side a, full take

years ago I had this idea to record practice cassette tapes on this ole Panasonic SlimLine portable cassette recorder with auto stop while I traveled all around. I got that recorder some place up north while on a tour - there's a line in a Peachtea song written by John Warrin that's kinda about this time. the line can hold a lot of things, but it hits me right down the middle.

anyways, I was getting ready to play my first show in a few years over at echoparkrising. while I was trying to totally rebuild how I sound live, I thought I'd pick the cassette tape idea back up. it's over a decade old at this point - only ever finished two tapes. stack another layer on the plate. this time I'm cleanin' it.

this recording is just a straightforward one take of the set I played at echoparkrising. this specific cassette I started recording with my Tascam 246, but it broke somethin' serious right after finishing this actual cassette tape. I mixed this on my Tascam 424 mkiii and all new tapes will be recorded and mixed on that machine. nothing polished, just a college try on each tune.

first thing I was tryin' to find was a guitar tone that feels right. not sharp, not bright, more like a warm rust color on a fence, round but energetic. I'm still working on tryin' to land that tone and old amps break and keep breaking, but I'm on a hunt for that sweet sweet sonic space that holds weight without pushing me away. the next and last piece in this recording, my vocal. it's a bit tricky to articulate, but I always seem to want it to sound simultaneously just like me while being something else entirely. like it's just you and me in this room, but also bigger, more fuzzy, a welcomed wave in the ocean.

thanks for listening to this first cassette tape. bright days ahead. making somethin' together with the people you love. scroll on down for the rest of this one.