Week 23. RoseWood Studios (CONTINUED!)
Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:20 pm
Sunday June 20
ahhh... what a great day
What a great day it was. A few friends over in the afternoon...Fajita
flavored veggie burgers on whole wheat bread with baked Doritos and
avacado dip for lunch; a lazy afternoon...listened to the new Eisley
tracks, hung out and I actually went to bed like...at 12:30 or something
crazy. A great day, thankyou. Hope your weekend was amazing.
Monday June 21
3 More Days of Tracking!
Band Wins Confidence of Label/management! All
vocals to be retracked here in Tyler. Big Score for Eisley.
Woosh... for a moment there I thought you'd think I got sucked out. The
truth is, I stumbled into a time noodle...yeah, one of those einstein worm
things; I was all like anti-matter and relative and crap. I was all Trans-
Atlantis...sucked into the deep; I was worming through the core of time
itself...passing cows and mainframe computers and Mrs. Beasley and I
saw the wicked witch of the West and Ferdinan Magellan and the
Lockness monster.
But, it's great to be back. Unfortunately, my head scull is now composed
of micro-biotic worm putty...but my fleshy Synth-0-SkinŽ furnished by
Echoderm Labs of the Viking Era is realistic and has a Charlee Sheen to it.
ENOUGH silliness
I have scoop. Not much scoop. But I have scoop. Scoop comes in small
scoops. Ice cream sized scoops. mmmm...wish Stacy and Weston and
Collin wouldn't have eaten all that Hershey's syrup.
SO....WB really likes the vocals and what Eisley has accomplished down
here in the Bible belt...so they're allowing the band to do about 3 more
days to retrack all of the remaining songs:
I Wasn't Prepared
The Escaping Song
Plenty of Paper
They All Surrounded Me
One Day I Slowly Floated Away
Marvelous Things
Sad news...looks like Rob will be in Finland or at the very least already
absorbed into other projects by the time Eisley will finish tracking the 3
last songs with then new mystery producer in LA, so... there will also
have to be a new mystery MIXER named soon as well. I know who
they're looking at but won't say. I also know the mystery producer's
they're looking at but won't say. WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? AND RISK
DE-GENERATING MY PLASTO SEMI-BIOTIC HEAD?! You're crazier than a
one legged pole vaulter in a mine field.
I now have information that could spell out a return to LA the weekend
of Saturday JULY 10th... and, Warner Bros. is STILL absolutely talking
positive about a Fall release. My presumtion was: gosh wiz. with all the
brain scratching and fence talk and McCoy gun fighting, we've surely
slipped into 2005. They say not.
btw. Record labels do not typically release new band full lengths in the
Fall. WHY you jeer me to answer??! Because, you cute little meat packets
- that's when the big boys poop out their wanky-wanky-wo0-wo0, best
seller, fatty-watty-foo-foo CD's on the market.
You think Warner wants their little baby-waybe band to get mixed up
with the big boys? Ever see Stewart Little in traffic? Ok. That's why.
But Craig said, and I quote young Craig: "We're not expecting Eisley to
blow out a million copies the first year... the plan is to build it... so I have
no problem with a Fall release... Like, October might be perfect."
BAM! where else are you going to get quotes from a high ranking VP at a
label? (just kidding with the cocky bit...I ate ice cream without the
Hershey's.) Now I hear Brad in there so I must go make coffee and we'll
all read more Jack Handy words so we can laugh our silly putty heads off.
That's all for now folks! Oh. One more thing. They don't see "My Lovely"
as a single... Beeahhiihahannk! (that was the sound of unselttling) So,
whatever. And comments were made about the arrangement... maybe
build it some more. So, yeah, the band was pissed off about that; life
goes on. For that reason, I won't post tidbits of the new song...it could
change OR NOT!! what the heck!! I might do whatever the heck I WANT!
Yuh, i talk big...we'll see. I have to be sensitive to the needs of the many.
WAIT..you guys are the many!!! hey! the needs of the few aren't even
going to care!! mehh...(sound of goat) We'll see. bd
Tuesday June 22
Storms they are a Rumblin'
Clarity. After thoughts. A Day Dialouge.
Captain Sherri and Captain Stacy back home after being Lost at Sea.
