Gambling With Fate

I was still doing a lot of business to generate the funds needed to keep up the momentum of the recording sessions...I had come to appreciate the importance of momentum to my creative process. I worked best when I was focused and relentless. When I wasn't...self-doubt became my enemy. And so I did what I needed to...to keep the money coming in...and the momentum up. I was still using a lot of drugs, and because of that, I sometimes would only see what I chose to see. I was channeling most of my energy and funds into this project, and I saw the whole drug dealing thing as a means to an end. I was ready to leave that part of my life behind, but it was the only way I knew to generate the funds needed to finish this project. But the truth was, it was also full-blown addiction, and that I didn't see. I believe today that my drug problem was becoming more and more obvious to everyone but me...and the consequences to my life were appearing with greater frequency, but I dismissed those consequences as bad luck...or as the fault of others. Whether those perceptions were real or imagined wasn't relevant to me...because to me, if I perceived it...it was true. Finishing this album was the only thing I was really thinking about. I had been doing business so efficiently, and without any serious interference from the law for so long, that I think I almost forgot what I was doing was illegal. I started to slack off on my very rigid rules concerning how I conducted my business...the very rules that had kept me safe for so long...and the need to generate funds quickly had me taking chances that once I wouldn't have considered. I forgot that I had recorded a song about drug dealing that was largely autobiographical, which had, in effect, laid out what I did in my "spare time" for all the world to see...and although it hadn't made it to airwaves due to the lyrics, I had performed it many times before thousands of people. I forgot that not everyone would be OK with that. I really only saw that I desperately wanted out of the drug business...and that the success of this musical project was my ticket out...but that ticket would have to be purchased with money from the drug business. It was a Catch-22, and I really was gambling with fate...I was "letting it ride" and going for broke.... 

Changes In The Plan

During the next couple of weeks, I had the opportunity to listen to the rough mixes of the two songs that were already recorded, and to contemplate any changes I wanted to make. This was all new territory for me...and looking back on it today...I realize that I still wasn't always making the best decisions. The one thing that was clear to me then, was that I was used to hearing a higher level of intensity from the musicians in the original band than I was hearing on these recordings. Although I knew the speed of the process, and the lack of familiarity with the songs had a bearing on Tommy and Michael, and the energy they put into their playing on those two songs, I also knew that part of the equation was that they just approached music less intensely, which was probably part of the reason they hadn't been considered for the original band. I also decided that the more I played the songs with whoever I used, the better the songs would sound. Rather than have two guys sitting around for two of four days watching me during the overdubbing process, I decided that I would spend more time in the upcoming sessions rehearsing the basic tracks while the guys were in the studio with me, and would then go back into the studio on other dates, to work on things like solos, vocals, harmonies, etc. I thought of the original band, and how the more we had played something, the tighter and more confident the music had become...and I was sure that this would make a difference with this project, too. I became aware that I was rushing the process, and that to do this right, time was an essential ingredient, regardless of the extra cost. I had never believed in cutting corners, and I told myself that I wasn't going to start doing that now. And I also thought it was time to try two new guys on the drums and the bass, to see whether I could hear a difference in the finished basic tracks by making changes there. I knew a drummer that I had played with in the band I had with my brothers in my high school days, who had continued to perform, and had developed into an excellent drummer, and was now living in Boston...and I decided to give him a call. He told me he'd be happy to come to Conn. to do some sessions, and that he knew a bass player in Boston who he suggested I might want to try. I set up the dates for the sessions, worked out the salary and hotel arrangements with him and hung up...wondering what new changes in the music of Avalanche might be coming with two new musicians in the equation.

