Panhead (the top 40 band I play in most nights) had most of last week off, so Josh Woodman and I headed down to Cydonia Sound to record drums for a couple of tracks for my upcoming CD. The songs we tackled were "Numbered Days" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". Josh and I spent most of Tuesday night rehearsing the two tunes, as Josh's brother and owner of Cydonia, Keith Woodman, started mic'ing up Josh's drums for recording.

Keith had a bit of a hard time of it, as his other brother, Shad Woodman, had taken a bunch of stuff from the studio with him on tour to do sound for Second Coming, so Keith was stretched to the limit on items like microphone stands and mic cables. Keith vowed to speak to Shad about this, I think he'll be able to when Second Coming comes back into town at the end of this month, to do some local gigs before heading off on tour for the next 18 months (their album is coming out September 22, by the way). SIGH. Sometimes I let myself dwell on how close I came to BEING in that band, and I get a little despondent. However, I press on, things happen in this universe for reasons unknown, it's just up to me to manage the good opportunities as they come. Right now, the universe is compelling me to work like a dog to make enough guidas to make this CD a reality. Josh asked me at the studio what my plans were once the CD is done; like, what was I going to do with it. It occurred to me that I have no frickin' clue... this is just something I need to do, and I'll worry about the marketing of the end product only when I have to.

So anyway, after much struggle and creative use of meager equipment, Keith had the whole drum kit mic'ed and ready to go. Josh and I worked through the songs, and this was the first time I'd ever had the chance to observe how Josh approaches a creative context like this. The songs I gave him were certainly not above his abilities, as I've said before, Josh is the "Groove King", he can play anything, but stuff that's a little "out there" like mine does not often cross his plate. He dug in hungrily though, and he played lots of neat little things that really typify his style. We worked until about midnight Tuesday, and after Josh left, Keith and I got sync tones and keyboard guide tracks on tape.

Wednesday night we came back to finish what we started. I somehow forgot to bring a guitar cord with me to the studio, and Keith was strapped for stuff like that, so I wasn't able to lay down any guitar tracks for Josh to listen to. Luckily, the sequences had the bass lines, and it was decided that I would stand in the room with Josh and give him head cues and such to get him through the material.

Josh did a great job, and I'm really pleased with how his tracks turned out. He got to improv a bit at the end of TNK and I could tell he really enjoyed the chance to stretch. He did a couple really neat Bonham-in-Kashmir-style snare fills. I had the wild idea to maybe have a sax player blow over the end groove of that tune... anyone know any sax players? All-in-all, another successful outing and two more drum tracks finished with smiles all around amongst those involved. The next studio excursion will be two new tracks with Chris G, and then I'll have four tracks to go down and decorate. ONWARD, HO!!!

Thanks for reading, I'll be adding new news as it occurs.

There's not much news as yet, though there exists the PROMISE of news. I guess there's a pretty big item that I haven't yet addressed, that you must know by now if you're reading this page: I now have my very own bitchen domain name, www.wonky.net, and the site has been up and running on it since the beginning of June or so. I've come a LOOOONG way in the nearly two and a half years since I started the site, and it's ONWARD we go.

RECORDING NEWS: Next week, I'll be heading back into Cydonia to record some drum tracks with Josh "Captain Ned" Woodman, the drummer I work with in the cover band I play in by night. Josh's playing style couldn't be more different than that of Chris G, and that's why I'm excited that he's doing some of the tracks, I think the album will benefit from a real change in feel. Not to worry, Chris G fans, Chris and I are also going to be doing some more tracks for the album very soon. You all are going to love Josh's playing, he is "the Groove King". Josh is also an amazing singer, and though he doesn't know it yet, I'm going to be tapping him to sing some backups on the record. Josh and I are tackling three songs, "Numbered Days", my version of "Tomorrow Never Knows", and a third tune I'm not going to talk about yet, because I'm undecided as to whether it'll actually be on the CD. It's a real departure from what I typically do, and though everyone seems to like it, I'm not sure my own self yet. Anyway, I will post a studio update next week after the sessions are over so everyone can find out what happened.

