My year has been off to a slow start, thanks to a wicked case of the plague that’s been going around Denton for the past couple of weeks. Rather than writing songs for the new Tre Orsi album, practicing, and fixing stuff at the studio, I’ve been home, congested, watching Netflix movies and playing poker.
I have managed to accomplish a few things: I spent four long days tracking with Nervous Curtains. The amount of overdubs and edited planned meant that we went straight into Cubase rather than to tape. Typically, when a band has an ambitious list of overdubs and very little time in the studio, I get worried, but the band was on top of things at all times, and tore through their to-do list like an army. Hats off to them.
Mixing for that album will be done by Sean’s Paper Chase band-mate, John Congleton. I’m really excited to hear the final album, especially their transcendent cover of “Jesus and Tequila”.
I’ve also been doing a lot of prep work for the A.C. Newman tours — creating itineraries, scheduling flights, arranging instrument rentals, etc. Most people would find this tedious at best, but I actually enjoy this kind of work. It looks like the band will be great, including Jon Wurster (of Superchunk and the Mountain Goats) on drums. I’ve never met Jon, but his Scharpling and Wurster comedy records (on Stereolaffs) get a lot of play in the Tre Orsi tour-wagon.
Next weekend I’m doing an EP for The Distant Seconds, which I’m very excited about. I really enjoyed making their full-length, Spectral Evidence, which just got a great review in the blog, Austin Sound. (I don’t particularly hear the Silkworm influence, but I’m a little biased.) Until then, I’m going to sit on the couch and watch Space Balls over and over again.
Hey Matt,
I just thought some of the vocals had the kind of barking tension that a lot of the Silkworm guys have. I think it’s the combination of the vocal delivery as well as the space in the songs afforded by the fact that they don’t have 19 guitar tracks for each song. It could also just be that I’ve been listening to Silkworm and Bottomless Pit so much that my brain needs a reset.
Glad you liked the review, because I loved the album. I’m looking forward to the CD release tonight, playing with them in February, and the new songs you’re recording with them.
Yeah, I see what you mean about the vocal delivery. I love those guys as well!