Songwriter Blog #7
DENITIA ODIGIE PART II - HEARING THE SONG - MATTER OF TIME
Before we get to when I first listen to the song, I'd like to briefly talk about Dark Horse Recording Studios. As I've mentioned before, I always pop into the studio to say a quick hello to everyone. On this day it was especially important because the film side of the project AND the music side of the project were going to be working in the same place.
Anyway, after the longest drive ever, I arrived at Dark Horse Studios. If you've never been there, it's an amazing experience. It's almost counter to what the musician expects in a studio. Dank dark cold concrete walls are replaced with sunny inspiring upscale recording cabins. I pity the poor guy who has his first recording session there- he's set up for a lifetime of disappointment.
As soon as I get there I see two guys smoking cigarettes on the front deck. I say "hey guys, where's the nashville 9 group?" They look at me and say, "never heard of it." Good sign. They send me toward the other studio. I find our crew milling about.
I arrived at Dark Horse and found everyone milling about.
Let me say this. Every time I go to a studio I just feel like I'm in the way. I try to make myself as small as possible so as not to detract from the environment. I'm just not a studio guy. Now, if I feel that way in a Music Recording Studio, you can imagine how awkward and useless I feel on a film set.
I really felt like I was in the way on the film set.
The moment everyone saw me come to the film set they all hailed me and pulled me into the group. After that moment dissipated, I found myself getting in the way of camera shots, ruining continuity, and talking to people who should be working. So I went to the Recording studio.
The moment you walk into a recording studio you get a "feel" or "sense" of the environment. My first feeling when I walked into the recording studio was that the room was cluttered and tense. It felt like there were more people there than there should have been and that people were frustrated. I tried to shrink into a corner.
Kenny Meeks and Andy Hunt In Dark Horse Studios
I felt kind of bad because Kenny Meeks was thrown into a difficult situation. The very fact that we were excited to have film and music together was going to make Kenny's day very complicated. People were coming in and out. Takes were ruined because doors were being opened. The Short Film crew would need to jump in for filming. It was a pretty hectic and erratic environment. Then the scariest possible thing happened...Chad asked me to act in the Short film. I was to play the music producer. I was really happy that I was getting a chance to be in the short film. It's just that the fear overtakes the joy. I don't act. I'm just not very good at it.
I had a non-speaking role in the test shoot months before. I had 2 responsibilities. #1- I needed to walk towards the camera. #2 - I needed to walk out a door and trip. Lets just say that after multiple takes, numerous sarcastic comments from Nat, and an embarrassing 35 minutes I was certain that I should stick to writing. So when Chad asked me to act, I started getting a bit stressed.
I had one line- "Jordan, we're ready for you." They were about to start when I said "wait!" Should I say "JORDAN, we're ready for YOU," or "Jordan, WE'RE ready for you," or...you get the point. My first take went and they had to re-shoot it because I turned too fast. My second take seemed to be good enough, so we kept it. Truthfully, I just think that they needed to get the real musicians back into the studio- but I was honestly content to make it a wrap! I was irrationally nervous.
Here is me looking unnatural at trying to look natural.
Speaking of nervous, we had a bit of drama to add. It was kind of an inside joke between Ryan and I that we didn't have enough drama going on for our documentary. The short film guys had all kinds of crazy stuff going on. We, on the other hand, had a pretty smooth ride. We were planning on being at Dark Horse Studios on this day and the next. Unfortunately, day 2 at Dark Horse fell through. So here we were, 2pm on Thursday and Ryan starts making calls to find us a studio for Friday.
Ryan and I walk outside and have some rare time together to talk about what's going on. He informs me that he's made a good 20 calls and has nothing yet. I ask him if I can do anything- he says "just write songs - I've got this." I quietly thank God that Ryan is working on the project as I have barely the energy to call my wife at the end of the day, let alone call and find a studio.
