Lemme get this straight… You want me to stand in the back of a trailer while a 1985 Astro van belches CO and slowly drags us down Allen Parkway while we play some cover songs at 07:30 on a Saturday morning to a crowd of people that came out to see something besides that? Cool, I’m in.

It has been long reported that Dan “Every Man” Smith was different. Stories of Dan can reach around the world, by mouth and email, in just a few weeks. Dan is quirky. Dan is insane. Dan is a genius. Dan is not every man. But the one thing Dan is is why I am a DanFan. He’s a songwriting musician that believes in his own relevance. Rare. I think Dan and Kanye West are the only ones left. Dan believes he will be a Headline, A-List, Playboy Mansion Regular superstar of sound and stage. I gave up that dream when I was 23. I guess Dan is not that old yet. I hope he never will be.

I had to tell Dan that for 2009 the Art Car Parade was not within my reach. But count me in for next year.

We’re trying a new approach with recording at Torn Door Studios. We like the live feel of our recordings and record that way, but have thought for a while that the final product would be better if we could mic the drum kit with more than 3 mics. Here’s what we’re doing on House of Love…

I had the boys over a few Sunday’s ago and we had ribs. I cooked them on the gas grille this time to keep the temperature consistent. They turned out pretty good, so good that Greg and Kent now have the Cookin’ BBQ Ribs Jones on. I think it was Peter Gabriel that insisted on a BBQ rib dinner before he would record with Genesis. His feeling was that when Phil would start singing some idiotic lyric from a song he was writing about nothing, that the grease from the ribs would coat his stomach so he could stomach Phil.

Usually when we record a song we get together and jam it up to see what works, see what we like, add parts etc. It’s really a fun process to hear a song either come together or die in the dirt – both interesting. Then we would usually set another date to record. This time we did all that but before we went our separate ways we recorded a demo. I threw a large diaphragm condenser in the middle of the room, and set the pattern to Omni, to pick up Dave’s bass amp, my acoustic, the drums and my vocal from a floor monitor. I asked Kent to play both trumpet and banjo on this song. I set up a Sennheiser E845 for the trumpet and a new Senn E609 I got for the banjo.  Kent switched back and forth from the horn and banjo during the January demo recording – check it out.

After a few weeks Greg came over to lay down the drums. We set up 2 overheads (MXL 993) and re-positioned them until we heard the snare in the middle of the mix. Then Greg mic’d the toms with SM57s and we put another 57 under the snare to pick up the sizzle. The Beta 52a was placed on a long boom and set about 2 inches from the beater inside the kick drum – after Greg had properly dampened the kick with a pillow and the shirt off his back. I then set up my large diaphragm vocal mic about 5 feet in front of the drum kit and set the pattern to Omni to pick up the room. We flew with that for a while until I realized we had one more channel for the high hat – used the Senn E845. Now here’s the thang: I sent the demo track we had recorded before to Greg’s headphones and he played along with it to get the take. Greg wasn’t sure that was going to work so I was ready to plug my Telecaster into the board and play the song into his headphones, but Greg got a warm sensation from the ambient setting I had prepared with blankets, wine and cheese, and the incense and candlelight – and went with the flow.

So what you hear with the 2/26 demo is 8 tracks of drums without any compression, EQ or leveling. I just panned the overheads L/R and started adding stuff. What we learned was that we should have mic’d the primary demo differently – here’s why: David Payne. David shows up at your house, eats your food, and hears a song for the first time and lays down a bass part that is to die for – it’s a keeper – you have to keep it – it becomes an integral part of the song that if changed in any way would make children weep. So the next song I will isolate Dave’s bass part so I can use it in the recording after Greg performs the drum part - pretty smart of me.

At our house there is always something that needs attention. It was built in 1982 and used to look like it was, but over the years we have remodeled almost every room. The current project is a big one - the kitchen. It was started just before Thanksgiving when I installed most the new appliances after the granite countertops were installed. Right now we're in the cabinet refinishing mode. While working on the project a few Saturday’s ago I got a strange shout-out from Suz while she was taking a bath with Sophie.

I was summoned to the master bath just in time to see poo bubbling up from the shower drain - then from the toilet, and from the drain outside in the courtyard. Something told me that's not right. Now, the toilet and even the outside drain I understand, but who the hell took a dump in the shower? By the time a plumber came out to snake the poo to the sewer connection, the carpet was pooified to a point where we really didn't want to keep it. And Suz hates the idea of carpet in the bathroom, and I agree.

I ripped it all out; put it in construction bags and set them on the curb and the remodeling of the master bath was in design mode. I have hobbies, and remodeling my home is not one. I just do it to save money because I can do most of this stuff. I like to play music, record music, play clubs, build guitars, blow up stuff, it's fun - try it. But when you get involved with remodeling with 2 kids in the house and a wife that works from home, you kind of need to turn the project in on time. So this CD we've been trying to record for the last year or so just got pushed back.

Look for the CD release party in the fall! Maybe we'll have it at the house!

You know when you do a friend a favor and he/she wants to pay you back – beware. Kent’s pop Woody Nelson is a guitar playing treasure. His thumb plays bass, index and middle play rhythm (back beat) and ring and pinky pick the melody. And that’s just his right hand. Woody, how do you do that, I asked? Woody says, “I just listen to the song and play it.” Thanks for your wisdom. So Ole Woody has been playing songs for the family for years. Kent says his cousins and brothers all attribute their interest in music back to Woody. So after 50 years someone had the big idea of getting Woody to record these songs and distribute the CD to the extended family for Christmas. I offered my humble studio to aid in this effort and was honored to be selected. Torn Door Studios is always open. Seriously, the door won’t shut.

So it turned out great. If you were one of the lucky ones to acquire one of these CDs you know what a treat it is to hear a master play these songs in this style. Think Bruce Cockburn when he’s 70.

Kent gives back

So when Kent asked Suz and me out for a Tex-Mex extravaganza we jumped. I got my Sister to baby-sit and away we went. We met up at Kent’s place ‘round 7. Michael Horne had done some great work on the CD cover to finalize the project so it was no surprise to see him waiting on the couch for a Nelson sponsored event. Mike’s wife Anne was there – sure the wives should be compensated after all they had suffered from the lack of our companionship for a few hours, but curiously Sally Lane was in company. Hmmm…

The food flowed like queso and Kent bought margaritas by the pitcher. We were all in glorious moods and the drink made us rosier. We got home after midnight and I got to bed at 1:45. At 5:45 I was up again. The alarm went off and I somewhat realized I had volunteered to help run the audio at church that morning. I was still drunk, still had food in my belly and my head really, really hurt. I took Tylenol, a shower and headed up there. Sound check at 6:30, services at 8, 9:30 and 11. Is a hangover at church a sin? Well maybe, but I got that Sunday’s message THREE TIMES! It’s Monday now, I’m ready to do it again – Kent????

It has begun a new.