April 22, 2016 - 12:35am I got back to the house around 10pm... I don't know why I couldn't get to bed before midnight... I was up way too late last night... almost 4am the last time I checked the clock... the time vampire that is the internet, facebook, chat, and youtube. Ah well... my own fault. Today was a good day... easy morning, made breakfast then Kyle and I headed to the studio for noon. We were going to be late... I knew we should've left earlier... and running a studio for several years, I know how annoying it is for bands to show up late all the time. Ah well... my own fault. The weather was really nice out for a change. It's been raining most of the time but today was a few clouds and blue sky. Sun was warm and hoped it wasn't too hot out for jeans and a button up shirt... I don't want be that sweaty guy in the studio all day... control rooms with consoles (SSL) can get pretty warm. Ah well... I was fine... but it would've been my own fault since I know better. We saw the aftermath of a nasty accident on the highway. Kyle was quick enough to make a decision and get off the highway tro go around... I could see it from the off ramp though... the one car's front end was totalled and the front end and side of the other was crumpled. The paramedics were working on one of the occupants as we went by. ... I had this urge to get my phone out to take a pic before we could see it. ... I felt really guilty after that was a thought that went through my head. ... the paramedics were working on someone as we passed... judging by the damage to the cars, my guess was they were in bad shape. There's nothing you can really do at that point though... it's completely out of your hands as a passerby. We saw a woman yesterday who'd most likely run out of gas had abandoned her car and was walking along the highway. I kept looking at how far she needed to go for help... then thought about how her footwear was designed to sit at a desk... not walk along the highway ... then thought about how maybe it's karma she's in that position... or maybe there's a reason she needs to be late to her destination... maybe she'll meet someone. Again... not much you can really do to help when you're going 70mph... and the way my brain works... I'm more curious what lead to her (possibly) running out of gas. I don't even know if she actually ran out of gas... I got a text from a friend asking if I regret not seeing Prince last month once we arrived at the studio. (... frig.) "Did he die? "He did" ... of all the losses this year so far... Bowie topped my list but Prince moved him down to 3rd... I felt the need to leave a space. ... it felt very much out of nowhere. ... we didn't talk about it much at the studio, but it was on my mind all day. ... at least it wasn't an accident... or drugs... or suicide... or murder. ... maybe he had a heart attack or something... or that flu turned worse... even though he wasn't that old, he still wasn't that young either... and the body does what the body does as it ages. (... I know now the word is it may have stemmed from a drug overdose... but I'm choosing to believe there's a logical explanation what happened.) We're losing artists. ... like... really losing them lately. I look at someone like Prince or Bowie... and in today's market, I don't think they're supposed to make it... it doesn't matter how good their music would've/could've been or how talented they are... or would've been. It doesn't matter... they probably wouldn't have gotten a chance in this market. I feel like large amount of exceptional musicians today get caught in a trap of playing for other musicians... when 20 years ago, they could've been nurtured and brought to the public. Prince was Prince. He didn't apologize, he didn't ask permission... unless it would've been the Prince thing to do so. Part of me hopes this is fake... or part of a bigger campaign where he pops up at the Super Bowl or something... probably not but I'm saying it here first! ... sounds like that's not the case though. ... frig. My Facebook feed has been Prince all day... people sharing stories mostly... or quotes/clips. ... I think the scarier part as my age group grows older... is there's going to be a patch where our idols and icons stop dying... and 20 years later it's going to start being our turn. Real talk for a minute... I've accepted that half my life very well could be over. This is a thing... and I can only imagine how my parents (Happy Birthday Mom! :-)) feel when the thought crosses their mind. It's one thing to discuss a will... it's another to see the age group... and the trend. Prince will leave us with songs and stories... of all the things you can't take with you, it's ironically the best thing about. I don't regret not seeing him live last much as much as I'm saddened we'll never cross paths in real life. In a weird way I thought I would... there were a few signs over