Young America

Endings And Beginnings

2006-08-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a brief entry...

I know we are horrible at making entries but the studio time is a lot more constant now and we're making some great progress. Producer Jon Link is really pushing us to our limits and the results are fantastic.

We recently finished 'Greater Sadness' and 'Deep Calling' and changed our name to Young America. Hit up http://www.myspace.com/youngamerica for the new tunes and info.

Tonight we were in the studio for about eleven hours working on mostly bass and vocals. We also finished a couple guitar gems. This song (which remains nameless) is actually nearing completion! We're all very excited.

More soon.

Sing For Absolution

2006-05-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

"Doesn't it feel good to be done with this song?" That's all Josh and I really said to each other as we drove to my house at midnight last night after the recording session. We always car pool since my house is on his way to the studio. We sat there quietly in the car and listened to mood-fitting music: mellow and optimistic. The fact is that we could have been done with 'Deep Calling' months ago but it's as if the song itself was withdrawing from completion. There were things missing. Unfinished business, if you will. Those things were found last night.

When I say the song is finished I don't necessarily mean that it's ready to print. It is finished in that the composition of the song is right. We've tracked all the parts and the format is good. Now all that is left is mixing, post-production and mastering. 'Deep Calling' represents the changes and struggles we've gone through as a band. It is a painful yet necessary and rewarding process. I must say it feels good to find absolution in our process.

This Week...

2006-04-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

We are planning to take most of this week off as Mark's wife Judith is having (actually she is currently in) surgery to repair a minor heart issue. It is supposedly something really minor but we would definitely appreciate any prayers and support while she goes through this.

Mark will be home serving Judi breakfast in bed, rubbing her feet, watching old friends reruns, and doing whatever else a good husband would do help out for the rest of the week.

We do plan to be back in the studio either late this week or early next and will have updates for you all as soon as that happens. Thanks for everything!

Jonas

Just Around The Bend

2006-04-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last night was very productive. Mark laid down some amazing vocal tracks. I must say that this has been such an interesting process. It's 5 men who are vesting their lives into an album. I can honestly say that I am proud to be a part of it. It can be frustrating at times, but when I hear the emotion that is being conveyed through these tracks, I am totally encouraged. Be on the look out for some preview tracks soon…

-Josh

Sidenote: I can't stop listening to a Ray Charles LP that Mark borrowed me. I am getting into soul music because sometimes I just need to shake my booty.

New Space, New Sounds, New Songs (soon)

2006-04-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we found ourselves in the downtown studio. We mainly use this as our mix / post production studio. It was a nice and well needed change of scenery for the band as we could go mad sometimes being in the same place for extended amounts of time. The downtown studio also has a very nice Mackie Onyx board that we love to utilize for tracking. And we did.

After the last mixing session, Jon and I realized the guitars on Deep Calling were incomplete. We used the recent session to finish guitars and get some vocal tracks down for the song. I love recording guitars because it allows us to be extremely creative. We use the guitar not only as melodic instrumentation but also to create sounds and textures that we might be looking for. A lot of the sounds you will hear are not from a synth but actually from a guitar and some effects.

In this session we were able to create a very high pitched 'squeal' using a combination of a guitar and a few effect pedals. The cool thing is that I was able to control the pitch by adjusting knobs on the guitar and pedals for a very spacey sound. It was a lot of fun.

With Jon Link at the controls we are able to create some fantastic sounds and moods with the recordings. Throughout this process we have all learned a lot from Jon. I know that the term 'think outside the box' is kind of a cliche', but Jon really pushes us to truly grasp the meaning of it. He's a very forward thinker and brings a great perspective to the table all the time.

We have worked with Jon for almost 2 years and are always learning more from him. From the very beginning Jon jumped right in and has always pushed us to our limits and sometimes past. Sure we argue from time to time but the outcome is always worth it. I think that the toil and 'bleeding' that we have done for the album will show in the recordings.

