Dune
Lawrence Russell listens to an advance copy of “Dune”. He likes track #9, called “Smoke”. Our new album “Dune” will be released on April 24th.
Check back on Tuesday, to hear another track.
Culture Court
Lawrence Russell writes about an advance copy of “Dune” and an imaginary conversation with me:
He likes track #9, called “Smoke”:
The interesting thing about this album is that everyone who has heard an advance copy, picks a different favorite song. Different people have been equally enthusiastic about tracks #2, #3, #8, #9, #10 and #12.
I like that.
Happy Holidays…
…and happy solstice and happy new year. It may be Winter now, but the days will get longer…
You might enjoy comparing these two tracks, two rough mixes of the same song, about two months apart. The first mix was made after I recorded guitars (but not the soli), the bass, the drum machine and the palmas. The second mix was made recently, after adding percussion and accordion, and the first of two soli.
As you will hear in this second example, I didn’t like the snare sound and swapped it for something that was a better fit with the cajon. I also removed the machine claps altogether. When I performed at the Rrazz Room in November I came up with a new intro for this piece, which I recorded after I returned home. Now there is a much better flow to the piece.
There is more to be done, but I thought this would give you an interesting comparison.
Yesterday
On Wednesday we finished recording the percussion for “Dune”, and yesterday we had our first accordion recording session. It went really well. We recorded from ten in the morning to one in the afternoon, and then I kept working by myself until half past six in the evening.
What an amazingly expressive instrument the accordion is! As a kid and young adult I had a very very low opinion of the accordion. The instrument was only used in folk music and was the brunt of many jokes – like banjos, trombones and violas. I did come to love the bandoneon, once I discovered Astor Piazzola, but in the last couple of years I discovered the use of accordion in Arabic music and music from the Balkans.
And luckily there is an accordion player right here in Santa Fe who can play like that! :-)
The new album has a really really interesting sound, a bridge between so many styles and traditions. Its roots dive deep into the ground in many locations, but the trunk also rises high above the traditions and lifts the crown into original air.
