WHEN GUITARS ATTACK!

Yesterday January 30th, I started recording rhythm guitar parts. After some technical snags (what else!), we were up and running. Banged out six of the nine songs in 3.5 hours.

Our ears were fatigued!!

But make no mistake, the first day was an exercise in patience and diligence. When the ghosts are in the machine, all we could do was dissect the problem and then move forward. Once things were in place, we were off to the races. I wrote these songs and was messing up a lot LOL! That happens, you know? The studio is one giant microscope that magnifies EVERYTHING you do. Nothing stays hidden.

One thing people will notice when they hear the new songs is that it’s a very guitar-dense album. “That’s all your albums, right, Steve?” Well, no. I always concerned myself with pulling things off live. But since I no longer feel compelled to get back on stage with my own material, Mike and I (along with friend Jon Hanneman) said “LAYERS! Layer those guitars!” So we’re piling them on. Different chord voicings to add more texture and flavor. One chord might have open strings, another will be a power chord, and the results blend. Clean chords under metal chords. This isn’t going to sound like a Boston or Def Leppard album, but it will still give listeners a lot to chew on.

We met up today to finish the parts. All the heavy stuff is done, so we had time for clean tones. WHAT?! Clean tones?! Well yes, I always mix things up on each album. Why would this one be any different?! I’m being cheeky here but I always liked music and albums went on a journey, wasn’t just one dynamic. I guess that’s the Led Zeppelin influence that goes over some peoples’ heads. Jimmy Page called it “light and shade.”

I call it…being me.

Now we will take another two-week break, so we don’t suffer from any burnout. No sense rushing or pushing things, as there’s no reason to do so. We are enjoying this more relaxed vibe, yet things are moving quickly. But when we get back, I will be doing bass tracks. Last time I did that was for MOOD SWINGS, and I did everything in one day. I’m not TM Stevens or Billy Sheehan, but I know how to hold the fort and when to throw in some cool little licks.

Here’s a five-second clip that Mike secretly recorded yesterday. Enjoy!