Sometimes, you have to be realistic about situations, and then make a mature decision that isn't necessarily the one you want to make. I wrote an analogy to my musical compatriots on Friday: say you're 10 years old, and you'd had a trip to Disneyland circled on your calendar for months. But then, the day for your trip to the Magic Kingdom finally arrives, but it's raining like hell. The park is still open, but many of the rides will be closed, and you'd spend the entire time scurrying from one spot to the other to find shelter. In a word, it would suck, and perhaps worse, you'd have spent the money for the tickets, and your folks probably wouldn't be up for going back right away when the weather does clear up.
Well, a 10-year-old wouldn't care. Given the choice, he's going to say, "I'm going to Disneyland!" However, a grown-up person is going to realize that the trip isn't going to be ideal, and it could actually end up being a really shitty time. And that, folks, was where we ended up the day before my scheduled recording session. Of the four musicians involved, the only one of us that seemed 100% ready to go was Ken Lee... three cheers for Ken, who is a trooper as always. But without getting into the details, neither Bunny, Phil, or myself seemed particularly ready to make great music, all for different reasons. Ultimately, you have one shot to record something that you'll have to live with forever, and whatever we might have done on Saturday, it wouldn't have ended up being something we'd all be proud of.
It takes a lot of focus to make music out of thin air. It takes vision and commitment to that vision. Due to these various circumstances, I had zero confidence that we'd be able to shut out all the distractions of life and dedicate ourselves to walking out at the end of the day with a couple of great songs done. And had we pushed ahead and tried to do it anyway, it could have been a disaster... and I'd probably not be able to afford the time or money to re-do the recordings, had that been the case, so I'd be stuck with them. That's a way bigger disappointment, truth be told.
Making the Most of It: Video Shoot
So ultimately, while I'm disappointed that we didn't record this weekend, I know in my heart it was the right call. As if all of our other reasons weren't enough, it turned out that the storm we had here in the LA area this weekend was way stronger than anyone had expected, and it would have also been shitty just getting back and forth to the studio in Riverside from our home near the beach. Instead, Kat and I spent the weekend starting work on an epic new video we're putting together for my song "Waiting for This", which is going to take a bunch of time to do right. But by working on the video, at least we used the weekend for creative fulfillment, which is what we'd have done if we'd been creating music.
A still from the "Waiting for This" video footage we shot Saturday. The gloomy weather was cooperating nicely for the vibe.
Hopefully this pose I'm striking will make sense when you see the completed video. Or not.
I'll let you know when we re-schedule the session. I currently have a backlog of tunes that are completely ready to go for the studio, including "The Other Way", "Look Out For Me", "Perfect Girl", "Go Easy on Me", "Black Phoebe", and more. It's my hope that all of the crap that prevented the last session clears up soon enough to push forward with the recording of these tunes... they're too good, in my humble opinion, to sit here festering.
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