When we record a song we talk about what kind of mood or room we're trying to establish with the song. Our goal is to make each song like a room with different colors and moods etc. We don't necessarily approach recording like a rock band. We approach it more as movie producers, writing and giving the album what it needs to be complete. I guess you could say that we write for the album, not for the song.

All in all it was a great session. It's very exciting that these songs are almost done. We can't wait to have the final cuts so that we can release them on the web (for a limited time). Then it's on to the newer songs. We are currently writing as much as possible and finding new sounds all the time.

With 'Greater Sadness' and 'Deep Calling' nearing completion we are getting more and more anxious to finish them. These songs will be coming at you soon so be on the lookout! We won't sleep until they are finished...Well, that's not true but we will work very hard! All of your patience and waiting will be worthwhile. This will be one to remember.

Influence = Inspiration

2006-03-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

We usually like to start off the recording night with some musical inspiration. Last night it was Boston's 'More Than A Feeling'. I really can't think of a better air guitar song. The song is completely perfect and evokes creativity like none other.

Fittingly enough we ordered pizza and started talking about some different sounds that we had worked on in the past for 'Deep Calling'. Thus, the ongoing search for ancient tracks we wish to resurrect continues to moderate avail. Once we find some of the old tracks we were looking for we start to argue about which one is which and how we originally used the tracks.

Once the pizza arrived we raided the studio kitchen and found some doughnuts and lemonade. Jonas happened to bring a home video clip that him and Jared had made so we found a TV cart and enjoyed the video.

Upon returning to the tracking room Jonas laid down some bass guitar. We also worked on some background vocal production effects. We always like to encourage some spirited arguments while in the studio. This helps to drive creativity and challenge ourselves not to settle for what is safe. We want to make a record that pushes limits and we can't be scared to do something on the record that is weird or different. This is what makes great records great!

We wrapped up the night with some Run DMC, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Lisa Loeb and P.O.D. (that was random). In case you hadn't noticed we like to listen down to a lot of music in the studio. Whether we listen to something great or something awful, there is always something to learn. It could be the songwriting, the production, the mix, the compression, the drumming, the vocal performance or all of the above. Whether the song is good or bad, listening helps us define our process and what the focus of our record will be. We want this record to be influential, and how could we be influential if we are not influenced ourselves?

Risk and Reward

2006-02-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

Looks like bass for 'Greater Sadness' is complete. Last night we started concepting bass for 'Deep Calling' and are really diving into some unique sounds for bass. We are trying to avoid sounding like just another rock band. There's so much more to the music than distorted guitars, driving bass and smashing a cymbal. The only way this will be a great record is if we get out of the 'rock-rut' and do something different. We can't be afraid to venture into other styles of music and sound to find what is right for the record. However, we're not trying to be different just for the sake of being different. It's more like searching for your own unique signature sound. There is a fine line between the two. A lot of the time we try a bunch of different things that may not seem right or even sound right at first, but in the context of the song it sounds perfect. It's all about taking those risks and not being scared of what someone will say. If you do something different and crazy and do it right then no one will question it.

This Week In Recording

2006-02-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

We had a great week in the studio. It feels good to be back on track. It seems more serious now than it was before. Not that there is any sort of tension or animosity between us. I just think we are all really starting to realize the gravity of this record. We realize that we're not just getting in there to record so we can release another album. We want to release a great record and won't stop until it reaches that goal.

We mostly worked on getting bass parts on tape. Jonas really got his workout! He recently acquired a nice Aguilar all tube bass head and it sounds superb. I think the best part about this process is that it is making all so much better at what we do. Some of the parts that Jonas laid down this week were simply killer. There was a time last night where Jonas asked us all to leave the room so he could just get in the zone and really live in the performance. So we did. Jon is really pushing each of us to get out of our individual bubble and play like pros. We're hoping to get some final bass tracks for Greater Sadness and Deep Calling in the sessions of this coming week.

This record is continually being molded into a completed thought. We're not concerned about just getting a bunch of songs on tape. We want to write songs that are right for this record. Some will make it, some won't. We won't compromise just to fill time with more songs.

