Recording was a pared down operation. With its reclaimed fir floors, salvaged redwood paneling and architecturally crazy angles, the living room became our studio. We wanted to capture as much of a live sound as possible, especially the rich country gospel harmonies that have become Cahoots’ signature. Solos would be minimized. Any essential lines and fills we missed could be overdubbed later.
We each had a few favorites from the repertoire and there were a number of songs which were completely new to the band. Ultimately we decided on a wish list. Matt Wright bumped up the road in his Mazda packed with mics, stands, cords and a sound board. Photographer Roman Cho dropped in en route from a shoot in the Pacific Northwest for his epic food and farm portrait project called Culinaria. Horseshoes were thrown, evening fires crackled in the outdoor kitchen, the isolation worked its magic.
On Sunday Alison Harris showed up for what became a very long and totally enjoyable session of harmony vocals. Alison is a great solo artist in her own right and has appeared on two of my previous albums (Owl Country and Lucky Stars). I cannot say enough about her voice and approach to music and lovely personality. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening we had trios and quartets gathered around a single omnidirectional microphone singing pads and call and responses and all kinds of harmonies. This type of experience releases serious elixir-like pleasure sensors in the brain. Everyone was pretty high on music after surviving the two day ordeal. We left with rough tracks on no less than eleven songs knowing that some might not make the final cut.
I learned all too well that making the time and room and opportunity in our full lives to interact with such creative hope and intimacy and abandon is exactly what we humans are here on this earth to do. This project will truly be a moment in time, a sound experience suspended in amber, the product of years of musical camaraderie and never ending ladder climbing, and surely the most fun many of us will have in a while.
With QuickTime you should be able to hear the rough below.