the most interesting recording process i've heard of

[MourninDaKnight]

omar rodriguez is the guitarist and producer for the mars volta. he conjures everything up in his head and teaches the other members of the band their parts only minutes before recording them. none of the parts of each song are recorded in linear order(sort of like films today are done) so he is the only one that knows what the finished product will sound like.

every person in the band is amazingly talented and creative. their live shows allow for a lot of improv.

they blend so many different styles of music to create a sound that no one else is doing right now.


their new drummer thomas pridgen is especially amazing. he was the youngest recipient for a Zildjian endorsement in the nearly 400 year history of the company. after listening to their new cd i couldn't believe it when i heard the dude doesn't use a double bass pedal.


check out this recent jam of an older song(if you aren't a patient listener i beg you to listen from 2:00-5:00 at least):

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvVf7gG-qhM"]YouTube - The Mars Volta - Roulette Dares (Nissan Live Sets) Part 1[/ame]

 

[Shonsteez]

As an engineer that would be a little annoying but if it renders a dope song i cant complain i guess.

 

[mercurywaters]

i think the singer sucks ass. he sounds out of key. otherwise its cool.

 

[Chrono]

the drummer was dope!!

 

[MourninDaKnight]

As an engineer that would be a little annoying but if it renders a dope song i cant complain i guess.

funny that you mention this. this isn't the first time they've recorded an album this way but the engineer that has always been with the band had a nervous breakdown during the recording of their latest album The Bedlam in Goliath.

he accused omar of trying to drive the world crazy with his evil music and hijacked all of the master tapes and held them hostage.

they had to hire people to try and get them back from the dude. it took them a week to finally get them back(they may have ended up breaking in for all i know)

 

[MourninDaKnight]

i think the singer sucks ass. he sounds out of key. otherwise its cool.

the singer sounds pretty dope on on a chorus from a handsomeboy modeling school song

the song features the RZA and also the guitarist from mars volta

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-i6tnkxWX0"]YouTube - A day in the life - Handsome boy modeling school[/ame]

 

[Shonsteez]

I mean the bands cool but i was just tryin to add that from a engineers perspective - that shit is annoying....I respect a artist that can follow through with his/her verse/chorus from beginning to end, etc. rather than punching every bar or so as an example......IMO you end up with a lifeless performance in the end from a pasted up composition like that. Its def not uncommon for something like that to occur, but as personal pref as an engineer i would prefer to work with people who are more professional about their craft and dont get butt hurt about finishing a whole section from their song at once.

 

[MourninDaKnight]

I mean the bands cool but i was just tryin to add that from a engineers perspective - that shit is annoying....I respect a artist that can follow through with his/her verse/chorus from beginning to end, etc. rather than punching every bar or so as an example......IMO you end up with a lifeless performance in the end from a pasted up composition like that. Its def not uncommon for something like that to occur, but as personal pref as an engineer i would prefer to work with people who are more PROFESSIONAL about their craft and dont get butt hurt about finishing a whole section from their song at once.

Rodriguez-Lopez prefers to track pieces of songs according to their tempo or mood, assembling them later in the same way a director will assemble a movie

“It's a backwards way of recording,” Rodriguez-Lopez admits, “but it's also part of the chaos of not knowing what's next. These guys are masterful musicians. They could all be their own bandleaders and have their own band, so what good am I to them if I can't push them to a new area that they couldn't have discovered on their own? And [to that end], one of the very first things I try to do is to make them forget about their PROFESSIONALISM. PROFESSIONALISM is our enemy. It's what makes you feel safe and comfortable and makes you not have to take chances. We have to constantly be afraid of becoming too refined. If I have to go through some tension in order to get that result, then that's fine because we're all adults here. Now we look back and we laugh about it.”



engineer:

“Omar to me is someone like a Miles Davis-like character,” he explains, “in that the emotional core of where he's at is always gonna be intact, so he can go wherever he wants. After a while, you stop thinking about how could he take his music any further, because it doesn't matter. Wherever he's going, it'll be fine.”

 

[Fury]

the singer sounds pretty dope on on a chorus from a handsomeboy modeling school song

the song features the RZA and also the guitarist from mars volta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-i6tnkxWX0

that song wuz fuckin sick

 

[2GooD Productions]

the singer sounds pretty dope on on a chorus from a handsomeboy modeling school song

the song features the RZA and also the guitarist from mars volta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-i6tnkxWX0

I have to agree with Fury...Dope Track.
The outro is great.... Rule of etiquette. When with a lady on a date save your farts till you get home, because you cant stop the smell from emanating with a match. LOL

 

[MourninDaKnight]

i suppose i should post a song that was a result of the recording process mentioned above



it should also be pointed out that a lot of the the lyrics are taken from an ancient talking board that the guitarist bought for the singer while in jerusalem. the spirit which is called goliath is actually 3 entities. the man, the wife, and the daughter. the man is the evil dominant one who doesn't want the message of the females to be heard(if you don't know what honor killings are you should research it). goliath did not want the album to be made and also wanted to take human form. the guitarist intervened and flew across the world to bury the board in a secret spot.

all of the master tapes were blessed and steps were taken to include protection for you listeners out there.
whether the bad luck they received was goliath's attempt to sabotage their attempt at releasing this was real or all in their heads...it resulted in some pretty kick ass music.