Day 1: Meeting with John

It’s a drizzly Sunday afternoon—a fine day to begin an album. Tyler and I arrive at the studio around 1:30, our bellies full of Arby’s, our ears full of My Morning Jacket. We walk upstairs and find with John, Mark and Miguel in the kitchen. There is a cat on the table. After hearing some fish stories from Mark’s weekend, we head upstairs with acoustic guitars and coffee in hand. It’s and honor having John Morand at the helm—having worked with artists like Carbon Leaf and Sparklehorse. It’s raining outside, but inside vibes are good. John pours over his track list and notes. We run through a few songs acoustically, making comments on the structure and possibilities. We play songs and answer John’s questions. He chimes in with new thoughts. Already we have some great ideas taking shape. The verse melody on “Orion’s Belt” has been reworked—John nods enthusiastically. Apparently, this is going to be a rock record. Tomorrow and Tuesday we’ll be rehearsing with Miguel, recording the sessions as bare-bones demo tracks (10-12).  

—Matt

Songs from the day:

1. Traces of Gold

2. Orion’s Belt

3. Safe and Sound

4. Weather

5. Last Day of March

6. Day and Night

7. Rest