them at dusk, upon waking, and at all times, whether good or bad.
ADAM:It's so good to hear you say all that.
It breaks my heart how well Andy sings this song because I wanted to sing it this well, but I couldn't. It was meant for me to write and Andy to sing. God and the universe planned it that way. We put this song together on the last day of the record. I'd relapsed into sickness and was running a wicked fever. Sweaty and chilled, I wrote down all the lyrics I had for this song with AJ, and he pieced them together and fleshed them out in ways we hadn't considered. I went back upstairs to sleep while he headed into the studio. About two hour later, I made it down to listen.
Perfect.
I added the "don't let me drown" background vocal because that was all the energy I had. I went back upstairs and slept. I felt jealous and disappointed that I couldn't do lead vocals on this track until I prayed my way out of that. AJ and Andrew had taken this song to a new place, and the more I considered it, I couldn't be anything but grateful. They didn't let me drown. They buoyed me up. It's what the song's narrator feels, too, grateful to find beauty in a relationship and in the river of the present, which flows over the dry bones of his past.
Here we get Andy's thoughts on the song, and then mine.
"I can't regulate you so high above, through the slipstream on the wake of love... see my transgressions..."
AJ:
Adam began this lyric in a cafe in Culver City, CA....
At the time, we were focusing in on specific meaningful words...
And these words became magic to me as they grabbed my imagination.
"I was born here in unforgiving land, that broke my father and bound my hands"
These were the words I needed to know and say.
"Let's leave our places, and leave our paths... and find a new one where no footprints last"
"In deep waters... running fast and free, to the place where we will only be.... only be"
As the words joined into the song, I could feel my story in the lyric.
A story of finding someone you thought could never actually exist.
A story of escape into the newfound reality that could hardly have been imagined, let alone hoped for
A story of new starts -- and finding wholeness that is greater than the brokenness and challenge.
I am so thankful for these words, and I want to sing them at dusk, upon waking, and at all times, whether good or bad.
ADAM:It's so good to hear you say all that.
It breaks my heart how well Andy sings this song because I wanted to sing it this well, but I couldn't. It was meant for me to write and Andy to sing. God and the universe planned it that way. We put this song together on the last day of the record. I'd relapsed into sickness and was running a wicked fever. Sweaty and chilled, I wrote down all the lyrics I had for this song with AJ, and he pieced them together and fleshed them out in ways we hadn't considered. I went back upstairs to sleep while he headed into the studio. About two hour later, I made it down to listen.
Perfect.
I added the "don't let me drown" background vocal because that was all the energy I had. I went back upstairs and slept. I felt jealous and disappointed that I couldn't do lead vocals on this track until I prayed my way out of that. AJ and Andrew had taken this song to a new place, and the more I considered it, I couldn't be anything but grateful. They didn't let me drown. They buoyed me up. It's what the song's narrator feels, too, grateful to find beauty in a relationship and in the river of the present, which flows over the dry bones of his past.
July 17, 2017
Song of the Day #3: The Song I Was Almost Too Scared to Record
#3 Secondhand Life
I almost held back and didn't record this song, but AJ and Andrew (producer) gave me the guts to sing it.
God knows I must
try to love through the dust
of a secondhand life
Secondhand Life was hard to lay down because it's such a personal song. But I heard the brilliant Katherine Wolfe say recently that the most personal things are the most universal , so let's roll with that.
It's a song about overcoming that feeling that you were meant for a better life than the one you've lived, that you sold yourself short and didn't amount to much. Ouch. I know some of us have those thoughts.
I also know it's a lie.
Moses was a murderer. So was the apostle Paul. So was the psalmist David. We've all done things worth regretting, but we can give in to those feelings of guilt and inferiority, or we can ask forgiveness and then "love through the dust," because love is strong and love can pull us out of the dust on a thousand broken bottles.
"Somebody loves you more than you know."
People lose hope and need to hear these words from their friends and loved ones. From you. From us. Depending on how you hear it, that's the capital somebody (God) and the lowercase somebody - you and me.
Errors, hangups, sins cause the secondhand life imagined in this song, but too many people in our world live secondhand lives not of their own making. They're born into poverty or wear, they don't have clean water, they can't relate to my petty first world problems. We need to run alongside them. We need run alongside them, too.
