My Time at Ardent - Day 02

Day 2 was all about the studio. After our morning round of coffee, we headed over to Ardent Records to master the record. Kevin & Larry Nix run the mastering suite and do an amazing job - kudos!

About 1/2 way through, we gave our ears a break, took a full studio tour and heard a little more of the Ardent history...very rich!

The place is adorned with platinum and gold records, Grammy's, and some amazing vintage equipment. We even ran into Luther Dickinson (singer/guitarist for The Black Crowes & The North Mississippi All-stars).

We wrapped up the project in the afternoon and it sounds absolutely O-mazing!

Enjoy a few more pics:

Peace,
Ross

Memphis - Day 01

On the trip to Memphis, we killed 2 birds with 1 stone (actually 3, if you count devouring some amazing ribs!).

First, we took our time getting there and setup several cool photo shoots. We went from scurvy "should-be" abandoned motels (that's with a very hard M - i think they charged by the hour here), some cool dark, smoky taverns, downtown Memphis, and finished fully-clothed in a swimming pool.

Here's a few of the results:


Tomorrow will be 100% studio...see ya' then!

Peace,
Ross

Ardent Records

I head out first thing in the morning for Ardent Records to wrap up a big recording project I've been producing for the past 8 or so months. I am very pumped to make it back down to Ardent, eat 3+ persons worth of ribs, and enjoy Memphis for a couple days.

I'll post more from the studio in a bit...

Peace,
Ross

The Lost Narrative

I realize that this is WAY overdue, but I'm finally ready to announce that my sister (Lacy Adair) and I are working on a E.P. as The Lost Narrative.

Its been a fun project thus far and we're barely into it. Its part folk, part electronic, but all creative and I think you'll really dig it.

The plan is to release it online this fall through iTunes, NoiseTrade, and more...

I'll keep you updated as there's more to discuss.

In the meantime, join us here:

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
MYSPACE


Peace,
Ross

Back in STL

Welp, we're back in St. Louis from a fun (but exhausting) weekend down at Tablerock Lake with the fam. We boated, knee-boarded, and tubed...alas, I'm sun burnt & sore!

More to blog tomorrow.

Good night & good luck,
Ross

New Art Project for the House

Last night I did an art project for the house. Our entry way has been bare since we moved here back in February, and needed some life.

I ran by Home Depot and picked up the supplies. 3 hours later, we have new lively art in the entry way.

(here's some grainy iPhone pics of the project in process...)



Word.

-Ross

Tracking

Kate and the girls are out of town, so last night I got a great deal of studio-work done on a song/riff/idea I've been toying with for almost a year now. I was able to lay down all of the drum tracks, bass, acoustic guitars, and 3 electric guitar tracks. The sounds are SO organic and raw - I'm lovin' it! I also laid down a couple string ideas on the synth, which I'll later replace with a symphony of beauty...that's what I do :-)

The plan (for now) is to play this beast over and over until I'm able to find just the right lyrics for it. I work that way.

Instrumentals and structure first.
Lyrics second. (most of the time anyway)

So now comes the process of reviewing and looking back at years of lyrics. I try and write about 5 songs/poems each week, so I have a dense catalog when it comes time to plug in the text. I already have a couple melodies in mind, so that should help narrow the search.

That's plenty for now, but I'll be showcasing a lot of the studio "happenings" in the weeks and months to come.
Peace!
-Ross

p.s. here's the real rock star of the family...