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Short Preview Clips

1.   Better Things To Do
2.   A Trill A Minute
3.   Blue Sky
4.   The Waltz
5.   Everlast
6.   Just Passing Through
7.   The Key
8.   Pitter Patter
9.   Mantra Dreamscape
10. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

Videos
     Better Things To Do

The Band
      Randy Ellefson - All Guitars
      Jeff Moos - Drums
      Dave DeMarco - Bass
 



(4:17)
(5:41)
(3:08)
(3:30)
(4:50)
(4:46)
(5:56)
(4:51)
(4:22)
(3:53)

Total Length: 45:15


CD Reviews
(Show Reviews...)

Fireworks Magazine (UK)
by Nicky Baldrian, December 2007

From Maryland comes the very talented RANDY ELLEFSON and his new CD 'Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid'. The album kicks open with 'Better Things To Do'. The track is excellently performed and flows with a nod towards Chris Impellitteri and Darren Householder and sets the style for the rest of the album.

The catchy 'A Trill a Minute' is a cool melodic ditty with a slight neo-classical edge. 'Blue Sky' reminds of Nuno Bettencourt 'Midnight Express' mixed with an almost progressive Dream Theater style epic riff, this is one of my favourite tracks as it has a lot of influences and moods flowing through it.

'The Waltz' is pure Satriani whilst 'Everlast' is another favourite tune in the style of Impelliteri and Yngwie Malmsteen, again it mixes melody with neo-classical shredding and is superb, very moody track. 'Just Passing Through' is grittier, and a little heavier. Randy effortlessly keeps his style playing through this track as he does with the whole album.

'The Key' is another firm favourite, being very solid, melodic and catchy with awesome shredding. 'Pitter Patter' picks up the pace and sketches water colours with Vinnie Moore and George Lynch whilst 'Mantra Dreamscape' is more of the above and one of the only tracks that failed to grab my attention being a tad weaker in structure but still melodic. Last song 'Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid' end the album and a superb melodic note and conjures up an atmospheric melodic piece that could almost be an instrumental Dokken track.

'STABLU' is a well-balanced album that flows in both the melodic and neo-classical genres. Ellefson is an impressive talent and you will find a very rewarding instrumental album if you check it out.


Metal-Rules.com
by Simon Lukic, September 2007
Rating: 4.0/5

Ah the guitar instrumental album. There's nothing quite like one and despite the general distaste – in some quarters, for the guitar virtuosos of the eighties I still remember those days fondly. I mean with names like Paul Gilbert, Greg Howe, Tony MacAlpine, Michael Lee Firkins, Marty Friedman, Richie Kotzen and Jason Becker amongst others leading the way, how could one complain? Well the public did and these so called "shredders" were pushed to the back of line for a while with only Joe Satriani and Steve Vai maintaining some presence on the scene with consistent tours and a steady release schedule.

Well times are changing and the solo is slowly working its way back into the limelight. The fact that it could have ever be seen as dated still astounds me… but that's a discussion better left for another day because I'm here to inform you of a brilliant player by the name of Randy Ellefson and his second release SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID.

His debut THE FIREBARD released in 2004 was a fine introduction that showcased his diverse talents as a shredder but also as a fine songwriter with a solid grasp on melody and hooks. SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID takes things further and sees Randy stretching his ideas – not only his fingers, into other directions. What many who have the debut will now hear is Randy going into a definite Rock/Metal direction and the heavier playing works really well. He sounds very comfortable and the whole CD flows in an assured manner. The playing is both tasteful and exciting and for comparisons sake I would say the music combines the work of Joe Satriani with the wit of Greg Howe in one neat package but with Randy's personality stamped all over it.

Also to be commended are the efforts of bassist Dave DeMarco and drummer Jeff Moos who provide a flawless backdrop for Randy to work off. Jeff, for those of you that remember was behind the kit for the late Mercury Rising, a progressive Metal band who released two brilliant albums – UPON DEAF EARS and BUILDING ROME on Noise Records in the nineties (check). It's certainly great to hear him back in action.

I'll finish things up here and encourage you to check out Randy's playing and SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID. Guitar virtuosos and the instrumental rock album may never reach the heights of the eighties - I do hope that I'm wrong, so it's brilliant that artists such as Randy Ellefson exist and are committed enough to release music with so much quality and passion.

