EP 2...Progress and Fancy People

Yesterday was the day to bring in reinforcements. I've done all my work, and so I got to sit back and watch other people prettify and grittify my album. Very cool. David Carroll added his bass skills with some electric on "Drive Around" and some upright on "Ritalin." So cool to hear how he makes notes become other notes and it all works out so well. That is why he is the pro. Then Susan came in to sing on "Drive Around" and "Switzerland," which was fun to see and hear..."Drive Around" really got its wings yesterday between the bass part and the background vocals. You never know what it needs until you do it. We ran over schedule yesterday so Katie and Emily still get to come in and sing a little...luckily they are the patient sort. THEN...then! I think we might be good!

Recording Days 5 and 6

SO. MUCH. FUN. So fun!

Recording EP 2: Day 4

Recording Log Day 3

Three Days In...

Whew! Dan and I wrapped up three days of recording on Friday and it was a great experience all around. We got a LOT done. "Switzerland" is pretty much where it needs to be, so we're going to let that one stew and come back to it. We started "Ritalin" on Friday and got a good ways into it. I was so tired by the end on Friday (which I'm not sure why, it's not like I'm doing all the work), so I had to yawn my approval...but I assure you kids, it is CATCHY. Who knew my songs would benefit so much from Hammond organ? We walked in not really knowing what we were shooting for...other than a certain vibe that some of our records have, but no set plot for instrumentation or anything. It ends up being fun to just kind of go at each tune and try things out. So we have a break due to both of our travel schedules, and then we'll meet up one day in August, and then another flurry of travel activity. I'm chomping at the bit just to play around more with these tunes, but I think some sit back and listen time is good for them, too. Once again patience is the name of the game.

Recording: Day 2

Recording: Day One

Starting At As Low As $44.99 a Night Records

In Nashville...no, I'm not out of tour videos yet. Mwahaha.

Recording in Nashville

So we booked some time and recorded today. Well, we booked our hotel room...and made it a studio. Susan has some new tunes that she wants demo'd, so we spent a good chunk of today messing with mics and cables and figuring out the best acoustics. Of course, in the bathroom. Tonight Susan and I are both going to play at a writer's night, thanks to Susan's very cool and fun publicist, Brandy. WRITER'S NIGHT. NASHVILLE. Heck yeah. Can't make this stuff up.

Girl Crush on Imogen Heap

I'll admit it...I have a girl crush on Imogen (don't worry, the NYT says it's cool). I watched her latest video blog just now and my mouth kept dropping at each new bit of sound-making genius. From the swirly tube thing that we all had as kids and never quite knew what to do with except annoy the crap out of our parents...to using the Gameboy start up sound on her song...sheer genius. SHE PLAYS THE GAMEBOY. ON HER RECORD. And I thought I was all cool playing the banjo. Imogen, if you need someone to play the Diet Coke bottle, or flip flop around the studio loudly, or perhaps type with 3 fingers on a keyboard really fast...I'm your girl.

Musical Therapy

"I dressed up for this blog post!!!" I am learning about being a producer by watching (or I guess actively participating in) Dan producing my EP. Yeah, musical know-how and ProTools skillz are necessary, but as I discovered last week, it's probably about 60% therapy session, too. See, we did the first 3 tunes with ease, and then it was time for "Blonde on Blue." Which...I like all my songs that are going on this EP (note to artists: like the things you are recording), but this one, affectionately called "BoB", was kind of the kickstart to a newish style of writing for me...and a new tuning...and maybe a new era. Not to sound all dramatic about it, but we do write in eras...or periods...or whatever you want to call them. So anyway, the bottom line is I wanted it to rock. And we had done marvelous things with the first 3, so my inner pessimist was saying, "It's time for a bad week." Which is ludicrous. But you can really psyche yourself out. So anyway, of course it'll be fine. I'm excited for the next session. And if I am ever producing an album for someone else, I'll know it's not all about reverb and mic cables. Gotta have a safe place to make a good record, I think. Lesson #562!

Another week = another weekend over

Weekend was good. Yes. I have been taking care to get enough sleep lately, which is kind of hardcore on my part. I figure I have plenty of whacked out sleep schedules in my future that now is the time to take advantage. That meant passing out at 9ish on a Saturday night. Lame. Does it count if I woke up at maybe 2 AM? But then I went back to bed. But I got up early this morning so it balanced out. I got to help a good buddy record a demo yesterday morning on the Mac. These suckers are so handy. Plug and play, for reals. I also did it in ProTools, which was nice to have the confidence to mess around in that program a little more. Both yesterday and today I decided to take a little bit more care of Writer Jana, because I haven't really worked on any songs for a while. I know it ebbs and flows but it's good to stay in practice. I journaled a little and I hope to start keeping that up again, and I think maybe I finished or almost finished a new song today? It's a combination of about 3 songs I have been trying to finish for months, so maybe they were just standing around awkwardly at the Jana Songwriting Dinner Party, waiting for me to introduce them. I'll try and be a better songlet hostess in the future.

Guiro! Guiro! Guiro!

That's a guiro. I'm learning a little more about percussion these days. Mayhaps I hear a guiro on the EP...we did throw a little in during last night's recording session. Let me say it made me really appreciate people who devote their lives to being the percussion and thus the backbone of a band...it's work and concentration and flow. Whew. Props, drummers! Those are not my hands. That's a really awkward photo. I understand now why there are people who are employed to be hand models. I don't think they used one, haha.

Loose Change

Dan and I had a full on recording session tonight, and we got a LOT more done than I could have expected ever ever. We were hanging out, drinking coffee, oh and how about you play some bass, Jana? So far removed from my record-making neuroses that I had...fun? Wow. :) Oh, and while I have put down vocals, guitar, banjo, and bass on this track so far...my crowning achivement is playing pocket change. Yes. Quarters in hand. Drop in other hand. Repeat for whole song. Percussion. It's pretty much blowing my budget, throwing all those quarters around...but all for the art, right? Mwahaha. We put the track away for now and we'll listen to it in a week or so, but I am super excited for this process to keep going.

Makin' a Record: The Gear

Well. I just happened upon a stellar deal of a Digidesign mBox2Pro. Slightly and barely used, it's what I needed for this project we call The Record. It comes with ProTools, which is the program to have for recording. Well, one of them...but it's kind of the industry standard. I'll be pitch-shifting my voice into robot-like Cher Land in no time. Just kidding. What the mBox2 does, for those who are not gear nerds and heaven help those who are, is act as the gobetween between your guitar or microphone or bass or whatever and the computer. You can't plug a condenser mic into a computer, hence you need the interface. It makes things work. And these days, anyone can make a record at home with only a few simple pieces of gear. It's pretty fabulous. Now I just have to learn...how to use it all. Check in on me in about 3 years. :)