Matthew Cahoon of
Everpresent and Soloelektronika: A Day in the Life of an Independent
Musician
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December 26, 2004
Hey everybody! It's Matt
(Everpresent/Soloelektronika) with another blog!
Finally, with all the instruments accounted for, Steve and I were ready to
lay down the vocal tracks. A few weeks before this, Steve told me that we
would be doubling nearly every single vocal track, so I needed to have my
"s's" and "t's" and all consonants down perfectly. All vocal lines must be
able to be recreated exactly in terms of tone quality, timing, and
duration. This was an entirely new level of singing that I was excited to
learn about. :)
I first sang when I was about 3, and then stopped until after my voice
changed at 17, which is typical of most male vocalists. In high school,
after writing songs for a couple years, I was blessed with a choir teacher
who not only allowed me to sing on certain a capella songs, but also to
perform my original material. I took lessons from different types of vocal
teachers over the years, in the styles of rock, pop, blues, and musical
theatre, and of course, sang to records all the time. But this level of
recording made me a better performer because of the increased awareness and
precision that was required.
So Steve and I recorded the vocals in about 10 hours. I performed all the
lead tracks as well as some of the background vocals. All parts had been
written at home, just me and my piano, and I had practiced for hours and
hours to get these down in just a couple of takes. I was learning about how
important this is for a vocalist. You must know the song inside and out,
not only technically, but emotionally. It is only through mastery of both
that you will give the song what it deserves.
After I had finished my vocals, we brought in my good friend,
Nancy Lawrence to record some backing
vocals. I always hated being the only singer, and the combination of the
male and female voice has always been my favorite choice of vocal sound.
Nancy, a seasoned r+b vocalist, added her ambient soprano riffs to the debut
Everpresent EP, and I'm quite proud of her, since she hadn't ever been in a
major studio like Sanctum before. She did a great job of adding her
ethereal soul style to the cd! To hear a good example of this, go to
http://www.everpresent.org and go
to the "media" section to listen to "Embrace Me".
Until next week!
Matt
http://www.everpresent.org
http://www.soloelektronika.com
Please send all comments to
everpresent@everpresent.org
December 19, 2004
Hi all! It's Matt again from
Everpresent/Soloelektronika with installment #3!
After recording all the acoustic drum tracks for the 6 songs on the first
Everpresent EP, Steve and I turned our attention to the low end of things.
Sessions bassist and Warr guitarist Kai
Kurosawa was brought in to add an organic feel to the somewhat
techno-like bass lines. On songs such as "You Need This" , "Why Do You Do
This to Me", "Don't Stop" , and "Drowning" we simply had him double the
synth bass parts to fatten up the sound, and give it a bit more of an
organic feel. But on songs such as "You Save Me" and especially "Embrace
Me", Kai was given more space to improvise and add his fusion vibe to the
debut EP. Bass lines for me are critical to all songs. The bass line in
the chorus of "You Need This" has always moved me and to this day, I never
get tired of hearing it. Kai's
improvised solo at the end of "Embrace Me" offers a great glimpse into his
skills and strong musical instincts that could not have been duplicated
electronically. That's what I wanted, the best of both worlds.
Next, we brought in one of my best friends and one of my favorite
guitarists, Matt O'Gwin, to provide guitar tracks on 2 songs: "You Need
This" and "Don't Stop". Matt had never recorded in a professional studio
and was quite modest, but he proved his natural talent over and over again
from the first chord he played. Listen to his screaming,
bluesy/middle-eastern solo on "You Need This". The song would never have
been complete without the sexuality of his perfect bends. For me, they
conveyed the attitude brilliantly. On "Don't Stop", O'Gwin showed his
capacity for melodic and tasteful playing that conveyed the epic nature and
longing of the song.
Matt O' Gwin finished all his takes in 2 hours, and to this day, his solos
are commented on as highlights of the debut EP. The fact that he is so
humble only enhances my admiration for the added dimension of rock and blues
that he added to the debut EP.
Listen to an excerpt of "Don't Stop" in the Media section of
http://www.everpresent.org
Comments? Contact me at everpresent@everpresent.org.
See you next time!
Matt
http://www.everpresent.org
http://www.soloelektronika.com
December 12, 2004
Hello once again. It's Matt from Everpresent/Soloelektronika, reporting on
the path of Everpresent, in part 2 of the making of the first Everpresent
EP:
In approximately April-May of 2002, Steve (of
Sanctum Sound) and I had all
of the electronic sequences edited and ready. The next step was adding the
human elements. We started from the ground up, so I grabbed my drumsticks
and headed into the drum-room.
