Michael Perry's Blog, page 413
October 2, 2009
Still Life in Motel Room
Had some voice trouble last year. Good news was, I knew a great speech therapist. Not only did he help me out, we had fun doing it. Among other things, if you see me driving down the road saying "mmmmmMMMMMMMMWHAHOWAREYOU?" over and over, it's fine, I'm just workin' out. Drive on.
He has also decreed – especially when I'm on the road – that I do morning and evening sessions with a steam inhaler (clearly I am working my way up to diva). Today as I was leaving the hotel room I saw the...
October 1, 2009
Thank You, Captain Tim
We are working on a new Long Beds album. I'll explain more when the album is finished (it'll be a few months). For one of the songs, we needed about 7 seconds of the sound of an airplane. Available online in roughly .32 seconds.
But why go online when you can record the real thing? Here's Jaime at work:
That's a World War II vintage N3N. An open-air two-seater. Piloted from the rear cockpit by Captain Tim. This is the airplane that appeared in Coop.
When the "work" was done, we all got to ...
September 29, 2009
Phuzzy Phone Pics
From an all-day session at the studio with the Long Beds (actually Molly came in a day later):
After that last shot, when Chuck had cased up his secret weapon, he and I retired to the kitchen for homemade lentil/cabbage/pork sausage soup…thank you to my wife for that, for fresh apple cake, and as always, for forbearance. She is the solid center of my mental contraptions.
September 24, 2009
Music Made Next Door
Congratulations to our fellow Fall Creek deer-hunter and his compatriots Collections of Colonies of Bees for merging into Volcano Choir and doing this:
Some of it sounds like this:
September 23, 2009
Low End/Deep End
A portion of the studio where we've been recording is built over an old swimming pool. Engineer Jaime discovered that if he suspended a microphone in the vast space below the floor, it picked up some fine reverberant goodies. Recording engineers love this sort of stuff (geek alert!).
September 22, 2009
Yes, Men Are Funny That Way
Overheard during lunch in a coffee shop recently: A nurse explaining a procedure to a non-nurse.
"It's called a Foley catheter. It's a tube for draining the urine from his bladder. Most men have a hard time with it. They're uncomfortable about it."
And then she said:
"I guess it's because they get so attached to the idea of their penis as a sexual organ."
Umm…ye-e-e-ssss?
September 21, 2009
Fire Department to the Rescue
Long day of recording yesterday (Sunday). Long Beds guitarist/keyboardist/MENSA-head Chris stayed overnight but forgot his suitcase in St. Paul. Fortunately, I have a lot of extra fire department t-shirts. The guy who gave us this one knows who he is…Thanks, Barry!
September 20, 2009
Was This In the Contract?
Long Beds recording sessions continue. Billy was inside recording an acoustic guitar part so Chuck and I took the opportunity to gather acorns for my porkers. What you see here is an eminently talented bassist scooping up free pig food with a child's snow shovel. This is a pretty relaxed crew.
Still in Studio
Not a lot of blogging as we are recording steady. I do my mundane chords and single rhythm, sing the way I do, then my musician friends do the real work. Honestly, it's like putting Shrek in Cinderella's carriage.
