Gold Rush and The lost ducklings

Image: A little graphic I was working on of my dear friend Klipso who sings to me each night here under the oaks. Who knows what he's eating out there each night.

Good morning in late April. It’s been a little longer than usual for an update, but, the wheels are still turning in the Hadder camp. How about a little update on some things.

I’ll be honest. I’m floating in the calm of the storm. The eye is above me. I might be enjoying my life under the oaks a little too much lately. I am a creature of nature and lately spring has been transforming my little mountain hideaway. A lot of what is happening to me lately has to do with what happened to me years ago. When I left my old mountain up on corral canyon and began this “Breakers” record, I always longed to return to the canyons. I was displaced, and in that displacement, I wrote the music for the first Diamonds Hadder record. But what now? I’ve come back to the oaks now but the wind she blows slightly different than she did before. Grief, she laid waste to the things I knew. The trees are grown up and wondering who the hell I am. There’s a great spirit here that I don’t really know. The nighttime here is filled with noises that make me want to sob in a happy way. The wolf certainly roams this land. I wander around in the yard cleaning the place up and repairing the towers that were here in the hopes of mending my soul. Hoping the blues and the birdfeeders will heal the broken heart I’ve carried for the last 6 years or so. Skinks and quails and tree frogs are invading my land. On the horizon I see a new record being born before my eyes, a record called “The Oaks”. A record about redemption and rebirth. Slowly I’ve been building the inside of this place. The center room, surrounded by the outer walls of this dwelling is where I’ve been spending most of my time. Designing the tower that will channel this new endeavor. My Noctua is ready now. In 1970, a record called “After the Gold Rush” was recorded in these very woods. This place also spawned The DOORS, “Roadhouse Blues”. It has a dark past as well, as its the place that Charles Manson called home when he arrived in Los Angeles. One thing is for sure, The lure of these oaks is mysterious and inviting and I can’t help but smile a twisted little grin at the thought of what I might create here musically in the coming months. Klipso sleeps very close these days and nights but the floors here they stay very cold as though they resent the warmth and coming of spring. I burn a lot of wood here and I think it's time I let the birds be birds.

Breakers Vinyl: As far as I know, the vinyl is in some stage of the manufacturing process somewhere in Europe. I've approve the vinyl remaster and it sound really good, much better than the digital release. You'll see soon enough. I wont say who did it just yet, but I'm very grateful for the work they put into it. They have now etched their name on this little breakers record of mine. I feel like during the making of the record “what was being recorded” always more important to me than “how it was recorded” and for that reason each song took on a life and sound of its own depending on what tower the song was recorded in. For that reason, the remaster was a bit tricky. The engineer had his hands full but he certainly reached for the gold and came away with some shiny stuff in the end. You can’t save every little ducking during a flood, but you can save most of them. That’s my philosophy on recording. Do your best to get it right, and don’t focus on the failures, instead… rejoice in the small victories and magic moments and move on to the next battle.

LITR: “Long Is the Road” Music video is in the editing stages. This is where I’ll be if you need me this spring. Knock loud because it’s noisy in here. I hope to be conjuring up something visually special. Something deserving of this record. Something maybe different than what we normally see. I’m in that world now and it’s a lonely but creative place where I’m painting the walls as I see fit and designing the rooms inside of the rooms without a single expectation. I aim to serve the thing that gave me this record. I serve the reasons this song exists and that’s all. Without a time limit and without a care about outcomes.

I suppose that’s all for now. Interesting times we are living in. Is it really that interesting or is this how it’s always been? Angry mobs and Sothern cross winds. Crooked politicians and hippie cults. Somewhere in the middle of it all, the Goat is hinting at a return to set things right and old music is growing ever more older under these same old twisted oaks that now have a hold of me. Ezra just grumbled, she grows tired of my philosophical meanderings. Ha. “Oh Really, girl. Go play with Jups.” I heard some advice yesterday, it was “Stay strong and hang in there.. I’m on it”, it came from above the trees. I’ll say the same to you.

Farewell friends

-j

Familiar Forests and the Noctua

Image: An image from some recent things I've been working on. One of the many doors to evermore.

Good afternoon from BOK.

Spring is springing. A few weeks have passed now since I’ve been settling in under the Oaks.  A little update is in order.

