Monday and Tuesday were spent working. After work Tuesday I headed over to Adam & Michelle's new place in Decorah and we attempted our first rehearsal in the new space. I quickly realized that the drum kit that Michelle bought was going to need a little TLC to function correctly, but we still managed to get through a handful of songs before deciding that a room rearrangement might allow things to run a little more smoothly.
Wednesday was my 29th birthday and I had the day off and thoroughly enjoyed it. The early morning was spent sitting outside with a cup of coffee working on a new song. I made it down to Dave's guitar shop in the late morning and managed to find some great bargain items that will fill some roles nicely in the armory of rock. After lunch I fired up the mower for the first time in 2010 and decapitated my fair share of dandelions. Jaran and Joe were over around 5pm and we had a great time rehearsing the Brahman Shaman and WigglePuppy material and are definitely feeling more prepared for our upcoming shows.
Thursday was spent working although I did have the opportunity to teach a lesson to my Decorah student on the way home. I had a couple hours of relaxing at home before heading down to Del's bar to drum for Nick Shattuck from 10pm-2am. The show was a lot of fun, especially with the ace of Bass Patrick Longmire Jr. adding some sweet harmonies. This may be my last show with Nick for awhile as I will be otherwise engaged during his next two shows and then he is leaving for Catalina this summer.
Friday I had the day off and after sleeping in late to recover from the show at Del's I had fun working on some new music before a birthday dinner with my folks in the evening.
Saturday morning I continued work on a new song entitled BigOceanWave. I recorded a rough version of it on my iphone, however it doesn't seem to have reoriented it so it is sideways. Check it out below:
Sunday was mostly spent doing errands and relaxing and teaching a guitar lesson. Pretty great week overall, gearing up for a bunch of shows in May and my appearance on La Crosse's 95.7 The Rock Local Lixx on Friday, April 30th @ 11:00pm.
Monday and Tuesday were spent working. Tuesday night Jaran & Joe were over and we did a split practice focusing first on the Brahman Shaman material and then on the Wiggle Puppy tunes. Things are moving along pretty well and I think we will be prepared for our upcoming shows at the beginning of May.
I had the day off Wednesday and spent the early morning working on a new song "Love it or Leave it".
It was a beautiful day outside and I was happy to get my container garden planted, now to see if anything sprouts.
I worked Thursday but had a chance to see both Adam Ptacek and Adam Wiltgen before I left Decorah for the day. After that I had a great meeting with local talents Neon at the Root Note. These guys write great songs and I am hoping to have the opportunity to help them get some good recordings done this summer at Ghost in My House Studio.
I had the day off Friday and my brother and singer-songwriter Mark Vana arrived early in the afternoon and we immediately set to work on recording nine songs. This project took us through Sunday noon and it was exhausting and rewarding all at the same time.
This next week is already looking busy, but maybe some relaxation time on the weekend...
I was planning to sort of relax into April and work on some more studio projects, but the month is already keeping me very busy. Monday I worked and gave a lesson on my way home. Tuesday I worked and looked at a drum-set with Michelle Lynn so we can more easily rehearse without her needing to make the trek to Onalaska. Also had another Moth Mountain/WigglePuppy practice with Joe and Jaran on Tuesday night. I am getting a better handle on the songs and more used to playing bass again and really having a lot of fun.
Wednesday I had the day off and spent a portion of the day getting a better handle on some new studio equipment as well as doing my best to remember a number of old Rearview Mirror songs. I also learned that edits had been completed on my recent interview with Mark Judkins Helpsmeet for the "Song of The Soul" radio program on Northern Spirit Radio. It was fun to do a longer in-depth interview that really dug into the spiritual side of the music and you can check out the full interview by clicking HERE.
Thursday I worked. Friday I had the day off and busied my self with a variety of spring cleaning / organizational tasks as well as some more practice of old RVM songs. Friday night I headed down to Bodega to drum for Nick Shattuck from 9 to 1. The show was a lot of fun and I experimented with bringing down an even smaller kit as I don't feel talented enough to need all that many drums.
Saturday I headed down to Iowa for a rehearsal with the original Rearview Mirror lineup. We got some practicing in and a lot of good time to hang out and catch up. Slowly but surely we will prepare for a show or two this Fall. We also happened upon a full box of original Blown Out albums which we all thought were gone, get your copy before they actually are gone for good today by clicking HERE.
I worked Monday and gave a lesson to my Decorah student. The song he is working on is continually developing. Brought a little digital recorder this time so we could give a little listen to what we have done so far. Hoping to surprise him with a free recording of his song at Ghost in My House Studio once it is complete.
