Last Thursday I went to Temple of the Trees Studio in Seattle with bassist Fredy Andrés and drummer Kenneth Maldonado.  Temple of the Trees is arguably one of the most unique recording studios in the world, owned by Joe and Karyn Reineke, who also own the famed Orbit Audio downtown. 

The experience at Temple of the Trees was outstanding. Robbie Houston, an engineer with whom I had a great experience previously at Orbit, worked with us. We first toured the recording space, which really is unlike any I've seen. It has an incredible (and very custom) structure, similar to a church: complete with wonderfully high ceilings, candelabras, a chandelier, the works. But don't let it fool you: embedded in the walls are bass traps and essential acoustic treatments. The rooms are also air-gapped, making sound-proofing exactly what it needs to be. Studio owner Joe even came out to chat with us for a bit before we got started, sharing with us some stories about working with some of my personal heroes (Maynard James Keenan of Tool/Puscifer/A Perfect Circle and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains being two of them). I was in fanboy mode from the start.

As the focus would be largely on drums and bass during this visit, Robbie took a lot of care in the initial set-up of drum mics (I have recorded drums myself and I swore never to again. It can be a painstaking process, best left to experienced engineers, and to proper rooms, depending on the sound you're after, and on your budget, of course). Bass was also appropriately set up. Fredy would be using both electric as well as his upright. Once the guys were all dialed in, I had the high honor of sitting in the control room with Robbie as he worked his magic.  Today was all about the guys. My scratch tracks were already recorded for these songs. Drums and bass would be the backbone. My heavier load would be on another day. 

Kenneth and Fredy were in top form, and we had a great engineer in Robbie. The session went great. Two of my songs were recorded for drums and bass. The guys worked hard, including Robbie. This was a first step for the longer road of the album. As for these two songs, I will be adding the additional layers to them in the coming weeks. Some recording will be done in-house, and some likely at Temple of the Trees (or Orbit), depending on the instrumentation. Producing, recording, and mixing are all a process. No doubt there will be more collaborations in the work for these songs. We will likely see a return of one of my favorite guitarists of all time (and personal friend) in Jerry Battista, as well as possibly some additional vocal contributions, and other brilliant instrumentalists in our PNW region. 

I can’t wait to work with Robbie again. I also want to extend an enormous thanks to Joe and Karyn Reineke for their hospitality at their studio. I'll also mention, they are great musicians in their own right. I was lucky enough to catch them live at the Mirkwood Public House, a great venue in Arlington, WA, about a week before entering the studio. Check out Joe and Karyn's musical project: Society of the Silver Cross! They are fantastic.
 

                                                                            Temple of the Trees Studio, Seattle, WA
 

                                                       Engineer, Producer, and Fellow-Musician Robbie Houston
 

                                                                         Jazz bass extraordinaire Fredy Andrés
 

                                                                 Awesome drummer (and math teacher): Kenneth Maldonado
 

                                                                                  Smiling bald man with a guitar
 

                                                                                  Work hard, lunch hard