Showing posts with label In-Studio Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In-Studio Update. Show all posts
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! A few new pics from the studio. Make sure to tune in tomorrow and see this year's first in-studio update.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Baldy Checks In
Here we are in December, the holiday season is in full swing, and William & Jerry are just a few days away from recording vocals. Guitars and bass are heading down the home stretch, and although the drums are done, Sean is coming in almost every day to provide input and give full body massages to anyone he can get his hands on.
There's not a lot to report because it's pretty much like the movie Groundhog Day in here, just with a different soundtrack each day. Recording an album can be a long and laborious process. Play the song. Tune the guitar or bass. Play the song again. Tune again. Play a different part of the song with a different guitar. Tune again. Try something different on the bridge. Tune. Play a 12 string on the chorus. Tune. And so on and so on and so on…
Are you bored yet? Try doing it 'til two or three A.M. six days a week for three months and you'll be amazed that the upcoming album isn't just the sound of four guys smashing their heads against the wall in beautiful Dolby surround sound.
Although I'm still under a gag order concerning the material, I think I can get away with saying that this album will run the stylistic gamut as far as the songs are concerned.
A couple of uptempo crushers? Check.
A few droning mid-tempo head trips? Check.
A couple of radio friendly super catchy tunes? Check.
A pair of straight up white-knuckle mind-f*%# sonic roller coaster rides? Check.
Lyrically speaking, it's going to be more of what you've come to expect from Alice In Chains: rainbows, kitty cats, bubble gum, and skateboards. Words & songs that make you want to go to the mall and buy hair care products.
The further we get into this process, the more excited I get for it to see the light of day. The economy is a mess, record stores are closing down all over the country, and the music industry is a disaster, but I know a good song when I hear it, and this album is gonna be full of them.
Hopefully that, along with the support of all of you guys, will be enough to put this band back on top where it so rightfully belongs.
Happy Holidays.
-Baldy
There's not a lot to report because it's pretty much like the movie Groundhog Day in here, just with a different soundtrack each day. Recording an album can be a long and laborious process. Play the song. Tune the guitar or bass. Play the song again. Tune again. Play a different part of the song with a different guitar. Tune again. Try something different on the bridge. Tune. Play a 12 string on the chorus. Tune. And so on and so on and so on…
Are you bored yet? Try doing it 'til two or three A.M. six days a week for three months and you'll be amazed that the upcoming album isn't just the sound of four guys smashing their heads against the wall in beautiful Dolby surround sound.
Although I'm still under a gag order concerning the material, I think I can get away with saying that this album will run the stylistic gamut as far as the songs are concerned.
A couple of uptempo crushers? Check.
A few droning mid-tempo head trips? Check.
A couple of radio friendly super catchy tunes? Check.
A pair of straight up white-knuckle mind-f*%# sonic roller coaster rides? Check.
Lyrically speaking, it's going to be more of what you've come to expect from Alice In Chains: rainbows, kitty cats, bubble gum, and skateboards. Words & songs that make you want to go to the mall and buy hair care products.
The further we get into this process, the more excited I get for it to see the light of day. The economy is a mess, record stores are closing down all over the country, and the music industry is a disaster, but I know a good song when I hear it, and this album is gonna be full of them.
Hopefully that, along with the support of all of you guys, will be enough to put this band back on top where it so rightfully belongs.
Happy Holidays.
-Baldy
Friday, November 21, 2008
Week 4 Update
Things are starting to shape up nicely as the guys check in for studio update #4. Enjoy...
Week 4 Update
Week 4 Update
Friday, November 14, 2008
Week 3 Update
In the third installment of our weekly look inside the Alice In Chains recording process, Sean Kinney tracks some drums.
Week 3 Update
Week 3 Update
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Where We're At…
Sean finished drums two weeks ago and we all celebrated by taking a few days off for Halloween. This also gave us time to have our molars refitted and let our internal organs settle back into place (drums are LOUD).
So now we're all buckled up and ready for a month or so of guitar & bass.
Jerry started off with what will more than likely be the first single off of the new album, and it's sick. The riff on this thing is just monsterously wrong, and yet so damn right. It's a classic Cantrell slice of aural evil that will crawl into your ears and lay little Alice eggs in your brain.
Much like the drums, the guitars and bass on this album are going to be dense and heavy and disgusting and beautiful. In other words, for those of you who have voiced concerns as to how the new stuff will sound, rest assured. This record will sound different for obvious reasons, but the musical spell this band put you under years ago is still as potent today as it was back in 1990, and I'm not just saying that because Jerry bought me breakfast this morning.
