Bare Bones EP Journal

I’ve never kept a blog/journal/set of written thoughts before. Never really felt the need before I suppose. However, I’m hoping that doing this will help me power through production of an EP that I’m trying to put together for the third time.

With that, I give you: The Bare Bones EP Journal

How we got here:

Bare Bones (at least that’s what it’s being called now) is my second EP, following the Lost and Found EP that was released in 2009. The inspiration for the project came about this time last year, when I was working on material for my now defunct album project Love…and Other Games. I had recorded guitar, keyboard, and (synth) bass parts, and was waiting for some financial flexibility to record drums. When it looked like I wouldn’t be able to get drums recorded in a timely manner, I decided to scrap the project. However, I did play one live gig with three band mates that reflected the sound on the original album tracks, and I really enjoyed the sound. Without drums, it reminded me somewhat of what a quartet would sound like in orchestral music – no percussion, but a clear sense of the groove/beat/whatever you’d like to call it. As a result, I decided to try another recording project in the near future that utilized a more acoustic approach from the onset.

I love watching artist interviews to see how their minds work and what their creative process entails. I recently saw a Peter Gabriel documentary on the making of So and he mentioned one of the things that pushed his creativity was giving himself limits. By telling yourself and others what can’t be done on a recording (in his case I think it was not using cymbals on drum recordings), it forces you to be creative and work in ways you normally wouldn’t. With that thought in mind, I decided to create some rules for myself:

1. No drums: Without drums to rely on, I have to find other ways to establish the main beat/groove on the track.

2. Four instrument limit: The goal is to create something that could be easily reproduced live. When performing with a live band, I normally work with four other musicians backing me. Take away the drummer, and you have a lead guitarist, a bassist, and keyboardist. The recording can utilize only these instruments, in addition to myself on guitar and piano, to create as close to a live sound as possible.

3. Four voice limit: In a similar vein to my instrument limit, there would only be at most four voices heard in harmonies during a live performance. To replicate this live, the recording will utilize one lead vocal, and at most three background vocal parts

So, with all of this in mind, let recording of Bare Bones begin!