The Candelabra Sessions, Part Two (Post 2)

Things haven't been going as quickly as I would have liked them to have gone. However, I am happy with the progress that I've made.

I had a good talk with a friend and mentor of mine this past weekend (Wade Baynham, producer at the Second Story in Durham, NC). One of the things we discussed was the relationship of session speed and creativity. In general, the faster the session, the lesser the innovation. The records that are made "assembly line style" aren't usually very ground breaking. If the same presets, licks, chords, changes are used because of a lack of time, there probably won't be much new that the session can possibly offer.

I can think of three albums that were made in just two weeks that were ground breaking, but that had more to do with the players as well as the era (These would be Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Sir Elton John, Appetite for Destruction by Guns'N'Roses, and Southern Harmony and Musical Companion by the Black Crowes). But, as I write this, I think I may have confused ground breaking with just "good."

The song "Pillar of the Sun" has been giving me trouble for a good two months. The only way for me to figure out which key, which tempo, and which instruments were best for it was take two completely different approaches to it. I've concluded that the slower, lower keyed acoustic rendition is better than the full on version. Both of these took a total of four days to complete. Unlike the last session, this one is going at a slower pace. And still, I've made notes on how to make a better mix of the slower version. I will most likely finish this today and move on to the next song.

On Friday, I had a practice session with Mark. I showed him "Tuesday" and "Pillar of the Sun" and he liked what he heard. Part of me thinks that these will be good songs for him to make additions on over the next few months. Being so, I am considering not posting these demos, as they will most likely change quite a bit with the addition of other players.