the years were I thought it could be a thing... and I could tell my parents I saw him... or better yet, met him. It's days like today though I'm glad I made the decision to go deeper into music... I've been both feet in for... let's say, 15 years now. ... like that car crash this morning reminded me... work towards meaningful work... everyday. (Deja vu looking at my computer on the bed...) "Leave it better than you found it" is another saying I repeat whenever I'm grumbling internally about something. We tracked guitars all day... creating songs that really have no real purpose until it finds a home and meaning with the listeners... and with this album, Parabelle has raised quite a bit of funds from their fanbase before a single note was (really) recorded... they're anticipating it meaning something to them. ... that's pressure... but it doesn't feel like work. ... passing a guitar around showing everyone in the room what they heard in their head isn't work... somebody went to work today and pulled someone out of a wrecked car and tried to keep them alive. ... I've thought about that for years, having family and friends in medicine... the thing about my job is I don't go to work about worry about people dying. Nobody dies at my work if I don't do my job. ... days like today though I'm reminded that's not exactly the case. ... artists help people enjoy the good times and get through the bad... and I think helping people through the bad is the #1 job of any artist. ... so in theory, someone could die if I don't do my job... and what's worse is I'd never even know. (Deja vu again... this time from a dream I'm pretty sure... such a weird day...) Kyle and I played a serious game of NBA Jam while Alex was taking a break to help another band that dropped by. We beat Dallas 62-60. I was John Stockton, he was Karl Malone. The day in the studio ended with Alex, Kyle, and myself passing a guitar around trying leads on a few songs... today was a good day. - Mike "I used to have seizures when I was young. My mother and father didn't know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what they had." - Prince
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April 21, 2016 - 2:41am ... I just can't get to bed at a decent hour! lol. Granted... I was editing drums tonight... but I was done at least a couple hours ago... then internet took over and now it's going to be 3:30am by the time I finish this... we're back in a bit earlier tomorrow so it should be fine... I can still sleep in! My day started out pretty good... did some emails, made breakfast... then Kyle popped out of his room and asked me if I wanted to go for breakfast with him and his lady... ... 2nd breakfast! Ended up at IHOP... sorta hope we can go again tomorrow because pancakes are awesome.. but that might just be getting greedy. Ran some errands on the way to the studio... hit up a Walmart for some household supplies, some crazy electronics supplier called Mouser (...?)... Kyle needed some parts to fix his studio monitor... yeah, we've been doing all our demos using one speaker.... double tracking guitar and mixing with just one speaker... and my ear buds.... and my laptop. Good times. It was a bit of a car ride for a while this afternoon... I wish I could've gotten pictures of so many things. The highlight was a store called "Dino Fireworks".... they had a picture of a dinosaur riding a firework on the side of the building... at least that's what I think I remember... I'm pretty tired so it might not have been.. but it probably was. So studio... tracked rhythm guitars in the afternoon. Alex had Kyle going through a VHT Deliverance and EVH 5150 though some kinda 4X12... not sure who makes it. The 5150 sounded good but that VHT sounded awesome! Alex also has one of those "robot mics" so you can remotely adjust where it's place on the speaker via your phone. It's pretty awesome... I want one. ... I gotta be honest too... gear wise... this place (Empire Sound) is fantastic! ... and I'm not even really a gear guy! It's fun to see all the amps, guitars, basses, pedals, etc ready to be used. Even the drum room/storage lots of toys. Do you need all this stuff to make a great sounding record? Not really... but will you get a better performance if you feel inspired and have so many possible tones at your fingertips? No excuses, but it absolutely helps. Highlights today... pinball. I've only played once since arriving, I could see it becoming addictive though... I shall play more again tomorrow... later today... whatever. Second highlight... DINNER! I think it was called Babe's Chicken or something... I took a pic but it doestn't do it justice... sooooooo much gravy... soooo good. I could've eaten twice as much for taste... but I didn't want to be "that guy". (... it's raining again... another thunderstorm!) I should get to bed... I'll add some more details to the comments in the