We would like to wish you all a very HAPPY 2008!
JOP is thrilled to say a bitter-sweet goodbye to 2007....a year filled with so much tragedy and loss.
We now say hello to this virgin new year with great anticipation. We are nearing the completion of the new Cd and we will deliver the final master to AFM and Locomotive in just a few short weeks!
So what's been going on?....Here goes!
Zahner came over to "Shabbey Road Studio's" to lay down his keyboard tracks prior to the christmas break. Special guest Ralph Santolla also dropped by to record some blistering lead work on 2 songs. Laporte wanted to get some different flavor on some songs....and Ralph is one of his favorite guitar players.
Oliva finished up the balance of the keyboard work last week. Kevin went back to Morrisound to re-work a couple changes he had made and to record the 2 songs he had left. I remain working on the final protools edits and recorded some much needed special effects for this really crazy tune that we put together. It is like no other song you have ever heard from Oliva/JOP....but it will make you want to drive you car really fast while smashing your head on the steering wheel. I will say that it was the song that the band liked the least when we first started with Oliva's sick idea. But as time went by and everyone began adding their idea's, it has transposed itself into one of the coolest and most unique songs on the record.
This week at Morrisound found us wrapping up Oliva's lead vocal tracks (which are absolutely off-the-chain...as usual). His lyrical content on this record rivals anything he has written in the past. His ability to tell a great short story with every song is pure genius. The multi-character voice changes in each song provides the mechanism that brings that story to life. It's awesome indeed!
Backing vocal tracks are now complete. Matt has finished his lead guitar mastery. Tom Morris and I will finish the protools editing and add some indian drums to a couple of songs (really cool) before we begin mixing on tuesday!
Wish we could invite you all to be apart of it. This is the most exciting and stressful part of recording process. We will agonize over ever song...we will argue and call each other juvenile names...and laugh like stupid school kids. But in the end....it's just about the music!
Cheers to you all...more to come next week.
