As many know in this community who have watched my videos, in addition to my filmmaker hat I also am a musician. Each February brings the annual worldwide web event the RPM Challenge, RPMChallenge.com , to center stage and says to musicians everywhere, create, record and release a CD of your music all done entirely in the month's 28 day cycle.

I have taken part in this winter event 3 years now and have released 4 CD's in my catalog as part of it. The first year I released 2, my solo recording and first ever fretless guitar adventure Found and then with my duo project with International musician Daryl Shawn, Chinapainting, Chinapaintingmusic.com , we released our 2nd CD Trick of Amethyst.

Last year saw the release of my CD Skipping the Light and this year when I initially wasn't sure I had time to participate, I jumped in on the last two Saturday's of the month and recorded in some ways possibly my most adventurous record which I titled Vertical.

Whereas my previous solo recordings have been guitar dominant, with Vertical I reflected more on all my instrument and technique exploring of the last two years which has including adding the oud and violin to my roster. Additionally I've also been making use of some looping technology which is a process of using a device that captures small sections of something that you are playing at a given moment and then plays it back while you continue to add to. I became involved with the idea of looping when I went looking for information in late 2006 in the worldwide community Loopers-Delight.com.
Out of that initial exploring expanded both my solo and collaborative worlds, the latter launching Chinapainting.

My recording process of all the RPM records and really my approach these days, is totally improvisational, spontaneous and generally very short but focused recording sessions. With Vertical it was all of these. The music ranges from solo almost classical in nature oud and violin pieces to more experimental voice as an instrument and fretless guitar outtings. In the latter though there is still a certain 'blues' color that I never thought a part of my music though as the years go by my native Arkansas Delta becomes more magnified in my work.

The RPM organizers additionally asked artists to document through video some of their process in making their CD's and so I produced this piece which is sort of a mix of 'Me Right Now' and a look at my studio and recording setup.

If you are interested in hearing some of Vertical you can listen/download a selection of trax from it at alonetone.com/jimgoodinmusic. Vertical will soon be for sale through my CD store vendor Kunaki.com and possibly in iTunes should you like to purchase a copy and support my work. I have several of my previous recordings there.