And so it begins... again

Today is the first day of the official "Falling Over Backwards" sessions. We got together last night (St. Patrick's Day) to set up and get basic levels so we can jump right into recording this afternoon. We've experimented with our new Yamaha digital 16 track for the past few months and after some minor setbacks last night (shared faders?!) we think we've got it all worked out. We're gonna start with "House Lights" ("Haüslichter") and hopefully work on getting basic tracks for "A Safer Hiding Place" and "Know".

I personally prepared by getting new drum heads and cleaning my cymbals. I also switched the front head on the bass drum from the nifty "CG" logo the fellas got me for my birthday last year to the Pearl one the kit came with. It's got a buffer ring in it to help with... well, the ring. It gives it a nicer, warmer "thud". I am also preparing by watching/listening to the new Black Crowes live at The Fillmore DVD. Is it strange to get inspired to play music by listening to music? I admire bands that do this for a living, and not in an "I wish that was me" way (although...). Knowing there are musicians out there that aren't trying to get chicks or get rich... just doing it for the love of the song... and able to make a living at it! As a fellow musician, it makes me proud.

But I digress. We're meeting for breakfast in a few hours, then it's "roll tape"... or at least "press 'record'"... at high noon. Wish us luck.

Beer consumed last night:
Amstel Light
Becks Premium Light
New Castle

My New Favortie Song

[pui disclaimer]
Last week Big Ed's was closed for renovations. Back to business this week... we decided, after a days worth of email volleys, to forego a visit to the Globe Hotel/Bar/Restaurant and head straight to our rehearsal space and just fuckin' rock (my suggestion). We dusted off some old gems ("Nightingale", "Warm December", "Know" and "A Safer Hiding Place") before Charlie showed us a new song he'd hashed out during our hiatus. Actually, it began with me playing a rhythm on the drums that Charlie thought would work for a song he'd written. After all, we've got that sympatico, he and I. We've played together for over 25 years... we'd better have a chemistry by now. Anyway, the new song in question is called "Plastic" and it's my new favorite song. I think it's got an Afghan Whigs feel, but the other 75% of DP may disagree. We're off again next week, so hopefully it'll all come back to me/us when we get back together. Until then...
[/pui disclaimer]

You Down With OPT?

It's Thursday again, which means another DP get together. As mentioned earlier, we have been rehearsing for our Comeback Special. We'll be doing 8 originals, mostly "new". "All Being Equal", the very first song written by Charlie for this band, will be included, as will "Warm December" from our first official album "See You In May". The remaining 6 have been written since the release of that record and will all appear on our as-yet-untitled sophomore effort. The second part of our set will consist of covers. Our first rehearsal of these songs went surprisingly well... so well, in fact, that we added another the following week. Tonight we'll make sure the covers are still fresh in our alcohol-drenched brains, then we'll run through the actual set a couple times.



Until now, we've only dabbled into other people's tunes. If I had my way we'd do a new cover every show (like Charlie's and my former band, Count 210, used to do). We'd even record one once in a while... well, we actually have... KISS' "C'Mon And Love Me", The Posies' "Please Return It" (both of those for tribute CDs) and Wilco's "Already In Love". I just mean that since we got the 8-track, I was hoping we'd bang out a cover now and then to throw up on the website. There's still time.

It was Charlie's idea to add some covers to our set this time out. As with everything else in our little democracy, we all had a say in what songs were picked for rehearsal. It just turned out that they all worked. Go figure. [sarcasm]It's not like we're a good band or anything.[/sarcasm] I'd like to think that at some point (soon) we can record any or all of these songs. We have a Beatles tune to record in the next few months, but there doesn't seem to be a rush on that at the moment. I know the rest of the band will point out that we have an album to finish, but sometimes working on someone else's guitar part or drum fill or vocal style can be a nice diversion. Plus you could learn something.

I realize I've kinda been all over the place with this post, and I apologize if it was hard to follow, but it's been too long since this blog was updated. Somebody had to step up.

Bye Week

The "Audio Farm" is closed this week cuz Big Ed's outta town, so DP is taking some time to think about what we've done... and what we're going to do. We have a gig in February so we're gonna have to rehearse. Recording of the album will be put on hold while we learn a few covers (our choice, not by request) and dust off some chestnuts for the kids. It's our first proper gig in quite some time as we've been concentrating on teaching ourselves the fine art of studio wizardry. Since we purchased the Tascam 388, we've added microphones, a new (to me) drum kit, a guitar pedal which allows Michael to play out of 2 amplifiers simultaneously, a small reverb unit (with many knobs!) and most recently a "Meequalizer" (aka the "Kompressor") which has helped greatly in evening out the vocals.

What little I've read about home recording has led me to believe that the most important part of the whole process is equalization. Each track (we've got 8!) has it's own set of EQ knobs, and each knob has it's own frequency. The key is to make sure those frequencies aren't cancelling each other out. It takes patience, and thanks to Big Ed and his hospitality, we've got nothing but time.

There's a cliche in recording: "We'll fix it in the mix". DP jokes about it, but with technology being what it is, polishing the proverbial turd is easier than ever. Not that what we've done so far has been anything close to "shit", but there are limitations to the Tascam 388 (there are also limitations to our "skills" at this point, but we're learning).

"Stars Of Mendocino" is the most recent song recorded and mixed and it's our best yet. It's the first song we've finished that I didn't say "I'll put this up on the website right away". Why? Cuz it's too good to give away. I honestly think it should be held back until the release of the record so listeners can experience it in context. It's gonna stand out, both style-wise and sonically.

I know we're getting the hang of this recording thing because I usually bring mixes home and end up EQing them some more, removing hiss (yay analog!) and boosting the level so it's a little closer to the music usually coming out of my 3 inch computer speakers. I didn't have to EQ "Stars..." anymore than it had already been, and the hiss and volume were minor adjustments. Good job all around.

I don't know how I ended up being the "post" guy. Maybe it's cuz I'm a borderline insomniac, and since I'm gonna be up anyway... Maybe it's cuz I've wanted to work in or own a recording studio from the first time I was in one back in 1988 ('89?). Maybe it's cuz I'm obsessive/compulsive when it comes to anything I've had a part in creating. Whatever the reason, I'm happy to do it cuz, as the saying goes, "I know it's being done right". Taking it to a "real" studio for tweaking would mean a fifth pair of ears and another assho- I mean opinion. We've got well over a hundred years of music-listening experience between the 4 of us. That's a lot of tunes. We know what we like, we like what we know, and we know if we don't like it, we can fix it. We're beyond the days of someone from "the outside" telling us something is "good" or "no good". Complete control. It's a nice thing.

Lately, I find myself listening to music differently. I'm picking out how parts may have been recorded, how they're mixed, how they're panned ("left" or "right") and how they've been mastered. I compare it to what we're doing and wonder how we may be able to achieve a similar result. I have faith in us. The recording of "Stars..." has convinced me that we can create something that won't end up sounding like it came out of somebody's basement (which in some cases fits the music, but that's not DP).



For anyone interested (who may not check our website), here's the skinny on that gig I mentioned:

Saturday February 19th
The Boca
415 18th Avenue
Lake Como (fka South Belmar)
New Jersey
with
FRANKENSTEIN 3000
TICK NON STOP

DIGGER PHELPS goes on 2nd at 11:00pm

Ahem.

Testing... 1... 2. Is this thing on? This is the drummer checking in. I have nothing to add.

Yet.

BTW, Michael forgot to mention the McSorley's recent appearances at BEAF. Now available in handy take-home 6 packs.

I guess I did have something to add.