MEGHAN KABIR PART II - HEARING THE SONG - KILL A MAN
On this day I woke up fresh. Today was going to be my last writing day. Besides, I was writing for Red White Blue and was very confident that I could write something good for them. We were almost done with all the writing. First though, I was absolutely dying to hear what Meghan Kabir and Paul Buono did with this song. There was a bit of a change to todays feel- I think Ryan came in to the studio a bit tired while I was feeling upbeat. Paul Buono and Meghan Kabir's day of recording required a lot of traveling. Let me tell you a bit about that first.
The recording day began at Helsinki South, Paul Buono's studio way out on the other side of Franklin. The plan was for Paul, Ryan, and Meghan to meet out there, watch the video, throw down some rough bass lines, drum tracks, vocals, etc. They would do most of the "song crafting" there.
Then, once they finished that up, they would drive out to Dan Needham's studio. While there, they would dump down the files and have him record the drum track. Dan is an amazing drummer and he's played on so many albums. I've said this before- guys like Dan make recording music unfair for the rest of us. He's just so good, so quick, and so consistent. He was great to work with.
After that, Ryan, Meghan, Paul, and all the files (complete with fresh new killer drum tracks) traveled over to Jerry McPherson's studio. To say Jerry is a great guitar player is understating it. There are so many great guitar players in Nashville that being great in this town is being average. Jerry somehow rises rises above even all that. He's one of the nicest most humble guys you'll meet- but man, he can play that damn guitar. He immediately took to the song with an amazing energy. His excitement really was contagious. He layered several guitars and really brought an amazing character to the track. All these things, of course, I was find out later...
Right now though, I've got a tired looking Ryan Pruitt with a rough mix of "Kill A Man." The rough cd was labeled "Killa Man" which would later provide much debate. Should this song be "Killa Man" or should it be "Kill a Man." Did they put it that way because they thought it should be that way or just in fun. I digress...
I have yet to be so excited/afraid to hear a mix. As the CD slid into the drive, Ryan looked at me and said "they made you look like a bad-ass!" I turned everything up...
My biggest fear with this song was that Meghan wouldn't be able to embrace the content. I felt very tied by that content and as a result was forced to go somewhere with this song that I wouldn't have gone to otherwise. Still, this wasn't like the other songs where that happened. This was pretty dark. I was hoping they could run with that. It only took me about 10 seconds of song to realize that Meghan wasn't scared of this song in the least. It didn't intimidate her at all- she owned it!
The song opened up with a really dark acoustic thing along with some ambient electric. Then, BANG, it immediately just kind of tears into you. The moment Meghan began singing, I was like "yes, that's perfect." The way she says "crush your heart with my own bare hands" just does it perfectly. She really seemed to get into the character of the song. She managed to add the perfect amount of disdain in her voice at all the right places.
Once we got to the chorus it just rocked. At the end of the second chorus, Meghan changed the vocal line "a wrong will have to make it right" to add a bit more drama. Just awesome.
I think my favorite part of the song came at the very end. They were doing the chorus outro and they added this "Ka - Ka - Ka -Killa Man" part. It just made the song for me. I was so proud of how this came out! To this day I can't listen to this song without remembering how much it pushed me to write it. It will always be special because of that.
Paul's production was astounding. He had so many different obstacles with all the time he was losing with travel. What a great way to watch a song being built. It's so Nashville the way the song was recorded. I just can't say enough about Paul on this one. It seemed like the moment they watched the story, they felt responsible to really do something with this song...and they truly did.
Tonight I'd be writing with Reed for Red White Blue. I was excited because I really felt like I could write something good for them. I was bringing Reed in because I thought he'd fit perfectly stylistically. Plus, this was going to be the last one I wrote. It was kind of poetic in a way- I wrote the first one with Reed, I'll write the last one with Reed.
Here's how we got Red White Blue...
Right before Next Big Nashville, I got a call from Ryan Pruitt. He said "man, we really need to try and get out to some of these shows and find some artists." I was up for it but was really busy during most of it. So I got out to as many shows as I could. Chad was checking out some bands at some of the venues I wasn't able to get to. While at the Rutledge he saw Red White Blue. He called to tell me that he thought they were great. I looked them up online and put them down as an option. I wasn't initially excited about them because I felt like we already had too many artists in similar veins. As we progressed however, they turned out to be exactly what we needed. Plus, me, Chad, and Brandon already knew one of the guys - Josh Taylor.
This is a friend of ours - Josh Taylor
We've known Josh for a while. He was in several bands that we'd cross paths with. Also, he plays guitar for Mike Logen sometimes. Josh is a really talented artist and we were excited to get a chance to work with him. We also knew Beau Burtnick. Brandon and our good friend Justin Benner spent some time on the road with him when he was touring for some artists. Red White Blue is a special band. They are those players that are as good as the studio players, but don't do that studio thing. They chart their own path. It seems like in some ways, they've all been involved in or part of projects where they felt suffocated. I really wanted to be sensitive to that and not give them something they were uncomfortable working with. They needed a producer who knew what he was doing. This was going to be tricky - who would produce them?
They already had a producer that they had worked with in the past. He really got their sound and so we tried to get him. Unfortunately, he was so booked up that he just couldn't make it work on the one day we had available. So we decided to look elsewhere...
At this stage, we already had most of our producers. I was at Arrington Vineyards talking to Lyra (our intern) about our dilemma when she suggested Mark Heimermann.
Mark Heimermann
Lyra knew Mark pretty well and thought he'd be great for the project. I was very familiar with his work. When I was in college, DC Talk's Album "Jesus Freak" was a huge deal. Mark produced that album along with about 10 other albums I listened to all the time. I loved his stuff and was a little intimidated about asking him to be in this project.
We really needed to know pretty quickly if he could be an option. I had to get in touch with him right away. Lyra gave me his cell number so I called. I got his voice mail and did my rambling best to explain the most complicated project ever in the history of projects. So after 2 minutes of rattling off incoherent info, I hung up. Mark called me back, which I missed, and told me he was in Florida on vacation with his family. I felt like an idiot for calling him on his family vacation, but I called him back anyway. He was really really cool about everything. We agreed to give it a go. I was absolutely stoked.
Back to now...
We were about to watch the stories. Going into this night I had a couple of concerns. I was nervous that Red White Blue and Mark Heimermann weren't going to be a good match. They were both SO good at what they did, but Mark is really good at recording commercial and polished albums. Red White Blue is really bare bones and unpolished. Also, Red White Blue does not do christian music. Mark Heimermann is a well known christian producer. How would this work out? I needed to make sure that "content wise," I stayed away from anything christian- that way, we'd avoid the issue all together.
With the previous thoughts in mind, we watched the stories. The one we chose simply couldn't have been more religious/spiritual in nature. It was about a woman who directed a church choir and while feeling the "holy spirit" lost her wig. Great story. Unfortunately, this put me in a place I didn't want to be.
Immediately, after watching the story, I was drawn by the storyteller's mother. She seemed to be so alive. I felt like I wanted to go in that direction. I was hoping to use the religious terminology from the story (the holy spirit in me, the choir, sitting in church, new beginnings, etc.) without making the song itself "too religious." I listened to some of the songs on Red White Blue's myspace and their song "Washed in the Blood" caught my eye. I listened to it a couple times and really paid attention to the lyrics. They didn't seem afraid to use that "terminology" so I decided to run with my idea.
Josh had told me that he'd love it if I went in a direction like their song "daylight." So, thinking in that vein, I began coming up with ideas. Reed wasn't here yet, but I wanted to get something going on it for when he arrived.
By the time Reed came in, I had a really good start on where I thought the chorus should go. About 1 minute after he sat down we were pretty much locked in. Reed's playing style added tons to the feel of the song. I loved the line "it's not something I need, it's just something I want," for a verse. We started putting the whole thing together. Honestly, this song came together very easily. We finished this and put a demo together all in about 2 hours.
After Reed left, I had a couple beers and got to hang out with the guys. I was so excited to be done writing. The rest was up to Ryan, Mark Heimermann and Red White Blue. I lay down on the same couch I'd been sleeping on since night one. As I lay there I vaguely felt a stinging concern that Red White Blue wouldn't like this one. It nagged at me that they may think I wrote them a CCM song. Still, based on the story, I was really really proud of what we came up with. Besides I knew how good Mark Heimermann was. I knew he would put together something really special. I couldn't wait to pop in to the studio the next day. Vega jumped up beside me on the couch. I fell asleep.
Screenwriter Blog #9 - Story 8/Scene 5/Sambuca - Story 9/Scene 3/Sony
For the entirety of the shoot I felt we had been very lucky with our locations. This may sound strange considering we had been kicked out of one and almost another, but that’s not what I’m talking about. We had been very fortunate to not have to deal with the bane of many a filmmaker - the public. No crowds of curious pedestrians. No police officers inquiring about permits. Nothing like that. While scouting locations, I had done my best to ensure this would be the case. I knew we would have enough to deal with without this extra burden. And, believe me, I know what I’m talking about. One of my first jobs as a PA entailed stopping regulars from entering a bar in South Boston. And then keeping them from making any fuss about it.
Sambuca was absolutely no different. In fact it was even better in some ways. Not only had Sambuca given us free reign in their restaurant, but the restaurant was actually shut down while we were shooting. We wouldn’t have to worry about keeping anyone from barging in. There was one catch, though. We had to be out by 3:00. No worries. Unlike some of the other constraints we had been put under, we knew well ahead of time what kind of schedule we were working with.
In fact, I really wasn’t worried at all today. This was primarily a dialogue driven scene, once again, with few setups. I felt really confident in Brandon and Nat’s abilities to carry the scene and I also felt really confident that, with our closed set, we would have no problems getting the shots we needed and wanted.
I felt we had some great material to work with, also. A really powerful scene. As you may have read in my previous blog, I hadn't always felt this way. I was feeling great now though.
As an addendum to the scene, we decided to include a portion where Nat and Sally could set the stage for their date. We had somewhat done so in scene 4, but felt the date still needed reinforcing. I called Sally and asked her to show up, saying she didn't need to arrive until the end of the day (I was trying to do my best to better schedule our actors' time.)
