Hey...

A quick hello from upstate...

I have realized that relaxing is not that relaxing when you have so much work to do!

I am resting, so is the voice, but my mind is not. Getting lots of cool production ideas for GDW.

It is really strange being out of the studio....the Knicks just lost again! They have suked lately!!!

Goodnight!

Chris

Can be very taxing!!!!!

Just figured I would add that!

I am looking forward to getting back in the studio...

Voice is very well rested and felt stronger today than it ever has in my life....

Did I mention that the Knicks and Rangers SUCK today?

Chris

Greetings from Astoria...

I arrived back in the city tonite. I had Haley in a cat carrier for the first time...I don't like to drive alone with her loose in the car...she has a tendency to run under my feet and legs! It is tough enough to avoid the deer without having to keep an eye on her...then you get close to the city and it is a video game on the road here too!

HEEEEEEYYYYYYY!

Holy shit dude! I am tired!

Today was amazing! Started off a bit slow and relaxed...then it just kicked into insanity mode!

The schitzophrenia was running wild again!

I went from an acoustic ballad, "Forever We'll Be" to "Fright Knights". This song is very difficult to sing. I was well rested and hit it hard. It is ready to mix!!! Cool War song about the fear inside of the soldiers policing Iraq. I discovered this way to sing my higher notes easier and raspier...it is so cool...all my real voice. I am using little to no falsetto on this CD. I have also decided to sing every note of everything. Back-ups included. I want to make sure that noone is confused about who sang this CD/S!

I went from "Fright" into "the Fall"...this is ready to mix now also! I like this song a lot. It is belligerent...groovy...happy and pissed off! A good deal of the songs are falling in this same category!

We then broke for some Star Pizza! It is the new fav! Oh so good for the voice too! If my vocal teacher knew about the pizza...soda...and mystery mixes I was using...he would kill me!

I started to decorate the studio for war!!!!!! Funny things....GI Joe...model airplanes...sand bags...good clean fun!

We ended up the night with a great surprise....The song "Fade Into The X". It exploded with the vocals and guitars. I added a bit of guitar synth too. Kinda bizarre, but this song can actually make it to modern rock radio now...amazing what a new drum beat and a few harmonies will do! This one is ready to mix also...Out of the 30 songs...at least 20 of them have single potential in one way shape or form...whether it is metal radio...rock radio...A/C or even country! I mentioned the schitzophrenia again right!?

I think I have at least some vocals on 20 songs now. I seriously see a light at the end of the tunnel....I think it will be about 3 weeks til I can start to mix! I am so proud of the vocals on this CD. The guitar stuff is fine...but I would not expect it to be anything different! The vocal stuff is shocking me...I seriously think you all will be pleasantly....seriously...surprised when you hear it. My voice does not sound the same as last week...nevermind when I first started this adventure 16 months ago.

I must get to sleep. I have to bring Haley to the vet for her yearly shots tomorrow before studio time...we were just playing soccer in the kitchen with a peanut...yup...it has come to that! She is so cute...she had her favorite toy waiting right by the front door for me when I got home! I feel so bad leaving her here...but she has been visiting John the Greek and Igor gets home Saturday night. Although Igor scares her!

Good night/Morning/Afternoon/whenever the frick you read this!

Chris

Hello...

I am going to crash...really long and draining day...

Finished 2 more songs of full vocals..."So Far Today" and "Erase"...TONS of Background vocals...finished the guitar work for "Life, Crazy Life"...

I will tell you more about it in the morning....

Watched a little of the Yankee game today, they looked awesome!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Chris

Ever feel like the guy in the old Dunkin Donuts commercial?

I do right now!
I did on certain matinee days during the TSO tour.
Times when you just did not get enough sleep....feeling dizzy...yup...know them well these days!

Anyway...I have cracked the 20 song mark in vocal and lead guitar land. "Erase" was insane. There was some form of background vocal on every line of the song....from 8 part harmonies to evil whispers and growls!

