any given night

inching closer still...

It was a challenging weekend in the studio.  My voice wasn't cooperating and my ears have been giving me trouble.  I just can't hear anything well.  Perhaps it's just lingering effects from that flu thing over Christmas.

I've been fighting and fighting with this one song called Healing Touch.  Of course it's the opening song of the album.  Of course it's the song that introduces the mood and lyrical theme of the project.  It's the first impression song and it has to be good.  And it wasn't working.

It drove me bloody crazy all weekend.  I thought I had nailed it in Saturday, but listening back Sunday morning proved otherwise.  I hit all the notes but they all lacked that 'spark' than makes something authentic.

I finished off tracks for Loves Sweet Decay, Foreshadow and Sweet Sugar Honey Bee yesterday and by last night I was tired.  I took one last kick at Healing Touch and...  it worked!  Obviously I just needed to get tired enough.

All the lead vocal parts are now completed.  We have a couple of guitar parts to do... a few backup vocals... and a bass part we mysteriously lost and then...

it will be done. by the end of next weekend.

(holy crap.)

no news is good news

It's been quiet here on the blog front.  Things are well, though.  Very well.  The recording is coming along a bit more each day.  The parts are pretty much all together now except for some vocals that need to be redone.  I'm getting perhaps overly picky about it.  I can't even really tell what makes for a good take anymore.  I'm not sure if a good take even really matters.  This is not going to be a super slick sounding album.  It's just kind of handcrafted and homemade.  That has to be good enough.

At some point during this process we have to say... this is good enough.

And call it finished.

this year past

Long time no type.  Sorry about that.  I've been low down under the weather, struggling with influenza or pneumonia or some such bronchial/fever thing that knocked the wind out of me during the holidays.  I'm doing better now, back on my feet.  Trying to pick up where I left off with this project.  We had planned to spend the holidays finishing off the last bit of Any Given Night.  But that plan did not manifest quite obviously.

So very frustrating.

So it's nose to the grindstone for the next few weekends.  Boris will be by on Sunday to do some accordion and rhodes parts.  And hopefully Christina will be able to make it out to do cello parts the weekend after.  So don't ask me to socialize.  I can't, I can't, I won't.  I've got to get this done before I go out-of-my-tree crazy.

Other than recording angst things are well.  It snowed today.  It was so beautiful while it lasted.  There's more expected tomorrow and I'm quite happy about that.  I love this cozy, winter mood.  Of course, there's been no need to shovel the white stuff yet.  Ask me tomorrow what I think of winter!  At least for tonight I'll be curled up by the fire with my soy hot chocolate and my vegan marshmallows... contented.

I hope you're well.  Happy new year to you...