Big Stuff

Record is coming together quickly. I'd say it's about 95% done with the 80% I expected to be done by now to be 100% done by December 31st. What Does This Mean?

The whole process has been patient, easy and comfortable, but where the preparation for the record and the start of the actual recording process began is anybody's guess. Back in December of '07, we started to fiddle with new tracks as a band, but in reality as you can peruse back to the tracks found on this blog, DEMO DAYS started far earlier, ending before I was married in May of 2007. Then-Beasts of Burden Brian Slagle worked with me on the demos, and many of those songs ended up the songs on this current record...but not as many as you'd think. In fact, a lot of the material worked on during DEMO DAYS was redirected to the Slagle/Vasas e-project that has yet to be completed.

As mentioned a few "idea sessions" had been done before Slagle left the band in January, including a few with Matt Mepham before he joined the group...and if I remember correctly...even before Eric Bredin left the group in '07.

So fast forward to the beginning of '08 as we prepared new material through improv sessions and "idea sessions" throughout the whole Palace of Auburn Hills performance-prep and through the spring and into summer. The whole time we were getting comfortable with a recording device Matt bought that allowed us to multi-track record our sessions/rehearsals for clear listening after the fact, and in the process setup and developed our recording/rehearsal space in Brian's house.

The whole time songs rose from the ashes of jam sessions, chord experiments and lunch breaks at Harper Creek and before we knew it we had about 25 or so major contenders for the record. During this time we were also shifting and adjusting the equipment so that we could (without us really knowing it) jump right in to the recording of the album officially. When that started I have no idea. The earliest take that is currently on the record goes back to August....but most are from September and October.

Matt and I have had many sessions in Lansing working on song parts, although much of the work had been done because we had been generating ideas on many of these songs since January or whenever the songs were birthed. For instance, Occupation came forward in the early summer and we had played it so much that it took only a few takes to generate all the parts that are on the final version.

Recently, Matt has been recording tracks on his computer in Westland and sending the files to me to drop into the tracks as they get recorded. A simple process allows him to track things as if he was in the room with me and then I just drop them in.

So that leads me back to my first comment. We ARE about 95% done with the 80% I expected to be done by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. The drums are recorded, basically all of my instrumental tracks are done, many of matt's guitar parts are done, a lot of the general mixing is finished on songs...

To do? Bass guitar on all tracks. Final vocals & backing vocals on all tracks, additional percussion, band backing vocals

Then The Final Mix

Then The Master

Still lookin' good for being done by December 31st. We will be careful in the mixing stage, which may push it back a month. Either way the record should be IN THE CAN with a few minor adjustments by New Years. Then it's off to secure distribution, set a release date and get our promote on. Before it gets released, you'll see the record on mikevasas.com for free preview. TELL YOUR FRIENDS. IT'S COMING. MWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.



Also....in 2010 a special internet gift from me to you will happen. It's a gift that'll keep on giving all year round. Some of you won't believe it. Some of you will find it absurd. Many of you won't know what to do with it. Some of you will grasp it with open arms. It doesn't matter what you do with this gift...it's yours. More details as 2009 happens.

RIP Mitch Mitchell

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience died yesterday, apparently of natural causes...kind of early at 61, but an autopsy is in the works, supposedly. He held a reliable creative relationship with Hendrix, and according to many sources, he often was the only member of the group in the studio with Hendrix when he was working out ideas.

Les Loken - WWII Vet

My grandfather's stories are similar to this vet who was filmed talking about the war before he died...Grandpa Schley has a detailed memory and certainly the stories mean a lot to me, personally, but it's still great to see and hear everybody talk about the war...whether it's Les or anybody else.

A bright spark might corner the market in this year's girl.

I've recently been listening again to Elvis Costello's This Year's Model and been thinking...

Best Pop-Rock Record EVER. Period.

Common Courtesy RANT

Today on the freeway I was cutoff [and subsequently flipped off] by a dude in a clunker that ended up going SLOWER than me after he passed me. The stupo actually sped up to like 85 mph and then as soon as he was in front of me, he slowed to like 60 mph! So I passed him and went on my way and he continued to go about 60 mph. Not sure what that was about. I had thought maybe he was getting off on an exit or something, but nope, stayed in the lane for a long while. I had thought he went slower just to be a jerk, but the guy wasn't around me for long, he just came up and then passed me to go 60!

But that brings me to my general post. What's the deal with courtesy on the road? It doesn't seem like anybody pulls into the other lane when there are emergency/enforcement vehicles on the shoulder. Do these people honestly have no idea what it's like to do the shoulder thing? I've only done it a few times when my car has broken down, but imagine if you do this on a regular basis. Get some class, people!! But common courtesy isn't just an issue on the road.

Plus, the whole cell-phone thing at the counter in a gas station!! What is that?!?

Other common beefs of courtesy...the parking lot issue. Take an xtra 20 seconds and realigned your vehicle! And stuff like recently...you're sitting near a cooler, you reach down to get a bottle of drink, and a person shows up and says, "yea, can I have that please." THE LAST ONE! WTH?

People are so unapologetically un-peaceful to each other, to their own neighbors and community members, it's no shock we have wars. We wage war locally all the time...even to our friends and loved ones...to the faultless guys driving cars on the freeway.

I know my life could be a lot worse, but these are the kind of little things that start to drive a typically courteous person to angry passive aggressive rants on the internet. NEH.

I'm supposed to just MAN UP, right? Whatever. I don't wanna end up like all those guys on the way to becoming Bill Foster.

The Obama Years

Although for many this may be considered fact-lessly speculative, and some may even consider it naive-ly premature, I believe today marks the first day of the next phase of American social reality. My hope is that Tuesday, November 4 will be the historical moment that historians will note as when 20th century views of American society became the 21st century views of American society.

It is with all my hopes and prayers that this is the entrance into a new era of American history and one we will look back on as historically significant as the Gettysburg Address, the passing of the 19th Amendment, the New Deal, D-Day, the signing of the Civil Rights Act and later Americans with Disabilities Act. Many of us have long hoped for certain social realities to change, but I have faith that this will become the tipping point.


Of course we have a long way to go to make America as great as it can be, but like president-elect Obama stated in his speech...

"For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

If I can do it...the blog returns!

I've made a decision to get back into the random fun I used to have here on this blog. I'm going to put my web-activity on the spot and try to update this site with personal comments. WWHY NOTT? So first goofy comment? If you have roughly $900,000 [as of 11 pm EST on Monday] to spare, check out this CAVE that is for sale on ebay. That's right a cave. Here's their website.

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The record is getting there. Lots of drum tracks and finished forms to fish through as we get closer to putting the finishing iron hammer on the thing. Not sure yet as of how it's going to turn out. Busy with lots of other stuff like the ELECTION and parent teacher conferences and playing my NEW GUITAR, and watching Iron Man. Soon, it'll be scrubbing day and before you know it, it'll be time to live on the seas and do what we please. Awesome...but still kinda weird