Packing up seemed very routine by now. We filled the cars one more time and drove towards Sambuca. It was my mom’s birthday today and I wasn’t sure if I would get a chance to see her. I gave her a call, wished her a happy birthday, and suggested she and my dad come to set.
We arrived at Sambuca and I went inside to find our contact, Melissa Gallagher. Luke had originally met Melissa while he was negotiating a party with Sambuca. He had discovered upon talking to Melissa that she was interested in film. He sent her my way. I spoke to Melissa and inquired if Sambuca might consider allowing us to shoot. Melissa seemed really excited about the idea and had been more than helpful in securing Sambuca as a location. Having somewhat learned my lesson, I had sent a release in advance. Upon arrival I asked Melissa about the release and was informed there might be some issues to deal with. She wasn’t sure if we would be able to use the name "Sambuca" or any of their logos. This wasn’t much of an issue for me (although I would have liked to give them some free publicity in the movie) and told her we could work with whatever. To be on the safe side, though, I decided to not shoot any footage with any reference to the name Sambuca.
Andrea soon arrived and started getting everyone into makeup. It was great having Andrea on set. Not only was she fantastic at her job, but, as I’ve mentioned before, she always brought a great amount of energy wherever she went. As she started working on the actors, we went to work setting up the shots.
Sometimes too many options are far worse than not enough. As stated, we could shoot anywhere we wanted. And that meant anywhere within the restaurant. And that meant Doug and I checked every possibility. After looking everywhere we decided to go with one of the booths downstairs. The lighting was very moody and we really liked that for this scene. Because we were primarily going to be in a stationary locale, David was able to rig up some stationary booms to supplement the lavs. You can read about his setup here.
I was feeling more and more confident as we were setting up. Today was definitely going to run smooth.
One section of the scene involved a few female fans approaching Brandon. We had cast Theresa to play one of the fans, but were still in need of another. The original plan had been to cast one of the girls from the story gathering team (they had finished gathering the night before.) We had decided to cast Jenny as a waitress. So, that left Jenn and Missy. I believe it was Jenn who initially suggested, instead, that we consider casting Max as the other fan.
Max was on the doc crew. He was, and is still, in High School and provided never a dull moment when he was around. I hadn’t really considered using guys as the fans, but was piqued by the idea. We tossed it around a little more. I thought it might be odd to have both a male and female fan. It was then suggested that we recast Theresa as Brandon’s girlfriend and cast Max and Eric Brooks, who was working as PA, as the two fans. Eric seemed more than up for it, saying he had definitely had his share of experiences with crazy fans.
Andrea quickly went to work redoing Theresa’s hair and makeup, informing me a fan would look much different than a girlfriend. I hadn’t thought about this, but she was exactly right.
As Andrea worked, I had another issue to debate. Buffalo Trace was one of sponsors. They had made few requests of us, but had asked that, when possible, we make Buffalo Trace visible (either in the short, the doc, or in real life.) Nobody had any issue with this; happy to have Buffalo Trace on board. Since we were in a bar, it had been suggested (I forget by whom) that this might be a great possibility to work Buffalo Trace in.
We had a section where Nat and Brandon ordered drinks and thought it might work to order Buffalo Trace. After further review, we realized that Nat tends to get a little drunk and belligerent in the scene and Buffalo Trace might not appreciate this. We decided instead that it might be better to have Theresa drink the Buffalo Trace. Everybody liked the idea.
We were ready to shoot. Speaking of drinks, we had to find something for Nat to drink other than the shots of whiskey he was ordering. We did some experiments and finally found the right ratio of water to coffee to make a liquid reassembling whiskey.
So, that was settled. Now we were ready to go to work. This was a great situation to be in. I felt that the actors could really focus in on the scene without having to focus on the logistics of moving for the camera. This was important. It was a very intense scene and I wanted to make sure we captured that intensity.
As we were shooting we realized we were probably going to need some extras to establish the locale a little better. We had several people on hand and decided to put them all into makeup.
We continued shooting the scene from different angles, with Nat beginning to fill up on coffee (he had 3 shots in each take) and getting a little shaky. He’s a pro, though, and worked through it. Brandon was holding his own too, and both guys were really living up to expectations.
We were also really lucky to have Erin Grovsnor on set today, working continuity. Restaurant scenes are notoriously bad for continuity, but Erin constantly made sure glasses were always filled to the same level in each shot and was also extremely nitpicky (exactly what we wanted) about everything else.
As we shot some wider shots, we thought it might be a good idea to have customers fill the booths adjacent to where we were shooting. I volunteered as an extra and wrangled Heidi in also. If I remember correctly, we had a very interesting conversation about eating duck.
We finally got all our shots in the booth and decided to get some shots of Nat entering the restaurant. For that we needed more extras. We finished everyone’s makeup and then placed them. We had been running at a pretty leisurely pace today and were actually starting to come very close to our deadline.
We instructed the extras to make lots of clinking noises and talk and look naturally. We cast my parents as extras (the parents of the two fans) also. We got our shots and then quickly moved outside.
Sally had arrived earlier in the day, not wearing what she had worn in the Encore scene. We had expected this scene to immediately take place after Nat and Sally left the Encore together. Therefore, Sally would need to be wearing the same clothes. I asked Sally if she brought these clothes and she said no. She was lying and after enough time had elapsed of me trying to figure out what we were going to do, she went and changed.
Unfortunately, the weather today was very cold, gray, and windy - almost the exact opposite of what the Encore had looked like. We couldn’t really do anything about it, though. We really needed to shoot this section and were going to have to make do with what we could. Sally and Nat decided to improv some talk about the weather as they walked. We figured, if nothing else, this would get some laughs. We set the scene up, got our shots, packed everything away, and then headed back to Luke’s.
These were the last stories. It was hard to imagine everything was almost over. It had been a whirlwind of days, with almost no time for reflection. Knowing, though, that these were the last stories, brought reflection to the forefront. Briefly,though. We still had a whole day’s worth of work to get through.
These stories had been gathered the night before at The Place - a dance club near the Encore. We started watching. The stories were okay, but nothing was really jumping out at us. We kept watching, hoping. We hadn’t been let down yet, and tonight would be know different. We found our story and, I’m not certain, but it may have been the last story we watched.
The story dealt with a lady who was leading a choir. She was wearing a wig and at one point the wig fell off. One of the deacon’s in the church rushed up and put the wig back on - backwards.
We were shooting in the Sony conference room tomorrow. We had decided ahead of time that this needed to be a Jordan scene. We decided that the basic setup of the scene would involve Jordan in a meeting with his label.
So, this is what we pulled out of the story -
A woman is leading the choir and being watched by an audience - Jordan, the star performer, is brought in by his label to review his performance.
It is reveled that the leader is not all she was thought to be - Jordan is told by his label that he is not nearly the songwriter he thinks he is. His faults are laid bare.
The woman, far from being embarrassed, continues on - Jordan, rather than cowering, accuses his label of not sending him any good songs and of playing games with him.
The woman’s wig is replaced, but placed on backwards - Jordan is reaffirmed by his label, but with a twist - if the relationship is to continue, Jordan must reconnect with his brother, the real songwriter of the pair.
With the idea of the scene in place, it practically began to write itself. It was the last piece of the puzzle and everyone felt like it fit perfectly.
BENTON BLOUNT PART II - HEARING THE SONG - THE BADDEST THAT I'VE EVER BEEN
Well, I was actually starting to feel like the end was in site. I really only had 2 more nights of writing and then I would be all done. My last 2 nights of writing had been relatively painless so I was riding a bit of momentum. That momentum aside, I woke up on this day in the most physical pain I'd been in since we began this. I'm only 33, but playing football the night before had caused me to pull my back out- I was in pretty rough shape. You know how it is, the next morning is always the worst. Plus, I spent the night sleeping on the couch with Vega squeezing in for space. So when Ryan got to the house with Benton's rough mix, I was in a state of painful anticipation. I slowly tried to sit up.
Vega- My Lab/Pit Bull Mix, makes a warm couch mate. Unfortunately, she takes up a lot of room.
Before we get to that mix though, I need to say a few things about the studio that this was recorded in. Welcome to 1979 Studios was awesome. It was in a huge factory type building - tons and tons of space. Getting this studio was completely last minute. We were in a desperate situation and Ryan totally came through with this. The guy that we really owe our thanks is Chris Mara.
Me talking to Chris Mara at the Wrap Party. Chris owns "Welcome to 1979 Studios." He is a great great guy- and his studio is AWESOME!
The day at Dark Horse Studios was difficult for Ryan. He spent all day making frantic calls to studios until he finally hooked up with "Welcome to 1979 Studios."
Chris owns Welcome to 1979 Studios. We gave him a cold call and told him what was going on. He was up for it and said "I'll see you guys tomorrow." From the moment that the guys arrived there Chris was entirely gracious and helpful. The entire day ran smoothly and it was a great experience for everyone. So if you're ever looking for a studio with some vintage flair- check this place out. I think it was very special to Noel Golden, who for the first time in years got to say "we're rolling!"
Anyway, we slid the CD into my mac. Immediately I smiled. This was the first song on the album, so it really had to come out with a bang. Noel and Benton had really sped up the song and immediately it came barreling in like a freight train. The musicianship was simply perfect. This is Nashville, so you can easily take this for granted. These were the types of musicians who tour with the big artists and play in the big studios. They know their stuff and they get it done right every time. The whole thing just sounded like a big rockin' country radio single..."Noel Golden Style!" Benton's voice was perfect for the song. He almost "attacks" a song with his voice. It's a very powerful vocal style. He added some flair to the ending which I thought was amazing. I looked at Ryan and said "7 for 7." He looked at me and said "yeah, so don't screw the last 2 up!"
MEGHAN KABIR PART I - WRITING THE SONG - KILL A MAN
Meet Meghan Kabir.
