Mixing: Day 1

When: Tuesday, May 11
Where: Underwood Studio's, Minneapolis, Mn

A great day to start mixing. It's hard to be in the studio when the sun is shining...no problem today.

We decided to start with the 4 solo songs, Mark Stockert and I, so we did just that.

I Am in the Heavenly Way - Booker White
Lord I'm Discouraged - Charlie Patton
Nobody's Fault But Mine - Blind Willie Johnson
This Little Light of Mine - Son House

I won't say much about it, as there isn't much to say, it's guitar and vocals.  

I will say that for a while we were scratching our heads, looking for more...more sound, a fuller sound, but than stated the obvious, there just isn't more. So we were satisfied, more than satisfied, it actually sounds like great guitar and vocal.

I can also say that it's a bit unnerving being out there solo on record. Sure, I mostly perform solo these days but performing solo and recording solo are two very different things. Your naked brother, not the sexy airbrushed kind of naked, but the lumpy, bumpy, flabby, real kind of naked.

At 1st listen your like, "sounds great" but by the 150th pass you hear every mistake, every mistake, every mistake, and soon it all sounds like mistakes. Almost to the point where you say, "No one can hear this!" But than you step away for a few minutes, come back, and it's the 1st pass again and can confidently say, "hey, this is dang good."

I can see where you could spend months going over every word til its perfect, every note til its pristine, til, let's be honest, it's no longer really you...I don't play perfect, don't sing perfect.  No, the real is good enough.

I will also say, recording your work is the best thing, mixing that work is not.

Thankfully, I love my dear friend and top notch music producer of 7yrs, Mark Stockert, so it's more like hanging out with my buddy than self autopsy.

It's going to be a powerful and great album!  Day 2 tomorrow.