I wrote and recorded my song (So the Story Goes) specifically for the project. As such I made sure that I used only my Hamer Cali with the J.O'C graphic. Recorded using NI's Guitar Rig Pro 5 through my M-Audio Profire 610 interface into Reaper. I've recently re-floated my Floyd Rose after having it blocked with the Tremol-No for years so I knew there would be some whammy bar action. I wanted a deep groove with some sex appeal and played a lot of diads and triads instead of full chords trying to capture a really early 80's rock sound and vibe. The main guitar part (left side) is a single continuous take as is the bass. Solo was improvised and a comp of two takes - I kept the lines strongly melodic but put a little speedy run in there to let you know I could, and used the whammy in a very traditional early 80's way as a nod to EVH.
Bass was my Fender P - also through GR5 Pro
Drums were going to be real but ended up being Superior Drummer 3.... but I'll talk about them later
Vocals all triple and quadruple tracked and slightly thickened with an Eventide plugin via micro-pitch detuning - only one vocal harmony part in the pre-chorus section to allow the guitars to dominate that section (3 guitar parts in that section where you first hear the wha and it gets super full...
Wha was my Dunlop Crybaby -- slightly modded with extra shielding to help with noise
Keyboards were all done on my Arturia mini-lab using various keyboards from the Arturia V collection and other soft synths. Used them more as sound effects and as pads to add some depth to the mix again keeping with an early 80's rock style.
Since I mixed this and released it here I've continued to tweak a few things -- removed one keyboard part on the instrumental verse sections before the second verse and after the solo before the 3rd verse., It stopped sounding good to me... basically at lower volumes that part (which is slightly detuned as a patch) doesn't sound right - it sounds better cranked, but the ear hears it differently at lower volume so I 86'd it on later revisions.
Drums: I really wanted to work with a real drummer for this as I am starting to feel more confident in my playing and production to allow myself to surface a bit in my music community after being AWOL for almost 30 years. In my past I was fortunate to work with world class drummers so my first call was to my friend Zoltan - probably the best technical drummer I ever played with (Jazz and Rock) - a total straight edge dude who turned his back on the rock star calling in the 90's despite being heavily recruited by Canadian Rock royalty for years..... I was too late -- found out Zoltan had passed away suddenly 2 years ago from a heart attack at the age of 49/50. Huge shock. He was an amazing guy and a totally healthy straight living guy.... that was a gut punch. My second choice (If Zoltan wasn't to be available) was going to be is another drummer friend I used to play with who did play and tour for years with some A list Canadian recording acts.... I knew he had a studio and did regular session work -- but COVID had forced him to give up his studio this summer so he just wasn't available to take the gig and there was no time to book sessions anywhere...... So I went with plan C in the end -- Superior Drummer.
Song Theme: Boy meets girl - open question about life and timing and will they last - love perseveres.... a Universal theme slightly based on real life. Hopefully Universal enough - innocent in keeping with the early 80's rock theme of my adolescence.
I really wanted the guitar to shine here in keeping with the Hamer theme - so I hope I accomplished that. I still struggle with the Musician I used to be vs the one I am today --- but I love music and I am tickled to death to be able to record like this in my bedroom. It was you guys here at the HFC that inspired me to try to play again - and it was sharing stuff here that helped me overcome my fears of being judged as less than I used to be -- you guys were such a great audience and your encouragement really drove me forward to finding a creative outlet where I could call myself a musician again. I am eternally grateful for that kindness and was happy to contribute to the project - it was an honour and privilege to do so.