So at about 6pm, I get a call from Ryan. He says "hey man, I found a studio." I say "awesome." He then informs me that it isn't a typical studio. It's called "Welcome to 1979 Studios." All of the equipment is state of the art...circa 1979. That's right, 24 channel board, analog tape, etc. Most people these days can use 24 tracks for just the drums. Our producer will have to do the whole thing with 24 tracks. Well, we'll get that later...
Back to the morning and listening to the song!
I couldn't wait to hear this tune. Denitia's song was going to be the last song on the album. Because of that, I was really hoping that Kenny would work the song so that it kind of went on and on at the end- kind of a long fade out. So in the CD went!
Immediately, a super laid back guitar lick takes you right into this super mellow feel. It's the kind of thing that makes you say "ooh," and immediately gets the head moving and eyes closing. With Kenny Meeks and the guys he had playing, it's almost unfair. They are the kind of musicians that are so good that they don't have to play too much.
My wife Jenn telling Denitia how much she enjoys hearing her sing.
Denitia's voice is so captivating that it can take up plenty of the space. Kenny did the perfect thing by laying a solid foundation and allowing her to just do her thing. With those guys it's all about feel and taste. The song came out more mellow than Mike and I had written initially, and it was really cool. Denitia had made lots of melodic changes. It was interesting in that she kind of moved the whole melody up to where the harmony would sit. Also, she added some stuff and the end of the chorus that just really helped make the song. On top of all that, you should see and hear Meeks play the guitar. I say it again- it's all about taste and feel. Kenny and those guys are just another level.
There was definitely some really special chemistry that happened between Denitia and Kenny. The song was amazing and it was really an honor to work with them.
Denitia on the tire swing after tracking her vocal
Kenny and Denitia really had a great chemistry
WRITING THE SONG PART I - BENTON BLOUNT - THE BADDEST THAT I'VE EVER BEEN
Benton Blount.
Way back when Ryan and I were gathering artists, we knew we wanted a good range of different genres. We wanted it to represent what was in Nashville. Therefore, we knew we needed someone who was right down the middle rockin' country. Unfortunately, I knew tons of girls that would fit that bill, but no guys. So Ryan and I started talking about it. Ryan told me that some guy named Benton had emailed him saying he was interested in being one of the artists on the project. So I told Ryan to send me a link to his myspace.
Here's what I saw when I first went to Benton's Myspace.
This first thing I noticed when I went to his myspace was that he was labeled as "Country Crunk Rock." I didn't know what that was and intrigued. Let's be honest. Usually, and I stress USUALLY, when someone contacts YOU, they usually end up not being what you're looking for. I listened to Benton's stuff on Myspace and was like "Wow, he's great and he's perfect for this!" We felt like he was so good that we tried to figure out what good be wrong. Well, we rolled the dice and I called him...and it turned out to be one of the best moves we made.
Benton Blount at The Duck Race
Benton immediately got along with all the core Nashville 9 people. Here he is with "Ducky," Mike Logen, Me, and Jaclyn James.
He and I agreed to meet at SAE to talk about stuff. I have to tell you, Benton is the real deal. He's got that "bad-ass" intimidating country artist demeanor BUT immediately falls right in line with the rest of the group. At the end of this whole thing he was one of the guys that the core of the Nashville 9 became most endeared with. We're all fans now.
Beyond that, he's very talented. He's a great writer, great performer and he's got an amazing voice. I don't mean to pour down too much praise on Benton, but it's just nice to meet someone who is that good without being too caught up in it. He was going to fit in perfectly with all the other artists. He was even willing to take some time and play at The Duck Race! Even better than that, he said that he already had a producer that he wanted to work with- Noel Golden.
Noel Golden.
What blew me away about Noel Golden was his absolute lack of fear. Most producers asked tons of questions about this and that. Noel just said "I'm in, tell me what I need to do." When he came to the house right before we started writing the song, Ryan and I told him about the analog studio and how he only had 24 tracks to work with. The guy didn't bat an eye. He just said "sounds good- see you tomorrow."
