Friends Classic Rock

June 15, 2010 - UPDATE!!!

2010-06-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Coop here (yes, Coop). A lot has happened since Lib's last post. Although I'm no longer performing with the band, Lib and I have been hard at work on the CD.

I'm really excited about continuing my collaboration with Lib, so I wanted to tell you all about it.

Over the past few weeks, we've been hunkered down at the Cooper Cabana Studios in Mount Laurel NJ. We added vocals and a few missing instruments (including a midi track!) to "Make Me A Deal", and today, we finished a demo-ready mix. Lib is providing it to a local dance school that wants to use it in their recital next week (they've been working with an old rough mix). Next on the schedule is "Pretty Baby".

We've also put down the initial tracks of a solo single of Lib's.

My Windows 7 laptop seems to be running great with the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra USB-2 multitrack interface and Acoustica Mixcraft 5.1.

So...progress.

Hope you don't mind, but a quick plug for me... check out where I'm playing (and with whom) at http://njpariah.com/ and/or http://facebook.com/NJPariah.

c u l8tr!

Coop

Recording session 2/25/10

2010-02-26T06:49:00.000-08:00

Back in the studio Thursday night for another session. Once again, it was Bryan behind the board engineering and me laying down vocal tracks. We did two more of my songs which are "Since You Left Me", and "You're The One For Me". I did the lead vocal Line, then layed down three background tracks on "Since You Left Me" and then slid right into "You're the One For Me". Should have been easy, but we noticed a glitch in the song. I think we both started thinking "Here we go again!" It turned out that the glitch was actually in the organ track itself. So with some studio magic...a little cutting and pasting of the offending rifts, Bryan was able to correct the glitch without having to re record the organ track, which was a major victory because we would have had to re do the entire track. Punch ins work if the settings are exact, so to try and punch in after so much time has elapsed would have been incredibly difficult. With that fixed, I put down the vocal line.
So with this done, the remainder of the work on my songs really are three that need horns, one that needs a tuning fix, and some minor editing. Next week, we'll probably finish up "Make Me A Deal" and try to set that up for a release. Slowly, but surely, it will get done. Lib

Recording session 2/10/10

2010-02-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

What started out as a night of disasters turned into a pretty productive night. With Coop behind the board, we started laying the vocal tracks for Twinkle in Your Eyes when the computer started gliching again. Coop just about had my hairstyle as he went through a progression of attempts at fixing the problem. We tried moving to another song Just Say It's Over to see if maybe the problem was in the song . Different song, same problem. I almost expected to see the computer go crashing through the engineer room into the studio.After about two hours, Coop tried a desperation fix...what it was I couldn't tell you. I'm a writer, not a computer wizard...and it worked. The glitches were gone. We layed all the vocals for Just Say it's Over, Twinkle in Your Eyes, and It's A Good Thing, plus the guitar solo in It's A Good Thing.
Three songs complete in about two hours. Like I said, not a bad nights work. I'm ready to keep pushing so we can go to the final editing and mixing. I want to get this puppy done and in the can so we can start working on the next one. I feel like we have gotten the problems solved and from here on in, it should be smooth sailing. Next will be Lou turn to lay down vocals on his songs.. Acouple more horns, and we will be finished recording. I know I keep saying it, but the will be done, and I feel like we can finish it soon...Maybe not by th Ides of March like we wanted, but soon. I'll keep you posted. T.T.F.N Lib

Recording session 1/29/10

2010-01-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it is very strange going back to the studio after Harry. This is our first session since he passed away. It is so bittersweet. I feel the need to keep going though. We waited so long to do this, now it is becoming an obsession. Maybe I am realizing that we don't always have all the time we want to do things. I think tonight will be the catalyst to continue pressing on. We are so close, yet there is still much to do.
Tonight is the first final vocal night. Coop behind the board, and I am laying vocal lines to Pretty Baby. We added a tamborine to Harry's cowbell, so I got another chance to jam with him on percussion. For all intents and purposes, Pretty Baby, which is the opening track to the CD is complete and ready for mixing. We began recording the lead vocal line to Twinkle in your eyes, but the computer started hiccupping...a glitch in the system. We worked on it for awhile until we realized that it wasn't going away. We decided that since it was past 1 am, we would end this session. Next week...with a new computer on board...I'm hoping to lay vocal lines for the rest of my lead lines and, if the recording gods are smiling, track the horns for 3 of the 4 remaining songs that they play on. We are on the verge! I can smell a completion date, although I can't see it clearly. Til next week. Lib

