Category: Blog

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25 Feb: studio

SHERMAN
John – Wurlitzer, organ

A while back, Rob picked up a Wurlitzer, more or less simply because I had expressed a love of them and wanted to have one on my CD somewhere. Last night we finally used it. It has some rattle and buzz to it, so Rob taped the hinges on the back, and we stacked some phone books on top of it to minimize it as much as possible. The sustain pedal doesn’t work on 4 or 5 keys.

I love it. I want one. I thought I did already. The only keyboard that has the same effect on me is the Mellotron (or it’s American counterpart, the Chamberlin) but it’s sound is more specific and not something I would want to use on every song. But the Wurlitzer… what it does to any song is just amazing. Last night when we were done I sat down at it and played with it. I love the sound it makes, and it’s so easy to make it sound good with only very basic piano skills (which are what I have, at best).

I wanted to take it home right then. If there’s anyone rich who loves me please surprise me. That’s a Wurlitzer 200 electric piano.

Anyway, John did two different tracks, one with vibrato and one without, we opted for vibrato. He also added some organ bits on the chorus. We also did two little flourishes using a piano as an autoharp, basically, taking off the cover of the piano, I held the keys down for the chord and John would strum the strings of the piano with a pic.

Unfortunately, there was bad news for the night. Josh Joplin’s label is flying Rob up for the next two weeks to have him produce 2 or 3 tracks for Josh’s new record, and if they like them he’ll be doing the entire record, which will mean he’ll be in New York through March. I am genuinely glad, because I like Rob and Josh, and I think it’s great that the label is having him up to do it. But it also shoots me in the foot, which is no one’s fault. It means no recording for at least a month, and also throws the March 23 show into turmoil. Pete can’t play it so I was already talking with Michael Lorant about playing drums, which meant getting him up to speed. Now I also have to decide whether to do the show without a lead guitarist or find a replacement.

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postcards from Nashville

Here we are in Nashville.

We drove up this morning, just to come out and see Adam McIntyre’s band play. Our original plan was to come up earlier and stay through a good deal of tomorrow. But we got a later start than we planned, then spent about a half an hour at a dead stop just at the border because some trailer had jack-knifed on I-75. When we got here we just had dinner and watched That Thing You Do! on the laptop’s DVD player until it was time for the show. I have decided, apart from my love of this laptop and the beauty of having internet access on the road, I will be bringing this movie with me everywhere I go. It’s like comfort food.

Adam’s band is superfine.

He sent me a CD a month or so ago, of some four-track demos and some of his older band’s stuff, but it doesn’t really compare to how his stuff is sounding now. It’s just a three-piece band, but very tight, and the sound is nice and full. The songs really sound amazing fleshed out the way they are. It was definitely worth the drive just for that, and to chat with him for at least a little bit.

There was an opening act of… well, kids, I mean, 19-20 year olds, and when they began I couldn’t have imagined hearing what I heard. I expected some angsty sloppy loud mess and I got Jeff Buckley. They were really very good, and humbling in their way, because when I was 20 I was in a band in college and… well, it was crap comparatively speaking.

Sarah is now suffering heavily from the cold I have inflicted upon her, so we cut the night short and didn’t stay for the last band Captain Fantastic. She struggled gamely but it just wasn’t meant to be. I sent Adam an email when we got back here, telling him I’d give him a call in the morning and see if he wanted to do lunch before we left town, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to talk with him in a normal setting before we go.

And then if Sarah feels well enough we will make the pilgrimage to Rock City on the way home. If you’ve never seen it, you can’t even begin to imagine…

See everyone soon. Don’t throw a party in the house while we’re gone.

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21 Feb: Atlanta

21 Feb – 10 High (Atlanta, GA)
with Shannon Tanner, Amerigo Poppy

Right now it’s 10:30am and I’m coming to you live from the food court at Northlake Mall, where I wait for Sears to put four new tires on my car. I think I’ve pushed my current tires about as long as possible without a blowout on the freeway.

Last night was rough. Chris and I rehearsed three times over the past week or so, but two of them were complicated by my inability to sing with this cold. But he had the stuff pretty much nailed already, except for the ones he hadn’t really heard before. My voice was in and out all day, and I spent the time before the show drinking lukewarm water with lemon and hoping for luck.

For the show itself, I never really felt in sync with it. I think I’ve talked about it before, but sometimes I’ll play a show where I feel I’m a step or two behind mentally from what’s going on. Last night I suppose it’s no surprise I ended up feeling that way. I think my voice did better than I was afraid it would, though I know it failed me in a couple of spots. I had planned on a 45 minute set but with the rest of the benefit going on it got whittled down to about 30, which I was actually grateful for. I think the format itself (me with Chris playing a stripped down kit) works well, I just don’t think I had a very good show. Just a combination of the cold and some poor planning on my part. I haven’t played a straightforward acoustic show in a while, and forgot how careful I have to be about planning out the set and giving my hand a breather between difficult songs, so near the end of the set I was playing a little ham-fisted. But I’m looking forward to trying this setup again now that the first attempt is finally over.

I was thinking on the way home how, a year ago, a show like this would have been a huge deal for me, playing an acoustic set at 10 High, and I would have been really depressed afterwards. Now it’s just a blip. I know some of that is because I have a band together and know that the acoustic thing is more of a sideshow now. But I imagine it also has to do with feeling confident musically, even if I don’t want to have to admit it.

I also managed to get some good shmoozing in, I talked for a while with the soundman that’s in a band called the Bibles, and he’s been really complimentary to me over the past few months whenever I run into him. Last night he asked me if I’d be interested in doing some backing vocals for them when they record. I also talked with Russ T (he produced Alastor’s last EP, and a few others which hopefully I will remember to look up online before I post this), who I knew I’d met before, he used to run sound at the club and was there helping with one of the later band’s sound. He gave me his number and wants to come out to a show. I also got to talk a little more with the new booking person for the club, who at this point I cannot say enough good things about. I’ve only been to three or four shows there since the turnover, but she’s been at every single one, which just amazes me. Last night she told me now she could believe the hype (the soundman apparently had been talking me up to her). I think the fact that we played “Xanadu” won her over.

Finally, Chris was really good. I’m glad we set this up, and I’m looking forward to doing it again with less pressure.