So what have we learned in the last month?
Well, we've learned that prolonged exposure at a close proximity to excessive drumming can result in hearing loss, jittery nerves, blurred vision, & slight bladder leakage. We've also learned that an incomplete song that only has guitars, bass, and drums laid down without being mixed or mastered can still be crushingly satisfying.
There you have it. Progress continues to be made, and piece by piece this album is coming together.
I hope all of you in the States got out & voted. God bless America, and God bless the sonic depravity that Alice In Chains is producing in the studio right now…
-Baldy
So now we're all buckled up and ready for a month or so of guitar & bass.
Jerry started off with what will more than likely be the first single off of the new album, and it's sick. The riff on this thing is just monsterously wrong, and yet so damn right. It's a classic Cantrell slice of aural evil that will crawl into your ears and lay little Alice eggs in your brain.
Much like the drums, the guitars and bass on this album are going to be dense and heavy and disgusting and beautiful. In other words, for those of you who have voiced concerns as to how the new stuff will sound, rest assured. This record will sound different for obvious reasons, but the musical spell this band put you under years ago is still as potent today as it was back in 1990, and I'm not just saying that because Jerry bought me breakfast this morning.
So what have we learned in the last month?
Well, we've learned that prolonged exposure at a close proximity to excessive drumming can result in hearing loss, jittery nerves, blurred vision, & slight bladder leakage. We've also learned that an incomplete song that only has guitars, bass, and drums laid down without being mixed or mastered can still be crushingly satisfying.
There you have it. Progress continues to be made, and piece by piece this album is coming together.
I hope all of you in the States got out & voted. God bless America, and God bless the sonic depravity that Alice In Chains is producing in the studio right now…
-Baldy
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
In-Studio Update
The first couple of weeks are now in the books, so here's a brief update.
Let's start off by answering a few lingering questions out there. For those of you who don't already know, the producer of the album is Nick Raskulinecz. Nick has produced the Foo Fighters, Trivium, & Rush just to name a few, and has also engineered a ton of records for other artists as well. There's a great engineer and studio team in place, so the band is in capable hands, everyone is in really good spirits, and the songs sound amazing.
However, recording an album can be a bit like painting your lawn and sitting back to watch the paint dry as the grass grows, so I'll spare you all the details of what's been going on.
In the control room of the studio there's a giant poster with a list of song titles with boxes next to them that get marked off as the work gets done. There are boxes for drums, bass, guitars, vocals, guitar solos, etc. This poster has 20 songs on it, and at this point we're about 2/3rds of the way done with drum tracking. Obviously not all 20 songs are going to be on the album, but they'll tackle that issue down the line.
I'm still not allowed to reveal much about the songs, but I can say this; there is some stuff here that in my opinion can and will stand alongside anything the band has done up to this point. There is some really strong material here, I just hope all those radio station program managers that fill the airwaves with some of the crap I've heard over the last few years will know what to do with a good rock song when it comes their way.
I also hope that the economy is in better shape when this album comes out next year so you don't have to sell your own bone marrow on ebay in order to afford it. Then again, after hearing these songs I'd say a little bone marrow for a new Alice In Chains record is actually a pretty good bargain.
-Baldy
Let's start off by answering a few lingering questions out there. For those of you who don't already know, the producer of the album is Nick Raskulinecz. Nick has produced the Foo Fighters, Trivium, & Rush just to name a few, and has also engineered a ton of records for other artists as well. There's a great engineer and studio team in place, so the band is in capable hands, everyone is in really good spirits, and the songs sound amazing.
However, recording an album can be a bit like painting your lawn and sitting back to watch the paint dry as the grass grows, so I'll spare you all the details of what's been going on.
In the control room of the studio there's a giant poster with a list of song titles with boxes next to them that get marked off as the work gets done. There are boxes for drums, bass, guitars, vocals, guitar solos, etc. This poster has 20 songs on it, and at this point we're about 2/3rds of the way done with drum tracking. Obviously not all 20 songs are going to be on the album, but they'll tackle that issue down the line.
I'm still not allowed to reveal much about the songs, but I can say this; there is some stuff here that in my opinion can and will stand alongside anything the band has done up to this point. There is some really strong material here, I just hope all those radio station program managers that fill the airwaves with some of the crap I've heard over the last few years will know what to do with a good rock song when it comes their way.
I also hope that the economy is in better shape when this album comes out next year so you don't have to sell your own bone marrow on ebay in order to afford it. Then again, after hearing these songs I'd say a little bone marrow for a new Alice In Chains record is actually a pretty good bargain.
-Baldy
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