In the Studio - Recording CD#2!

What an amazing experience! The band spent all day last Friday and Saturday at the 16 Ton Studio in Nashville to record our 2nd CD after a month of rehearsals and countless setlist changes and re-arrangements of tunes. Getting to record in Nashville in a full scale studio was an experience many of us have never had and it was truly a fun education for all of us. The studio engineer, Michael Esser, and his assistant, Ryan Waniata, were very helpful and great fun also. Greg Magers, David's son and recording guru with his own studio in Chicago, flew into Clarksville Thursday night to spend the weekend with us and lend his considerable expertise to this project. Pictured in front of the building (we look happy because this picture was taken AFTER we were done on Saturday!) from left to right are: Steve, David M, me (Stephanie), Dixie, David E, Melanie, Sarah, Byron, and Greg.



This is the "lobby" area of the studio. We are so big that half of the band was set up in this room as far apart from each other as possible and the entrance door was locked during the recording sessions. The rest of the band was located individually in the smaller recording rooms in the building. This meant that for the first time ever we couldn't see everyone when we played. Amazingly, we did just fine even though we were all separated from each other, some considerably more than others!

This device was at each of our "stations". With headsets on, we could dial-up exactly what mix of instruments we wanted/needed. This box definitely became our best buddy because even though we couldn't see everyone, we could definitely hear who we needed to most.

Byron is in the control room looking over the very complex looking recording console. I believe this piece of equipment is considered one-of-a-kind for its type!

While I look upset and/or frustrated, I'm really not. I was taking the opportunity to sit down for a moment as I was listening to the play-back of the track we just recorded to see if we needed to do it over or if (please!) we'd nailed it and could move on!

Melanie was definitely the most unflappable of the group. I don't think she EVER hit a wrong note!

David E in action. It is sometimes difficult to hear David on the mandolin in live performances (we usually perform un-amplified and when everyone is playing, it's easy to drown the mandolin out) but you will be able to hear him on the CD! He looks intense because he was really concentrating...!

I was in the lobby area on Friday but was relocated to my own soundproof room on Saturday. The dulcimer has a big sound and lots of harmonics and since we were doing well not being able to see each other, the expert engineers decided it was better to separate me so I wouldn't bleed into the other's mics!

Break time and we hung out in the control room so we could hear the tracks again and watch Greg at work. Now that we've recorded everything for the CD, the mixing of the tracks is in process but from what I've heard so far, I think we are going to have a CD we are all proud of. This was an intense two days but was definitely an experience none of us are going to forget. I am very proud of the band. We did great and had a wonderful time doing it. Look for the CD to be out soon - possibly by the end of November!

Red River Breeze Plays at "Sounds, Cinema and More" in Russellville, KY

Russellville, Kentucky is a wonderful little town about 45 minutes north-east of Clarksville, Tennessee. Red River Breeze has been honored to play for Russellville's spring festival for the past two years and we traveled to Russellville this past Saturday to play for their 1st "Sounds, Cinema, and More" event at the 4th Street Theatre. The theatre is a 1950's building that is in the process of being renovated to be used as a multi-purpose arts building and this event was held to help raise more money for the renovation. Because the theatre area is not yet habitable, the event was held outside with music by us from 6:00 to 7:00 pm and the screening of a movie starting at 7:15 pm. Six of the eight members of the band attended: Byron, David M., me (Stephanie), Steve, Sarah and Dixie. It is always a pleasure to play for the wonderful folks in Russellville...they were as usual a terrific audience... but we found out that daylight is gone this time of the year at about 6:45 pm! Next time, we'll remember stand lights - and I discovered I really can play the hammered dulcimer pretty much with my eyes closed!

Too bad all eight of us weren't at this event and made it into this picture - it could have been our CD cover! Thanks to Darelene Gooch, the Mainstreet Russellville director, for volunteering to take our picture on David's (intimidating) camera AND for doing such a great job of it minutes before introducing us to begin playing. The casual wall leaning bunch of Steve, Sarah and Dixie is because it was beginning to get chilly at 6 pm and the wall still held quite a bit of heat from the day's absorbtion of sunlight - it must have felt pretty good... I don't think Steve ever got off the wall during the hour he played his bass!

We are working on our 2nd CD!

OK.... The date is set.... We are going to go into the studio Friday and Saturday October 23rd and 24th and (with luck and lots of rehearsals) we hope to have our next CD ready soon! We have been selling our 1st CD for 2 1/2 years now - and folks that hear us continue to want to purchase it which is very encouraging for us. But, many of those that have bought the 1st CD are eager (also encouraging) to get more tunes from us. The 1st CD was recorded with 6 of the current members so I am anxious to have a CD that represents who we are and what we sound like today. So.... the date is set, we are rehearsing, the set list for the CD is shaping up and the arrangements/instrumentation is coming today. No... we're not nervous! This project will be accomplished somewhat differently from the 1st CD so stay tuned as we chronicle the progress. And I will absolutely let you know when this second CD is ready for purchase.