ryan mintz's music page!

Wow, so much has happened since the last entry. We are officially at the halfway point: 3.5 weeks down, and 3.5 weeks to go.

Once Erik and I picked the songs, it was time to rehearse. We spent a couple of hours on each song, but somehow I still didn’t feel “rehearsed.” There were so many details to keep track of when playing each song… from dynamics to rhythm to emotion. Multiply that by 12 songs, and it was more than my poor brain could handle.

A few days before the studio session, I moved into my sublet. It was perfect timing, because I used the weekend to hole up and practice. Tommy left me his recording equipment, which ended up being perfect. I got to record my practices, then listen back and cringe at how many mistakes I made. Haha. By the end of the weekend, my neck and back were sore from playing, and my mind was frenzied with fear. I didn’t feel even close to ready. If I couldn’t deliver a decent performance in my bedroom, how could I possibly in the studio? So I worried, and I cried, and I reached out to my friends. And of course they all told me the same thing… I was completely ready for this.

We started with “Monkey” for many reasons, but mostly because I’m way confident playing it. First take… flub. Second take… got in the groove. Third take… nailed it. And that was that. The record was underway.

Those 3 days in the studio were in a word… intense. Wonderfully and beautifully intense. Each song demanded a whole new wave of concentration, focus, and inspiration. Some songs were technically challenging, and required every ounce of muscle coordination I could muster. Some songs needed to have a rhythmic integrity I wasn’t used to, so the other musicians could play along. And then of course, I had to get emotionally prepared for each song. I did all sorts of emotional acrobatics, whether it was listening to my iPod, dancing around, looking at pictures, or talking to Erik about the story. I came to call this my “vibing” time. “Hey Erik, I need to go do some vibing.” Oh gosh, listen to me, playing the part of the artist. But I loved it.

There were some interesting stories… like when Erik suggested I down a beer to loosen up for a failing “Drunk & High,” and it worked like a charm … like when the phone rang during a perfect take of “The Ice Cream Song” song (come on, really, a phone in a studio?), but we ended up getting an even better take afterwards … like when I spent 6 takes messing up the super-intimate “Box of Bitterness,” but when Erik decided to try turning on the metronome, I nailed the very next take of it.

What I realized is that my friends were right (they usually are). I *was* ready for this. It wasn’t the 7 days leading up to the session that would make me successful. It was all the work I’ve done since I first learned guitar, and all the intention I’ve set towards this project over the last year. At the end of those 3 days, we reached our goal of recording 11 songs. And everything sounded absolutely amazing.

So now, Erik is furiously working on the music, while I’m furiously working on the album artwork and duplication details. Within the course of a week, Erik will have the drums, bass, cello, and pedal steel guitar recorded. Then it’s my turn again. I go into the studio on Sunday, July 8th to record vocals.

Yippee! Another chance to get insecure, overwhelmed, hyper, tearful, joyful, tired, and triumphant… and you know I’ll love every minute of it.

Peace, love, and music…
Ryan