Moving on to the next track: Painting Abstracts. This is a challenge because the current version is pretty much finished and rather good as it stands. However, I want to revisit some of the lyrics, and update the instrumentation.

The first task is to re-record the bass guitar using Guitar Rig 4. 

The plastic feet are temporary, but the rest is complete:

Now to get it installed into the studio and all the equipment transferred.

I was driving home from Santa Rosa yesterday, admiring the scenery, and in particular, a certain hill with a group of trees clustered at the top. I noticed that the large tree in the center looked a little odd, sort of symmetrical but not entirely, and then I realized that it was probably a very well-disguised cell phone tower.

A short time later, I came up with the perfect title for our first album:

Fruit of the Steel Tree.

I’ve googled it and it doesn’t seem to have been mentioned anywhere else, so I’m pretty sure we’ll go with this. Awesome. 

Two 4’x8′ 3/4″ ACX plywood sheets later:

The star of the show was definitely the Pony 9.5″ pull saw from Woodcraft. This enabled me to make tight, clean cuts, and most importantly, I could cut the large sheets by placing them on the ground on a series of 2’x4’s layered two deep, and then climbing on top of them.

Even though I used two folded towels for pads, my knees are quite sore today.

With the brass section nicely recorded, I am currently fighting the Telecaster which is being very bossy and insisting on replacing all the guitar parts.