Been spending a lot of time in the studio getting to know some new gear. I recently picked up an EV/Blue Cardinal condenser and a Studio Projects C1. So far the C1 is living up to the hype, sounds clean and balanced with nothing more than an ART Tube PAC (which is an excellent secret weapon btw). The Cardinal is a much more fickle beast it seems. Proximity effect is there in a big way, but I’m really liking it for soft vocal stuff. Still not sure where it will fall in the rotation.

New songs are done, and ready to be recorded but time to do it is at a premium these days. Hoping to remedy that because one song is dominating any new ideas, and I think it will continue to until it’s out of my system. It’s creating a creative logjam, and there is a lot of wood coming down the stream…so I’ve gotta clear it.

Finding Jack Conte’s blog very motivational these days, the man’s energy and passion are contagious.  Really has me wanting to take a stab at a Videosong, or something like it at least. Back to the studio…

Stay hungry,

-J

In an effort to make keeping this site updated a habit, I thought I’d draw up a quick post about inspiration. Inspiration can be a cold, cruel, fickle bitch sometimes. Especially when you need her. When you’ve been calling for days, leaving messages, checking to see if she’s online (maybe I’m taking this a little too far), and she just doesn’t answer. Then one day, you’re in the shower and she sneaks up and clobbers you with something so good, you’re scrambling for a pen or a recorder.

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Working in the studio to wrap up a few new songs as well as a few covers (and re-makes, announcement soon). We’ve recruited some help in the form of the incredibly talented Mikey B to assist with the recording process and to do a little producing. As we’ve been working together, I’ve found myself explaining (sometimes in great detail) how some of these songs came to be. It’s got me thinking that I should share some of that here. I always enjoy “looking behind the curtain”, so here goes nothing.

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People all through time have written about looking into the stars and thinking about long lost love and wondering if they were looking at the same bright spots in the cosmos.  Maybe wondering what went wrong, maybe happy for the experience but glad to be where they are now. Whatever the case my generations cosmos is now tv events.  Its very interesting and funny to see that the while things evolve technically they really stay the same. As I prepare for the LOST Series Finale I think about the girl who I used to watch LOST with, who I used to bombard with ideas of what was going on, guesses at what was to happen next, make sit through my pauses and rewinds to take copious notes and I wonder all sorts of things. Ultimately I wonder how everything on the island will be concluded for all of us who have watched for 6 years and hope she is happy. Happy end of LOST everyone.

-S

Like many of you, we were sincerely saddened to hear of the passing of metal icon Ronnie James Dio. So, we’re going to cope with our grief the only way we know how: by recording a tribute song.

Stay tuned – Stay hungry – Stay metal. -J

So here we are less than two days from our self-imposed deadline of March 26th…the start of PAX East. Looking over my To-do list, another wave of panic saturated defeat washes over me as I realize what’s still left to do. Attempting to soldier on, I think back to how this whole thing started.

Beer. Yep…lots of beer is to blame. Curse you Sam Adams and your oh so tasty nectar! It’s your fault that we thought it possible to cobble this together in time for PAX. Your fault that we believed it possible to not only write quality songs, but record them with semi-professional results in time. And still your fault for leading us to believe that even with our rather clever marketing ploy that people would actually enjoy our hastily assembled odes to nostalgia and bacon.

Under the power of your wicked spell, we soldier on. Creating, scheming and cursing along an uncertain path, in hopes of finding our pot of gold…or lucky charms at the end. Now with the end in sight, and more uncertainty than ever, we scramble to patch the holes of a sinking ship. Anxiously awaiting the UPS man or begrudgingly fixing a drum track made too short. We’re as ready as we’re ever going to be, and we hope that you are too.

We’ll be in the back with Sam if you need us.

-J