Okay friends…confession time.
I’ve been in a slump for the past few weeks. Maybe it’s the change of season. Maybe it’s not enough daylight or sleep. Maybe it’s the financial stress of the upcoming holiday season. I don’t know. Fact is, I’ve been down in the dumps and, unlike my contemporaries, that is not a good formula for me to get songwriting done.
My music is not fueled by heartache and depression. Nor is it littered with sadness and darkness. No, I need to be in a good place to make music. I need to have my life in order and for things to be in their rightful place before I can let my mind get into that creative state. To make a long-story short, it’s not been a very productive month.
In fact, I dreaded the thought of writing a song this month and, even moreso, going through the painstaking ritual of tracking each part and lining up click-tracks and finding tempos, etc. (stuff I usually love to do!). I watched as the month’s end crept closer and closer, and panicked with each passing day in hopes that inspiration would strike.
It did, but not in the usual way. I decided that I would experiment with the actual recording this month. If the songs weren’t flowing, why not have some fun with recording? I wrote a quick little number with a catchy chorus that would suit my needs perfectly, and then contacted some of my friends to come play with me. The idea was to show them the song, set up a microphone and then position ourselves around the mic so that we could all be heard, and then record the song in a take or two. And that’s just what we did!
‘Never Gonna Let You Down‘ was written on a Monday night after a 13 hour shift at work. It was recorded the following evening and posted the next. The song features my friends Ali Leonard on violin and harmony vocals, Adam Kierstead on acoustic guitar and background vocals, and Chris Braydon on slide guitar and background vocals. Sean Boyer tapped away on a suitcase and joined the choir for the background vocals as well. I played acoustic guitar and sang lead.
Since the song was one track, there was no mixing to be done, but Sean did spend a considerable amount of time editing out the multiple fits of giggles that erupted throughout the evening.
Without a doubt, this was the most fun I have ever had recording. I think it’s safe to say that my slump is over and with just this one evening, my excitement to create renewed. My sincerest thanks to my friends for doing this with me.
This one’s for Flester Scruggs & The Tuesday Night Minstrels (you know who you are)
….enjoy!
One month to go! Thanks for your support and for taking this trip with me. It is much appreciated….
-clinton