Phase One: Tracking
In May, I headed down to my old church in Bowling Green and started the process of recording my debut solo EP, “Artifacts”. With my BFF Brandon at the helm, we knocked out tracking in roughly four days. I was really excited about how great everything was sounding right off the bat. We kept the arrangements very minimal; of the five tracks (two instrumentals, three songs with vocals), most were just my Taylor 514ce and my voice. There is some piano, percussion, electric guitar, and backing vocals (Courtesy my labelmate Taylor Dooley from Wintering and Traveler, as well as Andy from Whytheycame and Brandon) here and there. We mic’d the church sanctuary and got some really great natural reverb that adds a lot of presence. Check out a photo gallery below of me and my friends at work on this record:
Phase Two: Mixing and Mastering
I’ve been super busy with work and taking care of baby dude, but whenever I get a chance, I’m working on mixing these songs. Out of the gate, they sound really great, but of course can always sound better. I’ve contributed to recording my old bands’ demos and records in the past, but I’m just now really sinking my teeth into Logic. Practice may never make “perfect” for me, as I can’t contribute enough time to really be great at it, but I’m currently closing in on a stopping point. Once I’ve done all I can do, I’m going to hand it off to a local studio here in Lexington to fine tune the mixes and master the album.
Phase Three: Art and Packaging, Release
I’m working up sketches right now on the physical CD art. Currently, I’m leaning toward having an experienced cartoonist do a front and back jacket, as that style of art isn’t really in my wheelhouse. Of course, then I’ll be laying it out (graphic designer) to send to the press, and we’re off to the races. The fine folks at Bad Apple Records are set to present my first solo acoustic effort, the “Artifacts” EP, in September 2015. I’m really proud of how it’s sounding thus far. The material represents a broad cross section of my work, with two songs being ten and fifteen years old, but never released. This is just the beginning, as I’m hoping to line up some acoustic shows to support the record once it’s out, and I’m already conceptualizing a full band record for next year. Stick with me!