Let me begin by saying that this night, by far, was the most difficult night I had. The other nights weren't even close. It's funny in retrospect when I talk to Chad about how the nights went. It always seems like this was one of his easier nights (I assume the first or second night was his toughest). For me though, it was probably the most difficult piece of writing that I've ever done...and people were watching.
Let me tell you about Meghan Kabir.
Meghan was the last artist that we brought into the project. Technically, Mean Tambourines were the last, but that was because we lost an artist and producer last minute. So as of about 60 days before the project Meghan completed our roster. I was looking at the other 8 artists and thought "hmm, we need another female artist- and preferably someone more in the pop/rock vein." I started racking my brain and remembered this girl that my buddy Mike Logen had told me about. Her name was Meghan Kabir. I thought I recalled her being one of my myspace friends- so I looked her up. I liked her music, thought she'd be perfect and proceeded to send her a message via myspace. We talked on the phone a couple times and agreed to meet over at Edgehill Cafe.
Meghan Kabir stopped by Dan McGuinness for one of our parties. Here she is talking to Actor Nat McIntyre.
From the moment I met Meghan I immediately liked her. She's got lots of things going on and you can immediately tell that she works hard to achieve what she achieves. She's always meeting someone, going to a session, writing, etc. She's got a very special charisma. We talked about the project, I answered a few questions, and we agreed to give this a go. I was actually very anxious to write for her. I had done a couple writing sessions with artists in similar genres and had really enjoyed them. This was going to be lots of fun for me. Plus, I knew she'd be working with a good friend and producer named Paul Buono.
Producer Paul Buono.
Paul was the first producer that The Nashville 9 brought in. He has worked with Ryan Pruitt on numerous project and they are good friends. Paul spent a lot of time producing in Finland. So he really brought an interesting background to the table. He not only produced plenty of rock albums but he does lots of cool stuff like "trance" and "trip hop." We pretty much knew, before we even talked to Meghan, that Paul would be the right producer for her. We were very excited to see what they came up with together.
Anyway, back to that night...
We all sat down to watch the stories. There was a buzz in the air because we had heard these stories were pretty good. Just so you know, they were, in my opinion, the best stories that we got. As we watched I found myself thinking "I don't know which one of these to choose." The stories were taken from Bobby's Idle Hour on Music Row. I had gone in there by myself to ask if they would mind if we came in to get stories. I immediately thought that the place would be perfect.
Back when I first came to Nashville I managed a little Honkytonk Bar out in Gallatin- it was called Lucky's. I owe a great deal of my eventual love for country music to that bar. What was even more interesting though was how intriguing the patrons were. The stories they would tell were just fascinating. Regulars with names like "Bull," "Vodka Larry," "Dickens," "Bear," and "Cleve" would come in every day, order the same drinks, and tell the best tales ever told. Bobby's Idle Hour seemed exactly that place. We weren't disappointed.
Me with Laura, one of the bartenders at Lucky's.
This is Bull. One of my favorite regulars at Lucky's. He told the best stories.
We were really drawn to this story about a guy who actually killed a man who molested his 9 year old niece. The story just really stopped me in my tracks. It's one of those things that was just so engaging that I wanted to use it. It was the most "whoa" type of story, but it wasn't the best one in terms of storytelling. Brandon kept talking throughout the story to engage him further. All that aside though, I was really really hesitant because I was writing for Meghan Kabir. How would I take this dark story and its content and translate it into a song for Meghan? Where would I go with it? If it were Evanescence it would be easier- I could afford to just write a really dark song. That wasn't Meghan though. Her stuff really dances and the content isn't super heavy in that kind of way. So...I wasn't sure I should write this story.
I expressed my hesitation to the guys. The way this process was working for them was a little different. They had already written 7 scenes and they only needed to write the last 2. So they were looking for a specific theme to work with. I asked what the theme of this scene would be- Chad said "conflict." I thought "damn," this story would be perfect for them. Now please understand, I don't say that so that you think I made the great sacrifice and "took one for the team." That really wasn't the case. At the end of the day, I really wanted to know if I was good enough to make this work for her.
Immediately after we saw the stories I went into the writing room and sat down with Meghan Kabir and Paul Buono. They came by for a bit to meet with me and talk before the writing began. One of the interesting things they said was that they wanted something upbeat and dancy. They really weren't hoping to get a dark ballad. This made me sarcastically think "awesome" since that was exactly what I was planning on writing. I did my best to assure them that they would get the best song ever. Inside though, my most honest thought was "how the hell am I going to do this?"
So they left and I put on a pot of coffee. I then went in the other room while it was brewing so I could start throwing together some ideas. I started on the piano. Every single idea that I came up with was really really dark and really really balladesque. As I thought of the story, I kept falling into that realm. I'm somewhat of an emotional writer. I like to create the music first and then allow the "vibe" to dictate content. It doesn't always work that way, but it's how I like to do things. In this situation though, it was working against me. The only thing I could think of doing was write what I wanted to write and make some vague references to the story- but that felt like cheating.
Every single idea I initially came up with was some kind of piano ballad. I just couldn't get away from it.
I went in to get the coffee I brewed and it was all gone- the crew drank it all. Somewhat pissed, I drank 2 of those 5 Hour Energy drinks.
Something interesting had started to happen. The story had kind of altered the feel in the house. It seemed like there was a general "something interesting is going on" type of vibe permeating the house. I felt like I noticed more cameras than I usually did. I sat back down and started pushing through the ideas again...
It felt to me like there were more cameras than usual this night. It really added to the pressure.
The documentary crew had decided to interview me for a while. It was already about 10:30 and I had absolutely no idea where to go on this song. I sat down and started answering questions. The interview lasted about an hour and I was starting to get really jittery from all those energy drinks. Plus, I was beginning to get tired and was stressing that I had nothing yet. I began to get a bit panicky. I couldn't think, every idea sucked, my head hurt, and I was having trouble staying awake.
Again I forced myself to sit down and roll together some ideas. I brought Brandon in to help me find direction. Brandon is really good once I get something going - he really helps me hone in and finish up. Unfortunately, I wasn't far enough along for him to really help me. I had idea fragments and he would say "great, now let's go with that." It didn't work though because none of it felt right. I started getting really edgy with Brandon - this is a luxury because he doesn't take it personally. Finally, I said "man, just go to bed, I need to hash this out on my own for a while." He was cool about - he gets how I work. Before he left though he turned and said "you're gonna have to pick a direction and go with it - you can't keep going back and forth between ideas." He was right.
Brandon did the best he could to help me write this song. I just wasn't ready to be helped.
I was really starting to get edgy.
I had one idea that kept bouncing through my head. It was this line that I kept singing in my head with a certain bass line. It was "tonight I'm gonna kill a man." It seemed really dramatic and intense though...maybe too intense for Meghan. I kind of left it because I thought it was a bit too much.
Killa%20man%201.mp3 This was my initial idea for the song. Though I initially left it, I ended up building the song around this.
I started thinking about the storyteller's tattoos. I started thinking about having scars that you can't hide- kind of like a tattoo. I spent a little time on that idea and it kind of fizzled. I had nothing. So I went outside and talked to myself like an idiot, hoping the fresh air would clear my head. I started dialing Reed Pittman...then stopped. I could do this without bringing him in. We were writing on the last night anyway. Then I went ahead and dialed him anyway. He was out at a Restaurant with his family. I hung up feeling like an idiot for calling. I realized I was starting to get desperate. I went back inside and had more coffee. I started playing bass hoping for a different feel. I started feeling pretty sick. I went outside in the front yard and vomited in the grass. All that coffee and 5 Hour Energy drinks were killing me. Then I finally thought, the hell with it, lets make Meghan Kabir "kill a man" in this song. I'm just gonna go with it. She's a really tiny diminutive girl, but lets make her do it anyway. Besides, I can use it to my advantage in the song.
So, I knew what I had to do. I needed help. I couldn't stay awake- I needed interaction. So I called David Scott.
I promised early on that I'd tell you more about Dave. So here goes...
David Scott and I walking out of the Grocery Store...back in the day.
Dave and I are best friends from high school. He was the first person I ever wrote a song with and he was the best man in my wedding. Suffice to say, we're pretty tight. He and I were in a band together after college. The band was called Jordan's Wake. Maybe you've heard of it? Well...most likely not.
David Scott and I during the early days of Jordan's Wake- before Nashville. Oh, and yes, that is a fully bearded long haired Chad Morgan!
Dave is a pretty interesting guy. He speaks a bunch of languages, has lived all over the world, and he reads a ton. He, his wife and 2 kids currently live on the East Coast where he works in law enforcement. He's also spent a great deal of time as a fighting instructor in the art of Krav Maga. So anyway, beyond all that he's an amazing songwriter...and definitely "outside the box."
While we were on the phone, I gave him Meghan's myspace so he could get a feel for her music. I couldn't email him the story since the file was too big. Instead, I played it on my computer while I was connected with him on Ichat. That way he was able to at least hear the story. I told him about my idea to have Meghan "kill a man." He thought it was as good a direction as any. He told me to give him a little time to come up with some ideas. About 45 minutes later, he sent me this:
i left a man today
i left him broken left him breathless
you don't want to know the details
I don't have much left to say
but i left a man today
I 'm not one to walk away
words unspoken. i'm not speechless
you don't want to know the details
and now there's gon' be hell to pay
but i left a man today
I felt like this was a great start. Dave really liked the idea of using things that referred to killing without actually doing any killing. Things like "left him broken left him breathless." I thought these were really good ideas but I still felt like we had to just commit to the "kill a man" idea. Dave's lyrical ideas really got me thinking about the idea that she needed to be in a situation where she was a victim. That way, people wouldn't be so shocked by the "kill" stuff. We talked about it briefly.
David told me I needed to give him more melodic direction. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to plug in the lyrics. I sat and just forced myself to come up with something. Then out of the blue I came up with the melody line that we would use for the chorus. I sang it to Dave and we started working lyrics. Dave sent me back some new ideas and just like that, we had our chorus.
I'm not the kind to walk away, walk away.
Something's going down tonight.
If I'm the one to make it all go away
A wrong will have to make it right.