pics... sometimes that helps me remember... Tracks are sounding great! It's still very early on in the process for most of the tunes, but we're definitely off to a good start. :-) Alright... sleepy time. Mike :-) P.S. Never assume your corn is ok. April 20, 2016 - 2:09am ... I'm sorry everybody... I'm sorry... but recording just isn't that exciting. It's starting to become apparent that all the stuff that goes on in my day that I find somewhat interesting, happens outside the studio... and anything interesting that happens in the studio, should sorta stay in the studio... see previous blog post for reasons why... combined with it being just another day at the office for me. ... I'm super tired right now too... just finished uploading some drums for Alex (Gerst) in case he wants to bring them into the session early tomorrow. Figured it might save some time... it's a 45 min drive. (... another huge thunderstorm just rolled in... the thunder just shook the house!) ... I have no idea where the time went this morning. I woke up, did some emails, skype meeting, checked facebook... ate breakfast, shaved/showered (day 1 at Empire Sound today!), then started transferring the sessions for the studio (guide tracks for drums). ... totally forgot Kev made some edits on his end that I hadn't yet done on mine... so something that should've taken 15 minutes ended up taking 45... to get one done... I'm glad the plan was to just do the one song today... since that's all that was ready! lol... *tear* So... Wing Stop... me likey! Kyle took me there for lunch... I'd mentioned wings (aka when's wing night?) and he immediately said/suggested Wing Stop. .... Wing Stop is good... and considering the price... it's going to be tough to not go there... everyday. It's dangerously close to the studio. (... this thunder is MASSIVE!!!) They have all these flavours... you get to pick two... I went with traditional hot and mango habanero... it was so good! ... I want more right now. Only complaint... and I saw it happening in real time... the guy prepping my fries... his saltin' was a little too free spirited... a little too lax. The amount of salt that I saw go into that big ol' metal bowl... it was "end of shift" salty... it was "salt water" salty... he really should've just shook some fries into a bowl of salt... not the other way around.... so salty. ... I powered through most of it... they were so salty that I was using blue cheese dipping sauce to tone down the salt! ... think about that! (... sweet fudge bars this storm isn't messing around... I'd heard about Houston but hopefully that doesn't happen here... I am curious to see how the flooding on the roads works around here though... there are signs all over the place.) After lunch we headed to the studio... Empire Sound. ... it has vibe, cool staff, and tons of instruments. ... I love it! I'll take more pics but today/this morning I thought I'd update my apps... but my POS 16GB iPhone 5s decided to max out the storage, somewhat bricking my phone for most of the day. I know deleting a couple videos would solve the problem... but I'm just not ready to (although they are backed up) remove Loaner Cat and tour videos... I like having them on hand in case of emergency. (... if this storm finds my remaining fries... and washes them into any waterways... they will become undrinkable water supplies.) The ESP (guitars) dealer dropped by soon after... they wanted to show Kyle a few guitars... he's PRS endorsed I think, and also reps or distributes a few companies... or something along those lines... I was too salted to hear details today. ... there's no TV in the control room... I found this interesting. Howard got in around 5pm and we got to tracking the first (only... lol... *cough*) tune. Despite not having much time at all, he threw down pretty well! Side note... it's a pet peeve when people announce they haven't had much time to sit with a song or even practice. In the studio, you get several swings, and then you can comp or further examine what you're playing. Of course it's nice to have learned/practiced tunes... but the time necessary to track either preparedness level... it's not far apart.... seriously... if you have moderate ability. Write the arrangement, add a few notes (make it a cheat sheet), run through the tune a few times, listen back, run through it a few more... should be good to go! ... even easier with guitars and bass since you can scrub through them. Somehow it was like 9:30pm by the time we left... I wanted to stop by Walmart but Kyle was pretty set on grabbing dinner... dinner was Whataburger. ... I kept thinking everyone was saying "Water Burger"... was pretty curious what the water was all about. ... Americian accents, eh? *pfft* Burger was good... reminded me of a Whopper but better. Side note... the drink sizes here... I'm at a loss for words... our medium cups could easy fit inside their medium... I'm