Summer Trees in San Francisco
Posted on February 10, 2010 with 2 comments
“You are the music while the music lasts.†- T.S. Eliot
Driving into the Bay Area under sheets of rain, I had a big silly grin on my face heading through San Francisco to the Golden Gate. Sure it was freezing out and gloomy, but I was heading back to record in Tiki Town Studios. What made the grin was knowing that friends and supporters of my music are what had got me here. Amazing really. Thanks to the generosity of so many of you I had a check in my pocket to cover recording my new song – “Summer Treesâ€. I had a burning sense to make this song more than great, to make this song something as special as its beginnings.
I met my producer and friend, Scott Mathews, on a very chilled Monday morning and we headed to the San Francisco Music Tech Summit, held in the Tokio Hotel in the very cool Japan district of the city (with lots of delicious food nearby!). Technology and Music blending at the seams, me getting an insiders listen into some great minds and their takes on where both are going.
Scott and Tim
Tim being interviewed on NBC San Francisco
Well, enough hearing about music. Let’s make some already. In the studio we listened to my demo of “Summer Trees†that I had recorded down in Old Mexico and retooled where Tiki Town would take it. Within minutes, Scott was laying down some serious groove on the drums. Listening to his playing coming from the downstairs drum room, I thought of what legend Brian Wilson calls him – “Mr. Musicâ€. It’s such a gift to be around a musician like Scott. He is one of the last of the real guys out there. The ones that wouldn’t pass out if ProTools and PowerMacs all vanished. He’s got the real chops – he is a musician belonging to an era of all my heroes.
Up in the control room, I was watching engineer/musician/Will Ferrel impersonator Tom Luekens. What caught my attention this time around was seeing how Tom makes things sound amazingly great with what looks like little effort. He shoots from the hip, so to speak, and finds the sweet spots quick. It’s an incredible gift as you know if you’ve ever tried recording anything yourself (I’ve been known to move a mic around for hours and not get anything as sweet! Arghhh.). I also like getting his stories of his studio time – from Metallica to Chris Isaak.
“Summer Trees†is a different recording than anything I’ve done to date. I love that those who have heard the final version have told me they find themselves humming it all the time. I love that people believed enough in the song to help me make it happen. I love that when I hear it I feel like this is a song I could sing for the rest of my life. That says it all to me.
If you’d like to help support the release of “Summer Trees†it’s not too late! I still need help funding the mastering and video release of the song. Please head over to timlang.net/donate.html and help me be able to release this song. Thank you for your kindness!
and speaking of video...
Video killed the radio star!
If you ever drive down the coasts of Baja you’ll find spots left untouched by men, you’ll find vistas and valleys, cacti forests, empty beaches as far as you can see, and… a video crew? Recently in Baja Sur the filming for the “Summer Trees†video went underway. Here are some behind the scenes photos so you can join in on the “making ofâ€.
Through out the oceanfront scenes migrating whales were playing at sea. I hope some shots with them in make the final cut. I’ve got to check with the Whale Actors Union Guild first.
Driving into the Bay Area under sheets of rain, I had a big silly grin on my face heading through San Francisco to the Golden Gate. Sure it was freezing out and gloomy, but I was heading back to record in Tiki Town Studios. What made the grin was knowing that friends and supporters of my music are what had got me here. Amazing really. Thanks to the generosity of so many of you I had a check in my pocket to cover recording my new song – “Summer Treesâ€. I had a burning sense to make this song more than great, to make this song something as special as its beginnings.
I met my producer and friend, Scott Mathews, on a very chilled Monday morning and we headed to the San Francisco Music Tech Summit, held in the Tokio Hotel in the very cool Japan district of the city (with lots of delicious food nearby!). Technology and Music blending at the seams, me getting an insiders listen into some great minds and their takes on where both are going.
Scott and Tim
Tim being interviewed on NBC San Francisco
Well, enough hearing about music. Let’s make some already. In the studio we listened to my demo of “Summer Trees†that I had recorded down in Old Mexico and retooled where Tiki Town would take it. Within minutes, Scott was laying down some serious groove on the drums. Listening to his playing coming from the downstairs drum room, I thought of what legend Brian Wilson calls him – “Mr. Musicâ€. It’s such a gift to be around a musician like Scott. He is one of the last of the real guys out there. The ones that wouldn’t pass out if ProTools and PowerMacs all vanished. He’s got the real chops – he is a musician belonging to an era of all my heroes.
Up in the control room, I was watching engineer/musician/Will Ferrel impersonator Tom Luekens. What caught my attention this time around was seeing how Tom makes things sound amazingly great with what looks like little effort. He shoots from the hip, so to speak, and finds the sweet spots quick. It’s an incredible gift as you know if you’ve ever tried recording anything yourself (I’ve been known to move a mic around for hours and not get anything as sweet! Arghhh.). I also like getting his stories of his studio time – from Metallica to Chris Isaak.
“Summer Trees†is a different recording than anything I’ve done to date. I love that those who have heard the final version have told me they find themselves humming it all the time. I love that people believed enough in the song to help me make it happen. I love that when I hear it I feel like this is a song I could sing for the rest of my life. That says it all to me.
If you’d like to help support the release of “Summer Trees†it’s not too late! I still need help funding the mastering and video release of the song. Please head over to timlang.net/donate.html and help me be able to release this song. Thank you for your kindness!
and speaking of video...
Video killed the radio star!
If you ever drive down the coasts of Baja you’ll find spots left untouched by men, you’ll find vistas and valleys, cacti forests, empty beaches as far as you can see, and… a video crew? Recently in Baja Sur the filming for the “Summer Trees†video went underway. Here are some behind the scenes photos so you can join in on the “making ofâ€.
Through out the oceanfront scenes migrating whales were playing at sea. I hope some shots with them in make the final cut. I’ve got to check with the Whale Actors Union Guild first.
Photo Credits: SanFranMusicTech photos by Julie Blaustein (http://www.julieblaustein.com)
Video shoot shots by RS Flechtner
All photos used with permission.