Making a record in a proper studio for the first time has been a magical experience. The kind and extremely capable folks at Sound Of Music (and the environment of the 4 story building itself) made it easy to relax and focus on the task at hand. I can't say enough about our engineer John Morand, he is a casual professional who has great ideas and is not afraid to try (and sometimes suggest) strange new things. Having sometimes band member Paul Finn (who we affectionately call "the suit" in the studio) has been great too. He is a nerd and a genius.
Our record is the first full-length to be made on their 2 inch tape machine which had been trapped in the basement due to a fire next door to SOM. Recently a new stair case was built that allowed them to move the multiple thousand pound machine out of the basement and thankfully into our lives. We tracked 7 songs the first day and the rest the next and got three songs completed with over-dubs and vocals the following day.
We were hoping to finish the thing in three days due to the fact that I just got fired and am not sure how I'm going to afford to pay for the three to five days it will take to get this thing "in the can" but we quickly came to the conclusion that this was something we are going to be proud of when it's finished as long as we don't rush it too much.
Coming home was a harsh hangover. I arrived jobless with some kind of lung infection and a trashed home with no air conditioning (or fan) on a 95 degree day. I tried to get some much needed rest which was thwarted by the heat and the coughing. When I woke up sweaty and decided to go out for a taco, I noticed that I had a flat tire. It all happens at once like that sometimes doesn't it? Having the rough mixes and the May 12th date to get back to SOM has been a much needed silver lining... that and the fact that I'll be in Florida until then.
We got two donations to our poor attempt at fund raising to make our record and I would like to personally thank Richard and Joy Allen for their contributions. I will be sending the roughs of the songs as they are completed. Donate and you can have them too!
The next date we have booked is May 12th.