_______________________
RoseWood redo's
Studio time is booked for Wed. Thurs. Frid. of this week to finish
retracking vocals. This is great. The record is getting better and better
all the time.
Ali asked if all of the songs previously recorded would have vocals
retracked here in the great state of Texas, so here's the list and how
it breaks down:
___________
Memories (done)
Escaping Song (will be done this week)
Plenty of Paper (will be done this week)
Sun Feet (done)
Just Like We Do (done)
I Wasn't Prepared (will be done this week)
They All Surrounded Me (will be done this week)
Golly Sandra (done)
Vintage People (done)
One Day I Slowly Floated Away (will be done this week)
___________
and maybe:
Marvelous Things We'll see what happens. Questions there. Which
version, accessibility, re-track, tweak a previously recorded one.
Disclaimer: some of these vocals are pretty hard to beat...performance
wise, but the girls are up for it...they're going to try to beat themselves.
_______________________
Stringing You Along
I know that the news of an October release is disheartening to you guys.
With the way things were going, I really thought we'd be lucky if it was
Spring 05. It's been a long journey and it isn't over yet.
Honestly, I really haven't tried to trap you guys here... or string you
out, though I have enjoyed some of the blow by blow drama and the
conversation stemming from it. In the beginning, I thought the record
would be in manufacturing by now or at least in mastering. It's been a
learning experience for all of us. (by that, I mean Eisley, You, Me...all of
us). This is all new territory for us. The great unknown.
I never expected to look on the Front Forum page, click onto The Eisley
Full Length - Live from LA and see 23 Weeks. I'm shaking my head even
now in disbelief. I look back over the many posts and think...did I waste
my time? Why did I commit to this? But you guys have been so cool and
encouraging...and voiced your approval; I guess that's why I continued.
Time is running out on many projects... I'm getting deeper and deeper
into the various design/marketing vehicles and will have a harder time
keeping up with pm's and random posting, which I enjoy. I'll more than
likely curb the length of these posts in the process of streamlining.
_______________________
The Sound of Sucking
At the same time all of this is going on, I'm working on launching a
freelance career that will hopefully keep Eisley in the center of my sites -
and as a client. (sounds strange, huh) Possible that I can do that...
without going into detail, I'm working on it. Also possible that it won't
work out.
I wish I could cheat time and live the equivelant of 48 hours for your 24;
or live out a Groundhog Day that was limited to 2 days. That way I could
learn to work faster...and correct any mistakes that cost time.
Or, if I could clone myself, one boid (the evil mutant clone) could keep a
steady flow of outside freelance to keep us going and the other boyd (the
the halo-toting boyd) could work on Eisley at the same time. But, as it is,
I'm already burning the night oil. I'm sure we're in for some bumpy road,
lots of stress and possibly heartache (life as usual. ha ha...) The fragile
balance of this small entity is not as easy to maintain as it might seem.
But either way, the band will continue. That's the important thing.
_______________________
Make-Overs
Flip the page. Anxious to see how produces the next 3 songs and if they'll
be what the band wants them to be. "Lost at Sea" will surely get a face
lift and chance to brush with Radio. Face lift could mean anything... meter
shift, groove shift...who knows. If the right producer is found, it could be
one of the strongest songs in the portfolio.
"Brightly Wound" will get stronger, more focused, with better guitar tones,
better layering... while looking for a radio slot as a second single.
"TrolleyWood" is waiting to be defined. It might be a sleeper... one that
might surprise all of us. It's so creative...and rootsy. Most of you haven't
heard it. sorry. Time... time keeps slippin', slippin'... into the future.
And what of Golly Sandra? Is this a demo or a finished song for the
record? And..."My Lovely"... need rearranging? a different treatment?
I can't get the song out of my head. As it is, the song is totally in the
top line up for getting on the record, but the problem is: all of them are.
_______________________
Morning Walk in the Woods
Kim has to walk... (you know, heart) so we've been getting up to walk
with her. There is a cool park that trails off into the beautiful East Texas
woods. I wanted to show these images just in case any of you think we
live in the Texas you see on TV. This isn't South Texas...or North Texas...
or John Wayne Texas. This is Tyler, Texas.