Choice cuts: "Better Things To Do", "Just Passing Through", "The Key", "Pitter Patter" and "Some Things Are Better Left Said".


BallBusterHardMusic.com
by Jonathan Mariante, October 2007

Classically trained guitarist Randy Ellefson (no relation to Megadeth's Dave Ellefson, I presume) releases his second album of guitar-o-rama. He is a very good player, and has overcome tendonitis. You gotta give him kudos for that, and more so for his talents. He plays very skillfully and technically, and jams with the best of them. His style is along the lines of Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson. He is master of virtuosity and proficiency, and can really work his fretboard. This album is all instrumental, and every song is a full speed ahead rocker, with hot licks and guitar wizardry galore. His classical skills really show in his playing. He plays with a lot of sophistication and many complex arrangements. He can also play quite fast, never missing a beat. He rocks out with class, and all the songs are very well written. Although there is no singing on the album, the music seems to speak with its own voice. Randy makes his guitar talk. He is an amazing musician who has overcome a serious condition to keep on playing, and be in the same league as many guitar greats. Way to go , Randy!
See What People Are Saying
(Show Comments...)

"Thanks once again for the superb album! I can tell you that the most wanted and loved tracks from the album by my listeners are The Key, Better Things To Do, The Waltz, and Everlast, but to be honest, all the album tracks had a major impact on my listeners!!! Thanks so much and sinceres congratulations for such an inspired album!"
Ovidiu Dumitrescu - Romanian Radio Station

"The new disc tears through some really intense solo guitar. This guy is an amazing play and writes some killer guitar riffs. In my book, this release is a must have for anyone into solo guitar records. The players are amazing."
Susie Mudd - Music Monthly Magazine

"His finger flexibility is still astonishing and it is especially audible in extremely melodic solos."
Mikolaj Furmankiewicz - Department of Virtuosity

"I absolutely love you stuff. Brilliant. Great playing, great tone. Really nice melody and chord changes too."
Dave Shelley

"I posted your name and link in my Kick Ass Guitar Pickers section. Blue Sky sounds killer Randy!"
Zootman

"I like your video! Great song, great sound and very beautiful playing! Have a really great time!"
Daniel Borg

"WOW! Delightful invigorating tunes! Makes me wanna go extreme skiing. I'm also diggin' the stuff on the video player."
Sadi Synn
My Track by Track Remarks
(Show Remarks...)

1. Better Things To Do
This is the song that turned me into an instrumental guitarist, which is odd considering it was written to have a verse and chorus and is still in that arrangement to this day. Come to think of it, that's probably why I still organize songs that way, generally, though I often have multiple "verses". At the time, I was struggling to introduce the classical theory I was learning in college into my rock playing without changing my style. I didn't know what the problem was, but in hindsight, I knew the guitar neck by shapes and scale patterns, like most players. Classical music is all note-driven, so knowing music theory inside and out wasn't helping me because I didn't think about notes when I played. That might sound odd, but most rock players are like this.

Anyway, most of my music was in minor keys, but when I stumbled into the "chorus" riff in this song at 1:46, it suggested E major, not E minor. I hadn't played in E major before, but I knew the difference from school, so I manually converted each D to D#, C to C# and G to G# as I experimented with more riffs.  Each time I did that, those spots on the neck became those notes to me, not a position in a scale pattern.  I was beginning to play by the notes on the neck. I quickly wrote the "verse" riff and a kind of lull in between that starts the song. Then came the big breakthrough.

I didn't know the scale patterns in E major and couldn't play lead over it, but I started playing anyway, albeit slowly. Again I manually converted pitches, and each time those spots on the guitar became letter names to me from then onward. I stumbled into the main theme, which has classical knowledge of "voice-leading" all over it. It was one of the best melodies I'd ever written. Then I wrote another version, then another, then different melodies. They were pouring out of me one after another as I went around the neck, lighting up the fretboard that, in a way, had been in darkness to me my whole life. I suddenly knew every note on it, and with that knowledge, the classical theory came pouring over. Every melody was the best one I'd ever written, only topped by the next. I was euphoric, having the time of my life. I went from struggling to write 30 seconds of lead to casually writing a 4 minute lead with no effort. When friends first heard it, they were shocked. I had arrived as a lead guitarist, and the major key, upbeat style stuck.

