On Saturday I did a recording session with Library. We were chosen to appear in a webisode of a new series called 'Masters From Their Day', hosted by Benchmark Media. Benchmark makes high quality microphone preamps and other fun toys. Each of these webisodes features a different band in a different studio, and the idea is that you have eight hours to go to a studio and lay down a song, track, overdub, mix. All of this using the Benchmark gear, of course. The whole process is filmed, and I believe our webisode (I still feel funny using to word 'webisode') will air sometime this summer. I'll post it when it comes out. In the meantime, here is the first one that just aired last week:::
For our webisode, we were instructed to show up to PIE Studios in Glen Cove. We looked at the studio website, and it looked by far to be the nicest studio we'd ever stepped foot in. We didn't have a clue what we'd be getting into.
We ran through the new song, called 'The Broken Guitar', at a space in Brooklyn on Friday night. Cory had flown in from Ohio a couple hours earlier. We went out for some drinks afterward. The next day we met up, started out of town, and had some food from a Polish ale house in Queens. Steve recently got a pickup truck from Ohio on the cheap. The headlights and gas gauge didn't work, and it only seated two. But she got us up there. Cory and I took turns sitting on each other's laps. We threw a couple of guitars, a bass, and a snare drum in the back of the truck. Didn't take long to get up to Glen Cove.
When we walked into the studio, roadcases from The Who and Aerosmith were lined up on the floor, and records, plaques, personal notes, photos, and VIP passes covered the walls. We first met Elias, who produces the session, and then Perry, the owner of PIE Studios. Both were total gentlemen. We entered the live room, which was a huge and open vibe. There was a sunken wood floor, and the ceilings reached to the heavens. It was a sanctuary. There was a grand piano, several vintage drum kits, and stacks and stacks of amazing guitar amps. The control room housed racks of crazy kinda guitars and basses. Perry made us feel totally at home. "Feel free to use whatever you need to, and set up however you feel most confortable," he said, while pacing around pulling microphones and stands out from the corners of the studio.
I perused the eye candy, pretty humbled by what I came across. I saw an amp in the live room, a little weird amp that had a plaque on it: 'Echosonic Amp. Made by Ray Butts. Special for Scotty Moore.' Elvis Presley's guitarist. Whoa. When I asked Perry about it later, he pointed to a photo on the wall of an early 1950s Elvis Presley concert. Right next to a dancing Elvis was Scotty Moore, and right behind the two men was that amp, plaque and all. "There she is. Scotty's personal amp. Jailhouse Rock was recorded on this amp.", he said. Whoa. I saw an old beat up Fender Tweed amp in the corner with the words "Record Plant" faintly stenciled on the top. "Jimi Hendrix recorded on this amp." In the control room I saw a beat up blonde Fender Esquire laying on the couch. I picked it up. Keith Richards' signature was on the back. "That's Keith's guitar." Perry shared some rich stories with us about his pals, and some of the great recording sessions he'd been a part of. The three of us were amazed and honored just to be there. Perry was so gracious and generous, and an all around great guy to hang out with.
The vibe was nice and comfortable.
Cory made himself at home on Ralph Molina's drum kit and channeled his inner Crazy Horse. Steve and I set up in the room right around him, doing basic tracking live - how we like it. Despite it being the first time I'd played with Cory (our regular drummer Pete had another commitment), we locked in real good and tapped the vibes. Steve then knocked out rhythm guitar overdubs, and vox were tracked in the vibey bathroom with the shattered china mosaics and red crushed velvet. "Cheap Trick did vocals in there." Cory and I grabbed some beer across the street to take back to the studio. Elias pulled together a good rough mix of the raw tracks. Cool. We all broke for dinner nearby at the Juicy Burger. The Benchmark gang of Elias (producer), Jeremy (engineer) and Isaac (camera man/director) were all real solid dudes, and we shared some fun times.
Steve had the idea to record some guitar overdubs loosely inspired by Rhys Chatham's 'raindrop' technique employed in his 200 guitar extravaganza, "A Crimson Grail". The technique involved recording notes on a guitar played completely at random, and in no particular order. I think each of us did about 3 takes of this, acheive a nice pinging rain drop sound. On Keith's guitar. Through Scotty's amp. When I played Keith's guitar it was surreal. The fretboard was nearly black in places. The neck and body were beat to a pulp. Well-loved. It wanted to be played and played and played. The built-in tape loop delay pulsed and burped in the bottom of Scotty's amp, like a sleeping beast. To use some of these tools that rock and roll was built with was completely humbling and unreal. A huge thanks for Perry for his generosity and kindness, and a huge thanks to Elias for having us do the show. He was a great guy to work with, and I think the song came out great. We had fun, which is all that really matters I guess.
Steve also posted a real nice blog about the experience. Check it out here.
Fun Saturday.
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