Sunparlour in the Studio

(left to right: me, Dave, Andrew)

Another couple of notches were made on the bedpost of our soundtrack today. Sunparlour Players aka Andrew Penner spent the day in studio with Dave MacKinnon and myself, recording two new songs for the soundtrack, Bless This City and We Want What's Right.


(Andrew Penner on banjo and organ)

When I heard the demo of Bless This City a few weeks ago I knew it was a keeper. It has a rich passionate build and will ultimately feature a swell of brass, strings, and a choir (which we'll be recording in Factory Theatre's cavernous mainspace theatre for full effect). We Want What's Right, on the other hand, I was a lot less sure of; the demo felt a little like the ugly kid sister to the epic Bless This City. But once we got into the studio, several of the elements that I had felt were odd or awkward about the song were suddenly thrown centre stage and embraced...and it quickly grew on me. The heavy bass line and bass drum are complemented by the deep churning of the vibraphone, accented by glockenspiel and two interweaving dobro tracks. I can't say for certain whether the track will end up in the film itself, but I'm really diggin the way the song panned out. It's a tight, rich, grooving tune that ends quickly and leaves you wanting more.


(Andrew Penner on bass drum and Tambourine, Dave MacKinnon on the ProTools)

We're back in the studio tomorrow evening to add some harmonies and textures. Once we get some rough mixes I'll find a way to stream short samples of the music to give folks a taste of what we're working on.

OTHER NEWS: I just heard from Sebastien Grainger and Josh Reichman who have been collaborating on a song at Sebastien's East End super studio. The news: the song is done. I'm chomping at bit to hear as I haven't heard anything, not even a demo. So with Josh & Sebastien's track, plus Bry Webb's two, and the two we just recorded with Sunparlour Players...that brings us to a total of 5 tracks. (That's like half an album already!) And we're not even close to being done.

UPCOMING: Blake Howard from Rock Plaza Central is coming in on Friday to do a live improvised drums score to the whole film as an experiment. And next week, hip hop artist Shad should be stopping by the studio as well. Busy busy busy!