Recording Scott Morgan's new record.

Hey folks,
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.

January Rock 'N' Roll update.

Howdy folks,
Things are moving fast right now. Lots of music writing and recording going on.
Last Friday night Scott Morgan and I went down to Detroit, to Jim Diamond's studio. The band did basic tracks on 4 songs. We were all having a great time. The atmosphere at Ghetto Recorders is very laid back. Jim has some nice little guitar amps to record with. I played through an old univox.

I went for an over driven dirty amp sound, but one that would still allow me to lay back when needed. I didn't use any distortion pedals or effects. I did get to play some fun wahwah on one of the tunes. Overall the session went great. I was in a good mood until I went outside and found the window smashed out on the passenger side of my car. Luckily someone from the bar down the street heard the sound of the glass breaking and chased the thief away, so nothing was stolen. I called my insurance company and made a claim right then. While I was on the phone, Jim cleaned up some of the glass and taped a piece of plastic on the window for me. That was super cool of him. The ride back to Ann Arbor was LOUD! As soon as we hit the freeway and got up to speed, the plastic started to tear off and vibrate extremely loud. So loud in fact that Scott and I had to yell to hear each other speak. I kept telling him to just rip it down because the sound was becoming unbearable, but he refused. It was hilarious. He held the plastic over the window the whole way home. I swear I lost some hearing from the sound of the plastic shrieking. So far its ended up costing me $200 because my insurance company is fucking with me. They are about to lose a costumer. Tonight Scott and I will be returning to Detroit to record another batch of tunes. This time we're taking his car. The plan is to record for the next three days.

The rest of last weekend went better. Blue Snaggletooth had practice on Sunday. We've got two new songs we've been working on for a little while now. One of them, Jess and I wrote over a year ago, but we're just getting it finished off now. I'm still working on the lyrics to both tunes. I've been able to come up with vocal melodies over the last few practices but actual lyrics are tough. We'll be playing both songs tomorrow at the Elbow Room when we play with Ganon and the Octopus. I've heard nothing but good things about these two bands, although I have yet to see either of them play.


On Tuesday, I had Mazinga Rehearsal. We've mostly taken a little break since the Rock 'N' Roll revival show back in December. The goal is to have a new record out this summer. We've got some new tunes we've been working on for a while. Al came in last time with a great set of riffs. I added a riff for the chorus and it was sounding pretty tight. We don't have any shows booked for a while. Our next confirmed show is March 13th. We'll be rocking for the A2 Skate Park during their skate competition. We're really looking forward to that.

That's about all for now. I'll be recording and rocking for the rest of the weekend. I'll try to take some photos and post some more updates next week.

New Year, new outlook, big plans!

Hey folks,
After the Dec 18th show I took two weeks off from work and all band business. Here are a few great reviews from the Rock Revival show.
Deniz Tek's review
Retro Kimmer's review
AnnArbor.com's review

Big thanks to Kim Maki for all her help making the show a huge success.

I survived another new years eve working at the Bang. The pics are over here. It was a good time but exhausting.

2010 is here and I've got big goals.
First off, my wife and I want to have a baby this year. We weren't so lucky with that in 2009, but if at first you don't succeed...

I would really like to get in shape this year and lose 20 pounds. It would be awesome to get on a healthy diet and start eating better healthier foods. In the spring Theresa and I want to get a garden started. You never know, it could happen.

As far as music goes, I want to record three albums this year.
Up first will be the IrRationals album with Scott Morgan. I'm really looking forward to this one. We'll be recording it at Jim Diamond's Ghetto Recorders at the end of Jan/early Feb. I love playing with those guys cause they are all such great musicians and the best part is we've got a label to put it out and we get paid to record it!
Shortly after that in the early spring I hope to get Mazinga into the studio over at Pete Bankert's place. We've been writing new material for a while now. Both Marc and Alex have contributed two really good songs. We're shooting for 12 songs. If everything works out we should have Deniz Tek appearing on a track or two as special guest guitar player.
Also coming down the pipe sometime this year is a debut recording from my newest group Blue Snaggletooth. the band's music sounds like Hawkwind mixed with a dash of early speed metal and 70's glam rock. I'm singing and playing guitar with that group. So far it's been a blast and the songs we've written are really fun to play. I enjoy writing songs about ancient epic barbarian battles, getting wasted, and my favorite board game Fireball Island.
Besides all the recording plans, I hope to see the three groups doing bigger better shows outside of the Ann Arbor area.

So there you go. That is just a taste of what 2010 has in store for me.
Hope you all have a great new year!

Nice Write up for the A2 Rock Revival

Check out the AnnArbor.com pre-show review for the upcoming Ann Arbor Rock 'N' Roll Revival taking place this Friday at the Blind Pig. If you haven't already, you should head over to the Blind Pig web site and buy your tickets now before the show sells out!

Ann Arbor Rock 'N' Roll Revival, 2009

I've got an awesome show coming up at the Blind Pig on December 18th, The Ann Arbor Rock 'N' Roll Revival for 2009. It's hosted by Stanley the Madhatter and will feature, Deniz Tek (from Radio Birdman), Scott Morgan and the IrRationals, Gorevette and Mazinga. Hiawatha Bailey (from the Cult Heroes) will also be joining Deniz and Scott during their set to perform a few Stooges songs in honor of the late Ron Asheton. DJ Jeremy Wheeler of the Bang Dance party will be spinning records inbetween bands. He also designed the amazing hand drawn limited editon poster which will be avalible for purchase at the show.
It's only $10, doors are at 9:30, Mazinga goes on at 10pm. Advanced tickets can be purchased on the Blind Pig Web site. Don't miss this show. It's going to rule.

Halloween Weekend!

Here is what all you people in Southeast Michigan should be doing this weekend.

Friday Oct 30th at the Blind Pig.
Mazinga will be performing a 20 song Misfits tribute set along with Suicide By Cop, who will be performing as Minor Threat. Should be an old school punk rock party night at the Blind Pig! Plus the ladies of the TICKLED FANCY BURLESQUE CO.!


On Saturday Oct. 31 Halloween night there is only place to be!
THE HALLOWEEN BANG! at the Blind Pig.


See you all there!

R.I.P Dickie Peterson.

Man, what a bummer year. First Ron Asheton, then Lux from the Cramps and now Dickie Peterson from Blue Cheer.

I love Blue Cheer. Dickie's vocals were incredible. I'm so glad I got to meet him and see BC a few times. He was a super nice dude.

Dickie Peterson and I at the Magic Stick.

Here is their classic version of Summertime Blues. I remember seeing this as a young kid of 13, it made me want to Rock!