Studio Time

Tonight, I'm poring over the demo tracks that my band recorded at our last practice. We're gearing up to put in some solid rehearsal time in anticipation of our upcoming recording dates in December, so I'm refining my guitar harmonies and overdubs, making production notes and finalizing my lyrics and vocal patterns. I live for this kind of preparation!

Spending time in the studio always gives you the chance to nail down the songs you've written and push them to their full potential. The experience is rewarding and exciting, but this time it feels different; my usual eagerness is amplified tenfold. I've become unsually attached to the songs we've written and feel a bit of responsibility to ensure that they're perfectly represented and preserved on tape.

However, all the excitement of recording is tempered by a bittersweet feeling of uncertainty. A strange phenomenon seems to occur time and time again, where every recording session feels like it's bound to be my last. I suppose it's hard for one to imagine anything being more perfect than the project they're presently working on. Time always proves me wrong, but the feeling is still unshakable.

This post could go on all night long, so I'll close with a list of all the recording sessions that I can recall off the top of my head. I might have forgotten a few, but this is certainly the majority of my studio experiences.

My Bands
03/2002 - Never Again, Demo - 5 tracks
09/2002 - The Mourning Dawn, Demo - 4 tracks
04/2003 - These Days, Demo - 7 tracks
08/2003 - These Days, Death Sentence, 4 tracks (scrapped)
11/2003 - These Days, Death Sentence, 5 tracks
02/2004 - These Days, Demo/Spiderghost compilation, 3 tracks
05/2004 - The Mourning Dawn, 1931-1981 - 13 tracks
10/2004 - These Days, s/t - 12 tracks
12/2004 - Ceremony, Demo - 6 tracks
01/2005 - These Days, s/t Mixing
??/2005 - Your Kids, Demo (scrapped) - 4 tracks
??/2005 - Acoustic demos, home recordings
??/2006 - Acoustic demos, home recordings
03/2007 - These Days, Chained to the Lake - 10 tracks
04/2007 - Skin Like Iron, Demo - 9 tracks
06/2007 - Skin Like Iron, Conquest - 5 tracks
07/2007 - Skin Like Iron, Wisdom demos - 5 tracks
08/2007 - Skin Like Iron, Wisdom & Conquest II - 9 tracks
01/2008 - Skin Like Iron, 10" - 9 tracks
03/2008 - Skin Like Iron, Quake City 7" - 2 tracks
09/2008 - Skin Like Iron, 7" demos - 4 tracks

Other Bands
??/2004 - Vocals on Lifelong Tragedy, Destined For Anything
??/2004 - Vocals on Days to Streaks, Demo (I later joined this band)
??/2005 - Vocals on At Risk, s/t
??/2006 - Vocals on Trash Talk, Walking Disease
??/2007 - Vocals on Ramparts, Demo

Looking back at where I started at the age of 20, and looking ahead a few weeks to where I'll be on my 27th birthday, it's amazing how much has occurred in such a short period of time. Here's to hoping that I'm able to continue dredging my creative wells for some time to come.