2011

It was a fantastic and fruitful year for the studio, our most productive yet. I want to thank all of the people who recorded with us here in Colorado. First off, I want to thank Anthony Davis for stepping up with massive versatility on several different projects this year. Anthony is a true team player and his guitar, bass and vocals were crucial components to several tracks the studio produced this past year. I also want to thank Kevin Chanel and Vinny Giracello. Both of these fine men traveled from long distances to record at our little, family basement studio. And though both projects are still in-the-works(Lemon-Limes and Skinny Mulligan EXP), they will be completed in early 2012. 

Another project I am very excited about is the Junebug/Frankie G collaboration. I spent some time this past year developing "beats" for a few of my friends to rap over. Recording this type of music is both new and challenging for me. My friend Frank is a hip-hop MC who has been performing around Colorado Springs for a few years now(Doobie Bros, SoCo Hiphop). We started working together a few months ago on a new project. We hope to have the new EP completed the first few months of 2012. Then, we plan to work out a live show. 


Today, I spent a few hours down in the studio. It was my first excursion there as I have been taking the month off. I started out by recorded a distorted drum machine with delay beat. Then, I added a bass line that really anchors the tune. Next, a souped up keyboard joined the fray. About half way through the tune, I heard a guitar line in my head and added 2 guitars to the mid-to-end of the song. Lastly, I added a scratch vocal track as the song is titled "Ms. Black and White". 


The second song recorded is directly influenced by the band Lungfish. I have loved the music of that band for a long time and felt it was time to pay a tribute to their unique sound. I started with a guitar demo, very loud and drone-like. My daughters played keyboard and bongos on the demo. I tried to add drums but it did not mesh right. So, then I recorded a proper version with drums first. Then I added some loud, fuzzy bass and two piercingly chaotic guitars. My daughter Roxy played some cool keyboards on the track as well. I will find the right lyrics for this one and nail it to the wall one day soon.

Tons of stuff going on

We have been extremely busy at I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement Studios. The studio has been churning out new music faster than the select few can digest. First things first, Greno has been working on a new pop-type effort. The album is titled "Her". It will contain ten new songs penned by Greno over the past few months. The album will be ready for a Holiday season release.

Also, we have been feverishly working on new tracks with local rapper Frankie G. The collaboration between Junebug and Frankie G will hit the shelves sometime this winter in form of an EP. Dope beats for sure.

A new band has been added to the Anonymous Collective roster recently. Rainy Day Girl captures the essence of dream pop, minimalist tunes, bluesy swagger, spoken word prowess and so much more. The group is currently readying their debut single for AC. Just wait until you hear the angelic voice of Mz. Megan Sellers.


The Skinny Mulligan Experience will be recording their debut album at IDWGDTTBS during early November. The long anticipated debut will contain original material penned by the group and maybe a few goodies thrown in for good garage rock measure. The album should be ready for a New Year release, if not sooner. 


EXACTA BOX is currently working out a few songs a week for their AC debut. The power duo has unleashed their first EP already and the thing even made it overseas to permeate. The EXB first album will be a team effort. Expect loud, punky bluesy swagger with some horse racing lyrics to boot. 


That is about it for now.


Greno

Hot Summer Days But Cool In The Basement

The past few days have been extremely HOT here in the Rocky Mountain State. The basement crew that makes up the Anonymous Collective roster ramped up for some new music making to beat the heat. 

Yesterday, my daughters Roxy and Alex recorded two new songs for the upcoming Squeaky and the Futures summertime album. It was nice to sit back in the engineers chair and watch the girls work. It was our best recording session yet. Everyone was very relaxed and upbeat during the two hour session. Roxy started out by picking a beat on the keyboard and sang along with it. Then, Alex added glockenspiel and her little guitar. The girls also added some keyboards to the tune. Then, it was Alex's turn. She also picked a beat and sang with it. Then, Roxy put some electric guitar and keyboards on Alex's tune. A good day in the basement for sure.

Today, EXACTA Box recorded our 2nd single of the year. It is called "Photo Finish". We wrote it last week during practice. Got everything down sans the vocals. This is the first song recorded with the new DW kit, sounds thick. In true EXB fashion, we also tracked a wacky little b-side that was entirely off the cuff. Also, we wrote a new song called "Mama Taught Me Right". The writing process has proved to be a breath of fresh air for both myself and Anthony. We have been playing together for over a year now and continue to refine our music through different projects such as EXB and Out of Area.

