We finished basic tracks on the new Scott Morgan album last night. I think the recording has turned out fantastic so far. We recorded a mix of originals and some killer soul, R&B covers. The process of recording the songs was very spontaneous and free form. Most the original tunes we made up or learned on the spot. They were mostly based on the vocal melodies and ideas Scott would bring in. When it came to the covers, we would listen to them, pick a key, play through it once or twice to get the arrangement and then put it to tape. Normally with my other bands we practice our asses off for a month, get the songs as tight as we can, and then go record them as fast as we can in order to save money and get in, get out. I've always felt so under the gun in the studio because the budget is always so tight. This time around, we would walk in not knowing exactly what we were going to record each night. I have to say it worried me, until after the first night. I saw right away that the other guys had the skills to just pull the stuff right out of thin air. I was surprised when we got through 4 songs in the first night and it sounded really good. After that I wasn't worried. I just went with it, and it was a lot of fun.
Playing guitar along side Matt, Dave, Jim and Scott has been a joy. Those guys are such pros! They are so laid back about the process that any worries I had about being unfamiliar with the tunes was quickly laid to rest. During the sessions I was constantly impressed by Matthew Smith's guitar playing. Most of the time I would just lay back on the tracks and vibe off of what he was doing, but he also left plenty of room for me to throw some licks in. Our guitars meshed together beautifully. Here is a photo of Matt's awesome guitar.
It's a 1968 Fender Jaguar.
And here is mine. It's a 1965 Epiphone Wilshire.
Matt is also a solid piano player. He put down some great sounding piano parts on a few of the tracks.
Here is a photo of Jim's 24 track machine.
Jim's studio is in downtown Detroit. You would never know it's there unless someone told you. He has a nice living space with the huge studio room in the back. Here is a photo of the stairs leading up to the place and a photo of Jim's motorcycle. These are the first things you see when you walk in.
We did five sessions total. Most of the time we started around 8pm and would finish around midnight. We did a Sunday session that went from noon till 11:30pm.
Doug Coombe came down last night and took band photos. If you haven't checked out his work then you should. He's the go to guy around these parts and for good reason. He's really good at what he does and he's one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet. I look forward to seeing how the photos turned out. Here is Doug listening to a playback.
Scott Morgan sang his butt off. He'll be going back down tonight to do a few more vocal overdubs and some final touches. There is still the entire job of mixing to complete. I probably won't be going down for that. I'm very confident that Matt and Jim are the ones who know how to handle it best. Tonight Eddie Baranek from the Sights is supposed to come down and add some guitar and vocals to one of the tracks. I can't wait to hear how that turns out.
Here is a photo of Jim and Scott discussing a take.
Here is Scott leaving the studio after a long night of recording.
That is all I've got for now.
Stay tuned for more updates on Scott's album and other band news.
I took all the photos for this post.
Didn't want you folks to think Doug took these. His will be way better.