Around this time, a friend brought over a drum machine and left it with me after we came back from a bar. I started playing with it and writing drums for this song, being so obsessed that I stayed up until dawn. When I finally went to bed and woke up again, I went right back to drum programming, anxious to hear a song with drums on it for once in my life. I was so obsessed that I'd ditched plans for the day but had a nagging feeling I was supposed to be doing something else. At one point I thought the phrase, "Isn't there something better to do?" Then I smacked myself and thought, "Who am I kidding, this is the better thing to do!" Then I realized I'd found a title.

2. A Trill A Minute
This track is the fourth instrumental, and is one of three (along with "Some Things" and "Waltz") that were written in three days of a weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) in July 1993, my most productive output ever. Before that weekend I was considering being an instrumental guitarist. By its conclusion, I was one, with half an album going.

Most of the riffs were written on the one Friday, and once again my writing was super fast compared to the old days, as obvious variations on the material leapt out at me. The only riffs not written then were those under the guitar solo at 3:25. In their place was something else that sounded too much like what had come before it. The solo riffs were written a few years ago and based on part of the trill section that gives the song its name. By the way, a trill is what each guitar is doing starting at 2:18 as the music moves around the head.

Sometimes I don't play lead guitar over a song for a long time - I'm talking years here - and this is one such case. I thought the song was "B-side" quality until I first wrote melodies at :18. Suddenly the song's stature grew dramtically, earning it a prominent frontside position (and booting "Everlast" from its intended album position, known as far back as 1994 for all songs, though I sometimes swapped two adjacent to each other, like "Blue" and "Waltz", and "Pitter" and "Mantra"). The addition of the 12-string acoustic didn't come until 2005 but really helped the texture a lot. And the way the trill section was recorded wasn't planned at all. I had the idea at the time and made up the alternating stereo positions as I recorded each trill by itself. I wasn't sure it would hold together well at the time, but now it's one of the best spots on the album. The guitar solo is challenging to play live due to the right hand action that is nearly non-stop from the trill section to the end of the solo.

3. Blue Sky
This song was written one night while I was avoiding a phone call I had to make to cancel a date with a woman I didn't really want to go out with. I was stalling and picked up the unplugged guitar, then found myself holding down the 11th fret on the G string while also sounding the open D string. The result was the interval of a major 10th, a sound I'd previously liked on the piano. I fooled with it a minute, then made the call. After hanging up, I resumed and wrote the opening riff, using that interval for the high note. Once again I had started writing in a key I'd never played in before: D major, and this constant newness had an impact on the sheer speed of writing and general explosion of composing. Soon I had another riff where the drums enter, but the song seemed almost too happy to me. In an effort to add some weight to it, I changed keys to the relative minor, B, and immediately wrote the next riff at :28. After that, the variations were fairly easy to write, and this is the first instrumental where all the music is traceable to two ideas, an approach that dominates my writing. The new song was certainly a better use of my time than a pointless date!

I still remember that it was weeks later that I was standing in line for the Rebel Yell roller coaster in Kings Dominion amusement park in Virginia when I thought of the rhythm guitar part for the solo at 1:40. It's based on the three rising chords just before the rest. Except for the solo, none of the original lead guitars written for this have survived, mostly because they weren't thematic enough. The existing leads were written and recorded around April 2005, 12 years after the riffs! For whatever reason, the key of D major reminds me of blue, which, along with the generally sunny disposition of the tune, led to the title. It was after writing this third instrumental that I started to consider becoming an instrumental guitarist.

4. The Waltz
This is a rare case of the entire rhythm guitar part being written in one day, on the Sunday of the three-day writing spree mentioned above on "A Trill". It has never been altered in content or structure. Neither have the leads actually, though I did use a wah when I recorded them for the album and didn't on the original. Jeff's little high-hat swishes during the pauses was a nice touch.