I have to go. It's cloudy and the storms are coming in. bdout
Wednesday June 23
The Tree is on the ground
Stacy/Sherri track "One Day..."
If I had the time, I'd put together a short clip of how my friend
"diddlebaum", from this forum, and I meticulously, and decisively
extracted the mammoth tree from my shed - utilizing quantum physics,
relative quantum math and calculated art... We analyzed tork, weight,
stress, balance, bouyancy to come up with the proper solutions to make
it happen.
It was so fulfilling. We used ropes and chains and "come-alongs"... we
counter balanced, re-distributed weight, slowly dropped limbs, sawed like
"Wild Men of the Trees". Ahhh - such a feeling of accomplishment; as
they say in the business, "the tree is on the ground". (if they
don't say that, they're missing a great opportunity for an industry
catch-phrase; well, it's sure one I'd be log-dropping if I were a Tree Man.)
My back yard still looks like the Tree Devil took over... it's death and
destruction. It's Tree Hell. Everything is dead... logs and dead trees and
dead foleage...and the dead trampoline... it's a scary place. But, "the tree
is on the ground". My fence got a tiny bit crunched but not very much. No
major damage to our limbs or the shed or the fence. I knew you'd want
to know. (psst. i videotaped it, but, I don't have time to make a clip...
yet... hehh-hehh-hehhhhhhhh.....ah-hehhhh. more stupid video clips...
oh, to besodumb. (ohto be sodumb) ohtobeso - dumb.
The girls went to the studio around 5:30 and I picked them up at 8:00pm
after recording, "One Day I Slowly Floated Away".(vocal redo's) BAM.
That's all I have to say. I'm beat. Famished. Sun smashed. Logged.
Public thanks to diddlebaum... an amazing friend and fellow designer who
I've worked side by side with for years.
but one thing's for sure... i love you guys. bd
Thursday June 24
Giant Steps for Eisley-kind?
Wrestlings and Restlessness
Guyz..guyz...I posted some today; I was here but i forgot to post HERE.
Sorry. I..i...ok. so, no time to waste.
The band recorded scratch vocals and piano to "Lost at Sea" tonight at
RoseWood in search of the perfect tempo.
But, truthfully, their beloved A&R wanted it faster and had sent this loopy
thing to which they over-dubbed their vocals along with Collin's Yamaha
keyboard to in their bedroom...Thus the "captain my captain" photo
yesterday...saluting the orders in uniform. That was cute. Anyway, in the
little homespun recording, they began laughing and acting silly; as the
song crecendo's, so did their silliness. They begin singing out of tune and
cross harmonizing their tone-deaf voices and laughing in the fade
out...."oh yeah.."
They brought me the song on their ipod along with the digital camera and
said, "can you send this to craig? it get's a little silly...but, honestly...we
couldn't help but laugh, those loops were so funny." I did. And Craig was
amused and loved the photo...and learned what he needed to learn: the
loops were lame, but he loved the tempo.
They didn't. So, today, when they tracked it at RoseWood, they slowed it
back down to a reasonable meter for Craig so he could have something
for Rick Rubin and/or whoever else they're talking to about producing the
song/s. (yes. doubtful he could do it, but...as you know, loves Eisley and
wanted to sign them to IDJ and produce them. (long story. applicable
only to newbies)
I know you guys want it super slow... but keep in mind, great songs offen
offer greater flexibility and latitude when it comes to stylistic options...
For example: "Lady of the Woods". Written slow. Played slow live with no
rhythm at all. But have you heard it now? It's sporting a rocking tempo,
is more catchy, more rock, but is just as good if not better, in my
opinion. I love them both... but they're very different.
I've heard "Lost at Sea" faster now with a little more driving chorus. It's
just as good in my opinion... anyway, Sherri rebeled and made it the
tempo she wanted. It's not dreary...it moves along, but seems nice. If
you've ever heard "Rodeohead", you'll pick up on how important it is that
the song is well-written. Those rodeohead covers are faster, hick-ier,
twangier, etc... but they're amazing because the songs are amazing.
I'm still writing, but I'll post this much.
