Analogue Overload

This weekend we finally wrapped on recording down in Olympia, WA. There's something to be said about driving into Olympia and taking the Sleater-Kinney Rd. I-5 off ramp to get to the studio. Sleater Kinney defined my early teenage years and it was at their One Beat tour that I attended my first rock show without a parent (okay, so my folks were really protective).

We recorded a total of 9 songs but we'll probably only release 8 of them. The process was analogue beginning to end—though we haven't gotten it mastered yet since we're broke and crossing our fingers for some kind of miracle. Or sugar daddy. 

I will be the first to admit that the art of analogue recording goes right over my head. However, the sound is so much warmer and nicer. Especially the vocals. I just feel really lucky to have had this opportunity.

Speaking of opportunities, a while back a buddy of mine asked for us to contribute a song to a mix-tape he was putting together. I should mention that this friend of mine, Danny, is a legit music junkie. I mean, he works at a record shop—That gets you major [music] junkie points!

Credentials aside, this mix tape has totally blown my mind. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting anything. I had no idea what musicians would be included in this. But, man, I have not stopped playing it in my car.

I absolutely (and surprisingly) love "Big Boi" by Hair Vest. It's choppy, distorted, synth-punk that my friend remarked sounded like a "more punk" Spurm. Then on the other end of the spectrum is Prisoners with "No Place Like Home", which I swear has been stuck in my head these last two days. It has this innocent charm that reminds me of early Daniel Johnston recordings and I actually want to pay attention to the lyrics (I never listen to the lyrics). And of course, the two songs by Orca Team. I seriously think they're my favorite local band at the moment. So, so, so good.

12 Bands/12 Hours

This past summer my band took part in a project dreamed up by local producer/all around good guy Aaron Schroeder of BLDGs. His idea was simple: gather 12 bands that represent Seattle's underground scene and give them each an hour to record a song. Schroeder single-handedly recorded, mixed, mastered, and videotaped the process. The compilation is available for digital download on his blog, and each week he releases another music video from the recording session.

We chose to record a song that we had decided to keep off of our full length, which we will be mixing this Sunday! It's called Fuck & Kill and actually has me on the drums, and Jon on the guitar. We wrote it one day by chance when I was going through my "I want to be a drummer" phase.

Jon has always played guitar, he's kind of a whiz when it comes to music. However, I had only been playing drums for 2 months when we recorded this. I have since abandoned the drums as it didn't really jive with our sound, but I'm glad we decided to do something out of our comfort zone for this project.

 Enjoy!

Arts, Farts & Crafts

Today I realized how low I am on art supplies. I played earlier at Ricochet Recital and wanted to have something to promote the band. I was actually performing solo — just one song on acoustic guitar. I think it was the closest I've ever come to doing something in the style of open mic.

Anyway. I made little cards to hand out. I used the back cover from my sketchbook, some markers I had lying around, and a magazine clipping.