The Return of Spring: Post 1

I recently read an interview with producer Jay Bennett. He's of the opinion that one should never just "demo" a song. Digital technology is such that, often, "demos" turn into releasable works.

With that in mind, I guess you could say that I've begun work on my next studio project, The Return of Spring. To fans of MG4, this doesn't preclude or occlude any work that will be done on a full length MG4 album; I'd love to do one. Although, I have had a handful of songs ready for this "spring" album for nearly four years now. The time is here to commit and get this thing done and released.

I'm going to see how far I can get in my own studio before making the decision to go to another studio with better gear. I'll need to do two days at Here2Hear for drums, but, other than that, I may try my hand and mixing the album myself. I'll need to invest in a few pieces of mixing gear, but, by and large, I think I have everything I'd need.

Last weekend, I started recording a song called "Falling in Love Too Fast." It's been a staple of my acoustic set for about a year now. I'd like for this "spring" record to have a semi-acoustic feel, kind of like The Lessons of Autumn. I experimented with some hand drums and percussion to compliment the very percussive acoustic guitar part. I'm hoping to make the song sound like R.E.M.'s "Low" from Out of Time. Of course, I'll make the song a bit faster.

I rebuilt the "iso-room" in my hallway today to retrack the acoustic guitar. I mentioned the "tuning wars" I've been having and I solved them by, believe it or not, tuning the G and B strings slightly flat. I was pitching my strings sharp with the guitar part. I decided that the part was more important that the clinical "in tune" light. I also added some organ, but I don't like the pattern I've made just yet...I'll need to study the Mike Mills stuff on "Low" for reference.