Live Performances

Every Tuesday in March except St. Patrick’s Day (3/3, 3/10, 3/24, 3/31) 6-9 PM solo at The Taos Inn, Taos NM

Sunday March 15 6-9 PM The Serpent Herders at The Taos Inn, Taos NM

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Musings – Recording!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I’m finally recording a new solo album (what do we call it these days? Album? Record? CD?). There was a time when it seemed like I’d make a new album every two years or so, but its been 13 years since my last one. I can’t believe I’ve even been doing this music thing that long. I guess I’m a lifer.

I’m making the album at Boris McCutcheon’s Cactusman Studio in Dixon, NM. He is one of my favorite musicians in Northern New Mexico (or anywhere, really). When I found out he was finishing up his sound engineering degree at Berklee School of Music, I contacted him to see if he’d consider recording and producing my project. We met over a beer at the Blue Heron Brewery in Embudo and it seemed like we might be a good match. I want to be as true to myself as possible making this album, and Boris definitely shares that value when it comes to music. In fact, his mission statement says, “Cactusman Studio provides artists with a distraction-free, inspiring environment and expert audio production services. Our approach combines analog sensibility with modern techniques, ensuring high-quality results that reflect each artist’s individuality.  Located on the Embudo River, we offer a creative retreat that fosters authenticity and emotional depth.” So far, this has totally been the case.

You know when something just feels right, and you know it in your blood and your bones? That’s how I felt the minute we started recording. In the past, I’ve done a piecemeal approach where I recorded my acoustic guitar to a click track, then sang on top of that, and then hired guns came in and added all the other instruments. You can cut and paste the best of each take and end up with something that is technically error-free. But Boris wanted to try a different approach. We recorded bass, drums, acoustic guitar, and vocals all live. Are the tracks technically perfect? Probably not. But they have heart and authenticity that is so important to me this time around. When we listened back to the first song, it made me cry.

It helps that I have some great people helping me. My friend and bandmate Chipper Thompson is playing electric guitar and bass. Randy Morris, a local restaurant owner, is playing drums. Conrad Cooper, a teacher, played upright bass on one track. Even though I didn’t know Randy or Conrad well before asking them to play on the album, all three of them seemed to genuinely care about my little songs and bringing out the best in them.

We’re taking our time with this project, so I’m not sure when it will be ready to be set free into the world. But we already have all the basic tracks done – it will consist of 13 original songs and one cover song. Stay tuned for updates!

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miscellaney

~ recent reads (and listens) – Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, The Wedding People by Allison Espach, The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen, and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

~ Hot off the needles – Glacier Park Cowl by Caitlin Hunter (my first colorwork project!!!)

Thank you for reading! Until next month…