The New Blueprint

What I was attempting was going to be very difficult. The original band had worked on the material for two years in rehearsal, and had spent another year refining that material in performances. I was now going to have to try to find musicians capable of recreating that very quickly...with no model to work from...since most of the music had never been recorded. I knew that they would have to trust me, and not question my arrangements, and that long periods of rehearsal were not an option, since I had decided that the fastest way to accomplish my plan was to rehearse the band in the studio. Although it would be very expensive, by doing that, I would be able to record and listen to the progress on each song, identify the problems and correct them as they occurred, so that the basic tracks on each song would become the foundation I would need to add the remaining parts, and hopefully, I would end up with the songs and arrangements that the original band had performed. That would not be as easy as it sounds. I would be the only person who would "hear" the final version of the song in my mind...whoever I hired to play the other parts would be clueless as to what the vocals, harmonies, lyrics, and guitar solos would sound like in the finished form...and that's where the trust in me would become crucial. I decided to hire guys who I knew were not only good players, but who would be capable of doing only what they were paid to do. The truth is, all musicians have strong opinions about what they want to hear, especially on an album, which is, in fact, a permanent record of the performances of all who participate in that process. I decided to use musicians who I had worked with in the past, but who had continued on their own musical journey since. I thought that by using musician-friends from my past, there would be some of the tightness and friendship that was such a big part of Avalanche, but I also needed them to be detached enough from the work to be able to just do the job they were asked to...and be able to do it quickly. I knew I was going to have to pay them well, because money and drugs are great persuaders, and so with a blueprint in mind, I began to make phone calls, and get the logistics in place...