Travisty Music

Well, back in the studio again this time for an 8 hr nonstop vocal session. I laid down vocal tracks on 6 songs to finish off the album. A few little acoustic tracks and then final mix time. In the meanwhile I’ve recorded 28 NEW demo tracks for the next DOUBLE Album!!! Can’t stop a rockin’, guess I’ll just roll with it!!!

As Ditch Road Records undergoes a monumental upgrade and re-wire, Travisty celebrates its 3 year anniversary this month. According to modern bride the 3rd year is traditionally the Leather anniversary, but is also know for crystal and glass. So I say lets pour some whiskey in that crystal glass and start cracking that whip. Get ready people its coming… its coming soon!!! Don’t say I didn’t try to tell you. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Back in the studio again, I’d say it was starting to feel like home, but it has for a long while now. In the final stages of the Travisty  album Ryan and I tracked the vocals for “Until it Walks Away” “Raged to Ruin” and “Wildflower Seedlings” all in about 5 hours. Feeling a little unsure of my performances, I am happy to say that with a bit of quick mixing all three songs sounded great and made the cut. That brings the total up to 5 songs down only 10 more to go!!! The process has slowed down considerably as the frankenstein monster that the Travisty album has become continues to grow into a remorseless, unforgiving monster of musical madness that shall surly destroy the entire world and everything we hold dear… or it could just be me.

Well is almost a new year but its the same old same for the Travisty Album. After 2 very important and productive days in the studio the first single “Breathe the Wave” has officially become. This song was written on my 30th birthday and was not initially intended to be on this album, but fate had other plans. Being the only song on the album that features Ryan, Heavywater and myself, Breathe the Wave has become a monster of energy and sound with an astounding 9 guitar tracks as well as 13 vocal accompaniments, recorded during the peak of the 12.21.10 full moon winter solstice lunar eclipse. To say I’m excited to share this song with the world would be the understatement of all time.

Today marks the one year anniversary of Travistymusic.com. Last night Ryan and I put the finishing touches on a few little things that were bugging us. Ryan played drums on a couple tracks that he had played on previously, but because they were recorded so long ago they didn’t quiet fit what the songs had become at this point. The new drums added the last little touch on the overall flow of the album. Today also marks the anniversary of the Travisty Demos Podcast where Ryan and I listen to the entire album in its rawest form. If you haven’t heard it check it out, it will give you a damn good idea of how much work we’ve had to put into this record. We will be doing a follow up podcast with the final cuts soon. To check it out just click on the music tab in the top right corner and press play. Enjoy!

Ryan has officially finished sample replacing the kick and snare drum hits on the Travisty album using Trigger, giving the live performances laid down by Brandon Allen of Heavywater and the sample drum kits an overall studio feel. This was along drawn out process that saw its fair share of DAE errors, but after a quick trip to fry’s for a new hard drive we’re back on track. Next we will be doing a follow up to the “Travisty Demo’s” podcast to discuss the evolution of myself as a musician/engineer and the album, making the final mixing notes.

As the summer heat blazed outside the studio the session today inside was smokin’. Ryan and I have successfully completed the first song for Travisty, thats 1 down 14 to go! Ryan and I were able to track and mix the final vox (baring a recently conceived vocal harmony in the chorus) and final guitar on the hard driving, hard hitting jam “Swallow My Smile.” I was able to defy MY nature and play the guitar part in a single take, not my specialty but today was a rare occasion. We were also able to track the final acoustic guitar for Until it Walks Away, achieving a perfectly blended sound of bright and crisp with the help of Ryan’s homemade go-bo. Nearing completion of this project is a slow climb up but each step brings more into view and its looking pretty sweet at the top.

One year ago today we  started this travesty of a mockery of a shame I laughingly refer to as my album. Truth be told any and all work we accomplished on that first 10 hour day back in 09, was completely scratched and has long since become null and void. So I guess its all in a days work. This year things are a little different. Today Ryan and I worked on our favorite song our preverbal sword o’ Damocles if you will, “Until it Walks Away.” The first song I tried to record and successfully failed at playing it to a click track. This particular song need something desperately to help it evolve, so in stepped father time. No wait, thats just Grandpa Joe and his mandolin. Thank’s Grandpa! So we laid down a beautiful little mandolin accompaniment and called that song a wrap. What a difference a day makes. A few more days of work laying down orchestra strings and on to final vox and guitar.

Well, after a long 10 hour marrathon session in the studion, Ryan has officially laid down and reamped all the bass tracks for the Travisty album. The long and winding road still has a few curves up ahead, but we’re rounding third and we’re on our way home now. We also enlisted the services of Cameron Mooney to lay down piano on track #13, and lay it down he did. Its a beautiful peice of music that gave the song the emotion that it desperatly needed, and for that I thank you.

Though its true I beat to a different drummer, for the time being it’s nice to let someone else do the work for a change. So now thanks to Brandon Allen of Heavy Water and Ryan Canestro, Travisty is now fully loaded and rock solid. Going back Wed. we’ll see what comes of that, we could be rounding 3rd on the home stretch!