convinced "Large" is just a hose. Started editing around 11:30pm... surprised it took so long for me to get working... it's not like I've been doddling. ... alright... I should put MST3K on and get to sleep... I'm starting to do that thing where I rest my eyes while I'm tying to type and then I doze off... then read what I type and ot ;;pls like tjis. Full day tomorrow... good times. Mike :-) P.S. I need sleep. P.P.S. I just woke up... I dreamt I'd already moved this from my gmail into my blog... not cool! ... and a bad use of dream! April 19, 2016 - 12:39am ... I don't know why I can't get to bed before midnight. It's even later here because I'm an hour behind Toronto time... so it's really almost 2am... and I'm doing emails, chatting, and watching horribly awful movies on Crackle... Crackle is like Netflix... but mostly with crap... but I sorta like crappy awful movies. Spent this afternoon doing some vocal editing and prepping for tomorrow... and this evening Kyle, Aaron, and I demoed up another tune. Odds are I'll use the demo sessions as our guide tracks... I think the tempos are fine and they sound good enough to start tracking drums to. ... so last night I meant to talk about something... but when I went to type it out... I couldn't remember for the life of me what it was... then I remembered this morning. Long story short, I helped Kyle move a treadmill Sunday, and I had this uber weirdo moment where I wasn't sure what I should do... I was stuck at the threshold of the door way... the edge of the carpet. I finally sucked it up and just walked in to help... but I hated every step... it felt so weird! ... overall things seem pretty normal here... but one thing I'm having trouble getting use to is people wearing their shoes in doors. I've heard this is an American thing... but it really seems to be a normal thing... which shouldn't be a big deal, but mentally it is... not that I think it's gross that people are wearing their outdoor shoes inside... but because I feel SUPER weird wearing my shoes in someone else's house. ... it'd be like me putting my feet up on someone else's dining room table. ... that's all. I just wanted to get that off my chest. ... I regret not bringing my indoor shoes. Starting our studio days tomorrow. Good times. Mike :-) P.S. I'm excited to see the studio... studio Christmas. ... the last thing I did before I officially gave into sleep was pull the post down from Facebook and remove the slide show. I was in no condition to judge what I was actually posting... April 17, 2016 - 8:44am So I just re-read my post from late last night... it's not horrible... better than I thought I did actually. I wanted to write about this trip but didn't think I'd run into that wall on day 1! Ah well... I could walk everyone throughout the day again in detail but I think the moment has passed... I find it really difficult to write about the previous day the next day... or after I wake up. Only thing I feel I missed... things feel surprisingly normal here. I've been in the studio non-stop since March 1st, and then traveling with Age Of Days prior to that... so it's been "go, go, go" for a couple months now. Maybe I just haven't changed gears yet but it sorta feels like just another day at the office... not sure how else to explain it... sitting in my pj's, holding off skimming Facebook while friends and family text and message. ... that's probably a big part of it. ... there's quite the thunderstorm going on right now. Kyle joked last night about maybe seeing a tornado... at least I think he was joking... maybe he wasn't joking... ... I've seen all 3 Sharknados... there are no sharks that I know of in Texas. ... saw what I'm pretty sure was a roadkill armadillo yesterday... that was different. So today we have a couple songs we'd like to focus on in preproduction... sight-seeing might force us to work a bit more than we'd like (I'm saying this on behalf of Kyle) because of the weather. Just a quick note about the blog for this trip... it'll be a bit different than my usual tour blog. There's a lot that goes on in the recording process that I believe needs to stay within the studio walls... good and bad, it needs to be a safe zone for ideas, politics, egos, emotions, conflict, etc. There's a reason I don't normally blog about studio days (and sort of why DearBands was born), and it's along those lines. I don't want people I work with to feel like they're under the microscope or worse, everything they do will later be documented and on display. I'll still share some thoughts, but it won't read out like a reality show... wait... those are scripted... you know what I mean. ... time for breakfast! - Mike P.S. Apparently people don't have basements around here... yeah... I know!!! P.P.S. Here are the pics from yesterday. |
Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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