The Making Of
The new c.d., "Rollin' & Tumblin'" took only four days to record. We wanted to keep it fresh and real. We didn't want to take too much time in the studio and lose the original ideas that we had.
We recorded the c.d. at Michel's place so we felt right at home. We all played in the same room together for basic tracks. Once we got the bass, drums and my rhythm guitars on tape, we fixed a few mistakes.
Most of the songs are 1st or 2nd takes. This way we kept a real band feeling and captured the excitement. Some of the songs needed no overdubs and were done absolutely live. Others are obvious. At first I thought I wouldn't overdub much because it makes the songs more difficult to reproduce live but then I thought we never play our songs the same way twice anyway. We might as well experiment while we have the opportunity.
We used the same gear in the studio that we use on our live gigs. Han used his D.W. drums. Michel used his SWR Mo' Bass amp, Ampeg 4x12 cabinet and his '68 Fender P.Bass. He used his '68 Fender Tele Bass for the slow songs. I used my Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue amp, Custom Shop Fender Strat, Custom Shop Gibson Historic Les Paul Goldtop and custom built Darrin Hammon Tele. For effects I used an Ibanez Sonic Distortion, King Vox Wah pedal and a Vox Tonebender.
The Songs
- Saturn Blues. This song has been around since the early '90's. It was also the title of my first c.d. Lots of overdubbed feedback guitars. Yeah, I know... but I LOVE feedback!
- Count your Blessings is about being thankfull for being alive. I hope everyone can relate.
- Rollin'and Tumblin' was supposed to be a bonus track but when Joe at the Grooveyard heard it he decided to put it in the lineup. We recorded it live and I later added the second lead guitar. I got the idea from listening to Johnny Winter live. He and his other guitar player would end up playing at the same time and it sounds so crazy! I yell, "Rock & Roll" in tribute to Johnny.
- Walkin' the Dog is a fun cover song. I used My Darrin Hammon tele on the entire tune.
- Lay Down Your Crutch is a song about asking for help when you need it. This is why we have friends and family. If you need help, ask for it. Drugs and alcohol are not the answer. The girls, Petra and Esther along with Han and Michel, did the backing vocals.
- Saving Grace is a song I wrote for my wife, Sonya. I am so blessed that she loves me. She has been the best thing that has ever happend to me.
- C.C. Rider is another good cover and I used the tele for the entire song. I also used a piece of copper tubing for a slide.
- Cathead Biscuit is a fun fantasy tune that originally started as a jam. Joe asked us to add lyrics so I came up with the cartoon.
- Walkin' the Walk. Another fun, bragging song. This song was also done exclusively on the Darrin Hammon Tele.
- Goldfish Bowl Blues. Sonya and I used to have a goldfish that we noticed was somehow escaping the bowl. We later found out that our cat was scooping him out while we were gone. I wrote this about his life in the bowl.
- Love Thang is a song inspired by the late 60's groovy rock influence that I have. It's about improving the world and your life by getting involved and doing the right thing.
- Listen to Your Heart is a song that comes right from my heart. It's about finding out who the real you is and following your heart. We are constantly brainwashed from a young age by peer pressure and nonsense. You need to wake up and take control of your own life. Only you know what is right for you. Just listen to your heart.
- Love Junky is just a fun love song. Once again the Tele was used and it sounds so good!
- Catfish / Love to You. The first part was done with me on a 12 string acoustic and Michel on a 6 string acoustic. We sat up and played live in a big room. The vocal was sung live along with the acoustics. Then we all played live together for the electric second half. One take.
Geert did a great job keeping us entertained and keeping the songs going in the right direction. He made this very enjoyable and I am sure we will do the next c.d. with him in the same fashion.
A special thanks to Joe, Don and everyone at the Grooveyard for taking interest in our band. We love to play and it's nice to be able to record our music and get it to the people.
See you all soon,
Tony