Studio Photo Album

updated: 6/18/03

The new album is underway and I wanted to share the process with you so please feel free to browse through the photos.  It's almost like you're in the studio with us...well, not really, but this will have to suffice.  I'll be adding more pictures frequently so be sure to stop back periodically to see the progress.  The album will be out by August so stay tuned for more info.

4/15-4/16/03 : CityCabin Studio w/engineer Alex Oana recording drums
To give you a bit of history, this is the same studio where I recorded my first album "Up Until Now" with Alex and he also recorded my  live album with Chris Cunningham, "2 forms of ID," that he mixed here at CityCabin as well.  This is my first time working with drummer Eric Fawcett, but I've been a fan of his playing for a long time.  He is currently the drummer for N.E.R.D (the Neptunes) and  the Minneapolis-based band Spymob (check them out!), as well as the former drummer for Storyhill (Chris & Johnny).  I'm very excited to have John Hermanson produce this album!  His sensibilities and instincts are bringing out the best in these songs.
 

Alex at the helm	The control room	It goes all the way to 11!  Can you hear it?
Eric Fawcett on drums	Eric through the control room window recording drum tracks	Eric listening to the drum tracks

4/21-4/22/03 : Enrique Toussaint tracking bass at Secret Studio
I am so thrilled to be working with Enrique again on this album.  He also played on my "in between" album and I just love his instincts and abilities.  If you've heard that catchy bass line at the beginning of "Ones to hold on to," that's Enrique...He finds the tastiest part possible and plays the heck out of it.  I just love sitting and watching him come up with parts for my songs.  I'm bummed that his part is done on this project because it was such a thrill to watch him at work.  You'll know what I mean when you hear his parts on the album!  He is an absolutely amazing bassist, a world-class musician and has played with Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Paul Anka and many others.
 

Enrique's chord chart for "Shine"		Enrique recording "The Only Life"
Acoustic fretless bass on "Dead Horse Trampoline"		Johnny "el Producer" Hermanson coming up with ideas

4/24-4/26/03 : Tracking Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Moving right along, I've finished just about all of my acoustic guitar parts and we started experimenting with and recording some electric guitar parts.  The fun layering process begins...

Johnny tracking electric guitar on "The Only Life"

Buttons, knobs and faders...oh, what fun!

Tracking acoustic guitar parts

4/29-5/1/03 : Vocals and overdubs
We got started on my lead vocals this week and continue to lay down tracks of other instrument ideas.  It's been a lot of fun finding other parts for these songs to really open them up.  Johnny has a great ear for that sort of thing.  We've been staying healthy in the studio with loads of coffee,  peanuts, soy nuts, bananas and other snack food that really doesn't fit the bill for keeping us healthy, but it's good to pretend that we're eating well.

Lap steel on "Shine"

Setting up vocal mics

Sing, sing, sing...

5/2-5/7/03: More overdubs
This week we've been working on finishing up as much as possible before I hit the road to tour for the rest of May.  I'll be able to leave the studio for a few weeks with some rough mixes of what we have completed so far, and gear up for the home stretch at the beginning of June when I get home from TX.  A few final essential parts will be added in June to finish off most of the songs including: Dirk Freymuth on electric guitar, Marc Anderson on percussion, and Danya River and Storyhill on backing vocals.

Coming up with piano parts for "The Only Life"

Working on lyric edits..searching for the rhyme...and reason

Eric back in the studio recording percussion

6/6-6/16/03: Final tracking days in St. Paul
After returning from a 3 week tour, I got back to the studio for the final two weeks of tracking .  This was the final push to finish the recording and I have been looking forward to working with each of these additional musicians.  Dirk Freymuth is the best electric guitarist I can imagine working with.  I've always known that he was the person I wanted on this album and it was a privelege to have the opportunity to do so again.  Danya River is a dear friend from Boulder that I've wanted to sing on this album ever since I first heard her 3 years ago.  Her vocals are the icing on the cake on this album!  We also had percussionist Marc Anderson and fiddle player, Sena Thompson record on a couple songs each, but I forgot to get pictures of the sessions.  Now I'm off to mix the album in NYC from 6/18-26.  Those pictures will be coming soon...

Dirk tracking "Shine"	Dirk's pedals and gadgets	"On The Fault Line"
Johnny and Danya coming up with harmonies for "Savior", "On the Fault Line" and "Shine"	Danya waiting to sing...	"Is this thing on?"
	Johnny recording violin on "On the Fault Line"

6/17-6/18/03: NYC!! Mixing with Ben Wisch
My first time ever in NYC!  Arrived last night and took the subway from Queens straight to Times Square to be officially introduced to (and overstimulated by)  NYC.  Had a New York hot dog and felt like an complete tourist, camera and all.  This morning, I met Ben at the studio to begin mixing.  Since much of the process of mixing involves dialing in the sounds, I left Ben to do the dirty work and went for a walk around Manhattan visiting some of the well-known folk clubs, SoHo, Chinatown and ended up at Ground Zero World Trade Center.  Talk about overwhelming...

First night in Times Square...welcome to NYC!

I had to do it...I know, I'm a tourist.  What can I say?

Ben mixing "Shine"

6/29/03: Mixing is completed and I'm headed back home to MN
The mixing is complete and I have sent the mixes off to be mastered in Boulder, CO on July 1.  This is the final process before pressing the actual CDs...The CD is homeward bound!  The drama is not over yet though...After the intense week of mixing and exploring NYC, I am finally working my way home now from NY after a few gigs in the Chicago/Indianapolis area with LJ Booth.  The night I flew into Chicago, I opened my bag that I checked on the plane to find that somewhere between NY and Chicago, someone took the liberty to dig through my bag and steal my digital camera and the backup hard drive that stored my entire album.  You can imagine my shock, frustration and the feeling of helplessness.  A word of warning to you all, if you fly ATA, don't pack anything worth more than your underwear in any bag you check.  They're not claiming responsibility for any of it.

However, luckily for me, I still have the masters of the album.  It could have been much worse, but what a way to end the process.  As you've probably guessed, that's why there are no more pictures to post.  They were all still on the camera.  Thanks for following along on this journey with me through the process.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about the album and how great it all sounds.  Between Johnny's brilliant production/engineering and Ben's mixing, this album has come out better than I ever imagined.  Thanks for listening and I look forward to getting you these new songs soon...
 

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©2003 Justin Roth Music/Bus Records (ASCAP)