Find the light

MySpace have fixed their error and the new song is up on my page now. Thanks for your patience. :)


xxx

First listen

A track from the EP is up on my MySpace. (It's still processing while I write, so if it's not there, check again soon).


xxx

Kat

Done.

Hi folks

The EP is done! Check back soon for details on how to grab one. We're getting everything printed up and organised ASAP. So exciting!

It should be available at a few online retailers (and a few select US stores!!) soon, and you will be the first to hear about it. I'll also announce the launch party details here.

xx

Follow the melody

Updates:

The mix sounds great, but needs a little bit of work. I am going in next Tuesday to finalise it, and then the mastering will begin.

We are hoping to schedule another photoshoot for the EP cover soon.

The design plans for the EP and website are well on their way.


I am resting! We have some illness in the family and birthdays and operations and and and..

Thanks for checking in.

Mix

Hi friends!

I am picking up a mix tonight, looking forward. Hopefully things will be finalised next week and I can get into having this available for everyone by the end of May.

We also had a photoshoot today and should have another one soon. The team is growing. Thanks to those of you who have signed up for the mailing list, when the EP is ready, the first mail should go out. Feel free to pass it on, as well as this site address, to your friends.

Thanks a ton for your patience.

xx

--KM

Mailing list

If you wish to be on the mailing list for music updates, please send your name and email to mailinglist@katmckenzie.com.

It shouldn't be anything too frequent and spammy.

xxx!

--K


Your email address will not be passed on to any other persons or company, will not be used to fill out free iPod offers or sign up for porn... unless you're into that sort of thing. The email address you supply is for the eyes of Kat McKenzie and her minions only.

More photos

Vocal booth
Originally uploaded by Sarathine.

More photos are up at my Flickr.

The waiting game

Hi, guys!

I am expecting to have a draft demo mix back from my engineer this week, and I'll be going back in for another mixing session soon before we finish it all up.

I've been concentrating on resting and getting myself back to 100%. No writing has been done in a while, I think that'll start back up this weekend after all the birthday festivities.

Keep checking in.

--K

Holiday exhaustion

I always feel far more tired after a holiday than I did before it.

I am glad to be back in town with a net connection and a piano, but boy do I miss sleeping til noon, relaxing at night with a wine; not having a million things to do.

Music update to come before the weekend hopefully.. I am due back in the studio soon.

So close

Last night we hit the studio at 6, and started in on the mixing. Chris and I redid a few vocals. One of the vocals on the first chorus in Hiding was driving me crazy sounding like it was off-key, so I redid it. It's not perfect, but I don't know if I'm going to get it as perfect as my ear demands. I am hoping no one hears it as sharp and turns the CD off.

Chris' BVs sound great. I'm going to get him a shirt that says "Backing Vocals Superstar".

We started mixing a few of the tracks, tidying things up. TK says he'll have a draft mix CD (with errors still on it, just for tightening/notes) with me at some point tomorrow so that I can listen to it over the weekend at Taupo. I might put it on the iPod with my laptop. I am definitely taking the laptop up there. DVDs in bed, baby!

We listened to Break Your Heart in full and I am so so happy with it. I really don't think I could have recorded it any better - my vocals are raw and honest and hopefully they will induce some emotion. I want people to feel something.

The others sound great with the BVs and vocal overdubs we added last night. Tonight I am going to pack for Taupo and I'll leave after work tomorrow, not getting back til Tuesday afternoon.

Have a good weekend, everyone. I will post more news soon.

EP session photos

Drum playback
Originally uploaded by Sarathine.

Click the picture to go through to my Flickr, and scroll through the photos in the set.

Mixing session tonight. Looking forward!

Are we real musicians now?

Months of planning and thinking and writing and rehearsing all came to a point on Saturday. I woke up at 9.15 feeling tired and sluggish but my throat felt good and my nose was clear. These are two very good signs. I'd had a blocked nose the night before for a little while, and that is never a good thing!

I was due to pick up the boys all just after 10am, but it was 10.05 before I got out of the house, and we arrived at the studio around 11.05.

After some introductions and settling in, we completed the first setup: a fully-mic'ed grand piano and a very very fancy german microphone for my voice. The piano had such a rich, warm sound and I felt like I just couldn't play a wrong note on it. And amazingly, I barely did. I guess I kinda knew the songs, after all.

Break Your Heart was recorded fairly fast with me playing and singing simultaneously, and sounded very rich and clear through the speakers. I'll have to hear it through the cans (headphones) again to completely check it with my over-critical ears, but I think it's good. We were done at 12.30.