Recording sessions Oct. 27, Nov. 3, Nov.10

2009-11-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

Wow! I got a chill tonight as we recorded horns for the second week. John and Mike were wonderful as they blew through four of the 9 songs that they are playing on. A very productive session . We have two of three horns on Make Me a Deal and Just Say it's Over, and three horns on Twinkle in Your Eyes and How it Might have Been (Actually, we added a fourth horn to How it might have been). Lou "bassed up" the CD as he completed the bass work on 11 of the 12 songs. The 12th has yet to be selected, but when we get that far, we'll have just about wrapped it up. I'm working to release Make Me a Deal ASAP, as I have gotten some requests for that recording. I have a guest pianist coming over next week to add keys to Make Me a Deal. He played with the band for a very short time. Family commitments caused him to not stay, but he made a big impression on me when he played my song. I am hoping we can continue the pace that we are recording at, and maybe put some sneak peeks from the board mix out for you to hear.
3 sessions and 3 very productive weeks. I'll keep you posted.

Recording Session 8/13/09

2009-08-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a long while since we last sessioned, but with a hectic summer schedule, and family commitments, it is all we could do. The CD is moving slower than I had envisioned, but at least it is moving in the right direction.
We are down to the last three songs for the CD. We laid tracks for 2 of Lou's songs, "Jacks" and "I Want You Back". Lou, Joe and I laid down our respective tracks with Coop behind the board. " I Want You Back" was an interesting work in that we changed the whole feel of the song, taking it from a country western influenced song to a more R&B flavored song. "Jacks" is a story in a song....think Harry Chapin with a harder edge.
One more song to record and the CD will have all the tracks down. After that comes all the fill in work...horns, extra guitars and keyboards, percussion, and finally lead and background vocals.
Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, we can begin the finishing process on this soon.
Lib

Recording Sessions 5/26 and 5/27

2009-05-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

It was Coops turn to get on the other side of the board and begin drumming. It took about 1 hour to set up the mics for the drums,and to get levels on them. So at about 9:15, Coop took his seat on the "throne" and began his part of the recording. Joe and I engineered this session. We got finished takes on three songs that we have played out live: Make A Me A Deal, Just Say It's Over, and Twinkle In Your Eyes. It was a relatively easy session, as Coop has played these songs before, and we just went over different accents and styles. So Tuesday left us wanting more. It was intoxicating sitting behind the board and listening as these songs took on a new life. So we decided to reconvene on Wednesday and see if we could get some more done.
Wednesday turned out better than any of us expected. Coop arrived at the studio at 8, and we went right to work. This session would be slower because Coop had never played these songs, nor has he even heard them other than on the initial recording nights. So we went into play mode to go over how the songs should be played, than a practice run, than the actual recording. After the first song, which was Missing You, we decided to forego the practice run and do a straight record. After all, the worst that could happen would be a re take. For the most part, two takes was all it took to get it done...amazing considering it was the first time he played them. So we moved on. By 10 o'clock we recorded and saved: Missing You, Pretty Baby, Since You Left Me, Your The One For Me, and It's A Good Thing. A very productive session. Joe came in at around 10 and was pleasantly surprised that we were sitting around with a cold beer ready to go over the nights work.
Next week we should be doing percussion overdubs, maybe beginning the brass, and maybe laying down lead vocal lines...we used a rough guide vocal track for recording. So, until then ciao. Lib

Studio 5/14/09

2009-05-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it had been awhile since we worked on the CD, but it felt good to get back in the studio to work on it. The triumverante of Coop, Joe and myself started at about 8, only to encounter technical difficulties. Computers are great things...until they break down. Well, we were not going to be denied a recording night, so we persevered and kind of got the machine working...kind of. There was a lot of shutting down and re booting going on there. We did manage to lay down bass track for Pretty Baby, and redo the twelve string solo. At that point, the machine was really acting up. We were afraid of losing everything. So we did the best thing we could do, considering the circumstances..we kept on going. I re did the accordian track on How It Might Have Been. A dear friend of ours told me a joke that I would love to share, cause I think it's funny:
Q: What's the definition of a gentleman?
A: Someone who can play the accordian, but doesn't.

