We have been buried in winter and work for the past week. Over the last eight days we’ve gotten our feet under us in a recording sense, while also taking time for a couple gigs in NYC and Oneonta over the weekend. Right now I’m listening to the rest of the crew lay down a rhythm track for a brand new Galen tune. Seems like the perfect time for a blog update!

So far, the recording process has developed it’s own daily logic–a recipe, of sorts:

1. Wake up between 7 and 8am, slide out from under a pile of blankets, and take a quick shower–hopefully with warm water. Make a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts whole-bean, medium-roast, single-drip coffee. Pick up where the last day left off.
2. If recording acoustic instruments, vocals, or drums, turn off the boiler for the heating system to minimize background noise on the track. Add wood to the stove to keep the house from becoming Narnia. Shiver when looking at the 4-ft high (and counting) snow drifts outside.
3. Work on a few songs throughout the day, starting with rhythm tracks and building toward embellishments and vocals. Stop periodically to position microphones, discuss arrangments, consume lunches.
4. Make a hearty dinner for five late in the evening. Have a beer or a whiskey or a good-natured argument about religion/philosophy/whether 2+2=4. Make damn sure to turn the boiler back on before turning in for the evening, for the sake of the next morning’s shower.
5. Sleep.
6. Repeat.

We’ve recorded tracks for seven songs so far. There are as many as eight more to come. It feels like we’ve only just scratched the surface, but the early returns are promising!

– Tommy