Summer of Singing

We changed our plan on this record.

When we recorded “What it Is,” it was the first time either of us had shepherded a band-centric project to completion. I played in a band in college, but I wasn’t responsible for producing the record. Erica and I had worked with some friends to produce a demo EP for one of Erica’s students a few years back, but it was production by committee, with all the benefits and foibles that come with such a proposition. We had made a full length recording with some friends of ours a few years back, but it was all programmed tracks, where I (literally) had a hand in placing every single note on the record.

So the recording process two years ago was our first attempt at getting something out of players, onto tape, that we could be excited about, and this was no practice attempt. Now, it’s important to understand that there are many ways and moments where a recording project can go off the rails, especially when you’re on a budget and going like lightning. Even great players (and man do we have great players) can hear something different than you (the songwriter) intended. So, we made extensive demos of the entire first record.

When I say extensive demos, I mean just that. Fully sequenced, with fake guitar parts, fake bass parts, fully developed ear candy and synth parts, and… final vocals. That’s right… What it Is was tracked, band-wise, to the vocals that we now hear on the finished product. Our theory was that if the guys were hearing the real deal in their headphones while they laid it down, then they’d be less likely to take us off the rails.

We were naive. Sue us.

There were some positive outcomes of this, but more negative ones. For instance, since I am not a guitar player, I’d play sample based guitar parts that no real guitar player would actually develop. So, Corey and I would go back and forth trying to “copy” the demo. This is a huge waste of time and talent. Corey is an outstanding guitar player, that’s why we hire him. He is supposed to be able to come up with something cooler on guitar then I can. Same with Rosy on drums, and Mike on keys.

The other really negative thing that emerged from the “pre-tracked final vocals” plan was this: sometimes the band takes it to 11, but the vocals only went to 7-8. The worst case of this, in my opinion, is on the song “Wake Us.” The final ramp up, after the bridge, the band just tears the roof off. Now, Erica and I can go there, we really can. Both of us have powerful instruments, capable of matching energy with any and all comers.

However, since we tracked our vocals to samples, on the demo, the vocals don’t quite rise to the challenge. Sure, Stick and I tweaked it in the mix so that they stay out front, and that song is still my favorite from the first record, but I will tell you right now that if you’ve ever hear Erica do that last bit live, you know that there’s a bigger ending out there. She just destroys it.

So, this time, trying to learn our lesson, two major things changed:

1. The demos (some of which you’ve heard on this site) are far more stripped down. I tried to leave room for the boys to do what it is they do, and in nearly every instance, they took what we had built as songwriters and just catapulted it into the next atmosphere. There is grease and funk and sickness all over this record that I just love. They guys commented to me over and over, that it was easier to learn this record, and still feel like they had room to make it their own. This made me feel good, and I think the whole project is already on a different level than “What it Is.”

2. We’re tracking our vocals after the fact, hence the title of this post. Initially, this lead to a pretty significant emotional letdown the week after Eldorado. Two years ago, after the band did it’s thing, we were basically done. Mix, master, and serve. We had a nearly instantaneous gratification after the ecstasy of tracking week. This time, we emerged back into our regular lives (nothing like wiping a 2 year old’s poopy bottom to keep it real, right?) knowing that we had another massive mountain to climb.

So, this summer, we sing. We look for an hour here, two hours there. We put the kids to bed, and do our best to summon the energy to bring some heat. It’s not sexy. It’s hard work. Here at our house, the air conditioning compressors are right outside the wall of the studio. If they’re on, you can hear an audible hum on the vocal tracks. So, we sweat, and sing. We’ve toyed with the idea of turning on the webcam while we’re tracking, to invite you all into the process, but the reality is that sometimes we’re half nekkid from the heat.

We’re not THAT kind of band.

I’ve tracked my vocals on Two Years Ago, and She Goes. Erica’s laid down an amazing lead on Love Brought You Here. We’ve both gotten to the bridge on Signal Chain. We chip away, an hour here, an hour there.

These are our dailies.