This past weekend, my wife and I began recording our first album together. This is going to be a bit of an Addison Road family project. The Stick Man has agreed to mix. Corey is going to do the art design. (Psst, Corey! Wanna do the art design? You can join Stick in the “Working for Far Less Then You’re Worth” club.) I will be shocked if at some point, our fearless host doesn’t get involved playing some absurdly kick ass keyboard part that I will claim was me in the credits.
I thought it would be a fun act of public indecent exposure to pick one song and post it several times, in various stages of completion. It’s going to be like a sonic journal for us, and your mean comments will help us lower our expectations for people’s responses. You have an important duty. Please start telling us we suck.
So here’s where this track stands:
The vocals are most likely going to go to mix pretty much as they stand. We’re pretty stoked with the performances, and barring a sudden change in either personal taste or singing ability, I think they’re about where they’re gonna be. However, they’re not edited, tuned, automated, or in any way cleaned up. One of the main reasons I wanted to get Stick in on this is that vocals tend to come back from his place sounding significantly better then when they arrived. I can’t wait to hear them after he sprinkles his pixie dust on them.
A brief side note; we are trying to keep our vocal arrangements simpler and less layered then the typical CCM record, which has stacks and stacks of extremely earnest singing. There is basically no “ear candy” in the vocals at this point. Everything you hear is either just a solo or double. There will be layers and additional background vocals (BGVs) and parts that go in up the road, but we really wanted to take this weekend and focus on getting great leads, and we got through about 2 1/2 tunes, so that’s good. As you hear empty 4-8 bar sections at the top and bottom, know that there will be additional vocals in these gaps.
The drums are programmed temps, and are going to be replaced by Russ Miller in the next two weeks. Russ is one of the best drummers in L.A., no hyperbole whatsoever. This will be the single most dramatic improvement to this (or any other) track… followed closely by…
…Guitars. There’s a temp piano part that basically fills the space where slamming, distorted guitars should be. Most of the programming will most likely be ditched and reset to compliment the guitars parts.
The bass part is actually me, playing my Fender Jazz bizzass. I think I will most likely hire a pro to swap it out, but I am a little proud of it, and will tell myself that their pass isn’t that much better then mine. This will be a lie.
“So… umm… Chad…?”
Yes?
“Umm… so… there’s like basically very little on this recording that will actually make it?”
Pretty much.
“Don’t the vocals normally go last?”
Why yes Billy, they normally do. Here’s the problem… I find that I am able to get better performances out of the players when I have a solid vocal for them to play against. It’s a way that I can communicate the feel and direction of the tune in ways a chart never will.
I wrote this song last year as we were going through Genesis. I was so struck by Jacob, and his unfortunate need to try and tweak whatever situation he was in to his own advantage. I am not a patient man. I want what I want, yesterday. I am poor at resting and trusting. I wrote this song as a reminder to myself just to chill the crap out.
We had a hard task this weekend. We had to, as I like to put it, reach into the void and pull something out. It’s a vacuum that all artists, in any medium must stare down. We must look at the blank canvas (or computer screen) and see the creation that’s yet to be. It’s thrilling, and absolutely terrifying.
Thanks for taking a moment and joining us on this journey.
this is going to be very cool, to follow this as it develops.
And also, I think this is the “Summer of Albums” at the ole’ blog. At last count, you, ash, me, and Corey are all doing our own projects this summer.
I think I’m going to really like this song.
It doesn’t sound like a four minute long christian cliché.
Will your album be marketed in Australia?
Ditto what Mike said. I love the idea of watching this child grow into something special. Of course I’d love to help with the design, and… there was no mention of the guitar solution. Soemthign tells me your cup runneth over with viable options. But I’d love to help with guitars if you get in a pinch. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I was the guy over your left shoulder when you were dropping it like it was hot with Toil and The NorSpinners.
Aside from my echoes and cheap plugs- this song feels good.
Whoa.
Would it be totally uncool and pretty horribly dated of me to say that this has a really cool early Out of the Grey feel? That’s a compliment - this kicks ass.
Corey, those were YOUR guitars on TNS?
More stalking required.
I’m really looking forward to seeing where this goes. So far I really really like the song. Having done some recordng myself I know the work that is going to go into this…
Lovely, lovely, lovely. I’m so glad you’re sharing the process with us. Terrific melodies, wonderful lyrics. YAY!
Morphea, I’m pretty sure that most of the guitars on the TNS record were boxed (although some guitar-playing humans may have been harmed in the making of that record). I, however, was not on that studio release. However, if you go to Amazon.com and do a search for:
TNS: Live At Budokan
TNS Comes Alive
TNS: Alive III
TNS: Live At Slane Castle
or
Toil and The NorSpinners: Live At Church
I was on all of those. The Budokan was probably the best one, as that was the one where Mike got so blasted that they had to prop him up at his keyboards so he could do the show. If I remember correctly, we moved all the songs to the key of C and just laid his hands on the white keys so we could get through it. I think there’s footage on the DVD.
wait- Ash is doing a record?
Corey,
You forgot TNS Greatest Hits : 1979-1982
I’m trying to remember .. was Budokan where you traded your one-of-a-kind custom Strat that SRV built for you in exchange for a needle of H and two licorice whips, and we had to call all over town to see if we could find you something to play, and you eventually ended up using a Guyatone knock-off, which suddenly sparked a massive TNS following among Japanese Metal Guitar rocker kids?
was I on that? It’s hard to remember that period. It was pre-rehab and smack dab in the middle of my eastern spiritual phase. Oh, wait- yeah, I’m on that, but I asked that all my credits be listed as Darkanzali Al’boobslim.
Yes, Mike. Budokan was where I became know as “Guyatone”. I liked it until I had kids with speech impediments and they ket calling me “Gaytone”. Still processing through that in therapy.
My favorite part about Budokan was Ash’s assless pants.
Wow.
This period of the band is fuzzy for me. Must have been all the drugs. I mostly remember the 2002 / Estes Park / CCM Superstar period.
Well, as long as Russ Miller doesn’t suck it up, this should be a sweet tune. You gotta keep your eye on that guy, I can’t tell you all the time I haven’t spent not having to fix his groove. I mean come on, spring for a GOOD drummer please.
I gotta say, the press on TNS was far too kind. As I recall, it was way too many singers singing blugrass harmony while all trying to get a lick in backed by this one cool guitar wailing away all the time. And how many Grammys for all that? Craziness if you ask me.
8, but 5 were technical grammies, and one was for “Best Album Cover Hair”, which was more of a lifetime achievement award for Ash. So those hardly count.
still and all, I think I can safely say that more than one career was launched by that landmark group. Not, ya know, music careers or aything, but still.
By “Grammies” do you you mean “Doves”?
Just askin’.
Why oh why don’t people respond so well when I tell them to “chill the crap out?”
Maybe I should just play them your song instead…
Doesn’t work on toddlers.
Simone, I just read your comment, and I want to inform you that we have secured worldwide distribution through a large, powerful corporation by the name of Federal Express.
Ok… seriously….
We’re totally indie at this point. My personal goal is to sell 1,000 copies by this time next year. Anything beyond that will be gravy, as far as I am concerned. We’ll be doing the website / myspace thing, and Lord knows once I actually get something in my hot little hand that I am excited about, I will start sending it to people. I just won’t be able help myself.
There are some conversations I can’t join. I just stand here with my hands in my pockets wondering what everyone is talking about.
Just tell me you like the song. Flattery always works, even if it’s insincere.
C’mon, Doug…you can’t tell me you’ve never heard of assless pants.
Very nice! I can’t wait to hear more! Those pants were quite common in Bowles weren’t they?