Mighta Got Caught But You Threw It Away

This past weekend we had our fourth drummer lay down some tracks at Pocketchange Studios.  This drummer shall be referred to as "Marvin."  I had gotten together and rehearsed these two songs with Marvin way back in the fall so he was already familiar with them when we got in front of the mics. 

  We spent early Saturday afternoon changing drum heads and setting up microphones.  Around 4pm, we started recording the project's shortest song, "Mighta Got Caught."  This is a little ditty I wrote sometime during the Spring of 2008.  I remember its birth sometime after the January 2008 home demos of "Drop Me A Line" and "Flash in the Pan" and "Nasty Dream."  I have always felt like it should be the last song on the album in the same sort of way that "Her Majesty" is Abbey Road's last wave goodbye through the back window of the sedan that carries away a loved one and leaves you standing on the sidewalk with only your thoughts.  We'll see if that's how it ends up.  The tracking went well and we ended with enough time in the evening to watch some football and make it home to catch Saturday Night Live.  

For the record, I am now a Beyonce fan after having seen her on SNL that night.  Someone like that should effectively send Madonna packing for the nursing home.  Out with the bad air, in with the good.

The next day we reconvened and set to recording "Let's Ready To Go."  This song is probably twice as long as "Mighta" and is at least twice as ferocious.  It is definitely influenced by Drive Like Jehu and I hope the final mix/performance will even come close to the power they conveyed.  While the first few takes were adequate, each pass saw us make slight adjustments to the drum arrangement and we ended up getting it in 7 or 8 takes.  I really look forward to laying down the guitars on this one because I want it to be fast and raw.  Fast like the fastest, longest, and funnest water slide in the world yet raw and abrasive as if that water slide was actually a mile of steep, sun-drenched, shingled rooftop.  Yep.

We took Monday off and Tuesday we commenced to recording a bass track on "Hard Head," a song we tracked with Joe way back in August but had left alone because I didn't have a bass line.  On Monday I wrote the bass line and I think it works great with the drum track and helps propel the song in just the right way.  Also on Tuesday, Jim and I finally ordered the neck for the guitar he's gonna build for me.  I can't wait to have a new electric... while it will be great to have an electric with new frets, a new instrument often provides a fresh outlook on songwriting and I'm hoping that will bring new tunes!