We started to set up the room for the band recordings, moving the piano into the other corner and setting up partitions for the bass and guitar. When the drummer Reuben arrived, he was full of energy and enthusiasm and was just such a nice, genuine guy. We set him up in a separate room and closed the door on him, communicating only through the mics and cans.

Jeeves was filming the entire time, and during the drums setup, TK told him to take the camera off him or they were going to "group bash" him. A hilarious moment, and he was totally kidding (but Jeeves turned it off anyway!)

We played through Hiding, and in the chorus, Reuben started playing along with just the best sound. Tons of kick/bass drum and a hell of a lot of energy. Then in the bridge I asked him to mix it up, and he played a military-style riff on the snare, which was so good it made my hair stand on end. It also made the silence so much cooler having the drums involved and he ended the track with some heavy tom which kicked butt. I was so proud of the song and so crazy about how it was sounding. The drums really pulled it all together.

Moving on to Find the Light, I told him that it was a very standard pop song with a bit of cheese, so I'd love him to try and play it a little differently, a little less cliche. He came out with some great ideas, particularly after I told him to change it up a little bit in places - he obliged me with some kick-ass beats.

Both tracks made me want to drum along in the air. If they can produce the same effect on other people, then that's awesome. So I'll have to wait and see.

We packed him up and I walked him down to the cash machine to get his payment. On the way he told me how much he liked the tracks, and was excited about getting his copy. This was awesome, as your friends can tell you how much they like your songs until they're blue in the face, but a complete stranger? who has heard the songs and played them a few hours? very, very neat. Very gratifying.

He also agreed to play at the party if he was free and I bought him beers.

We set up to play Bright, which I played and sang along to, like the first track. Now we had all the basic guides down, we each went in one by one to overdub our parts. TK changed up the guitar and bass styles, and definitely improved the songs with his choices. While Nick was finishing up his parts, Jeeves and I went down to Satay Kingdom and ordered some takeaway dishes for dinner. When we went back up, Nick finished and we settled in the lounge room to have dinner.

Then I went in and overdubbed my piano parts, including an addition on Hiding over the bridge that I am very happy with. Then we were ready for vocals! By this point we were all wilting a little bit, but I was still energised and ready to go. We laid down the vocals for Hiding and Find the Light, including the backing vocals. During the playback for Hiding I bounced and danced around in the vocal booth, almost moshing. I had so much excitement for how it was coming together. :) The vocals on Hiding were full of energy, which I was happy with. My excitement must have been coming through.

The only things left to do are:
- Small addition of backing vocals on the end of Bright, which we forgot to do on Saturday.
- Chris wants to redo some of his BVs as well, so we'll get all those done.
- Mixing.
- Adding a crackle sound effect to start? Only if TK has it and thinks it's a good idea.

So we're going in tonight at 8 to get onto these tasks. I am excited about hearing the songs again, and especially with fresh ears after 2 days. Hopefully I won't pick up too many problems that need fixing, but I am happy to pay more to redo things and be anal. I held back when I recorded my demo 5 years ago, and there are many things I would have changed.

Chris also has a great, enthusiastic account of it here. His photos should be up soon, and they are much better than my few!

I spent yesterday in my pajamas, the majority of it in bed watching DVDs or TV. It was the ultimate lazy day. My legs ached like hell, and still do (calves mainly), I think from pumping the piano pedals and moving around so much all day.

I also stayed up way too late last night playing the CSI game and then with thinking. It was almost as if I was trying to squeeze more into my Sunday after my Saturday went so fast, but I wasn't thinking about it. I was asleep sometime after 1.30. Thank God it's a short week!

A fantastic day.

EP crew
Originally uploaded by Sarathine.

Well it's all over and I have a lot to report. Unfortunately, my hands/wrists are a bit achey from a lot of percussive piano work yesterday, so I'll have to leave the typing til tomorrow.

Just know that it exceeded my high expectations and was a very special day. Some amazing stuff came out of the hard work we put into the 12 hours.

It will be maybe 2-3 weeks before the EP is available, due to the studio's new gear arriving in a few weeks or so and TK's schedule. I'll post more details soon. We start mixing tomorrow night.

Party details to be announced.

Last words

I don't know if it's because I've played them so much, or because they're catchy, but my own tunes are forever in my head. Usually backing vocals or one line of a track over and over.

It's probably more the former than the latter, but it makes me feel good about them if I'm humming them most of the day.

Tonight is our final band rehearsal. I have finished writing and tweaking and changing, and tonight it all has to come together. I am going to try and have a relaxing evening tomorrow night, though that may not be possible. I may need a bath and some lavender oil to calm me enough to sleep.

