I play keyboards for Jen & Abby. A few months back, we did a session at Chessvolt studios that was recorded live on camera. The series is called “Luxery Wafers”, and they do live video sessions with a ton of LA singer/songwriter bands. They finally posted the video today, and you can check it out here:
Latest Updates: studio RSS
-
Jen & Abby - Destroy Me @ Luxery Wafers
michael
-
Professionals, Again
michael
I spent yesterday editing down the tutorial video from the Our Father, Vindicate recording session with our very own Mr. Zack Mathers (so expect some swearing in the comments). For those of you who do not eagerly memorize every detail of my life with rapt attention and a pavlovian frenzy, I wrote a song, wanted to do a big recording session of the song, and the only way I could afford to do it was by getting a grant to fund the demo. To do that, we had to engage in some mild academic trickery, and tell them that the whole purpose of the recording session was to make an instructional video for students.
So, Zack brought some cameras along, recorded the whole session, and yesterday we editing all of that down into a 10-minute tutorial on how to record large-ensemble composer demos with no money down and only 8 singers.
I know I’ve said this before, but yesterday was another reminder: I am always shocked when people I know, people who are just, like, my people, friends, drinkin’ buddies, when they also turn out to be stone-cold awesome at what they do. I felt the same way the first time Aly edited something I had written (the proposal for this same grant, by the way). I felt the same way when June brought down a painting for my office. I felt the same way when other florists started ripping off Gretchen’s work and claiming it as their own (a true indicator of awesomeness). It’s been the same with Cory, Chad, Rosy, almost everybody (hey Bobby).
It’s always fun to get to see people who are your friends as they are perceived by their clients, and to realize that the reason they do what they do is because they do what they do. They didn’t just hang a shingle, they became professionals.
-
And That, Son, Is What We Call "Pro"
michael
I had one of the most satisfying recording sessions ever yesterday. We were recording keyboards and drums for a handful of song demos, all part of a new musical being written by the lovely and talented Abby Miller.
It was me and three other very talented people, including a drummer, Aaron Sterling who is part of the new LA Wrecking Crew – he plays on every record coming out these days, it seems like. He and Abby wrote some of the songs, Abby and I wrote some of the songs, everybody there had a different stake in the project.
What blew me away was how seamlessly everyone moved between their different roles, from arranger to producer to sideman. On some songs, Aaron was producing the session, it was his tune, and I got to be just a keyboardist (I love that). On the next tune, it was mine, and I was telling him what to do. The engineer (our very own Mr. Chris Steffen) and Abby moved through the cycle too, from engineering to arranging, from writing to tracking vocals.
The only thing that nobody did, all day long, was bust out an ego. Chris and I talked for a few minutes after the session, and we agreed that it would be impossible to try and do something like that if anybody had brought a rock-star vibe along with them.
There is a beautiful balance between having deep pride in your work, and no ego about what you do. I want to learn how to live in that place. I believe it’s called being “Pro”.
-
Phat Beat
michael
We’re recording an album this week, of the touring small group from APU. It’s going to be pretty good.
We’re doing one song that’s a deep R&B, hip-hop groove. In pre-production, I built this massive phat 808 electronic kit loop. We tracking scratch vocals yesterday, and the group went nuts over the loop. I mean, seriously nuts.
I guess they didn’t realize that all the great hip-hop songs are actually programmed by middle-aged white guys living in the suburbs.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
-
Ghosty B3
michael
When someone starts to tell a ghost story, and you happen to be sitting behind a Hammond B3, your pretty much have to do this:
Jen and Abby’s off-the-cuff Creepy Ghost Story – Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.
-
Stepping It Up
michael
I teach a studio recording class at APU. The students produce an EP, I oversee (hang out and drink coffee). Every semester I push the students to go get real players to play the session. Go get the best people you can find, and ask them to help you out. If you’re not getting told “No” at least a couple of times, you’re not asking players at the right level.
This year, one of the teams took that to heart. They pulled together the following players for rhythm section tracking:
Oskar Cartaya (bass)
Chad Wright (drums)
Darrell Crooks (guitar)This might be the most fun I’ve had in the class.
-
The Real Thing
michael
I love it when a plan comes together. I had a session today, and I had to drag the client kicking and screaming into a real studio. The producer really wanted to just use piano samples. We sat down, mic’d up the piano, Engineer Chris hit record, and the lush awesomeness of the Eldorado piano won over a whole new set of fans.
Stay tuned, those of you who have projects brewing. Chris and I are cooking up a way for you to get real keyboards (piano, B3, wurlie, rhodes) dropped in at a ridiculously low rate. More details to follow …
Eldorado Recording Studio
-
The Dailies Tracking Week
Chad
Hey howdy.
So, Erica and I are taking the week, having shipped off our kids, and are trying to finish up the vocals on this record. I’ve been sorta live-blogging all day, and I’m about to upload a little of the fruit of our labor.
Here’s a link! http://www.thedailiesmusic.com
P.S. Oh and comment you stingy lurkers! :)
Cheers!
-
michael
Taking a break from hitting bass and drums hard, and we’re filling out “Signal Chain” with guitar and keyboard overdubs. It feels great to go from bed tracks to “Song.”
-
dailies new book
michael
We’re looking for a publisher for our new book: How to Strongly Disagree With Musical Decisions Made By Your Friend, Who Is Also The Producer, And the Artist, And the Songwriter, and Still All Be Cool With Each Other, Like Grown Adults
Catchy!
