As cheesy as that movie is, I still like it because I basically love any movie with Keanu Reeves in it. It’s November already! Well practically November… I can’t believe it was in March that we launched this project. Time has FLOWN! The Sukey Rose Project has been a very valuable learning experience! And it’s not over yet. There is no giving up! So, the recording test session that was set for a couple weeks ago had to be rescheduled for sometime next month. So I was thinking last week, what the heck? Why am I putting so much pressure on myself to finish the album this year? And as easy as pie, I aligned myself with the notion that the album will be released in Spring ‘09. I’ve just been trying so hard to get this done I didn’t want to see the ‘08′ turn into an ‘09′ but you know what? I’m going to have an album that I love and it will be done with care and careful planning so yeah! I’ll record early Jan/Feb and right now the release date is set for mid-March. I’ve got my work cut out for me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. World watch out. I’ve discovered a new attitude, something I didn’t really exercise before if you can believe it… it’s called… AMBITION.

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Hello All! I hope you’re enjoying the last breaths of summer… I spent last week with my brother, sis in law and my two most amazing adorable nephews who were visiting from the East Coast. Let go of my worries for a bit, enjoyed the beach and also babysitting! But now it’s back onto the saddle…You may have noticed there’s been a bit of a silence on my side regarding the album… it’s cause, well, recording the new album has been put on pause. Yeah, it sucks, but I’m determined to make this into a positive thing. Some of the reasons I made the decision to put things on hold are due to funding and scheduling issues. At first I was really down about a perceived setback, but now I’m determined, hopeful and driven. I’m going to take this opportunity to try to do a bit more fan-funding and pray for a sponsor to help me finish the album. I’ll fill everyone in with more details soon. Just wanted to let you know that the project is still going, we’ve just hit a bit of a bump on the road, BUT! nothing’s gonna stop me… onward I go!

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This week is off from recording, Tim has a conference! I’m catching up on some housekeeping, errands, promo for the Project, etc. So a couple weeks ago I almost gave up. Scrapped everything. “Tim, we’ve got to shelf it.” Artist=swept away by emotion I guess. I was feeling stressed about raising funds, doubting my worth, wanting to just quit and give up the album and music. It was like a storm of discouragement and negative thoughts came and battered me for a week. The biggest frustration was feeling insignificant. Insignificant musically, to the world, etc. But my faith got me through, and I read my trusty bible and the storm passed. But, truthfully if there were no project managers/support team and project members to keep me accountable, I would have run away and hid in a cave. Thankfully, I’m not alone! What causes stress? Well for one, feeling as if every note is final, down for posterity. Trusting another human being to bring the songs to fruition (still working on this one Tim, but I’m getting better, no?). Wondering if my stuff is really good or just ‘good’, though I know I don’t suck. Fearing that I’m wasting everyone’s money and time. Though the technical process or recording itself hasn’t been stressful, it’s these general questions about my identity and future as a musician that press upon me. It’s times like these I wish I was a driven, ambitious, slightly obnoxious but well-meaning diva. I’d get so much done! I know we all go through these times. It’s part of being human. Thanks for reading.

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Songs Mapped Out, Tempos Chosen= DONE!
Scratch Tracks (Vocals and Guitar)=DONE!
Record Drums (over scratch tracks)= DONE!

What next? Now we get into the meat of recording! Right now as I type, Tim is recording electric guitar parts, layers and layers of them, onto “War”. Looks like we’ll take it song by song, add instrumentation, and flesh them all out musically. Then we tackle vocals and I’ll get to sing to amazing instrumentation. (Karaoke to my own songs? Fun!)

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Yesterday was day 6 in the studio and it has been going well! The first few days we recorded scratch tracks (rough guitar, vocal, and rhythm tracks to be used as reference for studio musicians, i.e. the drummer.) None of the scratch tracks are really used on the album which is good cause I was snifflin’ with my cold, but it’s almost gone. Today we tweaked the piano on “Siren”, added scratch vocals and Tim added these really cool key textures to the chorus. One of the sounds was this really bass-y, subsonic texture and it had the whole studio booming like a sat. night rave. Will do a proper video blog from the studio on Tuesday and give everyone a little tour!

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It’s JUNE already! And bummer, I’ve caught a summer cold. Hopefully that’s not going to make a big impact on… GOING INTO THE STUDIO TO START RECORDING MY ALBUM TOMORROW!!!! Whoo hoo! Tomorrow, Tuesday June 3rd, I’m going to begin something I’ve been trying to do for the past 4 freakin’ ‘years! It goes to show, if you really want to do something, if you never let go of it or give up, eventually it will come to pass.

Recording usually starts with ‘pre-production’, which is what I’ll be doing for the first few days in the studio. Preproduction is different with each producer you work with. Generally it means going over songs you will track (record), going over the direction of the sound, arrangements, lyrics, etc. Preproduction allows the musician and producer to get a good picture of what the album will look like overall and it’s a time for everyone involved to share their visions and get on the same page.

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Your budget is settled, you’ve got a short list of producers. What next?

Next, you contact the producers and/or visit the studio in which you will be recording in. I spoke on the phone with one potential producer, visited the studio of another, and had email correspondence with the third. My three stellar choices were:

1) Jason Martin (Riverside, CA) (Starflyer 59)
http://www.myspace.com/jasonmartinrecording, http://www.myspace.com/starflyer59
2) Michael Rossback (Colorado Springs, CO): http://www.myspace.com/michaelrossback
3) Tim Schoenhals (Los Angeles, CA) : http://www.myspace.com/timschoenhals, http://www.myspace.com/kendallpayne

All three could help me make an amazing album. Jason Martin is an amazing musician with an indie edge, original, creative, and a genius with the electric guitar. If I went with Jason, I knew he would help me stay as close to indie rock as I could. Michael Rossback is an amazing musician period! What intrigued me about Michael is that he can mix eclectic styles and genres within one song, which is what I would like to be going for in the next album. Tim Schoenhal’s work speaks for itself. Not only is he a talented all-round musician, he REALLY knows how to record vocals and I hear so much beauty and care in his production. Tim was also the only producer whose studio I got to visit. It was a great opportunity to get a feel for his work environment and for the place in which I would potentially be recording sounds for posterity.
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The first big step to making your own album is finding a producer. The producer of your album will be the person who will help you take your songs from rough draft to completed form. The producer will also have a huge impact on what your album will sound like because ultimately he/she will be directing the actual recording of the sounds.

The cool thing about being an indie artist who hires their own producer is that you have the option of having a say in how the songs are recorded and what they’ll sound like. This is called ‘co-producing’. Most signed artists aren’t allowed to co-produce until they’ve established themselves as hit-makers or are on their 3rd or 4th album.
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