It's all a bit Fuzzy...Fuzzy Island!
Happy New Year, everyone! Well, I certainly hope that you had a great time ushering in 2008. For me, it was especially cool, because I had the opportunity to record and play alongside a classic blues-pickin' legend, Fuzzy Island.
After a few quick phone calls, the meeting was set, I hauled a bunch of mic stands, a couple of nice condenser mics (AT4041's and an AT4030, as well as an old-school Shure SM58 dynamic) and my trusty MacBookPro (running Audition 3 with my MOTU Traveler) and we set-up the mobile studio and began tracking! Naturally, as I was tasked with playing acoustic bass, I brought along my Martin B-1. Fuzzy *also* plays a Martin, 60s era, and the sound is simply fab.
But before I get to the details, here's a brief look at the setup...
So, Fuzzy and I have actually played and recorded together before. And what's especially cool about rockin' out with a classic blues cat is that, well, there's absolutely NO rehearsal! yeah, baby. We pick a tune, we might strum through the form a time or two...and then we "roll tape" (so to speak). And that's exactly how this session went down! We didn't have a lot of time, but we were able to meet up over 2 days (for approximately 4 hours total) and we managed to capture 7 master takes! It was an incredibly fun time, and the music (and the joy of making it) really comes through during the session recordings.
And with that, (and as I had my trusty Canon Tx1 handy) I was simultaneously snapping photos in-between takes. Afterwards, I decided to do a couple of rough mixes, burn a little reference disc for Fuzzy in Audition 3, and send him on his way with Photos, a rough mix of all the tracks, and the good vibes from the two days of pure music heaven.
Over the next few days, I decided to compile a short, 1:30 clip of photos and music; edits from two of the songs cut on day 1: "CC Rider", a classic, old-school blues tune (made famous by everyone from Mississippi John Hurt to Elvis); and "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" (again, a classic, dating back to the twenties: one of the most famous versions comes from none other than Bessie Smith, circa 1923).
Take a look (and LISTEN) here: (and hey...I've also included some of the pre-take banter and such...good times...and I just *love* when records include all the talking. That's really what makes you feel like you're there)
So there you have it, my friends. Another score for Audition 3 doing live recording, on-location (so to speak), and an absolutely magnificent time for me, making the start of 2008 great! If you're interested more in Fuzzy, be sure to check out his MySpace page (which is still under development). I believe there are a few tunes up there that you can listen to and download. Also, as I finish mixing and tweaking the recordings, I'll probably post some additional bits here and there.
Thanks again, Fuzzy. ;)
Until next time...
Blog On.
--jl