Reasons why I hated this band:

1.  The song just wasn’t that good. 
2.  The singer looked like the inbred brother of Sam Roberts.  Fair enough…he’s not attractive.  Put on some sunglasses dude.  You’re the singer…you can get away with it.  Take a note from Roy Orbison, Johnny Winter…. hell, that dude from Oasis..and he doesn’t even have wonky eyes.
3.  They look like the 2^nd band that would play on a Tuesday night at the Rivoli in Toronto…. really no stage presence at all.  Remember when frontmen, where frontmen…. and people had personality on stage..and if you didn’t…you got your ass in the studio.
4. My album isn’t done….and I’m playing on a cruise ship.  Ok…nothing to do with them…but these are reasons why I hate this band…
5. The bassist looked like she should have been playing a song about her boyfriend at the open mic at freetimes. 
6. The drummer…… do you have to put the cymbal so high?  And the headbanging?  What’s up with that dude…. take it down a notch is what I say.

Reasons why I liked the band:

1. Keyboard player seemed pretty cool….. Played good parts, cool hat.
2. Cool website http://www.silversunpickups.com/
3. they play a helluva lotta shows

 

But…at the end of the day, they have a record deal, are on Conan playing their tunes….and really what the hell do I know?

oh yah…just thought about it….. I don’t think Johnny Winter wears sunglasses….so really…..what do I know?

finally….I think I’m ready to start recording vocals.  Although, going to be pressed for time.  I forgot about background vocals…  hmm… it’ll happen.

I have to give a listen to the tracks… see if I’m ok with the guitar parts I put on.  

And a couple of songs ended up on the chopping block…..well, just put aside for now.  Mostly due to time…..I just didn’t get a version that I was happy with….  there’s still 16 tracks to put on the album, so I’m not stressing a couple of tunes.

Time’s moving fast…. it’s going to be Christmas in a couple of days, then new years gig, levee on Jan 1st, then a gig in Wolfville… mix the album, and then leave for the shop for 5 months.  The part I really hate about working on the ship, and I’m sure I’ve said this before, is the flight there… (I’m heading to LA, and I’ll bet it’s not the most direct flight…), and then the two or so weeks of training.  I guess it’s a good thing to know what to do if there’s a fire or say, how launch a life raft…..but I really just want to settle in the gig and enjoy myself.

Mixing….  keep forgetting about that.  I’m hoping it’s going to go smoothly.  I almost like mixing more than recording.  Recording…it’s all……art, in a way.  Mixing has a nice balance of art and logic, or rules.  I think it’s the rules I enjoy…….to make the art work, if that makes sense.  But the sitting there and listening to myself all day……a guy can lose perspective.

…..I just put the title up there.  (studio diary)…..  not sure I was keeping much of a diary.  But to be fair….I’m not sure how interesting a day to day account would have been.  My days have been a healthy dose of sitting on my ass playing guitar parts over and over…. and playing video games. 

….hmm…. need to remind myself to back up the recordings.

I’m playing out in Hubbards, NS tonight…. 8-10pm……

I was going through some older tunes yesterday to bring back into the mix, and I realized, a lot of them I actually have never played live, or just not played in a long time.  Kind of occurred to me it’s like seeing people you haven’t seen since high school or college.  Some of them aren’t as cool and smart as you once though, and some are actually a lot sweeter than you remember. 

After this gig I have nothing booked until new year’s eve…(And then and afternoon gig the next day…..), so I can finish up this album.  Turns out, contrary to what I’d told people in past job interviews, I’m not all that great at multi tasking….   or maybe more closer to the truth is I don’t enjoy it that much. 

December is for finishing up guitars and vocals… and then January I’m mixing it.  I should have it in my hot little hands in February. 

Still no title.

Although I jotted something down on a piece of paper yesterday……  but lost the paper.

Things I want to buy…. yes….  a topic I think about an awful lot.  Browsing sites, book marking, pricing, reading reviews, drooling, covetting….you get the idea.  Do need all these things….?   most likely the answer is no…  would they be cool to have?  Boy howdy would they!

I just want to make a list to get it out there..throw it into the universe, there were times when I would just write in my little red and black dollar store notebook that I would carry around all the things I “needed” to get.

But this is the 21st century.  And if I can’t have a flying car or jetpack….  this will be one of the perks.

in no particular order…..  

1.  A Roland sonic cell…… it’s a sound module that can play midi files and mp3s (for live solo shows with backing tracks.), it’s also an audio interface….   and it’s a cool looking thing… think a cool keyboard rack meets the monolith from 2001.  (I did say 21st century…right?)

2.  replacement necks for a few of my guitars…..  I have a strat with what I consider to be a half cut broom handle, a tele with the most beautiful, unplayable neck I’ve ever come across, and a charvel that I ..well, let’s say, I didn’t really understand how a truss rod worked.   So..warmoth.com, look out.

3.  clothes…. not really my thing normally, but I’m still wearing stuff from who knows how many years ago, and I really need some snazzy gig stuff.  no idea what I want..but I want some hipster doofus clothes.   I may need help.

