Homespun

Homespun

 My previous experience with recording was hemmed in by a $40/hr bill at the end of each session.  I arrived each day over-prepared with a rigid “to-do” list and a nervous glance at the clock every 15 minutes or so. Restrictive.
Recording at home brings with it the glorious freedom to experiment with sound, released from the restrictions of my “starving artist” budget. On my own terms, I can make mistakes, erase them, make other mistakes, keep them and realize a sort of unpremeditated naturalness in my music. Liberating.

Taking things into my own hands however, has brought a number of challenges. Occasionally, I wish I had a second set of ears the owner of which would speak up to say, “No, that sounds completely ridiculous” or “Yes, that was it!”. A second set of hands to hit the record button would be helpful too.
But by far the most uniquely frustrating challenge has been that of finding a quiet place to record vocals. Needless to say, my humble home recording studio/office/bedroom does not include a vocal isolation booth. But I’ve been told many a tale of singers hanging blankets and pillows in closets and bathrooms to accommodate their art, so I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. However an obstacle presented itself when I realized that simply parting the hangers in my wife’s clothes closet would not suffice. The wire wrack is too low. Sure, I could get in, but if I stood up too straight, I would bump my head. Not conducive to an unencumbered and expressive vocal performance.

The next step would be to empty and remove the entire unit. Not too difficult. But, need I remind you of the emotions connected to a woman and her clothes closet? Because the time allotted to my recording efforts is limited to one day a week when my home is empty and silent, and since having one’s closet dismantled and the floor of one’s normally tidy home “mantled” is the pleasure of no man’s ever-supportive wife, I knew my solution was short lived.  The conclusion? For three Wednesdays in a row, while recording vocals, I disassembled and reassembled the clothes closet in time for my wife to return home none-the-wiser at 4:30pm to her peaceful, tidy abode just as she had left it earlier that morning.
Ahh, the challenges of home-recording.  But it’s worth it. And my wife hates not the object of my creativity. She and her well-pressed clothes still support the project.

 

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the story behind the Hammond

Every good instrument should have a story, a touching journey through time and the elements endearing every wise and weathered note to your nostalgic ears. Take for example the stories of Paul McCartney’s old Hofner violin bass with accompanying decade-old black and white photos so iconic that one forgets all about the instrument’s characteristically weak tone and appalling lack of sustain.
My Hammond Romance Series Stage II Rhythm, is accompanied by no such charm. Just a call from my father-in-law about a call from his best friend about a call from his plumbing customer whose anxieties about her leaking fixture were compounded by the lack of space in her garage. That dusty old organ that hadn’t been used in years. “I’d like it to go to a good home” the elderly woman said. Mine is a good one.
Romanceless, indeed. However, the faded plastic buttons and retro style of the organ piqued my curiosity as to it’s origin and led me to do a bit of research online. My results were equally mediocre. One had just sold on ebay.co.uk for £1.49. But every good instrument should have a story.

“It was 1977 when the two young lovers eventually decided that New York City was not a place to raise a child. Brooklyn was home, but too many bad news reports and police sirens rang in their ears along with the persistent nagging of an uncle who was retiring in Florida and who had just scored a  piece of land for an incredible price in a place called Deltona. It sounded to the couple that the town would be safe for the newest addition to their family who would irresistibly come in just a matter of months now.

The young father remembered his young father playing the wall piano in the sun-drenched dining room on Saturday afternoons. His home too would be filled with music. So, after the baby came and all the necessities were arranged in her white and yellow room, Mother acquiesced to her husband’s insistence.  Considering the ample income from the young man’s new management position at the dairy plant, within several weeks, the Hammond would complete their home.”
I am in love with this organ. It’s quirky multi-colored buttons labeled with pictures of instruments the sounds of which share no correspondence to the noises coming out of the speakers are none-the-less adorable. The click-buzz-hummmmmmm that welcome’s you when you flip the switch seems to say, “Hey, there. It’s been a while. So glad you plugged me in, let’s jammmmmm-hmmmm”
I embarked on The Rafter project determined to capture a warmer, fuller sound than I had on my previous EP.  My mind’s ear heard keys of some sort, MIDI organ sounds probably. But as I moved the recording process to my home, I am now left working with what I have on hand. So I rolled the Hammond from the living room to my office/studio, stuck a condenser mic in it’s mouth and hit the record button.

Below is a sample of a riff from the Hammond that you will hear again on the album. I’m quite proud of it:

Friendly Boffin

Click above to get the single "To the Top" from Friendly Boffin

Did you ever hear of the name of Boffin?'

'No,' said Mr Wegg, who was growing restive under this
examination. 'I never did hear of the name of Boffin.'
'Do you like it?'
'Why, no,' retorted Mr Wegg, again approaching desperation; 
'I can't say I do.'
'Why don't you like it?'
'I don't know why I don't,' retorted Mr Wegg, approaching frenzy,
'but I don't at all.'
'Now, I'll tell you something that'll make you sorry for that,' said
the stranger, smiling. 'My name's Boffin.'
'I can't help it!' returned Mr Wegg. Implying in his manner the offensive addition, 'and if I could, I wouldn't.'
'But there's another chance for you,' said Mr Boffin, smiling still, 'Do you like the name of Nicodemus? Think it over. Nick, or Noddy. Noddy Boffin,' said that gentleman. 'Noddy. That's my name. Noddy--or Nick--Boffin.'

- Charles Dickens

I am happy to announce that the first single from my electronic project Friendly Boffin with Wesley Brach is now available for free digital download!

Click here to download "To the Top" for free from friendlyboffin.com

Or you can support our work by purchasing the track from itunes or Amazonmp3

"To the Top" is the first collaboration from Wesley Brach and myself, recording under the name Friendly Boffin.  It started as an instrumental composition from Wesley who commissioned my lyrical input.  A couple weeks spinning the track in my car stereo brought us two verses. From there we bounced it back and forth until we reached a finished product.  Jonathan Natera of Flight Audio, IA did an excellent job on the final mastering. And after a part-time and therefore lengthy process of choosing a band name and putting together some album art, we are finally ready to present it to you.

Here's the idea: If we get some good response, we'll work on a few more tracks. So please drop us a line to let us know what you think.

Please help us get the word out by sharing the track on facebook, twitter, Google+ or whatever else you use.  We don't have the distribution power of the big record labels, so it's all up to you.

Thanks again,

TOm