JOURNEYMAN Session One

Last night the band and I went down to Syracuse University and did the first session for the JOURNEYMAN CD. There will be several different folks playing instruments through out the project, but Bob Halligan (the Producer) and I both wanted to make sure that Danny and Paul (my live band) got on there as well. The goal of the evening was to get bass and drums down for a couple of tracks. We selected the songs “Cry of My Heart” (a little pop) and “Have I Really Loved at All?” (a little blues).

We arrived to find Bob and Mick Walker (engineer and Syracuse music legend) tweaking the various mics and inputs and such in the studio. Danny and Paul set up out in the main room and I was positioned in front of the glass in the control room so we could all see each other. A few hours, some arrangement changes, sub sandwiches, broken strings, and many British accents later we had some basic tracks in the can!

I documented the occasion below in blurry cell phone pictures. And for those of you who like the silly minutiae, there is a video below… pound those pagan skins, Danny!

The JOURNEY Starts Again…

Almost 3 years ago to the day, I started this blog as a means of chronicling the creation of my 5th CD, Everyday With You. Now, on 10/10/10 we start the process, the JOURNEY, once again.

Today marks the start of a campaign to raise the budget for my next CD, titled JOURNEYMAN. Before I go further, let me just say that information on how to partner with Remnant Music Group in the making of this CD can be found at christopherames.com. So, clink the link and join the team!

Making a record is a weird beast and making your living from making records is even stranger. Unless you have been inside the process, it might seem like no big deal, just an afternoon in a studio playing each song once and bam! A record… au contraire…

Even though today marks the official start of the JOURNEY towards the final goal of the JOURNEYMAN CD, this journey actually began months ago. The first step was to start song writing and unlike the last project there was no theme at the beginning. I started writing songs about anything and everything to see where my heart was. That first demo of 14 songs was a mish mash of ideas and quality. The first response from management was, “OK… a couple of good ideas here… what else have you got?”

I learned a while back to take that as a challenge and dig in, so the next demo (11 songs) was much better. Out of that set, the JOURNEYMAN concept was born. The idea that as a traveling musician, I not only get to explore and record my own journey, but I witness snapshots of so many peoples’ journies along the way, as well. Both sides of that coin are leaking into the songs going on the CD.

25 songs demoed so far, but we don’t quite have the magic 12 needed for the album, so I am about to send off another demo with 10 more songs (this week, I promise, Aly!)

So, join me on this adventure. I will be blogging the whole process and looking for input as to what parts of making a record you would like to hear more about. I would love it if you join the team (see the links above) and follow this JOURNEY to its end!

Free Samples!

So if you’ve been following this blog for the new CD – you know the progress we’ve been making. We are so close to releasing this new album titled – EVERYDAY WITH YOU. We are just days from final mixes, final mastering, final art approval, final proofreading of the liner notes, etc. But more importantly we go LIVE with the pre-sell of the CD on MARCH 6th! The official target release date is March 26th.

I can not emphasize enough how pleased I am with this project and the work that producer Joe Hand did on it. It is quite different from any of my previous CD’s, yet has a sense of familiarity to it as well. Industry folks are categorizing it as POP/ROCK which is kind of exciting as it puts my music in the hands of new listeners, but, of course I tried very hard to keep my authenticity as well. I hope you like it.

As a special gift to readers of this blog… I have set up a “sneak peek” page with samples of the new record. For those of you who listened to the early demos… you can hear how much this music has evolved. Check back here on March 6th for direct ordering links or for the downloadable order form. Enjoy!!!

 

Tambourine Chops

Spent a couple of hours yesterday in Tony Morra’s studio. Great guy, some quotable quotes and tambourine chops! I never knew there were tambourine chops… Tony is a monster drummer as well, but what we went there for was very specific And again, he delivered in one or two passes on every song we threw at him! That part never ceases to amaze me – I could watch these folks sprinkle on the magic for hours.

Exhausted!

Who knew that singing could wipe you out? The last two days I have laid vocals for 5 tracks. These are the moments I was waiting for… the time the rubber hits the road. Great instrumental tracks really move the songs forward, but without the ‘perfect’ vocal they go nowhere. I have never had such fun or worked so hard to get three minutes of singing on tape. I’ve got to say that Joe Hand is a master at pulling out performances from people… and those greasy potato chips don’t hurt either!

