12.27 -- Drums @ Gabe's Basement
12.28 -- Bass (Chuck) @ Gabe's Basement
12.28-12.31 -- Guitars @ Gabe's Basement
01.08-01.10 -- Bass (Chuck) @ Gabe's Basement
01.11-01.12 -- Guitars @ Gabe's Basement
01.13-01.14 -- Acoustic Guitars @ Gabe's Basement
01.15 -- Guitars & Piano @ Gabe's Basement
01.16 -- Bass (Gabe) @ Gabe's Basement
01.17-01.18 -- Acoustic, Bass, Vox @ Gabe's Basement
01.19-01.20 -- Vocals @ Gabe's Basement
03.12-03.15 -- Vocals (Gabe & Tracy) @ Gabe's Basement
04.11 -- field recording for SP @ Park St Station, Boston
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Aside from the chronological fact that this was not, in fact, where it all began... this WAS where it all began. By far the most ambitious project young Lowfive had ever embarked upon, and probably the most important step the band ever made, in any incarnation. This was the first opportunity we had to really sit around and create an album, experiment, and do things the right way. Granted, we were all very inexperienced at this still, but this is the month that really taught us all about it.
Things all got underway 2 days after Christmas 2001. We had allotted our entire winter break to recording an EP of new material to help wash the taste of Demolicious out of our mouths (although we were happy with it at the end of the week we spent working on it, we eventually realized we were wrong!). This time we tried to avoid any time crunches by borrowing as little gear possible from anybody, therefore letting us work at our own pace. I had increased my gear for this project, adding a mixer, 6 more dynamic mics, and some real multitrack recording software. We set up our little project studio in the basement of Gabe's house, pretty much taking it over for the month.
The 2 weeks were pretty smooth and uneventful; basically we just were getting a feel for our setup and laying down the basic tracks. Drums were knocked out on the first day (somehow we managed to do this without any real mic stands... Gabe made some out of firewood), as we were still only able to record a stereo mix of drums. Next, we laid down some rhythm guitar and some of Chuck's bass. I believe we borrowed a mic or two and maybe a stand or two to do drums, so after the first few days, we had no reason to rush.
Chuck and Matt had to head back to school for an intersession seminar or some crap, so we tried to get all of Chuck's bass tracks done before he left. We did a pretty good job, although we weren't totally successful. There was a good reason too: three or four of the 9 tracks that eventually made it to the album were brand new songs! After Chuck left, and we agreed to have Gabe finalize all of the remaining bass tracks, we set to work on the most fruitful part of the project.
For the next 2 weeks it was just Gabe and I working almost all day reviewing tracks, adding layers, and trying new ideas. What started as a guitar-bass-drums trio ended up producing a full 5+ person rock album; dual guitars, acoustics, piano. Although it would have been great to have the entire band with us for the whole month, i think that in this case it might have kept us on task, which would have been ultimately detrimental to the process! Needless to say, Matt and Chuck were surprised and excited when they heard some of the stuff we were churning out. I'd say our only interruptions at the cave were frequent visits by then-roadie Seanbert Q. Higgins, who was used as a sounding board for new ideas. The further we got into the layering process, the clearer it became that the band would never be able to do this stuff justice in a live setting. Sean Higgins was then ordered to join the band and learn the songs we were recording, as he was appointed new guitar player for the band.
Prelude, Action Reaction, Waitforever, Jesus Sunrise, Boys Will Be Boys, and Autumn were all songs that the band was either familiar with, or had at least been practiced through. My Very Mind was a brand new track that Gabe walked Deprez through on drums, and Gabe and I pieced together off and on throughout the month. The two tracks which i (to this day) consider highlights were ironically the 2 "filler" or "album only" tracks that were created on the spot. I think both of these songs started with a riff that gabe had in his head (or piano loop, in the case of It Always Snows...), and we just built from there. Although not on the album, our 2nd try on Never Say Goodbye was also a really cool experience, as we got to go sort of nuts with the guitar layering (which sort of foreshadowed the addition of synths to the band later in the year).
Still Photography was an experiment in layering; it all started while recording a loop during the acoustic guitar day. We thought we had something, so we got down the loop in order to experiment with other loops on the top. Once we added the bass line (also played on acoustic), we devised a structure and were able to evaluate the whole thing as a piece. We polished it off with another layer of acoustics, and decided that this needed to go on the album. At this point i absolutely knew i needed to get some field recording for the track. Originally we tracked this under the title "intermission", and a final song title was picked in the following days.
It Always Snows... is more of a funny story; Gabe wrote it on the toilet, then came down and asked me what i thought. i thought it was good for a toilet song, so we tracked that one too.
The month wrapped up with us rushing to finish everything we could. I think we got all of the instrumentation and probably 90% of the vocals done before we had to tear down the studio and head back to school.
We had our second and final chance to wrap up recording in mid-march of that year, as our spring breaks fell on the same week. Tracy and Kirsten were also in town to visit for that week, and Tracy was able to help us out by lending her voice to the intro song, which had since been named "It Always Snows When You're Here". The song actually got it's title because apparently it was always snowing when i went to gabe's house. The 2 month break in between sessions was good for us, as it let me comb through the tracks and get the mixes near finalized, so i knew exactly what i needed for takes and re-takes. Three days of vocal sessions was all she wrote for this record, and then we spent a day on Gabe & Tracy's side project, tracking the Later Comes Too Soon single from Shadybrookdrive.
Ultimately this was a huge creative step for the band, creating 3 new songs, cropping out all Demolicious-era songs (although one track - Overcome - was originally scheduled for the album, before being the first song cut from the tracking sessions). Secondly, it was a great departure stylistically from Demolicious, as the demo was more of a stepping point from No Conform over to the Paths-era lowfive. All of the third wave ska-influence was gone, and it was replaced with somethig much deadlier... Sean Higgins.
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-- Alternate versions exist of several tracks from the album, including Waitforever (original vocal pattern) and Autumn (different verse lyrics). There are also rumors of a top-secret mix of Jesus Sunrise featuring Kirsten and Tracy caterwauling on top of the music in place of the regular vocals (and you thought Demolicious was bad!)
-- the field recording of the subway was recorded states away from the northern maine woods, in the heart of boston, at Park Street station on the T's red line. If you listen carefully, you can hear the automated train announce "Next Stop: Downtown Crossing".
-- also if you listen carefully, you can hear a few burps and farts that were permanently embedded into the drum tracks. Apparently, some people thought this was hilarious at the time!
-- the revised cover of Never Say Goodbye was not planned, and when the decision was made to give it another go, Matt was already back at school. We ended up using the drum track from the Demolicious sessions, sped up to the appropriate tempo.
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