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The Great Finishing-ening Blog Part The Third - recording Sun Shines On

Chronology has gone out the window. We had a surprise gig plus a videoclip shoot so this blog had to wait.

Right. So where was I? Oh I'd better recap:

When we last left the boys they had blocked out a week or so to finish the last 4 tracks for The Curious Assembly.

Friday - Give me something I want (covered here)

Saturday Sun Shines On (read on Macduff)

Sunday - Low Low and Downward Bound.(patience, I'll get to it.)

In the week and a half or so since then, we've finished mixing everything bar 'Slipping Through These Blues'. Yep that's right, we're just about done.

Busy huh?

And now for this episode!

Recording the Sun Shines On.

Disclaimer: I fricking love this song.

Yeah I know ya gotta be supportive of all the arts..arti...musicla endeavours of your fellows, but this song does it for me.

Mr Wizard reacted so strongly to 'Cry For You' that he tried to dismantle it by adding chords to it. I valiantly resisted, insisting that it was in fact a new song, deserving of it's own lyrics.

I'm ever so crafty.

But, in the amusing manner in which this universe works, this newly hatched mutant thing was glorious. The Sun Shines On.

It's bleakly miserable yet freakishly powerful.

One small catch though; when we tested it out in rehearsal, I opted to move the vocal up an octave.

Great.

Right into my break range.

For those who aren't up on the whole singy-thingy, bio-mechanics are very important. Classical thought divides singing up into: Chest (resonance from the body), Head (resonance from...err..the head) and Falsetto where there's a lot of Nasal stuff.

Without going into excruciating detail, lets just say that this song is harder than usual for me as one of the notes lies right on the boundary between two singing zones. I can singer Higher or Lower with ease, but to hit that note cleanly? It's terrifying!

I love it.

Even Mr Wizard kindly offered to try a key change, but somehow the fact that it was hard seemed utterly appropriate for the song and frankly, I just need to work a bit harder.

So there was some trepidation about going into the studio for this one.

With oddly pitched note rehearsal copy in hand I sought the guidance of my Yoda, Ms Vicki. She listened to the guide track and looked apprehensive. 'it's like being naked' She explained. 'Vocally', she quickly added.

She gave me an exercise to perform and a reminder to Use The Force (well, more or less the easiest way to explain it) and so I girded my loins for Battle With Doom! DOOM!

Doom it turns out, has a very nice tree just outside the studio.

To put things in perspective, this session was the Saturday morning after Give Me Something I Want session at St Rok had gone until midnight...

Nonetheless, we had to scrub up bright and shiny for our session with Richie at Free Energy Device Studios..

They have custom pillows.

And word sof wisdom from some dude with a funny hat.

Theo was kind enough to pose for The Ladies. I still get FB requests from several females asking for More Pics Of Theo.

Now once again I have used my new process and gathered together all the video from the session into one thing which I'll post at the end. In the interim, oh, shiny buttons.

And for the second time on this album, 2 inch tape.

Here's Richie, going over the wall. or cleaning the heads. One or the other.

Whilst the boys were tracking, I once again was sent on the Lunch Run. Dontcha love the love?

Still, it gave me a chance to see some old faded Sydney Art Deco glory...

As I arrived back I took a moment to enjoy the view, then went inside.

I might have been gone some time...

For further explanation, members of the jury are directed to the following video presentation of the recording session.

Big thanks to John Barr for his help.

Oh, in case you're wondering how the singing went? Turns out it's all in my head. yes it's hard, yes I have to remember to:

Relax the jaw (sounds sexy)

Correct stance (yes Sensei)

Maintain the air (visualise the column)

Not Fear to fail (holy crap am I attacking a Death Star??)

and so on.

Nett result? It took a bit of work but once I had done it successfully, I Levelled Up. It's still terrifying (what if I get it wrong, what if it's not there, what if..) but the bio mechanics are with me. When the Mind joins in, hey presto.

Right. Enough moonbeam theory. I have artwork to do and more videos to make. I'll post the next recording blog shortly.

MJEB

Stormcellar: Downward Bound

Howdy Folks, here it is.

With thanks to Sam, Chris & Alan

Late notice show at Shady Pines Sunday 13th April.

We'll be back at Shady Pines Saloon for our second sunday OF CONQUEST!!!

Surprise show!

Sunday night, as in tomorrow night, from 6pm.

The Curious Assembly - Song Order Crowd Think

And so it begins, the working out of the song order thing.

Once again, we're using our overly complex data analysis model to lead to a result that we will likely ignore in favour of partisan lobbying on behalf of songs we like.

Nonetheless it does serve up some interesting combinations.

Supporting ourselves and Memes -- Townie Gig Report

Back at the Townie last night.

2 support acts had canceled and we opted to fill the support slot ourselves. Yikes

It was whilst writing up another set list that we realised we still had a lot of petrol left in the tank.

Of course, that included a lot of 'nice songs' that Mr Wizard thinks 'too sweet' for Newtown on a Friday.

In an effort to mask the fact that our support was missing, we changed outfits (shirts) between sets. It's this kind of inspirational marketing genius that is the hallmark of our success.

Hardly anyone noticed.

We made sure to thank our selves for the support slot and the opportunity to open for ourselves. We were also gracious enough to share our rider.

Normally, having a support gives me a bit of time to take some footage, but I spotted someone in the crowd with a Black Magic cam (was it the 4k option?) so somewhere out there lurks some Hi Def footage of Rixies bass Solo

I'm still fighting to find a good hearing solution, the stage is pretty small and the drums are right behind my head, I tried the ear muffs again last night. They kind of worked. yes I have custom in ears but the'yre being a bit wobbly (gotta get a terminal fixed methinks) and I am so keen not to go deaf (or deafer) that I am willing to risk the ignominy of the appearance in return for the aural respite. Also as Vicki D (Sensei) pointed out, No hear? No Pitch. Pitching the note correctly is a really appealing habit.

Such are the tribulations of our times. Amen.

Any casual visitor to these pages will observe that we have a fascination with the world around us; so that's what we take pictures of.

Therefore if you come to our show and dance, you'll probably wind up on these pages.

If you come a show and get down the front and make Air Guitar Voodoo motions at Rosie whilst he's doing his solos, I'll probably take pictures.

But it you come over and make Air Harp, well....

I'll add captions :-)

Thanks to Sally, Jesus, Mark and Diane, Sheridan and all the folks who spent The long evening with us, and especially to the Hunters & Collectors fans who came down from the Enmore to keep supporting new live music. Way to go guys.

We're at Shady Pines tomorrow night, then we have a week or so off whilst we do 'things'. Much happening Stay tuned.