New Song Alert! “Someone Came To Help Me”

Well folks, we finally have some new material to share with you. “Someone Came to Help Me” is a tune that was inspired by patients, donor families and caregivers at The Methodist Hospital Transplant Center in Houston.

We played acoustically at a “Donate Life” event at the hospital in 2007 and 2008. Both years we performed “Here Comes the Sun” and “Let My Love Open the Door.” Both great songs, but the event really needed its own tune. I came up with the words and melody, Jeff added some chords and we played it at the 2009 event to a very enthusiastic crowd.

This song started it out as a demo with Jeff programming drums and playing acoustic guitar and me singing just trying to get something together for the folks at Methodist, but we decided pretty early on we should produce it as a band.

Jeff and Chris cut the basic tracks in October, which included organ, bass, acoustic guitar and Chris’ great electric guitar part that weaves throughout the song. When that was completed relatively quickly, we tried a number of different vocals sessions afterward trying to get the right sound, but it just wasn’t coming together. After some time away from it and listening to some Steve Earle for inspiration, I completed the vocals at end of January. Chris and Jeff did some further tweaking to the instrumentation on the song as well.

Mixing commenced at Chris’ Rogers Recording in early February and after a number of sessions to fix the groove and the acoustic guitar track, we all felt like something was missing. Was it a guitar part? Another vocal? Then Chris found a trippy keyboard sound that felt like a mixture of a bunch of different noises and that did the trick. Jeff played it all the way through, Chris added some excellent effects and it really turned the track in the right direction.

This was our first try at mixing our own material and Chris really knocked it out of the park. He upgraded his entire studio last year and it has really made a difference in the overall sound of the band. We are almost done with a bunch of songs we started last summer with drummer Leesa Harrington-Squyres, our former drummer and current drummer for Lez Zeppelin. We hope to have those ready to release digitally in the next few months.

In addition, we will have “Someone Came to Help Me” available for digital download in the next couple of weeks.

Making a Record: Gimme Some Rivum Guitar

When you start making a record and you’re doing so without a drummer, the songwriting process can be different, especially if you are a rock band. After writing a huge batch of new material in the last six months, we knew we were going to have to arrange these on our own with little or no rehearsal.

We finished up the first batch of drums last week and decided our first instrument after that should be rhythm (rivum for you slangsters) guitar. We made a conscious decision on this record to stay away from too much acoustic guitar as it tends to be a little sonically messy. We wanted a tighter, more focused sound.

As an experiment, we decided that I should play one batch of electric rhythm guitars. Not only would it be a different approach in tone and in style from Chris, but it would be simple enough that George could easily reproduce it live on electric - something he’s been working on.

So, Chris and I sat down tonight to get started. We both felt his Fender Strat was the guitar to use since he’ll be using his Les Paul and his Gibson 355 for most of the record. The Strat is a nice contrast.

We also really wanted a very raw, barely distorted and kinda nasty sound for me. Think Neil Young or Tom Petty or Jeff Tweedy - something that would fit but also make sense for a front person. We got some really great, bright and biting sounds running the Strat through Chris’ Mesa Boogie tube distortion and his Fulltone Full Drive, alternating between the two. As usual, we ran through his 100 watt Boogie combo amp with a Sennheiser mic in front.

We managed to knock off five songs and they really sounded great. Adding rhythm guitars really helped to bring the songs into focus as ROCK songs, not just skeleton outlines of acoustic guitar, bass and drums.

It also re-emphasized just how great the drums are going to sound with the rest of the band. They are SO different from what we’ve done in the past, but the fit in SO well with what we are doing now and the whole thing just makes sense.

I’ve got a couple more to go in this batch before we’ll move on to other stuff and get ready for another batch of drums, but the results this time were really promising.

Recording Day 1: I’m a Drummer Myself

Day 1 of recording is in the books and it was quite a day. You can see the carnage that was Chris’ living room. As our engineer put it to Chris’ wife, “This isn’t a living room today. It’s a studio.”

Chris and I spent the better part of Wednesday making some drum baffles and planning on how to deaden the sound somewhat in this room with very high ceilings and concrete floors. Mission accomplished for the most part.

Leesa Harrington-Squyres, our original drummer and fresh off her stint with the well-known tribute band Lez Zeppelin, sat in on our initial eight songs. Steve Christian, who recently engineered the critically-acclaimed (aren’t they all?) Steve Earle album “Townes,” sat in the engineers chair. We managed to borrow drums and cymbals from our good friends Mando Perez (LL Cooper), Joe Araujo (Skillit) and Andy McWilliams (Scattered Pages) and got some killer tracks.

The sheer number of mics, cable and craziness was pure insanity. I’ll admit I don’t know much about the mic choices - that was for Chris and Steve - but they did an amazing job.

We worked from 10am to around midnight and had a good, exhausting time. Leesa was fantastic and we are really happy with what we have so far. Here’s the rundown of drum gear.