The Process Continues...Day By Day

The following week, we were all back in the studio again for another four-day session. This time, though, we all knew what to expect, and what we'd be doing, having figured out the most efficient way to get through the process. I had contacted Mark Easton and had asked for his permission to record a song of his that he and I had done years before I had even gone to Chicago, which I had always liked, and which Tommy and Michael had actually played many times before, too. The song was called "Day By Day." It wasn't Avalanche music, but I thought it would be a good addition to the album. Mark gave me his permission, and after working out his rhythym guitar parts with him, (I had always played the lead only on this song) I also got a copy of the lyrics from him, since he had always sung the song when we had performed it...and I spent a couple of days trying to learn the phrasing the way I remembered he had sung it when we had performed it years earlier. Once we actually were in the studio, we began recording the rehearsals on the first day, since everyone already knew the song. By the end of the first day we had a solid basic track on tape, and with an extra day to experiment with the song, I decided to add a few things that we had never done when we had done the song live. I added acoustic 6 and 12 string guitars, piano and mellotron, a very interesting keyboard instrument made famous by the Moody Blues. It had 8 seconds of tape-recorded violin sounds, being played by an orchestra, assigned to each note on the keyboard. By using that, the song appeared to have a string section in it. If I released a note, even for a second, the tape recording assigned to that note would instantly rewind and be ready to be used again. I also worked out vocal harmonies that had never been a part of the original song Mark had written, but which I felt, definetely enhanced it. It became a real learning experience for me about the possibilities in the studio...including the realization that sometimes, one can try to do too much. I think that this was the song that allowed me to recognize as a producer and as a musician...that simple is often the best way to go. The song came out well, but it never had the same energy as all the other Avalanche music I was considering. I decided after that session that only Avalanche songs would be recorded after that...because I wanted the finished product to be consistent all the way through. The one thing I was starting to enjoy, though, was the amazing creative freedom I was starting to feel in the studio...and although I needed a few weeks to pay for all the studio time before I'd be able to go back in for the next session...I knew that it wouldn't be long before I'd be back in the studio again, to continue the process of recording and mixing the album.

The Overdubbing Process

Over the remaining two days, the rest of the work on "Free" was all up to me. Tommy and Michael came to the studio for it, but their parts on this song were done. Bruce, Mark, and David from the original Avalanche crew also came to many of the sessions throughout the recording of the entire album. Katherine, and Charlie Catalano, an old friend since childhood, and a former housemate, also showed up at a number of these sessions as well. I think all of them were still very interested in seeing whether this project might be able to ressurect the band in some new form, and they were still true believers...and I think we all missed hearing the music the original band had spent nearly three years creating. And other friends and fellow musicians I knew also dropped in from time to time..to spend a few hours to observe, and catch up on things...and I think that was also partly because everyone knew that an Avalanche recording session was always a party, too. As the overdubbing process began, I added a second electric guitar rhythym track to the first half of the song, and then the same to the second half, along with all the guitar solos for both sections, and to try to recapture the energy of the original band, for the most part I played the song all the way through...as if I was doing it "live on stage". The studio enables musician to make corrections on sections of a song that might not be exactly right by re-recording a musical phrase or two if needed..and although I nearly avoided that process entirely because I knew my own parts so well, I did take advantage of that, doing a few quick "punches" on the final solo. After I went into the control room to listen to the final version of the song before any vocals were added, I realized I had never heard this song recorded before, and even without vocals, it was the best sounding recording of any Avalanche music yet. At that moment, I really missed the original band, because we hadn't even scratched the surface of our true potential in the studio or live, and that recording made that very clear. It also became clear how important it was to make sure these songs got recorded, before they were lost forever. On the last of the four nights, I went in and recorded all the vocals, and as the final version of the song appeared in entirety, even in an unmixed form...it was very good. I knew this project was going to be a great way to heal some of the wounds I still felt after the band had broken up...and I couldn't wait for the following week...when we were scheduled for four more days...to rehearse and record the next song. 

Laying Down Tracks

The next night, we all returned to the studio at 8:00PM, fresh and rested, and determined to get some basic tracks down on tape. All the gear was still set up from the previous night, and everyone was pretty psyched to get started. We spent the first half hour in the control room, doing some lines, smoking a few joints and talking about the arrangement, and then as Peter set up the 2 inch tape recorder, the three of went into the main room to play the song a few times. By the third time through the arrangement, I was comfortable that the guys knew the song and could get through it, and having had enough experience in the studio to know that the best take might be the next one, I told Peter to start rolling tape, and we played "Free" three times in a row. There are two sections to this song, and I decided to record them one at a time, rather than in one continous version, as the band had done live. I detected a few tiny flaws in the playing from everyone on the first two takes, but the third one seemed to be smooth, steady, and mistake-free. The second section is a segue from the first...and so I decided to listen to the first movement, before recording the second. We went into the control room to listen to the takes, and when we got to the third one, it was obvious that we had captured a very strong recording, especially considering the fact that these guys had only started playing the song the day before. Although it didn't have the energy of the original band, I knew that to capture that would require months of playing and performing it, just as it had with the original band, and so I decided that that third take would be what I would work from to add on the additional tracks. The second half of the song was fairly simple and uncomplicated...the only tricky part was the ending, which happened at a certain spot...and consisted of a series of accented "hits" at the end of a guitar solo that only I heard...since I had to imagine the solo in my mind while I played the rhythym tracks with the guys and kept track of measures. It also required me to play acoustic guitars, which meant everyone had to record with earphones during the second movement. We got it all done in about 90 mins., and when it was done, the basic tracks unmixed sounded very strong...and I began to realize that there was a good chance that this thing might actually work...

