Age Of The Underdog, my first major studio album, had it’s soft release (online stores only) this year, and the album has received praise from many industry types. I have an extended plan for the album, including a tour, finishing the documentary, and as the industry continues to change due to the internet and mobile devices, I hope to find new ways to connect with musicians and music lovers alike.

Also, Christmas With Friends 3 came out just over a month ago, and has received rave reviews. It began as a no-budget project (and still is) in which I would get together with friends of mine and make Christmas songs in my apartment. It has grown yearly, and this is the 3rd year, which makes it 11 tracks, featuring artists from all over the world. This year, two of the tracks on CWF3 were selected for a major compilation that went out world-wide, which has also given Stephen Speaks a little boost in online traffic.

2011 was a transitional year for me. Going into it, I felt like a boy, lost and trying to find my way. Coming out of 2011, I feel like a man, ready to do the things I always wanted to do when I “gew up”. Inside, nothing’s changed… I still have a playful spirit and I know I will always be a big kid at heart, but there’s joy in thinking about things like the next generation, and seeing what I can do to educate the generation as someone once did for me. I have begun to take my business more seriously, kept closer accounting records, and repaired many mistakes I made when I was young and didn’t know what I was doing. At the end of it all, I hope it’s not too rash to say, I am proud of myself… I really never thought I would make it this far. I dreamed of it, but I didn’t actually think it would happen. I feel like I have lived an entire lifetime, or maybe two, as a wooden boy, and now I am a real boy… with so many memories and lessons learned, really, my life is just beginning, and there’s so much I can’t wait to do.

Today, I have time off, so I finally made my way back to my blog. I am waiting on phone calls at this point, wondering if my dreams are really coming true or if I will wake up and realize it was all a fairy tale. Truth is, I’ve come farther in this adventure than I ever thought I would, so I can’t say i’ll be disappointed no matter what happens. In the meantime, I will write, because the music in my head doesn’t slow down when my life does… in fact, it grows in me and forces itself out, one way or another.

Then I will go drink beer.

Four songs down, my favorite at the end of the night might make it’s way to an MP3 on this blog.

But, I won’t be too off because I have a Blackberry so I’ll post pictures along the way, for those who actually are interested in the treks of a musician living out of his car, chasing the big dream.

Here is the link to my personal Facebook page, where I documented the tour.

http://m.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150432&id=503087923&v&r9cbddd05&refid=29

Part of me wishes I didn’t have to stretch myself… wishes I had some powerful overlord who simply took care of me and paid my bills and I would just maintain life as it always was known to me. I wouldn’t have to see pain outside my world, or ever force myself to learn anything new. The difficult lessons of responsibility, trust, forgiveness, and all those things that are no fun, I could simply surpass because my powerful overlord would protect me from them.

However, every task I have taken on and failed, but tried over and over until I got it right, has evolved me… into something better, stronger, wiser, and ultimately more capable of living life to the full. So I don’t want a powerful overlord… I don’t want to be sheltered from pain, or love, or all the difficult issues I could so easily avoid in the comfort of peaceful middle America. I want to evolve… so bring me to the precipice, and show me something I can’t do… yet.

http://jecoup9587.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-hot-100-of-decade.html