In the studio with Mark Spellman

     I had the privilege of hanging out with a few musician friends last night. It was quite an experience to see how the process of laying down tracks in a studio is accomplished. There is a world of difference between performing on stage and recording in a studio...
 The intimacy of a studio session is magical. Having some experience running sound in church, I had an appreciation for all of the equipment involved. Daniel's studio is a tech-geek's heaven. Stack amps, beautiful guitars, mixers with a bazillion knobs, and XLR cables scattered about set an atmosphere of anticipation for what was possible.

     Mark was here to record the bass tracks for several songs he wrote. I've known this cat for a long time and he is one of the best musicians I've ever met. He has the mind of a true artist. Like most creative types, he is very unconventional. He doesn't care what people think about him, he just does what he does because he loves it. He's a self-taught musician and is a master at live performance, so I know that he had to make a few adjustments to prepare for the studio. He strapped on his instrument, punched out a few licks, and decided that his shoes had to go. He kicked them off and moved about the room to check the space he needed to jam. 

     Keith's cigarette was glued to his lip as he began plugging in cables. Behind the glass, Daniel did some sound tests and tweaked some settings while sipping on a can of cheap suds. Then the countdown began and Mark was off like a bull out of the gate. Not a minute passed before Daniel stopped everything. Nothing personal, he's just all about business. He reminded Mark that his bass-popping, while very effective on stage, had to be more controlled while recording. This stop and start process continued as Mark made minor changes to his sound. In between cuts, Daniel and Kevin would spout off one-liners and howl out intentionally lame sing-a-longs. Finally, Mark's frustration caused him to blurt out, "I can't do it right! I have to do it wrong to make it right!" Daniel responded, "Okay, do it wrong." What followed had Keith and me squirming to hold back noises of laughter and amazement. He completely changed the whole way it was supposed to sound and did it the "wrong" way. He nailed it.

     After completing the tracks for all three songs, everyone began to pack up. It was a very enjoyable night but I wasn't satisfied. I asked Mark to give me three minutes of pure funk. Daniel jumped on the drums. The groove was laid and it was too much for Keith to resist. He pulled his custom SG off the wall and added some six-string chops. I had gained a new appreciation for the skills of recording but there's nothing like the sound of a free-for-all jam.

Here's a short clip of Mark messing around a bit...