STUDIO HOLIDAY
I've just returned from a 3-day recording session at the Sydney Opera House. Apart from being totally blown away by the beautiful range of microphones, outboard gear and the mammoth Euphonix console in the multimedia suite, I feel totally revived and inspired after recording with a live band. It was a welcome change to my usual solitary music-making with the computer.
We were there to work on new tracks for Angel Gear's forthcoming album, improvising with drums, bass, guitar, vocals and piano. Paul Miskin, the brain behind Angel Gear, kept us well-fed with yummy catering, leaving us free to concentrate on our performance.
Playing piano has become a bit of a luxury for me these days. The studio has an upright Yamaha that sounds perfect for the space. Playing an acoustic instrument helped me fit into the dynamic of the band a lot better than when I play keys. I often feel ill-equipped to play the Nord in guitar-based bands. I spend too much time finding an appropriate sound and controlling my volume. I feel like I need a Rhodes or Wurlitzer, but you can't have a specific keyboard for each band you play in! I'm no Rick Wakeman. I can achieve so much more expression on a piano than a keyboard. Unfortunately, being a keyboardist has become my portability compromise.
At the end of the session, Nick and I laid down some piano takes for several new Deprogram tracks. Today I'll review and edit the files to see if there's anything worth keeping. We got all silly at the end and did an impromptu recording of the Velvet Underground's 'All Tomorrow's Parties.' It was hilarious seeing Nick jump on the drums and bang the toms with a ferocity and seriousness that made me keep cracking up during my John Cale impersonation.
(All photos by J D Young).
