One Year Into This

it has been just over one full year since i started working on this record. a year. i started the writing process in mid to late june of 2009. i remember when it first started. i just released the “how much more difficult will this get?” record and thinking how less than satisfied i was with that, in every way you can be disappointed with a creative effort.

that’s when i decided that this next release was going to be different. i wasn’t going to leave anything on the table with this one. that meant spending massive amounts of time writing. this record will have seven songs on it, that is from a pool of 16 songs i wrote just for this release. i also decided that recording this at home wasn’t going to cut it either. yeah i can record stuff that is good enough for a demo, but since day one of this project i heard it in my head and i knew right up front that i could not get that on my own. so, in february of this year i entered dirty water sound and started recording this. it hasn’t been easy. it’s been filled with poorly executed drums, 3 different passes of guitar parts for almost every song, re-did bass parts, not to mention the anxiety involved with making sure that each time a guitar part is re-tracked for re-amping that everything is in tune, and fits within the song and dealing with the absolute vulnerability of letting other people into this intensely personal creative experience.

so, finally after spending a few hours this past sunday evening in the studio re-amping some re-did guitar parts i started to feel more comfortable with things and started having that “light at the end of the tunnel and it may not be a train” sort of feeling. so i think just one more session, to re-amp one more song and then we go through the list of bugs with the mix and well, that’s pretty much it.

a year spent on this project. i’ve been asking myself all along if any of the time and effort will be worth it. but ultimately i don’t think that question needs to be answered or if it’s even a valid question. the issue is that it will be a project i will have finished. and i’ll know that i gave it everything i had.

Posted in The Lighthouse Posts | No Comments »

Kickstarter: Bring On The Dissapointment

just started a kickstarter project to try to raise funds for the vinyl release of “do they still make lighthouses?”

so, for all 4 of the readers out there, you are probably aware the record is finally getting to a point where it can be considered done. i’ll be heading back into the studio to do some minor re-tracking of a few elements and then sitting with the mixing engineer to iron out the rest of the mix over the next couple weeks.

this kickstarter project is to help get the vinyl version of this record released. it is really very expensive to get vinyl pressed, especially do it the right way (packaging, heavy vinyl etc.) i fully understand how ambitious this project is, and seeing as though sky flying by is, well, you can’t even consider it unknown or unheard of, it simply just doesn’t exist on 99.99999% of the music listening public (and i’m counting those that actually listen to this kind of music.)

but hell, i know it’s impossible, but i’m trying anyway.

Posted in The Lighthouse Posts | No Comments »

Bug Reports

a week ago i got the mix down for review. and review it i did. overall i am quite pleased in that tone and mood are spot on. the studio really nailed the essence of what i was trying to do, and things sound really really good.

there were, however issues. two songs need to have drums re-done. the performance just wasn’t there. i don’t want to have any regrets with this record, so i really want to re-do them for these two songs. there is also a song where i wanted to, and completed a few days ago, re-tracked the guitar parts. basically the things that need changing are specific guitar effects, like delays, reverbs, things of that nature. i spent some time in putting together demos of the specifics i found.

man this is a lot of work. the question of will all of this be worth it is still very much in the air.

Posted in The Lighthouse Posts | No Comments »

Getting There

i received word that the mix is complete, minus a final review by me, and any tweaks, but i’m not anticipating much. but, there’s a catch. studio’s mac is a bit under the weather (needs a new mother board) so, yeah. delays. oh well, file that under unanticipated and unpredictable complications that happen when using computers.

Posted in The Lighthouse Posts | No Comments »

Nearing Completion

yeah. just want you always wanted, another record update. a few things to report. first, spent a couple hours in the studio this past saturday listening to how the mix was coming, listened to three songs, and i have to say i’m pretty excited with the results thus far. listened to “high wind advisory” and i am really excited for everyone to hear this song in it’s finished form (this song is probably as close to being finished of all of them which is why i highlighted it.) i never would have thought that this song, which started out as just an idea sitting in airplane, having it tossed side to side trying to land in boston, turn into something that can sound so complete. the other songs are in various stages of completeness, some need some re-re-amping and tempos need to be straightened out (there’s a song that is going to be going “under the knife,” a good way to describe what needs to be done i suppose.) all and all, things are looking pretty good. i worry though, i still get that nagging feeling that this is all crap and i’m deluding myself. being an aspie doesn’t help in that when i talk to people about this project i can’t read body language or “between the lines” and i just end up interpreting the messages as “uh yeah, this is dumb, but i’m not going to tell you.”

anyway, i digress, the mastering will be done by new alliance east (they did the caspian records) and i’m really quite thrilled that they’ll be helping me out with this project (and also nervous.)

i’ve started working on the cd packaging (it’ll be simple) and a new web site is also being developed, and will hopefully be launched when the record is released.

the vinyl for this record will come out. figuring out how to finance it. been kicking around the idea of using kickstarter, and there are some other options which are too premature to discuss right now, but needless to say it’ll get worked out.

lastly, will be releasing the bonus track “nothing has divided” as a free download just prior to the record being released.

Posted in The Lighthouse Posts, work | No Comments »