Image Info: Mr. Black at work.
On the topic of Anniversaries, ashes, my Vocal Dojo, dancing ghosts and flickering lights.
Well, today is the anniversary of my fatefull awakening under that strange tree on the BOK hillside. The day I first read the words “Diamonds Hadder”. I’m very sentimental. So today, armed with my fruity pepples glazed donut, I’ll be traveling to the hillside again to sit by that tree and hopefully something new will come to me. There’s so much happening in my universe, I thought a new anniversary update would be nice. It's a lot to read so pardon me.
New Song, I didn’t intend to track a new Ramsay/Evermore song before City of Fire was released, but it looks like another one is happening before my eyes. It’s one of those things that just happens quickly and without much effort and so I tend to just let it happen… the risk versus rewards margin seems to be quite good based on the last 2 tracks we did… and this new track has some real bite to it. We’ll see. It might show up at the same time “City Of Fire” is released. Let’s say, within 2 weeks for both. That’s my magic hadder guess. Other great things are in the works with the Ramsey/evermore tracks, but I’ll just keep quite on that for now. But it’s exciting stuff.
“City of Fire” update: Just doing some chorus work, solo writing (optional) and fine mixing details… but the track is pretty much complete. Mostly production and fun details stuff.
The Website: Not sure if you noticed, but the front page is slowly turning into a nice little dwelling area of songs and moving images. I added the “Last Light” strip yesterday. (I was standing in water for hours to get that photo of me BTW) That particular song upload is still the original MP3 that came from another MP3, so as soon as I have about 5 hours… I’ll actually mix a version from the original tracks, which should sound nice and thick and with the solo included. Maybe one day next week while I’m oiling leather or something.
The Stargazer and Mr Black: I spent the night doing final audio mixes for the stargazer music video at the Media Kitchen studio in Gardena with Rob Black on Wednesday night, the task was a simple one… remove some guitars from one of the guitarists who didn’t want to be part of the release and remix, so yeh… I took my free hadderless night to cross the gardens through the city to be present for that. A second guitar track was recut at some point over the last 2 weeks by Doug Weiand and so there needed to be another final mix down to close it out…. i was the only one who showed up... so after about 2 hours we finished it up and I took it home to master it for a few hours.. and low and behold guitars were missing in the mix. Live and learn I suppose, would have been nice if other people involved showed up to mix the song and their own parts... but oh well, I guess more delays with stargazer endeavor. When I get a mix I suppose the video will find it's way down stream to a quiet island.
Ashes and Ghosts: I had to shake some pretty major ghosts off the following morning. It was odd driving to the gardens, where I spent so much time over the last three years… I was reflecting with Mr. Black about how the gardens rehearsal studio became a refuge for me after my life and home burned up in the Woosley fire of 2018.. how this TOR project became my hidden sanctuary of sorts… like a Vocal dojo... my playground and distraction in the wake and ashes of my past and the finality of it. It opened some old wounds. The drive there also reminds me of old flickering lights in the dark and so it was a trigger to a lot of things for me. Things I was more than happy to leave behind under a foggy and moonless LA sky late that night. Enjoy a few images from the stargazer sessions in the land of the Gardens and my girl bella, who also enjoyed her time in the Dojo.
Mr Black, thank you so much for all your efforts and reduced rates and time and energy. So much appreciated.