5. Everlast
Shortly after writing "Better Things", I stumbled into another riff (at :14) that was in a different major key I'd never played in: A major. Soon I wrote the opening riff and, for key reasons, decided it went first. I was already using the classical knowledge of keys in structure to arrange my songs. What had been hard before was suddenly second nature. All of the riffs up to 2:31 were written and recorded, and soon I was adding leads to it. Many of the original leads are now gone, having been re-written in 1996.

At the time (May 1993), I sometimes took chances with song structure that I later regretted. Both this and "Just Passing Through" shared the same mistake: no diversion or solo section in the middle. In both cases I eventually added new riffs based on existing ones and then leads. In this case, the new music starts at 2:31 and continues to 3:25. This was written a few years ago and the melody section at 2:45 is one of my favorites on the album. It was actually recorded years before anything else on the album, back when I wrote the new riffs you hear under it. The feel and aura sounded so good and I couldn't capture the tone again that I tuned the rhythm guitars to it and recorded the riffs for the album, then did the other leads.

Speaking of leads, I once again re-wrote some of them in 2006, particularly the variations at the end of the theme sections. The climax of the solo was also re-done several times.

6. Just Passing Through
This eighth song was largely improvised at tempo with barely a pause one afternoon, and except for the first riff, each section does not repeat so that the song is seemingly always in transition, which suggested the title. This also posed a structure problem where the average listener might get lost. Adding to this is that there wasn't a "solo" section originally so there was no diversion in the middle. I initially ignored this and wrote leads, though many are now gone except the opening lead phrase and the coda's leads at 3:12 (two-handed tapping and double-stops).

Years later I decided to fix the structure of this and wrote the riffs at 1:38 and 2:02, then decided a third pass was needed for the original set of riffs. Then it was on to the coda.

Most of the leads were replaced because, like the song itself, they lacked structure. While I liked the phrases, they didn't recur, adding to the sense of aimlessness. I spent a lot of time fixing this, some of it detailed in the studio log below. This song went from a disappointment to being one of my favorites.

7. The Key
When I wrote the opening riff, it suggested three different keys for the song: F# minor, D Major, or A Major. I couldn't decide what key to write variations in but started fooling around with F# minor, and I soon had the main riffs up to 1:48. At that point I was stuck, but I did write an A major version of the starting riff at 2:14. To me it sounded like a peaceful interlude, so I eventually wrote some stormy transition music in between. Now the song journeyed from F# to a destination of A major, suggesting A would be the ultimate victor and the key the song was ultimately in.

However, I then wrote a solo section version in D major at 2:37 before returning to first the F# stuff and then A major stuff. It seemed I still couldn't make up my mind. Then I wrote the repeating lead line for the coda at 3:51. As it turns out, this coda music alternates between two keys: D major and A Major, meaning F# has definitely lost the war (in my head), and now it's down to these two. So who wins? D major as it turns out. Why? Because it's the key that sounds like "home". For you music geeks out there, A major is V of I in D major, meaning that the A major music is suborinate to the D major phrase. D is "The Key" and this is appropriate because the three letter names of the keys in question (D, F#, A), spell a D major chord. Also, during the tumultuous transition at 1:48, the fast 16th notes being emphasized are also D's, and the original riff that starts the song might be in F# minor, but it outlines a D major chord. By the way, as a side note, the F# variations from the start to the transition are what's known as a chaconne - a variation on a chord progression.

As for the leads, most of these are note for note to the original version recorded in August 1994. The exceptions are noted in the studio log below and the new leads are some of my favorites. The guitar solo at 2:37 makes me chuckle a little because it sounds very 1980s, but so what? The 80s rule. The harmony leads and extra melodies on the coda are some of the best stuff on the album.

8. Pitter Patter 
These opening riffs are a blast to play and are definitely "metal", like the tight ending. Of course the second and third riffs are variations on the first, as is the pre-solo at 2:39 and solo sections in the middle. After writing the tempo change music, I wondered how to get the song back to the beginning, which led to the other tempo change at 3:16. At the time I wasn't playing along to drums and didn't realize the tempo shift was that dramatic, though when Jeff added his parts it became more subtle again. If you listen close, you'll hear that the ending at 4:10 is faster than the beginning because the second tempo shift wasn't as extreme.

