Gig Summary: Blackbirds Live at Swig, Jan 19, 2011

Before the Gig
Press Coverage:

Pune Mirror: Jan 18 2011











































Mid Day, Jan 18, 2011












The Gig!
Setlist

SET ONE
1. I saw her standing there
2. Nowhere Man
3. All my Loving
4. If I Fell
5. Day Tripper
6. Baby’s in Black
7. Get Back
8. There’s a Place
9. A Taste of Honey
10. With a Little Help
11. Rain
12. Thank You Girl
13. Across the Universe
14. Please Please Me

~

SET TWO
1. Heutzutage (Varun’s song)
2. My Generation
3. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
4. All I’ve Got is You
5. I Will
6. That Day
7. Masters of War
8. Dream (Dhruv’s song)

Videos:









Post Gig Review:
Pune Mirror, Jan 22 2011

Recording & Mixing - Lessons Learnt

Hmmm...3 days of recording and 2 days of mixing later, I feel I have learned a lot and could have done better had I known, and respected some of these points ahead of time. Anyway, hindsight is 20/20! For now, as I see it, it is important not to lose the lessons, and I have documented them here for that reason.

1. Recording music takes time. More than you can imagine. Allow for that or be prepared to compromise or stretch your budget!
2. Preserve your voice at all costs - do not use it up in rehearsals, guide vocals & rough takes.
3. Play to a click track before you do anything else.
4. Voices are instruments - play them well, incorporating technique.
5. Mixing takes time, even when tracks are recorded well.
6. Listen to the tracks thoroughly before proceeding to the next song. Focus on the vocals since they can be prone to pitching issues.
7. Play a guitar you know well and have optimized action and tone for.
8. Recording is tiring - try to separate the days if you plan to sing continuously.
9. Stay focused and ensure you have no stresses on you - recording your songs require you to be at your physical and emotional best. You don't want to record a song while battling thoughts in your head.

Recording Day 3

Was present for only the first half of today's session, had to leave to go to Mumbai for a visa appointment. All tracks are down, barring vocals on "One of Us", "Consumption Disease" and "RDS". Will pick it up Monday morning at 9am, followed by mixing rest of day Monday, and all of Tuesday. Hope to have the mixes completed by end of Tuesday so I will actually have tracks by mid-week!!!

Recording Day 2

Another day down, 5 more songs completed - "One of Us", "Dream", "An Ode to Mediocrity", "For a Ditty" and "The Richard Dawkins Suite". Spent a lot of time on "One of Us", but all in all, we completed basic rhythm tracks for all 11 songs in 2 days: that includes rhythm guitars, bass and drums. Vocals are roughly done, but many songs need it to be done again, along with additional guitar work from Derek, all of which is planned for tomorrow. I also need to head to Mumbai, and leave the studio at 4pm, so it's going to be one tight day tomorrow. Once again, my vocals are of real concern and I am doubtful I will get through all songs.

The recording experience has been extremely enjoyable so far!

Recording Day 1

Just got back from my first ever recording session, we laid down 6 tracks (Waiting for You, More than Meets the Eye, Terrorist, Get You, 20/20 and Consumption Disease). My voice is positively cracking now, and needs a lot of care next 2 days. Mum's kadhaa is doing the trick so far. Terrorist was the song of the day and just sounded incredible, while MTMTE is sounding well, empty. :-)

Need to overdub Derek's guitar and my vocals on these 6 songs, as well as complete the remaining 5. Looks like we are on track to get all the songs down by tomorrow, leaving one more day to punch out any errors, before mixing commences on the 14th. All in all, a great first day and a wonderful and enriching experience to record my songs in a professional studio!

Rehearsals Day 3

Final session of rehearsals completed, before hitting the studio tomorrow. Got down "The Richard Dawkins Suite" and the band resurrected "More than Meets the Eye" with a minimalist approach. Derek and I did "For A Ditty", which came off very sweet. We then did a run through of all 11 songs in about an hour and called it quits.

We get into the studio tomorrow for setup at about 9am, with the intent to start recording after lunch. Biggest concern at this point is my voice, and making sure it goes the distance and delivers on some of the tougher songs (Dream, RDS, One of Us).

