My shoulder was so cramped last night after recording acoustic guitar for nine straight hours in a cramped little sauna.

Josh and I hauled the studio down into the basement where there is a 4×6 sauna, and set up the AKG 414 through a Studio Projects mic pre and recorded my dad’s beautiful sounding acoustic. The wooden panels that cover the walls and ceiling of the small room were superior to the matte sound foam of a typical “dead room” because it contributed to the wooodsy sound of the guitar, acting almost like a resonant booster, like wine aged in oak as opposed to steel barrels.

Over the course of one night and one whole day we tracked all of the acoustic guitar tracks for the record, which is, in my estimation, the most significant hump to have overcome; so much of the rhythm and character of these songs was developed on that instrument. Suddenly the songs sprang to life, filling in the rhythmic nuances for which Ryan, the drummer, had so eloquently left room, filling in the contrapuntal harmonies against which the melodies take on a third dimension.

At first we were concerned that, due to the nature of my acoustic/drums/bass three- piece as established at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, the acoustic parts would be “overplaying” – filling in too much precious “white space”, but mixed far back enough, they simply gave the songs an airy texture that glued together the rest of the parts – electric guitars, keyboards and so on.

Finally, at the end of the night, we had probably too many drinks, and I awoke feeling like I should just go back to bed. Which I did. When I finally managed to get on my legs, I felt this incredible sense of relief and satisfaction – finally after so long, the dreaded meat of the record has been committed to wax. Of course, the lead vocals will prove challenging, but as I explained to Josh, vocals are an emotional challenge, whereas acoustic guitars are technical and so much drier and exacting a process, and thereby exhausting and daunting. Now that’s all in the past and we can move on to more creative gestures.

As I went out for some fresh air, I was almost hit in the face by a Monarch butterfly. I guess all those fat fuzzy caterpillars that Sage and Jadie were observing eat plants whole last week at Cawaja Beach finally underwent their metamorphoses. Not to overstate the obvious metaphor, but I noted that I am going back to sobriety today. Like I did for a decade before turning thirty and deciding to loosen up for a bit. Except now I feel loosened up regardless. Also, I felt this cloud that has been hovering over my being for the past year or so, go away. I realize that seems like a lot to have happen over the course of ten fever dreamish hours, except that it was in fact the end of a very long road. I am now re-learning how to stand. How to walk. How to breathe. I am in a new land, and I have no idea how to speak the language. I am even a little reticent, but I am anxious to get the hell out of wherever I just was. It was like an excorcism. At one point I practically fell to my knees to pray and expel whatever demon I felt was parked behind my left eye. Long story. And not one I really want to expunge here. But you get the idea. And it was parked there for a long while.

Oh yeah, and I received an interesting call from Los Angeles yesterday. Something that may present a solution to the query I raised in my blog entry concerning the near future of digital media distribution methods and where the market will eventually settle. You know, that whole “I know you love good music, and I am doing my best to make some, but how am I going to make a living from it and how are you going to feel like paying for it when you know that the artist is lucky to get an even marginal share, and what’s more why bother when you can get it for free” conundrum.

I am not divulging what that potential solution is yet, because I need to investigate it further, although I may fill you in on it sooner that the mass media do, because after all, this blog is called my Culturepin, and so I have some sort of self-imposed duty to fill you in faster.

xo