So keep your fingers crossed for tonight and for Saturday, and I'll post a full update on Sunday sometime.

Thanks again for your support.
xx

Creative expression

Thursday night I was burned out. I'd spent so much time inside my own head that I just couldn't stand it anymore. I put down the music, put away the MD, left my pencil on the piano.

I took a break.

Sure, it hasn't stopped my brain from whirring or me from stressing. I'm a natural worrier: I put so much pressure on myself sometimes.

Yesterday I spent the day watching Scrubs DVDs and painting. I watched the 2004 Helter Skelter film with Dad, had a nice dinner, went back to bed and watched some more. I finished my painting. I put clothes away. I didn't touch the piano.

We're in the final week. It's crunch time. I will be working every night this week. Let's hope my head doesn't explode. I'll post an update later in the week about the final two rehearsals I have, and then another post on the recording day itself.

I've wanted this so badly, but now I want it to be over. Think of me, folks, and send your well wishes to me until the weekend. I will be a mellow hippie by Sunday.

2nd rehearsal

Awesome setup
Originally uploaded by Sarathine.

Everything went well last night - we have one more to go before the big session.

Getting excited but also nervous!

xx

EP FAQ

'Cause you asked.

What does "EP" mean?
EP is the original name given to a single with more than 2 songs. Wikipedia has a great page on it here.


When are you recording? You keep giving us different dates..
We are confirmed for the day/evening of Saturday April 8th.


When will the EP be available?
I'm expecting to announce that close to the date.


How can I get one?
I will be selling them on the site by Paypal and through a few other online retailers. I will announce this in April.


How much will they be?
It depends on where you purchase them from, but I plan to offer them on my site for a low price with very competitive shipping prices. I will announce this in April.


What songs are on it and can I download them?
The track names are Hiding, Bright, Find the Light and Break Your Heart. 30 second clips will be available on the site for download around mid-April.


Is it costing you a lot to make?
Well after the recording and mixing costs, there are printing and duplication costs. It is a fair amount of money, which is why I am selling the EP rather than giving it out to friends.


Will the new tracks go up on your MySpace?
I think so. I'll also link there with how to purchase the EP.


xxx
♥
--Kat

Rehearsal snapshot

EP Rehearsal
Originally uploaded by Sarathine.

Here's a shot from our first rehearsal last week. We've got another scheduled for tomorrow night, but I'm not sure on the venue yet.

And for those curious cats, we're recording Saturday April 8th.


xx
--K

First rehearsal

Last night we had a rehearsal at my place with the proposed recording band for the EP: Nick on guitar, Stu on bass. I also invited guitarist Andy along as well, even though he is not free for the EP: he knows the material and could offer advice on it, as well as help me with some of the more irregular chords.

Chris also attended, as he is my extra pair of "ears" - and his ears are good. He hears a lot of things I don't (and a lot I do) and we work really well together. He ran through a few (really good) ideas for his backing vocals last night, especially on Find the Light. It's going to be great to have his voice on the tracks as well as his creative contributions.

Rajeev came along as the 'documentarian'. He filmed the rehearsal and will film the recording day - it'll be fantastic to have that record of it. Eventually I will have a DVD as a keepsake, but I have no deadline on this as I know he is going crazy at the moment finishing other projects.

I think it went well. They're getting to know the music now and moving towards a better product. Once I have the date confirmed I can start getting excited. It's all coming up soon. Next rehearsal is March 28th.

Oh! and for those of you who are wondering, 'EP' stands for "extra play" or "extended play" - the original name for a 7-inch single record with more than two songs. :)

"EP is the name given to vinyl records which are too long to qualify as singles but too short to qualify as albums. Typically an album has eight or more tracks (anywhere between 40-60 minutes), a single only one or two (5-15 minutes), and an EP five to eight (or around 15-35 minutes.) Some artists, especially in the days of vinyl, have released full-length albums that could fit the definition of a modern-day EP."
(wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ep)


xx
--K

Getting shorter, getting longer

1. Find out dates for Auckland.
2. Finalise recording time that suits all involved.
3. Continue to rehearse my own piano and vocals parts to confidence, but not overkill.
4. Book another rehearsal with everyone before the date: Stu, Nick, Chris. Next Tuesday, maybe?
5. Confirm Rajeev and Neha for recording day.
6. Record record record.
7. Stick around for the mixing process, if possible.
8. Finish cover design, name the EP.
9. Organise cover with printers.
10. Organise masters and copies with STL.
11. Arrange with Jeeves to run copies off at the Dub shop with the master.
12. Finalise business cards.
13. Set up online shop.
14. Promotion.
15. Party!


♥