We loved how the storyteller, in response to Brandon asking if he felt justified, said "I'll let God sort that out." We were able to tie that in with his saying "you don't want to know the details." Together, both of those ideas were thrown into the 2nd verse:
They say the devil's in the details
God will have to sort that through.
But when both have had their say and hell is left to pay
I'm gonna have to pay my dues.
At this point we had finally found our rhythm. Dave and I had written pretty much the whole song. We sorted through some different parts and stitched up some lines. I thanked him profusely and finally hung up the phone. It was about 3:45 at this point. The house was dead quiet and everyone was in bed.
I still felt like the song needed something else...more story. I also wanted to say something about Meghan being this tiny girl, but still being able to do this thing. So I wrote this:
I'm standing in your living room.
Waiting for the moment that you come home.
I know you only see a little bittie girl
But I've got something more for you!
At this stage I was about to pass out. I started trying to sing a demo. Everything sounded terrible. I was trying to capture the vibe of what I wanted the song like, but I was struggling to do it with my acoustic guitar. My voice was shot and I kept having to do it over again. Finally, at about 5:15am I had to just take what I had. It wasn't perfect, but Meghan and Paul were professionals. They would be able to get it! I recorded a long rambling video (in 2 parts) for them and collapsed on my couch.
To summarize this night, let me say 2 things.
#1- This was the most difficult song I've ever written. For that reason, it will always be special to me. For a while, I honestly didn't think I'd make it. I was very desperate.
#2- David Scott saved my ass! I wouldn't have ever been able to write this song without him.
As I quickly drifted into sleep, I wondered what Meghan would think when she heard this. Would she be able to take this idea and run with it? What would they think when they saw the story? Would I be able to wake up when Ryan got here in 2 hours?
Screenwriter Blog #8 - Story 7/Scene 1/Painted Springs - Story 8/Scene 5/Sambuca
It was supposed to rain today. We had written the scene twice. Once for rain. And once for no rain. We really had little cause to complain. The weather had been nearly perfect for the entire shoot. I was really hoping it wouldn't rain today, though. Not because I didn't want anyone to get wet (in fact, the scene, if shot while raining, would have required Nat to get wet, very wet.) I just liked the shot list better in the "no rain" scene. It rained early in the morning, but then started to taper off. Things were good.
Yesterday's drive was long, but today's was going to be even longer. And trickier. Doug, Nat, and I had each been out to Painted Springs, but that in no way insured we could find our way back. And then there were the people who had never been out there before. About half way to Painted Springs I received a call from Andrea. She wasn't lost, she just wasn't there yet; and in surroundings like these it's better to make sure you're headed in the right direction. I tried to talk her into view of the two Longhorns at the entrance and she and her husband soon made it to set.
It wasn't raining now, but the rain had certainly left its mark. There was mud everywhere. No one was really prepared. Except for Doug. Doug had on waders. Waders that soon became the envy of everyone.
We pulled out all the equipment and started to look for a spot to set up base. This was and is a working farm and I wasn't sure that anyone here knew of our arriving. I wanted to make sure to stay out of their way, but also set us up in a position where we could get the most work done.
I was able to track someone down, explain exactly what we were doing here, and then went back to helping load things in. We had decided to set up camp right outside of some of the barn. Brandon soon arrived and we unloaded the jib.
The barn
We had a lot to shoot today. We not only had to have the brothers interact, we also had 4 flashbacks. Plus, everyone was on a different schedule. Brandon needed to be out by noon, Steve by 2:30, and Michele by 4-4:30. Plus, we really wanted to get some good jib shots today. Once again we were working in an extremely visually stimulating environment and wanted to do our best to capture it.
We decided to shoot the Brandon and Nat scenes first. I really wanted to get a shot of Nat staring out, from the loft, as Brandon arrives. I wanted their initial conversation to take place in that position; Nat looking down at Brandon and Brandon looking up at Nat. Not only did I like the way the shot looked, I really liked what it said about the brothers' relationship. Plus, we were ending the short with a shot where Nat was looking up at Brandon. I was really happy it wasn't raining. It meant we could get this shot.
We set things up, got a few jib shots, and then had Brandon start driving the truck in. We got it within a few takes and then moved on.
Set up in the morning always took us the longest. It never failed. We always took a long time to set up, but were then able to quickly roll through shots. We were working the same today, but unfortunately our schedule had changed. We still had shots to get with Brandon (who had to be out of here shortly) and we were still setting up.
We moved Nat and Brandon into the truck and started the meat of their dialogue. If I learned anything, it's that horses can be very loud. Horses really set the locale, but they're not always your best friend when shooting dialogue. We had a horse whiny, as if on cue, in almost every take.
We finally got through these shots and moved onto more jib shots. We wanted to shoot the truck arriving and leaving. We needed some establishing shots for the entire short and I was hoping we would get something out of these that would serve as such.
The jib is not the easiest thing to maneuver. We needed one person on the jib, plus someone else to carry the monitor as the jib moved (there was a glare anytime we tried to use the lcd screen.) We got it set up and started to work on the pacing. We basically had Brandon drive in (with Nat hidden in various places of the truck so as not to be seen) and then Brandon and Nat drive out. Over and over again.
It was nearing noon and we had to get Brandon out of there so he could go gather stories. We got what we needed, tore down the jib, and sent him on his way.
At about this time lunch arrived. So we broke.
As stated, this scene was very complicated. Lots of setups with lots of different actors. I felt bad. Half the day was through, and half our actors had been waiting around all morning. I tried to hurry to get things moving along.
We decided to shoot Steve's scenes next. We needed Steve to confront Nat. we decided Nat and David Wagner would be pitching horseshoes as this occurred. We would glide Steve in and then have the conversation begin.
Making sure the horseshoes were safe
Steve was great. He was always on his mark and always had his lines down. He had been a Joel recommendation and I was extremely happy.
At about this time it started to get really windy. It didn't hurt things visually (not much to see blowing,) but it was very loud. We did what we could to fix this and tried to continue shooting. Nick had really thrown himself in to helping get problems fixed (he was a big help with the jib) and this was no different. He and David worked through this problem and we continued on.
We took the scene from a few different angles. I was really happy with the interaction we were getting from Steve and Nat and I knew this was going to be great. We finally got all we needed and we released Steve.
We still had three more flashbacks to shoot and it was getting late. We decided to cut shots of Michele stealing the money (and therefore one of the flashbacks;) deciding that this could be implied.
Michele had already been in makeup with Andrea (it was great to finally get to see Andrea working on set. Both her talent and her energy had really stepped things up) and so we moved on to the first flashback.
This required Nat to be working and for Michele to be in his way. This was the third time I had worked with Michele and she had always been great. I knew I could ask her to practically do anything and she would get it done. For this scene, we basically just needed her to walk into the room and sit on some hay bales. Sounds pretty simple. But it's all about the walking and the sitting. We had to imply that she had a crush on Nat and Nat wanted nothing to do with her. All without dialogue.
The bales of hay
We moved back up to the hay loft. We decided Nat could appear to be working (it really was a good deal of work. Some of these hay bales are pretty heavy) by moving the hay bales from one pile to another. We set it up and got our shots.
We were running late and we still had one flashback to go. We had Nat and Michele change clothes and move into the apartment in the barn. We had to work fast. The sun was setting, changing our light at every minute. We crowded everyone into the room, set up two cameras, and started shooting. Once again our trusty wad of money came into play. We got what we needed and hurried Michele out of there. As we packed up, Doug went off to get some B roll.
Inside the barn
We were all packed up and ready to leave when Doug suggested we take a ride in the paddle boat (there's a paddle boat.) We said okay. It's a 4 person paddle boat and so David, Doug, Nat and I all piled in. It might be built for 4 people, but it tended to float really funny. I felt like we might sink at any moment. Anyway, we took it around the lake a bit and then returned to dry land and our cars.
The pond
I didn't know what kind of stories to expect tonight. The team had gathered at Bobby's Idle hour. I've spent some time in bars and heard a lot of stories in bars. Either you get something magical or some meanderings or a mixture of both. But you always get something colorful.
We started watching and we could tell right off we were getting some great stories. I think as a whole these were probably the best group of stories we got. They sounded lived in, practiced, and sincere. Several stories stood out. And I think the one we choose probably stood out the most. It wasn't the best story structurally (it was more Brandon asking a lot of questions than someone telling a story,) but the content was practically unlike anything we had heard in the project. I think we were all initially taken aback to think that someone would actually tell this story and that the person telling this story had actually performed these actions.
We debated on whether or not to use this story as opposed to what else we had to choose from. It fit our scene pretty well, but so did some of the other stories. Still, we thought it might be interesting to use this story. Luke seemed hesitant. This would be a hard song for him to write, especially with who he was writing for. I was a little hesitant too. I didn't want to use this story without justification and just for shock.
We had to make a decision though. We weighed everything again and decided to go with the story.
It was the story of a man who's niece had been molested. The molester was convicted and served 19 months in prison. The man telling this story waited for the molester to get out of prison and then beat him to death. He served 7 years of a life sentence.
It was pretty heavy content. This was scene 5 and we had definitely wanted conflict here. We needed John to really bring out all his issues. We were to be shooting at Sambuca, a restaurant.
So, this is what we pulled out of the story.
Some wrongdoing has been done - Jordan has "stolen" John's song.
Someone has been punished - We decided to have John be the one who was sent away; a sort of self imposed exile.
There is a trial - Some fans come up to Jordan and John while they sit at the restaurant. John starts listing and insinuating Jordan's faults.
There is waiting for revenge - It would appear as if this is the first time John has really spoken this way about this subject to Jordan. He has been holding it in for a long time.
The punishment is severe - John crucifies Jordan with his words. At one point he basically destroys Jordan (or at least how he defines himself) by accusing him of not being his brother.
There is punishment for these actions - John's exclamations make it all the more harder, and maybe even impossible, for he and Jordan to reconcile.
There is potential that a life sentence will not be served - By the end of Nat's speech he sounds more hurt than angry, this maybe paving the way for some reconciliation.