On songs and over-thinking and radio and first records and Eisley
Fact:
Once signed to a major, it's all about recoupment. If first records
don't recoup, there are only begrudging 2nd records with no marketing
behind them. This is the business. Sure, the label has to put it out...but
a label can fall on the ball and let the game run out. If you don't think
Eisley needs a hit record, think again. The industry is barreling
downward. Bands that make money stay around. Being "indie" is cool,
but if it doesn't pay the bills, it doesn't stick. A guaranteed 2nd record
is really no consolation.
Me and Markymark and Kimbertones from this forum and Stacy were
talking tonight about all of this stuff. Here's the thing: You can create
something super arty...and hang it on the wall in your bedroom and you
and a few friends can admire it and say..."ooh, ahh....aren't I wicked
creative?" Or, you could hang it in some quirky shop and get some
attention; the shop has low overhead and little expectations... But what
an investor paid you hundreds of thousands of dollars to get that little
painting done and into the marketplace... would the little shop, with it's
little visibility generate enough traffic to sell 100's of 1000's of your little
painting? No.
To reach the world with something inspiring, it has to be classic. Classic
doesn't have to be void of creativity. For example, I think "Float On" is
classic. It's got this big catchy, hooky, memorable chorus followed by this
fat echo-y U-2 recurrent guitar riff....it has classic architecture
arrangement. It's well put together, well designed, well produced, well
crafted... it's lasting; and it sure blows the heck out of their older stuff in
terms of quality and style.
Modest Mouse is a cool indie band. true or false? False. They're
signed to Epic - one of the biggest RADIO labels on the planet.
That's their marketing plan: go to radio. If it doesn't work, "you're out of
here..!" (we were told that in the beginning when they wanted to sign
Eisley) M.M. probably has a big name producer, big video's and big
budgets. They're totally mainstream.
But as long as we feel they're rooted in indie culture, we buy
in and don't believe they've sold out. Have they? Of course not. Do
their records sound slicker than they used to? YES. Go buy "The
Lonesome Crowded West" released on UP records in 1997. I love it, but
it's very raw. Totally not radio...nothing broad, classic about it.
Here's the take away: Modest Mouse hasn't changed who they are or sold
out, but they have written and produced a fat record with a broad pallete.
The writing/production/arrangement/style, etc. is very "modest mouse"
but sonically, stylistically, production-wise WAY more broad. It's more
classic. It's getting them radio play and consequently massive sales.
Let's bring it home: Eisley should be exactly who they are, take the best
songs they've ever written, work with whichever producer/s can bring
them about in a way that, at least overall, reaches a broad maketplace
without compromising. Yes, a few of them have to be classic enough
to be released them as singles and good enough to strike an emotional
chord with a broad audience... songs that could be released on alt-rock,
adult contemporary, college, pop, radio, etc.
Coldplay did that... released great, classic, broad, cool, amazing songs in
college radio, moved to adult contemporary and...the rest was history.
Look at Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. An esteemed classic piece of work.
Eclectic, cool, uncompromised, pop, folk, rock, dark, bright... a hit
record w/ singles lined-up. Millions sold. For their day, Fleetwood M. could
have been considered underground... indie. Now they're a household
word. Rumors - 25th anniversary, remastered version is on shelves with
a 4color book of amazing photos. I see similarities between them & Eisley.
Take Radiohead... "The Bends" is very broad. Very pop. What did it afford
them to do? Make a more creative record the next time around...still
classic, "OK.Computer" was way more risky but amazing.... By
the time the 4th record came around, they could do what ever they
wanted. "Kid A" and "Amnesia"c are so experimental... but they paid their
dues. And "All Hail..." is almost a full circle. (i hear they're redoing
"Pablo Hone"y and releasing it on line)
Eisley needs a "pay their dues" initiation record. And I believe that if they
pay their dues, and put out a record with their greatest songs on it, no
matter who produces it, you guys will love it. Why? Because it'll be
classic, creative and quintessentially Eisley... scratch that; it will
bleed eisley. And, they already have songs! Songs that are rich
and dreamy, imaginative, emotional, enchanted, lovely, marvelous...
They even have recorded ones...broad songs; songs that I think are
guaranteed hits. Songs recorded a year ago with Rob Cavallo, John
Shanks, new ones with Rob Schnapf, a reworked, remixed Aaron
Sprinkle song....and now, songs they've produced.
