Recording studio, audio training, bands and DJs - Aurora, Illinois

IN THE STUDIO: Steven Strong

IN THE STUDIO: video with One Ton Drum

Last Tuesday brought a special treat -- the Backthird's first video shoot. One Ton Drum is auspiciously a children's act -- the sort that's too impossibly clever for grownups not to like as well -- and their video for "Things to Do" is a perfectly planned, fastidiously rehearsed dose of organized chaos filmed in a single shot. Performers David Caton and Isra Gonzalez played guitar, bass, keyboard, shakers, xylophone, pots and pans, megaphone, toolbox and a modified road case -- and that's not counting all the lights and the slideshow.

On the other side of the fourth wall, video guru Jason Hartong brought an insane camera crane and dolly he built in his garage -- along with Robert Beavers, the Backthird's first-ever dolly grip. We tracked the song to Pro Tools live -- a unique challenge when shooting video at the same time -- for a result that's totally honest and truly special.

You can see my photos from the shoot here. Watch this space for news when the video goes online -- you won't want to miss it.

FROM BENJIE: Holiday Songwriting for Dummies

December is the time when holiday music begins trickling from our stereos and street corners, evoking memories of joy and telling us the time for childlike wonder has begun – unless, of course, we live in the United States, where malls start blasting Christmas songs at Halloween. If you’ve left your house in the past month, you’ve probably already heard the latest appalling techno version of “White Christmas.” And if you’re unfortunate enough to work in retail, you’re about ready to throttle that Suzy Snowflake by now.

All of which is good news for us songwriters – this is the perfect time to introduce new holiday music to a listening public already burnt out on the usual stuff! This month, I’ll teach you how to write the perfect holiday song in as little as 10 minutes. You’ll find a link to my own new holiday tune somewhere in this column – when you’ve finished your own, e-mail the mp3 to me for inclusion in a future post!

There are three types of holiday song, and thus three different tracks for you to follow as a songwriter. I’ll cover them in order of difficulty – pick the track that’s right for you, churn out a couple of winners and before you know it you’ll have royalty checks tap-tap-tappin’ on your windowpane.

1. The “Not Really a Holiday Song" Holiday Song. These are the easiest type to write, because they’re not really holiday songs at all – they’re conventional pop songs with a bit of eggnog mixed in. Think of Elvis’s “Blue Christmas” (a song about getting dumped – at Christmas!) or the perpetually covered “Last Christmas” (about trying not to get dumped for a second time – at Christmas!) and you’ve got the drift.

To write your own Track One tune, take a regular pop song – ones about getting dumped seem to work well – and plug in a handful of holiday phrases. This works equally well in genres like hip-hop (“Lonely Chriz-istmas”), pop (“You Broke My Heart – P.S. Happy Kwanzaa”) and country (“These Cryin’ Eyes Will Never Be Dreidel”), so you’ve should have plenty to work with. In the studio, add sleighbells for a can’t-miss holiday feel (“These Cryin’ Eyes Will Never Be – Ding Ding!”).

2. The “Classic” or “Timeless” Holiday Song. Don’t be fooled by the name – hits like “Winter Wonderland” and “Sleigh Ride” are actually swing songs from the ‘30s and ‘40s that escaped their roots and got lodged in the holiday canon. Your song should also have a peppy big-band feel, but the real focus is the lyric. Use the following list of song themes as a guide:

Acceptable themes:         Snow
                                      Pine trees
                                      Babies and old people
                                      Rudolph, Snoopy, Gumby
                                      Extramarital smooches with Santa

Unacceptable themes:     Sleet
                                      Pine-sol
                                     Middle-aged people
                                     Extramarital smooches with Gumby

As with Track One, you should cram some sleighbells in for maximum effect (“I Saw Santa Kiss the Old Pine Tree – Ding Ding!”). 

3. The “Sacred, or at Least Relevant" Holiday Song. Probably the toughest type of holiday song to compose, Track Three tunes have to say something about the specific holiday in question. Topics like “Winter” and “Home” won’t cut it here unless you pair them with topics like the Nativity (”Christ Was Borne in a Michigan Blizzarde”) or the Hanukkah story (“There’s No Place Like Home for the Maccabees”). 

Musically, Track Three tunes should be in a minor key and have a centuries-old European feel – electric instruments of any kind are strictly forbidden here. Sprinkle antiquated words like thou and forsooth into your lyrics, and be liberal with the apostrophes (“Ne’er More Mine Eyes to Dreid’l”) and exclamation points (“Yo! With Barren Arse, from Yonder Humble Trough the Babe Escapeth!”). Skip the sleighbells, but be sure and pad your verses with some nonsense words. “Fa La La” and “Hey Nonny Nonny” are both safe bets, as is the more conventional “Dinge-Dinge!” 

You don’t have to follow one of these three tracks, of course – but they should be more than enough to get you started. To hear more of my own efforts, breeze by my personal Myspace page this month – I’ll be posting a different original Christmas song every week during Advent. And don’t forget to send me your songs – I’d love to ring in the New Year with a batch of seasonal tunes from local songsmiths. Happy composing!

IN THE STUDIO: Trio Leo

Along with a the ice storm, Saturday brought a fresh wind in the form of Trio Leo, who were looking to record an old-school demo - no headphones, no overdubs; just five guys in a room doing what they love. The "live" approach kept things authentic and familiar, and allowed the guys get a dozen songs tracked in one day.

The session was a birthday gift to bassist Leo Lewis from a group of friends who love his band. I'm almost as appreciative as he was.

Willowfair: The Lie Within

Today is the official release of willowfair's debut, The Lie Within. This one has a special place in my heart -- it was recorded and mixed here over a period of more than a year, and I had the privilege of writing string arrangements for four of the ten tracks.

If you caught one of the quiet little Christmas shows we've done here at the Backthird for the past few years, you're well acquainted with Ryan and Mandy Bibza's music. It's brooding and fragile, dark and hopeful at the same time. I was playing monthly coffeeshop gigs with willowfair when most of these songs were written, and I've gotten to see them blossom underneath my nose. They're beautiful, and I'm proud a part of their development has happened here.