For the Die-Hards: A Rehearsal Video

Ever wonder what it'd be like in a world with no cameramen? Ever wish Coo&Howl would plug in some instruments and write a pop song? We've managed to combine both fantasies into a four-minute long video clip. Sure the video is hard to see, the camera never moves and the guitar is too loud; but with a sweet opening logo effect, we've managed to create a window into the future of Coo&Howl. This song is yet unnamed (as far as I know).

Guitars-A-Plenty

Guitar/Coo & Howl enthusiasts rejoice, what you see above is a line-up of all the "six-strings" used in recording of Water Came And Cooled Us All (clicking on the picture will give you a much higher-res image). Leftmost is my Hagstrom, used to record "The Fish" and some other ancillary electric parts around the EP. Next (from left to right) we have a spiffy Ovation donated by my friend Sir Dennis Harrington (shout out to Schenectady). We used that little beauty to record the main guitar on "Halo, Wings & All". Moving along, we come to the Cordoba. Ah, the Cordoba... so many contributions to the record; pretty much the main guitar on every track except "Big Blue Heron" & "The Fish". Matt Savage was often spotted recording his parts with the Cordoba.

Halfway point.

Onward to the Stratocaster. Minimally used, but did play a riff on "Halo, Wings & All", so we find it included here. Next up is everyone's favorite, *Bang-Bang*; lent to me by the infamous, side-car driving Scott Eddy. *Bang-Bang* not only looks great with its western motif, but sounds great too. You can confirm this by listening to the first song of the EP. Last, but not least, is my steel-string, acoustic Yamaha. "Sea Dragon-Shaped" has bluesy accents in the second verse which, as you may have guessed, were recorded using the Yamaha.

So there you have it. The guilty parties. This post may seem like bunch of useless information, but it is a damn nice looking collage.

I am going to Japan now. Bye.

Here Comes Madri

Special thanks to Dan Madri who helped us out by recording some guitar for our nearly complete EP. Dan brought his spiffy Gretsch, extensive effects board and Rollie Fingers-esque mustache (not pictured) to lay down some unique sounds which, incidentally, blend beautifully into the existing songs. Dan is 50% of the amazing Gondoliers, but is also known for his time spent as a member of The Jack McCoys (link somewhere below). Matt (pictured) conducted Dan through the tormenting task of learning a song in three minutes, then writing/recording a part. Sadly, due to some technical concerns, not all of what Dan recorded could be used. But I assure you, what we were able to use makes a dramatic difference. So, thanks Dan!

What the hay, here's one more picture of Dan in his element:

Portraits of MD

Stoic, good with tools, unknowable.

Sometimes keeps a steady beat on the hi-hat.

Mixing This Weekend & We Rehearsed!

This Sunday, Coo & Howl are headed back to New Alliance to continue mixing with our pal Nick Zampiello. Oh, here he is:

Nick has worked with all four of us in the past on various, older projects such as The Jack McCoys (Christian and Matt S.), Joy (Matt S. & Matt D.) and The Vital Might (Ben). We stare at the back of his head. He makes our music better.

In other news, since the video of "Up & Shining" seems to be making so many people happy, there are plans for a full band video in the near(ish) future. In preparation, we rehearsed what we lovingly refer to as "The Slidey/Bluesy Thing" in hopes of having that ready for documentation on this here blog. Oh, here we are:

It's a Short Song

A one minute-long video of Matt & Christian performing "Up & Shining" from the upcoming EP "Water Came and Cooled Us All". Thanks to Ben for being camera guy.

Band = Band

Start with something fundamental, a given. Use it as a reference point for everything that comes next. Expand on it, make it better, debate the details.

Build! Build! Build!

(Today we posted a blog.)

MS