The Fire Tonight

Every time I do a recording project I swear up and down that I will blog like crazy about it. Then, the rest of life happens and I never get to talk about all the neat things that are happening. I can’t promise that this time will be different, but I am here delivering blog action right now so, carpe diem right?

In early January Collin and I were tracking drums and piano for our good friends Esterhaazy in a beautiful cabin in Virginia. Thanks to the ridiculous talent or their drummer we were ahead of schedule and decided to use the second day to record some drum tracks of our own. We had been kicking around the idea of recording again for awhile, but this was the first step to a real, concrete product, and it was one heck of a first step.

This will be the fifth project that Collin and I have recorded together and we are really getting our wits about us, thanks mostly to the awesome monstrosity that was recording The Restoration. In a day we had knocked out four songs on drums and the result was a tremendous sonic departure for the band. Thanks to the days’ previous drum session with Esterhaazy there was a very nice drumkit available, but the challenge was to make it sound different enough that anyone who heard both EPs would never know that they both used the same kit. Well, I guess now you know, but who cares right?

Since Esterhaazy’s music is an interesting blend of classical, pop, and jazz the drum sounds have a very tight, jazzy feel blended with a little rock for good measure. Our new EP if anything, is not that. So, essentially everything on the kit was tuned down for a huge boom, and the mics arranged in a way that would capitalize on it. In the end, you get drums that will punch you in the face. I’ve never been satisfied with any drums I’ve recorded sonically or playing wise, so it was a new feeling to actually be happy after a recording session. I credit that first to Collin’s engineering, second to the inspiring environment and musicians present (Esterhaazy’s drummer and pianist both dropped in), and to a huge amount of excitement for these new songs. Yes, everyone says that when they are recording a new joint, so let me be more transparent.

Of the four songs (there will be 4 or 5 on the EP, we aren’t sure yet) only one has ever been played live, unlike the last album where we performed everything live except for the title track “No One Is Fine” in some form. While those songs took on some new dimensions in the studio, we were all so familiar with them that there weren’t many surprises. In the drums, for one example, I had become so content with how I played them live that I rarely challenged myself to do anything new. Shame!! The result was a solid album for sure, but the process and end result weren’t quite as exciting because less risks are taken.

On the other hand, the title track was written almost entirely as a result of cutting fan-favorite alt-pop song Dragonflies which left us with only nine songs (fun fact: Dragonflies was cut from this release too. Poor, poor Dragonflies). The result was a song written and produced almost entirely during the recording process, and we were more floored with that result of that song than any other. There is just something about building something right there in the moment and writing lyrics mere minutes before they are recorded that really connected with us.

I think all bands record in different ways. Some get a kick out of creating their live sound on record, which admittedly, we also enjoy. However, our band’s songwriting process is really geared to the studio approach since we are often writing by recording and e-mailing song parts to each other anyway. As a result we are really at our best when we are in the studio and taking risks with the songwriting and arrangements. This go around, three of the songs that we had demo’ed received major structural changes on that very day, especially “Spy Theme” which we actually finished writing oh, five minutes before we laid down drums.

The next creative phase brought more excitement because we literally did not know what would come next. The reason was simple: we had tapped child prodigy Jesse James (who toured with us last summer) to write and record all of the basslines. For the last album we had, I think, four different bassists perform, and many of the parts were written by myself or Collin. It was creative, sure, but there is nothing quite like giving the reigns over to someone who is not even in the band and seeing how they will interpret your music. As of yesterday Jesse’s basslines went down and we are so pleased with the result. Jesse is not a bassist first, but his understanding of tone, rhythm and structure really gave these songs new personality that they certainly wouldn’t have had otherwise. Just wait until you hear “Break Me Down”!

So, what is next? Collin is laying down rhythm guitar for the four songs as I type this and then we enter the next phase and it is the big one. Not only will the lead guitar be laid down next month, we will also be tapping into the astounding group of people we have met over the last three years and asking many of them to contribute something to this EP. I won’t give away those who have agreed to it, but I can say that those outside contributions are just one more reason why we are so into this project creatively. The most beautiful thing though is that we don’t know where this is going to go before it is done, and that is a GREAT feeling.