Finished

I've finished my album. There are 14 songs.
Aside from the 20 or so months of writing/demo-ing that went unlogged, this is a rough approximation of how my time breaks down for this project:
30 hours of tracking Hammond, bass and drums
35 hours of tracking flute, French horn, percussion, African percussion, strings, saxophones
30 hours of tracking guitar
20 hours tracking grand piano
140 hours editing (in 10 days) in Albany, OR
85.5 hours tracking, editing and mixing male vocal
62 hours editing in Fairhaven, MA
12 hours editing in Providence, RI
41.5 hours recording, editing, and mixing female vocal
3 hours additional synth tracking
51 hours mixing*
14 hours mastering
APPROX. TOTAL PRODUCTION HOURS: 524 (or 21.8 entire days)

There is, of course, no compensation for those hours. It is understood that I am donating that time to something I feel strongly about. And I'm not telling you this because I'm bitter about it, or to testify how ridiculously exploitative the music industry is... I'm telling you because a) I'm shocked at how much work it was, b) I want it to be clear how much of a labor of love it is for me and c) I want to have this published somewhere so I can return to it should I ever get the silly idea to try something like this again.

Anyways, we're done. I couldn't have done it without the generosity of Rob Pemberton and Brian Cass, who both matched (and often surpassed) my enthusiasm and precision with their own, and for that I am eternally grateful. We became close friends during the process and I like having those.

I'm ready to go home. hohoho


*Many of the sessions in Fairhaven consisted of my own editing/tracking/mixing in an upstairs room, Rob mixing the entire day downstairs, and Brian Cass synthesizing, sampling, and sequencing in another room. The hours listed above are only the hours I spent. Of course the album wouldn't be complete if it weren't for the time and effort of so many musicians and other engineers/technicians.

These are a few of my favorite things

She sleeps just like I do, AND we both taste the furniture immediately upon waking up.

Micropoem: An Open Message From Humans To Everything Else

Bow

We've Learned Nothing

The Great White Whale

I've just posted a new song on my myspace page that is rather special, I think. It is part of a two-song 7" record that will be released on July 21st in the UK. It marks several firsts: my first vinyl release, my first UK release, my first collaboration with a group outside of the US, and the first time I've said one of my sisters' names in a song lyric (sans that one rowdy hit song I wrote for Lorna's wedding that has remained unpublished due to the lack of amusement it garnered from the groom's family and my own grandparents that one fateful day).

The music was provided by this wonderful band Stateless (whose album is amazing) and I wrote and performed the lyrics. Lyrically it depicts a scene from my youth that I still remember very clearly and I think stands as an interesting metaphor for our father's relationship with us and how his behavior may have affected the various religious paths of my three siblings and myself.

The other song on the record is an aggressive rap song in which a plane crash is used as an analogy for a long day at work. Both will be available at firstwordrecords.com on the 21st, and digitally I'm sure through the regular channels.

Sleeeeep

It is 3:30am, I'm at Christian St. Cattacombs, where I've been working and sometimes sleeping for weeks. I'm averaging 13 hours a day recording, editing, and mixing with the incredibly able Rob Pemberton, and the President of Synthesis Brian Cass. We've got 8 tracks or so mixed... several to go, but what we have so far has brought me to tears more than a few times already (serious). This week we had a special guest fly in from LA to record the female lead on the album. I have lots of footage of these sessions, as well as some mixing footage and even whiffle ball, all of which I will make available when I find a breath. There is a palpable creative electricity in this place that seems incredibly healthy. I'm so lucky to be in this environment, it is only due to Rob's charitable soul that I'm not sleeping in the park. There is so much to do.

Micropoem: The 40th Hour Mixing Track 2 of Home

more calm than a club before it opens
more focused than a birthing canal
more precise than Egyptian stone

I Believe the Children Are Our Future: Two Animation Videos