Playing to electronic sequences was nothing new to me, being that I had
performed as a drummer to Herbie Hancock's electronic compositions when I
was about 10 years old, and ever since had enjoyed practicing drums to
Depeche Mode,
Enigma, Nine Inch Nails, as well as Prince (who plays drums on
nearly all his albums), and other artists who incorporated lots of
technology into their writing. I often would get many of my drumming ideas
not only from geniuses like
Neil Peart and
Manu Katche', but also from
programmed beats that were totally synthetic. Often if I heard an
electronic sound, I would instantly start thinking in terms of how I could
translate it to the drum kit. It did not have to be a human drummer
playing to give me great percussion ideas, and I also enjoyed the perfection
of programmed percussion, because it was never out of rhythm, and this was
my goal--to always lock in with the groove.
Growing up, I performed as a drummer in one of the All-State Jazz bands,
where we played lots of funk that year. The director made me play the
grooves better not by thinking harder, but by literally getting up off the
drum throne, and dancing with him in front of the rest of the band.
Then he said, "now, go back and try the groove again, but you have to make
me dance." Being that I do have some Native American heritage, this was
instantly appealing in a kind of tribal way: If you can't dance to the
groove, if you can't move your hips to it, the groove is worthless. So this
is the approach I have had ever since that day. Regardless of whether the
music is electronic, funky, or rock, there must be a groove, and it must
inspire people to dance, including myself.
This was the definitely the mindset I was in when I sat down to record the
drums for the first track of the debut Everpresent EP, "You Need This."
There was sequenced percussion that I had to follow, but a funky backbeat
that had to be there, and from the first note of the bass line, it was all
about the pocket. After all, I would soon be recording the vocals, and the
drums had to convey the attitude of the song: sexual, gritty, and full of
angst.
It only took about 3 takes to get the one we wanted, being that I had
practiced all the parts quite a bit before stepping into Sanctum. This is
something that I learned: time is money, and the more prepared you are
before you record, the more confident you will be, the more fun you will
have, and the more money you will save at the session.
To hear a sample of "You Need This" just go to the
Itunes music store online
and type in "Everpresent" and the debut album will be right there to check
out!
I would be delighted to hear any comments and questions! Please contact me
at everpresent@everpresent.org.
Until next week:
Matthew Cahoon
http://www.everpresent.org
http://www.soloelektronika.com
December 1, 2004
Hello everyone! I am honored to contribute my knowledge to
MusicBizAdvice.com
My name is Matthew Cahoon, of the Boston-based electronica-rock group,
Everpresent. I also function as Soloelektronika, my ambient/dance solo
project.
Since Everpresent began in January of 2002, I have learned much about
different aspects of the music business, and I would like to chronicle the
last 2 years with Everpresent as well as report on lessons learned regarding
my current solo project, Soloelektronika.
Since my graduation from Berklee College of Music in May 2001, I had been
putting together different ideas about how to best combine the many diverse
types of music that I loved. I wanted to create a project that drew
influences from rock, goth, electronica, and pop. I also wanted to record in
a professional studio, with producers and engineers that could educate me
beyond the classroom and other home recording situations I had
worked in.
After sequencing the electronic elements of the music, (I must also point
out here that sequencing for me means playing every single keyboard part in
real-time. This is due to the fact that I believe that a good musician
should be able to play all parts of their music, whether it is electronic or
not) This was also due to my background in classical piano and first love of
live music) and finishing off the vocal parts and lyrics, I went in search
of a studio that would serve the creative atmosphere of the project. Being
that I wanted to create a kind of underground, shadowy EP,
most of the studios in Boston were way too "nice" and "natural-wood-finishy"
for me. So when I found the website for Sanctum
Sound, I instantly knew that this was the place the first Everpresent EP
would be created. When I saw the photos on their website: the candles and
lush carpets, I was convinced. This gut feeling was only reinforced by the
professional, yet relaxed manner of owners/musicians/producers Steve
Catizone and Leo Mellace. Check them out at
http://www.sanctumsound.com.
Steve became co-producer of the project as well as a great mentor, educating
me on aspects of production and engineering that I had only touched on in
school. ( I was a Professional Music major, not MP+E).
We first recorded and edited the sequences, which became the foundation upon
which we would build the acoustic instruments and vocals.....
Until next week-
Matthew Cahoon
http://www.everpresent.org
http://www.soloelektronika.com
Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments at
everpresent@everpresent.org.
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