*PS - I haven't murdered anyone, but Jesus said, "Anyone who has called his brother a fool has murdered." Okay, then. So I have. That would definitely include me, and you, and you, but by God's grace we rise above our own inhumanity.
I almost held back and didn't record this song, but AJ and Andrew (producer) gave me the guts to sing it.
God knows I must
try to love through the dust
of a secondhand life
Secondhand Life was hard to lay down because it's such a personal song. But I heard the brilliant Katherine Wolfe say recently that the most personal things are the most universal , so let's roll with that.
It's a song about overcoming that feeling that you were meant for a better life than the one you've lived, that you sold yourself short and didn't amount to much. Ouch. I know some of us have those thoughts.
I also know it's a lie.
Moses was a murderer. So was the apostle Paul. So was the psalmist David. We've all done things worth regretting, but we can give in to those feelings of guilt and inferiority, or we can ask forgiveness and then "love through the dust," because love is strong and love can pull us out of the dust on a thousand broken bottles.
"Somebody loves you more than you know."
People lose hope and need to hear these words from their friends and loved ones. From you. From us. Depending on how you hear it, that's the capital somebody (God) and the lowercase somebody - you and me.
Errors, hangups, sins cause the secondhand life imagined in this song, but too many people in our world live secondhand lives not of their own making. They're born into poverty or wear, they don't have clean water, they can't relate to my petty first world problems. We need to run alongside them. We need run alongside them, too.
*PS - I haven't murdered anyone, but Jesus said, "Anyone who has called his brother a fool has murdered." Okay, then. So I have. That would definitely include me, and you, and you, but by God's grace we rise above our own inhumanity.
July 16, 2017
Song #2: "Sunday Girl" - appropriate, right?
#2 Sunday Girl
Sunday Girl
A flame that lit a bright flame within him
Sunday Girl
And all he wanted was to know her name...
"Sunday Girl" is the second song on the album. It's a song about faith and revelation, but it sure doesn't begin that way.
He paddled out as she dropped in
Long hair and coconut skin...
This song began life as an updated version of "Surfer Girl." A boy sees a catch a wave and he's immediately awed by an image of her slicing through the water. He's paddling out, and a bit too late to catch her. And again. And again.
Call it love (or lust) at first sight, the song rides that line for a little while, rolling along the reverb-heavy guitar like the Sunday girl does the waves. But it's a Sunday song because it's about what happens to the boy at the end. The lyrics fill in the rest.
This song is a delight to perform. I hope it takes you to your favorite beach and elevates your spirit this Sunday morning.
July 15, 2017
Morning Coffee and a Song, Part One: "Let the Night Be"
Happy Saturday! Here's the first installment of Coffee and a Song for our new album, "Stars and Wonder." Andy and I both had a few things to say about the first song on the album.
- A
"Let The Night Be"
"If you want to take a chance with me, there's a moon up there that will agree."
ADAM:
The first song on Star and Wonder is the first song that AJ and I wrote. I threw out that line on the way to a bar one night, and AJ told me, "You need to write a song about that." So I did, and a week after we returned from our annual surf trip, I finished the lyrics and sent them to AJ.
Andy has three kids and a full-time job, so I didn't really expect anything back anytime soon. I was wrong. Two weeks later Andy sent me back a completed track. It was then that I knew I could trust him with the rest of the lyrics I've been writing in secret for a long time.
AJ:
In Tamarindo, a cumbia band was warming up near the bar -- where we were relaxing after a sun-soaked surf session. The band started slowly, and then really got going as the crowd gathered. I got up close to the stage so as to train my eyes on the drummer, the percussionist, and the bassist.
Because it all seems to start there.
The band found a groove, and the air was clean.
And the starry night sky was all that a young Stephen Hawkings could have ever hoped for.
I looked over and watched Adam making conversation with a smiling and blonde, freckled girl... they talked and laughed. And suddenly they joined the music that was happening, they became the participants... and the band played their song now, stronger.He asked, she gave him her hand... and they weaved and spun along their small courses within the cosmos.... they danced and they let the night be what it was.
July 14, 2017
Here it is! Stars and Wonder!
