Day 3, 6:41 PM

End of the dayshift, and here are some highlights from today:

1) We've conquered percussion. All songs now have a spinal chord, a heartbeat, a pulse, and enough O2 to open a bar. This is good news, because percussion usually takes a while. Usually folks do it first, because it's time-consuming and everything else builds around it. So, we're looking good from here.

Propers to Steverino, masterbeater and Master of All Things Tambourine.

2) Conquering percussion comes at a cost. This is me after two days of thump-thump-thump. This is me, one arm raised in victory, the other too tired to do anything but dangle. Pyrrhic victory, indeed.

3) The Never Open Bakery (also known as Sweet 16th) was miraculously open this morning. It was an auspicious start to the day. Steve had the coffee and its matching cake. I had the 5 Hour Energy, thankyou.

4) The songs won. I go into every day with a list of things I'd like to do, and an idea of how they'll go, where they'll go, and how they'll sound. And every day at least one song completely surprises me, reveals itself in some unforseen way, jumps up and tells me how it's gonna be.

Sometimes it's an "accident" that sounds better than the original. Sometimes it's a fresh idea from someone else (SMartin, in this case). Sometimes it's a flash of an idea of a moment of inspiration. In these moments, we're not making something so much as getting out of the way. These are my favorite moments of every day.

My second-favorite moment comes at the end of a session, we're packing up, a little tired, a little punchy. Steve plays something we haven't worked on for hours. Suddenly it's there, in totality, and you hear it all together, with perspective, for the first time. You just sit there, listen in silence, and nod. You walk out, see ya tomorrow, then drive back in a comfortable daze.

6) Steve's Miracle Pole took it to the next level. See?

7) More album titles revealed themselves. I need your votes! Comment and vote, or suggest your own, and we'll keep a running tally:
Dunch
Tigerjacket
Green Clear
Steve's Miracle Pole
(Parentheses)
Polaris Man: A Journey through Time and Water
Quiet Storm
Funky Strut Tambourine

8) There's always tomorrow. Guitars, basses, vocals, and plenty of surprises in store. Check back in the AM for another update!

See ya tomorrow,
CM