Another post?

I suck at keeping up with this blog.

That said, when I actually have time to sit and post, I generally have nothing to say.

The band is still in the process of retracking the album. On Friday the status was four songs left for the album that needed guitar work, two songs that needed the organ, and two new demos that needed guitars. On Saturday, I learned that we're going to rerecord one of the songs for the third time (the drums are still unsatisfactory.) That took the demos out of the equation since we can rerecord them as well and hopefully get a better couple of tracks out of the next drum session.

With that news, I went out to the studio yesterday to finish off guitar and organ tracks. It went well. Better and faster than I had expected. I had to make up a new part for "Believe" (what a cheesy title) with the organ since I don't play that part live ever. Something or something, I got the chords down and then took a couple stabs at it before I got it close to good. (good enough)

I had been having some thoughts about "The Moment" and the original guitar part that I play live. Changing it up, dropping it off this recorded version entirely. The organ holds down those same chords so it sort of makes that track redundant. The ambient slide space noise additives over the verses got a little more "rowdy" this time around and it bleeds into the guitar solo section. It's slowly becoming the song I envisioned it last February. (I could even go out and record some walking on snow and city noise to throw in there... hmmm. Maybe.) I decided to add a lead part over the second verse and will probably revisit the song on my next trip out there. Some lead-in noise in A minor??? Sure.

"Transfusion" went smoothly except for the solo. I've never had a set idea for that solo. It's just an attempt at making noise that sometimes comes off great and most times leaves me mad at myself for not actually writing one. (Prescribed solos are so boring though!) I have a starting point and an ending, but I never know where to go in the middle. Something with at least three notes to add texture...

This means that now I've got "USA #1" left to track. Yuck! It's one of the first songs I wrote for this band. Lots of delay. Requires some precise timing with the rhythm section that they're not up to speed on yet. Once the drums, bass, and guitars are tracked for that song, it's then only one session to set up automation on the guitars with studio effects and finally time to put the vocals down.

We started this damn project last February. February 2nd.

One year later... still not done, (but it sounds a lot better this time.)

We have seven new songs that are musically complete. Three new ideas that we are assembling and working out still. If we used all of those songs we could record the second album real soon. Put it out the same time we put ot the first one... Sure. (Chinese Democracy anyone?)

But enough about the band... even though that's what I spend most of my time working on.

The "Holiday" season is almost over. Pretty soon, I'll be able to go to work for five days and then work for the band for two. Gym four nights a week. The normal routine. No out of town guests. No days off in the middle of the week. No closing down bars and working in the morning. Just a mindless gear-turning as the saturnic return nears and passes... oh boy.