Snowzilla! Snowpocalypse! Snowtorious B.I.G.! Coke party in heaven!

Hey. Sarah writing.

So, as skeptical as I was about "the worst storm in decades" coming through Chicago, I must say, it's pretty crazy out. My only glimpse into the world outside until about an hour ago had been through Facebook posts, which made me realize I should get in touch with my friends from out of town, even just to change up the statuses that I kept kept seeing. The television is out (no news since about 4pm yesterday afternoon) and in internet is shotty at best. So, last night was spent eating left over Thai food on my favorite couch, with my favorite person, watching, of all things, Apocalypse Now (the director's cut, which aparently is way better). And, of course, the only part that I lost it over was when they pull a puppy out of a barrel and I thought they were going to hurt it. They didn't hurt it, but I cried for 10 minutes about it.

Cars are under a few feet of snow drifts, and I ventured out for a few minutes this morning to check it out. I bounded through the drifts, made a three foot deep snow angel, and fell into a snowbank with my favorite person, and the worst storm in decades, so far, doesn't seem so bad. Since the internet sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, we were thinking of venturing out to find a coffee shop with WiFi, but the whole city seems to be tucked into the snow day, so maybe more movies or napping is in order. I happen to have my dulcimer here, which I was going to bring to my theatre rehearsal (which was cancelled), so I could practice for a while. I wish I'd brought my keyboard, but alas, it is in my apartment...the door to which is probably blocked by the (still coming down) white stuff.

Some exciting things are happening with Left Turn, and we're getting really close to having the album in the can. Is that the right term? It is for movies...
We had a great rehearsal on Sunday with lots of new ideas being thrown around, and live gigs and summer plans are in the works. Stay tuned, dear readers, for a little snow won't keep us down!

And now, I'm posting a photo from our amazing bass player, Joe Nemec, who ventured out into Snowcago, IL and took some pretty sweet pictures of the craziness.



Lef Turn at OH HOLY CRAP!!

Stay safe and warm, friends!

Hey there. Sarah writing.

Happy New Year, fans and friends of Left Turn at Albuquerque! We hope you all had a happy and healthy holiday.

I mostly just wanted to document a fun thing that happened the other night at a gig we played at The Leland Tap and why I'll never be able to sing Helplessly Hoping (Crosby Stills Nash) ever again without thinking about naked boobs.

Our friend Mark requested said song for his birthday, which was a few days before the gig. I pride myself on being able to harmonize with anything in a short period of time (people, vaccum cleaners, car alarms, etc.) and while I'd never sung through it with Jeff and Jack (our good friend from the excellent band As Fourty Sleeps), I listened to the video a few dozen times and memorized the lyrics. When we got to the gig that night, we tried to run it once standing outside but we couldn't decide what note it started on and without a flaming garbage can to stand around, we looked crazier than the crazies that may or may not have been out that night.

So, I suggested that we just go into the bathroom together and listen to it on Jeff's iPhone.
The women's bathroom at the Leland Tap is plastered with photos of John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe. It's pretty classy and there's some nice tile and the soap smelled like those sour peach candies.
The men's bathroom is plastered with pictures of women, pretty much all topless, and pin up ladies in lingerie. Nice.

There were two boys, and one me, so there we were...piling ourselves into the one stall bathroom, huddled around Jeff's iPhone, quietly singing Helplessly Hoping over the recorded ledgends themselves, surrounded by ten foot walls and ceiling of boobs.

We packed the place, had a great time, and the song went off without a hitch.

Tales from the dive bars...

 

Jeff: We began recording the first Left Turn At Albuquerque album this weekend. Joe, Kat, Sarah and I spent about nine hours over two days getting eleven songs tracked for Kat's drum parts. There will be a twelfth song, it just needs more TLC in rehearsal before we can track it. Kat has been working feverishly (almost literally, she's been pretty sick) getting her parts just so on the recordings. I should explain that Chris is on vacation for the next few days, and as lead guitarist, he will be tracking his parts once the foundations of the songs are laid down.

We are recording this album under the auspices of the incredible Michael Teach, the impresario responsible for Chicago Acoustic Underground, the podcast series that is in its fourth year, and which has over 250 episodes devoted to Chicago and touring musicians who play original music (i.e. their own compositions). I've been fortunate enough to record two podcasts for CAU, episode #27 as a solo performer, and episode #141 with the precursor to Left Turn..., The Hawk In October. CAU has branched out to include benefit concerts and other live performances, and now, via its new label, CAUdog Records, has begun recording local artists for CD release. Left Turn... finds itself in the very happy position of being the fourth full-length recording project for CAUdog, which, as with the previous three, is being produced by Chicago musician and producer Ellis Clark. Ellis has been a prominent fixture on the Chicago music scene for many years, with the bands Epicycle and The Handcuffs, but he also runs an excellent home studio, and works with students at a North Shore high school as well to teach them sound production.

I want to make sure I write down impressions of the studio process. It's been seven years since I last did any serious recording (for my solo CD, "Clandestiny"). That time, I hired musicians to play and help arrange my songs. But Left Turn... is a band in its own right, and we're all responsible for arrangements. In addition, I am not the only songwriter, not the only creator who is looking to hear his vision come to fruition. Sarah has written three of the twelve songs we'll be recording, each strikingly different from the others, and all excellent fits with my own compositions. It's fun to help someone else realize her musical dreams, and an experience I'm very happy and lucky to have.

Another impression: it's hot in that studio. No air conditioning (because you'd hear the blowers), and of course, we started this project at the solstice, so summer is just getting underway. We're all having to remember to stay hydrated, and it takes very little excuse to get us all huddled in the control room (where the A/C is on).

Now that we have the drums laid down, the rest of us can begin building up the songs, layer by layer, instrument by instrument, and voice by voice. My guitar parts, which are the foundation of most of my compositions, will come next for all but a couple of songs, both Sarah's, one of which was a piano composition, the other a collaboration of guitar parts between Chris and myself. So guitars next, then likely Sarah's piano and Joe's bass. Then Chris's lead guitars, Kat's hand percussion where appropriate, and finally vocals. There are also likely to be some guest performances sprinkled throughout.

All for now. You know, I think I may actually be having fun.