Yesterday was the final full day of rhythm section tracking. I declare it a success!
Knowing the full band would show up at 6:00, we started around 4:00 by recording Leah's vocals over the best take of "Running with the Fire" from the previous night. Listening back to our hurried performance, it definitely sounded better than I feared. Once the vocals were finished, the song started to take shape. However, I was still a little unhappy with my own performance on the song.
We had just enough time to re-do an out-of-tune guitar part on "Greenblood" before the rest of the band arrived. We knew that we had 6 hours to cover 5 songs, which is pretty tight considering the length and complexity of a couple of them. We had our work cut out for us! The band immediately went to work like the absolute pros that they are.
Thankfully, the rest of the night went like clockwork. We started with the 3 remaining songs with vocals. Leah sang in her isolation booth along with the rhythm section in the main room. We also had Jamie, Dave, and Eric Siereveld playing horns in another room. They were there to provide cues and energy for the rhythm section, and their real takes will be recorded later.
As I mentioned earlier, the songs we saved for the last day were generally the ones that we were most familiar with. It really showed in the session. We made short work of even the most difficult parts. I was constantly reminded of the talent in this band. I am so fortunate to have a chance to play with the absolute best musicians around. Hats off!
Amazingly, we finished up the remaining 2 instrumental tunes with time to spare. We recorded an idea for a segue between songs, and Jeff and I even had some time to take another couple passes at those crazy difficult bits in "Running with the Fire." Poor Landon will have quite a few takes to sort through on that one.
Here's what we have left to do: horn parts, probably one more session with Leah to finish up vocals, maybe a few solos, and then some icing on the cake stuff (aux percussion, backing vocals, etc...). That seems very manageable to me right now.
We also have a lot of footage to sort through, thanks to Elizabeth. So far, it seems like we're doing this album the right way. I'll keep updating this diary as we proceed, so stay tuned for more in a few weeks!
Kyle
Knowing the full band would show up at 6:00, we started around 4:00 by recording Leah's vocals over the best take of "Running with the Fire" from the previous night. Listening back to our hurried performance, it definitely sounded better than I feared. Once the vocals were finished, the song started to take shape. However, I was still a little unhappy with my own performance on the song.
We had just enough time to re-do an out-of-tune guitar part on "Greenblood" before the rest of the band arrived. We knew that we had 6 hours to cover 5 songs, which is pretty tight considering the length and complexity of a couple of them. We had our work cut out for us! The band immediately went to work like the absolute pros that they are.
Thankfully, the rest of the night went like clockwork. We started with the 3 remaining songs with vocals. Leah sang in her isolation booth along with the rhythm section in the main room. We also had Jamie, Dave, and Eric Siereveld playing horns in another room. They were there to provide cues and energy for the rhythm section, and their real takes will be recorded later.
As I mentioned earlier, the songs we saved for the last day were generally the ones that we were most familiar with. It really showed in the session. We made short work of even the most difficult parts. I was constantly reminded of the talent in this band. I am so fortunate to have a chance to play with the absolute best musicians around. Hats off!
Amazingly, we finished up the remaining 2 instrumental tunes with time to spare. We recorded an idea for a segue between songs, and Jeff and I even had some time to take another couple passes at those crazy difficult bits in "Running with the Fire." Poor Landon will have quite a few takes to sort through on that one.
Here's what we have left to do: horn parts, probably one more session with Leah to finish up vocals, maybe a few solos, and then some icing on the cake stuff (aux percussion, backing vocals, etc...). That seems very manageable to me right now.
We also have a lot of footage to sort through, thanks to Elizabeth. So far, it seems like we're doing this album the right way. I'll keep updating this diary as we proceed, so stay tuned for more in a few weeks!
Kyle