Putting a face to the name

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Traces of Gold.

We have a release date as well, 11/13, we’ll have a shindig at Gallery 5 to celebrate.

This is it...

This is it guys... We've completed all the tracking/recording for the record and feel really great about the way things have turned out. We've been listening to rough mixes for each track and are now debating the best mix for each song. We're also working to determine the best song order for the record. I'm sure that, with John's help, this will all work itself out and be great.

We're now days away from the mastering process and doing everything we can to promote the record and the release show locally. Look for the Release show in mid to late October and keep an eye out for us in local press and media. Right now, we're looking forward to a show at the Plaza Bowl at the end of August with Miguel. Yes, Miguel our ace drummer from the record, will be joining us at the end of the month for a fun show at the Plaza Bowl in preparation for the big CD Release event... Come hang out with us and do some duck-pin bowling - then find us again in October for the big Release!

-Mark

Since We Been Gone

Hey folks. A lot has happened since we left you hanging. Actually, this cat has been doing all the work. In the previous episode, we had just finished the last day of instrument overdubbing. Mainly what remained was recording the vocal tracks. We returned to the studio this week to do just that. Tyler would come in and do background vocals in the afternoons and Mark would come in after work to lay down the lead vocals. On Friday, Tyler and I finished out the lacking solo portion of “Traces of Gold” and I added only four more tracks of synthesizer (plus some mellowtron later that evening). We did this upstairs in studio B with our favorite assistant engineer, Ricky, while John was downstairs comping the previous vocal sessions. John’s been putting us through the vocal ringer, making sure that they sound absolutely great. Mark is sounded the best he ever has. Getting to use some Neumann mics doesn’t hurt either. His superior vocal technique employs potato chips and a Coors Light. We rewrote/added a new verse to “Orion’s Belt.” Howard came to visit. That was nice.

Mark was going in this afternoon to finish the last song, “Rest.” Tonight we finish the last of the background singing and hopefully add a little tambourine here, a little shaker there. Tomorrow we start the final mixing process, which will continue through next Friday. We can’t wait to hear the mixes and see all the hard work begin to take it’s final shape. Then it’s on to mastering and getting the artwork finalized so we can get moving on the release details.

Stay tuned this week for more posts, photos, and tweets.

cheers,

Matt

Day 12+13: More dubs

Thursday:

This is our last day downstairs in Studio A. “Beauty’s Growing” is first on the list. Having finished the bass track, now is the time for guitars. Tyler and Mark do there thing. Ricky keeps mentioning “arena rock.” I add a little bit of Kevin Shields swirly Jazzmaster over the song and it’s a keeper. Next we hit “Last Day of March.” This song has undergone an interesting evolution. It’s sounded like everything from punk to stadium rock and back to new wave. Let’s just say there are now four synth tracks and some mellowtron flutes, coupled with a giant Les Paul sound. And yet, it still sounds very LT. The day ends with putting down the final bass on “Day and Night.” John pushes me for some more melodic bass lines and the result is quite nice. No vocals as of yet, as Mark is still a bit under the weather. We press on.

Friday:

The day begins early as we meet with Jonathan at the studio to discuss some promotion strategy for the record. Today we move upstairs to Studio B to continue with overdubs. “Safe and Sound” is up. This is definitely the best this song has sounded. We managed to get the guitar tones just right. Then we top it off with a sweet solo, ala Dinosaur Jr and we’re set. While this is going on, I picked up some acoustic 12-string strings to “high string” my J50. This will be used to double the acoustic parts on “For You” and “Day and Night.” Next we lay down electric and acoustic parts on “Rest,” which has ended up with a bit groovier beat–90s trip-hop style. This may sound odd, but it really makes the song. Little bit of Hammond and Rhodes and we wrap that one up. We conclude the day preparing the sound for Tyler’s ebow part on “For You.” Knowing that some glockenspiel is eminent, I can sleep easy. Saturday is our last scheduled day for overdubs. Hopefully, the instruments/percussion will be finished and we can move on to some vocals for the second half of the day. We may have to add two additional days to add the vocals. Though we have been pretty efficient, the project is still a lot work to accomplish in the time we had planned. However, our chins are up.

