Today we are going to make music that people will buy!
That’s not something one usually thinks to themselves early on a Saturday morning, but as I got in my car at 5:45am to drive to OCL Studios, that’s exactly what I was thinking.
My brother Andrew and I have spent all our lives surrounded by music, and we started performing at an early age, but it was hard for us to imagine ourselves making music in a recording studio – music that can now be played on any device across the world.
The experience was unforgettable. We didn’t just make great music together, but we cooked, cleaned, watched the F1 race, and of course drank some great craft beer together.
For both Andrew and me, the highlight was the studio itself – the sound, the feel, and the cool technology. It’s tough to think of any other time in our lives that we’ve been able to hear ourselves with such clarity. We were able to hear every articulation, slide movement and inconsistency in our sounds, and though that may not sound fun to the average ear, it was so much fun for us music nerds to know exactly where we needed to improve. On the other hand, thanks to the power of modern technology, we were freed from the pressure of ‘perfection’ as our producers, Kodi Hutchinson and Josh Rob Gwilliam, continuously combed through our tracks and tweaked our sound.
In the studio we were not only freed from our musical imperfections, but we were also freed from our everyday routines. We are both fortunate enough to live happy and fulfilling lives, but I can’t lie when I say that it’s fun to sometimes break from the mold and escape for a couple of days.
The band approached our studio days as a time to learn about each other, both personally and musically. The sorrow of leaving OCL Studios at the end of the weekend was quickly replaced with the excitement of knowing that soon we would be able to share our band’s music with all our friends and family. And that day is almost here. Even more exciting – we’re raising funds in support of Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s music education program PhilKids!
This Family Day weekend, Andrew and I hope you will join all of us at Little Brown Jug for our album release party at the Ironwood. Did I mention Pat Belliveau will be joining us as a guest artist?