"So Far Today" had a similar amount...it is one of the 2 songs on the CD where the back-ups are like Crosby Stills and Nash...just about every line and in three part...Lots of work!

I woke this morning and could barely whisper...however, I just did my vocal warm-ups and it feels stronger than ever...so...I thought I was going to do guitars first when I woke up...I am going to hit vocal land. There are a few songs I know I can sing really well right now. "saddamize" being one...I will hit that..."Life", "God Damn War" and possibly some backgrounds in Abandoned today....Saddamize and Life the leads are done...GDW, it is not too much lead work...so...hopefully I will be able to report on this mission being accomplished later. With any luch all vox and guitars should be done in 1 week from tomorrow. Then it is a week of editing and special effects...then....MIX TIME!!!!!

30 songs is a lot of shit...especially when most are over 5 minutes....some as many as 10....remember kids...kick me!

I am off to the studio...

This Cd is a reall pain in the ass!!! "Saddamize" up to bat!!!!!

Peace out!!!

C

WAR!

It was all about WAR today.

I was a bit nervous when I woke up this morning...my voice was really tired...whispering was all I could do. I did sing for 10 hours the day before.

At 1:45 PM I did my vocalizing...the voice felt really good...better than ever.

I hit the studio and decided to sing some difficult things today. I got 100% of the vocals done on Saddamize, GDW and I. I also finished the leads on GDW and I. Really bizarre lead stuff...I had some good inspirational material on TV in the control room!

GDW is by far the meanest vocal so far. Just flat out vicious...I was toying with whether or not to sing it clean or raspy. Since my voice was working extremely well today, I decided to push it as hard as it could go and as evil as it could sound. After all...in the story this is WAR singing!

The WAR story is coming out pretty neat. After all it is our WAR I am singing about. Not some historical point of view on some other place in time. GDW is about the modern WAR. The one that was started on 9-11. Everyone will be able to relate to our WAR on this CD. I am so happy with the whole mood of GDW. There is still so much to do.

I have vocals on 24 songs now. 20 are completed. I only have 6 leads left to play! I am ahead of schedule....Actually I am ahead of schedule if I was to be doing 20 songs!

This week...starting Monday...will be my last day of tracking in SPIN. Then I move to Nick's studio to edit and work on the special effects, key patches, etc. I may trigger all the keys through my guitar synth. If I run a midi signal and play the parts on guitar, it will have the keyboard sounds, but with my feel...

Discovered a new and amazing Italian restaurant near the studio. It was so authentic...YUM! I made sure I ate Penne alla Vodka tonite so I could have the cream sauce before I sang. All part of my ANTI SINGER rituals! A little Diet Pepsi gets rid of all of that crap from your throat! If it can clean a penny...it should kill cheese and dairy!

Tomorrow I have the day off...I will hang out with my cat...get to the gym...work on my WAR story...do my book work for the week...write 2 solos for a couple of the remaining songs...vocalize a little and REST!

WAR is Hell!!!!!

Goodnight!

Chris

Greetings...

Wrapping up the week here...

WOW...I don't think I have ever been this exhausted. It is a different kind of tired. I am mentally and physically drained. I think tomorrow may only be a 6 hour session...so...this could be a good thing. My engineer has something to do at night. I may try to hit the ZO2 release party...that is if I am not restricting myself to more rest.

I woke up today at 12:30...I fed my cat...fed myself...sat down to watch some basketball on TV and woke up again at 5!!!

I did make it to the gym...I worked a bit on some solos...I uploaded this weeks diary photos....I said hi to Igor, who finally made it back from Florida!!! I went out to get dinner and now I am ready to pass out once more!

I have a feeling I will be able to relax more once all of the lead vocals are finished. I just have a tremendous amount of pressure on me until this is accomplished. There are 6 tracks left...not easy ones either! So...I am going to sleep. Thanks once again for your on-going support. Soon I will be in artwork and CD packaging hell! Then it is mastering and press hell!!!
I look forward to the months ahead...

Goodnight!

Chris