Thank you for reading.

Rough Draft

2006-01-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

I love Hawaiian Punch! Last night in the studio saw the polishing of a gallon of Hawaiian Punch and a preliminary vocal track for the newest song. Three takes and it was down. We have a complete first draft of the song. The song has tons of energy and has been very fun to work on. Next comes the sound / performance tracking. We'll hook up our amps, crank them to '11' to saturate the tubes and get the best sound possible, and record take after take to get the best performance. We're not looking for perfection, we're looking for passion. I know, there's a fine line but we get there with a lot of work. Hopefully the end result of the record lives up to how much work we put into it!

Back In The Saddle Again

2006-01-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

The boys are back in town. Well, back in the studio rather. After a long holiday break (quite longer than we originally planned) we hit the tape last night and it was a great time. Just before Thanksgiving 2005 Jared laid down a drum track for our newest venture into rock and roll land. Last night we continued work on that song. I blazed through some guitar parts and we concepted a few parts for texture. Jonas threw down bass tracks and added his special touch. We've only played this song live a few times so we have all been eager to hear how it sounds on tape. After last night it is sounding great! Even with these preliminary guitar and bass tracks the song has a lot of power. Once we get the final tracks down the song will be a kick in the face.

Now that several songs are completed or nearing completion we are revising the in-studio schedule to incorporate more days for mixing / post production at our mix studio down town. All in all it's good to be back and we hope you're all as excited as we are for this project! Thanks for reading.

Vacation For The Weary

2005-12-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

In case you've been wondering about the lack of updates this week, well, there haven't been any because we haven't been in the studio. We took a nice little holiday vacation, but will be back in the studio this coming week so never fear! Speaking of getting back to work, don't miss the show on Saturday! We will be in concert with Bradley Hathaway at Bellview Castle and it is going to be a brilliant show! Check the details on http://www.strikethurman.com We may even break out the new tune we've been recording lately...you'll just have to come and see / hear.

The Dawn of a New Song

2005-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

It was a fun night at Epiphany yesterday evening. We buckled down and recorded drums for the newest song concept and they came out fantastic. Kudos to Jared on a job well done. We also laid down some concept drum parts for another song. Coffee and ideas were flowing and there was a quite a good synergy in the studio. We also listened down to the final tracks of "Deep Calling", which Jon is readying for post-production and mixdown.

We had a couple of great shows this weekend. Friday night was at the Underground in Littleton. All the proceeds went to missionaries and there was a very good turnout. If you were there then you heard an exclusive first performance of our newest song (wich doesn't even have a title yet), LUCKY!!! Thanks to everyone who was there and all the bands - Loriet, A Fate To Betray and Josh Labure. Saturday we were in Golden and had a great time playing for an awesome group of kids who meet every 2 weeks for kind of a mini youth conference. We had a great time and talked to a lot of great kids. They demonstrated some amazing skateboard tricks for us and I humiliated myself on half of a broken skateboard. Fun for everyone!

Thanks for reading,
Mark

Real Life On Tape

2005-11-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

So last night was a wonderful night in studio. Jonas recently got his hands on a new Aguilar bass head. One word: "butter". I can't believe how heavenly this thing sounds! It was a cold night but the new rig kept us warm. Needless to say we finished bass for 'Deep Calling' and 'Greater Sadness'. Jonas was in top form on the bass and laid down some sweet textures for 'Deep Calling'. He annihilated the bass part for 'Greater Sadness' and now the song is officially a kick in the face! Once he was done with the bass parts we congratulated Jonas with the "slow-clap". We also laid down some back-ground vox.

We'll hopefully have 'Greater Sadness' finished and up on the web soon. The song has been quite a grizzley undertaking for us. It deals with the torment of a drug addict and his family. The the justifications, ups and downs, the numb-ness, and the end. This is quite a serious issue and very close to home for Jonas and I as our younger brother was an addict. By God's grace he is finally free from his addictions and is living a clean, normal life now. With what we all went through, our brother is a living testament of God's amazing grace, forgiveness and redemption. In this song we strove to capture all of these aspects of the story through the vocal and music. Hopefully the song translates to tape the way as vivid as the life experience itself.