–Matt

Taking Shape (Day 10+11)

In our second day of overdubs, we can see the songs beginning to take shape as we build on the foundation of Miguel's drumming and Matt's bass playing.  Mark is battling a cold/allergy thing, so we've decided to get all the guitar and keyboard parts down and save vocals for the last couple days.  Two things are becoming clear to us as we're putting the instrumental "meat" on the rythm bones: 1) The rythm section is so huge and groovy that we don't have to overdo instrumentation --they sound big already!  Some of these tunes are definitely going to have a "dance around the house" factor.  2) The guitar and keys tones we're capturing are pretty majestic as well.  This is definitely a rock album, no apologies.  When you lay beautiful melodies over these sounds; well, you get those occasional goosebumps that keep us coming back.  

Back to reality -- it's midnight, and this Noon to Midnight (or later) schedule every day is tiring.  Matt is laying down the last bass track of the day.  We're going to be hard pressed to finish all the tracking in the days we have scheduled.  Mark is taking Robitussin shots trying to fend off a cough/cold.  My ears are exhausted, and my kids may have forgotten my name by the time they see me again.  But . . . these are the challenges that make this exciting.  You work hard and invest money and time chasing those magical moments when these songs you've created come together and carry you to some transcendent reality.  We think it will be worth the risk . . .

-Tyler

Overdubs begin!! (Day 8+9)

So... Sunday and Monday brought us the completion of all the drum tracks (Miguel is a beast!) which brings us to Tuesday morning and our first day of overdubbing! This is the point we get to start the 'mad science' (we like to call it) of creating the sonic vibe of the record. We couldn't be more excited. Although we're pretty fired up about today's events, we were kind of bummed to realize late last night (and finalized this morning) that we probably won't be able to record 'Weather' this time around. Unfortunately time and budget are working against us, but we're optimistic we'll be back in the not so distant future and 'Weather' will be at the top of the list.

Anyways... As I type, Tyler has a mass of pedals sprawled out in front of him and John has brought down all sorts of other 'contraptions' to run the guitars through - most of which look like they've been around for decades.... I couldn't begin to tell you what they do - that's Matt and Tyler's job to wear capes and strap on their mad scientist personas. Out.

-Mark

Day 6+7: Rhythm Section

Greetings. So things are really underway now. I’ll backtrack some to get you caught up. Thursday morning we meet up, grab some gear, hit Costco, eat some chicken and head down to Broad Street. We have four days of tracking scheduled for Studio A, which is on the first floor. The main room is quite large and the drum kit is set up in the middle. The guitar amps are put in isolation rooms to minimize the sound bleed. Everyone has their own headphone mix to monitor as we track. It’s a nice set up to have everyone in the room so we can rock out, vibe, or whatever. A good part of the first day is spent getting the drums, drum mics, and room mics set up. As we were getting setting up, John and I discovered my tuner pedal was jacked. While it still works as a tuner, it was killing my signal and adding nasty hiss. Easy fix. It’s out of the chain. Now the bass, along with some shiny new strings, is sounding vicious. Tyler has brought the Reverend out of semi-retirement and it’s lending its growl to the mix. 

Finally, mid-afternoon we begin with “Safe and Sound.” We run a couple takes then break for dinner. We’re off to Tarrant’s for fish tacos—delicious. Full-bellied, we return and knock out the bass and drum tracks. John is meticulous in his direction and editing. The song has never sounded better. After punching in a few fills and bass parts, we move on to “Superstar Me.” This song is going to sound big.

Day seven starts off with eats at Black Sheep. The day is spent working on “Shop You Around” and “Traces of Gold”—our now self-ascribed Olympic theme-song. We’ve added an extended instrumental section that is sounding real nice. Even the interns are humming along. Keywords for the day: Van Halen Shreds, squeeze of lime, prog rock, tarrant’s white pizza, mu-tron bass. 

Saturday is a day off, so we’ll be back in noon Sunday.