Beyond the Breakers Vinyl: The artwork is completed for the new breakers vinyl. Some very small details linger but nothing really to crazy. That part of the process is just about leaving my hands, which will free me up to dive back into music video production. The vinyl artwork certainly feels like its an extension of the record now. The cover was recomposited at 300 rez which was needed for the 13” dimensions of the vinyl. It was also wrapped around the record as a long panoramic and so that needed to be created over these last few months as well. Anytime I get to add real estate to the world of evermore, well, I’m up for the challenge, as well as for the fun of such a thing. So now on the back cover we get to see a little more of the world behind Mr Hadder and his friends from the front cover. The inside of the gatefold was a great place to put a photo of Hadder during one of his snowy visits with the witch on White Mountain. I have fond memories of that trip. Some strange things were happening at that time and so I felt that image was an important piece of the breakers record. Inside the gatefold you’ll find an insert with lyrics and a little something about the making of the record as well a photo of me and my Washburn. As I’ve said before, she did all the solos on the record, I just held her close. And finally, on the flip side of the insert… from left to right… you’ll find a photo collage spanning the life of the record. I scoured hard drives in all the places where I created the record, from my little home on the hill, 200 North, The Lex, and the dark tower I called the 408. This took the most time but it’s also the most rewarding part of the vinyl. A picture is worth 1000 words and for me, looking at this collage, it’s a novel of will and creation. A perfect end to the physical record. From what I understand, the Vinyl remastering is already underway. That’s all for that I suppose. I’ll be sure and keep you updated with manufacturing times along the way.

Music Video production: From one mountain of work to the next, I have no rest really. What is rest anyway. My new tower in the oaks is getting an upgrade for the video production side of this breakers record. A new I9 and a noctua 4080 for those of you who might know of such things. If you build it they will come, or so I’ve heard. I’m excited to re-engage in this visual chapter of my little breakers record. I was just about into the actual editing stages of “Long is the Road” before I had to suddenly switch gears to vinyl design a few months back. It’s good to get back to where I left off. Perhaps the time away from all the postproduction will give me some new perspective on the previous work I did. Everything happens for a reason I suppose, as some of the images inside the vinyl actually came from video footage stills for the LITR music video. Timing is everything in life. I’m sure I’ll post some little video clips along the way the next few months as vinyl is being manufactured behind the scenes. It should all lead to a nice summer release for it all, or something like that.

Other things: I wanted to take a moment today to thank you all for some of the emails I’ve received regarding the record. At times I’m consumed with all the fine details of this and that and life can seem to move at a snails pace some days. I’ve had my doubts about things along the way. I questioned my work and my will at times. Throughout the making of this breakers endeavor, there were hills and mountains to climb, but with every climb there was a fall as well. Much like ocean tides and sound waves with peaks and valleys, creation seems to follow these same patterns. I do believe there is no way around such things. However, in those darker times, occasionally I get an email from someone out of the blue and it’s a lot like pouring gasoline on a small fire. These little messages have fueled me when I needed them most. Like little taps on my shoulder. Little reminders of why I made this record. Why I did this or why I did that. Sometimes we can get lost in a familiar forest. Sometimes we listen to ghosts in the woods just because we’re lonely and it’s too damn hard to go it alone. It happens. Another reason why I don’t make permanent decisions until after a good campfire. Time and reflection has a way of solving all things, that and a cord of fire wood. I imagine my record has really only begun to live. Although it took a little while to make it, it’s really just a baby now in the wider world of heavy metal records. The true test of what it will become someday can only be decided by time. Having said that, the emails and emotional responses I’ve received over the last few months are very much appreciated. Regardless now of what truly lies beyond these breakers of mine, I can now wear a small and inconspicuous grin while sitting by the pacific, knowing that it mattered to at least someone, somewhere, out there. I think that’s all I ever really wished for it.

“My dear Mr evermore, guardian of the doorway. Thank you for waking me.”

May your own dreams show you the way.

-j

Jups and The Pattern Maker

Image: An image of "Jups" in the new tower under the oaks.

Good morning rabbits, the closing weeks of winter are upon us. Jups has been coming every night since I arrived here at the oaks. He was quieter at first but now he won't shut up. Ezra just grumbles at him, I think she's jealous. Life under the oaks is no joke. I survived the atmospheric river event last week. There was a mud slide on the side of my place and a few oaks did uproot themselves and run away with a few boulders, but I held fast working on Hadder things. I am a pattern maker after all. Here is a little update:

Breakers Vinyl: Well let me start here. Just before the holidays I signed a deal with “No Remorse” records and started working on the vinyl artwork for the breakers record. However, I decided to move at that time and then my Bella passed and so I was a bit swept up in all those things while working on the artwork in the background. There were weeks I was living out of boxes during the move and then there were weeks I was grieving Bella and helping others with that situation. Eventually things all settled down and I’m just about done now with the artwork. At the moment I have some large actual “proof” prints tapped to my floors at the oaks. Alternate versions of the gatefold and inserts that are slightly similar but different. Mostly layout alterations. I just need a few more days to decide on what I like more. The process is a lot like writing and recording songs. Sometimes things just need to sit while life moves on. The reflection of them sometimes just becomes a little clearer once you’re not involved in the creating process anymore. As an observer, things can change. Most of the breakers record was done in this way. Create and then step back and decide if I liked what I created. It’s a discipline that might go unspoken or unnoticed in the life of an artist, but unless your surrounded by producers and outside decision makers calling all the shots, you’ll have to be harsh with yourself and honest about the work you create. Most great records had great decision makers. The better you get at critiquing your own body of work and discerning the gems from the sandstone, so to say, well.. the more focused and better your art can be I suppose. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but this is my process. Having said all that, as soon as I release this artwork… I’ll get back to video editing and writing music for the next record while the heavy metal wheels of manufacturing start to roll out breakers magic.

Breakers Volume II: Although I’ve been working hard on artwork as of late, I did fire up the war room for the 1st time last week. It will still be a few weeks of sound treating the tower walls and moving things here and there, but noises are starting to come from my little tower under the oaks. I’m very inspired as of late and I hope to have another record done soon. I don’t want the next record to take as long as the first breakers record, but I also won’t rush anything. Like the first record, it will be done when I have the 40 minutes of good songs, if I have to record and track 20 to get the 7 I like… well.. that’s just how it works for me. Considering I have just about another records worth of songs partially tracked already, I’m hoping I can have it ready for early next year. There is a slight chance that once I start rehearsals later in the year, that I will write with a band in place, but for now that’s just wishful thinking. I’ll have to play all that by ear this spring and summer. Regardless, I’m ok with creating it all myself as well. Time will tell.

My Caroline and the Vocal process: I thought I would share some words from a song that might appear on the next breakers record. I have a wild imagination. Sometimes my songs can seem like little movies. It isn’t always easy telling a story in a song, syllables and vowels and letters all need to swim on top of a rhythm. They can’t just be forced onto music. At least that’s what I find. For this reason, some of my lyrics go through various stages of rewrites. They may start as a simple poem or story with out music but almost always need to get translated to a song. Generally, there is a syllable map that I work off, that map is generally created recording vocal freestyle takes. Sounds confusing but really all that means is I sing on a track and the feeling and motion of the vocal in an unplanned and improvisational way creates somewhat of a template for me. Like a road map of syllable placement patterns. I often use these maps to then restructure the stories and words I write to fit over music. That’s my process. Sometimes during the freestyle vocal takes I’m aware of the words in the story and so sometimes things just kind of fall in to place by accident. But I almost never try to fit words into a song that weren’t written to music first. Anyway, this song went through many rewrites in order to tell the story but also to match those words to the syllable patterns of the track. It’s that puzzle that I enjoy the most about writing songs, especially songs with words and stories. In my younger days I thought being a singer was about singing, but really that’s just a small piece of it. There are so many other aspects of being a singer and song crafter and some of those things have nothing to do with your vocal cords and voice training. It’s a long road, the way of a singer. Anyway, here’s a little story about a haunted starship that might find its way onto record #2.

The Caroline

Commissioned for a Steller flight

Out beyond the stars

But fate you see, had a way with me

This man without a god

I kissed my wife and said goodbye

Little did we know that day

That the hour passed, would be our last

As I sailed away…. into the white

Nothing behind me but stars in a silent sea floating in the dark of the night

Circuits still flashing, the screen I’m still as asking, what’s out there beyond the bright

To much to bare now, is it you I should fear out

My window haunting the white

Hard to remember when, this ship crossed the never then, if only I could turn back the time.

So I sail to find, things I left behind, into the light….

Beyond the white

Power cores failing, the dead captains staring, “there’s a ghost on the screen” he last said

Lieutenant’s gone too, with the rest of her crew, who went missing below the deck

me I’m the last, still steering the doomed craft, I’m sorry I left you behind

I know that it’s you love, who’s killing the crew of, this ship I now call the “Caroline.“

So I sail to find, the things I left behind, into the light…

Beyond the White

Silver arrow to the gods

oh my queen of the stars.

And so my destiny, Lies out beyond the white, into the sea of light…

so I sailed into the star

My hands they clutched the cross

Without a trace, I saw her face

As it was the years before

And so these final words I write

Record my final days

Aboard this queen, and the things I’ve seen..

Let it speak of my fate

Out, Beyond the white

That’s all for now. It's finals days of artwork design for the breakers record. Looking forward to closing this chapter and seeing what these oaks have to say.

Farewell friends

-j