I was kind of planning on writing this one alone. I've had a chance to do lots of country writing and I felt comfortable doing this. I knew this was the first song on the album so it really needed to come out of the gate pretty strong. It had to be fast and upbeat.
The story was about a guy that was valet parking and decided to steal a car to impress this girl. I got up after watching the story with the guys and walked by myself into the room to start. Literally one minute after I sat down, Brandon came in and said "I have an idea for this one." I really hadn't sat down with Brandon to write anything substantial so I was more than happy to write this one with him. Brandon said "we have to make Benton steal a car!" I thought that was a great idea and immediately started playing some stuff. We thought about having him steal a car from a bar and taking a joyride down 65. Maybe he could pick up his girlfriend and get back to the bar before the guy knows his car is gone. Then Brandon said "let's called it 'The Baddest That I've Ever Been.'" In probably 30 minutes we were all done. All we had to do was sing a rough recording.
baddest%20cut.mp3
Though it's pretty slow, here is a quick verse and chorus of the song recorded a couple moments after we came up with it.
Brandon came in right after watching the story with a song idea.
The fact that we wrote this so fast was perfect since Nat and Chad came in and challenged us to a game of touch football...
So there we were, 10pm on Thursday night, playing football on the street in front of my house. Brandon and I won that game, but it came at quite a loss. We all took quite the beating. I pulled something in my back and was nearly incapable of moving. We all came in and collapsed in the living room. Chad lay down on the floor to catch his breath. Then, one of my favorite things from the whole project happened. My dog Mike walked over and threw up on him. I just couldn't stop laughing which only made my back hurt more. You can check out the video blog below.
Daily Vidcast Day 7 from The Nashville 9 on Vimeo.
We decided that Brandon would sing this one. He and I threw together the demo and I passed out on the couch.
Brandon and I recorded this video after a 60 minute football game in the front yard. My one consolation is that Brandon looks worse than I do!!
Before we get to when I first listen to the song, I'd like to briefly talk about Dark Horse Recording Studios. As I've mentioned before, I always pop into the studio to say a quick hello to everyone. On this day it was especially important because the film side of the project AND the music side of the project were going to be working in the same place.
Anyway, after the longest drive ever, I arrived at Dark Horse Studios. If you've never been there, it's an amazing experience. It's almost counter to what the musician expects in a studio. Dank dark cold concrete walls are replaced with sunny inspiring upscale recording cabins. I pity the poor guy who has his first recording session there- he's set up for a lifetime of disappointment.
As soon as I get there I see two guys smoking cigarettes on the front deck. I say "hey guys, where's the nashville 9 group?" They look at me and say, "never heard of it." Good sign. They send me toward the other studio. I find our crew milling about.
I arrived at Dark Horse and found everyone milling about.
Let me say this. Every time I go to a studio I just feel like I'm in the way. I try to make myself as small as possible so as not to detract from the environment. I'm just not a studio guy. Now, if I feel that way in a Music Recording Studio, you can imagine how awkward and useless I feel on a film set.
I really felt like I was in the way on the film set.
The moment everyone saw me come to the film set they all hailed me and pulled me into the group. After that moment dissipated, I found myself getting in the way of camera shots, ruining continuity, and talking to people who should be working. So I went to the Recording studio.
The moment you walk into a recording studio you get a "feel" or "sense" of the environment. My first feeling when I walked into the recording studio was that the room was cluttered and tense. It felt like there were more people there than there should have been and that people were frustrated. I tried to shrink into a corner.
Kenny Meeks and Andy Hunt In Dark Horse Studios
I felt kind of bad because Kenny Meeks was thrown into a difficult situation. The very fact that we were excited to have film and music together was going to make Kenny's day very complicated. People were coming in and out. Takes were ruined because doors were being opened. The Short Film crew would need to jump in for filming. It was a pretty hectic and erratic environment. Then the scariest possible thing happened...Chad asked me to act in the Short film. I was to play the music producer. I was really happy that I was getting a chance to be in the short film. It's just that the fear overtakes the joy. I don't act. I'm just not very good at it.
