The Next Big Trip!

Right when you think things have quieted down around here... nope! More traveling, more sessions, more stories and more sushi. First, I'm going to LA the week after Thanksgiving for some cool sessions including sampling Keith Emerson's monster Moog Modular system.

Other sessions may very well include one with vocalist Durga McBroom who used to tour with Pink Floyd, a day in the studio with Alan Parsons and a few other things I'm still lining up... plus the obligatory visit to Katsu-ya, one of the best sushi places I've ever been to. There's also a few other secret restaurants I'll be visiting. (Secret because the friends that turned me onto those places don't want them to get as popular as Katsu-ya did... and it's hard to get a table now! I was there the day they first opened so I've seen it evolve into what it is now. VERY popular and for good reason too.)

So what else is going on? The Sonic Elements "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" Film Score Tribute is still an on going work in progress. We've got Martin Levac, formerly of the popular Genesis tribute act "The Musical Box", doing various drum parts and vocal harmony overdubs to Francis Dunnery's lead vocal tracks. He's doing that up in Canada where he is as opposed to down here. We had so much fun working with him the last time he was here at SR Studios in Miami.

Francis Dunnery just sang Cuckoo Cocoon and will be singing The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging next for Sonic Elements. We're also working on an original music project together which should be very interesting. Very soon Francis Dunnery and Dorie Jackson will go out to the West Coast for a House Concert tour. Fortunately, I will be able to catch their show on the 28th in LA! Outside chance I could sit in on a song or two but most likely I'll just sit down and listen, enjoy, hang out with them and laugh... which is fine. Fun either way and I'm really looking forward to it! 

Then I head over to New York! I have family in the area so I'll do a little bit of family time first and then head upstate to see Randy McStine who I just recently finished co-producing an album with called "Chalk Lines" by Lo-Fi Resistance which is Randy's elaborate solo/band of sessions musicians project. We're doing some radio interviews and videos while I'm there plus a CD Release Party on December 7th. We got a nice review in the Examiner today! I was joking with Randy because the song the reviewer picked as his favorite was one that I had taken the biggest risk on by suggesting we change it quite drastically from what it was originally... when what it was originally was already quite cool! So, Randy trusted me and it was nice to get a little outside validation of thumbs-upness right out of the gate.  Overall it's a very positive review of the whole album and that's great to see! (Even though artists should never read their reviews!)

That's it for now! But there will surely be more planned for this big LA/NY trip... not that there isn't plenty going on Sonically and Musically here in Miami. But at the moment it's a lot of technical stuff that doesn't really make for the best stories... unless snakes and wires is your thing. At SR we are in the midst of editing Nick Mason Drums. Plus on-going work with producer/engineer Ken Scott on a product series called EpiK DrumS featuring very meticulously created midi grooves from drummers like Woody Woodmansey (Bowie), Bob Siebenberg (Supertramp), Terry Bozzio (UK, Missing Persons), Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra) and Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs). I'm also working on sounds for SampleTank 3 from IK Multimedia... we keep busy 'round here! Always a lot going on. More to come! - Dave