Other news about the new CD: I've been in touch with Paul Tury, artiste extraordinaire, and I am ecstatic to report that he will be handling the artwork chores for Any Raw Flesh? Paul did the art for the Funhouse project, but this time, he's really going to be able to strut his stuff. I am not kidding when I say that I think Paul is as major a talent as can be in the world of art… you should SEE some of the stuff he has done. To me, it blows away stuff you see in art galleries. He is amazing.

If you haven't checked it out yet, I've begun the re-vamp of the "Past Projects" page. I think it's pretty nifty, and in future months I will be expanding the coverage to include some projects I've never addressed on this site before, which would be Various Artists and Skeptics. I'll also be adding lots and lots of new photos and stuff from the archives.

That's it for now, talk to you again next week.

First, apologies. I am WOEFULLY behind in keeping this page up-to-date. It is true that I have had a LOT going on, most of it all at once. However, even though I sometimes get sidetracked and momentarily forget the things that are supposed to be important to me, there's really no excuse for not keeping all three of you out there who actually read this thing current. Much news to follow, so I'll get right into it.

So the new CD I'm recording has an official working title, and that title would be Any Raw Flesh? I won't go into why that's the title right now (I'll wait until the CD is done, and available for perusal), but I will say that it's largely the result of a great conversation I recently had with a very old friend of mine who now lives in San Antonio, Texas, by the name of David Bell. Thanks, Dave.

More recording of said CD will be continuing in upcoming months at Cydonia Sound in Tacoma, under the watchful ears of the amazing Keith Woodman. This guy is incredible. He's a one-man operation and has got his studio built in his backyard, in a HUGE converted garage. Let me put it this way, if you live in the Northwest, and you DON'T get this guy to record your CD, you are an idiot. He's got reasonable rates, and great gear. He can do everything your project needs right there where he is, including digital editing/mastering. Call him.

So anyway, what has occurred thus far in the recording process? Well, for info on the actual dates we recorded, see the below entries for February 7 and 8, and March 15. I didn't actually type those entries those days, I'm cheating and adding them today. But this way it won't look as bad on this page, that is, me jumping from January to May before adding any new news. So, if you want the news chronologically, jump down to the February entries.

Now, it has been since March since I've been down to Cydonia, and that is mostly because of financial reasons. However, I've taken many steps to clear that nagging problem up, and the money should be more freely available to go and and do some more work as summer begins. I still intend to finish this thing in 1998. It might not come OUT until 1999, but OH WELL. I have also been very lacking for time to get meaningful writing done, so that's been a bit of a pain in the keister as well. If you've read below, you know that all the recording I've done so far for ARF is of older material that has previously appeared (three songs from the Azure/Shuteye thing). Even though these new recordings are going to totally blow those old recordings out of the water, I don't want the new CD to be just re-hashes of old stuff…that's boring to ME as well as to other people who want new songs from me. The problem has been having the time to sit and make stuff up. I work two jobs, for those who don't know. By day I work at that Really Big Software Company Owned By That Fabulously Wealthy Nerdy-Looking Guy Who Is Always Getting Yelled At By Senators On TV These Days. By night, I play in a cover band. Many weeks, I find myself working 18 hours a day between these two jobs. Not exactly the most conducive situation to writing new music. Recently, the band had to work a week in Spokane, which is 300 miles from where I typically live and work. I took the week off from the Really Big Software Company and took all my stuff with me to Spokane and holed up in a hotel room all day long each day and wrote. I got some neat new stuff that you will hear on the new album. It was a great week, and reaffirmed for me that THAT is what I need to be doing all day, every day, NOT sucking the MAN'S hind teat. I shall be working very hard to rectify this situation in the near future.

That's all the brand-newness I have for now, besides the below reverse-chronological entries detailing the recent recording sessions. Oh, I'm moving again at the end of May, to Kirkland, so it might not be until after that time that I update this again, but I swear it won't take me four months again. I SWEAR.

