Another look at my music making past. ’99 was another huge year. A year of firsts and beginnings. Elizabeth and I got married. M.Cotu finished a studio LP, “World of Green.”

The year started with my first out of state, professionally promoted, multi-band concert experience. Cassopolis, Michigan is a small town, but it was a place to start. Many thanks for Mike’s Parents and Penn Friends.

14 people crashed at the Bruneau house, sleeping all over, staying up, laughing talking, being goofy college kids. On the way home, the rear driver side wheel of my car had a broken tire rod. My Dad and Grandpa Peck came to my rescue.

This is the music building at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois. On the 3rd floor were the recording studios. They were state of the art. Production majors could reserve overnight time for projects, for free. Daniel was enrolled in the program. With a new friend, Ryan Jones engineering, we cut a 12 song CD over the course of the 98-99 school year. At midnights, we would haul ALL our GEAR up that fire escape because it was faster to load in that way. No elevator.

L-R Me, Daniel, Mike, Shawn (band portrait for World of Green)

Meanwhile, back home, my friend Dave Mason and I were organizing IWU’s 1st Spotted Cow Festival. M.Cotu made the college year book. These were the campus bands featured at the fest. We had about 12 off-campus bands too. The idea was the be “Cornerstone-like,” letting the bands be in charge and have freedom of expression. It was a success and the festival still goes on to this day.

This picture shows the band the day before my wedding. We are sound checking in the reception hall. M.Cotu played a few songs at our reception. “Missing Elizabeth,” “Simple Song,” “Unchained Melody” (Sung by my brother Jon while I danced with my bride) and “Wedding Song.” There is video on VHS.

Mike had a promoter friend in Michigan, Darren. He got us lot of church/Christian gigs, including this summer festival at this county fair, opening up the day at which Carolyn Arrends headlined after 3 other bands.

I am wearing swimming goggles in the picture, from my time with the Riley High School team.

We played a lot more shows over the coming year. Getting into the Ball State/Muncie Scene and the Grand Rapids Scene – general market venues as well as many Chrisitian coffee houses (a large phenomenon at the time.)

We also spent many weekends together writing new material and preparing for our next record. It was logistically crazy. I lived in Marion, Daniel was in St. Louis, Shawn transfered to Olivet Nazarene in suburban Chicago, and Mike lived in South West Michigan. The music united us, and we tried to see our geographic diversity as an asset to touch on multiple markets.

There are no photos of my early friendship with Duwayne Ladd, but there will be in the next post. While he traveled with M.Cotu, he and I began a poetry/folk project called Gypsy Heart. GH was super importat to my growth as a songwriter and artist, but stay tuned, the new millenium is right around the corner…