“Every single time I step into the studio, I say, ‘Can I still do this? Do I still have it? Have I ever had it?’ I suppose there’s a good amount of self-loathing that goes into any form of artisanship.” – Ben Harper The air of ending hung over us as we puttered about the condo on the morning of the 12th day. It … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Twelve
“Songs really are like a form of time travel because they really have moved forward in a bubble. Everyone who’s connected with it, the studio’s gone, the musicians are gone, and the only thing that’s left is this recording which was only about a three-minute period maybe 70 years ago.” – Tom Waits I knew when I woke up that morning on Day 11 that … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Eleven
“When I sit down to write a song, it’s a kind of improvisation, but I formalize it a bit to get it into the studio, and when I step up to a microphone, I have a vague idea of what I’m about to do.” – Paul McCartney We had arrived at the day I was secretly dreading: Keyboards and piano day. I love keys and … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Ten
“I love to go to the studio and stay there 10 or 12 hours a day. I love it. What is it? I don’t know. It’s life.” – Johnny Cash It was my evening on the couch, thus I was awoke earlier than my normal 7:30am.The sounds of construction and morning rush hour traffic filled my awakening ears. It was an exceptionally nice morning, and … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Nine
“The first Van Halen album makes Johnny Rotten out to be what he really was and still is: a hairdresser.” –Henry Rollins I remember waking up on the 8th day (5th day recording) and finally having the feeling. The feeling that I no longer had any sense of what a normal structured week was like. I’ve told friends in the past that recording is my … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Eight
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche I don’t consider myself a guitarist, keyboardist, or singer, in any sort of traditional sense. After witnessing Chris Metcalf do his thing, I’ve begun to reconsider my declarations of being a drummer for the last 20+ years as well. Now, I’m not spelling this out to paint a picture of myself as some sort of self-deprecating … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Seven
“I like being in a recording studio. I like watching a song go from the simplicity of the original music.” – Grace Slick Some of the things I will remember about the Air B&B condo we stayed at. It was a beautiful condo. Exposed brick and high ceilings are a sure way to win me over in regards to living spaces. I still don’t understand … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Six
“Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best.” – Henry Van Dyke Recording Day! I was anxious and excited. But there was a clarity and focus within that anxiety. I knew that no matter what, the drums were going to sound amazing. In theory, if it all went bad, we could just … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Five
Day 4. “For those about to rock, we salute you.” – AC/DC I was 5 years old when my grandfather sat me down on an old Rogers drumkit and showed me how to do a basic beat on the hi-hat and snare. I couldn’t reach the kick pedal. Since then I’ve been the drummer of five different bands and played drums on nine records. In … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Four
3 of my favorite days. Christmas mornings. I’m a full on ‘Clark-Griswald-Ralphie-Parker’ Christmas loving idiot. Recording Days. No one rides the line between complete doubt-based anxiety and baseless bravado better than me. On these types of days. Gig Days. So here we were on Recording Day eve. I was up, showered, and re-packed by 8:15am. Today was the day. We were hopping into Joe’s car, … Continue reading Vast Robot Armies’ Studio Diary – Day Three
