So here’s one idea for a recording project, which would be a lean and mean authentic-fest, and probably the best candidate for PledgeMusic funding, since the budget would be extraordinarily low.
Stripped down and raw
I like recordings that are raw. There is an authenticity and character to hunkering down in front of a mic and lettin’ ‘er rip. The problem I run into is that I get caught up with all the nice shiny tools at my disposal working in a software DAW. I mean, shit, if you want to try another effect, you just go download the plugin and you’re off to the races. Unfortunately, the “races” all too often involve too much reverb and chorus on just about everything.
I’m all for using technology, but part of its effective use is figuring out how to make it work for you, rather than having it clutter up and confuse an otherwise effective process. So, what I’d like to do is put some self-imposed limits on the tools I have at my disposal, particularly during tracking, and utilize technology to facilitate quickly and easily capturing a performance, so that the slow and hard part can be, as it always should be, the artistic performance itself.
So the approach to this River House album idea is that I’d limit my gear to a guitar, a bass, perhaps a kick drum and a tambourine, and a portable hard disk recorder, and just lay down the tracks.
A unique experience and story
The actual River House part of this whole idea comes from my long-standing belief that every aspect of the internal and external environment comes into play when creating music. It’s easy to see when it’s big, like how unlikely it is for a band to rock a show with a crummy crowd. But minutia sneaks its way in, as well. Why do you think almost every band or artist has that one picture in the liner notes of them in the studio with a zillion oriental rugs? It’s not just because it’s cool. It’s about getting in the zone to deliver a stellar performance. And a unique performance.
The river house idea
So the concept behind the river house idea is that our family friends have this awesome tree house on the Shenandoah River that they rent out by the night. Ever since I found out about the place, I’ve wanted to go.
But then I thought of the really good part: don’t just go, but go and record!
So the concept is this: loading the car up with minimal gear, plenty of coffee and a couple dozen hard boiled eggs and a few cans of tuna (you get the idea), and heading down to the river house for 3-4 days. And, just… recording. The idea would be to get the best stripped down and raw performances I could of, well, as many songs as I could.
Why do I like this idea?
-It would be a hell of a lot of fun.
-It would be extremely affordable, perhaps even PledgeMusic fundable
-It would give me a chance to track as many of my growing queue of unrecorded songs as possible
-The whole plan is just dripping with story
What do you think?
-Do you think this sounds like a cool idea?
-Would you be interested in hearing the resulting recordings?
-Is there a particular song or songs that you think I should record?
-Have you heard of any other projects along these same lines?