We went to work. We needed Nat and Brandon, but also fans. Nat suggested we call Theresa Meeker. It sounded like a good suggestion and she was available.
I set to writing a first draft of the scene. After getting one finished I fell asleep. Nat was also working on a draft.
I woke up the next morning and took a look at Nat's draft. I didn't like it. I felt like he wasn't really saying much and his character was mostly talking at Jordan. Nat argued for what he had written and then he performed it for me. It made all the difference. It made me see these words did mean something; especially when spoken by Nat.
We decided to use my buildup and insinuations, then use all of Nat's speech directed at Jordan, and then finish with my two last lines.
It read great. I was really happy with what we had and really upset with myself for jumping so quickly to an unwarranted conclusion. It really opened my eyes (again) to the way Nat wrote and how well he could especially write for this character.
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
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.
Screenwriter Blog #7 - Story 6/Scene 9/Dark Horse Studios
Originally, I had intended for every location to fall within (or nearly within) the limits of Nashville. As we drew closer and closer to the beginning of the shoot though, and as accessibility became more scarce, I decided to open up the field of possibilities for locations; a decision I was to find definitely had its merits.
Dark Horse Studios, until you step inside (and still not really even then), doesn’t look hardly anything like you would expect a recording studio to look like. Most studios are sunken underground and insulated by stale air and unnatural light. Dark Horse, on the contrary, looks like a resort. A place that most musicians, engineers, and producers would only find themselves if they had been unwillingly plucked from their aforementioned recording bunkers and placed there by a team of physicians, informing them if they don’t get some sunlight, they’re going to die. No seriously. Die. It’s all wood and fields and horses and amazing kitchens and tire swings. The place just absolutely looks fantastic. Compounded by the fact that I had wanted to utilize a studio as a location, this place seemed the perfect spot.
Dark Horse
Once you get there, it's hard to leave
It just so happened that Tommy, our boom operator, was interning at Dark Horse. Using this knowledge to my advantage, I talked to him about seeing what he could do to make shooting there a reality. And as it turned out he did make it a reality - again and again.
Let me explain.
Studios of this quality and demeanor usually stay fairly well booked. It just so happened, though, that no one was going to be in the studio on the day we needed it. Because of this, we were able to make arrangements to shoot - with one contingency. If anyone did book the studio, we would get bumped.
Up until Monday, no one had booked the studio. Monday was not a good day. Driving back from the Downtown Presbyterian Church, I received word from Tommy that Naomi Judd had booked the studio. We had been bumped.
Well, we had faced difficulties like this before (now we actually had a couple of days to resolve one) and so worry didn’t set in quite so fast. We did what we had to do and set to looking for another studio. Amazingly, in a town full of studios, one can be really hard to come by. We kept looking, but still had no luck. On Tuesday, though, we found out that the photo shoot had been rescheduled. We were now unbumped or debumped or something (I should probably know the correct term by now.)
This was an entirely unexpected scenario. It would now appear that not only was problem creation outside of our control, but so was problem solving. So be it.
We did our best to get everyone off on time this morning. There was absolutely no time to waste. We packed everything and everyone in and headed out. This was definitely the longest distance we had had to travel so far and I was a little worried we might lose some people. We did, but eventually they found us.
Today was going to be a good day. I was sure. The week before the project began, we were still in need of a few more studio slots. After getting the okay to shoot, I offered to talk to Tommy about also getting us in to do actual recording at Dark Horse. Once again Tommy worked it out for us and made it able so that we had a place to record, and record for 2 days nonetheless. It was going to be a good day. This would be the only time in the whole project that both facets of production would meet. We would all be in the same place.
Cast and Crew
When we first arrived at Dark Horse, I went into the main studio to see if I could find anyone. I did find a few people, but they had no idea what we were doing here. The studio is run by Robin Crow, a talented motivational speaker and guitarist (whom I’m pretty sure I saw at a concert at Concord College the night the first Gulf War started,) and manned by a slew of interns. Robin was out on tour. I spoke to a few of the interns, but they still had no idea. I mentioned Tommy’s name and they pointed me in the direction of the other studio on the property.
We walked over to the other studio. As the musicians were getting set up I talked to Tommy. It appeared we probably wouldn’t be able to use any of the facilities in the main studio. We had this studio to work with, though, but it looked like it was going to be pretty crowded (it’s a good deal smaller than the other building.)
I felt myself in kind of a predicament. I had chosen to use a studio for one of the locations and chosen to use musicians as a backdrop, but now I was feeling like there wasn’t enough room for all of us. The musicians were well into setting up and so it wasn’t as if I could ask them to make room for us. Plus, we had just learned that the 2nd day of recording here had just been bumped. There was some tension on set.
We had a few shots we really wanted to get and so I talked to Ryan about seeing how we could work that into both our schedule and music’s schedule. Ryan said he would check for me and as he was doing so I went over to check on Nat and Dominic.
Nat and Dominic were rehearsing the scene and it seemed to be going great. We had originally intended Dominic to play drums during this scene. He had brought his drums, but there really wasn’t any place for him to set them up. Brandon had arrived by now and he had decided to find a solution to the drum problem. After searching around and still finding no suitable place, he got the okay to use the drums already set up for recording.
I talked to Ryan again about getting some shots. The musicians were set up and they were just about to start recording. We cleared all the non-essentials and quickly went to work capturing the shots.
Basically, we needed Dominic to be playing drums as John overhears him. Dominic plays for a bit and then leaves. Pretty simple. Still, a tension was on set. We had to get these shots quickly so as not to hold everyone else up from everything else they had to do; making these pretty simple shots not all that simple at all.
Nat and Dominic
One thing we didn’t have to worry about was Dominic screwing up the drumming. He was a consummate performer and aced every take. We finally got what we needed, cleared the space, and the tension seemed to quickly ease up. We were now able to focus on the meat of the scene.
This scene was split into a few sections - John meets Jordan in the studio, John and Jordan step outside to talk about a song, John hears Dominic playing drums and then has a conversation with him, and John returns back inside the studio.
So that we could release him (and the rest of the Barkaszi family - they all travel everywhere together) we decided to continue shooting Dominic’s scenes first.
He was as great with the script as he was with the drums. Dominic has the ability to deliver lines with an air of wisdom that his years shouldn’t be able to comprehend; one of the primary reasons we cast him and what we really wanted to play up.
We had written in dialogue between John and Dominic concerning Cannery Row (the title we had given the song Jordan was to have stolen) and the impact it had on Dominic’s life. As we were rehearsing the scenes, Dominic kept on referring to the song as “Cannery Road.” We kind of liked the mistake and decided to keep it in, changing the title of the song.
Preparing the shot
After a few more rehearsals, we quickly got down to shooting this section. Unfortunately, we had no dry erase markers with us and were forced to use tape to mark the slate. Just one more thing I probably shouldn’t complain too much about.
As we finished this section, lunch came and we decided to break. I was feeling good. We had gotten our trickiest elements out of the way and the performances so far today were stellar. Also, I kept being reminded - all we practically had to do was turn on a camera and set it anywhere out here and we were going to get a shot that looked great. I felt good.
More prep
As we were finishing lunch, the musician’s began to break. We realized we needed to get a few more shots in the studio and we realized now was our chance to do it.
Once again, it was a pretty simple section. Jordan is preparing to record. John walks in to say hello. Musicians mill around behind. We decided to cast some members of the doc crew as musicians (the musicians were eating lunch) and I cast myself as the producer. Luke showed up on set and I decided it might be better to cast him as such. It gave him a bit of a pause. I totally feel his pain. Acting makes me a bit uptight (I was to act later on in the day - one of the most nerve wracking elements of the entire project.) It’s all about making the unnatural natural. We rolled the scene though and he was great.
Discussing the scene with Luke
We got out just as the musicians were returning. We decided to move on to the conversation John and Jordan have. I was feeling really confident about both Nat and Brandon’s performances and especially their performances when they were interacting with each other. Therefore, I had no worries this section wouldn’t get pulled off.
We had a few tricky logistics to work out (the scene starts with walking-in-conversation down steps, but comes to rest where the majority of the dialogue takes place. We worked with it, though, and got it down pat. Instead of releasing Dominic, we had asked him to stay on. We wanted to have him playing on a tire swing in the background, setting up his appearance later on. Originally we had Dominic just sit in the swing, but eventually we thought it a better idea to include Tony, Dominic’s brother, in the picture. As John and Jordan were speaking, the two brothers would be playing and then run away. We liked the comparison between the two set of brothers and the contrast of the attitudes between them.
Dominic and Tony
We worked the scene through, and even with all its logistical difficulties, were able to get what we wanted relatively quick.
Walking and Talking
In the scene
Brandon leaves
We knew we had one more section to get before we were finished - that of John going back into the studio and watching Jordan sing. To shoot this, we needed a vocal booth. There wasn’t a free one in the smaller studio and so we went over to scope out the main studio. We looked and looked, but couldn’t find anything suitable. We returned to make do with what we could in this studio.
Brandon went to work rigging up something for us, but as he was doing this the musicians finished recording vocals, freeing up the studio. We talked to Ryan about utilizing the vocal booth and after we got the okay we quickly started setting up.
We got the shots and cleared out of there. As we had been shooting, Andrea Politte, our hair/makeup artist, and her husband appeared. I had spoken to Andrea many times over the phone, but this was the first time I had met her. Within a few minutes of her being on set, I could tell she brought good energy with her and I was really looking forward to seeing her work the next day.
We packed everything up and started to make the long drive back to Luke’s.
MIKE LOGEN PART II - HEARING THE SONG - TELL ME HOW
Well, by now, if you've been reading the blogs, you know the drill. I got up early. I was really tired. I couldn't sleep with everyone everywhere. Dogs were loud. Ryan brought coffee. I couldn't wait to hear the mix. Blah blah blah. Before we get to the song though, let me tell you something interesting...
"By this point in the week we were all pretty tired- as you can see from this picture."
