Month: July 2011

Fund:it funders – you’ve got mail.

If you were one of the wonderful people who contributed to my album recording fundraising project on fund:it, then you should have received an initial email from me this evening about your reward. If you didn’t get any email, please do check your junk mail or spam folders, as some pledgers got in touch to let me know that their email was in their spam mail, whereas others got the mail no bother.

I guess it depends on just how strict your spam filters are. But, do take a look, just in case, and let me know if you didn’t get an email at all if you should have gotten one. It’s just a quick update letting you know that I’m back in the studio, and giving you a rough idea of what needs to be done before you can get whatever reward it is you went for.

Studio Days: week 4

I was back in the studio this week, finishing off all my piano and vocal tracking for the most part. Managed to get everything done that I had planned, and even have some extra time at the end of the session to knock out some bonus live takes in the studio. They actually turned out better than I expected, and I was listening back to everything last night. The only things missing in the ref tracks I was listening to were the extra backing vocals and one piano retake that I did on one song, but that’s not majorly important for me to get a sense of how the record is shaping up at the moment.

the lovely studio piano

Next up I have a drummer, bass player, and a cellist scheduled to come in, as well as some more vocalists, including my wonderful fund:it backing singers. It is at the point where I can see the end of the tracking in sight, and I’m busy planning the mixing and mastering stages. It’s a major change from a month ago when I was running the fund:it campaign, and unsure of whether it would be successful, and unsure of whether I would be able to afford to finish off the recording this year, let alone this summer.

the studio piano set up for a live takethe studio piano in a live set up


The engineer working away.the studio piano and the vocal mic, a portrait

Game Of Thrones theme tune

I got completely hooked on Game Of Thrones, and I really have to say that I love the theme music for it.

There’s a slew of wonderful covers of it doing the rounds on youtube these days, but this one is perhaps my favourite:

It’s such a beautiful melody.

Studio Days: next round of studio time booked

Confirmed my next few days back in Charthouse Studios now that my Fund:it campaign was successful. It’s a bit of a relief to know that I can afford to go back in and get back to work on the track that I’ve been recording. I got a bit distracted this past month by working on the funding campaign, and trying to get it off the ground and get the money raised that would facilitate going back into the studio.

Interestingly, I’ve already had a few chats with people I know about the campaign, how I ran it, and what tips or advice I would give people about how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign. It’s something I might come back to and post about when I get a full breakdown of the pledges, but for now I’m happy just to know that I crossed the line and that there is a base of support out there that are willing to help get involved even on a small scale to enable me to finish off the work I’ve been doing on this album.

The next round of days in the studio should finish off all my piano and vocal tracks, and then the following time will be dedicated to any other players or singers I’m bringing in on the tracks. I’ve a plan formed for the studio time, which I will probably adapt slightly as I go along, but I have tended to be overly prepared in advance of any time in the studio, as I know all too well just how costly it is, and how well you gotta manage your time when you’re working on a tight budget.

As it is, I can’t wait to get back at it. I’ve been really enjoying working in the studio, and I’m already making plans for what I want to do studio-wise after this project. But for now, the focus is on finishing the album and getting it out for people to hear.

Inspiration: Sinéad O’Connor

For a long time, all I really knew of Sinéad O’Connor was her famous cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U”, and little bits of other songs I heard on the radio. But one of my brothers gave me a present of her Best Of cd when I was a teenager, and I was blown away by just how good she is.

Her debut album is a powerful record, and she has always been an arresting live performer. Even when wearing boots and a unitard.

There was a conversation on a forum recently about what songs from Sinéad O’Connor would make a great introduction to her work, and most of my own choices were from her pre-2001 output, as I didn’t really enjoy Sean Nós Nua / Theology etc. But, I’ve liked what I’ve heard from the new material that is being recorded at the moment.

However, this song is one of those that seems to appear on many “best of Sinéad” lists, and she absolutely nails it live:

Her voice is simply astonishing. She is one of those singers who you argue could sing anything and sell it.

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