I worked Tuesday and did an in-depth interview for Song of the Soul out of Eau Claire, WI with Mark Judkins Helpsmeet of Northern Spirit Radio. The interview consists of Mark interviewing me regarding the lyrical and spiritual aspects of seven songs off the recently released Animist double-album. I really enjoyed the content and depth of the interview as Mark asked probing questions that provided an opportunity for deep reflection on the meaning behind the album. Mark is currently editing the 60 minute interview down to 45 minutes and I will let you know when it is available.
I had the day off Wednesday and Michelle Lynn and Adam Ptacek were over to in the early afternoon for another enjoyable rehearsal of Michelle's songs. Practice definitely makes improvement and it is becoming evident that we are getting much more comfortable in our musical interactions which should make for some really fun shows in the upcoming year. Jaran Carson and Joe Dawson were over Wednesday evening for the first rehearsal of the Moth Mountain/WigglePuppy material for our upcoming show at the Root Note on May 7th. I really had fun filling yet another musical role, this time bass. Looking forward to getting a lot more comfortable with the material in the next couple of weeks.
I worked Thursday and enjoyed my brother who made it town from Chicago that evening. The rest of the weekend was spent doing family related events. However, I did have the opportunity, thanks to Adam Wiltgen, to attend the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's performance at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, MN on Saturday night. This was my first time seeing a live orchestral performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it the refreshing musical perspective it provided and it definitely made my rock and roll flailings seem amateur by comparison.
I am a little late in getting this past week's update up. Last week was so busy that it has taken me most of the week this week thus far to catch-up.
I had Monday off and it was pretty relaxing. Michelle was over in the morning for some more tracking on her upcoming album, Twisted Logic. Adam Ptacek was over a bit later in the day to lay down some bass parts. The Studio Projects VTB1 tube preamp I purchased to test out in the studio was terribly disappointing and it looks like the reviews are correct and one would need to spend at least $300 for a single channel pre to notice any improvement over the preamps in my interface.
I worked Tuesday and taught a lesson my Decorah student on the way out of town. We have been hard at work on his first original song and I am continually impressed with how well he is doing. I have also been surprised at how much I am enjoying teaching. I found that when I am up front with people and tell them that "I can't really read music that well and I am not going to teach your son/daughter a bunch of cover songs, but I will teach them how to use the instrument as a creative tool" it sets appropriate expectations and works out really well for all involved. Looking forward to adding more students in the near future.
I worked Wednesday as well and managed to get in a rehearsal with Michelle and Adam after work for our upcoming full show at Del's the following night. Practicing in my tiny basement can be a bit loud overall but I have really been enjoying playing drums with Michelle and Adam.
I worked Thursday and then headed down to Del's bar in La Crosse, WI to play drums for Michelle Lynn. We made it all the way through the 4 hour show without any noticeable mistakes and really had a good time playing. A couple of free Down Town Brown's from the local Pearl Street Brewery never hurts either.
Friday I had the day off and Joe Dawson was over at 10am to start work on the mixing of his 4 song Moth Mountain EP project. It went pretty smoothly but ear fatigue got the better of us by the end of the day and we will probably need to make some final modifications in the next couple of weeks before we release it to the public.
Saturday morning I headed down to the UWL Rec Center to do a Brahman Shaman solo-acoustic set for the annual St. Baldrick's Cancer Benefit. Nothing like singing songs in a gym while people are getting their heads shaved to give you a new perspective on you craft. I also brought a simple drum kit down and ended up playing drums for about three hours backing up Michelle Lynn, DocsFidelics (not sure of the name) and Nick Shattuck.
After the benefit I had a couple of hours before heading over to Winona to drum for Nick Shattuck at the acoustic cafe. The show went well but I could feel my energy level waning. Unfortunately, after 5 hours of drumming on Saturday I was too tired to make it downtown to the Popcorn Tavern to help one of my local favorite groups, King Everything celebrate the release of their Mermaid Frosting album. Hoping to catch them again soon.
Sunday was spent doing all the chores and errands I didn't have time for during the week. It was a fun week but also exhausting. I only have a couple of shows booked in April and am sort of looking forward to a bit of a break to focus more on studio projects, but I am sure I will end up playing more shows as I have a hard time saying no what I enjoy.
The warm weather definitely has a positive effect on one's mood.
I worked Monday and had a good lesson with my Decorah student. We are continuing work on his first original song and the young writer is getting more comfortable suggesting lyrical ideas and modifying the chord progression. He has also done a great job of mastering the lead guitar lick we came up with for the intro and I am glad to see that songwriting has inspired him to spend more time with his guitar.
