Hard to believe it’s already June, and Asher is going to be five months old on Saturday! A friend of mine said today that kids are a great measure of time passing, since they grow before your eyes and make it seem as though time is flying right by. That being said, my last record took two years to make so the fact that we are getting close to being done this album in less than five months really is astounding!
Maternity leave has been such an amazing gift so far. More than once I have reminded myself that not everyone gets to have a whole year off to spend with their new baby. I’ve gotten to spend some serious quality time with my little man (who at the moment is making faces at himself in the mirror during tummy time while mama blogs). We’re in the midst of sleep training, so the mums out there will be able to appreciate my current state of serious sleep deprivation! We’re just getting into a groove of 10-12 hours of solid sleep (for Asher, not me – ha), hallelujah! Now to force myself to go to sleep at a decent hour.
Back to the progress of the album. As I mentioned previously we have been working with Scotty Sanders – a phenomenal guitar player out of Nashville – for our steel guitar needs. He has been such a sweetheart to work with. He’s been totally open to our interesting mix of genres, and has put some real soul into the tracks he’s been sending us. Jered and I really want this album to have an organic emotion behind it, so choosing to go with a musician that isn’t actually in the studio with us was a difficult choice but we are so thrilled with Scotty. If you’re ever looking for a steel guitar player, he’s your man!
This week we will also begin recording some electric guitar, with another Ryan! This time Ryan Davidson. Jered and I were lucky to go to Grant MacEwan and St. Francis Xavier University with Ryan and he is definitely a musical force to be reckoned with. Looking forward to hanging out with him again and having him be a part of the album.
Then comes vocals this weekend. I have been singing a lot in my free time to Asher, whether I’m cleaning, changing a bum, or driving around to one of my many mum’s group activities – yoga, lap time at the library, etc. Yes, I’m one of those mums as my girlfriend calls it! I have a bit of a tendency to over sing sometimes, not sure when that happened. People were always pushing me to “belt” and I had such a hard time learning how… and now belting has become my default. I want to sing with less force, I want to sing more naturally, more effortlessly. With my current post natal hormones at an all time high, I am hoping I can perform the way I want. Again, with an organic emotion behind it. Fingers crossed.
I’ve mentioned that Jeff Olsen from Phonetic Sounds has his studio in his home, and three kids of his own. It’s been a real treat to watch him be a father and an engineer, and his children are so sweet. One of our last sessions was just baby mania! Rogan was on Jeff’s back in a carrier, Theodore was watching a show in the next room while Amelie was upstairs having a lesson of some sort. Asher was bopping around in his little bouncy chair, and we all were having a blast recording with the kids around. I escaped to the backyard every few hours to feed Asher in the sun. To think these will be precious memories not only of our own, but of the kids. I love that they are being exposed to so much music and art from such a young age! (Ok ok, I’m becoming a sappy sentimental mum – but I AM a mum now so I’m allowed, right?)
Anyways, here are some fun photos from our times in the studio thus far. Until next time!
LNG xo