P.S. Ohhhh, YEAH… very soon, it is likely that the location of this website will be changing… to a new bitchen one, with it's own domain name and everything… stay tuned.

"I went back to Keith's yesterday.

Keith got the most howlingly huge, monster, giant in a tutu guitar tone of all time. I am stoked beyond belief. I have a rough mix for your perusal when we get together this weekend for the Second Coming show. This stuff is going to sound so unbelievable. Oh, and I played OK, too, got all rhythm guitars done for all three songs, re-did everything, kept nothing with the old wimpy non-godlike tone of last time. You can't see me, but bouncing off the walls am I. Oh, and we also got a great shiny shimmery acoustic sound for "Strange", and I did a spur of the moment acoustic overdub on the spacy section of "Firefly". Gives it a neat wooden, kinda foresty, feel. You must hear these rough mixes, and soon."

That pretty much nails what we did all day. A few extra specifics:

We recorded the acoustics first, which meant I had to record with headphones on (BLECH!!!). Keith had a lot of good pointers to help me optimize my performances. Since he is also a trained musician, he notices little nuances that can be better performed, re-done, punched in, etc. He rocks. I think I'm going to give him a co-producer credit when all is said and done. Before this session, I took my guitar to Mike Lull's in Bellevue, and he put a single-coil in the bridge spot for me, giving me a guitar with a "Strat" pickup configuration for the first time in my life. It sounded killer through the L5. We also tried a new micing technique for the rhythm guitar. Instead of just close-micing, we also put a mic about 10 feet from the amp, and it made ALL THE DIFFERENCE. My best ever sound for rhythm guitar. And best-ever acoustic sound, too. Can ya hardly wait ta hear it OR WHAT???

So anyway, we took some time to work on his bass sound (it sounded pretty damn good right into the board, but we also mic'ed a small bass cab), and away we went. Tobe pretty much ripped right through all of the songs (Drop D or no Drop D), needing only a few punches for clarity's sake. We got done about 4:00 PM or so, and I thought I'd take a crack at some rhythm guitar.

I worked until about 10:00 PM on some rhythm stuff, and I have to say I wasn't very happy with what I got done. For the most part, I was really unrehearsed, and I didn't play that well. I also didn't like the sound we were getting for the guitars. I was trying a new acquisition, a Gibson L5 combo amp, and it wasn't happening. However, I did get a good rough mix to listen to of the mixes by the end of the night, and I got a decent rhythm track down for "Strange Ways" that I thought might be keepable. How do bands record whole albums in one day?

Conclusions:

1. I need to focus on one thing, or instrument, per day when I go in to record. Keith and I came to this conclusion while working on the rhythm guitars at the end of the day. We felt pretty fried, and didn't do our best work after cutting Tobe's bass tracks.
2. The fewer people around in the studio when we're working, the better. As much as I love my girlfriend, and as much as I love Sean Hester, we had quite a crowd at the studio, and lost a lot of time these two days just jabbering about goofy stuff. Lots of laughs, don't get me wrong, but we shouldn't do it "on the clock". Keith tends to be more focused when we're working one on one as well.
3. As an extension of number 2, it really isn't necessary to have everybody in the studio when recording just one guy's parts. Tobe mostly cooled his heels all day long on Saturday, and I felt bad for wasting that much of his time. I know he had fun, but there is much about the recording process that's really tedious, no matter who you're there with.
4. I need to put a single-coil in the bridge position of my Drop D guitar. My tastes in guitar sounds are changing, and I'm tired of the mid-range honk that humbuckers make in the bridge position.
5. This CD is going to sound terrific. Keith Woodman is a genius.

The goal today was to get drums and bass done for three songs: "Firefly", "Strange Ways", and "My Love For Lois Is Real". Yes, they are old songs, previously heard on the Azure/ShutEye release, but I wanted to do versions of them that sounded, well, GOOD, and more like what I've always heard in my head.

