Thanks to the help of 72 Kickstarter supporters who pledged their support in December, the first shipment of my latest album with Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Frechette arrived in the mail ahead of us as we flew into Winnipeg to begin a 40+ date tour which starts tonight just south of the city. We are very excited about “New Disguise” and can’t wait to share it with you!
While we love the full but raw, unedited, only-us sound of our first duo album “Dan and Laurel”, for many of the songs on “New Disguise” we heard a band and a “festival-ready” sound so enlisted the help of talented and groovy sound engineer Justin Mayer of Bear Creek Studio in Santa Cruz mountains, and Santa Cruz area musicians Patti Maxine on lap steel, Jimmy Norris on drums and percussion, Tracy Parker on upright bass, and Gianni Staiano on organ. In keeping with the live off the floor sound of our first album, all the new duo songs and most of the new “band” songs were recorded live, though this time with everyone in separate rooms to allow for easier volume adjustments during mixing. We couldn’t be happier with the tasteful additions these musicians made to our songs, especially across all the different genres we like to dabble in. Jaime Sitar then took our mixed tracks to the next level with his mastering work, adjusting volumes and making everything clear and sparkly.
Likewise, we enjoyed a great photo shoot in Big Sur with the talented photographer Michelle Magdalena. Yet again she found magic in all the little moments when we thought we were just standing there. Finally Griffin Dominique Sokal, graphic designer and Dan Shinan of Ironstone Technologies, both of Winnipeg worked their magic to make the final product, including lyric sheet, professional, fun, and engaging. Over all, two months from start to finished CD, a testament to the quality of support we’ve had from our fans and colleagues. Thank you everyone!