Despite having written the riffs in 1994 (it is the last song of the ten), I never played lead guitar over this song until 2006 after recording the riffs for the album. A log of how this went is below. I guess I have a lot of confidence in my ability to come up with something sooner or later because I knew this was going on the album despite not having a note of the all-important melodies. This turned out to be mostly shred, with the first lead break reminding me of Satriani's "Circles" lead break (I always loved that). I really like the lead tone I got on this, thanks largely to the Morley Wah. At the time of the album release, this song is a favorite, partly because the leads are newer. I'm already hearing a lot of people say they love the opening riffs, even when I think that person couldn't possibly like something so metal, but I guess you never know.

9. Mantra Dreamscape
This aggressive song was initially conceived on a classical guitar during my degree days. It was actually played without a pick, using my right hand fingers to pick through the notes. It's basically three note chords on the bottom three strings, and each string has only two notes it can play (the rule I made up at the time). If you change notes one at a time in certain ways, it does a kind of metamorphasis, slowing evolving away from where you started and back again. It was interesting. I realized that if I plugged in with an electric guitar, I'd probably write something with this, and I was right. Within minutes the pounding rhythm appeared.

This was a weird song from the start, and I decided to let it stay that way. As usual, the riffs were written, arranged and recorded before I played a note of lead on it. I had no idea where leads should go until I started playing, and I ended up with three guitar solos that have little to do with each other, but so what? Why be traditional all the time? The title came from the minimalisitic riff idea and pounding rhythm, plus an alien atmosphere that showed up.

The first two guitar solos are exactly as they were in August of 1994 when I wrote them. The percussive end of the first is still a favorite, going along with the drum rhythm Jeff duplicated from the drum machine years ago. Only parts of the third solo remain from the original. I intended this to be a shred-fest but found myself writing peculiar melodies everywhere, so once again I let the song be what it wanted. Both Jeff and Dave thought this song was a bit nuts, partly from the strange meter (usually 6/4 - though to me it's really 4 + 2/4 - with some 5/4 measures in odd places) up through the big pause. I suspect this song is a "love it" or "hate it" type with little middle ground.

10. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid
The album's title track is the fifth instrumental I wrote, back in 1993, and as usual, I was goofing around when I stumbled into the opening riff. All of the main riffs were written in order that one Saturday, except the coda (starting at 2:12), which was written the next day, though in this case it was the repeating lead guitar line that came first, the chords being placed underneath later. The coda really has nothing to do with the rest of the song but seemed to fit. It's hard to believe I didn't think of the harmony at the beginning of the song. It was actually suggested at rehearsal one day by Tony Dormio, the live band's rhythm guitarist in 2004-5. It was so obvious I wanted to smack myself.

All of the leads were written as they are today during Spring Break in 1995, with two exceptions: in the coda, the variations on the repeating theme, and the guitar solo at 3:07 were written in 2005. The solo was improvised at Tony's house one day, and since I'm more a writer than an improviser, shocked me that this solo had just come out of my guitar pretty much note for note. I immediately told the band, which was just me, Tony, and Jeff that day, to repeat the coda a few times so I could make sure I remembered it. When I later went to record it, I was startled to find the album was much faster than we'd been playing the coda in rehearsal, largely because Jeff had a tendency to slow it down. I had to practice the sweep arpeggios for a week before I could record them at that speed.

I always knew this song was the album closer from the day I slapped the coda on it, and that it was the title track once I gave it this name. Some things are indeed better left unsaid!
Recording Log - See When It Was Recorded
(Show Log...)

This was an ongoing log of events taking place during the final months of recording the second album. Prior to this log, all riffs, all leads on six songs, and 12-string acoustic guitars on two songs were done. Jeff needed to learn three more songs. Studio bassist Dave DeMarco had yet to work on them.

My parts were being recorded at home, while Jeff and Dave recorded in Baltimore MD in July 2006.

These songs date from 1993-1995, but some have been changed structurally or have updated leads. There's some reference to this is in the log. Also, a "pass" is a set of sections that will repeat. Typical song arrangement is first pass, second pass, solo/middle of song, maybe a third pass, coda.
 