Every morning I would play my roughly recorded version of the song for Ryan and then we'd talk about it. Keep in mind that I wasn't recording these demos in Pro Tools. I'd open up Garageband and click record. Then using the tiny built-in mic on the laptop I'd record a live acoustic version of the song. I didn't have the time or energy to do any kind of full recording. Most people will tell you that they can hear what the song will sound like- they don't need the production or the "good recording." Just so you know, that is almost never true.
All that to say that I was nervous that Ryan Pruitt and the artists/producers would be unable to hear beyond the fact that these recordings were rough. From day one, Ryan was always like "man, this is awesome- they're going to totally dig this." He definitely seemed to be one of the few people that can hear what a song WILL sound like. This is probably due to his long history as an artist in a band.
"Thankfully, Ryan was able to hear the vision on our rough acoustic demos."
I say all that to say this: I was more excited about "Tell Me How" than I was any other song on I'd written. I KNEW it was good and I KNEW everyone would love it. I even thought the rough version I recorded with Reed Pittman was great. HOWEVER, this was the first (and only) song about which Ryan was like "eh, it's ok." He made mention of the fact he wasn't sure this was the best for direction for Mike Logen and the guys. I was like "do you need me to play it again? This is perfect!"
I mention this because I think it's funny that the one song I'm most confident about is the one song Ryan found to be least impressive. I guess that's just the way things go... Also, in Ryan's defense, I think he felt like I missed it stylistically (not that it was a bad song).
Anyway, I pushed play.
The moment I heard the beginning I thought "I love Cason Cooley." The intro was so sparse that it immediately engaged me. Mike Logen has a great voice- there's just no way around it. So the moment his vocal came in I was further on the hook. Then, my first of several great surprises. The chorus came in with really cool sounding cello- courtesy of Matt Slocum. They did a "cut chorus" into a half-time feel. Everything was sounding so cinematic. Mike and the guys changed up the bridge a bit- again I loved it.
I feel like there were two distinct directions that the Mike, Cason, and Andy could have gone in. The first, and I think the most natural, would be to make the whole thing huge on the chorus. It would have been easy to make this really commercial and dramatic- and I probably would have loved it. Still though, there is something about the way Cason resisted that urge that gives it something more special. He never left that half time feel. Somehow this song became more of a journey that you go on- which is really what that song was about. I found myself constantly wanting the song to "deliver" me, or "take me home" but it never did. Because it never did, I realized that this song accomplished something on a level beyond my expectations. I finished the song with one feeling - longing. This was really beautiful and I couldn't have been more pleased!
Mike Logen changed several lines. I'm really comfortable with Mike doing that because I've written with him so many times. Here are a couple things he changed:
LUKE: I'm just a stranger now, in a foreign land. MIKE: I'm just a stranger now, in a strange land.
LUKE: I search for black and white, under skies of gray Nothing's ever clear, I can't separate these days MIKE: I see in black and white, and I'm turning gray Days move into nights, I can't separate
LUKE: When I close my eyes, I remember that goodbye. When you made me promise I'd find my way back. MIKE: When I close my eyes, I see your guiding light. I made a promise, I'd find my way back. DENITIA O'DIGIE - PART I - WRITING THE SONG
"Kenny Meeks and Denitia O'Digie."
Stories for this night had come from The Boys and Girls Club. We had been excited about this because we were hoping to benefit these guys from the project. We had an opportunity to go in and meet everyone. I think we all were moved by the dedication of everyone working there. We decided to use a story told by the director- Jeff.
"We had a chance to visit The Boys and Girls Club before The Nashville 9. We all had a great time hanging out with the kids so we were excited to hear what stories they told!"
Tonight was going to interesting. I would be writing WITH Mike Logen. He would be leaving the recording session and coming straight to my house to start working on the song for Denitia. In some ways this seems like it could be a scheduling nightmare. Truthfully though, I had planned this on purpose- I didn't know how tired I'd be by this point in the project. Therefore, I knew that Mike could help carry me if I was exhausted.
"I was really looking forward to getting to actually WRITE with Mike. I had just written a song for him. He came straight from the studio to the writing."
Before we began, Denitia came by with Kenny Meeks. She was going to spend a little time talking about her music and would even play us a song. As it happens, she actually sang 2 songs. When she finished and finally left, one of the doc guys put down his camera and said "whoa, I think I love her." She really is amazing to hear perform. After the 2 songs, we all talked about their approach to the song and then they headed out.
"Denitia O'Digie sharing her Nashville 9 experience with the guys from The Champion and His Burning Flame."
Like so many Nashville artists, she's someone that you probably see all around town and never know who or how talented she is. I would see her about twice a week when I would come in for coffee at the Frothy Monkey. She actually worked there. We'd talk every now and then about her music. I knew she was good because people were always talking about her. One night though, I had the chance to go see her at The Basement. She was so amazing! With Denitia, it's a combination of her voice and her performance. There is something about the way she performs the song that pulls you in and refuses to release. You actually experience her music. When you watch her sing, it's very intimate- she's able to make you feel like you're the only person in the room.
We had a couple producers lined up. Unfortunately, the first thing producers ask when you ask them to do the project is- "what other producers are going to be involved?" If you're able to throw out some well known producers, people are more inclined to want to get involved. No one wants to be the first to get on board.
I had heard of Kenny, but didn't know him. Doug Brumley, the director of photography, actually knew Kenny pretty well and suggested we meet him. So Doug, Graham (doug's son), me, and Kenny met at...you guessed it- The Frothy Monkey. I began explaining the project and he immediately got it. You just can't understand how special that was in light of how hard it was to adequately explain the project. He was like "I'm in and I love the idea." Then he suggested some good producers and we agreed to talk later.
"Me, with Producer Kenny Meeks and Director of Photography Doug Brumley."
Here's what I've learned since then. Everyone knows and likes Kenny! He was like our "gateway producer." Once he came on board, everything just fell into place. He came to several of our events and was always a great time. So we were thrilled to have him with us. He is an exceptional guitar player and we were really excited to hear what he would do with Denitia.
"Kenny with Michael Logen and Johnny Lang. We always laugh because Kenny knows everyone!"
Mike Logen got back to my house at about 9pm. We got right to it.
There were certain elements of the story that we immediately focused on. We liked the idea that this guy kept trying to leave but was continually pulled back in. We began approaching the idea relationally. Maybe this person is constantly pulled back into a relationship he or she is trying to get away from. We ran with that a bit and then decided to switch angles.
Maybe this girl should be seeing this person come in and just KNOW IMMEDIATELY that that person is going to be hers. We actually thought to make her a bit intense. We liked the line "go ahead and try to walk away." This person almost has no choice about being pulled in to this relationship. We tied in to the kid in the story that only had half an arm with the following line: "I saw you first, standing in line, holding your heart in a sling." We liked this direction and kept the song in 6/8 time. We finished the song in about 2 hours and recorded a quick demo.
Screenwriter Blog #6 - Story 5/Scene 4/Encore - Story 6/Scene 9/Dark Horse Studios
It was hot this morning. And that only meant it was going to get hotter. While planning for this project we knew weather might be a concern. But not hot weather. Shooting in November shouldn’t have been an ideal situation. I expected it to be somewhat cold and rainy everyday (like it was the week after the project finished,) but weather had actually been near perfect for the entirety of the shoot. We were complaining about it being hot and sunny today. Not something I ever expected to be an issue.
We had started a new trend. Most of the actors and crew either met at Luke’s house or on set, taking my house pretty much out of the loop. Still, my parents brought breakfast and my sister to Luke’s every morning.
We needed very few props for this scene. Originally, we had contemplated bringing the jib (Brandon and I had discussed plans of disguising ourselves and the jib so that we might bring it into the Encore and then up seven stories to the balcony,) formulating grand shots in which the camera would swing out over the railing of the balcony. We decided to forego this and save these great shots for some other day. Brandon wasn’t in this scene (he had stories to gather) and time and logistics of shooting didn’t really make the situation optimal.
As a whole we were pretty familiar with shooting at the Encore. Jenny lives in the building (hence our ability to utilize it) and we had all been there to visit several times. Plus, a large portion of our entry in the 48 hour film project had been set there.
We had four actors in the scene today. Our largest speaking ensemble yet. Still, I felt pretty confident. We were working with Nat and Sally, already veterans to the process, and also adding in Cara and Benton, both of whose abilities I felt really comfortable with.
Nat and my sister headed over to the Encore. This was a dialogue heavy scene and we needed to get the actors working right away. They would rehearse in Jenny’s condo, while everyone else set up upstairs. We had done some last minute fine tuning of the script, but it was now ready to go.
Although we had a lot to shoot (more dialogue than movement,) we were feeling pretty confident, rested, and relaxed after yesterday’s shoot. I was really hoping today would go the same, and already treating it as such. Although the actors had gone on, we were making a pretty laid back attempt to get the equipment packed and moved out.
We did finally leave and soon arrived at the Encore. The Encore is a pretty secure building. So, getting everybody and everything in and out always requires a bit of manoeuvering. There are pass codes, and concierges that have to make phone calls, and elevators that will take you to only the top floor and the bottom floor unless you know what you’re doing. Good for the residents, but not always the easiest for non-residents. We started loading in (some through the front door, some through the back door) and started making our way up to the seventh floor balcony (stopping off periodically to check in on Nat and the rest of the actors on the 2nd floor.)
Primarily because of its skyline view, we had chosen to use this building and its balcony. It was kind of an odd location for us. We didn’t write the scene to be set at a condominium. We wrote it to be set at a place where the audience could get a nice mid-level, or eye-level (as we would reference it in the script) view of Nashville. In this sense, the backdrop was really the location we were writing for today. It was what we wanted the audience to see and reference in regard to what we were writing.
We faced some problems right away. The scene was a meeting. We quickly found a table and chairs that provided a very good setup. Not a problem. The problem, though, was lighting. It was very sunny (hence the heat) and that meant a lot of light and a lot of shadows to contend with. We tried to manoeuvre our table to the best possible position, but the sun was already overhead and moving; moving our best possible situation with every minute, creating ungodly shadows and blinding key light where once there had been none. This meant that not only was getting one set up going to be difficult, but continuity between takes might be a beast.
