Day 3, 7:12 AM

Before I get to everything (and I mean everything), a bit of housekeeping:

When I'm actually in the studio, I won't be able to post. No worries, still steady blogging all week long about making the record. There will be at least one every morning (like this, see?), and one every night (some later than others).

Yesterday we learned a lot of things. Among them:

1) I have a full-blown love affair with 5 Hour Energy. It's getting serious, and I'm taking her to meet my family. I've already met her family, who were pretty hyperactive.

Here's a picture of me, in love with 5 Hour Energy. Notice the tiny hearts, and the way the wrapper's ripped down the middle. Like someone was in a hurry to take a 5 Hour Energy, and ripped off the wrapper like a bustier in a Victorian novel.

2) Handclaps are fun. Even more fun than you think they are. They're a like hot sauce; they make everything better. And if you're thinking, "does Chris put hot sauce on cereal," the answer is "mind your own business." Also, yes, yes I do.

3) A mic stand is a lot like a pole. And a pole is a lot like an "instrument that flips on the AC when you're trapped behind a desk." And Steve's a lot like an inventor. Pictures of Steve's Miracle Pole soon, patent pending.

4) Time flies in the studio. It's like the twilight zone. At one point, I took 5 minutes to work on a bass part. When I finished, it was 2011.

Seriously, it's unreal how fast the day goes by cooped up in a room, working on the nuts and bolts of a record. On a scale of Things That Are So Fun They Make Time Fly At Scary Rates, it goes like this:

10 - Football
9 - Making a record
8 - Christmas morning
7 - The beach
6 - Concerts
5 - Basketball
4 - Any movie with Maggie Gyllenhaal
3 - Watching CSPAN/security cameras
2 - Nashville traffic
1 - Baseball

Now, I've gotten a few questions already this week, so let's go ahead and answer a few:

1) How many songs will be on this record?
To be determined. It could be anywhere from eight to eleven. Really depends on how they're all working together, and what makes sense at the end. I can say that they're all previously unreleased songs. Some haven't even been heard by any audiences yet. Maybe even a cover will slip in. We'll see!

2) When will it come out?
Again, to be determined. I can say that it will come out faster than usual, because it will be a digital-only release. No hard copies, at least at first. The idea behind the record was to make it a quick turnaround. Steve and I had a bunch of songs, a room, a week, here's what came out. So, it'll be a much shorter process than some in the past. I'm hoping to get the record finished in just a few weeks, and send it off to be digitized for mass consumption.

The problem is that it takes a while to get a song on iTunes after you've given it to them, usually 6 to 8 weeks. As soon as I have a release date, you'll be first to know. But, definitely, book it: it'll be out this fall.

3) Will "Fill In Song Here" be on the record?
Yes.

Here's today's breakdown:

--We'll be working on some rhythm section stuff: percussion, bass, etc. Work schedules demand today will be a little shorter, so it's kind of a "what can we finish" day rather than a "what can we start" day.

--As you can see, I am serious about Day 3. I am pointing at you with a radioactive hand, as if to say, "straighten up, fly right, and get with the handclaps." Also, I've had a few 5 Hour Energies this morning. Enough to carry me through October.

Today's Horoscope:
"Your window of opportunity is open and you should be first in line. Whether these opportunities are personal or business-related, you still want to show up early in the game. As the saying goes, 'the early bird catches the worm.' Get up early and make this day count."

***I got up at 6:30, alright? I got up early, I'm catching the worm. Just stop telling me what to do, Horoscope.com. Good grief, for a daily fortune cookie, you're incredibly demanding.

Today's Forecast:
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

***Yesterday's forecast was 30% chance of rain, and it rained. So it'll rain double today? Is that how the math works out? I'll be honest, I can't add.

Finally, here's the running list of Album Titles. Comment to vote, or suggest one of your own!
Dunch
Tigerjacket
Green Clear
Steve's Miracle Pole
(Parentheses)

Wound up and let loose,
CM