Drum Kit:

Pacific Drums 10″, 12″ and 14″ toms, 22″ kick

Snares:

14″ Ludwig Star Classic
14″ Pearl (similar to an old Ludwig)
14″ Custom Maple snare (made by Joe Araujo)

Cymbals:

13″ Zildjian A Quick Beat Hi Hats
21″ Zildjian A Sweet Ride
22″ Zildjian K Ride
18″ Zildjian A 18″ Crash/Ride (really old and awesome)
15″ Zildjian A Custom 15″ Crash
17″ Zildjian A Custom 17″ Crash
17″ Zildjian A Fast Crash

Big thanks to everyone that helped out mentioned above and to my friend, Mandy, for loaning us her awesome faux oriental rug!

Recording the demo…

Guero’s, Austin (SXSW) - March 21, 2009

A few months ago we were panicked because we had only three, maybe four new songs to record. Well, all that’s changed. About a month ago, we hopped on the the writing train and we haven’t yet pulled into station. We now have 19 songs to choose from, all of which, have very catchy hooks. I know every band says that, but we actually mean it.

It was Chris’ idea to build these songs from the ground up. In other words, record demos and build parts around them. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been in the studio laying down drum tracks. What I actually mean is that Jeff was programming drums and Chris and I were giving him our two cents worth. The process was long, but in the end it will be worth it because we will be able to give the tracks to a drummer (Steve Salazar is no longer in the band. Another story for another day) who will be able to play what we want, or at least close to what we want.

Last night, Jeff and I finished recording the acoustic guitar and vocal parts for ten songs and were happy with the results. Finishing this step will give me a chance to perfect the vocals before I record them and Chris a chance to work out guitar parts. It will also give us all the opportunity to “hear” other instruments and vocal parts that will work. I like this process alot. It gives you alot of room to be creative and find things in songs that you wouldn’t find any other way.

Normally, we book a CD release party before we are done with the disc to give ourselves a deadline. What has happened in the past is that we procrastinate and then have to rush at the end. We don’t want to do that this time around. The pace with which we having been working has been great and we made a pact not to rush things with this record. We feel this is the time to make “the” record, and we are going to take the time necessary to do it. The way things are looking, we should probably have something ready to release in the spring of 2010.

Stay tuned. It’s going to be a fun ride. Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter.

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“Run Towards the Warmth of the Sun” video

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This video was put together by Chris a couple of years ago. It features our first drummer, Leesa Harrington, who is currently the drummer for Lez Zeppelin, and former violinist, Amy Price. This is the first track off our first disc, Another Lame Semi-Tragedy, which is available on iTunes. Enjoy.

Loud Rock Band Seeks Drummer for Gigs, Rehearsals and Long Walks on the Beach in the Moonlight

Ok, maybe not that last one so much, but still.

We have recently parted ways with our drummer of nearly 3 years, Steve Salazar. Steve is a phenomenal musician and an even better person. We had a great time working with him and wish him nothing but the best.

That means we are on an all out search for a new drummer. So, if you fling the sticks - no that is not a euphemism for sex - here are some things we’re looking for.

• Live performance experience - circus performing doesn’t count
• Solid rock music skills - i.e. big foot on beat 1
• Reliable Transportation - preferably a 1970’s Kustom van with shag carpet, but we’re not picky
• Quality gear - that Wal-Mart kit you have in your garage won’t cut it
• Personal reliability - make us wait and we start to cry because we’re sensitive like that and clearly you don’t love us any more 
• Good attitude - well, as much as can be expected from a drummer (I keed!)
• Availability for minimum 1 rehearsal per week and average a couple gigs per month - mostly biker bars and tupperware parties
• Ability to travel - mostly short weekenders in state, but the occasional small tour (1-3 weeks) - willingness to sleep on the roof of a van a PLUS!

We don’t need someone utterly dedicated to what we do. This isn’t Single White Female. We just want a rock solid, reliable musician who is willing to rehearse enough for us to learn new material and have some fun.

We’re serious about what we do, but we want to have a good time too.

Also, if you can play this, that would be awesome (the fun starts at the 3:10 mark). Kthxbye!

New Pre-Production Videos

Monday night was another big night of pre-production, which has been great overall. As usual, we shot a bunch of goofy video, so here you go:

First up is what is destined to be our next big hit, “Soft Green Leaves.”

Jeff works on drum programming. It’s tedious.

…from the Greek. Chris and Jeff try to explain what quantizing is with not much success.

My favorite. George tries to explain to Chris the kind of drum beat he wants.

The Kovacik Family Singers

George and his kids got together to make some videos. The first is he and his son, Andrew, performing at the 2nd grade talent show. Check out the awesome drum skills.

The second is George singing Run Towards the Warmth of the Sun with his daughter, Julianne. Andrew plays his part by singing Chris’ guitar solo while playing the guitar from Rock Band.

To quote Tom Petty, “You guys are gonna put me out of a job.”

“Sticky Finger” Video

This is our official video for the song “Sticky Finger,” the first track off our second CD, Come and Take It. It chronicles our weeklong tour of the Northeast in October, 2008. The disc, along with our first one Another Lame Semi-Tragedy, are available on iTunes.

“The First Single”

As we begin to record a new CD, we are looking for the “breakout” hit. The song that will send us into the stratosphere of wine, women and financial bliss. While we’ve written 10 good ones, I think this tune from the 1970s is going to be the tune that will finally get us some “groupie love” like my boy “Fitty Cent” say. Imagine this colorful tune on your iPod and let us know what you think.