I’m not sure if the term staycation was coined some time ago, or if it is a newly minted quip courtesy of the great downturn.  Either way, I’m a big fan.  At first, it can sound a bit depressing, evoking images of a suburban dad bringing home a kiddy pool strapped to the roof of his truck whose gas tank hasn’t been full in two years.  Perhaps this is one version, but mine has turned out to be a nice change of pace.

Memorial Day is the weekend for retrieving the grill from the basement, washing cars, and that first trip to the beach - in short, the announcement of summer.  Most of mine have been ritualistically American with excessive hamburger consumption paired with a bad sunburn aimed at erasing the memories of slush filled February mornings.  And that’s how it should be. 

But this year was different.  In part because of a busy summer schedule ahead, and in part because I had much to catch up on, I decided to stay put this Memorial Day weekend.  I have to say, not a bad deal.  No schedule to adhere to, no traffic, no crowded beaches, and an all-access pass to the city.  

Manhattan is a whole different place when no one is here.  A little eerie at first, but then pretty awesome.  No battling for sidewalk space, no lines in the stores or at the movie theater, and an abundance of available cabs.  A guy could really get used to this.  Heck, I even went and saw Shrek III. 

And as everyone knows, a vacation is as much a mindset as it is room service and beachside dining.  No alarm clock and no necktie go a long way no matter where you are.  And dare I say that sometimes vacations can be stressful?  One particular family trip to Mexico comes to mind when my sister insisted on waking me each morning at 7 am to get the “good chairs” at the pool!  Seriously?

Most importantly, I had the time this weekend to sit for many uninterrupted hours and focus solely on the Adam Bradley project.  I had time to listen back to my recently recorded tracks, make notes, and map out the completion of the album.  I updated my master email list, uploaded video to Youtube and Faceboook, and researched dozens of music industry web sites aimed at emerging artists.  I even taught myself a little Photoshop.         

As I look out the window and the sun is blazing, I know there’s a beach blanket somewhere with room for one more, or a pool chair at a friend’s house with my name on it.  But, the AC feels pretty good and I’ve got the whole summer to spend all weekend getting just the right shade of tan only to have it fade by Wednesday.

Nothing will replace the thrill of taxiing on the runway before jetting off to an island somewhere, or the anticipation of an adventure in a far away land.  I keep my i-Photo frames pulled up at all times for ready access to my favorite shots of Tanzania and Jamaica from our recent getaways.  But, every now and then, recession or no recession, staycation is the way to go. 

Anyone like this shot for a potential album cover?

“These Walls” live at Arlene’s Grocery - May 27th, 2010

It was a good weekend.  I made headway on two new tracks and I’m getting much more efficient with the self-recording process.  It’s still hard not to over think and evaluate each section of each take, but stopping and starting too much can be paralyzing. 

Also getting more comfortable with Pro Tools, and I spent some quality time with the instructional DVD.  I use the term “quality” loosely given that the video looks like it was shot in 1962, and I had to look at the screen sideways to avoid severe eye strain.  I’m sure this is done on purpose to make you buy higher quality tutorials but, as my dad would say, “Not this cowboy.”  There are still plenty of editing functions I’ve yet to master, but I think I’m ready to explore the world of plug ins.  The ones that come with the software are extremely limited and I found myself wanting much more to work with.

Starting to prepare for the show on the 22nd and putting feelers out for percussionists and bass players.  The Ace of Clubs show will most likely be just Alan and me, with the full band slated for the show in May. We’re close to done with 4 tracks so far for the album, and I’m hoping to get another done this week.  Alan has done a quick mastering of These Walls and Falling out which makes a huge difference.  

The plan for this week’s session is to record the vocals for Take Me Home and try to refine the production for Upside Down.  It seems the synth horns and other embellishments we used may not be the answer.  Funny how a track can sound great at night and awful in the morning.  Who knew there was a recording equivalent of the walk of shame?  

I’m just now listening back to my session from Wednesday with Alan.  This was by far our hardest session yet - so much so that we almost called it a night half way through.

As one of my original songs, and a tried and true crowd favorite, I had anticipated Take Me Home to be one of the most straight forward and uncomplicated tracks to record. But it couldn’t have been more the opposite.  The version I have from my recording in Nashville is an up tempo country rock tune that has great energy and a great groove to it.  I love that version, and my plan for this recording was to stick as close as possible to the original, only with a more current vocal and contemporary feel.

