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In working/playing in the studio,  It’s easy to forget the actual moment of the song’s original beginning.  The writing and performing flow together into the production, and it feels as though the song always existed…we just give it a form in which to express itself.

DaVinci said his sculpting was to free the form from the stone, rather than to create it.  Music is the same way.  The creative process is often one of discovering rather than invention.

And there’s a cycle to any creative process – if you’re an artist, writer, musician, or whatever your creative path, you pretty much have no choice but to go with the cycles.  You can’t force it.

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.
- Anais Nin

The song “Arriving” has rarely been performed live yet, and even rarely played in rehearsal, so it’s been a bit nebulous to record.  It really needed big harmonies, which we didn’t have in Rock Scarlet, and I’m hoping to add extra background singers with Psychanaut to perform this one live. 

the song is a bit laid back in energy, kind of hypnotic and spacy.  Initially we recorded very basic tracks for it, to allow us to develop it’s energy and see where it takes us.   The drums were really simple, no fills or frills, and we used a slide guitar for the lead riff.

I’ve recorded the vocal tracks in almost every style, from big and loud rock to soft and breathy before deciding upon the approach that best suited the song.  Usually I know  right away how I want the vocal, but this tune is unique.  It’s one that really encompasses the hybrid style that is Psychanaut.

We’ve been on this one for several days in a row now.

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Some of you have been asking about new songs, and YES! – we are writing/arranging a bunch of new tunes – some of which we’ve started tossing into live shows, such as Seven Wonders.  As we play the clubs/bars, we realize that some people want to hear some familiar tunes to dance to, and we’ve added a few more remakes to meet these requests.  (It also keeps the bars happy, since dancers buy a lot of beer!)  But it’s a delicate line that we tread, and our balancing act is not without stumbles.

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Wow, already that time…Autumn Equinox!  I’ve been pondering energy and connections the past few days; people  connecting in person and over the internet…people who love the music, or enjoyed an article I’ve written, just sending an email or speaking a kind word at a show. 

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If you’ve seen my entries on Facebook and Twitter, you know that I recently spent a bunch of hours re-working our digital backdrop for tomorrow night’s Rock Scarlet show.  While working on it, I realized that it’s really a Psychanaut backdrop: cool space scenes and psychedelic morphing colors and swirls – so I was pretty inspired to work with it. 

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We’ve taken a few photos at the studio, plus some video. Below are a few of the pics:

Doing the lead vocals on the enchanting C-24 mic. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday at the studio I began a post with the words “the whole world holds its breath…”  Although I avoid politics on this blog, this incredible opportunity for change seems to warrant comment. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve been having writing sessions almost every week and they’ve produced some very cool tunes… none that have been recorded yet (except as very rough live versions). I’m really pleased with them…and looking forward to getting these newer tunes completed and into the sets, and eventually recorded for your downloading. Once the 15 or so we’re completing now are uploaded, we’ll start on the new batch. Whew! Read the rest of this entry »

In writing some of the new lyrics a bit of a philosophical discussion ensued… I suppose you could consider this all ongoing: I’d love your thoughts. Some of the topics…

What is our human potential? Can we know it? Is there a limit to it?
What about our individual potential? How do we consciously direct our own growth?
And what about actively using both sides of the brain – how could that change us? Read the rest of this entry »

Oops..I’d forgotten to post the news that our video from last year “Crystalline Sunshine” is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj4AqPe8jGc

(update:video taken down and replaced with new version Nov 23, 08 – link has been updated)

and also can be found at rockscarlet.com/videos.html. Read the rest of this entry »