I'm very pleased to say that this CD won me a Gold Artist Award at RadioIndy and also a 2nd GrIndie Award.

Original Hits The Spot Notes:

Well, this is a weird one. It started off on my Tascam PortaStudio 424 and ended up on my new Tascam PortaStudio 2488.

I went digital, only earlier than I wanted to. After I found a new source for blank cassette tapes, my 424 started doing tape drops and all sorts of inconsistencies.  Nice word, eh?  I'm not knocking the 424's - they're excellent.  I think I used mine too much and it's just normal wear and tear.  And I didn't really splurge on the 2488 either.  Since the Mark 2's came out, this dropped in price by almost half.  Also, the 8-tracks underneath this model were $599; this was $700-something.  So yeah, for an extra $200, I'll take 16 more tracks.

Anyways, I salvaged what I could from the cassettes because I thought the band tracks were OK.  I can't be bothered re-recording something that wasn't all that bad.  And to try out something from scratch I redid Parkin' and Too Soon in basically a day.  Then I got really ambitious and redid Telekinetic, Run Away, Passing Time and Sticky Belly a couple of weeks later.

I did start on Boxing Day – I remember that much. Aim Low (which didn't make the final cut, even though the ending turned out surprisingly well) was from then.  The other two, Hit The Spot and Out Of My Hands were done in March on the old 4-track as well.  Out Of My Hands didn't make the final cut either.  Then it was one day that I noticed what I thought were tape drops.  But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the tape since only one track would have the volume drop.  If it was a bad tape, then more than one track would be affected.  Later, I blamed in on the heat from the machine affecting itself.  I think I was right, but too late, I picked up the 24 track already and gave my brother the 424.  No regrets.

The only other change is that I stopped using my old condenser microphone.  This new machine really picked up the hiss from the microphone, so I ended up using my Shure 57 (or 58? I should look at it) that I take out to the gigs.  It’s not as good as the condenser but it’s way quieter but it did sound really good recording the Vibro Champ amp.  Even if I get a new condenser, I’ll probably still record the guitars with the Shure.

All in all, this “album” was pretty much a big learning curve but I found my way around.  Also, I ditched the Alesis NanoCompressor since the onboard one is better and quieter.

Track 1 - Hit The Spot*
Oh sure, I could have called it “Finding the Man in the Boat” but this has only 3 words. I liked the title so much that it was almost put to another song (that got dropped) and then to Aim Low before I put it to this one.  It seemed to fit best here.  Just to mention, clicking the link will bring you to RadioIndy's website.
This is one the new ones and actually this turned out OK.  Again, it’s the basic track (bass, drums, guitar) from the old 4-track with all the extras added after and the distortion on the track is on purpose.  The centre guitar was the Goldtop and the other 2 (each ear) was the Studio.

Track 2 - Parkin'
This is an old one of mine that I re-did to get used to using the new machine.  It was originally from Duty Calls a long time ago.  Now it sounds better and tighter.  Oh, and it’s about, well, parking.  That’s the Studio again with the wah-wah.

Track 3 - Too Soon
The other “oldie” on here. When I first did this, way back when, I thought it was the tune I always wanted to make and actually this is kind of how I base the new stuff off of.  Maybe that’s why it fits.  The original had a better solo but the “band” was sloppier.  Also, the original clocked in over 10 minutes.  This one doesn’t.  The Studio gets the nod again.

Track 4 - Telekinetic
A long time ago I made an "album" called Comes Clean.  I still giggle on that one.  Anyways, that was the one where I just got my Tascam 424.  I ended up with some songs that turned out all right.  This was one of them.  I think if I could have a super-power then that would it.
The SG Classic is the main guitar on this one, with two others panned in each ear.  The solo was the Studio with the Rotovibe.

Track 5 - Run Away
This is my scary song. Watch out. It tells a sad story about how Yours Truly gets off'd.  Good for Hallowe'en too.
The Goldtop is the first guitar on here, just kept clean.  All the other guitars are my Les Paul Studio.  I think I got lucky on the solo too.  The drum pattern is from a little app my brother found for me call Bio Drummer.

Track 6 - Passing Time
Just a nice instrumental and the type of thing I haven't been doing in a while.  I'd describe it as "pleasant".
Ahhh...guitars, guitars and guitars.  The intro has two panned resonators, courtesy of my Epiphone Biscuit, along with clean Les Paul Studio and an SG Classic in the middle position.  When the rest come in, it's my Les Paul Studio again panned in each ear.  No shame.

Track 7 - Sticky Belly*
Y'know, this'll be the third time I've recorded this one.  That's not a complaint either.  Always fun and with potty-mouth words like these...you can't go wrong.
I kept it pretty basic like when I did the originals; just the Goldtop in the left ear and the Studio in the right ear.  Nobody said I couldn't only use just 6 tracks.

