Dan exclaimed, “We get to stay there?” when shown the promotional video that DNA Music released this August. Based in The Yukon, Dan and his band, The Naysayers, has taken up the insane trek that some people have the nerve to call “touring.” You can tour as a band anywhere you’d like, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more unforgiving task than Canada’s cold road. I hope staying at the studio during their Sarnia stop is rejuvenating.
I confess I write about adventure having not adventured. I’m just parroting the conventional wisdom passed on to me by brave friends who have undertaken one. The only possible authority I might have is solely on the experience of being a recording studio owner. I am a studio rat, a freshly certified thirty-five year old recording rodent. I pondered my twenty years of recording studio experience over Labor Day weekend. Besides the usual birthday reminiscing one does I tried to reflect on what kept the fire burning.
One of the prerequisites to staying passionate about music is the camaraderie one experiences. For our latest promotional video there were two full crews in the studio. Mitch Cappe, of 81 Entertainment, is a laid-back, thoughtful and thorough collaborator. In our respective roles as director and music producer talented people surround us.
It’s impossible for me to get bored watching a team make creative decisions. I marveled at everyone’s sustained dedication. From the first day of conceptualizing through the shooting, scoring and the editing process.
What a film set and a recording studio have in common among more obvious traits is downtime. Something amazing usually occurs while we collectively “hurry up and wait”: we teach. Everything I know about art is on YouTube. It is all there. YouTube is a free school that I make use of everyday to improve my skills. Before YouTube though, I learned by listening to my band-mates at a gig during breaks. I learned by talking to a session musician between songs. The shoptalk among a group of creative people hones everyone’s aesthetic sense. Watch sixteen film and music people in a room during a pizza break and by the end you’ll be hungry to make Dark Side of the Moon.
I co-wrote the score with composer Brenden E. Fraser. I love working with Brenden because I always learn about a new piece of the puzzle. He’s a music theory encyclopedia and approaches music from a different angle than I could. Collaboration isn’t about agreeing, you try and fight for what matters to you and give in when it’s not as vital. I’ve learned over twenty years that if you have a good sparring partner, even when you lose you win.
Before we started composing we knew the goal was to include as many DNA Music session regulars in the process as possible. Those who participated all have a long musical history with me and it felt like a family reunion. Mitch and his team captured what record making here is like: laughter, commitment and respect for the music.
