OK...

Phase whatever the frick it is has begun...

I am still at the studio...

We mixed "Bag O' Bones" first....came out really good.

"Music Man" was next. It is 90% done...we are fried. Paul Morris just came in to lay some piano down and our vocal mix is a disaster now! Not far off....just confusing and we are toast! This song is very Crosby, Stills and Nash-like in vocal work, so it is very important to pay close attention to their placement. I even decided to re-sing a few lines that I felt I could kill with a rested voice...came out great...but, the night is over for now.

Jeff Plate is here to check things out for the first couple of days. All seems fine so far!

I think we will finish this mix first thing tomorrow and then dive into something heavier! I want to hear the guitars melt my brains now! So...I am going to pack up and head home. I have a CD of Bones...the first thing I have listened to since day one outside of the control rooms of the three studios...Spin, Nick's and mine...

Lots to do, but we will get it all done!!!

I believe "Evil Is As Evil Does" and "The Fall" will be the two to do tomorrow after we finish up "Music Man".

Talk to you soon!

Chris

OK...

We got 2 done..."Music Man" was an incredibly difficult mix. There are 3 to 5 part vocal harmonies on almost every word of the song....Acoustic guitars...strings...piano...drums....bass...lead acoustic...all fighting for their own little spot in the musical picture. We found each one a home. This song is really neat to listen to. Next...

I decided to go to "Evil is as Evil Does". Talk about a 360...arena metal with my raspiest voice!

We are almost finished with this one...an hour or so left...then I dont know where we will go...

Jeff headed back north...I think he is returning for his birthday on Friday. I know where I will be!

"Evil is as evil does...a million years it always was!"

Talk to you when I get something else done...

Chris

Hey...

Coming to you live from the studio once again...I have a lot of free time during mix-land!

I try to amuse myself as much as possible...

We mixed "Fade Into The X" first today...COOOOOOOLLLL!!!!

The version is so much different than my demos...different tempo....different key....different ending...really fits the emotion in the lyrics...it is about things that were in your life and now are "X's". X-fiance'...x-boss...x-girlfriend...x-bands...etc...

We finished that one and broke for dinner...Napoli's Italian...this place rocks! I won a free song on my Diet Pepsi...I downloaded a Joss Stone song from I-Tunes...I wanted to check out her voice on another song and hear some production...cute song...cute girl...

We are mixing "Life, Crazy Life" now...things are starting to sound just the way I pictured...takes a little while to get in a groove...luckily I have so many songs...they will all feel and sound so different!

Once again...if you see me....smack me for recording so many songs! I would have been finished weeks ago! I am beginning to forget what people look like!!!!

Oh well..I guess I will be finished sometime in April!!! Just in time for turkey season!!!! I will rest...do some spring work for Mom...hit the woods by her and up by Mr. West...I am looking forward to putting the CD's in my car stereo and heading up to see John!

I am going to get back to work...which is sitting and listening...giving my opinions and pacing around!

Life.....Crazy Life!!!!!!!

Chris

Hi!

Thursday afternoon..."Life" is finished...way cool! Modern hard rock type of song...The list ahead is so huge...overwhelming. Good thing is that every mix sounds better as we go...by the time we hit song 20....Oh Boy!!!

Actually the "Faces" stuff is turning out to have so many colors in the mix. Very schitzo like the CD itself.

"Remember" is up now. We are listening to drums, bass and rhythm guitars. I hope to have this one done by dinner...usually 8PM. We shall see. I still have not eaten since last night! I forget sometimes and then I get too busy!

I want to take some time again to say hi to my friend Sgt. Ed in Iraq. He is right in the middle of things and I want him and his platoon to know that we are thinking of him here. Especially as we prepare for the WAR CD mixes. Please be safe...

Kinda weird for me when I think about it. I sit here with a GI Joe doll on my amp when we create music about the WAR. At the same time there are real people watching people die around them, defending their families and my own. No toys...real people...life and death...

The W.A.R.P.E.D. song sez a lot....
"War, some hate it and they say it's good for nothing...
Some love it and they cry the only way...
Let's sit Watch And Rate..."

As we all sit watching the war on TV...it is a pivitol time...I kinda pray for humanity as I watch things unfold...Some times I wish I could do more...but when I hear that soldiers are listening to Savatage and Butcher music....I realize that maybe I am already helping...I hope my CD will help also when it is released...Unfortunately, I have a feeling that this WAR will still be here...

Back to work...

Chris

Wow...

I left for the studio today and it was like 70 degrees out...
I tried to ignore the sun and quietly stummbled back to work...
I started this CD in late January...it will be late April when I am done...
Actually not too bad for 30 songs!
Almost finished with "Faces"...the CD intro is very important...cool evil march...a narration that I made up as I was going along when I recorded the demos last year...I used the track of talking form the demo cuz it was fucking eerie...
"Abandoned" is up next!!!

CC

Hey...

Still mixing here...

Finished the song "Faces"...it took a bit longer than I thought...doesn't everything!!!??? However the intro of this CD and the "Faces" song will start everything off right...how?...By kicking your ass!!!!

So...no time for Abandoned tonite...I decided to fix "Bag O' Bones"...

Really cool...why? Let's just say that you hear the bones in the drum beat!!!!!

Back to my silly pseudo job!!!

Chris