R. M. Hendrix

My Bassy Valentine

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:14:24 -0800

I'm back in the U.S. of A. and have tracked bass and drums for "Icepicks". The rhythm track has become an homage to "Soon" and I'm OK with that. Just need to take a little thumpy-thump out of the kick and I'll wrap this one for a while while I work on the next tunes.

Bass

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:06:24 -0700

A week and a half or so ago I added a bass track to "Stay Up Late". It was the first time I recorded with the Epiphone Thunderbird I scored on eBay. The guy I bought it from changed the Epiphone head stock logo to a Gibson one which through "dark magic brand power" makes it seem more expensive. I'm really digging the tune now as it flows through a number of moods thanks to the bass line, kinda Four Tet meets MBV. Note: Heading out of town in October so no more posts 'til November.

Redo

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:51:44 -0700

When I started recording I recorded the guitars in my imaginary track order making "Stay Up Late" numero uno. It was the first song of the day and in 6/8 to boot. Rather than making a beat I played to the metronome..... horribly. So after trying to salvage it I've decided to re-record all the guitars. There are good reasons I can't repeat the initial set-up again so I'm using the Line 6 Pod to reproduce the Vox AC-15 tones. And I'm making a beat. So far it's 100% better.

Ensnared

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:10:08 -0700

I've wanted a transitional song between "Crack the Code" and "Final Wish" in which P Cock gets captured; today I built a chord progression that links the two songs together and started tracking. I don't have a good acoustic mic so I tracked the J45 three times: direct, mic'd, and with a Lace in-hole pick up. Each recorded different frequencies and together they built the sound I wanted... something a little meatier than the guitar on the Church's "Under the Milky Way Tonight". After 4 or so off/on hours it's sounding as melancholy and noisy as I wanted. Save for the Thurston Moore guitar freak out it would fit great on any of the 80's era Cure records.

Depreciating

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:43:25 -0700

I saw the Depreciation Guild last night, opening for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I'd gone to see the Pains and am really glad to catch the Depreciation Guild. I'd not heard of them before so I can best describe them as M83 dynamics with some California dreaming. Inspired because they performed to bass tracks to great effect and their drummer was ace. You can find their first album, Her Gentle Jaw, online. They released it for a free download in 2007 and have just released a new 7" called Dream About Me. Before going to the show I spent some time editing tracks and adding percussion to Final Wish. I'm trying to build the song like T-Bone Burnett might...

Bedroom Recording

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:50:00 -0700

Not even my bedroom. The amp was on one of the beds, surrounded by pillows and covered with a blanket. My neighbors are great. Played for 10 hours with no complaints. It was the last weekend of the summer in which I had the whole house to myself. Now I'm back in my office recording additional tracks direct with amp simulation. The main thing I wanted to accomplish was a unified amp tone across all of the songs, and I wanted the warmth of the AC-15 rather than a digital simulation from a Line 6 or the like. I got a a Dr. Z Brake Lite Attenuator from my good friend Jake which allowed my to get more tube tone with less volume. Highly recommended.

P Cock Gear

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:46:20 -0700

Bedroom recording...

Session 3 A&B

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:21:57 -0700

Going direct now. Over the weekend I tracked leads for 'Your Queen is Dead' and 'Icepicks'. Using a combination of Boss DD3 Digital Delay, an 80's Ibanez UE-303B chorus feature and and Boss OS2 for overdrive. The Ibanez pedal also has a sick auto-wah on it that I used for The Impossible Escape.... It doesn't sound like a wah, more like a Moog synth that's uncalibrated and out of control. Also Put down an acoustic track for 'Final Wish' and started programming 6/8 beats for 'Stay Up Late'.

Day 2

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:07:21 -0700

I've got blisters on my fingers! 10 hours mic'ing guitars today. Got all the foundation tracks down. I don't really plan "the sound" when I start recording other than the gear. I just play with the palette. Today is feeling Serena Maneesh, Franke and Blackstrap to me. Ended up being aggressive. Maybe due to the pain in my fingers from not playing much lately. I don't see any more time to mess with the recordings this month or next. Perhaps the the regular jet trip here and there to clean up the guitars and program the drums. Shooting for Christmas gift release.

Day 1 of P.Cock

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:26:09 -0700

Summer is fast. I am slow. Finally my fingers hurt as I type- a result of a day of playing guitar for hours after neglecting it for so long. Today I started tracking guitars for "Stay Up Late" and "Icepicks". I'm trying to get the basic guitars to all 8 songs recorded by end of day tomorrow. Last demo I recorded direct with a reissue Danelectro Longhorn and a '77 Fender Starcaster. It ended up sounding really clean and pristine. This record I'm mic'ing an Vox AC15 rocking a '63 Jazzmaster, a '64/5 Jaguar and a Tele Plus from the '90's. Sounds totally warm and broken, and exactly like what's been in my head. This record will be a millennial shoegazing dream. So about the record, it's a collection of 8 songs held together by a loose story about a spy named P. Cock. The story starts with his family, follows him through a mission or two, tells of his capture, his great escape and his return home. And no, there are no references to James Bond or surf twang. I'm recently fascinated by the life of spies. They lie constantly. How do they live with themselves and with others? How do they love? Who do they trust? P.Cock is helping me work through the thoughts. Tomorrow, more guitar.

New Songs

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:07:05 -0700

Started recording new songs this month, all about spies, double agents and love. I'll post the rough demos when they're done. Tell me what you think.

ivorine and chai (sloppy demo)

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:50:19 -0700

new order vs. mbv

The Loudest Silent Night

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:25:09 -0800

O Come Emmanuel (ft. Ramona Taj)

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:24:23 -0800

More Jazzy

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:35:27 -0700

Toy Box

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:34:29 -0700

See Level

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:33:26 -0700

Squares Aren't Boring

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:31:40 -0700

Whip Stitched

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:30:18 -0700

Garden Party

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:28:51 -0700