This post is a little late in posting (I had to recover, after all), but here is my experience in Los Angelos from the past week.
Day #1 I took megabus (supercheap, you should try it) for the 7 hour trip from SF. I even had a little righteous moment where I helped "wake up" the girl pretending to sleep so she could spread out on two seats while a family struggled to find any free ones. (I normally don't approve of bullying, but there's an exception to every rule). I arrived at 6:30am, got on another bus, and landed at my friend Elissa's place
After an unplanned nap, I got to work. I headed over to Master Fader Music where Cori Jacobs and I dropped in some tracks for "Feigning Empathy", and decided to redo some harmonies. What amazed me was how a song can go from being my least favorite to MY FAVORITE in a short space of time.
Day #2 started with me and Elissa at a greasy-spoon diner (my weakness). Around 1, Cori picked me up and we began tracking "Fix This" from scratch. Here, I have to be honest. I have been working on this album for nearly four years now (::gasp::) and I had been feeling really chained by this project. So many things had gone wrong and it was such a challenge that I had almost forgotten why I was doing it (almost). But being locked in the studio with a friend, the music, and all the gear in the world doused me with inspiration that I hadn't felt in years. We produced. We created. It was incredibly freeing.
Day #3 I got to be a tourist! One of my favorite things. My friend Seph took me around Abbot Kinney, to Intelligentsia (the trendiest of coffee spots), and Venice Beach. We checked out the attractions, briefly became an attraction (what? You never see a girl give a dude a piggy-back ride?), and had an utterly relaxing time in the sun.
When the morning was over, it was back to the studio with me where--shockingly--we managed to work on three songs (How to Love Better, One & Two, and Losing Orbit). The day had its challenges, but the marathon high was ON and we managed to get the background vocals, harpsichord, and bells right where we wanted them. Oh, and the tiniest bit of guitar (but don't tell anyone).
Day #4 (Final Day!) began with IHOP, as every day should. Cori approved of my ability to EAT. I do love food, oh so much.
The last track, "Ocean Floor", presented some new challenges. I was feeling incredibly proud of my string arrangement, but the instruments weren't quite meshing with each other correctly. We did what we could and in the end it came out decently, but things were looking scary for a minute there.
We did one final listen to all the pieces we had done that week and felt rather accomplished. I know I made some sort of sound between a sigh and a squeal. It put the "love" back in "labor of love" when, for a couple years now, it was mostly the "labor". We hugged and called it a wrap.
And yes, I managed to eat an awesome burger and get back in time to watch the Oscars. :) No wondering I always feel like anything is possible whenever I come to L.A. (my birthplace, by the way).
Day #1 I took megabus (supercheap, you should try it) for the 7 hour trip from SF. I even had a little righteous moment where I helped "wake up" the girl pretending to sleep so she could spread out on two seats while a family struggled to find any free ones. (I normally don't approve of bullying, but there's an exception to every rule). I arrived at 6:30am, got on another bus, and landed at my friend Elissa's place
After an unplanned nap, I got to work. I headed over to Master Fader Music where Cori Jacobs and I dropped in some tracks for "Feigning Empathy", and decided to redo some harmonies. What amazed me was how a song can go from being my least favorite to MY FAVORITE in a short space of time.
Day #2 started with me and Elissa at a greasy-spoon diner (my weakness). Around 1, Cori picked me up and we began tracking "Fix This" from scratch. Here, I have to be honest. I have been working on this album for nearly four years now (::gasp::) and I had been feeling really chained by this project. So many things had gone wrong and it was such a challenge that I had almost forgotten why I was doing it (almost). But being locked in the studio with a friend, the music, and all the gear in the world doused me with inspiration that I hadn't felt in years. We produced. We created. It was incredibly freeing.
Day #3 I got to be a tourist! One of my favorite things. My friend Seph took me around Abbot Kinney, to Intelligentsia (the trendiest of coffee spots), and Venice Beach. We checked out the attractions, briefly became an attraction (what? You never see a girl give a dude a piggy-back ride?), and had an utterly relaxing time in the sun.
When the morning was over, it was back to the studio with me where--shockingly--we managed to work on three songs (How to Love Better, One & Two, and Losing Orbit). The day had its challenges, but the marathon high was ON and we managed to get the background vocals, harpsichord, and bells right where we wanted them. Oh, and the tiniest bit of guitar (but don't tell anyone).
Day #4 (Final Day!) began with IHOP, as every day should. Cori approved of my ability to EAT. I do love food, oh so much.
The last track, "Ocean Floor", presented some new challenges. I was feeling incredibly proud of my string arrangement, but the instruments weren't quite meshing with each other correctly. We did what we could and in the end it came out decently, but things were looking scary for a minute there.
We did one final listen to all the pieces we had done that week and felt rather accomplished. I know I made some sort of sound between a sigh and a squeal. It put the "love" back in "labor of love" when, for a couple years now, it was mostly the "labor". We hugged and called it a wrap.
And yes, I managed to eat an awesome burger and get back in time to watch the Oscars. :) No wondering I always feel like anything is possible whenever I come to L.A. (my birthplace, by the way).