Chris Gorczyca (drummage) and Toby Ramsey (bass fiddle) and I had two three-hour rehearsals at Evolution Studios in Bellevue in January, to get in fighting shape to take a crack at getting these three songs on tape. We videotaped those rehearsals (and today's shenanigans in the studio, too), and maybe someday I'll get one of those "Snappy" dealies, and make some AVI files for your downloading pleasure from the videos of some funny moments. There were many.

The three of us, my gal-pal Amanda, and the ever-lovely Sean Hester converged at Cydonia Sound at about 10:00 AM. I had never met Keith Woodman, owner/proprietor/operator of the studio, but I work with his two brothers (Josh is the drummer for the cover band, and Shad is the sound guy for said band), who, in brotherly fashion, sing loud and high praises regarding the talents of mister Keith. We were to see that these were well-deserved.

Chris set up his drums, and we began the brain-numbingly tedious process of getting the drum 'sound'. To those of you who don't participate in such exercises, it's REALLY BORING. However, Keith got some jumpin' tones from Chris's kit, so I'll not complain. We then set Tobe and myself up in the control room to play along with Chris. Here's what we did, in order: "Strange Ways", "Firefly", and "Lois". "Lois" took Chris the longest, as it's probably the most difficult tune, drum-wise. There was a moment there, where I thought Chris looked as if he might be tiring, and his drumming abilities, for this day at least, waning, but he then got a take we were all happy with. Tobe and I laid down scratch tracks as Chris recorded. Getting the three songs done (drum-wise) pretty much exhausted the day, so Tobe and I agreed to meet again the following morning, to concentrate solely on the bass tracks. Amanda vowed never to attend another studio session again ("You keep doing the same thing OVER and OVER again!"). An exhausting, but fruitful, day.

I went on a mid-day foray to the Guitar Center in downtown Seattle today, needing a sustain pedal for my MIDI setup, a $20 item. Of course, as anyone who has been to a music store knows, you can't just pop on over to a music store and expect to be in and out in five minutes. Why is that, anyway? Why are all music store salesmen arrogant pricks for the most part? Why is it impossible to find help at one of their establishments? ARGH.

Anyhow, I digress, because this particular music store escapade has a wonderful coda at the end. AHEM... where was I? So anyway, after cooling my heels for THIRTY MINUTES in the Pro Audio department waiting for a salesman to show up to help me, I finally got what I came for, and I headed for the door. As I approached the front of the store, I heard (above the typical music store din) some unearthly jazz guitar playing. It had a vaguely familiar sound to it, but I'm no jazzbo, so I looked about to try to find the source. And lo and behold, right in front of me was the incomparable Stanley Jordan, doing his thing as only he can.

He had drawn a small crowd around him, filled with store salesmen (so THAT'S where they were), pierced-nose types, and myself. He wasn't doing a clinic or anything, he was just playing. I stood dumbfounded and watched him for about ten minutes, during which time he played two pieces, the first a little jazz be-bop number, the second a classical piece (it sounded a lot like Bach). It was beautiful. My day was SO made. I don't know why he was in the store (maybe in town to play a show?), but I was so inspired by his playing that I decided I had to write about it here. There were some kids shaking their heads saying things like, "I'll never play guitar again", but those kids missed the point. It doesn't matter whether you or I will ever have the facility to play like Stanley Jordan does. What's important is to be thankful that Stanley does what he does, and that he is wonderful enough to share his magic with us. Music really is the best. Oh, and no, I didn't go ask for an autograph or anything. I have only had occasion to see two "famous" people in real life (the other was Dave Grohl in 1992), and it seems to me that even if you really admire somebody and happen to see them in real life, you should still give them their space. It was enough for me that I could see Stanley play, and see his mastery and dedication to the instrument. I've got to practice more, dammit.

So anyway, some Yogi news: Toby Ramsey, Chris G, and myself converged on Evolution Studios in Bellevue this past weekend to prepare for our upcoming sessions at Cydonia Sound in February. Much fun was had, the music is sounding great, and much silliness captured on video tape. I couldn't be happier playing with these two guys, and there will be much more of it this year, I tell you. And a new Yogi CD at the end of it, for sure. More later.