In The Studio: Day 2

I'm back in The Congress House Studio after many years. Working with Mark Hallman, and I thought I'd post a journal through the album.
You can Read Day one here. https://steemit.com/music/@ezravan/in-the-obsolete-studio-day-one

All Photos by Siouxsie romack of EV&C

Have you ever had an important event your suppose to wake up early for. You wake say, 5:30 am, head off to the event, everything going peachy ... But then you actually really wake up and your still in bed, realize you dreamt-woke-up, but really just over slept? ... then franlicly dive for the phone to see that you just woke up hours late? Well, I did that today.

My day started rough. So I woke up late. My 'Camera Crew' Siouxsie was waiting out side, I think for two hours for me to wake up. I was suppose to be in Austin, a 3-4 hour drive in traffic, in just two hours.

I felt a need to blame someone right away.. tried to get angry at my wife, who was still asleep, and then tried to get mad at the shy Siouxsie for not busting in the house and shaking me awake, then tried to get mad at apple because my alarm apparently didn't go off and the dogs for not incessantly barking like they usually do in the morning... but I remembered, Oh ya, I'm a grown ass man and it ain't nobody fault but mine.

I was ruffled though. I was hoping for a relaxing morning before the sessions, but was in a race down to austin. When I arrived I saw my bass and singer Lori was still not there. Not that she was really suppose to be, (I was). I tried to blame her and her partner Heather quickly slapped me down, and I remembered... oh ya I'm a grown ass man, nobody's fault but mine. Then I was able to relax after I accepted I fucked up and just went on with what the day actually was–A great day. I was back at Congress house after atlas a decade. Back with the great Mark Hallman, and ready to play with all the toys.

Photo of awesome engineer at Congress House, Endre.

The first session before lunch was incredibly productive. I landed 5 songs most on a first take. Very strange for me. And something I would have never allowed before. If you read my last post, my albums take years usually. five song finished takes take literally months with 50 variations because I'm an absolute perfectionist (in an odd way of wanting perfect imperfection). I was able to let go completely this time, and really for the first time in my life. I came down here to capture a moment in time; to put on tape where this one band is right now. Not a vision in my head.

I'm in a odd space these last few months. A space in my life I've never visited. After leaving the New York contract negation on the table, unsigned, and finishing a grueling non stop 3 years of productions and shows, I just came to a new end in me. It feels like a new beginning, but it really is an end none the less. And it feels strange. I always know exactly what I'm trying to do, where I'm trying to get and go to... The place I'm in now is of someone that has maybe spent too much life on his accomplishments and feeling the void of the life he never lived.

Kent on the grand, Mark giving some ideas

But it's very late. I'll finish the details.
//kent came in after lunch, my keyboard player. He's quiet a gem. Might even be a little of those genius DNA strands in his pocket. He walked in and straight to the grand piano and just floored us all. Knocked out two songs and then ...
It took a little convincing for him not to try to pick it all to death, he's a perfectionist to. At the end of his second song I sat back and actually listened in the control room. Lori had been laying bass tracks in another room while we were tracking.. I like it. Ya, it's not going to be like anything I've done. But my intuition was not wrong. There is magic between the three of us, and I just need to stand back and let it be what it is.

At this point I'm revved up and ready to finish a few more, but there was some trouble with some gear and instead of pushing through we decided to break until tomorrow.

Lori and Heather are camping so she headed back to the camp site. Kent took off and I needed to get my Camera girl to the hotel I got her. Well.. we quickly realized that this grown ass man had booked a hotel across the city. We got in a stopped highway, got lost and arrived at the hotel, I should say motel when I saw it. It was a really bad place. There was some folks drinking in the parking lot, some meth heads strolling in from a days work, and I looked at her scared face and immediately realized I can't leave her here. what sucks Is i already booked it for the whole sessions, no refund :(
Though I would stay there ... I realized I made a big mistake.

I decided to go, hit the electric car button. And nothing. The car wouldn't start. We say there for a good 10-15 minutes, as a group of folks started walking around the car. Shit. I was way too tired to have a broke down car after all this.
I said a little prayer and it started. We stopped to grab a bite, had really not much to eat. Then we couldn't get in the car. The key battery dead. So fiddled with that awhile. finally got back to the studio.
I'm writing this in a room surrounded by beautiful instruments of all types. The kid in me wants to write a song on some exotic stringed lute, but.. I'm a grown ass man.

Me laying some acoustic

The studio is an old converted house so, Luckily there is a couple rooms at the studio. It's late. I'm exhausted. Not from the studio, but from driving around Austin all night.
tomorrows another big long day, until then.
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