Hey, Conspirators,
Voila! Here it is! Stars and Wonder, the debut album by Lone Star Rambler. :)
Yes, this little blog has become the band name for AJ Stover and me.
Before we start the start, listen to it a few times with the window rolled down or AC cranked up, depending where you live.
Each song tells a story, but there is also a story behind each song. So, for the next week, we - musician AJ Stover and I - will be doing writeups for the songs. Here's the story behind the album:
This debut album is the waterborn child of writer Adam Holt and musician Seven River Day (AJ Stover). It began on a surf trip to Costa Rica, when Adam began the lyrics to "Let the Night Be." He finished the lyrics in Texas, sent them to AJ, and to his surprise, a few weeks later, AJ sent him back a completed song.
At that point, they made a pact to meet up every season - winter, spring, summer, or fall - and work on more music in AJ's home in Santa Monica. Stars and Wonder is the product of those sessions, and also of mornings in the Pacific waters, afternoons jotting lyrics in coffee shops or traffic jams, nights out in Tamarindo, and grateful hearts.
Special thanks to producer Andrew Jed for his work on lead guitar, and beats. To J.L. Diaz-Granados for additional guitar on "Star Above Our Heads." And to Damon, organizer of The Annual.
Tomorrow we will start the Stars and Wonder song countdown beginning with #1, "Let the Night Be."
Love and rocket,
Adam
Voila! Here it is! Stars and Wonder, the debut album by Lone Star Rambler. :)
Yes, this little blog has become the band name for AJ Stover and me.
Before we start the start, listen to it a few times with the window rolled down or AC cranked up, depending where you live.
Each song tells a story, but there is also a story behind each song. So, for the next week, we - musician AJ Stover and I - will be doing writeups for the songs. Here's the story behind the album:
This debut album is the waterborn child of writer Adam Holt and musician Seven River Day (AJ Stover). It began on a surf trip to Costa Rica, when Adam began the lyrics to "Let the Night Be." He finished the lyrics in Texas, sent them to AJ, and to his surprise, a few weeks later, AJ sent him back a completed song.
At that point, they made a pact to meet up every season - winter, spring, summer, or fall - and work on more music in AJ's home in Santa Monica. Stars and Wonder is the product of those sessions, and also of mornings in the Pacific waters, afternoons jotting lyrics in coffee shops or traffic jams, nights out in Tamarindo, and grateful hearts.
Special thanks to producer Andrew Jed for his work on lead guitar, and beats. To J.L. Diaz-Granados for additional guitar on "Star Above Our Heads." And to Damon, organizer of The Annual.
Tomorrow we will start the Stars and Wonder song countdown beginning with #1, "Let the Night Be."
Love and rocket,
Adam
July 13, 2017
ALBUM COVER ART!
Dear Conspirators,
We've been waiting months to make it official, but our album cover art is finally here!
(Cue drum roll and cymbal smash)
It's a combination of two images: one from my GoPro Camera while we were on our annual surf trip, and the other of the Milky Way.
Now, what's way more exciting than an album cover is the music and the stories behind it. So, starting tomorrow, and for the next several day, you'll have a chance to hear "Stars and Wonder," and AJ and I will share a bit about each song.
Until then, and love and rockets,
- Adam (aka Lone Star Rambler)
We've been waiting months to make it official, but our album cover art is finally here!
(Cue drum roll and cymbal smash)
It's a combination of two images: one from my GoPro Camera while we were on our annual surf trip, and the other of the Milky Way. Now, what's way more exciting than an album cover is the music and the stories behind it. So, starting tomorrow, and for the next several day, you'll have a chance to hear "Stars and Wonder," and AJ and I will share a bit about each song.
Until then, and love and rockets,
- Adam (aka Lone Star Rambler)
July 8, 2017
The Weekend Rambler: this happened... :)
Howdy, readers,
So I put the Tully Harper books as free downloads on Kindle until Sunday night, and without any real advertising on my part except for a Facebook post and some folks that shared it, this happened...
#1 and #3 in free in free YA novel in alien fiction! It's a big deal whenever a book makes the front page in any category on Amazon, and to have both books here is roasters. I had to check the numbers to make sure this was correct. Yep, 500+ downloads in the last two days. That's a lot of new readers for Tully, and clearly, if you don't have the Kindle version, get yourself a free one, my dear Conspirator.
