Just a quick note to say that we recorded another session last night at IPR in Minneapolis from about 7pm to 2am. We recorded acoustic guitar on Place, which I had never heard until playback, and it sounds sweet. We spent a majority of our time on Poet. We also laid down bass, vocals, guitars and even tambourine on Poet. Poet is really starting to come along. I'm very pleased with how it's turning out. Oh, and on Place, we also recorded the legendary handclaps (Gabe joined in on the clapping). It is fun.
We also spent quite a bit of downtime trying to determine what the new incarnation of our name is going to be. There were many suggestions, some good, some not. One of the most hilarious, however, was as follows; Junebug Turtle of the Habitual Flip
TONY: (10:33 p.m.) We're back in the studio in Minneapolis with Gabe as I type this. We listened back to the drum track for Place and got it in working order so we can continue on that tune. I'm proud to announce we've now got a studio bassist. He's a guy we actually ran into in the Jamestown days and played with in Aberdeen as well. His name is Dustin Marks and he's actually really good. Not that it's a surprise, but you know. As I type, we're listening back to some of his bass tracks and they sound great. The plan is to move on yet tonight to guitars and vocals on Place as well. It's going well, folks. And now I give you Anthony.
ANTHONY: (10:50 p.m.) So here we are recording with Gabe and it's great because he has all the technical knowledge and is really excited about getting our stuff down and making it sound lush. Right now Dustin is playing the bass track so we have the bottom layer to work off of. This thing is pretty fucking cool and it really helps to be working with someone who is genuinely excited about our material. Time will tell what will happen next but for now it is pretty cool to be in the situation we are because we have way too many songs and not enough good recordings of them. TO THE NEXT EPIDSODE!!!!!
DUSTIN: (10:58 p.m.) Yeah, I guess I play bass now...it's good...I like it...genitalia.
UPDATE: The night lasted a lot longer than we expected. At about midnight, we went to a different studio to track guitars and we didn't close up shop until well after 5:00 a.m. That's hardcore rock and roll dedication right there. Rock it.
Tonight, we began our first sessions for the upcoming album, Share. After a practice in Asbestos Heaven, we packed up our gear and headed down to IPR studios in Minneapolis, where Gabe Masterson, one of the engineers, introduced us to the other guy who would be working with us, whose name is Dan Hartwig (as if we don't already know enough Dans). For those Aberdonians who may know him, we also ran into Grant Cutler working the front desk at IPR. Small world, isn't it? Well, maybe not, seeing as how probably 75% of all Aberdonians who leave go to the Twin Cities. Anyway, we said hello to Grant and then moved on in.
This session marked the first time the Junebug boys recorded in a bona fide studio, with isolation rooms, and unparallel walls and ceiling and all that. It was indeed exciting for us, and then after a couple hours of setup, drum mic'ing, etc. were complete, we ran our first few takes. We started out the night working on "M'Lady", a song which we have practiced and performed many times, so we figured we'd be able to knock it out of the park right away. I actually had a little bit of trouble playing to a click track, since I've never really had any experience doing so in the past. This problem would persist through the night, but we worked around it.
When we went into the control room, however, to listen to the playback, we were blown away. It was a raw recording, no mixing or anything done to it at all, but we were all just amazed that it sounded good and like an actual recording. The quality was outstanding, like nothing we have ever applied to our music before.
Tonight's focus was drums. We worked on three songs, and I'm proud to say that we rocked out quite a few solid drum tracks. Drum tracking on "M'Lady," "Place" and "Poet Who Didn't Know It" are done. Now it's up to Dan and Gabe to pick and choose the best parts of each take and create a stellar base for the guitars to work off of.
IPR is a fun place, right down in the midst of the city. When you step out the front door, you see Déjà vu Showgirls (a strip joint) right across the street, a lot of traffic, and when you look up, you see the Minneapolis skyline, very close and right in front of you, bright lights shimmering against a black night sky. It's kind of what we hoped for when we packed up to come out here – to be in the city and to be knocking out some killer tracks. Now we just need a bassist and some gigs and we'll be living the dream.
The first session was a real treat and we're really excited to keep this project going. Keep your eye out for further updates as they come along!
Born and raised in small-town Dakota, I moved to the Twin Cities with the purpose of pursuing music. I play drums in the Twin Cities band, Junebug. I also play guitar as a singer-songwriter myself. I'm a married father of two and I have a big heart for animals. I have a bachelor's degree in history with minors in music and theater, I have an associate's degree in audio production and engineering.
