Skip to main content

July 25 Session Update

This was one of those days where, by God, I got to be a musician nearly every waking hour. I haven't had a day like this in years. And the stress was minimal. Normally, I can be very tough on myself when it comes to recording my voice. I am learning to accept what my voice can and can longer do. It helps to have a supportive producer, who pushes in the right direction.

Today, we got master vocals done for three of the new tracks for the upcoming LP. We started with a ballad, so I eased into the process. I was quite happy after a half-dozen takes, I was getting the right feel for the song.This is the first time in years that I've put down a vocal for a song that I haven't performed live with a band. No preconception of the vocal, which was refreshing.

The second song, however, was a remake of Supermodels With Gatling Guns. That presented some problems as I usually belt that one out live, but it usually includes an array of rock and roll (i.e. "bum") notes. So it took a while to feel the vibe of the song in the studio without the benefit of my bass slung around my neck. Toward the end of the second hour of work on it, I captured the right attitude for it. That recording was exhausting, but worth the effort.

Around six in the evening or so, Adam and I agreed to give one more song its due, and we both chose the mid tempo On The Rebound. The first take was pretty luminous. I did a half-dozen or so takes and each one was a keeper. Nice when you find your range for singing and it can be effortless. That allowed for more creativity and some ad libbing. Again, not a song that has ever been done on stage, so today was the day to give it life. Fortunately, I've been living with the early edit of the song for a few days and I already enjoyed the guide vocal performance I did for it in May.

All for now, stay tuned. Going into overdrive to get the album completed. More vocals as the week continues and perhaps the remaining lead guitars before Labor Day.

Peace!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of  Fletch  and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-time-hard-b

Being There [Grammy Recap]

Hey Soul Mates, Check out your boy. Yes, I did look that damn suave at the Grammys last night. Look, the tickets very clearly said "black tie." What could be less rock and roll than black tie? Not wearing "black tie." Frankly, the hipsters and the club girls just looked silly. Maybe I'm getting sartorially conservative, but you must be clean for the Grammys. We arrived early in the afternoon. A beautifully mild afternoon in downtown L.A. and not a sign of the predicted rain. I wanted to experience the whole nine, so we got there in time for the "Pre-telecast" ceremony. This is where 97 of the 108 gramophone statuettes are awarded. It was much more entertaining and endearing than the actual broadcast. The winners were genuinely moved, were not limited in their speech time and came in all stripes. Now, very few of the acts I voted for won. But the day did start off with a bang as OK Go won best short form video for the treadmill hopping video for Here

Freebird, Fla.

Hey Soul Mates, the Rock Hall inductee class of '06 has been announced. Now, my high school mates (especially, Mike) can shut up about Jacksonville's own, Lynyrd Skynyrd making the Hall. Congrats to them. This is not my favorite group of Hall of Famers: Miles Davis, Black Sabbath, Blondie and the Sex Pistols. Of this batch, only Blondie was a contemporary presence for me. No disrespect to the fans of the other artists. Just not my cup of tea. I'm sure my buddy Mark though is still lamenting Chicago's absence from the Rock Hall. The induction ceremony should be interesting though, because a lot of country-rockers are going to come out of the woodwork to honor Skynyrd. Blondie, Sabbath and the Pistols are all relatively intact so their performances will be highly anticipated. I'm particularly anxious to hear what the Sex Pistols portion of the evening will entail. Who will induct them? Green Day? U2? That's sure to be the highlight of the night. That, and Ozzy