i just saw a post in the publishing thread that asked me to share what i've been going through with self releasing my band's record as "correctly" as possible.
i think this is a great idea.
so, let's start at the beginning.
my band is called, "The Secret Club"
http://www.thesecretclubhouse.com/i've been a drummer my whole life, literally, started formal lessons at age 5. i've played in punk rock bands and indie rock bands since i was 14.
around the time i was 17 the band i was in got frustrated with me trying to sing song ideas to them. (no drummer jokes please)
the bass player handed me an old beat up guitar and said, "here, learn how to play, then just show us the ideas"
what a mistake that was for every guitar player i would play with from then on.
so, i taught myself how to play guitar by putting my finger in most unusual places (as i've come to be told) and finding chord shapes that i liked the sound of. from there i guess i developed a rather odd way of playing and some rather unusual chord structures.
around my 20th year, i started dreaming up a concept record that i was to write. it seemed far fetched, and grandios at the time, but then again, that didn't differ from any other idea i've ever had.
i started writing music to all these ideas, in an attempt to create music that actually told the story and displayed the emotion i was after. then adding lyrics to simply support the musical story line.
i hadn't a clue if i was actually getting it there, but that was my plan and i was excited about it.
i wrote a few songs with a guy i ran across that liked the ideas i had. parted ways with him. went to recording school, blah blah blah.
now i'm 23, i've become a requested mixer (for some weird reason) and i'm going down to fayetteville, arkansa to work on a record with an old friend who happens to be a brilliant drummer.
i mix the three songs i was hired to mix, and we get to talking about various things. after a few more projects down there, he and i start collaborating on this concept record of mine.
LOTS of driving ensues and i add 4 more songs to the record.
an odd introduction landed me with Jeff Limer who can sing the phone book and you'll want to listen. also plays guitar well too. he heard the tunes and practically insisted on joining up.
July 1st, 2000. i load my own drum kit into the studio i was working in at the time. the drummer friend's car broke down and he couldn't make it, so i was all of a sudden the drummer on the record.
we get everything set up, click tracks were ready to role, jeff playing scratch guitar and we rolled takes on 8 tunes through the holiday weekend. we came out the other side exhausted and excited that this crazy dream was starting to take form.
between jeff and i, we finished off the 8 songs in the coming months when time permited and set forth to cut scratch vocals and get things rolling.
i grew increasingly more upset with the sloppiness of the guitar playing and bass playing.
i canned the whole record but the drums.
(i'm giving you the short version BTW)
1.5 years click by. in that time a good friend and brilliant bass player, Chris Wagner, catches wind of the "demo" tracks. asks a few questions (i've played drums in about 5 bands with him at this point) and decides he needs to join up.
he and i sit down and write 2 more songs i had tossing around as various parts. we rehearse them with a drummer friend as he's packing to move back home to south carolina. we record the drums.
july 2003, we load butt loads of guitar amps and cabs, and bass gear into the new room i'm booking and set forth to actually finish the record. at this point i have recorded all 11 songs (one was done as the opening piece in a friends house on a 1" 16 track, totally different vibe to open the record)
we track guitars and bass and cut almost all the vocals.
mixing is not working out in this room and in frustration i shelve the record till i can acquire some distance from it.......yeah right.
i listen to roughs and collect my thoughts.
it's obvious we need to re-cut the drums on three songs. the only three i didn't play on....HAHAHAHAHA, that sounds bad.
another old friend calls me out of the blue and asks what i ever did with this record. i say nothing, he says, "well i just quit my band, need a drummer?"
WHOA, this thing is real now. we are practicing, playing shows.
2004, we load into yet another studio and recut drums on three songs.
i renovate my basement and build Theta Rhythm.
we re-group and cut all remaining parts in my basement.
mixing commences and is completed in march 2005.
final mixes get sent to max lord for the placement and creation of segues to cut the entire record together. remember, it's a concept record, and needs to hold true to that original vision i had for it, no matter how crazy it was, i was actually getting close to pulling it off.
late march 2005, segues are done and approved with only one revision, max rules, what can i say.
march 31, 2005 i drive out to memphis, TN to assemble and master this thing.
april 1, 2005, mastering begins in the am, ends in the PM with a ref and much relief as 8 years of my life is now coming to a sweet ending.
here we sit with a finished record and artwork being created.
this concludes the back story, further posts will be what has happened to get us to self release, and what we are doing to pupll it off.