EXACTA BOX will be releasing a series of singles for on-line consumption and downloading.
Please check out www.hipbonecrack.com for more information.

Thursday Afternoon and Evening

The little studio in the basement was hopping this sunny, summer afternoon. I laid the foundation for two new tracks. The first one was penned for the new Squeaky and the Futures release. I decided to use a drum machine for some of the tracking. Usually, I prefer to record all of the drum tracks myself but decided to try something different this time. I used the drum patterns from the Casio keyboard unit I have been working with. The track itself is an upbeat pop-type song. I added some bass and phantom organ to the drum track.  We will probably add some guitar later on when Tony gets back from holiday. I was able to start another track the other day but the girls were not interested in participating. The tune is a happy punk kind of thing. It will require some severe attention before it is unveiled to the anxious, waiting public.

The second tune is more of an urban beat type of thing. I used an interesting hip-hop rhythm pattern on the drum sequence. Then, added a keyboard sound that was more like the quality of a really distorted electric guitar. A heavy bass guitar joined the fray shortly thereafter. The vision for the track was to have a dense groove flowing through the whole tune. The end of the track just kind of happened. I started speeding up the beat gradually until things get frantic. A keyboard track melts into this wall of colors and notes, sounding totally psychedelic. The coda rolls on for about two minutes after the basic groove has washed away. I am thinking about making this one a Junebug production and have my friend Aaron freestyle over the tune. 

Back to the first tune, it is now called "Soccer Song". Roxy and I wrote the lyrics tonight at a late night session. The kid was up recording until 11:30 p.m.(don't tell her Mom). We got lyrics and vocals for the "Soccer Song" down. Roxy added a cool Glockenspiel vibe to the tune as well. Then, I played her the first song I recorded today and she came up with the chorus on the spot. We both did vocal tracks for this one as well(chorus only). The song has a nice hook to it and we will write the verses with Squeaky tomorrow sometime. Squeaks will do her vocal parts soon as well for these tunes. All in all, a productive day at I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement studios.

Squeaky and the Futures - Kick Off Second Album Sessions

We began official work on the new Squeaky and the Futures album today. We tracked a new song today called "Summertime Now". The song contains a drum machine, bass, organ, acoustic guitar and 4 vocal tracks. We experimented with running some of the vocal tracks through the p.a. to get a rich reverb-type sound. The whole song took about a hour to write and record. Roxy, Alex and I collaborated on the lyrics. It was a fun afternoon and the girls enjoyed singing. They especially enjoyed doing the la-la-la-la back-ups.

The album theme was also discussed. We all agree that the album will be summertime in theme and feel. Summer is the concept and a good one at that. Most of the songs will be joined under this concept. We also have set a goal to finish the album before the girls go back to school. This project will be an organic extension of our first release. Looking forward to writing and recording the bulk of the project ahead of us.

Papa Greno

EXACTA BOX Single/New Out Of Area Sessions

Welcome to I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement Studios blog. In this blog, I will the discuss the odd and supernatural happenings at my Colorado Springs basement studio as well as delve into music I am enjoying/obsessing over. Content-wise, it will consist of 75% studio antics and stories; the other 24% will be musical ramblings. Sometimes, you gotta just let it all out, you know.

Recorded the debut single from Exacta Box the other day. We cut it live to 3 track in a moment of noisy inspiration. The tune is a straight-forward rocker with an edge. Anthony nailed the vocal performance live. I think that is how I am going to record EXB, live to tape(not really tape). Fuck overdubs with this project unless totally necessary. This single is the first in a series that will be released this year by the new power duo....Exacta Box. Available for  FREE download shortly, so stay tuned. Then, when we have released a few singles, CD will gather all songs for an end of year release.

Out of Area(formerly Conflict of Interest) also worked out some new songs with the recorder going the other day. The session was done live with the bass and vocals running through the pa. Worked out fine and got a crunchy room sound for sure. The band was buzzing and worked through a few new numbers including "Coors Fight", "Kennedys Alive", "Check Yr. Spine", and "Pig Spite". Made up on the spot, these jagged demos will serve as a foundation for later chaos.