Mark

Work done with pictures to prove!

2005-11-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

Last night we were able to finish vox and bass for "Greater Sadness". We also got rough tracks of vox and bass for "Deep Calling" and we'll probably finish the song tonight. Post production on those two songs will commence the rest of this week and we'll hopefully be starting concepting one of the newest songs on Sunday. On top of all that we tinkered around with Jonas's new camera. Here are a couple of pics from the sesh!

Thanks for reading!

Mark

The End is Nigh

2005-11-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

We were in the studio yesterday for a nice long 8 hr. session that proved very productive. We decided to re-track all the guitar parts for "Greater Sadness" and "Deep Calling" as the previous guitar tones weren't quite right. After we finished guitars I laid down a couple of vocal tracks for each song. We'll be finishing vox for the songs this week. Jonas also slammed the tape w/ his bass tones for each song. All in all it was a very successful night. Looks like post-production for "Greater Sadness" will start immediately. That means it's on the home stretch. Oh happy day! Thanks for reading~

Mark

If we're not working, we're working.

2005-11-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Strike camp is excited about two fresh new songs in the hopper. We'll be starting drum production on these in the next couple of weeks. The songs will bring some good contrast to our current catalogue. We actually spent last night in a nice little writing session where we worked on one of the two new songs. Martha Stewart, who was also in attendance, shared her thoughts on the night, "It's a good thing" she said. Then she baked us cookies. Thanks Martha! Songwriting is just like anything else, you have to practice and exercise it regularly. You can't always just hope that songs will just come to you in a magical flash of light from the heavens. Yes, sometimes you just have to work. :)

By the way, thanks to all who came out to support us on Tuesday night. It was great to see so many people and so many familiar faces. We had a great time and hope you had the same. Make sure to keep updated on more upcoming shows.

All your base are belong to us,

Mark

Things are better than ever...now.

2005-10-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

In the studio Tuesday and Thursday night this week we were quite productive. I do, however, think there has been a lull in productivity and overall enthusiasm lately. We addressed the issue on Tuesday night and ultimately decided to really buckle down and pick up another night in studio. This will be Sunday of most weeks so we can start earlier and remain more focused. Sunday's will most likely be drum days since drums tend to take the most time with set up, preparation, getting the best sounds etc...

We recorded some guitars, bass and vox this week. Greater Sadness and Deep Calling are literally inches away from being finished. Then we can start post-production and move on to new songs. These two songs have been our mountain. It's wierd, but sometimes the songs that you are most familiar with are the hardest to record. I don't know why, but that's just how it is. One thing is for certain: We can't wait to finish these songs!

Mark

A strange sound drifts from the sanctuary...

2005-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

We were planning on doing vocals last night but I seem to still have a bitof a cough. We worked on guitars instead. We actually got some of the best sounds we've heard in the studio thus far. We used some different mic'ing techniques and it all turned out very good. I had some fun playing with all the effects on my board and creating some crazy sounds / noises. We always like to get that type of stuff on tape because you never know how you can work it into a song. Sometimes it's the wierdest parts that make the song. I like finding new sounds and techniques on the guitar and I think that lately I've fallen back in love with the guitar. It's not that I haven't been into the guitar but sometimes you can just forget how fun it is to just play. Isn't that why you start a band in the first place? Because it's fun!

Mark

A short note about Thursday

2005-10-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last week's Wednesday session was rescheduled for Thursday. We ended up doing some production & tracking a couple guitar parts. It was nice doing something different for a change. I'm sure we'll get a vocal for "Greater Sadness" this week. We can then start to really dive into production for the song, and that is where the real work is. That is where most of our arguments will happen. But it is also the most exciting part for me. I love sitting in the production studio for hours, listening to different mixes / effects / sounds etc... To me, that is where the real magic
happens.