I still laugh at that joke everytime I think of it...Thanks John!

We have 8 songs ready for drums and percussion, so I think next session, we'll put Coop to work.
My feeling is that we get these 8 ready, then record the final four, which are Louies songs, at the next session after. So the Buckingham Brass will soon begin recording. That's it for now.Because of our busy workload, I'm not sure when the next session will be, but I'm thinking the week folloeing next week. Ta ta for now Lib

Recording 3/5/09

2009-03-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

Poor Joe ended up in the hospital last night. Nothing serious...easy to say from here...but enough for him to have an overnight stay. The good news is that "Jumpin Joe" will be playing tonight at Racks. With Joe out and Lou indisposed, Coop and I set out to keep this rolling. With Coop behind the board, I layed guitar tracks for Lou's song "Missing You". I layed the initial rythmn track, then added solo guitar work. It was a relatively quick session, with Coop and myself discussing various items of interest( more than just women! ) and generally just BSing the night away.But we have another track started.
Just so you know, "Missing You" is a song that Lou originally wrote in 1970, and is one of two songs from the original album concept that is making it onto the CD. Back in '70, "Missing You" was an acoustic number that we used to play at shows we did back then.It was a slower ballad type song. Somewhere around 1975, we revamped it to be a very '70's rocker, which is what people may have heard a few times as Friends played it out earlier last year. We decided to revamp the song yet again, slowing down the tempo, and making the song less tedious, and more flowing. I'm looking forward to adding to our shows again. But first, I need to rework the horns to make it fit into the 2009 rendition.
So that's it for now. We'll reconvene at the studio next week to keep moving this CD along. Lib

Woe is me!

2009-03-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Man oh man! I caught the "whatever"bug that's all over so I had to cancel the recording date Thursday. Truthfully, if we didn't have shows on Friday and Saturday, I could have probably done a short session, but I was beat, and figured that I needed to save it for the shows. I wish I knew why I was writing in italics now! It looked cool at first, but I have no control of it. OH WELL! Next session should be on Thursday evening. We'll start layng tracks for Lou's songs. If all goes well, we should have all basic tracks layed down for the complete album...did I just say album? am I showing my age?... within the next three sessions. I think we may have a guest pianist on one of my songs "Make me a Deal" lined up. I'll give more info on that later. But for now, we'll get ready for rehearsal Tuesdsay, and recording Thursday. Ciao tutti! Lib

Recording session 2/21/09

2009-02-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

We were back at it on Saturday 2/21. Since we had a show cancellation, we decided to do studio work instead. This was mostly Lou's recording date, as he was adding bass tracks to existing guitar tracks that Joe and I had previously laid down. With Coop behind the board, Joe providing moral support ( as well as sneaking peeks as to how to engineer the board) and myself, Lou did a masterful job of learning on the fly...playing songs he had only done once or twice and recording bass tracks, plus recording a solo on twelve string acoustic on "Pretty Baby". I added an accordian track (not a misprint) to Lou's song tentatively titled "How It Might Have Been" , which will be the closing number on the CD. We finished a five hour session with a photo shoot (photos were also taken throughout the session) of Lou and myself posing with the album cover that our friend had created almost 40 years ago and which we had promised to fill way back then...better late than never. All in all it was a good session . We'll be back in the studio Thursday evening to move ahead with the last of the songs that we need to record to fill out the CD. We're moving at a nice pace, and are still on track for a late summer release...keep your fingers crossed. Lib

