Age Rings at Boston's Basement 247
Getting vocals down is rarely a walk in the park. Tim Billings recounts here a few nights in the life of a self-medicating singer, struggling through the process of getting himself particularly gnarled enough for lead vocal work on these two new jagged rave-ups that call on him to conjure a raspy, hyped-up Jeff Tweedy abandon. The songs were just released as a digital single at the end of February.
12/15/07
“Big Black Hole” and “Vanessa’s Neck” Vocal Session
My least favorite part of recording. Straight from work, Red Line to Harvard, 66 Bus to Jack’s. Dragging ass, bad mood (surprise!), but I had one of those super sized Red Bull cans so I’m feeling okay. I “get loose” and run a take of “Big Black Hole” and am unimpressed from the first note to the last and I’m freezing. Somehow, I think that having a mic on a straight stand that I can hold onto like I do in a live setting will help me relax. Jack suggest an Sennheiser MD406 Dynamic mic, which he starts to set up. This takes like 45 minutes to set up and find the right mic, so Drew, Will and I fuck around watching videos on YouTube. Here is an excerpt from a few of my subsequent vocal takes: “Fuck! Shit! God-fucking-dammit! Arrrrrrghh! I can’t sing!”
I leave feeling terrible. In the back of my mind, though, I’m thinking I may just be being hard on myself and maybe at least one of the takes is ok. I’m wrong. Nothing from this night was used. At all.
12/27/07
“Big Black Hole” and “Vanessa’s Neck” Vocal Session Take 2
Saturday afternoon after a particularly long night. Leave my house, stop at the packy [New England for “liquor store” - Ed.], Marlboro menthols (only when I’m recording vocals), a bottle of Schweppes and 2 nips of Jameson, mix it on my way to Quincy Center. Red Line to Harvard again, but this time fuck the bus, too hungover. A cab to Jack’s and I’ve been mentally preparing for this all week because if I fuck it up again I’ll probably kill myself so I’m pretty wired. The cabbie starts talking about the Bruins and I can’t deal with it so I get out of the cab like a half a mile before the studio. Should have just waited for the bus.
Jack has a better mic (an AKG C28) for me to use today that I was too impatient to wait for last time, and he thinks it will make a big difference also if I don’t touch the stand. I agree and immediately feel way more comfortable, plus Jack has turned just about every light in the place off and thats comforting as well. Menthols and Pabst (or Miller High Life?) through the duration of this, not for a minute feeling like I’m in my own body (good thing). “Big Black Hole” and “Vannessa’s Neck” done, I collapse on the control room couch and let Drew do his backups, which he nailed on the second or third take and I wish I could do shit that fast.
Will gives me a ride home in his maroon minivan and my house is filled with a dozen or so of men, women, and children (my roommate’s family holiday party) and everyone is drunk and in a good mood. Going to sleep well tonight I think.
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