Date - 2006 Events
5/31 - Wed Jeff and I converge on Studio 14 in Baltimore to begin rehearsing drums. When I'm is absent, Jeff performs to the same tracks and click as will be used during recording. The room is like an sauna every time and actually warmer than outside despite an AC unit.
6/6 - Tue Jeff learns "The Key" and writes his initial parts, but has forgotten a recorder.
6/8 - Thu At home, I record previously written leads from December 1994 for "Just Passing Through", including the entire first and second passes, and the coda's free section.
6/10 - Sat Jeff learns "Just Passing Through" and most of "Mantra Dreamscape". As usual, I'm there performing the riffs over and over for him.
6/13 - Tues

I write and record more "Just Passing Through" leads, including the third pass (2:29) and the first solo at 1:37.
6/17 - Sat On "Just Passing Through", I decide to remove the coda's free lead (to improve sense of structure) and partially re-write and re-perform the first and second passes, based on the newer and better third pass. The re-write is pending. I record the two handed tapping (3:12) and double stops in coda (3:37).
6/18 - Sun I write and record a 12-string Alvarez acoustic guitar on "Just Passing Through" but am not sure I'll leave it in the mix.
6/19 - Mon I record previously written leads from August 1994 for "The Key", except the transition's second half after the pick slide.
6/21 - Wed Jeff finishes learning "Mantra Dreamscape".
6/23 - Fri I write and record clean guitars on "Blue Sky" but will eventually decide not to use them.
6/24 - Sat I add 12 string to "The Key" and "Blue Sky", then adds a flanger effect to both songs.
6/25 - Sun Jeff and I work on the drums for "The Key" and "Mantra".
6/26 - Mon Me and Dave get together at my house to go over the ten songs for the first time, but Dave has learned three. We have not met before, but Dave's reputation precedes him. It is less than a month before recording begins. My laptop, with this log on it among other things about the album, is fried in an electrical storm.
6/27 - Tues I play lead guitar over "Pitter Patter" for the first time ever, despite the song existing since 1994. All three "shred moments" on the G# chord (1:00, 1:25, 2:01) are written and recorded, including the standard lick acceleration that comes first and the two-handed tapping flurry on the last one.
6/29 - Thur More "Pitter Patter" leads are added after the shred stuff, but I already know the harmonized melody probably won't hold up (not cool enough). The lead arpeggio added to the F# section (1:49) will survive though.
7/1 - Sat I decide to do a "Making of" video of the album, to include studio footage, interviews, commentary, outtakes, pictures, and whatever comes up. Whether it will ever be made is one thing, but filming will start.
7/2 - Sun I learn and record the second guitar solo (from Aug 1994) on "Mantra Dreamscape"  (2:02) but am unhappy with the recording (tuning, sound, performance) and intending to redo it. It is the first day videotaping recordings.
7/4 - Tue Me and Jeff work on all ten songs, focusing more on "Mantra Dreamscape" and "The Key". The session is videotaped.
7/8 - Sat I write and record extra leads and harmonies on "The Key" coda (starting at 4:23). Today marks the start of preparing Pro Tools sessions and files for transfer to the recording studio. This means consolidating some tracks for less space and fewer files, and removing midi tracks (for drums) and other aux tracks; the work will be ongoing throughout the month.
7/9 - Sun Jeff and I run through the ten songs, drilling the new ones and covering little drum moments I have in mind. Only one week of rehearsals remain, but things are looking good.
7/11 - Tues Dave hosts a rehearsal with Jeff (whom he meets) and me. He has six songs ready and suggests I may have to record bass on "Pitter Patter" myself. I buy hardware to transfer the Pro Tools sessions to the studio.
7/12 - Wed The second instrumental ever written is renamed "Everlast" after much thought.
7/13 - Thur I videotape the riffs for "Mantra Dreamscape" and "Pitter Patter" to help Dave learn the bass lines faster. The newsletter is sent to fans, detailing album and song titles, current track order, and running times. This log is launched. All recording of guitars stops so I can focus on getting sessions ready for transfer.
7/16 - Sun Jeff's final day drilling songs with me. The rehearsal room at Studio 14 in Baltimore is cleared out. Total price tag for me is about $445.
7/19 - Wed Dave hosts the final rehearsal, with most songs ready to go, though "Mantra Dreamscape" is now the one where I might have to perform bass.
7/21 - Fri I write a chart and explanation of the ultra-weird chord changes and rhythm for "Mantra Dreamscape" to help Dave get up to speed. The bassist's tight schedule of gigs, etc., doesn't leave him much time to learn music so peculiar.
7/22 - Sat I reperform rhythm guitars in the coda of "Some Things". The coda was shortened in 2005, forcing me to re-record the coda then, but until this week, I hadn't noticed the guitar tone had changed quite a bit. The only solution was re-doing it a third time. Jeff buys new drum heads.
7/23 - Sun Jeff, Dave, and I converge on High View Studios in Baltimore to record drums and bass. Things go exceptionally well, with Jeff nailing five songs ("Blue Sky", "The Waltz", "Better Things", "Everlast", and "A Trill A Minute", in that order) and Dave getting four. An evil supply of candy and munchies provided by the studio engineer is set upon by the band. I play photographer and videographer while not being a picky producer, and capture the actual take of drums used for "Everlast". Dave finds time for a nap while letting Jeff track several songs in a row.
7/24 - Mon The focus was on drums on day two in the studio, as Jeff recorded first "Pitter Patter" and then "Just Passing Through" before Dave arrived and tracked "Some Things" with him. This included several moments of me doing air drums through the control room window to remind Jeff of passages he was supposed to do. Dave was also filmed improvising some killer fills on the coda. Dave finished the day by doing the bass on "Everlast".
