Crooked Cane

Well, after taking a break to get ready for the Bridge show (which turned into the Mission show...but that's another story entirely), and a subsequent visit by yours truly to the oral surgeon (to get a beautiful brand new smile, little use for anything else)...we FINALLY got back into the studio mode this pasy Monday, to continue tracking for the new EP. Tonight we got the lead and backing vocals done for "Diamonds and Gold" 

Acoustic guitars and keys still to go, then time to mix down and start tracking…

Last Wednesday at my job, I got a terse message from my good friend and fellow VA doc Carlos Sanchez (yes, the same Carlos Sanchez who lays down th beat for BURIED). The news was both a surprise and a disappointment...Our Friday gig with BURIED and Broken Suns of Karma was no more, the casualty of the sudden and unexpected closing of The Bridge where we had been booked to play. Being that I was at work, I had tasks to complete and no time to follow up...

But by the time I got a break to see what was going…

Tonight the new track took a giant leap with the addition of Andy's guitar parts. Andy brought the Les paul with new pickups for the occasion, and the power chords transformed D&G to a whole new power level. 

Skipped posting for a bit, but we are still pushing through the new tunes. Last week we got the bass track in, keys and guitars to go this week before we pause, not for reflection but to prepare for the Bridge show. 

The unpredictable Missouri winer kept a couple of us on the sideines, but we still managed to get together to go over the mix for "Make It Real," and to begin setup for our next track, "Diamonds and Gold."

The rough mix sounded fat and thick and full, and I think our master engineer is going to be happy with what we're sending him to work with.

We brought a couple of extra ears in to listen to the mix, and it met with their approval as well.

Finally, we broke down the vocal booth, re-miked the drums…

Tonight the voices of CC were on full display, as we laid down lead and backing vocal tracks for "Make It Real." Dave took the lead on his own composition, and we once again employed the "Bohemian Rhapsody" technique to get that big, thick backing vocal sound. And Mike got to claim "referee whistle" credits...

The Rollins Road vocal booth

Here's Dave laying down his lead vocal

Giving the lead vocal a listen...

Mark and Mike B getting ready to drop backing vocals

Everybody was on board tonight, but guitars were front and center as Andy laid down his solo breaks for '"Make It Real." He brought in his 1960 Reissue Telecaster just for the occasion, and after a slight technical glitch (i.e. his inline tuner toook a header), he dialed in just the right sound for the track. Check out the isolated solo videos for yourself. Not to be outdone, Dave picked up a new axe too, a 1980 model Gretsch loaded with DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers. Andy took a turn at the…

Outside, temperatures are plummeting into polar bear territory. But no worries, Dave and Mike were heating things up in the Rollins Road studio. Mike punched in his Hammond leads, and Dave droped the Leslie guitar hooks that are a signature of Make It Real. 

Laying down Mike's organ parts tonight...while we were working on that, got an idea to add a little crunch to my rhythm part...and thus the "Frankenfender"was created...see Andy's Z peeking out from behind the monster

We got off to a great start tonight, laying down tracks for "Make It Real," a David Bach-penned tune that will be the first track we record for the new EP. Tonight, we got the drums, bass, and Andy's rhythm parts down. Andy dropped a smoking lead too, but it wasn't up to his high standards so he's going to work on something CRAZY for next session. At the end of the night, we got the mikes and levels set on the Leslie in prep for my parts.