Rehearsals Day 2

Four more songs added to the list: 20/20, One of Us, Terrorist? and Get You. Also re-did Dream to get it to sound more intense, less pop. One more day to go, to focus on RDS and a run through of other songs. We may have to drop "More than Meets the Eye" from the list of songs due to the lack of time, and also because it didn't sound great on the first run. Maybe a late acoustic guitar and vocal track only, let's see.

Below is a video of clips of 3 of the four songs from today's sessions.

Rehearsals Day 1

Four songs completed in rehearsals today: Dream, Waiting for You, Ode to Mediocrity and Consumption Disease. The band consisted of Derek Julien on guitar, Among Jamir on bass, Denzil Fernandes on Drums and me on vocals and rhythm guitar. Dream and Ode to Mediocrity aren't there yet, but the other 2 sound pretty good first up! Clip from Waiting for You is below. 7 more songs to go!

First Blackbirds Rehearsal in 7 Years!

Vineet and I singing "If I Fell" together after ages!!!

Influences 2010

Sachin Tendulkar: 50 test centuries. And a spotless career. Not a year goes by when Sachin doesn't do something that amazes the world. But the fact that he does all of this while retaining his humility and honest approach to life is a true guiding light.

Christopher Nolan: After Inception, I realized he is my new favorite director! Memento and Following were incredible movies, but after M Night's disappointing string of releases, one learns to be cautious with these things. Nolan has delivered memorable movies every time (The Prestige, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) - I come out thinking about the movie and it stays in the ambient several days after. Can't wait for "The Dark Knight Rises"!

Fran Healy: How do you resurrect a fading band? Travis should be bigger then Coldplay, but they aren't. The last 2 albums have not touched "The Man Who", or "The Invisible Band" or even "12 Memories". Fran Healy goes solo and releases "Wreckorder", which for me is MY album of 2010 - may not be the best one out there, but a great friend nonetheless. Wonderful, sincere work. And I hope Travis comes back bigger than ever in the coming years.

Anthony Bourdain: He's been around a long time, but I only delved into his work this year. Halfway through season 5 and after reading "Kitchen Confidential", there is no doubt he is special, and a rare mix of superficial irreverence and an underlying respect for what is good in the world. Bourdain is entertaining, thought provoking and frankly, I just envy the man.

Jon Stewart: NPR and Jon Stewart are my biggest sources of information on what is going on in the world today. What makes Stewart a great watch is how almost everything he says finds a sympathetic resonance in me, like no other media figure I have followed or watched. While Colbert is funnier, Stewart strikes the chord. Bless the two best anchors on TV and those 40 minutes of daily DVR'd joy.

Barack Obama: Like Stewart, there is little Obama says that I disagree with. Of course, words come easy, and he is the best at delivering them. Actions have proven hard to follow-up with, and I struggle with that in my little world too. Yet, I believe that in time, sound fundamentals will win out. Obama was an inspiration to many in 2008/09, but for some he continues to remain one, and the fact that things are a whole lot tougher only means he now has a greater opportunity to inspire, and I believe he will.

Dobby: I never read a single Harry Potter book to completion, but just finished a 2 week marathon of catching up on all the movies. I emerged at the end of the Deathly Hallows Part I with one character in my mind: Dobby. His death in the movie is moving as hell and his character as a slavish, poor house-elf only magnifies his contribution to saving Harry and Co. A very memorable character, and will remain my favorite of the series.

The Big Bang Theory: Who could've predicted the success of a show like this? From "Knock-Knock-Knock, Penny", to a newfound interest in finding my favorite spot in the living room with the right airflow, this show has provided several snippets of fun that I use for deriving my own laughs.

Olivia Dunham/Fringe: To a fan of the X-files, Fringe reflects several of the same concepts: an underlying "mythology" amid more generic shows about strange beings and stranger doings. The strong female lead, played by Anna Torv, is what makes Fringe special for me. The physics seems even more impossible than the X-files, but the intensity is at a higher level, and the agenda more personal for the lead stars, something X-files only delved into late in their run. Here's to a long run for Liv and the Bishops!