Some thoughts (some random and some not) on the process

I began to write songs in 1997. I did not even play the guitar yet and I wrote lyrics and melodies and relied on the kindness of other people to bring the songs into being with guitar and percussion parts while I sang them. And yet the entire time, I had an idea of what I wanted them to sound like. However, not playing the guitar, or any other instrument with which I could accompany myself, I felt a bit at the mercy of the winds of musical fate. When I began to play guitar, I was afforded greater flexibility in developing songs the way I heard them in my head and heart. And as I worked with some phenomenal musicians on various projects, I got a greater and greater appreciation of the kinds of things that could be done both live and in the studio.

After I had written my first few songs and began to play out solo at open mics, I was lucky enough to meet a great guy named Ray Thibadeaux. He had a home studio and offered to record a few of my songs for me. We recorded Try Again and Solstice Morn in his bedroom after cutting off the fan and closing the door (nice sound proofing). We did both songs in about two hours, and they actually came out beautifully. I am really grateful to Ray for taking the time to record me. It really brought everything I was doing to a whole new level.

I then attended the Swannanoa Music Gathering and took the Recording Studio Intensive with Doc and Jean Russell and recorded Homesick For a Memory. All of these were just me and guitar (with the exception of Solstice Morn where I recorded a high harmony singing with myself) and it was really fun to be able to both hear and share some of my music with people (after having shared it only with my kitties and my dog). With the release of the Izolda sampler CD, I began to save gig money for the idea of perhaps recording them on a full length CD.

As the time approached, I recorded rudimentary scratch versions of the songs I wanted to record for all of the people who were going to be on the CD. That in itself was quite an arduous task as I didn't really know what I was doing and had a ton of trouble playing with a set rhythm. In fact, everyone I talked to told me that I needed to be able to play to a click track (a constant rhythm that lets you play in time while you record). I tried really hard but couldn't do it to save my life. I was warned that the recording process would take a lot longer if I couldn't play to a click track. So, I sat with my little Casio keyboard for a few evenings and tried to play to various rhythms. They have wonderful names like: Adani and Kivrak and much to my pleased surprise I found that while I couldn't play to a straight click track (imagine a cow bell going off at a set, regular interval to keep your beat and nothing else to help you stay there) I could play just fine to rhtyhm played on the Casio (when we went into the studio we actually recorded the rhythms and played to them in our headphones.)

Luis, who plays bass on a few of the tracks, told me about this great engineer with terrific ears who has his own studio. I called John G. and he was really terrific. I have so enjoyed working with him, and I mean it when I say that he is a terrific engineer and an all-around great guy.

The first day of recording, since I'm a relatively novice guitarist, I was extremely nervous about recording the guitar (John and Jeff and everyone who was there really helped to make things go smoothly for me and held my hand [sometimes literally] while I recorded the parts). We were originally going to try and just record scratch guitar tracks, but it was sounding so good that we decided to keep the guitar tracks. So we cut six tracks of guitar on that first evening alone which I am told is actually really fast.

People were really generous with their time. Some came and did nothing for an entire evening because I was inexperienced and didn't plan as well as I could have so some people waited an entire evening to play and ended up leaving without having recorded a thing. Many, many thanks to all of you folks (Jim, Diana, Luis, Diana, Jeff and Janet for your patience.)

Then, came the blizzard of 2003 and Jeff and I stayed til 5am and the drive home ended up being really exhilirating and frightening at the same time. We had Jeff's truck and that's the only reason we got home because you couldn't see the road and the snow was blinding after we left the Harbor Tunnel. A one-hour drive took closer to two and yet another entire night was spent doing studio work. I haven't pulled all-nighters since college but I've pulled more in the last two months for this project than I ever wish to do again. Yet, something happens to you when you are recording and it's working and the spark is there. You simply don't want to stop. Part of it is the exhiliration of it working and part of it is a bit of trepidation that you won't be able to do it this way again. Regardless, it is magical.

On one of the evenings at about 3:30 in the morning Jeff told me that he thought that I was too tired to play the guitar part to Homesick For A Memory as it's too complicated. Since I'm one always to fall for reverse psychology, I set my jaw and tried and got it in two takes. It was spellbinding and what an honor to work with Jeff and John that night. They were both troopers; we didn't leave that evening until 6am.

We rehearsed and the musicians came up with their own parts for the most part. I had some ideas on a few cello runs that I just had to have in songs like Solstice Morn, Understanding and Sun-warmed and DMcF obliged me just beautifully. Diana S and Janet M and I all worked on arranging the harmony parts for Sun-warmed. I had the general ideas for what I wanted and they helped put it over the top. And the percussion parts for "Gaia Speaks" have been in my head for years now and I got a chance to play them out for Jeff S and then he and I recorded the percussion tracks in a couple of takes.