Maybe some of the dark cloud these past many months has just been
overthinking. I'm not suggesting it's been unproductive or bad. But things
have been hard. The band has been unhappy. It shows in their
songwriting and in their faces. Perhaps all of these trials have made them
stronger, given them true grit, determina- tion, the ability to communi
cate and say "no", but... when does it end? I've been saying this. When
will the record get finished?
YEs, there's been headway. All of that is a huge plus. It's so cool
that there are new songs that are now candidates for this record. But
maybe it's just time to say, "enough". Even NOW, as it is, I believe there
is a big enough selection of great songs that the right person could
cherry-pick from the basket, burn them onto a CD and ship it (figurative
ly speaking) It's laced with singles already.
Aside from them re-recording "Lost At Sea", maybe it should be done.
They've already recorded masterfully broad, dripping with Eisley-ness,
tunes that have been overlooked because of whatever reason...fears,
over-thinking, knee-jerk reaction to critics.
All of this is just brain wash... not reality. But, it does make some
sense. They have recorded songs you guys don't even know about -
"Silver Bugs" is one. It's amazing. Driving, melodic, pop...creative...love
song... the production is riveting; "Trolly Wood" soulful...almost a
spiritual, raw, powerful, creative... no compromise in any of these
songs... people freak over the recordings. Brightly Wound is reminiscent
of the "Winter Song" only more moving, more powerful.
Why toss them? Because they don't have the right producer's name on
them? They're great songs...recorded right after they got signed. They
could complete the project, end the madness...fulfill their destiny, deliver
on the promise, recoup...set the young band on their path to many, many
more records. Overthinking and second guessing and knee-jerk reactions
can be problematic... let it breath...let it go...
Again....random thoughts. I might feel different in the morning. And
anyway, none of this is my decision...not in the least. All of this is just
fodder... brain spewage; for fun. I'm just an influencer, a voice, and
bouncing board, a colaberator, a background noise, a fly on the wall.
Still, Markymark and I have an new imaginary list of 10-11 songs; it's
simple to figure out. Anyone could do it. Everything has been recorded
except for "Lost at Sea". All of the songs just need to be tweaked and
mixed by the new mystery mixer:
http://www.mcdman.com/costey.html Not for sure. goodnight. bd
Friday June 25
EisleyyelsiE
Meamblings and Gufawings
Man it's hard to come up with those titles... as you can see. I apologize
for posting the fat-fat novel last night. I was focused. Focused on making
a fat-fat chonk of spew. sorry. what in the what was I saying?
I'm going to post this and go read any of your rebuts (re-butt?) and find
out if at least one of you had a comment or a suggestion. I know my
journal readers are getting sparce. (NO..no, don't try to prop me up. I'm
not at all looking for kudos. I feel loved already) I'll be back...in a minute
yeah, don't go away. brb.
ok. a few of you weighed in. I appreciate it. Last night's post was some
what encoded. I didn't want to really be too literal. It was a concept.
Forget it.
AARON'S FILES ARE HERE IN TYLER!!! So... cool. Looks like that's
happening. Amazing. So excited. And so is the band. I think their love for
Aaron is as strong if not stronger then their love for his work on the song.
It will be improved: Stacy will re-do vocal tracks (she's a better singer
now) and piano tracks (fatter keys is a must...will match the rest of the
record).
And of course, the new mystery mixer will mix it....along with all the
songs to achieve consistency. I believe the mixing is everything to this
record. If there are various tracks from various studio's/producers, the
glue is the mixer... the weight of the record falls on his shoulders.
Today we had coffee and hung out with a super nice guy...Joseph Kyle.
He recently penned 2 really negative reviews on Eisley's two ep's. I
stumbled across them, fired my guns on his forum, we both apologized,
formed a truce, decided we'd probably like each other, we invited him
over for coffee and....it was a super nice time. A very kind fellow indeed.
We yacked about the industry, labels, pressures, slick productions, radio
songs, listened to music, drank coffee...and then he left. I think he's
posted a few times on the forum... so be nice to him.