I had a non-speaking role in the test shoot months before. I had 2 responsibilities. #1- I needed to walk towards the camera. #2 - I needed to walk out a door and trip. Lets just say that after multiple takes, numerous sarcastic comments from Nat, and an embarrassing 35 minutes I was certain that I should stick to writing. So when Chad asked me to act, I started getting a bit stressed.
I had one line- "Jordan, we're ready for you." They were about to start when I said "wait!" Should I say "JORDAN, we're ready for YOU," or "Jordan, WE'RE ready for you," or...you get the point. My first take went and they had to re-shoot it because I turned too fast. My second take seemed to be good enough, so we kept it. Truthfully, I just think that they needed to get the real musicians back into the studio- but I was honestly content to make it a wrap! I was irrationally nervous.
Here is me looking unnatural at trying to look natural.
Speaking of nervous, we had a bit of drama to add. It was kind of an inside joke between Ryan and I that we didn't have enough drama going on for our documentary. The short film guys had all kinds of crazy stuff going on. We, on the other hand, had a pretty smooth ride. We were planning on being at Dark Horse Studios on this day and the next. Unfortunately, day 2 at Dark Horse fell through. So here we were, 2pm on Thursday and Ryan starts making calls to find us a studio for Friday.
Ryan and I walk outside and have some rare time together to talk about what's going on. He informs me that he's made a good 20 calls and has nothing yet. I ask him if I can do anything- he says "just write songs - I've got this." I quietly thank God that Ryan is working on the project as I have barely the energy to call my wife at the end of the day, let alone call and find a studio.
So at about 6pm, I get a call from Ryan. He says "hey man, I found a studio." I say "awesome." He then informs me that it isn't a typical studio. It's called "Welcome to 1979 Studios." All of the equipment is state of the art...circa 1979. That's right, 24 channel board, analog tape, etc. Most people these days can use 24 tracks for just the drums. Our producer will have to do the whole thing with 24 tracks. Well, we'll get that later...
Back to the morning and listening to the song!
I couldn't wait to hear this tune. Denitia's song was going to be the last song on the album. Because of that, I was really hoping that Kenny would work the song so that it kind of went on and on at the end- kind of a long fade out. So in the CD went!
Immediately, a super laid back guitar lick takes you right into this super mellow feel. It's the kind of thing that makes you say "ooh," and immediately gets the head moving and eyes closing. With Kenny Meeks and the guys he had playing, it's almost unfair. They are the kind of musicians that are so good that they don't have to play too much.
My wife Jenn telling Denitia how much she enjoys hearing her sing.
Denitia's voice is so captivating that it can take up plenty of the space. Kenny did the perfect thing by laying a solid foundation and allowing her to just do her thing. With those guys it's all about feel and taste. The song came out more mellow than Mike and I had written initially, and it was really cool. Denitia had made lots of melodic changes. It was interesting in that she kind of moved the whole melody up to where the harmony would sit. Also, she added some stuff and the end of the chorus that just really helped make the song. On top of all that, you should see and hear Meeks play the guitar. I say it again- it's all about taste and feel. Kenny and those guys are just another level.
There was definitely some really special chemistry that happened between Denitia and Kenny. The song was amazing and it was really an honor to work with them.
Denitia on the tire swing after tracking her vocal
Kenny and Denitia really had a great chemistry
WRITING THE SONG PART I - BENTON BLOUNT - THE BADDEST THAT I'VE EVER BEEN
Benton Blount.
