There comes a moment on a record…where one must record a glockenspiel.
So the saying goes…or maybe I said that.
If you’re like most of my friends, you might be asking yourself, “What the heck is a glockenspiel”? Leave it to Wikipedia to find out:
A glockenspiel [German Glocken (bells) + spielen (to play)] is a percussion instrument, composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone’s bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel’s are metal, thus making it a metallophone. The glockenspiel, moreover, is usually smaller and higher in pitch.
Playing the glockenspiel is a lot more difficult than it looks. Maybe it’s because the keys are too close together. Maybe it’s because the one I was playing was a piece of crap. Or, maybe it’s because I’m a horrible player who is untrained in the intricate craft of glockenspieling (sp?)
Anyway, check out the video. I’m in the process of recording vocals now – we’re getting close!
In this highly anticipated episode, I talk about how being sick can be overcome simply by consuming girl scout cookies. I also determine that the secret to my guitar playing is not by hard work through dedication and practice, but rather through a sparkly guitar cable.
That could only mean one thing – more guitars! In this video segment, I take you around the studio to show you more of the gear I’m using, particularly in the way of amps. I have to apologize, but this video was from a few weeks back. My trip kind of messed up the timeliness of the studio updates, but with a strong will and a lot of coffee, I’ll get back up to speed.
Had a blast the other day tracking bass with Jimmy Stofer (The Fray, Dualistics, Hello Kavita). I’m really excited with how everything turned out – Jimmy’s a legend! Check out the video below..
We will be cutting drums for the new EP on Friday with the amazing Brian McRae behind the kit. I’m going to be making the trip up to Lyons to Brian’s studio to cut the tracks there. There will be a video team documenting it all, so expect some awesome behind-the-scenes video coming soon.
I really want everyone to share in this entire process, so I will be shooting a ton of video to have up on the site. Please check back often!
I’m really excited to get started with this project. I know it’s going to be a ton of work in the next few months, but I really think you guys are going to love the final product.
