As a little surprise for Alison Wodehalle and the shire of Hartshorn-dale, my friends and I have thrown together a quick demo recording of “Masters of the Game” for your listening, and for people who want to be able to learn the song.
I got some brief studio time a few weeks ago with a couple of friends: Donal Artur of the Silver Band, who provided guitar and vocals, and Melodia Beaupel, who sang vocals as well. I thought this would be a fun way to finish out the commission. Please enjoy.
An evening geeking and recording with Bird was just what my soul needed this week. They’re extraordinarily talented, but even more, they’re incredibly loving, kind, and open. They bring out my best self, as they do with most everyone I know.
Since they moved to Michigan, opportunities to see them are rare (though there is of course Pennsic). But I was grateful they were able to make time for this session, since I very much wanted their imprint on “Plant Your Feet”, which is a song for and about bards.
We had a blast together. And tomorrow I get to edit and mix Bird’s vocals, French horn, and tin whistle into the song and see what we have. (They also provided a bright beautiful harmony for “Shine, Child”.)
Spent some time tonight re-mixing “We Are the East” for inclusion on the new album. There are some techniques I’ve learned that should allow me to make it just a bit crisper, sharper, richer, and more balanced. Even if most people won’t hear it, I will.
I spent the afternoon with Dave Lambert, best friend, guitar ringer, and recording guru. We’re using the new mic, and trying a different work plan from what I used when we recorded Hidden Gold. These days I put sheet music together much earlier in the process than I used to (I’ve gotten comfortable enough with it to want to transcribe while I’m composing or polishing a song). I realized that having completed sheet music with chords provides some productivity bonuses for home studio recording.
I’m looking to connect with a cellist who is within a reasonable driving radius of Paramus NJ for a recording project. Like all of my albums, this is a donation project, so I’m interested in someone willing to volunteer their time and talent. The timeline is 2019 to early 2020.
Please contact me if you have any information.
Thank you,
Drake
[UPDATE: Found! Thank you.]
It occurred to me yesterday that if I’m starting the marathon that is a new album, I should finally research a new microphone. I’ve had my Behringer B-1 for years, and it is a solid, well-respected mic that gets the job done. But I’ve long been trying to figure out why I so often have trouble with sibilants when I record my singing, and other artifacts on high frequencies that require frequent use of De-Esser plugins to avoid egg-frying hissing and ringing, and some research I did after recording “We Are the East” suggested the microphone was the most likely culprit.
It’s time to get started. I’m assembling concept tracks for four of my newer songs, and reaching out to musicians to begin coordinating. I’m targeting a release for next year, but we’ll see how things go. More updates as this project unfolds. 
