We’re All In This Together

We got mixes back from Mark Needham. www.markneedham.com

He did First to Promise, Find You and Last to Know.  They sound amazing. 

 I can’t wait to get some more done and make them available to you. 

 I’ll be touring most of October.  Check my schedule at www.myspace.com/andyzipf

 

D.O.G. the bounty hunter is out on bail.  He was arrested for skipping out on some charge in Mexico.  He is still my hero.  Don’t make fun.

Here’s a tasty bit of something…a short video from the studio in L.A.  Our friend Zach Stoff shot it while I was tracking Find You.

www.andyzipf.com

 

 

Hello there. It’s been some time since I’ve written to you on here. Forgive me. It’s not because I don’t care. Lots of stuff going on right now. The record is in the process of being mixed. In the mean time, Shawn and I have been dreaming up some new ideas for marketing the album and touring across the country once again. I’m sitting in a bar (with wireless internet!) in Lafayette, Louisiana right now. We drove here from Houston last night, slept in the van until 8 am and checked into a Motel 6. I got up and went for a run today and almost died. It’s pretty sticky down here in the bayou. You kind of always have a thin film of sweat on your upper lip at all times. Very attractive. Let’s see what else…on this tour I’ve hit some of my favorite stops and seen some of my favorite people (you know who you are). I’ve also played some new places. It’s always good to add some more stars to the tour map. The big news around the Andy Zipf camp is a bit top secret. Shawn has come up with something pretty extraordinary again. All I can tell you is that it has to do with the new record, how we will bring it to you and how we will take the next step in touring, etc. You’ll know when it’s time. Until then, stayed tuned. Keep on. I will see you again soon. We are, as always, in this together. Love to all. - Andy

We are calling it a day in the studio. Hal Cragin and Brian McLeod are pretty much done with all the songs. We may record a couple more, but they are more ‘experimental’ percussion songs. I think those guys might be the best rhythm section I have ever played with. We did ‘First to Promise’, ‘Keep On’, ‘Fields of Mourning’, ‘Last to Know’, and ‘Easier to Crumble’ today. I am so happy with what is pulsing through the studio speakers right now. I can not wait for you all to hear this stuff…and we haven’t even begun guitars, vocals or keyboards yet.

Finally, after dealing with the glitches in the Ampex tape machine, we started rolling along with bass and drums today. I’ve been playing along with Hal(bass) and Brian(drums), as they cut their parts. We did ‘Give All’, ‘Feel the Weight’, ‘Lie to Yourself’, ‘Find You’, ‘Maybe Tonight’ and ‘No Shelter’. The last song we tracked was ‘Find You’. Hal and Brian got it in one take. Seriously. These guys are a great rythm section. I think you’re really going to dig what they played. I do.

I’m sitting in one of our favorite coffee shops right now - Coffee Fix. We like it because there very few stupid celebrities that come in here, it’s privately owned and most importantly: the wireless internet is free. The coffee is not too bad, either. I am halfway into a giant green mug, as I type this blog. The weather has been a bit rainy the past couple of days, but now it’s clearing up. Tomorrow, Shawn and I will head to the studio around 10 a.m. and start bringing in all of our gear. Some of my friends have been really cool and let me borrow some guitars and basses. Others have offered a place for us to crash here, dinner, laundry facilities…it’s been amazing. I am so grateful that things are coming together finally. We have been working so hard to raise the money for the record, write the best songs possible, tour, etc., that we haven’t had time until now to get excited about doing this thing. Now we’re here, and it’s happening! Shawn and I have been hanging out with Jim, the producer, going over the songs and talking about ideas. I really like what we’ve come up with. The direction we’re going with the record is right where I want to go. Rock where necessary, mellow when necessary. To give you a bit of an idea, some reference songs that we’ve talked about are ‘Sonnet’ by The Verve, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ by The Rolling Stones and ‘Everyday’s Like Sunday’ by Morrissey/The Smiths. There are a bunch others too. I will be posting on here after every session, so keep a lookout. I’m not going to let you all down. This record is going to be great. We’re all in this together. - Andy