:: mike errico diary ::

:: Saturday, June 3, 2006 ::

"Please Stop Leaving" is in the can. It's been an incredible week. Smooth, strong, and my best singing ever.

One song to go. "You Could Be Anywhere." It's a beautiful version of the song, just a sparse old Martin acoustic and me. I am ready to just float over that guitar part. Can't wait.

Eleven down, one to go.
:: mike 6:57 PM [+] ::

"How it Ends." Done.


What is there to say.
:: mike 9:49 PM [+] ::

Strange turn yesterday. We listened back to "Sweet Anesthesia" and didn't like it. We set out for it to be a chilly, almost robotic read that would melt into the arrangement, but somehow the entire sense of the song got lost. We recut the entire song letting me just do what I do, instead of going for an effect, and now it really flies, and fits with the rest of the pack.

So, we're still at nine down, three to go. But today's a new day. Ready to roll.


This was sent to me today:

The site (Ifilm) is annoying, but the video is worth it. I actually
got choked up, and I'm thoroughly cynical:
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2729140?htv=12
:: mike 6:02 AM [+] ::

I like this schedule. I sleep til whenever, get up, go to the gym with the NY Times, a bottle of water and a small coffee (little milk, one sugar). On the way back, I hit the deli and get another bottle of water, and two scrambled with ham on a wrap. No cheese. I sit down with Eileen, a 90-year-old woman with a black wig that's always on crooked, and eyebrows that are drawn on with a thick brown pencil of some sort. She reads the Post with a magnifying glass, and has some milk and toast. We talk about the Yankees (she's a fan) and the record. She likes how it's coming together. "I hope you got yourself a hit song on there, Mike. Sounds like it's goin' good." She thinks that baseball players now are more attractive than they used to be. "Time was, these guys were real...roustabouts. Not so, anymore. Good lookin' boys."

I finish breakfast, shower, warm up in time for a long leisurely walk to the studio to collect my head and decide the song we're going to hit. I've been alternating fast-slow, rock-ballad, just for the sake of pacing. Yesterday was a Pink Floyd fest, so today we're going to crank it up. I'm psyched.

All right, then. Time to do all of that.


post a routine.
:: mike 7:57 AM [+] ::

"Sweet Anesthesia" is in the can. Nine down, three to go. Fish in a barrel, man. I'm telling you.

It was so great to get this one done. It's been sitting around since the days of "Pictures of the Big Vacation." Finally, it's getting to see its day. I'm glad. I've been waiting for it. It's coming together great.

Tomorrow... more.
:: mike 10:09 PM [+] ::

"Something New" is in the can. Really fun, rocks hard and sounds great. Very psyched.

Done, done, on to the next one...
:: mike 10:08 PM [+] ::

"Ever Since" - I think the best lead vocal yet. Incredibly emotional, intimate, strong... it's something I'll be proud of for a long time. Only thing is that the harmonica solo sounds a little lost in all of the high-test arranging. We may have to pull it, and put someone else in. Talks continue.

Seven down, five to go. My early morning thought: "How it Ends"
:: mike 5:42 AM [+] ::

"Packing My Bags." Done. Six down, six to go.

As quiet, and "easy" as it is to sing, this was the hardest day in the studio so far - just finding the emotional balance within the song, and projecting it into the track. Did David Lee Roth think about this stuff? I don't know. Maybe.

Back in today.



post a background.
:: mike 8:42 AM [+] ::

Minor change. I warmed up and felt really strong, so instead we hit "OK to Go," the one inspired by the movie "Contact." Kind of inspired by it, anyway. It's all just going down smooth, and with plenty of time for a mellow dinner and hanging out with friends.

Today might be "Packing My Bags."
:: mike 6:18 AM [+] ::