It’s done. The record is off to press and should be ready mid-June. Still figuring out release details.

In the mean time, please check out the brilliant photographers who provided some really great artwork, which will be included with the record, and which I think really takes the experience to another level:

(in no particular order)
Pawel Dwulit
Blair Gable
Chris Warunki
Jamie Kronick

Thanks for the great work.

In the mean time, how does this thing work…

The record is finally done. Whence it returns from mastering early next week, all that will be left is to send it off with some imagery files to a magical warehouse in the mountains where it will spend many intense days and nights duplicating itself, dressing in fancy packaging, and being shrink-wrapped, for your pleasure.

There are a couple pieces of that puzzle still left to be sorted out, oriented, and put in place. And that brings us to my latest idea.

There are 5 songs on this record:

Hope
Hiding the Stars
Canyon & Skye
By Southwest
Altitude in Motion

Each of them loves their place in this universe and are happily anticipating exciting the cells of your vestibular membranes; however, we’ve agreed that it would be wonderful to pair a photo with each, to be included in the album artwork.

Since I am no photographer, but feel like I know a fair deal of talented camera-wielders, I’m putting it out there. If you’re interested in collaborating, please get in touch.

I like this more than approaching just one person for a number of reasons, but the bottom line is community. The more the merrier. Let us express.

I’ll admit, this didn’t really go as planned. The blog, I mean.

Last Sunday I began a recording session that has since consumed my life in its entirety, every moment of every day, for the last 10 days. I had originally intended to post photos, journals, even video of things as they went down; writing, producing, engineering and performing on your own record however, doesn’t leave much time for contemplative reflection it seems, let alone uploading pictures or video or any blah.

So here I sit, day 10. Collectively I’ve spent over 160 hours in this environment, setting up, mic’ing, checking, tracking live off the floor with some great players, tearing down, tracking strings!, guitars, editing, editing, editing and finally mixing. It’s been a really great experience so far and the songs are sounding awesome.

It’s been interesting doing a record without vocals. There’s such a space … for drums! … and other things of course It’s been an experiment in building grooves, creating atmospheres and manifesting some bonkers visions in music. I think it’s turned out quite right.

Tomorrow, engineer extraordinaire Brandon Cherrington and I will be doing some final revisions and printing the finished tracks to be sent for mastering in New York, at Sterling.

It’s been great having a hand in every aspect of this project, except playing most of the instruments I guess, which I wouldn’t dare do… I’m excited to hear the finished master and get this thing off to press. Which brings me to the next point…

Names. I’ve never really been one for band names. Or at least that’s to say, I’ve got some in mind, but they don’t seem to be jiving with the locals… maybe I’ll just go with what came first.*

That’s all for now. Gotta get back to mixing. In the mean time, anyone out there interested in putting some creative video to music?

M

Today I’m heading into a studio in Vancouver to record my first record. I’ve played on a dozen in the past, but never before have I been the composer, producer and drummer. It’s been three months since I decided to jump in with both feet and commit to this project; every day since I’ve spent a little or a lot of time writing, demoing, practicing, finding the right musicians, finding the right studio, the right engineer, mastering studio, etc.

Finally, it’s time to set up a bunch of expensive microphones and make some noise in a room entirely unlike the imagined environment this record intends to create for those listening.

DCM Studios is a great little facility hiding away in the Deep Cove neighbourhood, just outside of Vancouver. Though it hasn’t aged quite long enough to develop the sort of character that you might find at some of the country’s great studios, like the Warehouse, and the Factory out west, or my favourite Sound of One Hand in Ontario, DCM Studios has all the right gear, conditioning and experience to create an organic, technologic, warm and tight production.

The schedule for the coming week is pretty intense. Starting today, Sunday, with a 4 hour setup and soundcheck, we’ll then dive into six straight days of 12-hour sessions: Two days of tracking, two days of editing and two days of mixing.
If all goes according to plan, next Monday we’ll send the mix off to be mastered by a good friend in Miami and with that in transit, I’ll take a couple days to finalize the album artwork and prepare everything for manufacturing.

I’ll be posting as many pictures, videos and blogs as I can over the course of the sessions. Anyone interested can check it out and comment at will

In the mean time, if you’ve any fingers free, now would be the time to cross them.

Thanks for reading.

Mike