Carson Henley, a 26-year-old singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington just accomplished what very few people would have even attempted, let alone finish successfully, according to Grammy winning engineer, Kory Kruckenberg, of VU Recording Studios. “I was looking for a way to stand out in the massive crowd of musicians, a way to feel like I was doing something you don't see artists doing everyday” explains Carson, who laughs, “and I really wanted to test myself as a musician and song-writer. Sometimes true colors come through under pressure and you see what you are really capable of accomplishing.” So, armed with nothing more than a notepad, his piano, and an iPhone, Carson visited Kruckenberg’s Seattle studio with an idea. “I wanted to push creativity to the limit and hoped the magic would come. There could be no procrastinating, because I had work to do and songs to write. This was kind of like pulling an all-nighter before the big test.” Well, more like pulling five all-nighters in a row. Carson was attempting to create the music and lyrics of ten new, original songs that were essentially being written on-the-spot. Add to this daunting task the creation of production arrangements and inspiring a bevy of musicians (who’d never heard these songs before) to record as many tracks as humanly possible. The catch? It all had to be done in 100 straight waking hours. “Usually artists have months in studios with songs that are already written, or at least with some melodies, hooks and lyrics in mind. I wanted this project to be different. I forced myself to continually create organically, without preconceived song ideas, to see what would happen in that kind of intense environment.” This kind of constant pressure can produce diamonds, or it can just make dirt, so it’s a big gamble for an indie artist to sink an entire life’s savings into a project like this. But with the help of a few friends like Allen Stone, Tess Henley, Spencer Doren and James McCalister (Sufjan Stevens, Brandi Carlile, Ivan & Alyosha), Carson not only reached his goal, but was also exceedingly pleased with the musical results. The new album, entitled 100HOURS, will include seven of the session’s best songs, with a scheduled release date of early summer 2012. Carson road-tested the new songs to rave reviews this March at his official SXSW showcases in Austin, TX. Seattle film director Brian Nunes took an interest in the creative feat by chronicling the experiment with a 48-minute documentary. For a sneak peek at Mr. Nunes’ rock doc, click the link below. “I have a feeling about this record…” Adds Carson, “From the test marketing we did to select the single, we had trouble narrowing the hit down to one song, which I guess is a good problem to have.” Since the feedback was so positive, Grammy winning engineer Brian Lucey (the Black Keys, the Shins), was brought in to master the album. Apparently pressure, a great motivator for many of us, can truly produce gems from within. For more information on the project, the documentary or Carson Henley and his music contact Maggie Joy at maggiejoy75@comcast.net or visit http://www.carsonhenley.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMMedh-d9uI (documentary trailer).