But it just didn’t work.  I wanted to create a big, head bopping, driving with the top down kind of sound.  When we played it back, it sounded like an unfeeling, antiseptic wall of sound.  Not even close.  I was stumped, not to mention upset and overtired, and we almost scratched the entire session.  

I sat and picked the chords on Alan’s electric, resigned to calling it a night and starting over next time.  But, I liked the sound I was making with the strum and slap, as did Alan.  So, we started over.  We scrapped everything, took the tempo down 10 beats, and laid down a scratch guitar and vocal. That’s what I’m listening to now and I think I really like it.  It’s much simpler, a bit raw, and has more of a storyteller’s feel.  We also wrote a new bridge that I think adds a different dimension.  Who knows, maybe this version and the original can both work.  

In a classic case of less is more, I left feeling good that we stuck it out and maybe even captured something special. 

Having grown sick (as in actually queasy) of reality TV and over-sensationalized drama series, I’ve spent my wind-down hour with the American Movie Classic channel the past few nights.  After watching Althea’s eyes well up one too many times with each morbidly obese Biggest Loser contestant who has gone from 450 lbs to 400lbs, I’ve retreated to the bedroom to remind myself where it all began.  Very refreshing – simple stories, a clear protagonist, a love interest, dialogue with a tempo, a conflict, some humor, signs that say “feed, $1”, and a Hollywood ending.  If it ain’t broke…     And even if a plot in which oil seeking wildcats strike it rich and lose it all three times over (Boom Town, 1940) is as far fetched as snakes on a plane – anything filmed in black and white with mountains in the background has to be authentic. 

I hate those words.  As any NYC commuter who passes through Times Square to get to Grand Central knows, the subway shuttle is the morning commute equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.  In addition to being one of New York’s busiest subway stations, the shuttle possesses a unique ability to game city inhabitants - especially weary, pre-caffeinated ones.  While all other trains are systematic and arrive at a station only to continue the same direction a few seconds later, the shuttle is a total wild card.  When did the shuttle get here?  How much time do I have before it leaves?  Do I walk to the train or sprint like an idiot?  How much pride do I have this morning?  How much energy?  How much patience? 

This is a calculus I am faced with each morning at 7:50am, requiring more mental and physical agility than most challenges I’ll face for the rest of the day.  To make matters worse, there are three tracks on which the shuttle can arrive - 1, 3, and 4.  (What the hell happened to track number 2 anyway?)  1 and 3 are manageable, but track number 4 is some distance away and requires labrynthian navigation through a mass of disembarking passengers - creating a swimming upstream effect that not even a spawning salmon should have to endure.  (And the salmon get to copulate when the arrive at their destination - my reward is checking email)  I hate track number 4. 

In New York’s new anthem, Alicia says the streets will “make you feel brand new”, but she fails to comment on the underground.  While she’s upstairs getting her inspiration on, I’m getting a sinister smile from a train engineer who knows he holds all the cards, and can’t wait to slam the filthy car doors on my newly pressed tan suit. 

My first blog ever!  I know, I know, but I am new to the social media onslaught and admittedly, a complete novice.   Luckily, I’ve got a team of much more experienced facebook, twitter, and blog savvy professionals in my corner.  Yaw, Christine, and my new CFO (Chief Facebook Officer) are dragging me kicking and screaming into the new age.  The artist in me tries vigilantly to protect an internal dialogue and feeds on soul searching, reflection and quietly processing the world around me.  The new business and branding imperative is precisely the opposite - exposing your innermost thoughts and ruminations for immediate public consumption.  Forgive me if I stumble at the beginning. 

But I digress… I am excited about my most recent recording project and am eager to share the process with you all.  Some of my newest tracks are up on the site (www.adambradley.com), and I will update periodically, even with rough mixes and unfinished cuts.  As an overture to the open source model and new way of life I welcome feedback at all stages.  After all, the process is what counts right?

The three songs I’ve posted first are These Walls, Falling Out, and The Kiss.  The first two are products of recent sessions with Alan Cohen, and this version of The Kiss is one I recorded years ago in Brooklyn at a coworker’s friend’s cousin’s brother’s fiance’s home studio.  (or something like that)   I kid you not, the sound proofing in the vocal booth was achieved by propping up two old mattresses in a teepee formation.  (Which may have been this guy’s actual bed.) 

More later….