And so we begin- with the violin. Charlene Huang, a longtime friend and fellow underground musician, has stepped in to add her magical instrument to our songs- and they sound so good it is giving me goosebumps.
Tony is behind the desk once again at Hemispheres Studios in North Hollywood, and from where I sit- just a few feet behind him, I can see he is really hitting his engineering stride now. Pressing buttons with a flair, leaning forward to hit the talk-back button, and directing Charlene with a kind ease through each song. I am smiling a lot as I watch this comfortable interaction.
I am not one to sit idle, and I try to express my ideas for Charlene, even though I cannot play, and will never be able to play the violin as beautifully as she- but I do know a good hook when I hear it, and Charlene is such a pro she easily picks up whatever Tony and I are throwing out. I am amazed at what beauty and richness this layer has added to the songs, causing a few of them to haunt me even now as I type this a day later. We finished five of the ten songs that we will add violin to, and that means we will be back in the studio again in a few weeks to finish up.
My son is now becoming a pro in the studio, and he was so comfortable yesterday I was amazed. Not only did he just chill on his own watching his favorite show 'Despicable Me' in the lounge attached to the studio, coming in the control room every now and then to approve the recordings... Then finally when he came to sit with me to listen to the recording process, the violin sounded way too much like a lullaby and he was knocked out for over an hour! Good to know! This kid amazes me every day, he is cooler than I could ever dream to be- I am just so happy to be able to share this amazing journey of music with him.
I can see the end now, and I am so excited to finally get to do what I do best... with every song that we check off with violin- I can finally sing on them! Whew! Good lord I have waited a long time to sing my final takes! Been sitting on my arse, watching everyone else have all the fun for months, just listening to the scratch vocals over and over, and I am soooooooo ready to sing for REALS! That's ok, I have been using this time to practice, practice, practice and fine tune the lyrics so these songs will be the best, most heartfelt, damn music I got's in me! Yipeeee!
