1st Vocal Take

yesterday I went in to the studio by myself around 4:30 to lay down our first attempt at a vocal track. It went well. The mic was so powerful it sounded as if I was in my own mouth. Every breath and pop could be heard. But our engineer compressed the hell out of things and through the magic of computers it sounds pretty cool.

With that bare, highly tweaked environment I could hear how casual smoking has affected my voice. Its a slight timbre change that I have never been aware of before. Not sure if anyone else will notice but I do. Or maybe I just have never heard myself with that professional of a microphone.

I felt good about my performance. It started weak but I gained confidence around the 2nd take and I think its noticeable. Our engineer/sorta-producer said that I need to make sure I like it because its forever and the most focused on aspect of the song. As much laboring we do over tiny little musical parts of each track it really falls away when vocals are added. People hear a beat, a bassline, the main guitar track and the vocals. The rest is almost unconscious. yet we pour over everything, ache over slipped notes and minor timing concerns. Our engineer just face palms himself and groans.

I listened to the song about 20 times today so far and I'm not cringing so thats a good sign.

I also met with John yesterday to discuss music licensing. He attended SXSW last year and met music supervisors and learned about that whole "sell your song to TV/Movies/Whatever" industry. I am very interested in this and want to take the necessary steps to make it happen. Otherwise making any kind of living from music will be comprised of endless touring and I dont think I want that lifestyle like I once did. Maybe when I was 24 but not anymore. Let me just let you put my shit in a movie and you send me a check. That sounds nice.

Did I hear you whisper SELL OUT?

Please. (maybe it was my own voice in my head)

The truth is, if I make a song that people think will fit their medium then Im all for it. I didnt write the song to sell to them. The day I write a song called Office Depot Blues then you can gouge my eyes out and step on them for me.

But licensing my stuff to a cool HBO series would be an honor and a damn fine way to make a living if you ask me. Then throw in a month long tour once a year and that sounds ideal to me. So I am going to find out how to make that happen.