I had Tuesday off and Michelle Lynn was back at Ghost in My House Studio continuing work on her new album Twisted Logic. Adam Ptacek was over around lunch time and the three of us spent the next few hours rehearsing songs for the upcoming shows on March 20th at the Root Note and Del's Bar on the 25th. The more I get comfortable with the songs the more fun they are to play. I have really been enjoying having the opportunity to play some drums for other musicians both live and in the studio as it improves my drumming and gives me a much needed new perspective on songwriting in general.
Tuesday night Joe Dawson and Jaran Carson were over for a quick Brahman Shaman rehearsal in preparation for our set at the Root Note on Saturday. I am finally starting to feel comfortable with the trio and feel that we are definitely able to do the recorded versions of the songs justice.
Wednesday was spent working. Thursday I had the day off again and managed to get my drum parts recorded for 8 of the songs on Michelle Lynn's new album. Having recorded the guitar with a click track definitely this process go quicker, although it still took about 5 hours. After that Michelle and Adam were over for another rehearsal. Michelle has also been experimenting with the electric guitar and the handful of FX pedals I have available.
Friday I was up early and headed down to KDEC FM 100.5 studios in Decorah, IA for the weekly Artist Direct radio show. I enjoyed talking with Jeni and Tim and also got a kick out of hearing both Pride and Holy Roller from the recently released Animist album on the radio. I am going to try to get a copy of the show this week and will have it available online soon. I worked the rest of the day Friday. Friday night I headed down to the Bodega in LaCrosse, WI to play drums for Nick Shattuck from 9 to 1. Nick always seems to draw a great crowd and this definitely makes the show more fun.
Saturday night I had the opportunity to participate in a fun show at the Root Note. My good friend and local MC Hyphon opened the show with a great set, even performing our collaborative track "Have it Back". The Brahman Shaman electric trio followed and I can honestly say I had the most fun I have had thus far performing as Brahman Shaman. Driftless Music founder Adam Wiltgen was kind enough to grab some video of one the performance of Spoke of the Wheel, check it out here. Michelle Lynn was the headliner and she played a great set that started with her playing solo-acoustic until Adam and I joined her on bass and drums about halfway through. Adam got a video of a couple of songs available here and here and has also posted a new blog about the performance here.
Sunday was spent running errands, cleaning the house and just relaxing.
This past week was both very busy and very enjoyable. I had a great lesson with my Decorah student Monday. I am helping him write his first original song and it is really a lot of fun. He has already come up with some great ideas for the rhythm of the progression and is playing the lead guitar part we came up with really well. Hopefully we will get a little farther on the melody and lyrics next week.
Tuesday was my 5 year wedding anniversary, so besides working during the day I spent the evening with my wonderful wife.
Wednesday was spent working as well, however did get the chance to do another Brahman Shaman rehearsal with Jaran & Joe at Ghost in My House Studio for our upcoming debut gig as a trio at the Root Note on March 20th w/ Michelle Lynn & Hyphon. My song "Youth" from the recently released Animist double-album was featured on La Crosse's Z93.3 FM's Play it or Hate it radio program. I was surprised to get enough votes for a "Play it" and was pretty fun to hear my song on the radio twice in one hour. Also, really enjoyed hearing the snippets of people calling in and voting.
Thursday I spent most of the day helping Michelle Lynn record her new album, Twisted Logic, at Ghost in My House Studio. Michelle was a quick study with the click and we spent the day recording rhythm guitar tracks and scratch vocals. Thursday night Joe Dawson was in the studio to finalize overdubs for his 4 EP solo project, Moth Mountain. We are hoping to get it mixed and available online in within the next couple of weeks. Later Thursday night I enjoyed listening to Michelle Lynn on La Crosse's 95.7 The Rock Local Lixx radio program. She did a great interview and they even spun our collaborative effort, Death By Fear, from her recently released album, Pre Echoes for the Post Modern.
Friday I got some time in the morning to experiment with the new compressor I got for the studio before Michelle was back in the studio finishing up the the rhythm guitar tracks and scratch vocals on the 13 songs that will make up her upcoming release, Twisted Logic. Her partner and my close friend Adam Ptacek (Rearview Mirror, Objective Subject) was over in the afternoon and we had a fun rehearsal as a three-piece. Hopefully we will get a few more of those in before the Root Note show on the 20th, where we will be playing a few songs together and Del's Bar on the 25th where we will be playing 10pm - 2am.
Saturday night my friend and amazing bass player Pat Longmire picked me up and we headed to Tomah to play with Nick Shattuck at the Gas Alley Pub. We had a great time and really enjoyed performing as a three-piece.
Sunday I had another good lesson with local student. He is getting his fingerings in order and we will be hitting some right-hand rhythm techniques harder in the next couple of weeks.
In other news Ghost in My House Studio is now fully operational and available for bookings at a flat rate of $20/hr for tracking, mixing and mastering. Spring dates are already filling up so if you are interested in doing some recording just click here.
