gschmitt Blog – Letter to Gaspar

Jorge,

HOLY SHIT man! What can I say? I’m attaching the last Excel document with the hours tally for the project with what can only be described as an intense mixture of emotions. The first one is an incredible sense of calm; I actually got to sit down yesterday with my guitar and engage myself in some disciplined practice – something that I haven’t done for the last 8 months. It was exhilarating. The second one is a bit of excitement; I don’t know what i’m going to do next – is my next project going to be a new gschmitt CD? Is it going to be someone else’s? Should I start scouring the local music scene for somebody to produce? The possibilities seem endless and to not “have to get ___ done” in every spare moment of the day is just exciting. But inevitably, the third and last one is a bit heavier-hearted than the other two….it’s that of a subtle sadness because the “Produce and direct Gaspar” chapter of my musical life is over – and it truly is. Even if we do continue to play gigs, which looks like it may be the case, the keys to the machine are now faithfully being put in your deserving hands. Your work (and your humble WILLINGNESS to do the work correctly and dedicatedly) has played a huge part in making this project what it has become – and it’s an example for me that I doubtlessly will be drawing from in the future.

It has been an honor working with you and helping you turn your musical ideas into a solid disk of high-quality material that sounds like nothing else in ANY market. You trusted me with something as personal as your song ideas and I can’t possibly thank you enough for that opportunity. These last 8 months have been surreal and the way that this project came together with everyone who played a hand in it is nothing short of magical. Be PROUD of your disk, Jorge. It’s one of a kind. The synergistic energy created by the unique mix of people involved in this project and the intelligence of your original ideas made it one that not even the most talented musicians can ever come close to recreating.

I’m proud of the music for its quality and uniqueness; proud of you for your hidden talent, dedication and effort; proud of Ariel, Raul and “the Juans” from Pasado Meridiano for their “holy shit” skills live AND in the studio; proud of Mara for an amazing job singing (damn…talk about “hidden skills”); proud of Sakko for his ears and his god-given-gift for making hard, hard work seem like a day at the beach with friends….FUNNY-ass friends; and maybe even a little bit proud of myself, too.

Thank you for giving me the chance to feel this good. Really. Whatever you could possibly need from me in the future, I’m just a phone call away, brother.

- Greg