That helps me achieve the goal of this series: to refocus our collective imagination on something bigger than an iPhone screen, especially tweens and teen, who need higher aspirations, who need to ask not what Snapchat can do for them, but what they can do for humanity with their one wild and precious life. (splicing together some JFK and poet Mary Oliver there)
So THANK YOU to anyone who has:
- reviewed Tully.
- shared a blog post.
- shared a Facebook post.
- told someone to read one of these books.
As an indie writer with dreams of reaching a bigger audience, you continue to make that happen.
Now, expect a few other updates from me in July. This one was unexpected, but the others I
planned, and they involve NASA, music, and the third book.
Lone Star Rambler (AJ Stover and Adam Holt) recording their album earlier this year.
Yes, yes, yes. Adam Holt is running to get a few thing completed before he once again becomes Mr. Holt / Coach Holt. He's waking up early and putting in work before the school bell rings in July...but he's smiling.
Love and rockets,
Adam
PS - Fact of the day - 18 of the 20 best-selling space opera books on Amazon are self-published.
So I put the Tully Harper books as free downloads on Kindle until Sunday night, and without any real advertising on my part except for a Facebook post and some folks that shared it, this happened...
#1 and #3 in free in free YA novel in alien fiction! It's a big deal whenever a book makes the front page in any category on Amazon, and to have both books here is roasters. I had to check the numbers to make sure this was correct. Yep, 500+ downloads in the last two days. That's a lot of new readers for Tully, and clearly, if you don't have the Kindle version, get yourself a free one, my dear Conspirator.
That helps me achieve the goal of this series: to refocus our collective imagination on something bigger than an iPhone screen, especially tweens and teen, who need higher aspirations, who need to ask not what Snapchat can do for them, but what they can do for humanity with their one wild and precious life. (splicing together some JFK and poet Mary Oliver there)
So THANK YOU to anyone who has:
- reviewed Tully.
- shared a blog post.
- shared a Facebook post.
- told someone to read one of these books.
As an indie writer with dreams of reaching a bigger audience, you continue to make that happen.
Now, expect a few other updates from me in July. This one was unexpected, but the others I
planned, and they involve NASA, music, and the third book.
Lone Star Rambler (AJ Stover and Adam Holt) recording their album earlier this year. Yes, yes, yes. Adam Holt is running to get a few thing completed before he once again becomes Mr. Holt / Coach Holt. He's waking up early and putting in work before the school bell rings in July...but he's smiling.
Love and rockets,
Adam
PS - Fact of the day - 18 of the 20 best-selling space opera books on Amazon are self-published.
June 10, 2017
The Friday Ramber: Shane, You Matter
His name isn't Shane.
He does have ADD. Not a day goes by when he isn't blurting out answers in class, when he doesn't fidget wildly. So his teachers tell me. But that isn't what we see today. When I start talking about writing territories, "places where you can go as a writer," he immediately scribbles down an idea and raises a hand.
"Can I write about immigration?" he asks.
"Of course," I said. "Why do you want to explore that territory?"
"Because I'm Pakistani," he beams.
"Yes, definitely. I'd love to read it," I say.
It's a positive statement of identity, and for a middle schooler, that's a big thing. Bigger than "I'm a soccer player" or "I like Instagram" or "I'm a Youtuber" - which kids love to advertise. No, this is a deeper sense of self, and Shane, the kid with ADD, wants to explore it. So he does.
And the only time Shane stops writing the entire period is to listen for the next bit of direction. At the end of our workshop he shakes my hand and thanks me for coming. A 7th grade public school kid with ADD in the year 2017 takes the time to do this. No, that's not who shakes my hand.
Shane, the grandson of immigrants, does.
When we debrief at the end of the day his name comes up, along with a lot of other kids, some of whom cause trouble in the workshop, and some of whom, like Shane, find what we - the administration and I - hope they will.
Shane knows what I'm really telling him, what I hope to get across to as many students as possible.
Shane, your writing territories matter to me and to people around you.
Shane, you're valuable. Your story matters. You matter.
Love and rockets,
- A
PS - I can still do school visits on a limited basis. I love to do them. Click here for info.