We did what we could and made the best of it. As we were setting up, I was greeted from a member of the Encore board. After the greeting, I was informed that a large party had been scheduled on this balcony for this afternoon. And that they would need to start setting up at 12:30. Meaning we would need to have vacated the premises by 12:30. Jenny had acquired and arranged the details for this shoot and therefore I knew it had been handled thoroughly. I knew this party wasn’t supposed to be happening, but if I had learned anything, it was to not argue with locations. Always a waste of time. Better to just say “Fine. Whatever.”
Jenny and Nat
I hurried down to the 2nd floor (once again,not the easiest thing to do. You have to get into the elevator - which requires a pass code - then walk through the garage to a door that requires a pass code. Going from the 2nd floor to the 7th floor is even trickier.) So, I frustratedly made my way to the actors, informed them of the situation, and then brought them upstairs.
We had need for few props in this scene; a couple of folders and a briefcase for the meeting. We gathered what we could and got the actors up and in place. We had dealt with multiple actors, but only with few speaking roles. All 4 actors had lines of dialogue interwoven today. Our sound quality and equipment were always good. The only problem we ever faced was that we just didn’t have enough of it. Even though we always had 2 lavs and a boom on hand, with the time we had to shoot today that just wasn’t going to cut it. The shots we were setting up required the actors to run the entirety of the scene every take. And that meant everyone had to be mic’d every time. We knew where we could find extra sound, but that was a touchy situation. Since we were being filmed for a documentary, Nat and I were almost always lav'd. We approached the doc crew (a debatable move if we wanted to get a separation in place - but really we had broken that barrier way before this) and asked to use their lavs. They were amenable to it. Still, though we only had 4 inputs we could implement and one of those needed to be boom. We decided not to lav Benton, but rather make sure the boom captured him every time he spoke a line.
We finally got all this worked out. It was now nearing 11. The sun was moving. We knew we had to start shooting. So, we positioned as best we could and started rolling.
The actors were absolutely no problem at all. In fact they were dynamic. Both Cara and Benton lived up to and surpassed my expectations. Both were extremely natural (as were Nat and Sally) and I felt this scene captured some fantastic performances.
As I said, we pretty much needed to run the entire scene for each setup. The scene ran about 3 to 3 1/2 minutes long (which doesn’t seem very long, but actually really is when a deadline is looming, we need to do various takes for any number of reasons, and each setup is a battle with the sun.) And not to mention the construction. Oh yes, there was construction. All around. And sound picked it all up. And of course it was never consistent.
I was fearing we were going to have these great performances screwed up by everything external to them. But worrying wouldn’t solve anything and so we kept shooting, making adjustments the best we could.
We shot all the dialogue at the table (the majority of the scene) and then quickly rearranged to pick up a conversation Nat and Benton have near the railing. We moved to glide cam and quickly got it shot. We were running out of time. Luckily we had only one aspect left to shoot.
As part of this scene, we had decided to have Sally bring the devil kitten box to the meeting and then offer it to John. John, appreciating the gift, but yet still showing disdain for his brother, would take the box and kick it off the building.
This was definitely going to be a one take.
We set up one camera on the balcony to get the kick and another in the parking lot to pick up the box falling. We shot it and got out of there quickly.
We had vacated by 12:30, but still wanted to do some establishing shots. We glided Nat walking into the building and then just glided him walking near the Encore. As the first lines of the scene referenced John being late, I wanted to show him taking his time getting to the meeting. Plus, I really wanted to get a shot of John walking by the Willie Nelson mural. We got all these shots by 1:15 or 1:30 and then headed back to Luke’s to eat lunch (some great chicken salad sandwiches, which I ate on habitually for the rest of the Nashville 9) made by Ryan’s mother.
So, we were shut down early, still had gotten all our shots, and made little fuss about it. I’m not sure if that was a testament to our professionalism or our willingness to just lay down and take it. Maybe they’re the same thing. Anyway, it really was a blessing in disguise. I relaxingly headed back to Luke’s, ate lunch, and then took a long nap.
Favorite misplaced object that could have destroyed a relationship #1 - As we were scrounging for props, Nat took a briefcase (he found in a cabinet at Jenny’s) and gave it to Cara to use. In the heat of loading out, that briefcase didn’t make it back to Jenny’s, but rather went with Nat, eventually found it’s way into my car, and eventually into my house. In mid December I would receive a freaked out call from Nat and a text from Jenny (as would many other members of the Nashville 9) looking for said briefcase. If you’re wondering, the briefcase contained Jenny’s mortgage, along with several other important documents.
Favorite misplaced object that could have destroyed a relationship #2 - At one point in the day I was charged with carrying the glide cam case (Joel owned the glide cam and was gracious enough to allow us to use it.) At one point in the day I set it down on the sidewalk and then went inside to get another shot. At one point in the night we realized it was missing. We called the Encore. It wasn’t there. Doug swung by to scour the streets, but still no luck. Luckily there wasn’t much lost. Just the case and some washers.
Favorite misplaced object that could have destroyed a relationship #3 - And a battery on loan from TVC. Doug had worked very hard to acquire sponsorship from TVC. They had loaned us lights and batteries, two indispensable items on a shoot. Well, I lost a battery (and they aren’t cheap either.) Doug explained the situation to TVC and they were pretty understanding (we still had to buy them a battery, though.)
TVC's Banner
I woke up and went in to watch stories. These stories had only been gathered hours before and had been shot at the Boys and Girls club. We were all excited. The B & G club was a partner of ours. We had gone to visit them a few weeks before and found that just about everyone in there had some sort of interesting story to tell.
We started watching and we weren’t let down. There were some funny stories and some sad stories, but the one we chose was a very inspiring story, told by the director of the Vine Hill club.
The story detailed how he came to be director of the club. Originally he had went to the club attempting to find day care for his son. While he was there he ran into a boy who was shooting basketball. The boy passed him the basketball and Jeff, the club director, shot it one-handed because he had broken his arm previously. The boy told Jeff that he shot basketball like he did and Jeff then realized the boy only had half of one arm. The boy tried to wrangle Jeff into playing some foosball with him. But Jeff, who needed to go look for a job, tried to excuse himself. The boy was relentless and he and Jeff went to play foosball. Joey, the boy, afterward explained to Jeff that the baseball team wouldn't let him join. Jeff, who was still trying to excuse himself so he could go find a job, went and talked to the team; paving the way for Joey to play with them. Jeff returned day after day, instead of finding a job, to spend time with Joey. Eventually he got a job at the club and has remained there to this day (about 15 years later.) He lost touch with Joey, but is currently trying to find out where he is.
This was a great story for us in many ways. It was inspiring. It was surprising. And the story kept on going even after it had ended. We were shooting at Dark Horse studios and this was scene 9. We had yet to decide how we wanted to end our story. In scene 8 we had paved the way for a reconciliation, but not yet healed all the wounds. There was still a chance things would not end well, but we wanted John to at least make an attempt, though. So, we did want him to go to the studio. And we thought there still should be, if not conflict, uneasiness.
This is what we took from the story -
A man, by necessity, goes to a place to help someone – John, after being asked by Jordan, feels that he should do him the favor of showing up at the studio.
That man is thrown for a loop when he runs into a young boy at this place – John encounters Dominic, whom he hears playing drums.
The boy is left out of the situation, made to feel unwanted – Dominic is reprimanded for playing on drums that weren’t his.
The man tries to rectify the situation – John stands up for Dominic and tells the one reprimanding to leave the kid alone.
The man doesn’t realize that what he’s looking for is right here – Jordan offers John a job, but John continuously refuses.
The boy helps the man to rectify his own situation (that of needing a job and also of maybe not understanding the job he is looking for is right here) – As John defends Dominic, a spontaneous kid who lives in the moment, he begins to realize he could very well be defending Jordan from someone like himself. John begins to have second thoughts about the barriers he has created between he and his brother.
The man makes some attempts to put the boy in a better situation – Jordan who is happy that John even came out, tries to push his luck, by asking John to help him with a specific song. John does, but is very matter of fact and does only as much as he is asked.
The man tries to get out of the situation with a valid excuse – John tries to break off his meeting with Jordan by telling him he (truthfully) needs to go get a job and that he can’t really help him anymore.
The boy thanks the man – Dominic tells John how much of a fan he is of Jordan and of the song, not knowing John wrote it, “Cannery Road.” The reasons Dominic gives are ones that make John rethink his position on writing and his position on allowing others to hear what has been written. He starts to realize that maybe Jordan did him a favor.
The man, upon further reflection, stayed on at the place – John returns to the studio after Jordan has left.
The man searches for the boy who has yet to be found – The story remains open ended as John goes back inside to look for Jordan. Jordan doesn’t realize he has returned.
As with previous nights, scene ideas and writing seemed to be coming easier and easier. We were getting great stories and I think we were learning how to use their elements better. Plus, everything just seemed to be falling into place. We were getting exactly the material we would have liked.
We knew that once again this would be a John and Jordan scene. It was the last scene. I think we wanted to present enough resolution to show that the characters had moved in one direction or another, but we didn’t want to resolve everything. We thought that would be way too easy and far too unbelievable.
Since both film and music were going to be at the same studio the next day, I was hoping we might be able to utilize the musicians, or at least their gear. We wanted to set up enough of a valid backdrop without getting in anyone’s way. Therefore we didn’t write any lines of dialogue for musicians. We just wrote them as extras, needing it only to appear that we were at a working studio.
This story worked out great for us also because we had really wanted to use any or all of the members of the Barkaszi family, a family of actors who had recently auditioned for us. Due to the nature of casting for this project we had no idea if this would be a possibility. We took a look at the story and the location and realized Dominic Barkaszi would be perfect for the role of the young boy (he also plays drums.)
So, as we continued writing, Nat called Mary, Dominic’s mother, and I asked if we could cast Dominic in the role. She thought it would be great. So, that was settled. Brandon left to go gather more stories while Nat and I remained to put the finishing touches on the scene.
