First Sessions: We Have Liftoff!
Friends, I hope you’re enjoying “City of San Jose” as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. THREE songs got tracked in that initial session, by the way; in addition to “San Jose”, basic tracks were recorded for “Light Goes Green” (slated for release as a single early next year) and “Sad, Mad, Nothin’”, which is being mixed, mastered, and prepped for release as I type this.
I can’t tell you how overwhelmingly cool it was to finally get into a studio and get the ball rolling on this project after all the writing, demoing, and waiting during Lockdown. We recorded at Steakhouse Studio, an amazing room in North Hollywood, CA, full of vintage and state of the art gear and lovely people (shout out to the house engineer and resident wizard, Sam Madill).
Speaking of lovely people… what an incredible cast I had helping me: stellar musicians from diverse backgrounds, connected by talent, professionalism, enthusiasm, and a pure love of making music. My heartfelt thanks go out to Robin Diaz (drums), Chris Thigpen (bass), and Destiny Petrel (background vocals) for their time and kindness. Special thanks to Erik G for the keyboard work, the beautiful charts, and the mastering. A big fist bump goes to Ross Newbauer for knocking the mixing out of the park, and I would be remiss if I didn’t single out my man Nomad, who acted as both musical director and producer for the sessions, and whose coaching and patience coaxed my rusty ass into giving a performance I’m very proud of. What a pleasure, my friend. Nomad’s wife, Lola, provided the hospitality and vibes, making us all feel comfortable, and my long-time friend, George Combes… well, without George, this session wouldn’t have happened. Thank you, brother.
And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my right hand man, Jack Piatt, for 1) believing in me and my music even when I didn’t, 2) connecting all the dots and people for this session, and 3) guiding me through all the weird confusing stuff and getting this project off the ground and into the world. The best is yet to come.