News Update

2009-02-18T19:26:00.001-08:00

See first response to this post

Last session 2/12/09

2009-02-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

The triumverate was back in studio on Thursday night continuing our section of the recording. Once again, Joe and I were doing guitar work, with Coop running the board. We fixed some earlier miscues (it's funny what you hear when you listen several times), then moved ahead recording solos and extra guitar work. We decided to record solos through a mic into the board rather than run a direct feed to eliminate, as much as possible, the pick noise which happens as the pick attacks the strings. We both used a Fender 212 with a condenser mic set at the speakers, and studio foam wrapped around the amp for noise reduction. So 8 songs are ready for phase 2 which will begin Saturday when Lou comes in and begins recording bass tracks to the 8, and, if we can run an extended session, we'll begin recording the last four tracks.
The next piece of the puzzle will be recording Coop on percussion, which I'm hoping will happen within the next three weeks. So far, we are on course for a summer release...well maybe mid summer....well maybe later summer. But I know that the excitement is there for this CD. Lou and I haved had this in our heads for almost 40 years (YIKES!) and the band is really looking forward to this. The Buckingham Brass is already making plans for us to complete this CD and begin a pet project of theirs, which will be to record a Christmas CD. With an August start to that project, we have the chance to put 2 CDs out in one year...very Beatleesque if you ask me!
That's it for now. we spent five hours in studio Thursday night, and are looking forward to our next session. ttfn, Lib

CD Update - 1/30/09

2009-01-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was a building night at the studio. Because Joe was under the weather, and Lou had previous commitments, it was me recording, with Coop behind the board. Rather than plunge ahead and continue laying down new tracks, we decided to add on to the existing tracks.For those of you unfamiliar with recording, the basic tracks are layed down, in this case Joe and myself on guitar,and then, using the many tracks we have available, we build on each song one piece at a time which makes mix down infinately easier.Last night I added guitar solos to Twinkle in Your Eyes and Pretty Baby. While recording the guitar work in Twinkle in Your eyes, I thought to myself (which of course is always dangerous and caused me to flub the ending run in the solo) that strings would really fill out the back end of the song. So with the magic of Coop behind the board, I layed down the string track (after several "touch" takes). We made it a short night ( 3 hours) and called it after the completed take. - Lib

CD Update - 1/26/09

2009-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Two more songs were recorded on Thursday as the trio of Joe, Coop and myself were back in the studio. Once again, Joe and I laid guitar tracks as Coop engineered. The two songs were:

Your The One For Me
I Guess the Time...

That brings us to 8 songs of the 12 we want to put on the CD. We're hoping that Lou is feeling well enough to come out to the studio for our next session.We should be able to round out the CD at that point and begin building on the tracks we already laid.

The title and concept for "One Man's Dream..." actually was concieved back in 1972 when a dear friend of ours in high school needed an art project for her class. She decided to create an album cover for "The DeAngelis Brothers Band" complete with interior photos,lyrics printed on the interior, and her own artwork as the cover.She chose the songs, which Lou and I wrote, to fill the album. Although only two of those songs will make the CD, we still used her concept for song selection.

Til next time Lib

CD Update - 1/18/09

2009-01-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well...it's been over 30 years in the making, but "One Man's Dream..." is finally becoming a reality. We began recording last night at "The Studio" beginning what we hope will be a speedy process. With Lou under the weather (recovering from minor surgery) Joe and I ,with Coop behind the board engineering, laid the initial guitar tracks for six songs. the titles are as follows:

Twinkle in your eyes
Pretty Baby
Make me a Deal
Just Say It's Over
It's a Good Thing
Since You left me

The next recording date hasn't been set yet, but I'm guessing that, depending on availability, we'll build on these tracks, or continue laying down the guitar tracks for the other six songs within the next 2 weeks.

By the way, the actual working title, and most probably the finished title, for this CD is "One Man's Dream is Another Man's Sorrow". On one of these posts, I'll fill you in on how that title came to be. That's it for now. Lib

CD Update - 1/5/09

2009-01-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm just completeing work on 4 new songs for the One Man's Dream album. These four are from Lou. i'm making rough cuts of them for the group,and possibly for the Anthology series, and will begin final arrangements for them soon. Tenative recording date is set for January 16 at the studio. If all goes well, we will release by mid summer...although we've heard that before!LOL. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the progress, and when i figure it out, I'll post the song list. Tata for now! Lib

Welcome to Friends Classic Rock

2009-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Friends Classic Rock Blog. Here, we will keep you up-to-date with news about the band, and progress on our debut CD project,"One Man's Dream..."

Be sure to check out our website http://www.friendsclassicrock.com/