7/25 - Tue All three of us encounter an unexpected detour on the way to the studio despite coming from different directions but manage to arrive within about 1 minute of each other. Day 3 was looking good for Jeff, with only two songs left, the dreaded "Mantra Dreamscape", and "The Key", which Jeff was avoiding because it was the newest tune for him. Things went well for him though, but Dave bailed on "Mantra" after a few takes, citing a need to work on it more. Both this and "Pitter Patter" remained unfinished while Dave completed the other tunes.
7/26 - Wed A day off, but I reperformed the end of "A Trill A Minute" at home to synch to Jeff's drums at home. It had proven difficult for Jeff to match my timing on the gradual slow down, but such is life. I subsequently have trouble matching Jeff's tempo!
7/27 - Thu Due to scheduling, Dave is unable to attend, and with Jeff done, me and the engineer, Drew, work on the songs, tweaking things and discussing the next steps. The plan is to have Dave return in a few weeks while I finish lead guitars over the next month. Then comes re-amping and mixing in September. Total price tag of the week's session for me: $2500.
7/30 - 8/4 I go on vacation.
8/14 - Mon I re-record a phrase in "Better Things", using a wah pedal this time (1:20).
8/16 - Wed On "Mantra Dreamscape", I record the first two guitar solos, and the first double stop section in the third.
8/18 - Fri I record a few phrases in the third solo from "Mantra".
8/24 - Wed Leads are recorded for the second half of the transition for "The Key", after the pick slide. The first phrase is old, but the second one at 2:02 (two handed-tapping) is new. An idea for the final third phrase at 2:08 is roughed out but undone.
8/26 - Fri I finish working out that third phrase and records it. I also reperform various lead moments in "Better Things" and a "A Trill".
9/2 - Sat Various phrases on "Everlast" are re-recorded for better tone, including the climax of the solo (3:20), which is also slightly re-written, and some trem-picking is added to the second lead entrance (:41).
9/4 - Mon The solo at 1:42 on "Blue Sky" is re-performed, mostly to tighten it up and do some tremolo bar vibrato at the end (later removed). So is the first lead phrase at :14. The dive bomb at the end is re-done to be faster, more like the original demo back in 1993.
9/7 - Thurs I reperform various lead phrases on the main body of "Some Things", citing poor wah pedal filtering on the original. At 1:51, I also add a harmony line previously written but forgotten.
9/9 - Sat On "Pitter Patter", the solo’s first half is mostly written and a rough version recorded at 2:52. The two-handed tapping execution at 3:03 wasn’t quite right and the scales needed better definition, mostly because I was a little out of practice.
9/11 - Mon The "Pitter Patter" solo is finished and recorded in its entirety.
9/14 - Thurs Dave and I get together to go over bass lines on "Pitter Patter" and "Mantra Dreamscape" in preparation for Dave's stint in the studio next week.
9/15 - Fri A new melody is written and recorded for the theme sections on "Pitter Patter", at 1:12 and again later. A harmony line is also added to the riff after the end of the solo, at 3:49.
9/19 - Tue Dave records bass on "Pitter Patter" and most of "Mantra Dreamscape" at the studio but runs out of time.
10/27 - Fri I finish writing and recording leads on "Mantra".
10/31 - Tues Dave finishes bass on "Mantra" and is done with the album (the extra sessions cost an additional $300). At home, I write and record new theme versions for "Just Passing Through", and do some editing: moving the third pass to the first position at :18, and moving the coda lead sections earlier (with the coda's free lead (which had come first) omitted, the other lead parts could come sooner).
11/2 - Thur I re-write and record the 2nd and 3rd passes on "Just Passing Through" but am not sure the new variations will remain. Re-writing in phrases, which is just the way it went, produced a lack of continuity in the recordings.
11/5 - Sun Using a soft synth, I add an introductory sound to "Just Passing Through", though it will eventually not be used.
11/7 - Tues I re-write and record the 2nd pass (at 1:07) on "Just Passing Through" once again. This one's the keeper. All leads, and all guitars, on the album are complete.
11/14 - Tues Reamping rhythm guitars started at High View Studios after an hour of importing all guitar changes since July and almost an hour of setting up and tweaking microphone placements on my Peavey Triple XXX amp and cab. Eventually, three mics are used (see picture) and recorded, though one was not used in the mix. "A Trill A Minute", "Better Things To Do", "Blue Sky", "Everlast", and "Just Passing Through" are all finished today.
11/15 - Wed Reamping riffs continues with "Mantra Dreamscape", "Pitter Patter", "Some Things...", "The Key", and "The Waltz". The same sound was then used for all lead guitars, in this order: "Pitter Patter", "A Trill A Minute", "Better Things To Do", "Blue Sky". A wah was also added to the second lead phrase you'll hear on "Better Things To Do" (:30), even though the guitar part was recorded over a year ago.
11/16 - Thu Reamping lead guitars concludes with "Everlast", "Just Passing Through", "Mantra Dreamscape", "Some Things...", "The Key", and "The Waltz". A wah was added to the second section of the latter. After this, an attempt at creating a more aggressive lead sound for certain passages was abandonded after failing to get a different enough sound from the amp or a spare amp head Drew had lying around. The sound, and a dreamy one, will be created in post-production with effects such as EQ, chorus, flange, and wizardy tricks Drew did not disclose because he'd have to kill me.