I should send a CD to the Rits, which is the place where we ordered our food every time we were at the studio. They are just wonderful and the food is great. Jeff ordered the same thing every time. They must be wondering who the crazy guy is who keeps ordering the Aviation Tower.

I was used to hearing just me and the guitar or me and fiddle or me and flute, and hadn't begun to think about the possibilities of what could happen if a number of really talented people put their musical skills to this project. And then once we began the process, ideas generated ideas and much was done to create the sound that's on the CD.

I am very influenced by the work of incredible Canadian sing/songwriter and musician Loreena McKennitt, (in fact, Solstice Morn was written as a sort of answer to her wonderful, haunting song, "All Soul's Night") And I envisioned that some of the pieces on this CD would flow in a similar musical vein to those of Ms. McKennitt's. Some do but most don't because as the process went on we developed some really interesting ideas on the direction of the project. There is some incredible space in songs like Gaia Speaks that have only voice, ashiko drum and flute. And there are some songs like Sun-warmed that use almost the entire range of instrumentation available to us in the studio and that bring in terrific harmony in the form of Diana S and Janet M.

Here are some thoughts on the incredible musicians that took part in this project.

• Jim B played an absolutely unbelievable part on the recorder for "Scarborough Faire." It is haunting and magical and at the same time incredibly evocative. It has the grace of a recorder and the fluidity of a penny whistle. I can't thank him enough for that. And check out his dumbek and mandolin as well. (Just put any instrument in his hands and he'll be able to play it. He's amazing.)
  
• Diana S and her wonderful voice and percussion. Wow, can that woman play! I LOVE the pa da pum pum PUM drum part on "Solstice Morn" and despaired a bit of having it come out the way I heard it in my head. She walked in and nailed it on the first try. Plus she has some of the most terrific low notes I've heard in a long time.
  
• Janet M sings like an angel, and, when she wants to, she can rock with the best of them!
  
• Diana M. DMcF jams on that cello. Just listen to her parts on "Try Again" and on "Solstice Morn" and on "Sun-warmed." Heck, just listen to anythng she does. She is just an incredible musician.
  
• Luis N, Bassist extraordinaire. He is a rocker who tried his hand (and succeeded brilliantly) at folk music. Hope "Solstice Morn" sounds enough like Tull for you, Luis.
  
• Jeff L, awesome drummer who makes me think of Robert Plant songs. Listen to Leap of Faith in the choruses and you'll know what I mean - It's a bit like listening to Robert Plant's "Light of My Life."
  
• Jeff Sieracki, percussionist, producer, handholder - wearer of many hats. He played beautifully and was somehow able to talk (and often just plain put up with) me through this process. I helped in the production of this CD honest I did. I knew certain things I wanted, for example. But, Jeff was meticulous in his organization of the many little pieces and often the overall feel of this CD. He knew the sound I wanted and he did everything conceivable to help me get it.

   

Addendum (sort of)

Well, it's been a few months and the CD project has been completed. It ended up being a longer process than I originally thought (as I everyone I talked to told me would happen) and it really expanded my perception of what can be done in the studio. I have a much greater appreciation for good production work than I did before I attempted to produce my first album. I am deeply indebted to the help and production assistance of everyone who took part. I had the ideas but often had no plan on how to get them to come to fruition. The musicians, Jeff S, and John G worked very hard to give me what I asked for.

I have a number of ideas on how to make the second CD flow more easily in the studio, and when I go into the studio for that project, I will have my feet more firmly on the ground and yet my spirit soaring through the blue, blue sky.

**

The project didn't stop at the recording studio phase. I also did the graphics for the CD and Bill Cornett did a terrific job of shooting the photos of me both on the cover and on the inside of the jewel case insert. The image on the back tray cover is on Inch Strand in County Kerry, Ireland. We were driving back to the Dingle Peninsula from Killarney and stopped on Inch Strand to watch the vernal Equinox sunset. Having my trusty Canon AE-1 in hand was a blessing once again as I captured the brilliant colors and textures of the clouds, the water, and the sand.

I also took the photo of the orchids on the inside cover of the CD and the leaves right above the lyrics for Gaia Speaks. I then laid out all of the lyrics, the comments and the acknowledgements in a way that tried to mesh aesthetics with the practical considerations of space limitations. I did get to thank, Starhawk, Loreena McKennitt, Julia Cameron, and Sheri Tepper as well as my dear friends and family. It was really important to me to acknowledge their contributions to this project. I could not have done it without them.

**More will be coming soon.**