Way back when Ryan and I were gathering artists, we knew we wanted a good range of different genres. We wanted it to represent what was in Nashville. Therefore, we knew we needed someone who was right down the middle rockin' country. Unfortunately, I knew tons of girls that would fit that bill, but no guys. So Ryan and I started talking about it. Ryan told me that some guy named Benton had emailed him saying he was interested in being one of the artists on the project. So I told Ryan to send me a link to his myspace.
Here's what I saw when I first went to Benton's Myspace.
This first thing I noticed when I went to his myspace was that he was labeled as "Country Crunk Rock." I didn't know what that was and intrigued. Let's be honest. Usually, and I stress USUALLY, when someone contacts YOU, they usually end up not being what you're looking for. I listened to Benton's stuff on Myspace and was like "Wow, he's great and he's perfect for this!" We felt like he was so good that we tried to figure out what good be wrong. Well, we rolled the dice and I called him...and it turned out to be one of the best moves we made.
Benton Blount at The Duck Race
Benton immediately got along with all the core Nashville 9 people. Here he is with "Ducky," Mike Logen, Me, and Jaclyn James.
He and I agreed to meet at SAE to talk about stuff. I have to tell you, Benton is the real deal. He's got that "bad-ass" intimidating country artist demeanor BUT immediately falls right in line with the rest of the group. At the end of this whole thing he was one of the guys that the core of the Nashville 9 became most endeared with. We're all fans now.
Beyond that, he's very talented. He's a great writer, great performer and he's got an amazing voice. I don't mean to pour down too much praise on Benton, but it's just nice to meet someone who is that good without being too caught up in it. He was going to fit in perfectly with all the other artists. He was even willing to take some time and play at The Duck Race! Even better than that, he said that he already had a producer that he wanted to work with- Noel Golden.
Noel Golden.
What blew me away about Noel Golden was his absolute lack of fear. Most producers asked tons of questions about this and that. Noel just said "I'm in, tell me what I need to do." When he came to the house right before we started writing the song, Ryan and I told him about the analog studio and how he only had 24 tracks to work with. The guy didn't bat an eye. He just said "sounds good- see you tomorrow."
I was kind of planning on writing this one alone. I've had a chance to do lots of country writing and I felt comfortable doing this. I knew this was the first song on the album so it really needed to come out of the gate pretty strong. It had to be fast and upbeat.
The story was about a guy that was valet parking and decided to steal a car to impress this girl. I got up after watching the story with the guys and walked by myself into the room to start. Literally one minute after I sat down, Brandon came in and said "I have an idea for this one." I really hadn't sat down with Brandon to write anything substantial so I was more than happy to write this one with him. Brandon said "we have to make Benton steal a car!" I thought that was a great idea and immediately started playing some stuff. We thought about having him steal a car from a bar and taking a joyride down 65. Maybe he could pick up his girlfriend and get back to the bar before the guy knows his car is gone. Then Brandon said "let's called it 'The Baddest That I've Ever Been.'" In probably 30 minutes we were all done. All we had to do was sing a rough recording.
baddest%20cut.mp3
Though it's pretty slow, here is a quick verse and chorus of the song recorded a couple moments after we came up with it.
Brandon came in right after watching the story with a song idea.
The fact that we wrote this so fast was perfect since Nat and Chad came in and challenged us to a game of touch football...
So there we were, 10pm on Thursday night, playing football on the street in front of my house. Brandon and I won that game, but it came at quite a loss. We all took quite the beating. I pulled something in my back and was nearly incapable of moving. We all came in and collapsed in the living room. Chad lay down on the floor to catch his breath. Then, one of my favorite things from the whole project happened. My dog Mike walked over and threw up on him. I just couldn't stop laughing which only made my back hurt more. You can check out the video blog below.
Daily Vidcast Day 7 from The Nashville 9 on Vimeo.
We decided that Brandon would sing this one. He and I threw together the demo and I passed out on the couch.
Brandon and I recorded this video after a 60 minute football game in the front yard. My one consolation is that Brandon looks worse than I do!!
posted by The Nashville 9 at
11:54 PM
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