Breaks are not mentally good for me, but there was just no way locking myself up in the basement to record over the holidays was gonna fly with the family... I wasn't feelin' so hot for most the break anyway (way too much food and drink), so it all worked out.
Monday though I was back at it and pulling my hair out (there's still a little bit left on my arms). After revisiting the song I was working on prior to the break ("Sweet September"), I decided that I wasn't happy with the sound of the guitars so I re-recorded both of them and I'm glad I did, they came out much better this time around. Next step is to redo the drum track because there is one little kick drum thing in the chorus that is driving me crazy already... so if I let it go I might just have to be institutionalized.
My game plan has been to finish about 4-5 songs I've already recorded and have been OK with... or will be as soon as I fix a few things, then mix them down to the point that they are ready to press. At that point I'll step back and start recording the rest of the stuff. I think that things will start moving along pretty quickly from this point on because I am starting to formulate a plan for how I will accomplish mixing. Mixing is part of the process I dread because I'm not comfortable doing it (and I'm not comfortable with anyone else doing it either)... it is also the final stage and it means when someone listens to a song I can no longer say "I'm gonna fix that part later"... when mixing is finished it's done and that's the way it's gonna be forever and I won't be changing nothing.
It's important to me to get many of the songs I'm working on done because most are older tunes and have kept me from moving on and seriously working on anything new. I have been performing many of these songs for years and it's time for their potential to be realized and put them to bed (at least as far as tweaking them is concerned). Don't get me wrong, I have been doing a lot of writing, but I always feel like I can't concintrate on new stuff until the old stuff is REALLY done and out there.
Finishing this stuff up will also mean I can figure out where I will be going musically in the future. 2009 (and 2008) have been tough years for me, most recently with the passing of my friend and keyboard player Eric Polozune... I really felt that what he did helped me define the sound I had striving for. At one point quite a few times things SEEMED to be coming together, but countless personel changes and false starts really zapped my drive and creativity and left me disgusted with the whole process of collaberating... thankfully Eric would always build me back up and transfer his optimisim to me. I need more people like that in my life.
Moving on I have to be EXTREMELY cautious of who I play with (band wise) because I need to work with people that are like minded and focused on the goal... world wide domination? no... record contract, NO... just a grass roots form of making music and putting it out there... something that will hopefully still get a foot tapping long after I'm dust.
Immortality? Maybe (;-)>
Peace, Bryan
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