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So on Sunday morning Buddy Ross and I drove from Kelso, even further
south into the fine and very flat city of Vancouver Washington.
Ripcord studios didn't look like much from the outside,
but the large biker that introduced himself to us as Patrick
seemed to be legit and he had an awesome black Suzuki pony with pipes
for days, so I liked him right away.
Buddy and I got to work loading the drums inside, where it was cool
and reeked of radness. The biker told us that the ventures had
recorded here in the sixties, and that made me feel so Tacoma. A large
tracking room hung on the front of the bunker like construct, windowed
to two smaller isolation chambers and a huge control room. I've never
seen so many doors....every doorway had two sets of 6” thick
swingers...with just enough room to stand between them when they were
both closed.
The drummer Ryan showed up with a few more compete drum sets and we
tried to map out what to use on what song and set stuff up to make the
switch-outs quick and easy...which they were for the most part, just
based on Pat and Buddies knowledge of the sounds they wanted and how to
get'em.
Recording is like hunting or fishing. You're luring a bit of sound
out of the brushes....setting up a complicated trap of mics and cables
and screens and filters and then tweeking the rods end or getting the
scope just right....pulling the trigger and letting the beast rip. The
control room was ruled by two taxidermy heads one of a boar and one
of a jackal. They made me feel right at home, and really fit in
with the whole theme of this bizarre trip into Buddy's world.
The drummer Ryan was a Baddass, and had no trouble keeping up with
the sample beats that Buddy had scratched for reference.
Click for
tap, that kid can drum. Chris Greely showed up (formerly of “the
listening”, buddy's old band) and sat in to play acoustic guitar on
27...which was a treat and a delight. How in the world I'm working with
so many world class musicians is beyond my ability to understand.
All in all, in two short days, we tracked drums on five songs.
King of Diamonds and Seer included. With the few hours of remaining on Monday evening Buddy Ross sat down at the piano and I hoisted my guitar
in the glass box. A totally new and unheard song called “euphoria” was
born right there in four or five takes. I literally had chills, and
Buddy told me later that he felt the Holy Spirit on hims fingers as he
played. It could have been the air conditioning....that biker pat
likes to keep his rooms ice cold.
I got back on Tuesday late....and have pretty much been sleeping it
off. The mix's that Buddy Ross are sending me are superb....and
listening to them through these new beyerdynamic dt770 pro-80ohm
headphones is like changing my life in a deeply spiritual way. (thanks
for the gear tip cody jones). Supposedly these headphones "break in"
after 100 hours of listening. whoa.
I go into the "recovery room" studios tomorrow for six days....to
track and mix with barton carroll and graig markel...both of whom i
respect and admire for their analog techniques and mucicianal
prowess. 8 more songs from the ground up....oh Great Spirit...guide
my bow and keep my pony rolling.
Personal thanks to Josiah, Steve Naccarato, Barton Carroll and
Aaron Spiro....for the guts and the means and the know how. Y'all make
me brave.
1:18 AM
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