4.  a music pad pro…  a digital music stand..so I don’t have lug around this binder full of lyrics….and waste all this paper.  (back to the 21st century thing..right?).  we can put a man on the moon, but we can’t have a digital tablet that can hold all your charts and lyrics…., they have that?  very cool…. enter music pad pro plus,….and they are out of stock of their own product.   (GREAT planning and thinking guys….. )

5.  a new amp.  I’m done with solid state..and although I love my tech 21 trademark 60…(hey, Les Paul used it for his weekly new york gigs.), I want tubes..sweet, sweet tubes….that I can over ride and pump some sweet stomp boxes in….

6.  some sweet stomp boxes.  Kidding….I have enough right now. 

7. (or really 6 if you’re picky..but we’ll move on.)  a big ass Tv.  like…some in the 50 inchers.  something flat…..  something that gives off heat.  I’m thinking an LG or an Aquos.  we’ll see.

8.  a new computer… sorry, not a mac.  But a really ridiculously fast pc, with a huge hard drive that I’ll never fill up, but can always think “wow, that’s a big hard drive”

9.  I can’t think of anything more right now….and I have to make dinner.  sigh. 

….no..no..9.  a new scanner…..

 

 

It’s about 5 am.  I’ve been up for a couple of hours recording…and need to take a break.

I woke up about 2:30…. and usually I just go back to sleep, but I started thinking.  And even then usually I can go back to sleep…but I had an idea in my mind, and it got me thinking too much.

I had a George Harrison song in my head…..(Fab.)  I started thinking about getting older, missing ol’ George…and thinking how long Paul McCartney will tour and be able to give that energy.  Started thinking about what he’ll look like…….then started thinking about Gene Simmons….. I mean, let’s face it…. KISS as it is…is almost done….not yet, but getting there.  And I got thinking….. and I’m hoping it’ll happen…. when Gene will get a younger version of KISS to play.  all the same characters…but young dudes.  I mean, you go to Phantom of the opera, and there’s a different guy playing it.. (Paul Stanley no less..right?)  .

so I”m thinking…get these young cats to play the parts in KISS….new energy…amp up the show…really play up the characters….. AND they don’t let you know who they are again… all makeup. 

Who is behind the makeup?  We won’t tell you….. like Buckethead…but with hits.

anyway… I’m up and recording…. really hungry actually.  not for the rock and roll…but for like eggs….  or something.  I’m hungry. 

but for now…. I’ll have to do with some more guitar tracks…..  and diet coke.

Took a three day break from guitar, recording….music in general.  Not bad…… (getting the feeling back in my finger tips again…).  Had a nice trip out to Cape Breton.  Saw where I used to live in 1978, went to Fort Louisbourg…..I’ll have to sift through some pictures. 

Today back at it….going to do some drum tracks.

spent today working on a song called Blue to Black.  Got the acoustic beds done…and went downstairs to do some laundry….started singing another song…. thought it sounded familar.  noticed that two of my songs have pretty much the exact same chorus…  I mean, different words, but same chords and melody. 

so…after a quick erase and rewrite…. started over.  At least I was at least ripping off one of my own songs, because that really would have sucked if it was a Beatles tune or something….and to be honest, I’m enjoying the reworked chorus of this one, and it forced me to make a new into, which was more interesting that the one from before.

I also can’t get too into recording tonight, because I have to remember to pick up Lynn at the airport.  I’m hoping for no construction or traffic, but I think I better leave early just to be safe.

ok.. a couple more tracks, and I’m out of here.

ok. 

I will admit to this….but I don’t want to.

so today I started to record another song. …. and to be honest, it didn’t sound right. 

let me back up.  I had a gig yesterday…I needed an extra XLR cable…and grabbed one from the studio.

ok. so I put everything back together this morning..and started recording…. and something sounded…odd to me.

ok..maybe i’m missing something…. the weather, I moved the mic…I don’t know.

anyway.. just a little bit more ‘room’ in the sound.   Fine…it souns fine…let’s not over thing all this.

7 acoustic tracks later I realize the mic has somehow gotten turned around…..

so… at least I know what I want to play….. as I record them over again.

I had bought a bottle of wine for Lynn and I when she gets home….

 

….. it’s being opened.

 

sonofabitch.

but..oddly…….funny.

 

ok…. let’s get back at it.

bored and drawing….

The house is empty….got some stuff done today.  I actually have a run till….next wed.   No one here….

I wrote this song (Just Like Sleeping) back in 2007…. while on a cruise ship gig…. deck 4, where I went to relax, read and write.  I wrote it with no guitar… which I normally don’t do. 

anyway….finally found a guitar part that I liked for it.  Did some work on it today….

my bed tracks have about 7 acoustic tracks on them…not sure if that’s excessive…but it doesn’t sound bad….  (lot’s of doubling….)

anyway… things are coming along. 

on a none studio tip… (…..can I say ‘tip’?  doesn’t feel natural…   I think they (they being the tv..people), should make a new show kind of copying a 60’s or 50’s show.  (leave it to beaver meets dick van dyke meets i dream of genie. )  … it should be placed in modern times, but with the same vibe…

ok..so if that happens…maybe I can get some bread….

 

anyway…. looking forward to adding the fun guitar stuff on.  (let’s face it, I’m not really an acoustic guy for the most part…. )