Layers and Expertise

Man, what a day! Finished guitars and lead vocals for “Worth Fighting For”… so exciting to hear all the layers come together, hear how all the textures come together to weave in and out with each other. Most amazing phenomenon was that the drum and bass tracks, recorded a month ago, seem to have new urgency and energy… how do they do that?

But, the most amazing thing about today was going to the Vibe Studios and having Mike Rojas, legendary session player, add B3 to 6 songs. It was a treat to see this guy come in, listen to the track once while making a chart and then nailing the song in one or two takes! And playing each song like he owned it! Gotta love seeing people use their God given gifts…

Winter Storm Warnings, Guitars, and Perspective

OK… what is normally a 13 hour drive from NY to Nashville became an 18 hour drive through 4 different winter storms… ahhh, winter! Arrived in Nashville and went straight to Joe Hand’s studio without passing Go. With no big fuss we dived right into electric guitar tracks. over the next couple of hours we added power chords, ‘Pete Townsend’ licks and wah guitar to ‘Last Word’ and ‘Pictures of Us.’

It is really a good thing that we are doing this recording in two separate chunks with a few weeks between, it gives me some much needed perspective. The first trip down, I was a bit in awe of the process. I’ve done albums before and I have recorded in studios before but this was the first time doing both at this higher level of professionalism. Coupled with the fact that the emphasis of the first trip was bass and drums, and I have to admit I felt a bit like a 5th wheel on my own project. But getting away from those feeling for a bit, sitting down and starting to hear the foundation that’s been laid for the the next layer of tracks, realizing that even seasoned studio musicians have to tune and retune and retune again… yep, distance gives some needed perspective and I am ready for more guitars!!

First Week Wrap Up

It is Sunday morning, and I am finally home. Didn’t get on Friday or Saturday so let me explain, no… let me sum up…

Friday was spent in Joe Hand’s studio. He was doing some initial editing on the basic tracks and had me do a second scratch vocal on several songs. I left there with a CD of rough mixes so that I can live with them for a few weeks before heading south again. To date we have the bass and drum tracks, a few piano and wurlitzer tracks and the odd acoustic rhythm here and there. The next trip or two will center on my guitar tracks as well as vocals. There is also a rumor of possible B-3 and Irish fiddles here and there… wait, what was that? Did I hear a backwards guitar??

My favorite moments of the week had to be… Joe Hand standing in the main room at OMNI directing Bill Bleistine’s drum track as though it were a full orchestra; drinking coffee at the Irish Pub down the street from the studio; seeing Danny pound the skins; talking to Irish in the control room; and seeing Joe and Aly grin and nod their heads after hearing that perfect take. Good times…

There are so many folks who helped to make this a great start to the adventure… first and foremost, my family who believe in this dream; Aly and Bill for all their management direction, housing, and amazing drumming; Joe Hand for taking on this project and working it like it was his own; Danny and Paul for being Famous Before Noon; and most of all, Jesus for more than I can put into words.

And finally… this blog ain’t over! Keep checking back to see how this turns out!

Day Five – Is It Me?

That is a question I have been asking myself a lot these last couple of days. When we arrived in Nashville last Saturday and I first heard the mock ups that Joe Hand had sent over, I wondered “Is this me?” It was odd, to say the least, to hear my songs through the eyes and ears of another person. But once we were in the studio and I got to play guitar, they were my songs again. Now, we have wrapped up the recording of basic tracks and the experience has been wonderful. The sounds that Joe got out of me and the other musicians was crazy! Hearing these tracks sounding so great, even just half finished, has got me asking again “Is this really me?”

Day Four – Magic

12 hour session today at OMNIsounds Studios… we got basic tracks down for 6 songs – drums, bass, rhythm guitar and some keyboards. I was in the acoustic guitar booth most all of the day, a small isolation booth about 8×8 with a double sliding glass door. Danny and Bill laid down some incredible drums, Joe did the bass and several Wurlitzer tracks… songs that were once just bare bones are now magically taking on muscle… dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones… it’s late so I will let pictures tell more of this tale…