Original On Ice Notes:

I think what started this whole thing was when I went to the Sony site and downloaded some loops.  I’d never use a loop for a main hook but I do like them for background percussion, just to fill in space.  I grabbed maybe 15 and then went through them.  Also, what came in handy was I found a good drum kit sound so I could eq my drum machine to try and match it.  And, now I can say Joe Vitale played on my “album”.  Cool.  So loops aren't just for fags doing dance music anymore.

OK, maybe that was a bit harsh.

Again, the majority of the tunes were done in one day in August.  Then again, they weren’t really that thought out tunes.  For example, On Ice and Security were made around just the main lick.  Pictures is just a 12-bar and Come and Go is an oldie (10 years old now).  So there wasn’t anything surprising arrangement wise, except Worth The Wait which has a whole 3 key changes (more on that one below).

I don’t know if I had writer’s block because usually real writers get that but after coming up dry for weeks, most of the words came out in one day with a few re-writes later (usually when I do the vocals).

The vocals were done during Gregg Koval Week (after the parade) except On Ice and Security which were done about a week later.  I did manage to get my new Les Paul Studio (Alpine White) during this but it didn’t get recorded.  And then the weekend of the 6th, recording, guitar solos, mixing and even the cover were finished.  Not bad.

And I'll say it now - I don't know how I ever did any recording with less than 12 tracks.

Track 8 - Two Looks
Well, this started out being called “Smartest Girl In The Place”.  It’s about boobs.  I guess I have a boob fetish.  That’s where the “two” comes from.  But I had the hardest time doing the chorus part.  You know how many words rhyme with “takes”?  Anyways, it’s basically a “she must be smart because she has big boobs” song.
This song is mainly the Les Paul Studio.  I have to think of a name for her since I have two now.  Anyways, it’s panned in the left ear; there’s one in the right ear that’s a little quieter and it gets the first half of the solo.  Then the Junior makes its first appearance in over a year for the slide solo.

Track 9 - Worth The Wait
Honestly, this song was basically a rewrite of Glenn Hughes’ Steppin' On.  When I got Music For The Divine and heard that song, I thought, “I have to do something like that.”  His is much better, but it gave me the idea for the key changes. 
The Studio gets both panned guitars (the one in the left ear is going through the Rotovibe pedal). Even the delayed guitar is the Studio. And the Junior again for the slide solo.

Track 10 - Pictures*
What happens when you don’t have enough pictures?  Right – you wished you’d taken more.  That’s all this is about.  It’s just a 12-bar in B.
Well, all the guitars are the Les Paul Studio – the two clean ones being heavily compressed.  I think that’s it for guitars.

Track 11 - On Ice
I like the title but had a hard time putting words to this.  The words that are on this final version were the first set I came up with, then I did another set because I thought I didn’t use enough “cold” words and then I went back and used the first set of words.
The song is basically made up around that Joe Walsh lick.  That’s the Studio again – all 4 of them.  The wind was added later in a Wav Editor program.

Track 12 - Rub It Right
I always wanted to have a massage song, so I guess this is it.  You can read into it anything you want, but it’s about getting a real one and not from a Rub-N-Tug.  You don’t have to have coverage to listen to this though.
For guitars, the Studio gets the panned guitars and the Gold Top gets the lead.  You know, the Gold Top is always dependable – I wish I could take it out in public.  The Junior gets the middle section.

Track 13 - Come and Go*
This is an oldie and originally done in C# and when I transposed it to E it ended up sounding like Pink Floyd’s Breathe.  That’s OK though.  This ended up being my favourite this time around.
The Studio through the Rotovibe is in the left ear.  The Gold Top gets the lead and there’s a quieter one in the right ear that you can only really hear during the harmony parts (or headphones) and the Junior shows up at the end, kinda like Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross.

Track 14 - Security
This was the hardest one to make up words for…and they still ended up being throw-aways.  Oh well, they can’t all be gems.  It’s about going through security check.
Guitars, guitars, guitars.  All guitars but the solos is the Studio.  The Gold Top through the Vibro Champ is magic.  Oh, and that’s Joe Vitale’s ride cymbal.

So there we go. On final listen, I ended up liking this – it turned out better than I thought it would have. Also, at this time of writing, I plan on taking the best ones from this and Hits The Spot and making a Hits The Spot CD for selling.  But you never know – maybe I’ll put both up at The Store.

Note: Wow, I must have been psychic since I did do that only I left it at a 2 for 1 thing.  Not bad for a yo-yo.  GK - 08.

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