Reamping concluded by creating a lighter riff sound and reamping various phrases in haphazard order on just about every song, except "Pitter Patter".  This lighter tone is most audible on the start of "Blue Sky", which is what inspired it. Final decisions on which sounds to go with will be made during mixing, though I have a pretty good idea. Total price tag for re-amping this week: $690.
12/21 - Thu Me and Drew did a "final" mix of "A Trill A Minute", "Just Passing Through", and "Blue Sky" in about four hours today. For a first run, it sounds great!
Date - 2007 Events
2/12 - Tue All ten songs were mixed today in about nine hours, with some newly designed phaser and flanger sounds added to various songs. These are close to being final mixes. Price tag: $540.
3/14 - Wed Another round of mixing was done today, focusing on rhythm guitar tone, drum and riff reverb, and general volume tweaks. It is about 99% where it needs to be. Price tag: $360.
5/23 - Wed Today was the truly final mix of the album, with only a few minor tweaks needed on all songs except "Just Passing Through". This is the kind of nitpicking no one but me would probably notice! Price tag: $240.
6/3 - Sun Mastering was completed in about 9 hours by Ed Littman in New Jersey, with me sitting in as producer. In this case that means periodically giving input instead of playing on my laptop all day. The audio of the album is done and clips should be online soon! Price tag: $675.
The next step is sending the master off to the duplicator with the artwork and waiting a few weeks. Once the CDs are received, then it's on to getting reviews, interviews, sending press releases, and shipping to retailers! Oh yeah, and lots of promotoinal work!