The Echoes of Change (Part 2 of 3)

Lead Me Lord

THE ECHOES OF CHANGE (Part 2 of 3)

In the last entry I talked of my past phases of development, my education from life to Rowan University and the seven tenets that emerged from my journey. This time I want to dig into my decision to move alone, as well as the excitement for the upcoming year and future.

My last solo project, Fade To Black / Facing Life, in 2023 was part of an agreement I had with God. I asked for the time to get it done as part of my personal bucket list before pushing further into my divine call for evangelizing Christ to a lost and seeking world. The devil and his minions once again tried to take me out via an accident. Talk about a “Oh come on!” type of moment. With my support systems however, I got the project out. This was the first time I saw God’s divine hand on my life’s trek from the start. Usually, it would take me years later to see how God was moving within my situations. My album needed to be released for three important reasons.

1.     It was a test of my faith regarding my recovery, purpose and patience

2.     It was to be the root of the Bamboo Seed Prophecy. It can be seen here:

a.     https://youtu.be/Tby5Ljw73bE?si=s3Cbx9kmsH4s_y4F&t=12

3.     It cataloged my past and charted my future

With the prophecy completed by the 7^th Christmas album, my next commission would begin with an education at Berklee College of Music. The end of the prophecy would also indicate the writing on the wall for the label as it structured. Could the label function without me being constantly at the wheel? Unfortunately, it could not and so a decision needed to be made since I no longer wanted to be an artist that manages other artists. Been there…done that…I lack a robust team and I have no taste or desire to do it again. When comparing the two projects from 2024, H.Y.M.N. and Fall In Love Again, it became even more clear that things needed to change. I was an ineffective leader and the staff wasn’t dedicated to what the label was and would need to become. A tough decision to move forward alone was made.

With that chapter closed, it was time to begin a new book. The title of it…Castawayz. My executive decision made the way for my venture into sync licensing and storytelling. I began writing a story called Dreamland in the early 2000s and it was faded into darkness until 2024. Again, divine purpose reveals itself. With my new skill set in sync licensing gained from Berklee, several things were created.

1.     The Castaway brand (My new identity to set sails to foreign lands alone)

2.     TideBreak SoundWorkz (My break away from Uniquely Resurrected Productions)

3.     TideBreak MuvMintz Sound Studioz (My break away from Tha Epicenter Studioz)

4.     The Castaway Arc (An eight track instrumental story arc based on Ethan Hunt)

5.     The move to get the prologue to Dreamland animated (My next big project)

The Castaway brand is my representation of my executive decision, my determination to fulfill my goals my way and the acceptance of isolation. It would become my new call sign to others who are like minded. Not leaving behind DA MuvMint, a Castaway MuvMinter is who I have become.

The TideBreak SoundWorkz and TideBreak MuvMintz Sound Studioz are steeped in that nautical Castaway theme of sailing. It represents that creative collision of energy and renewal while also severing my ties to the past. They will serve as the production and scoring divisions within the new label infrastructure.

The Castaway Arc is tied into the Bamboo Seed Prophecy via the instrumental Toxicity which was a song on the 7^th Christmas Album. It marked a sonic and visual representation of expelling all that needed to be removed for the path ahead. The instrumentals was also created within my Berklee Culminating Experience of attempting to get placement in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning.

Finally, all of this ties into my story Dreamland which picks up where the Castaway Arc left off. Now you can see why I am so excited and thankful for how God has begun this new direction for me since the completion of the Bamboo Seed Prophecy. My first voyage as a Castaway was the Castaway MuvMinterz Studio Tour to record A SalvWreck Christmas VIII which at the time of this writing drops in 4 days! I recorded the project in NJ, NY, FL and CA. It was both fun and exhausting. Being in a new apartment has its drawback however

The album doesn’t sound as well as the Fade To Black / Facing Life album. This new location is a way station and so everything was really done through headphones as my environment is an acoustic nightmare compared to our Autumn Ridge apartment that I fully decked out. It can be viewed here. https://youtu.be/zWtOwZGZBss?si=4MM_-o0gNvUsE0Lr&t=219 . I don’t have any immediate plans to dig deeper into the album’s mix, but there are several tracks on it that will be part of the Dreamland prologue and so those tracks will be sent out to third parties within my expanded network to get them sonically right.

Through it all, I gained confidence, direction and confirmation. The doubts I had were left at the graduation doors of Berklee. Extra shout to Professor Ana Reina that was vital in helping me trust my value. The new connections I now have in my network stretches worldwide, touches many genres, cultures and languages and touches every level of the industry from basement to the Grammys. I can’t wait to travel abroad to nurture those relationships. The numbers don’t lie and the progress made since going alone can’t be denied.

In the next part, I will close with final remarks, advice and detailed information about Dreamland. If this is your first time reading my blog from start to finish…thank you and I hope you have read or will read part 1. For those who been rocking with me…you know the vibe…so say it with me.

Stay tuned…stay alert…and always remember…You. Are. Da. MuvMint. I love you for that Castawayz! Blessings