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Back In The Studio - Diary Number 2  Hey, hi and good evening. I'm sensing that you are mostly all clever people out there, so I'm assuming that most of you can tell from the picture that I am not Katie Coyle..buut, for those who cannot tell from the picture that I am not Katie Coyle, let me tell you; I am not Katie Coyle. No, Katie decided that it would be nice for her fans to have an alternate view of how things are going back in the studio, so that you aren't always just hearing from her. Personally I think she is a charming little thing, and I have yet to tire of hearing a single one of her stories, but hey ho, she's the boss, and if she says that people should hear a little bit from me about what is happening around here every now and again, then that is cool by me. Hey, at least I get my ugly mug plastered on the site of an A-lister right? Given that I'm about as Z-list as they come, that must be the very epitome of indecent exposure!
Anyway, I apologise for being so rude, allow me to introduce myself before I launch into this; my name is Joshua Ryan Maximilion Francis Meyer. I know that makes me sound like a bit of a posh twat, and I guess to a certain extent my upbringing would dictate that my personality reality should have been headlong chasing down my name into a world of being a bit of a stuck up self-centred douche, but honestly, I'm not. That's why you can call me Josh. I shiver when I hear the name Joshua, only my mother still uses it. Makes me seem like the sort of guy who wears a polo shirt with a cricket vest tied around my shoulders. So not me. Anyway, I am 29-years old, and I was brought up in Greenwich, Connecticut (I'm really doing myself no favours in trying to convince you I'm not posh here), and I had a pretty standard sort of life...I guess. I went to school, I got straight A's, and then I went off to music college. I got a degree in musical theory, and then a Master's in musical science with sound engineering. It was that second degree that really got me to where I am today, but we can come back to that.
So, yeah, I am what you might see as the archetypal failed musician, who is doing a job because they could not get into the business for real, and hey, believe me when I say that that is an insult I have had thrown at me at least a few hundred times in my career. That's not to say I didn't make a go of it. I mean, if you are a proper musical geek who likes to listen to stuff no one else even gives a crap about, then there is a chance that you heard my album. All half an hour of it...for those who did not get the "pleasure", my one and only album was called "Wandering in the Mist." I brought it out in the fall of 2002, when I was 19-years old. I had recently discovered that I did not like being in a band, and so I sought to create an album which was as multi-instrumental as I could, with only me on it. I guess I was still riled up with a bit of my old teenage angst, and trying to be all macho (though why I imagined a harp would help with that image is beyond me..) by releasing my own album that I had done all by myself. In the end, actually the songs individually were all rather decent...but the album was a mess. Ten tracks of around three minutes, ranging from acoustic to jazz with some funky bass shit in it...wow, I still wonder what I was thinking haha.
So yeah, I guess that was the first and last chapter of my music career all in one. I spent the next few weeks busking in the streets of New York, playing my songs, and I actually did reasonably well. I even managed to look rather cosmopolitan in my fingerless gloves and long black coat, pressing my feet down onto my looping pedals with Converse sneakers carrying trendy holes in all the right places...ah...those were the days. Shortly after that though, it became apparent that I had to be going somewhere with my life. By this time, I had graduated, and I took my Master's Degree, meaning that I could go into the studio and work with some pretty cool acts on the production side of stuff. And while I would have loved to have been a musician in my own rights...please do not get me wrong, I love my job. It has given me the chance to work with; fAthOm, My Freaky Valentine, Jakey Comatose, Scott H, Kooz, Not Called Mary, and many many more. And now? Well now I got the chance to work with the lovely Katie Coyle.
I gotta admit, when they told me I was going to be working with Katie Coyle, I almost turned the job done. I don't care how much her label were paying...I thought 'wow...this chick is too much to handle.' Which was wrong of me. I should know better than to judge people by what I have seen on the news and in the mags. I said that there as if I had some harrowing tale of press harassment of my own to share, but sadly I don't. I gotta say though, since I agreed to take on the job, I am so glad. I now find myself working with a truly sweet individual who is always trying to do her best. This girl is full of talent, and I have never worked with someone who is so refreshing to be with in a studio. She is constantly telling me I'm wrong (and she's like a little bulldog when she has an opinion), and I genuinely love that. I don't like "yes men" (or women), and if someone questions what we are dong then it means that we are going to end up with something that is balanced and thought out, rather than rushed and one-sided. She is also like the sweetest person I ever met. She drives me around the bend with the way she is like 100% work work work...I never get a second to even sip my tea. I mean, last week I happened to log on to Facebook when she was behind the glass. Katie saw the reflection, and the pout on her lip was so adorable. She's just a great girl all around, and I am amazingly honoured to have the chance to work with someone so talented. You guys are in for a treat with this album. I promise.
So, I guess I should give a brief update of how things are going in the studio so far huh? It has been a sensational first week. At first, we spent two days just setting up and then having a little listen through of each of the songs Katie has composed for the new record (and wow!) This girl is like a dynamo. I don't know how she has churned out all of these top quality songs yet again. We also sat and talked about the change in her musical direction, the instruments we might choose to use for certain pieces of certain songs, and the best use of effects (we worked out a mean use for the echo effect during one song. I don't wanna sound like a homosexual...but it genuinely sounds like a dream. It is wonderful.) We have also had little sessions of "who can play chopsticks fastest on the piano (we work damn hard), and arpeggio poker (I'll let Katie fill you in on that one.) We also do our fair share of work though, and so far we have managed to complete three full songs. I love them all, and I am honoured to be able to provide my backing vocals for two of them. I was kinda surprised when Katie asked me to, but it was a real treat to get to sing with someone I believe to be a true icon of this industry...and it sounds good as well into the bargain. Bonus or what? For the next few days, I guess we will be knuckling down and getting more hard work done. I reckon that's all I can tell you guys for now though.
Let me just say again what a pleasure it is to be working with Katie, and to be bringing this blog to you. I hope it wasn't to boring. Until next time,
Josh.  |
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