He does have ADD. Not a day goes by when he isn't blurting out answers in class, when he doesn't fidget wildly. So his teachers tell me. But that isn't what we see today. When I start talking about writing territories, "places where you can go as a writer," he immediately scribbles down an idea and raises a hand.
"Can I write about immigration?" he asks.
"Of course," I said. "Why do you want to explore that territory?"
"Because I'm Pakistani," he beams.
"Yes, definitely. I'd love to read it," I say.
It's a positive statement of identity, and for a middle schooler, that's a big thing. Bigger than "I'm a soccer player" or "I like Instagram" or "I'm a Youtuber" - which kids love to advertise. No, this is a deeper sense of self, and Shane, the kid with ADD, wants to explore it. So he does.
And the only time Shane stops writing the entire period is to listen for the next bit of direction. At the end of our workshop he shakes my hand and thanks me for coming. A 7th grade public school kid with ADD in the year 2017 takes the time to do this. No, that's not who shakes my hand.Shane, the grandson of immigrants, does.
When we debrief at the end of the day his name comes up, along with a lot of other kids, some of whom cause trouble in the workshop, and some of whom, like Shane, find what we - the administration and I - hope they will.
Shane knows what I'm really telling him, what I hope to get across to as many students as possible.
Shane, your writing territories matter to me and to people around you.
Shane, you're valuable. Your story matters. You matter.
Love and rockets,
- A
PS - I can still do school visits on a limited basis. I love to do them. Click here for info.
June 2, 2017
The Friday Rambler: The DC Tour And More!
SUMMER AUTHOR VISIT IN DC!
I just got off a Google Hangout with fantastic Ms. G's class in Gaithersburg, Maryland. They had a lot of good questions writing and space, and next week I'll be visiting them. This has become an annual trip for me (last year's writeup here). I'd like to add a few more schools to the tour, but for now this one keeps me busy for two full days.
Leading a writer's workshop in Redland Hills last year.
Maryland school systems still have two weeks of school left, which means it's just the right time for me, your Texas-based author/teacher friend, to squeeze in a school visit. Redland Junior High has a supportive, energetic staff, and the students are always up for a writing workshop. My friend Chrissy, aka Ms. G, does all the legwork for me. I just have to show up and fill the role of traveling author, and I know that's a helpful role to fill. Having an outside voice who can support all the lessons you taught during the year can make some of those lessons stick. It's my hope that these workshops will jumpstart a creative project or two, something that will last throughout the summer and beyond.
WRITING UPDATE
Right now A Cord of Three Strands is a lovely tangle, and here I am, diving in with hopeful dismay. :)
With ongoing revision and feedback from my critique group and readers, it will eventually be as it should be, with all the narrator voices tuned and in harmony.
AND FINALLY...here are some of the latest pics of the beautiful king of planets.
Love and rockets,
A
I just got off a Google Hangout with fantastic Ms. G's class in Gaithersburg, Maryland. They had a lot of good questions writing and space, and next week I'll be visiting them. This has become an annual trip for me (last year's writeup here). I'd like to add a few more schools to the tour, but for now this one keeps me busy for two full days.
Leading a writer's workshop in Redland Hills last year.Maryland school systems still have two weeks of school left, which means it's just the right time for me, your Texas-based author/teacher friend, to squeeze in a school visit. Redland Junior High has a supportive, energetic staff, and the students are always up for a writing workshop. My friend Chrissy, aka Ms. G, does all the legwork for me. I just have to show up and fill the role of traveling author, and I know that's a helpful role to fill. Having an outside voice who can support all the lessons you taught during the year can make some of those lessons stick. It's my hope that these workshops will jumpstart a creative project or two, something that will last throughout the summer and beyond.
WRITING UPDATE
Right now A Cord of Three Strands is a lovely tangle, and here I am, diving in with hopeful dismay. :)
With ongoing revision and feedback from my critique group and readers, it will eventually be as it should be, with all the narrator voices tuned and in harmony.
AND FINALLY...here are some of the latest pics of the beautiful king of planets.
A whole new world: my first in-depth science results reveal a strikingly complex #Jupiter. Details: https://t.co/wVdMNaBKp1 pic.twitter.com/LXKr32KASp— NASA's Juno Mission (@NASAJuno) May 25, 2017
Love and rockets,
A
