Record Update 3

January 18th, 2009 · 95 Comments

So, probably last you’ve heard, we hadn’t officially started tracking for the new album. Demos ONLY, right? Well, I type bearing good news. Thanks to Wednesdays being completely free of anything but buckling down and diving in, there are basic tracks of nine songs floating around on a few different hard drives. I’m reluctant to state which songs they are, but know that we are planning to record more than we will release. In addition, you may be able to narrow them down with me saying that they are probably the oldest songs in our current live show that haven’t been previously released. That being said, it leaves a band in the difficult, middle section of preparing newer, more unfamiliar material to lay down. These are the songs that have not been played live before and that the other chaps are still becoming familiar with. In addition, lyrics may still affect their structure and so on. Nevertheless, these are often the tracks that end up being more loose and stand out as unrehearsed gems on an album. Only time and tape can tell. And three pots of coffee per session can’t hurt either.

Rider and myself wake upstairs and walk right down into the studio that was once a dining room. We eat, sound check instruments and prepare while longtime friend/producer Steve shows up somewhere later along the early afternoon. We’ll try to tackle basic tracks (guitar, drums and bass) on at least one song for the day. It is inevitable, though, that we will be distracted by other factors such has alternate microphone placements, tape deck setting, intonation, tortilla chips and lord knows what else. At any rate, we have total control on the environment of the studio and most importantly the time we wish to spend on any given track and how many takes we might want to do. Though this seems like it may be counterproductive and could cause us to never complete the project, we’re moving at a pretty quick rate and keeping cuts on second or third takes- sometimes even the first. We’re constantly referring to our white board of songs, erasing and rearranging in attempt to keep a handle on our ever growing list to record. However, we also keep things in check by reviewing our own personal “top twelve songs.” This helps us to think in album form and not to get overwhelmed by the material. In general, I’d say the three of us can agree on at least eight songs out of the twelve. Ultimately, though, we are all happy with how the sound of each recorded song has come out so far. I, myself, have a few new guitars, both acoustic and electric, that are molding songs nicely. Rider is constantly tuning his drums and switching between stick types, while sometimes recording to tape. We’ve also recently acquired a vintage Epiphone hollow-body bass that has allowed us to finally achieve the sound for which we’ve been looking. When it comes to Fridays, I’m working on wrapping up lyrics and stretching the brain over accompaniments for basic tracks we’ve done so far.

When it comes down to it, the three of us are officially sucked back into the recording phase of the band. It never leaves your brain. Even months after the project is complete, we’re still haunted by choices and sounds and ideas. It’s good, though. Trust us. If it were to be finished in a week, we wouldn’t be the band we are. Just know we’re hard at work and doing what we do best. I will most definitely be keeping all of you updated with news and pictures as much as I can. And as always, please drop us a line in some format, whether it be e-mail, MySpace, Facebook or even this here blog. At any rate, we’ll see you soon.

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