Kim was a big reason why Joseph came over. At his suggestion to do
coffee, she sent him an email saying, "Come on!". Always remember to
marry a good wife like Kim. (but not Kim) The band came in and sat
randomly... and scampered off when they got bored.
I learned that critics like him get in like 20 cd's a day...and have to cram
them in their ears to do the reviews. It's easy to get jaded and worn out
and not always give bands a chance. I think he has an open mind about
eisley now since I threated to cut him up into pieces and bury him under
the wooden planks in my floor. That's a funny joke, but, his friend's did
say to him before he came over: "dude...are you sure you should go
over there after your review? Leave a paper trail and don't go down
into the basement if boyd says he wants to show you something".
In the end, I'm not sure if we agree on everything or have the same
taste in music, but...who the heck cares. I think relationships are
important. I don't think I have any enemies. I don't think he does either.
Thus, the handshake and coffee attitude. Plus, he loves Polyphonic Spree
and Grandaddy. Two creative, inspirational bands. Agreement.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ya'll. So, kiss your wives and sweethearts...and
gobble goober peas. (old folk song lyric to "Goober Peas". bd
Saturday June 26
Spies Came Out of the Water
Venturing Out from Camp
'Ever where a hat too long and your head starts hurting? And even after
you take the hat off, your head bears the ring of discomfort. It stops
knowing whether or not the hat is still on your head. It doesn't care. You
wore it too long... it's your punishment.
What a slow, dreary day... I worked hard, but didn't get much done. Am I
the only one? Maybe I have to see progress or I beat myself up. I need a
breakthru. Too many chainsaws in the air.
_______________________
Clip Trapped
I'm almost finished with that "My Lovely" video clip. I keep going back
to it...to nurse it to some imaginary finish line. I've kicked the dead horse
so much, it's starting to look like a goat... I'm not taunting you guys, but
I'm still in a quandry over reaching a decision to put it out there. If
the song gets used, it's probably going to change... if I put it on line,
you guys will anchor it in your brain and then be pissed if it changes.
See, if I hadn't put Lost at Sea out there, nobody would care if it sped up
or had some jungle boogie boom box backbeat. Now it's engrained. I'm
in a fix with this issue. I want to let you hear stuff...you deserve it;
but...what am I to do? I can't drive a wedge between you and the band
and their songs. See what I'm saying? You know it's true. You'll be up in
arms and think bad thoughts if they change. I've learned I have to be
flexible... I always stay open to the fact that impressions get burned in
my brain and sometimes I have to get out the big pink medulla eraser.
Anyway... I guess I'll have to sleep on this one some more.
I just re-read that and it sounded mean. I totally don't blame you guys...
this is just one of those realities. It's human nature to become familiar w/
what you hear the first time... and not be able to distance yourself from
it. I'm the same way. Sorry to sound mean. I REALLY want you guys to
hear this new song, but I don't want to mess things up. That's not my job.
_______________________
"How To Win Friends and Influence People"
I've been attempting to reach out into other on line communities to learn
things... you know, what they're listening to, how they react to one
another, what kind of relationships they have, features, benefits, etc.
No, I don't go on there and blab about Eisley. I just hang out... talk about
music, life, etc. On one particular forum, someone recognized my name
and I had to pm him to say, "shhh...don't blow my cover". Some cover.
It was strange. Being a foreigner in a world that didn't know me or care
about me or care about Eisley. I like it here better. I think outside our
little world, Eisley isn't so well known...or valued. That's to be expected. I
saw posts about the band ranging from..."they're over-rated" to "they're
a girl hansen"...to "they toured with Coldplay so they can't be that
bad...but now Chris Martin has sold out because I heard he was going to
let Gwyneth sing on his next record...". It was interesting.
Not sure where my Gorilla Warfare will take me...so far, it made me just
want to come back here...to homebase.
_______________________
Laughing City
Hey, I was looking over some old posts and came across where 'berlies
said we should name this place "Laughing City". I know the chat room is
called that, but...I think it's a great umbrella name for this place. In the
next version, I think I'll have a header and name it that... sound ok?
I'm gonna go now. That video is calling me....but the rain is making me
sleepy. One of them will win; but not yet. The night is young. Goodnight
to all and goodbye to another week. bd
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