End of the line: "Waiting for This"

LISTEN NOW! "Waiting for This" (Zak Claxton)

No more waiting. As of yesterday, all of the rough mixes for the Zak Claxton album have been delivered, fresh and steaming hot to my email inbox by the inimitable mixer extraordinaire Phil O'Keefe. As has been mentioned several times recently, we're going into Phil's studio on Saturday to make the final mixing adjustments to all eleven tunes. But I'm happy to say that at least I'll have had a couple of days to familiarize with the last couple of them, especially this one.

Who did what now?
"Waiting for This" is perhaps the most collaborative song on the album. Not in the writing of the tune itself; I started this one two years ago and wrapped it up last December. I did it alone, like everything else on the album. But in the recording of the tune was an extravaganza of help of my friends!

Due to the wonderful magic of overdubbing and multitracking, we started as usual with my pal Bunny Knutson on drums. Important note: Bunny did the drum track on this 6-1/2 minute song perfectly on the very first take. It was... awesome is too trite a word for it. More like mindblowing. Later on in the process, Bunny joined me on the lead vocals. This song is the only lead vocal that's not focused entirely on me, and it was great having Bunny come up with his counter-melody and sing along with me. But wait, there's more: Bunny also added his skills on guitar during the long middle section of guitar solos. More on that in a moment.

Ken Lee also joined us on this tune. You hear Ken at the beginning of the solo section, playing the electric piano and channelling John Paul Jones. Ken's done a great job stepping in on a few tunes and adding some tasty touches.

Now, I did my usual complement of stuff on this song. I played the acoustic guitar parts, the electric rhythm guitar, and the bass is as typical on much of this album. But I really enjoyed hooking up with my pals Bunny and Phil on the lead guitar solos in the long middle section. The way it's mixed, you'll hear some of all of us in there, and it's probably hard to tell us apart, especially not knowing our respective playing styles. Here's the easiest way to tell: Bunny's on the left, Phil's on the right, and the Zak Man is in the center.

Aaaaaaarrrrrrggghhh!!! Aaaaaaarrrrrrggghhh!!!
At 3:52 into the tune, in the middle of the solo sections, you get a special cameo from my darling Kat Claxton, who I managed to get to come into the studio and let out a bloodcurdling double scream. That's one of my favorite parts of this whole song. Actually, I really like the whole thing, and I'll tell you why: growing up and listening to album-oriented rock from bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young gave me the jones to do at least one song where I could stretch out and not worry about sticking to a short time frame, or a pop structure. This song probably exemplifies that vibe more than any other on the album.

Enjoy it. The next time we post new music, it will be links to places where you can purchase the finished product. Wish us luck down the home stretch.