New photos are posted here: http://tinyurl.com/mknjge

—Matt

Day 4+5: Pre Pro Round 2

This is a bit of a belated post, but now things are gonna kick into high gear. Last Monday and Tuesday we ran through all 11 songs, getting a good recording which we’ve been absorbing all week. Stoked is an understatement. There are some interesting new things happening with “Orion’s Belt,” “Weather,” and “Traces of Gold.” We’ll let you know more from the studio. Tomorrow is the first day of tracking (for real), so we’re stocking up on snacks and strings. Rumor has it that the mighty Juno synth may make an appearance. Stay tuned.

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..back to ironing my cape,

Matt

Gears Turning Before Knobs

So after doing some initial rehearsal, we’ve been doing some listening and thinking. The most exciting, and perhaps daunting, aspect of recording is the near limitless possibilities. But as much as unbridled creative freedom is enticing, it’s a slippery slope into indecision and paralysis. I guess the trick is giving yourself enough parameters to feel comfortable and even to have something to react against at times. And so we are listening, thinking, reading. The core of the songs are in place, but now is time to breathe life into the vision for the record so when we arrive for the first day of tracking, we know where we are heading—even if the road curves along the way. There is a growing discussion about reverb v. echo that proves how geeky we are. I’m wondering if I can sneak a chorus pedal into the mix. So I’ll go back to listening to the new Phoenix record and think about how we’re going to create a thing of beauty.

—Matt

Day 3: Rehearsal Part 2

And now this. I might as well have taken a boat to the studio. As I scaled the stairs and neared the practice room, strange echoing, chiming notes emanated forth. “Ah, Tyler is here.” I plug in my bass and Tyler and I loop the chorus to “Orion’s Belt,” as he tries out some slide and Ebow. Soon Mark arrives and we get ready to play, waiting for John to give the cue. We start with “Safe and Sound,” a jangly oldy-but-goodie. John even sits in on the kit while Miguel steps out for a bit. Then it’s on to “Last Day of March.” This one gets toyed with more, as we try speeding up the tempo and rocking out. Tyler is really belting this one out. It will be interesting to see where we end up—more Spoonish or more Trail of Dead or neither. Last on the list is a brand new number, “For You.” We decide to take a more bare and mellow approach, letting the melody soar. We head out to the console room and listen as John goes through the takes from yesterday and today. There’s definitely some good stuff to work with. After sitting with the rough tracks a few days, we’ll come back next Tuesday to run them again. 

—Matt

Songs from the day:

1. Safe and Sound

2. Last Day of March

3. For You

Day 2: Rehearsal

Howdy sports fans. Here’s the report from Day 2. We set up in Studio B upstairs, a large brick and hardwood floor room. Mark decides to take them up on the offer to use a VOX AC30. The sound is thick in the air—feels great. I plug into an old exposed-top Ampeg tube amp and try out a new pickup booster pedal on the bass. It doesn’t take long to get the sound dialed in and we get to work. First up is “Traces of Gold,” the title track (and my personal new fav). A few minor tweaks and ideas for the arrangement, but this one is mostly ready to go. The biggest change-ups so far are “Day and Night” and “Orion’s Belt.” We slow them down a bit, at John’s request, and they take on more of a roots-rock feel. Seems to be working out quite well and offers a nice balance with the other rockers. 

The energy is good. John, clad in headphones, moves back and forth between the board and the practice room—taking notes, making suggestions, and playing tambourine. We take a break and conversation drifts between European tours and synthesizers. Back at it. Miguel rocks the drums and we try some new approaches. Getting there. Still some things to work out, but we roll through 8 tracks, putting us in great shape for Tuesday. 

—Matt

Songs from Day 2:

1. Traces of Gold

2. Beauty Is Growing

3. Rest

4. Day and Night

5. Superstar Me

6. Shop You Around

7. Orion’s Belt

8. Weather

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

Launch

Welcome. We invite you to follow us through the process of making our first full-length album. We’ll be posting updates, photos, and videos as we create this record. We begin pre-production with John and Miguel @ Sound of Music this Sunday. Right now we have around 17 songs that we’ll be narrowing down to 10-12.

—LT