The Plan

So: next week, us four Birdmonsters are heading off to a cabin in the desert to work on a few dozen songs without the distractions of San Francisco. Some of these songs just need icing while others need a complete and total overhaul and, with a fairly long tour upcoming, we want something new to share. Fair enough right? Personally, I'm hoping to come out of the experience with a good handful of well-recorded ditties. I'll settle for no one going all Jack Nicholson in the Shining. After all: no cell phone reception. No internet. If I start seeing twins in the hallway, I promise we'll come right home.

Since we're leaving, of course, something had to break. This time, it was my amp. So I stayed home for half the day yesterday, put on my SARS mask, and did some surgery. I'm not sure which is more absurd: the fact that I thought I, a person who only recently realized how to use those red, yellow, and white cables that connect a VCR to the TV, thought he could repair the innards of an expensive amplifier, or the fact that I actually did. Not sure. We'll find out if my screw-tightening, bolt-fiddling really paid off tonight in practice. Otherwise...Well, let's just say there will be a lot of melodica on our next CD.

We're all rather giddy about going to the desert though. (And yes: one "s" not two. Although, I'd really rather we were going to a cabin inside a giant Eclair, but so far: not happening). We're bringing every instrument we own and are going to take a stab at recording the ensuing clamor. It's kind of like a vacation, except we'll kind of be working, except work will be fun, which highlights the fact that I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I know, I know. The Valentine's Day thing was funnier. And for the record, I own far too little Soft Rock. But I thought I'd share our plan, our excitement, all that. We started the blog to chronicle our last recording experience, so, well, full circle time. We're like a salmon returning to our spawning grounds, except, you know: less fish eggs.