Crunch Time!

Well, Loincloth only have two weeks before we find ourselves knee deep in microphone cables and hypnotizing electronic gizmos.  Phase One of our plan for total world domination cranks up two weeks from yesterday once we begin to load all of our equipment into the studio to record our second album.  To say that I have a lot to figure out between now and then would be an understatement, but I'm up to the challenge.  One benefit to having no idea of what you're doing at any time behind a drum kit is that you aren't held captive by convention.  The term "thinking outside the box" implies an awareness of a "box", and I have zero awareness of any collection of do's and don'ts.  Or of anything at all... ever!  While I have been accused by more than one person of being nothing more than a 'rock drummer' ( my apologies to any 'rock drummers' who may take offense to that label ) I can assure you that my basic skills pale in comparison to anyone who can actually 'rock', or who has even studied drums for more than a week... between commercials!  No one ever told me there was a box that showed you how to be accepted!  My own 'strength' such as it is, lies in a willingness to give most anything a shot, and in the fact that I can count to four several times in a row.
 
My next several days and nights will be spent working fifty plus hours a week, practicing at least four or five nights with either Loincloth or Confessor, getting down to the space at least once for a drums only practice ( hopefully! ), attending a birthday party, hanging out with family on Mother's Day and somehow squeezing in the time to go over the pages of notes I've made for the songs we are about to record.  Fortunately, I can practice in my head. Honestly, I probably would never have kept playing drums if that weren't the case.  I think about music all day long, and I work a lot of things out before I ever sit behind my kit.  That's a damned good thing too, since my kit time has always been pretty limited!  

There are six songs in this first batch we are talking about recording in two weeks, and of those six there are only two that are "completely done".  I just need to eliminate any loose ends during the ending in one of those songs, which should only take a few minutes.  Two of the remaining four have one section each that needs to be ironed out.  There are a lot more spots in these songs with different guitar parts that weave around each other.  When I play them with Craig they sound one way, but when Tannon gets down here and does his part, the riffs sound so different that we all get lost.  Looking up and seeing that everybody has that same "Did you just fart?" look doesn't really inspire confidence, but somehow we'll make it through.  I'm comfortable enough with my experience to not sweat things right now.  This isn't so unlike what the pre-studio rush was with Tannon a few years ago so to a certain extent, I'm in a comfortable zone right now. Same studio, same wizard behind the curtain... I know it'll feel like we were just there finishing up Iron Balls of Steel.  And yes, I did just fart. 

I'll have some things to share after Loincloth's weekend in the studio.  That'll be nice after months of writing music and practicing.  There is something I'm looking forward to announcing that is just now being promoted.  I look forward to sharing that information with all of you!  Okay... both of you!  Oh, and let me say thanks to everyone for checking in even though I haven't felt like there has been much to share recently.  I think of some kinda funny, silly things from time to time but I don't know if people would find them entertaining or tedious. Only one way to find out, right...  You may be sorry you just gave me a green light, Pounderers!

So, I hope that everyone has a great weekend!  I have to get back to the drawing board. Does anyone have any cool drum ideas?  Really, anything at all would be great...