Back In The Studio

As soon as I stepped back into the recording studio again, the same one I had spent so many hours in when the band had been together, I felt like I was back where I belonged. It felt very comfortable, very relaxed, and very familiar...almost like coming home. I was surrounded by friends I had played and worked with, in an environment I loved, determined to salvage what I could from the experience that had been Avalanche. Everyone there seemed to feel the same way...there was a real sense of mission and purpose from everyone, and I knew that I had picked the right people for these first songs. If it didn't work with these guys...it wasn't going to work. Something had changed in the way Tommy and Michael, the drummer and bass player I had hired for these sessions related to me that I hadn't expected and wasn't really prepared for. There was a respect for what I was trying to do with them that was new. These guys were clearly honored to have been selected for this, and they made it clear that they were going to give me 110%. I had just thought of them as friends and musicians who I had always been comfortable with...and hadn't realized that their perception of me had changed. I felt inspired, and it made for a very pleasant work environment. We spent the first night setting up, and doing some jamming, since it had been years since we had played together, and they had never played with such powerful equipment or at such high volume levels...which, for them, took some getting used to. By midnight, we were all getting pretty comfortable with it, and I began to take them through the basics of the song, letting them get an idea of the chords, the arrangement of verses and bridges, and the structure, which had a fairly complex series of changes in it. We played for a couple of hours, but I decided that we would wait until the following night to begin recording the rehearsals since it was late...and I wanted everyone to sleep on it...to be sure they had a grasp of the song and it's arrangement. I also wanted everyone to be fresh and rested before we even thought about recording the actual takes, which I knew might happen quickly if the recorded rehearsals indicated we were ready. As I drove home, I felt an optimism about the project. It was a good feeling...but I knew there was an awful lot of work ahead of me...  

Laying The Groundwork

After I paid off my outstanding bill at the recording studio, the next thing I needed to do was choose the musicians I wanted to participate in this new project. One of the things that was different this time was I wasn't obligated to use anyone. I could use more than one drummer or bass player if I chose to. I decided that the best course of action would be to first see if the entire idea was even feasible. I contacted the drummer and bass player I had worked with in the band I had started when I had returned from Detroit, since they were good friends and good players, and there would be no pressure about doing this, other than the pressure we put on ourselves. After finding out that they were both available for, and open to doing some recording with me, I called Peter Solak, and booked the studio for four consecutive nights. The toughest part of this job was going to be adjusting to the obvious difference there would be on the bass parts, because Charles' bass playing had been very distinctive, and impossible to duplicate exactly. Charles had a real gift for bass, and a very black sense of rhythym and melody, and there was really nobody I knew who could ever really play like him...so I knew I was going to have to adjust what I expected to hear on these recordings to reflect the new players, and their tastes and styles, because otherwise, I'd never be satisfied with what I would hear. I had about a week to work on what I wanted to hear before we actually went into the studio, and during that time, I selected a song that wasn't as dependent on Charles distinctive bass playing, or Mark's distinctive guitar work as some of the other Avalanche songs had been. The song was called "Free"... and I had written it, and had been the only singer, and had done the only guitar solos on the song in the original band. I had always really liked the song, and it felt like a safe choice to test the waters with in this new uncharted territory I was about to embark into. I knew that by the time I was finished with the recording of this song, I would know whether or not this project had a chance to succeed, or whether it was just wishful thinking on my part...and so I summoned up my courage and my determination, and we headed into the studio to start recording "Going For Broke"...