There were a lot of reasons that I wanted to start this day strong. First of all, there was a lot of buzz floating around about the Kindercastle song. People were whispering in quiet corners saying things like "i heard this song was ridiculous!" I wasn't sure what all that meant, so I was anxious to hear it. Also, I would be writing for Mike Logen, and I had a personal stake in that (more on that later). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it was HUMP DAY! Even though I can't stand that phrase, I'm going to go ahead and use it anyway. This day was the halfway point of the project. When I finished writing this song, I would have the worst behind me...or so I thought.
I woke up right at about 8am. I was dead tired from the session the night before and had done my best to try to catch at least 5 hours. When I finally pulled myself up on the couch, the house was again packed with people. A certain pattern had clearly emerged...and not one I was loving. At about 6am, people started streaming into the house. No matter how deep you sleep, you can't really manage any "Z's" once people start coming in. I know you probably think "oh, I could sleep through anything." But all you need to do is ask ONE person who came to my house how loud and how much my dog Vega barks! They'll get my back on this. You can't sleep through it!
"You have no idea how loud this dog barks!"
So in comes Ryan with 2 coffees and 1 CD that reads "Kinder mix." I can't wait to hear it. Ryan said their inspiration was to start "gospel" and end "new orleans." I didn't know what that meant, but it only added to the anticipation. In the CD went...
"I couldn't wait what these guys did with the song!"
There was no intro. Vocals immediately came in with the line "sophisticated methods of a higher call..." If you haven't heard Cody's voice, you just can't understand. It always surprises you! It's almost like you need a minute to ask yourself how you feel about it, only to end up the same conclusion every time- you love it. Check out their song Violet for reference.
So right from the beginning they played it pretty straight UNTIL about 30 seconds in. As soon as you hit the pre-chorus you hear the synths start weaving their way into the framework of the song. It's amazing to me how much stuff they can put into a song without it ever sounding too crowded. The guitar licks were always welcomed when they came in; the bass was perfectly tasteful.
After the second chorus, they guys really start pouring on the effects. You start hearing synth sounds from all over the place. And just when you think that's over, the kick drum kind of distorts and WHOA...we're in New Orleans.
"Hanging out in Bookhouse Studios with Mark Nash and Kindercastle."
The guys completely change the feel and totally take the song to a different place. They conceptually mimicked the story line. Just as the wall split the church, so they split the song. The 2 styles seemed to recall the 2 separate sides of the Church. This song was so much more than I ever thought I'd get. More importantly, Steve Savage (and Chad Morgan) were dead on. This song was perfect for Kindercastle. They just took it and ran!
During the little amount of time I was there, I got to watch Mark Nash work. I was so impressed with the way he understood the artist and really pulled the best out of them. They were all so excited about the day. It was like watching kids in a candy store. There was an energy about this day that wasn't always exhibited in the other studios. Mark Nash is a great producer and one I would definitely use on a project. We really appreciate his a part of this.
Allow me to remind you that every day, I would pop in to the studio for about 15 minutes or so. I didn't want to get in the way of what was going on, so I got there early enough so I'd still be surprised later by the final. Check out this video- Ryan Pruitt had a surprise for me when I started rolling my Flip Camera.
MICHAEL LOGEN PART I - WRITING THE SONG - TELL ME HOW
"Mike Logen playing at The Boys and Girls Club Duck Race."
Ahh...Michael Logen. Where do I start with him? Actually, let's get to him in a moment.
First...
As the project progressed, we all began to learn things. When we were planning the Nashville 9, most everything we set up we hoped would work. Really though, no matter how much we did tests, you couldn't really plan for what would come up during the actual project. So you kind of had to roll with the changes.
"This is me, Nat, Doug and Chad nearly 2 years ago. These were the early planning stages of what was then The Nashville 12. At that point, everything was a guessing game- we didn't know how things would really play out."
One big thing for me was cowriting. I'm someone does write alone quite a bit...and I can even write a song quickly when I'm alone. Before we started, I was only planning on 4 cowrites. As we got into the project however, I was beginning to realize that I just couldn't do the songs justice by myself. The pace was too intense and you just get too tired. You need the energy of the other person; the feedback. As a result, every Nashville 9 song was a cowrite.
Real Quickly, we've got to talk about Cason Cooley and Andy Hunt.
A little while before the project began I was trying to find the right Producer for Michael Logen. I had kind of run out of options and had everyone else lined up (though not finalized). Once we knew Mark Nash would be working with Kindercastle, I only needed to find the right person for Mike. So I called my friend Alice.
Once I started writing for Weimerhymes, Jeremy Lee told me I would be working with someone named Alice. She would help with "administrative" stuff for the Publishing company. Let me just say this- Alice is awesome...and to say she does "administrative stuff" significantly downplays everything she does. Anyway, I called her up and asked if she had any suggestions. She said "let me talk to my friend Cason." I said "sweet!" A day or two later, Alice called me and said "Cason told me to give you his number to talk about everything." I immediately called him (which happened to be about 5 minutes after he had talked to Alice- clearly I was sounding desperate) and unloaded on him about the Nashville 9. We agreed to get back in touch.
Just so you know, I looked up Cason's stuff and immediately loved what he did. I really felt like he'd be perfect for Mike. He really gets that acoustic vibey kind of artist. As a side note, he's one of those guys that you like immediately when you meet him as well. He's a really quiet, humble, easy going guy- exactly the kind of producer you can put some faith in. You know he's thinking about what's best for you and the song...sort of a quiet assurance.
We talked a couple days later and he told me he was in. I set him up with Mike Logen and they both talked beforehand. Oh yeah, Cason wanted to work with a guy named Andy Hunt.
Andy Hunt is in my opinion, one of the unsung heroes of The Nashville 9 project. Every producer did 1 song- some of them even mixed it. Andy however, produced and/or engineered 2 songs (Tell Me How & Matter of Time) and then mixed 3 (Tell Me How, Can't Not Dance, and Matter of Time). I can't really put a value on the work any of these guys did- but with Andy, I know I need to at least take him out for some drinks. He went above and beyond the call of duty and I can't say thank you enough. If you're in the market for a mix- I'd definitely head his way. He's damn good!
I knew I was writing for Mike Logen and I needed someone on the fly who would work for him stylistically. Reed Pittman was perfect. Reed and I work together a great deal and I'm very comfortable writing with him. He also had done really well on the 1st song - Monday After Easter. So he was planning to come by around 8pm (hopefully without the Elton John Costume).
"Reed Pittman - performing without the Elton John Costume."
So back to Michael Logen. When we first started working on this project I knew I'd want to use Mike as either an Artist or a writer. As it happens, we used him for both. Here's some quick back story on Mike...
About 4 years ago I decided (at my wife's prompting) that I should see what I would need to do if I wanted to be a songwriter. I really hadn't written much of anything beyond band stuff- plus, I knew Nashville already a couple aspiring writers. Who needs another one? So, I really didn't know where to start. Brandon (as in Utility Man Brandon) suggested I meet with his friend, and old college roommate, Mike Logen. He had just signed a deal with Combustion Music and may be willing to talk to me.
"Members of The Nashville 9 hanging out at The Duck Race. Me, far right talking to Mike Logen. Brandon, who introduced us, hanging out directly below."
So I called Mike and we met at S.A.T.C.O. I don't honestly remember what we talked about or what advice he gave me. I only remember that I really liked him and that we saw Sandi Patti hanging out having lunch. Then, he and I sat in his car and I listened to a song he wrote called "Haven't Always Been Alone."
I didn't ask him to write. It would still be almost 2 years before I did that. That's a tricky thing with writers. Most good and established writers absolutely hate the question "hey man, do you want to write together." You can't just write with everybody and when you start writing professionally you need to be more selective- it's just how stuff works. I didn't want to put him in a position where he'd feel obligated, so I waited until I signed with Weimerhymes and called to see if we could set up a session. He was cool with it (though truthfully he would have done it earlier if I asked) and we met at Combustion to write. During our first cowrite, we wrote a song called "Get up and Dance." Since then we've became good friends and write together often.
"Mike Logen being interviewed by the 'Nashville Ninetern' Lyra Smith."
Most fans of Mike's music would be familiar with his song Mystery. If you haven't heard that song then you need to click on the previous link and hear it. Mike's an amazing songwriter and no less amazing as an artist. I tell you all of this stuff not only to give background, but also because I want you to understand how special it was for me to write for him. Personally, I put more pressure on myself to write a good song for Mike than I did for any other artist...that's just honest. Writing for him was in many ways like writing for myself. Stylistically as an artist, he would be who I am closest to. This had to not only be good , but it had to be something I would perform as an artist.
So in comes Reed Pittman and we start thinking about the song. I had already written the intro and verse music on the piano just before Reed got there - so we were ahead of the game. We briefly discussed the story together. The thing that really moved us about the song is the idea that this person is far away from everything he knows and loves. He is in a place he feels he needs to be, but is beginning to question the reasons he went there in the first place. So we wanted to paint a picture about this guy who wants so badly to find his way back to the one he loves. So we incorporated the idea of "seeing the sign" and being a "stranger in a strange land."
Reed and I kept playing the verses and were really liking them, but didn't know where to go in the chorus. I told Reed, as I often do when I write, to just keep looping stuff and let me sing until something sticks. While he was looping, he put some chords together that I loved. He had sung some melody that I wanted to run with. I put down the coffee filter, ran in and was like "yes, keep playing that." After we locked in chords and melody, the lyrics came right away. We loved it so much that we were afraid this was someone else's song.
tellmehow_clip.mp3 "Here's a portion of the pre-chorus and chorus Reed and I came up with immediately after we wrote it. We sang it into Garageband on my laptop."
The rest came really quickly and we both loved it. At that point (and even still now) this was my favorite song that I wrote during the project. More than any other song, I felt like I could perform this one as an artist. I just hoped that Mike Logen, Cason Cooley and Andy Hunt would feel the same... "This was the video we gave to Mike Logen, Cason Cooley, and Andy Hunt."
