Colours of the primary persuasion

COLOURS started out as a 'creative exercise' and also as an exploration into the moods that certain colours evoke.
I decided that i would compose and record one song per day over the course of ten consecutive days. The only rules i put on the project was this time restriction. To really capture my own reaction to a certain colour, i felt it best to concentrate within 24 hours for each one.

To keep a long story short, i became engrossed in the project and by the last day (25th December 2008) i had ten songs that i really...liked. This crazy experiment had worked. Before i got too carried away i decided to record 8 cd's and paint some covers, hand them to 8 friends and gather a response.
The response was really positive (at this stage i figured i was mental to want to release an instrumental album). Some of my friends were coming back and explaining, in great depth, the images and visions that came to them whilst listening to the colours. Others enjoyed the idea of guessing the colours, a very child-like and beautiful response it was.

So this is COLOURS, the project that took me from Avoca Beach in Australia to Portland, Oregon and back again. After the project was mixed and mastered i realised i had to release this little friend to the world at large.
Artwork and replication are now in progress and i will release the album at a very special party 1 year (and 2 days) on from when the project was completed. I feel this is another small step forward in my musical adventure and i hope folks will check it out with the open mindedness of a child. - mike

LAUNCH PARTY (with the Vigilantes)

27th DEC 2009;
Lizottes Restaurant, Kincumber NSW

$20 / ph 02 43 682017 - TO BOOK A TABLE!

meolddog@gmail.com
mikemccarthy.com.au

Interviews Installment 3 'JEZ'

This weeks interview installment is with good mate and producer/engineer of the album 'Fire Flood Freedom', Jeremy 'Jez' Reynolds.

Mike
Jez, I recall a gig up near Wyong where i got talking with you about music and recording? Was this your first encounter with me?

Jeremy
I believe it was. You played after my band's set. I remember really liking your music and your personality and thought 'I'd really like to record this bloke' (I had just finished studying audio engineering and was now working at the college studios).

Mike
This is SAE sydney right?

Jeremy
Correct

Mike
Now you weren't the only one i got to talk with that night. Your drummer, at the time, Chris Hawkins came and chatted...this was a monumental evening hey?
Well it was for me... and the future of what would happen over the coming years?

Jeremy
Absolutely, as time would tell!

Mike
So it would seem your not shy of a challenge. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve taken on with me (and the band)?

Jeremy
Ha! Definitely working out 'how Mike ticks'. I was drawn to your personality the first time we met - but it took us a while to work out how each went about his trade.

Mike
It’s interesting you say that. We really did come from a different background in music and are quite different personalities. It’s great we’ve managed to remain mates really!

Jeremy
I think we had enough differences to bring together fresh ideas (or compromises!) and also enough in common (Tooheys old and Jesus) to enjoy time together as mates and with music.

Mike
True indeed. I'm interested to know how you approached the engineering/producing of Fire Flood Freedom (which was our first CD collaboration)...can you give us an insight?

Jeremy
Well it actually started, literally, with the song 'Fire Flood Freedom' (FFF) which we recorded at SAE studio. We were really happy with this, which led to recording an album around it together. The approach was quite simple - after hearing your demos i loved the songs straight up. Even though the budget was limited, I thought the songs lent themselves to a simplistic recording - namely home studio. The songs were so strong they didn't need the polish of a big studio production.

Mike
Yeh, I remember being pretty happy with your plan for many reasons...but mainly because we could achieve something unique.

You were coming from a 'rock' kind of background...was it hard to practice restraint?

Jeremy
Maybe at first - but once the tracks were going down with just the basics, it was clear "less is more" would work. We kept and used some of the guide guitar tracks as they had such a great feel. Another benefit in keeping it simple was the honesty that came through the tracks - there's not a ton of layers - pretty much just what you'd hear coming off a stage with your band.

Mike
I've just been listening back to FFF and i'm impressed with the sounds you managed to pull...what was one of the strangest things you tracked on the recording?

Mike
…and don't say my vocals...

Jeremy
That'd have to be the pot in 'Sinking Feeling'. It was a really big ceramic pot that had umbrellas in it - hitting it with your hand created a deep, round sound. We stuck a microphone in the bottom and recorded a few beats. This was one of the few 'pro tools' shortcuts we took - sampling a few beats then pasting them throughout the song (you can't blame us - it's a really long song!).
Turn that track up with a big sub woofer and you'll feel it!

Mike
So we really did try to keep an integrity in the recording process. Is this something you focus on when working in the studio?
Or is it 'horses for courses'?

Jeremy
Yeh, it depends on the artist and the goal. The really good artists i've worked with have been big on keeping it authentic, and the results are top-notch. Other’s who are trying to pull something off that just isn't them, need a whole lot more studio magic to pull it off.

Mike
Now, you are a bit of a magician in the studio yet you really did open my eyes to getting a good performance onto tape (or file). Did the early days of playing guitar 'live' have a part in this thinking?

Jeremy
Totally - the rather crass expression 'you can't polish a turd' is very true in the recording process. Getting good sounds to tape was the one big thing I was continually taught at college. Things such as EQ are best used when they're enhancing a sound not when they're trying to resuscitate it.
Having a playing background helped me to relate to everything pre-mic - how to tweak an amp to get it singing or when guitar strings are at their best.

Mike
...it makes a huge difference!
It's also 'thanks to you' for bringing Chris Hawkins (Drummer on FFF) across my path. You guys grew up together, playing music and getting up to mischief together right?

Jeremy
Yeh - he's been a best mate since i can remember. His mum, Wendy, taught us both 'Musical Movement' class before we started school. Our band 'Brimstone' was a young fella's dream - garage jams, traveling around and all the mischief that goes along with it! Having him part of the recording and live experience with your music, all as great mates was a blessing to call it 'work'.

Mike
Absolutely. Fire Flood Freedom still gets the greatest response out of all my recordings...a credit to you mate!

Mike
So in your time 'working' with me, have there been any moments you've wandered...'what the heck am i doing here?'… Any strange stories as it were?

Jeremy
Yeh - a few! When it came time to mix FFF you remembered you had a bunch of gigs in Melbourne. So I found myself mixing your album by myself in your bedroom! Another one would be when we headed over to New Zealand on a 'working trip', and found ourselves in a backpackers adventure!

Mike
Ah the joys of working with Mike McCarthy!

Mike
Would you ever consider dusting off the monitors and doing another recording session with Mike McCarthy down the track?

Jeremy
You can take the boy out of the music industry but you can't take the music out of the boy. Definitely.

Mike
Good news!
Well, Mr Jeremy Reynolds, it's been a joy, thanks for taking the time to chat

Jeremy
It's been great to go back to those days. I dusted off FFF (Fire Flood Freedom) today and gave it a spin - 'Lovely Is Love' is still my favourite track - it sums up the approach and character of the album