The Bomb Shelter Tracking Sessions
View of my "office" for four days of The Bomb Shelter on the East Side of Nashville, TN.
It’s been a little while since this all went down, but I’ve been so busy that I just haven’t had the time to properly update my blog. In case you hadn’t heard, I recently did some recording with a cast of terrific musicians and just some really quality people at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. I’ve had so many false starts with this latest project that I can’t even count ‘em, so going into this process, I was more than a little tentative and probably a little skeptical. Nevertheless, to quote the Heinz ketchup motto, sometimes “good things come to those who wait”.
Jeff "Shakey" Fowlkes adding some percussion tracks after laying down some beefy drum tracks earlier in the day at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN.
A long time ago, I heard this guy Jeff “Shakey” Fowlkes playing out at Douglas Corner in Nashville, TN. He was quite simply a rock solid player with a terrific sound and just the right sensibility on the drum set. I introduced myself after his performance, complimented him on his playing, and told him that I’d like an opportunity play with him sometime. I had no idea when, how, or where, but I knew that I dug his style. Maybe as much as a month or two later, I played at a guitar pull down at Kimbros in Franklin, TN after returning from a short tour in California and mid way through one of my songs, this guy got up on stage and asked if he could sit in on drums. I nodded and away we went – the dude killed it! When we wrapped up, we both realized that we’d met some time ago at Douglas Corner. The next day, we got together for coffee at The Frothy Monkey in Nashville and started talking about music, recording, my plans for a new record, etc. Little did I know, Shakey had a long history in the business playing with a wide variety of acts including Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock, to name a few. Before too long, Shakey came back with a couple ideas on players that he knew, a studio, and maybe even a few dates to cut some tunes. I was a little leery of all this since there are so many empty promises in a town like Nashville, but Shakey seemed like a stand-up guy, so I explored the idea with him further. Not long afterwards, I found myself at The Bomb Shelter tracking with Shakey and killer group of musicians live to 2″ tape.
Audley Freed recording some lead lines at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN.
On guitar, I was fortunate enough to have Audley Freed lend his talents to the sessions. Audley has played with a number of great acts including Cry Of Love, The Black Crowes, and currently, Sheryl Crow. He’s a terrific guy, was a huge help in terms of nailing down some adjustments to the charts, collaborating on some arrangments, and is just a phenomenal player.
Jimmy Wallace laying down a little A-100 after we did the live tracking at The Bomb Shelter.
On keys, Jimmy Wallace threw down some wonderful lines. Jimmy brought a ton of experience to the table and added so much to the recording process. Jimmy’s played with some great acts including Gavin DeGraw and, currently, The Wallflowers. He’s also a terrific writer and artist, himself.
Robert Kearns on bass performing live (didn't get to snap a shot of him at the studio!).
On bass, Robert Kearns joined the crew and kept the bottom end steady. Robert has played with some terrific acts including Cry Of Love (with Audley Freed), The Bottle Rockets, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and most recently, Sheryl Crow. He’s got a great tone and knew just how to add some color and backbone to these songs.
(L-R) Greg Thompson and Andrija Tokic in the control room at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. These guys are outstanding at what they do...
Running the board, capturing the sounds to 2″ tape, cracking jokes, and offering unique culinary choices for lunch and dinner were Greg Thompson and studio founder, owner, and head engineer at The Bomb Shelter, Andrija Tokic. These guys were awesome, worked so quickly, had great ears, and just acted as the oil that kept the machine running for four straight days. I couldn’t recommend them enough – just a really professional pair.
Rob Ickes laying down the 'bro over a couple band tracks. This dude can PLAY!
Later in the sessions, I brought in Joe Spivey for some tracking on fiddle, mandolin, and banjo, and then Rob Ickes on dobro. Both of these guys are old pros on the road and in the studio and it was a unique pleasure to be able to record them on this project.
There’s still a little more to do in the studio, but things are looking on track to get back in there in late September to wrap up some background vocal tracking and extra solos from the guys. I’m hoping to have this out in late October or early November, just in time for the holidays, so stay tuned here and on Facebook for updates and information on when, where, and how you can get your copy of this new, full band record.
As always, thanks a ton for your support, everyone. I can’t wait for you all to hear this project.