Ellery Stimulus

Dear friends,

The new record is finished!

Ashokan Reservoir - beautiful

So we have Saturdays and Sundays off from the studio.  But if you don’t mind, we’re not counting yesterday (Saturday) because we spent the day with the kind auto mechanics off of Ulster Ave.  (Our van had been overheating; turns out it was a seized fan, and it cost us over $500.  Ouch. *sigh*)

So today was our first free day in the Kingston area.  Justin made us breakfast (he gets so many points for this), and our plan all week has been to hike a trail somewhere in the abundance of beautiful forestry around these Hudson River Valley parts…

The Ashokan Reservoir had been recommended to us by a few folks, so we set out this morning with the promise of trails and shade and (bless our hearts) some lovable forest creatures.

As we drove on Reservoir Dr, the forest opened up to expose a bridge over the massive reservoir, and we were breathless.  It spilled out into an amazing scene: Mountains to the right, topped with cloud and mist, an expanse of water on either side of us, and forests ahead.  We took a few pictures–

Unfortunately, everywhere we looked there were chains along the roadside, blocking off the trees, and even blocking off the many trail entrances we’d spotted. (”No Trespassing Except for Fishing with a Permit.”)
Curious!  Where were all the hiking trails we’d been promised?! 

Mrs Deer

While temporarily confused, we did walk along a very cool pedestrian bridge, and we came across a sweet doe who had no problem with our close proximity.  (And - we confess - with our insistence on attempting to speak with her.)  We’re such city folk.

We soon had to *ahem* find a restroom, but I’m glad we forsook our original plan (drive around until we spot a trail?).  Because the kind man at the convenience store informed us that we could in fact hike on all those blocked-off trails, but, we needed a hiking permit to do so.  (Wow!  Our Ohio forests have spoiled us!)
To their credit, the permits are free.  Still, we’re permit-less.
No shady walks with forest creatures for us.

We were a bit disappointed, but it began to rain anyway.  So we headed back to Kingston, where the rain let up long enough for us to get a jog in around uptown.  (Uptown Kingston is historic, settled by the Dutch in 1652, and it’s quirky but nice.  Like a disheveled Marblehead MA.)  (Speaking of historic and Dutch, check out the nearby Hurley Stone House, where our NY guests are staying.  Seriously: The home itself (and its hosts) are amazing.)

Things to hit. And Josh's leg.

We’d been invited to a Sun. evening barbecue in New Paltz, which we discovered today to be littered with musicians and former musicians.  Very fun.  Even more fun, we were able to finally meet (in person) my good friend Kate.  And let me just say, Kate Bradley is great at what she does.  And she’s a great person.  And she’s reeled me into this, which is so lovely.  If you’re a musician, look her up.

Now we’re huddled inside, a slow, dark evening under lamplight and the sound of the window unit.
Tomorrow we track drums.  I mean, tomorrow Josh tracks drums.
And I spend some time learning how to sing the new versions of these songs –

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.