09/06/2016

Blenderman @ Castle Studios

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It was the week before Sept 11.

I was out with my friend Chris Whitley for a couple fried eggs and nearly completely burnt bacon strips at Chopsin’s in the Village. His second tour for his ATO release ‘Rocket House’  was coming up.  At the time I played live bass for Chris. He raved about the old Dan Electro baritone as he enthusiastically explained that he had himself played one on of his records with lots of overdubs and wouldn’t it be cool to have such an instrument with us on tour.  Maybe some hooklines could be played whereby the bass wouldn’t be so important.  It wasn’t even 5 minutes later when we stood in Carmine’s music store and I held an example in my hand.  Chris laid $250 cash on the counter. (Apparently 10 years ago he had played one of his first solo shows at that very store.) Great!

Anyway, three days later all hell broke loose on New York. The whole band was given cancellation notice for the tour. Chris ended up playing solo accompanied only by DJ Wiz and I flew off (in every sense of the word) home completely frustrated. In my luggage next to my Fender Precision: a brand new Dan Electro baritone! I played on three more albums up until Chris’s untimely death in Nov 2005; ‘Hotel Vast Horizon’, ‘Soft and Dangerous Shores’ and  ‘Rider Inn’.  On all three, the squeaky green Dan Electro was in use.

2011 Dresden, Germany.

After Whitley’s death I was only wondering about my own material. I recorded 30 songs playing on my own 5 string Kay Thin Twin (basically I remove the D-string) and Chris’s Dan Electro.  All of these songs reminded me of him. The memories still caused me pain. I started a band so I could play the material live; Blenderman album #001 to be released in 2013. Hush, hush!

Winter 2012, Sacred Sounds Studios at Arno Jordan’s.

Blenderman has become a proper band and we now have a solid line up. Chris Whitley Drummer Mr. Macht and Venus Shells guitarist Fran Patzig on my old Fender. We meet for the recording sessions of Blenderman’s second album ‘Underdogs’ scheduled for release late 2013.

On my list for 2 days of recording are 26 songs some of which are unknown to the band. It is cold and early in the morning for those who stay up late at night. We unload the van and enter the first corridor which is about 3 metres wide and is like a Museum for Instruments and Amplifiers all of Vintage Brands.

Suddenly there is life in our veins. I sneak around an Old London City Amp including THE old original box, Fran is overwhelmed by discovering a “giant Ampeg Bass Amp”

WOW!

Arno gives us time and takes us smiling through the sacred “halls”. Literally speaking the complex is huge but at the same time everything feels comfortable and very clearly structured. There is a command-center like control room, a huge main recording room and a drum room that in itself is as big as a recording studio. Each room is in a straight line connected by huge windows so you can look through to the last room and play together comfortably in a live atmosphere with eye contact to the engineer. There is every possibility for separated channels despite a veritable army of Neumanns etc.. Even separated drum tracks are also available.

In addition there is a separated insulated room where Rat Pack –like amps romp like dirty desperadoes. These are old tube amps from the Fender Silverface to the Vox AC 30 made in England to several types which I am not familiar with but I know their sound from so many hits from the 60’s and 70’s.

By special insulation (UFF!) and optimized architecture the whole studio has the feel of something very futuristic but at the same time warm and analog which is due to the aforementioned gigantic collection of vibrant tube equipment. It’s like the Enterprise landing on the Mississippi River and inviting guys from the street into a session.

We set up and take the headphone console.-Arno has everything labeled clearly for us. It’s so easy..like being a millionaire!

Mr. Jordan scurries through the studio like a good ghost, tries different Amps and mic´s, is checking their sound at the control room, as well as I do my inner pictures under headphones.

Than he proposes something and I agree…

The winner is…, nope! You will hear…

One after another gets set up.

Okay so here we go. We record for 9-10 hours a day for two days non-stop. Arno and Qno are all the time in the control room as well: on our side and are only happy when we are happy. Everything works, there are no breaks for equipment lack or failure unless our own equipment is defective or missing.

I suggest to record an old instrumental song of mine which was written in 2005 with Chris Whitley and the Bastard Club. We should record it with no overdubs, live off the floor.

Arno doesn’t talk much. Nods. Leaves Qno in charge. He grabs an old Dan electro baritone guitar, wow…and plugs it into the London City Amp and there you go. We play 2-3 takes and that’s it.

“You also have a Dan Electro baritone. It’s another model right?” I said.

“Yeah”

“Look at my..!

“A nice green.”

On the last night.. when we were done. I fall in love for there stands a big old Jumbo Acoustic Guitar from ARIA. Some kind of replica of a legendary Gibson like Elvis and Johnny Cash must have rode off into the sunset with.

 We bargain back and forth like old friends talking about a loan maybe, or some kind of exchange with my poverty-stricken situation at the usual forefront of my speech. In the end the Dan Electro goes it’s separate way without me. In the hands of another who will elicit new tunes at the Castle Studios.

And me? 

I will leave behind a little bit more of my memory of my friend Chris and write new songs for myself on the Jumbo wood. Away from the sound of old wounds.

How do you say it in German? A good time. No. BLENDERMAN had a great time at the Sacred Sounds Studios!”

Thank you so much Arno.

Rock On!

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