Drunk, pissed, tired... Wow, it WORKS! (only up for a week or so, get it now...)

Kelly Holdridge

Kelly Holdridge

New member
Heya, guys...

I haven't been around in a while, or at least not really posting, but if it's all the same to y'all, take a gander at this last ditty we recorded towards the middle of March...

www.mp3.com/high-tide

The song is "Find My Way" (5.0 meg), and it was slapped together by Danny and myself about a week before we recorded it...

1) Danny's drunk, and we recorded his electric rhythm and vocals first. It took a LOOONG time to get his first track down, and when we finally hit 5:10, he looks down at the multitracker and just JUMPS into an ending. What ending? ANY ending! You'll see.

2) I wasn't too bad off, so I jumped in with the bass. The bass line wasn't originally so "bouncy," but i screwed up the first repition and just kept it like that. hehe. I think it's from the second take.

3) Brian's drums took about two takes, not bad at all. Listening to him play the track was HILARIOUS, because it was all sparse drums, lingering cymbals, and BONGOS. We reverbed it a bit, sounds decent in the overall mix.

4) Frothy did his lead thing on the first take. I don't think he'd even heard the damn song yet, the bastard. Yet his "dancing" behind the lyrics really solidifies the vocals, and poor guy, he gets to his solo part and...

You'll have to check the ending, folks. Keep in mind that this ending snuck up on EVERYONE, and you're hearing the recordings of each person hearing the ending for the first time as they're recording. We're very "seat of the pants," hehe.

There's an awesome harmonica part that isn't in this MP3 (i'll get it in there, but MP3.com'll take forever uploading it), it's basically a droning melodic solo in each of the "interludes" between verses.

I'm proud of this song, it dances to my approval. Problems? Bass is too "ahead" (i have to sync this shit in CEP 'cuz it's imported two tracks at a time), bass is too loud, and the harmonica is missing. Danny's vocals are a bit off (no biggie), and we don't have condensor mics.

This song is pure '57 and '58, folks. The guitar is doubled, chorused on one side and reverbed on the other. Frothy's lead is pretty much all left track, and the drums were miced with a 57 in FRONT of the kit and a 57 on TOP. Dig it!
 
I ain't no expert, but I know what I like. Now I am floatin - if a song takes me somewhere it is somethin' special. Nice textures here, tell me that isn't a b-3 in the mix. My only other comment is that the melody (chorus in particular) lends itself to a multi voice harmony - and this isn't taken advantage of. Strange thing is - it works well as a solo voice too, so I guess it is just a matter of opinion. Good work, Kelly.
 
Kelly,

That's really nice, if the singer was intoxicated, count me in.

A couple of changes come to mind, a little less bass on the bass, and a little more treble on the guitar, also the lead needs to come up a notch. This is nit picking, I know, but maybe it will help. Percusion seem just right.

Great singing, very bluesey voice, really fit the song!

I've allways wanted to put bongos on a song, cool.

BTW, Took my cat, (your gif) to the vet, and proudlly told her Kit Kat had eaten three doves the previous week. She said I should bring in a stool sample. So much for pride.
 
Very nice, Kelly. This reminds me of the Meat Puppets, and I love the Meat Puppets! It's a nice laid back psychedelic bluesy southwestern feel with introspective words. Great. And I love when a singer might not have the strongest singing voice, but compensates for it with the emotion and lyrical imagery, it seems so much more honest and believable. I wouldn't change a thing!
 
I like the band, and I like the sound of the song. But get a fire going under that singer - he's singing the notes, and he's feeling some of them, but he's not reaching for anything.

I'd like to know if you tracked this all at once, or track by track, too. I have a hypothesis. Which is not the same as a hypotenuse. Or a hippopotamus.
 
I like the song alot, and itwas a pretty good recording...but Id add some variation to that rhythm guitar.....
 
BTW, I listen to Ins and Outs (Muddy Waters) a good bit...I love the feel of it and its a good sound...sounds like good Southern Rock....Find My Way is a good song too but doesnt quite have that "feel" to it....
 
At a vocoder effect and you've got Kid Rock! (sorry Kelly... :))

Is that a bit of chorus on the rhythm guitar? The bass seems to need a little bite, a bit of high mids, it's a great tone though. The lead sounds sweet, the drums have a nice space. The ending is well, you know...

-jhe
 
I just LOVE drunken singers. Get him loaded up again, double track the chorus.
And, this might seem weird but... perhaps try and put a really heavy, overdriven rythm guitar under it - low down in the mix, long slow chords.

Perhaps ehhh how shall I say this? Its very clean and in your face, while the song really has a sorta Allman Bro feel, so perhaps you could try and make it a little less "clean" by adding some verbs to the drums etc. Imagine it played on stage at a huge open air festival...
get what I'm trying to say?
 
Although the singer sounded a little off-key, and without determination at the end of lines, sometimes... I liked the song and the recording alot. Wouldn't change much, if anything at all. It was a bit too airy though, for my taste, and I'm all for sjoko2's suggestion of adding some distorted guitars way back...
Great song though.

...and now I'll get loaded and record something of my own, that drunken singing is really cool. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top