New Tracks - Studio Diary

Day One              Day Two

Personnel:

Engineer/Control Room Guru:        
Guitars/Bass/Harmonium/Throat:    
Coordinator/Lion Tamer/Vocals:       
Cello/Associated Beauty and Noise:   
Drums/Percussion/Life Saver:           

7 August 2000 – SF Bay Area, California

Tracks tackled:

Could This Be Love?
Not An Exit
Quicksand-Learning Annex Song

First day, first sesh. Was a bit apprehensive, as I felt unprepared. Matthew and I took a cab over, and summarily got lost – the street address listed was way off target. We get there right in time, though. Drummer Dave was there spot-on time (a keeper) after our early-day panic of whether he could make it out of Fresno in a dead car. Josh asked me to christen the session, so in honor of Neil, we dub it, “Hot August Night One.”

After set-up, we launch into “CTBL”. I use Josh’s Gretsch, which is a honey, except when you strum it, it buzzes. Barely got by with a rhythm track for the bossa nova drumming. Turned out to be a breeze – got in the accents even.

Next song was more problematic. “Exit” I wanted to have a Rage-meets-Hendrix feel. Dave was lighter and bouncier to the point that I kept saying “slower...harder” until I felt like I was in some illicit honeymoon tape. Finally settled for a RHCP groove that worked well with the metal riffage. Wanted to get a tincan groove for the breakdown and was unable to communicate that effectively (where are my example tapes when I need them?). Dave winds up tuning down the snare to hit that sweet hollow spot on the two and the four in the middle part, and that works well.

Started into “Walls” when cellist Matt Brubeck arrived. He was our casting coup – just wrapping up a tour with the Indigo Girls and sessions with Sheryl Crow (!); upon sending him a recording, he responded favorably, as he had some down time between tours. Looked every bit the rock star as he towered over 6 feet and had two tone spiky hair. Had in his gigbag a sweet custom cello with an amazing pickup (sorry, i'm not techhead on cello).

Unfortunately, drummer Dave and I were getting off time during “Walls” due to the weird time change loop, which threw the session behind schedule. Matthew, who was my effective time keeper and self-appointed "napoleon" (keeping us from getting slogged down in sesh), prompted me to kill the track for now and get on to using Matt B while he was there.

Dave was cool enough to add shaker to CTBL, and then we set Matt B up for bass lines and soloing. After a couple of passes at the track, we realize exactly why he’s getting top-dollar session jobs (me being the ghetto-end). He does killer work on the track in no time, and we make up some time that was lost.

Next up, was the duet “Quicksand.” Steady tempo, odd changes & structure. Matt B & I start working out the structure, and I give him guide vocals until it’s time to lay down the track(s). I finally discover what that seagull sound effect that I wanted is called – a harmonic glissando. Matthew steps in to direct a passage that isn’t coalescing. First take, by consensus, is a beaut, and successive takes get weaker – law of diminishing returns as we approach midnight. We agree to keep the first take and call it a night.

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8 August 2000 – SF Bay Area, California

Tracks tackled:
Running Into Walls
...others to finish

Started off the session at 6pm. Previous guys were wrapping up, so we had time to nosh upstairs in the kitchen area. Matthew brought goodies from the scary Andronico’s (uber-gourmet), so we snacked on sushi and guacamole. Since we were running behind schedule, I was trying to hammer out a doable punch list, but on the eighth iteration gave up and just presented Josh with my wish list and possibilities for scheduling.

Most of it hung on how well we got through “Walls”, the track that just wasn’t happening yesterday. I figured if we couldn’t get the drums down within the first half hour, we’d have to scrap it. Thankfully, Dave had the pattern down, and I’d cue him when the extra four count changes arrived. I’m learning that even though you may hear arrangements in your head, you may have to be note-perfect in your directions – me, I just scat out stuff, without anything beyond charts. Not a time saver.

Next, we have Dave finish by adding congas onto “CTBL” (bossa nova) and onto the choruses of “Walls”. Have to say, the man has range. Matt B calls and asks when to come in. I give him and us an hour’s lead time so that we can have bass and harmonium laid down for him to add to. Bass is problematic on this track – still working out twanginess on the MusicMan (my attack, not bass condition). Harmonium simple and almost an afterthought.

Matt B arrives and we get him set up. He is set up do some passes at symphonics at the end of “Walls”. I jump in and give him a treble line to add. We have him in and out of there within an hour – definite improvement on yesterday’s scheduling.

We move on. I add guitar lines to “CTBL” and finish by adding bass and more guitar to “Exit”. We set up for vocals. It is now midnight. I take a few warmup passes at “CTBL”. Whilst warming up, I scat during the breaks. Josh and Matthew agree I should try some into the mic. We wind up doing a call-and-response with Matt B’s cello solo.

We do “Exit” in a few tries and aim to grab it within three takes for time and freshness’ sake. It’s hard to muster energy to scream in the seventh hour of something, but I try and stay up. Also discovering that second takes seem the best – thirds feel better but may not sound as good. Diminishing returns.

“Quicksand”’s slow falsetto has me reaching for airstream in the sustained passages. We move on. “Walls” finds the second wind and additional screaming. Matthew gave me a song lineup based on minimal tuning adjustments, but it works sonically as well, so we keep the order.

I surprise Matthew by drafting him for backups on “CTBL”. We’ve never sung on a track together, due to logistics and thematics, but this track seems a good match. He suggests some layered vocal cooing and gets his voice(s) on target.

Mixing down at 2am is never a fun thing, but Josh doggedly continues on. Matthew and I try and crack a bottle of vino tinto, but the cork jams and breaks. Not to be. First three tracks are more or less cleanly done. “Walls” turns out the be the monster (time- and arrangement-wise) of the set – this year’s “tempus fugit”. Josh and I discuss changes while Matthew naps in the control room. We decide to bring down the vocals and harmonium and kill the conga. When all is done, we stagger home at 5am. Hard night into day but all's well.