THAT’S A WRAP

Last day of recording is always bittersweet. You spend months rehearsing, planning, inflicting self-doubt, and then you lay down tracks for an eternity. You are excited but at the same time, can’t wait for it to end. And when it ends…

You think “That’s it?”

Today I threw down solos for seven of the eight songs (one only needed Hendrix-style feedback, so I made noise for one tune). And like most sessions, I approach this one with caution. Did my homework, carved out ideas but told myself “Don’t get too attached!” Thankfully, a majority of what I played worked out quite well. Very smooth, to be honest. I noticed my playing is moving into slightly different terrain. I could be wrong. But Brian even pointed out that what I played had a lot of feel yet added the shred when necessary.

Am I…gulp…maturing?!

Mike and Brian offered pointers when something was going right. The criticism was very constructive (was waiting to hear “Dude, that sucked!”) but every so often, I would play a line and they would look at me like “You really wanted to do that?” HAHA! Face it, I am a quirky guitarist, not abstract like Buckethead or Robert Fripp, but enough to throw people off the trail. I refuse to be boring, that’s for sure. One solo in particular is going to make some people stare at their speakers or earbuds in disbelief. It’s not a shred solo but…you’ll hear.

And when the last solo was recorded, we closed up shop and I packed the gear back in my Titanium Tour Bus. This feeling of elation washed over me but also that feeling like “Wait, it’s OVER?” Kind of like when you can’t wait for Xmas morning and then it’s Dec 26 already.

Mike will start mixing the album in two weeks, which is a great approach. Gives his ears time to adjust to reality before being bombarded with the progressive funk metal mayhem.

But I am sure I will find something to blog about in the meantime 😉