originally posted at http://www.bassplayersclub.com
this is kind of a random musing from the van. part of an ongoing series about the “glamour” of the road……
It’s noon and I’ve been in the Van for just about two hours. I stayed up a little too late with my friend Jimmy Davis and probably had one more beer than was really necessary. Up at 8:30, which I don’t do when I’m home, and up from the couch I slept on at G’s house. A trip to the Starbucks for an iced tea, I’m off the glorious coffee bean for awhile due to over productive stomach acid tearing up my esophagus and making it very difficult to eat, (feeling really old as I write this) and a 20 minute wait at the customer service counter at Walmart to return the sunglass clip-ons that I bought that were the wrong size for my glasses.
Need to hurry up and meet the van, get loaded up and go. Now we’ll spend the rest of the day and into the night driving. We have no “routing gig” on the way to New Mexico this time. No show to pass the time and put gas in the van. Just the road for 14 hours or so. Then we get to play 3 shows in New Mexico. It’s the first time we’ve played any of these venues so the money’s not so good and we have no idea if there’ll be anyone there or not. Hopefully, it being summer and all, we’ll have good crowds and sell enough t-shirts to make a little extra cash.
Now don’t mistake me, I love to play music. I wouldn’t be in this van at all if I didn’t. And if I’m going to travel in a van with a bunch of guys, this bunch of guys are it. For the hour to hour and a half we get to do our thing on show days it will be pure pleasure. If the stars align and we find our footing in might even be existential. It’s the other 22 and a half hours a day that people don’t talk about much.
When we were younger we could just drink all day to pass the time. But I don’t recover like I used to and the older I get the more I long to be at least somewhat productive as I hurl myself across the country. Especially if I’m not driving. (hence the blog post) And I really do want to play well tomorrow and through the weekend and I won’t if I get plowed on beer all day long.
So we ride. And ride. Small towns fly by. I know what I can get in any roadside convenience store. I look forward to the stops to stretch my legs. An I wait. Wait to arrive, wait to play, wait to sleep, wait to go again, to arrive to play to sleep and I wait for home…..
p.s. after a long drive, we had a GREAT time in NM. The shows were great, the people were great, we made the spirits move…
Chris and I had a really fun day in the studio this week. One of the reasons I asked Chris to produce this record for me is that he knows what I’m capable of as a player and singer even when I don’t.
We spent the first part of the day laying down electric guitars on a song called “Houston”. The track is very textured. Chris playing swelling pretty stuff and me on slide. It was fun. Then after a dinner break it was time to sing again. Yikes!
After the last time I was a bit nervous about singing again. It’s really silly. I’ve sung on hundreds of recordings. I did manage to sing a little bit during the week between our sessions and I was stretching and pretty well rested. And I may have had a beer or two before jumping in to the first track of the evening.
It went well. I’m back! I knocked out lead vocals for three tunes and we called it a night. It feels like Chris and I have hit the groove now in how we work together. I can hardly wait until our next session.
My first day of singing in the studio for the new record was rough. The human voice is such an interesting thing. There are times when I can sing anything. (or at least it feels that way) And then times when singing feels like peddling a beach cruiser up mount everest.
When I’ve coached singers I talk about things like drinking water and getting plenty of sleep, but I’m realizing that for me as I age, I need to keep the muscle active. Sometimes not singing for awhile can be a good rest, but let it go on too long and the muscle loses strength.
We had a short day that first day of singing. I got one song done, but totally ran out of gas on the next one. I couldn’t even get some of the notes out. I felt beat up afterwards.
Then I was off to a gig at Schriner College in Kerrville with Walt and Johnny. That’s always a good thing and I remember this particular show as being very fun when we did it last year. They do an open mic before and after the main set and as I heard the poetry and songs of the students that night I started to settle down a bit.
We played a good set. We hadn’t done the three acoustic guitars set in awhile, but it felt good. Walt asked me to sing something from the new record. You can imagine that after my less than satisfying studio experience that day I was apprehensive. But, hey it’s a gig. So I performed “Next Time”. John and Walt sang along beautifully and I was redeemed.
So, while I didn’t enjoy getting kind of stuck in the studio it did help me refocus. I’m a singer. All I need to do is act like one.
Hey I found the Schriner College performance on youtube. Here you go:
I’m very excited to announce that recording has begun on my new record. Yeah I know I still say record. I guess I show my age a bit. I spent 3 days starting on Labor Day at Moonhouse Studio in south Austin with Chris Gage (producer, engineer), Glen Fukunaga (bass), and fellow Mystiquero Ray Rodriguez on the drums.
Chris and I have been talking for years about making a record together. I learned the hard way that even though I have had some success producing records for other people, it doesn’t work for me to produce myself. I can’t get far enough away form the music to be properly objective. Chris is a great friend and I usually describe him as the best musician I know. His list of credits is almost as impressive as his playing. He’ll be lending his talents as a player and singer to the project as well, but most importantly he knows me very well. He knows better than I do what I can do and is making sure that I perform up to the level that I’m able.
I had never worked with Glen before but have seen him play numerous times with Joe Ely and Eliza Gilkyson among many others. Glen is pure magic. As some of you know I play bass quite a bit myself, but Glen’s ability to capture the right feel for a song in the studio is unparalleled. And he’s a great person to boot. Really fun to be around.
What can I say about Ray? I love this guy. He and I have been the rhythm section for Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros for over 2 years now. We’ve logged a lot of miles. Traveled the world. He’s like a brother to me and I never have to worry about what he’s going to play. He’s always right on.
We finished basic tracks, drums & bass, and I’ve begun recording some of my final acoustic guitar tracks for 11 songs. I’ll be recording one more song without the rhythm section. I’ll be back in the studio on Tuesday to record more guitars and Chris and I will be working whenever our schedules permit over the next several weeks to finish up the project.
I put together a short video below that shows some of the action from those first sessions to the tune of a great Sam Cooke song.
A big thank you to everyone who has supported me financially and helped me get this far with the project.
I’ll keep you posted on how things progress from here. Enjoy the video!
Ok, many of you probably know this already, but Joss Stone …. Wow!! I had quite a bit of road time this week and I grabbed some of Julie’s CD’s on my way out the door. One of them was Joss Stone’s first record. From what I gather she was in the neighborhood of 16 when the album came out. I’ve heard her on the radio a bit and certainly heard her name, but as usual it has taken me awhile to actually sit down and listen to a whole record. I not going to write a record review here. I’m sure there are some great reviews of that record already. What I was struck with was the authenticity in Joss Stone’s voice.
As a singer and a coach of singers, the one thing I’m always looking for is honesty. Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether a person has an incredible singing voice or not. Bob Dylan is a classic example. Best singer? Maybe not, but I believe every word he sings and that makes him a great singer. So many young singers out there are trying to sound like some version of some singer in their heads and not finding the voice that is theirs. Their true voice. Or they are blessed with a great instrument and can’t stop singing long enough to say something. Tell me something true. That’s all I ask.
Listening to Joss’s CD in the car I was reminded again that what makes a singer truly great is if they can find their true voice and let you hear it. If they can express themselves fully. Say something. It’s what makes it all work.
