MORE SONGS IN THE CAN

just for a loittle primer on the process of making a recording, not all recordings but this one. after the nips and tucks and adjustments of the song writing are done, ((and in some cases the songwriting is adjusted during the recording process), you head into the studio with a basic band of musicians and your producer and an engineer. you play the songs to where they sound good and hit record. what you will get is a basic recording of the songs, or "bed tracks". once all the bed tracks are done you go back and add "over dubs. these are musical parts you add onto the basic roceording- things like tambourines, hand claps, backing vocals, lead guitars and anything else to make it a complete recording. in some cases you can get the final vocal recording in the basic tracks, but you at least record a guide vocal so the band doesn't get lost in the song. they have music sheets or charts in front of them, but it helps to hear the singer do his thing so you can get a feel for the ups and downs and all manner of dynamics that is very important. i think so far i might have nailed a couple final vocal cuts in the basic tracks which is great.

yesterday we worked on two songs, "i need you now" and "with you all the way". The first i got some help from sarah buxton on the lyrics and phrasing. i think it came out real well. it's a song about a guy who needs his woman to talk to him after she clams up and won't communicate. it's pretty dark and intense.

the second song is a love song. wow. it is not a happy one, but not a dark one. the guy is just really serious about telling the heroine that he will be with her forever and goes through his feeling about reassuring her.

today, we are goi9n gto put the final touches on the vocals and lyrics. everybody was kicking in on ideas last night for this one, we worked until 2 am! this is not the first song i have co-written with tom bukovac but it is certsainly the first song i will share authorship with a rock and roll hall of famer, joe vitale. sorry, but that is pretty cool. joe just got notified that his composition with joe walsh, ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY, has had 5 million radio plays. he of course has a host of other classic rock songs including PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW, on the hotel california album by the eagles.

so, tonight we are starting at 8 o'clock so it might be a late night. we are going to do some more upbeat songs, i think the first one we shall do is called IT IS WHAT IT IS. maybe we will even get two done tonight. wish me luck!