One week from today, we're in the air

it seemed funny to take my daughter skating today, at the rink. In a week's time, we'll be well on our way to palm trees and sand.

Staying home from the cottage has been fruitful. I've been able to do things with my music I don't normally have time for. There's one song of mine - "Among the Lilies" - that I have wanted to record properly for a long time. I wrote the song for my sister-in-law's surprise wedding two years ago, and shortly after I recorded it for my brother in law, as a keepsake. That version was one I liked, it had just the right mystique I wanted in terms of the groove. But I did not have a drum machine or a metronome, just congos to record with, and I realized after I recorded it that they went out of time in a couple of places. And as I learned more about recording, I realized there was a bit of room echo on the voice.

Two months ago, I thought I'd take another stab at it, with all I'd learned about home recording in the two years since. And I wanted to try out the bass guitar my wife got me for my birthday. The version I came up with wasn't terrible - it had this kind of cool Lenny Kravitz thing about it - but lacked the romantic mystique of the first recording I'd made.

So starting last night until about noon today (stopping to sleep four hours somewhere in there,) I re-recorded it. I nailed it exactly the way I wanted to - I added a pretty string section, took away the organ, made the guitar a little less Kravitz-like and almost Hawaian sounding, and it now has the lush texture I always wanted it to. There's an audible pop towards the end of the recording, but I may have to live with it - I got exactly the feel I wanted, and I don't know if I could do it again.