Speedbump

It's amazing how your brain suppresses the bad... it's only now that I remember the feeling of uncertainty I had when recording my first album. Will people like it? Am I good enough? Is this even vaguely good? These unfortunate, but natural feelings have come hurtling back in the last week. We've hit the 3rd week slump where we're all getting irritated with each other, where we've decided that we can't play our instruments and that everything we're making is average. Maybe it is... but luckily through some experience I know that its just part of the process.

When I'm creating, I always seem to hit these bumps in the road. I get so caught up in my work that I lose perspective. It feels like I'm working in a vacuum. I can't decide whether what I've done has any relevance or if I'm even enjoying the process! Maybe it's a something that I need to go through in order to scrutinize my work to a point where it becomes obsessive, and unhealthy, and then from that point I can finally let it go and let it be what it is...

There are no rules when creating. You do what you have to to convey your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Some people will love it, others will hate it, others will be unmoved. In the end it doesn't really matter. I enjoy every part of it. Even the phase we're going through now. But only because I know it will be over soon and it'll all come together like the cheesy ending to a Hollywood film.

1 week down...

Wow so 1 week of recording has gone by already! The best times always fly by - just like this World Cup, it seems like it started just the other day and now BAM, its done! Anyways...

We spent the whole of last week tracking drums, tuning drums, changing drums, hating drums and loving drums! We actually finished our last drum track only a couple of hours ago... kinda glad it's over. But having said that, it is sounding really good! Lil Daz played really well and worked his ass off to get everything right, and Mike (our new keyboardist) did THE BEST job at tuning drums (Mike's actually studying Jazz drumming and is by trade, a drummer, but he also plays keys like a demon). We were also lucky enough to have some awesome gear loaned to us by Gorksie from SA Backline, Zildjian and Nick from Injozi. Over and above all that, we have the amazing Darryl Torr producing and Sarel engineering... how could we go wrong? :)

So yes, drums sound good. Now its onto guitar! Exciting as I actually get to play... we again have some amazing gear from SA Backline - a Matchless DC30, a whole bunch of vintage Marshall heads, an Orange Rockerverb, an Orange Thunderverb, and 3 Vox AC30's (2 vintage). Its like Christmas!!! We also have a rad selection of guitars including a number of different Fender Tele's, a strat, and my newly purchased Gretsch Country Gentleman. Fun times ahead.

Working at the SABC has also afforded us the opportunity to bring in a whole lot of other gear that we wouldn't have otherwise had access to. Today we went to look at the store room and they have everything from vibraphones, to timpanis , to vibraslaps... we were like kids in a toy store! Can't wait to get all that gear in and record it next week!

Anyways, enough gear-talk for one post! Keep checking out the Facebook for pics and vids and I'll keep you posted here on all the details. Can't wait for you to hear what we've been up too!

Greg

It's Finally Time!

So it's finally time for us to go into studio! Feels like forever since I recorded Collected Memories so it's really exciting to finally get back to it and record some new songs.

At the moment I'm busy stitching the last few lines of the lyrics together - always the hardest part for me! This time round the lyrics are even more personal, which has been difficult, but rewarding at the same time. The past two years have been pretty crazy and I've tried to express all that I've gone through and dealt with in these 12 songs.

As for the album title, I think I'm going to go with "The Inside" which is a track off the album and set to be the first single. It's quite different to the old Z&G stuff but it's one of my favourite songs and lyrically, seems to sum up the album quite well.

We're also busy finalizing the artwork with our talented friend Alice Edy. She's doing a bunch of illustrations which will make up the album booklet artwork + inlays. Can't wait for you to see them!

Other than that it's all studio-record-redo-retake-tune-play-replay-record-etc-etc-etc for the next 5 weeks. Darryl, Alan and myself are then jetting off to London to mix the album with Cenzo Townshend and master it with John Davis at Metropolis. Then it's back to SA for the release and the album launch tour. Busy busy!!!

Keep a look out on the Facebook page and here for video blogs from the studio!

G