“Love Song For Three Fans”
Written and recorded Wednesday on breaks at the studio.
We feel the love - thanks for being a part of this with us!
Enjoy these songs? Know the people we’re singing about? Please share them!
Between Takes
This is only our third time making a record, but our limited experience confirms that the first week is the hardest.
(Not that we weren’t told so when we began that first record in Nashville. “Don’t worry,” the guitarist said, “The first week is the hardest. It’s hard for everyone.”)
The obvious reason is that it’s all us, all the time. :) Later on, we’ll get to watch and listen as other musicians breathe life into the songs. Or we’ll get to sing and play over song foundations that have already been laid. But this is the groundwork.
The bigger reason is that there are so many questions to answer. We decide this week which songs will go on the record, and once we’ve determined the tracklist (which is still a bit uncertain), we decide how exactly each song will go. How many verses? How many measures before the bridge begins? What kind of intro? Should there be different chords for this part? We’ve played this song this one way for three years, but maybe it’s asking for something different than we thought. What if we try it in a lower key? Can you re-learn the piano part? What if we re-write the bridge for that one song? Maybe the bridge of this song should really be the chorus of the song…
It’s hilarious written out, but while we’re in it (which is right now), it’s an emotional rollercoaster. The process is terrifically vulnerable; it’s scary and awkward at times, and frustrating… Usually while also being fun and legitimately fascinating.
We’re being pushed, in a good way: In the way we asked to be pushed. We came into this process saying, “Okay. What is it that Ellery does, and where is the music going? What are these songs asking for, and how can we translate it all onto a record? How can we break old habits? What limits have we unconsciously placed on ourselves?”
We’re finding some answers to these questions, and while the answers are welcome, they’re not always easy. Rewriting a song you’ve known for years is challenging both emotionally and pragmatically, and singing all day is challenging no matter what the reason.
But the more we hear the results the better it all feels. It’s the right direction. Can’t wait to see what everything looks like on Monday. 
Which ones?
So our work in the studio is from noon to 10pm each day, with a couple breaks for lunch and dinner. An unusual workday but it works well for musician types…
We came in today with 18-19 possible songs for a record that will hold only 11-12. So we spent our first few hours listening to the tunes and eliminating.
I had wondered if we’d feel sad about leaving some behind, but the cutting floor was actually a relief. It just felt good to make a plan.
While we did make a lot of decisions, the full list is still a bit uncertain. So we don’t have a full tracklist for you yet… But, perhaps we’ll get to share it later this week.
Or perhaps we’ll keep it (mostly) a secret. Hmm. Options.
The first week is always the hardest; it’s just mentally exhausting — But we’re happy — it’s all fascinating. Malcolm has great ideas. Great ideas.
And we’ve got homework to do. Rewriting a chorus or two this evening…
Wish us luck!
More soon –
–tasha
Self explanatory.
We drove in a steady rain this morning from Nyack to Kingston NY, where we were meeting with Malcolm Burn, who will be producing the album we’re recording this summer.
It’s curious to drive into a town for the first time, knowing it will be home for a month or so later on. So we were wide-eyed, trying to catch what all the town might hold for us.
We drove up to the studio, just up the hill from the river, where we greeted Malcolm and got the quick tour. His studio is a warm and inviting space… And since by now you all know we’re suckers for vibe, it’s worth pointing out that there was plenty of it. The gear & instrument selection was as great as we expected, but I was justly reeled in by the old Steinway upright in the control room. I love uprights: that wash of sound and all its warmth and lack-of-polish.
(But I should clarify; I’m not one to play any piano, even a beautiful Steinway upright, just because it’s there. I’m happy to look and imagine that it would be nice on the occasions when I felt like playing it. It’s only fair for me to tell you, since this characteristic of mine makes Justin crazy. He plays them in my place. Which can be… interesting. But sometimes it’s absolutely lovely. One never knows with that guy.)
I did play a couple verses of a new tune on the piano, and it sang under the voice in that way you always hope, gentle and warm.
But blah blah blah, gear & instruments, the nicest part about the visit was the chance to talk about music-making and songs. Malcolm has a love for songs and songwriting, which is what drew us to him in the first place. He loves (and listens for) the arc of a song’s story, the nuances of how the voice is telling it, how to use a song and its recording to effectively communicate that original live, stripped down idea. It was affirming and delicious to talk these sorts of things out, get an idea for how the recording process will go for us, etc. Left us both so glad to have made this decision.
Malcolm sent us off with a lunch recommendation for Lucy’s Taco, downtown, an eccentric little place with amazing food. (Our only complaint was that it disappeared too soon.)
We wandered around Kingston for a bit afterwards, cataloguing sites for future reference– So good to visit before we land back here in June.