Boxcar Sound Recording Studio 468 Cumberland Avenue
Back to Boxcar for me for another Ghosts of Memphis session. Trevor Howard and Gerry Finn are in the home stretch now – the album is almost complete! It was just Trevor and producer Matt Montour in studio finishing up a few more bits of recording. First up was some tambourine on “J’Entend Ton Coeur.” The mic was set up in the middle of the room rather than in the booth; the booth would have made the sound a bit too isolated and stark. As I was watching Trevor play that tambourine with gusto, it took me a few seconds to realize, as I sat there on the couch, that because the mic was set up right in front of me, any little sound would be picked up. I then took care not to make any extraneous noises (and made sure my phone was on silent mode!) If I wanted to sneak in a little cameo on the record, that would have been the time. They recorded a few takes for safety but it didn’t take long to get it right.
Next up were some background vocals on “Rails”. Trevor belted away some harmonies in the booth and after a few takes they got what the needed for Matt to work with later when he starts to mix away. As I’ve said before, not an easy song to sing! Trevor really hit those high notes.
I also got a sneak peek at the soon-to-be Ghosts of Memphis band logo. It suits the band well and will look great on the album cover and t-shirts, for sure. Things are really coming together now!
That’s about it for Trevor – he’s all done with tracking. Gerry will be back in to finish up a few more things and Matt now has his work cut out for him as he puts everything together. It’s so fitting that we were there on the very first day when the guys were just demoing songs, and that I got to be there on the last day. Even though I’m not a musician, it has been a blast to get a taste of studio life, even if it’s just by proxy.
– Kristin