Mark

Emoting, expressed not understood.

2005-10-04T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hello and Good Evening to you all. This is Jonas writing while sitting in the studio listening back to tracks. The plan for tonight was to work on bass tracks for Greater Sadness and Deep Calling. We actually decided to start with a couple of vocal tracks instead as we recently acquired an amazing new vocal mic. The night started off a little rough as Mark is coming down with a cold and was struggling at first. We almost called it off and went to bass but decided to push through a few tracks to see what we would get.

One of the things we are focusing on is hard to explain but we refer to it as "finishing a thought" or "emoting". "The Greater Sadness" for instance is a song that Mark wrote about our younger brother David and his struggles with drug and alcohol addictions. The song was written in the midst of one of Davids worst times and at one point the lyrics explore the possibility of his death due to an overdose. To really emote or express that kind of intense reality, it is more than just walking up to a microphone and singing a few lines of lyrics. The singer and songwriter has to somehow find the emotion that inspired the song and transfer that into a performance while standing in a studio with no one around, no lights or huge speakers blaring. Just headphones, a mic and you.

Well tonight was inspired. Jared, Josh, Jon Link (our producer), and myself sat in the control room and listened as Mark found it. The intagible passion that makes all the difference in the world. We had goosebumps as we listened to him pour his soul into the track. As the song ended we heard the headphones hit the floor and Mark laboring to catch his breathe. It was an amazing moment for us and we cant wait to share it with you all sometime soon.

Thanks for reading and as always we can't tell you what your ongoing support means to us...

Jonas and Strike

Bass on the horizon...

2005-09-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Strkethurman were in the studio again last night. We mostly worked on vocals for "The Greater Sadness". We also listened down to the tracks so far and everything is sounding brilliant! We are coming up with some very innovative ideas and sounds. I'm telling you, this is Strike as you've never heard them before! The album is really starting to find a definite direction.

Strike will be in the studio again tonight, but I actually won't be there. My dad and I are going to a Leo Kottke concert tonight at the Paramount Theater. It's should be a great time. The guys will probably be concepting and recording bass tonight so be sure and send a happy thought Jonas's way! One of the guys will be posting an update about tonight's session pretty soon so be sure to check back!

Mark

A short history lesson

2005-09-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. This blog will be an account of the musings of Strikethurman in the recording studio and otherwise. Technically we have been in the studio since November of 2004. November and December was when most of "God Bless The Simple" was tracked. We put the rest of the project on hold for a couple of months for equipment reasons. All the while continuing production on GBS. Once we had the equipment needed, we continued recording near the end of February, when we started recording "The Greater Sadness".

Hopefully this innagural post will help get our readers current on what has happened thus far.

Producer, Jon Link, approached us in October 2004 about recording. We had some new stuff and Jon felt like we could work well together with him. I started some song-writing / recording sessions with Jon. After a couple of days writing and re-writing, out came "God Bless The Simple". We mixed, re-mixed and re-mixed the song and put hours and hours of production into it, and it's finally done! You can hear the song at Strikethurman.com or download at our Myspace page.

"The Greater Sadness" was a song that we had been playing live for a little while and was the main reason we wanted to get into the studio. We all felt like the song had much potential and were eager to get it down on tape. Jon Link is a drummer by trade and was itching to work with Jared. So we started pre-production and drum writing on "Sadness". After about 15 different versions of the song we're now in the final stages of tracking.

We've also finished writing and drums on "Deep Calling". Guitars are mostly done and vocal production has started recently. This song is gaining momentum as we add layers and really dig into the production of it. The contrast of layers on "Deep Calling" will be a fantastic thing to hear once it's finished. In some later posts I'll go more in depth and explain the meanings and where each song came from. We'll also try and keep updated on a weekly basis as to what's happening in the studio and at the live shows. There will probably be some equipment posts also for all the fellow gear-geeks and tech-heads out there.

Thanks for reading!
Mark