YOU-ME-GO MAILBAG #1: STUDIO EDITION

Alright you-me-goers, this is what you've been waiting for. You're all patient readers and I love you for it. You put up with our randomness. Some of you even learn to like it.

Case in point:


But now we are in the studio. This means "STUDIO UPDATES." This means "FUNNY STORIES FROM THE STUDIO." This means "OBSCURE TRACK LISTINGS" and "HAPHAZARD UNMIXED MUSIC CLIPS THAT PROBABLY WON'T MAKE THE RECORD" and "ENTRIES THAT GET SHORTER AND SHORTER BY LATE SEPTEMBER AS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD AROUND US SLOWLY DIMS."

It probably also means an unwarranted use of all-caps on day five because we were here late last night and the construction work in my neighborhood started early this morning. Or that there is a football team that practices right outside my window. Yesterday, Coach was unhappy. I wanted to let him know that everything was okay and that I was working on a hit record but instead he kept yelling at his linemen. Apparently, "run or go home!" wasn't scaring his players into running. And the eventual "jog or go home!" didn't seem to do the trick, either.


Coach, I want to go home.

But that is neither here nor there (I don't know what that means).
It is what it is (I don't know what that means, either).

So let's get on with it, shall we? It's mailbag time!

Suzie from Omaha, Nebraska writes,
"Anathallo! You're my favorite band! How is recording going?"

Suzie... great question and thanks for writing. Most bands will give you an answer like this: "recording is great - we love our producer, we're getting the sounds we want, all of the songs are on track." There aren't too many interesting variations on this, though, unless the session is going down in flames. It turns out we are no different. Recording has been great. At least so far, it has been nothing but good vibes. We're getting the sounds we want pretty easily, the songs are coming along at a comfortable pace. No red flags yet. The plan is for a ten song album... our producer (probably like most producers) has had us start off by making scratch tracks - basic structures of our songs to layer parts on. As I type this, we're working on the song "Northern Lights." Our engineer, Neil, is staring intently at his monitor and the rest of the band is going through their second take. Me? I am sharing this with you:



(I swear I'm not being lazy - the bell part will come later after the scratch is finished)

Anyways, I hope that answers your question Suzie! NEXT!

Mark from Athens, Georgia writes:
"Anathallo! There are so many of you and you all play crazy instruments! It's crazy! What's your favorite recipe to make while you're in the studio?"

Mark, that's easy. It's Cheez-It Casserole:

2 (14 ounce) cans corn
2 (14 ounce) cans green beans
1 (8 to 12 ounce) jar sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 ounce) box Cheez-It crackers, crushed
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Add all the vegetables and soup to baking dish and mix thoroughly. Top with crushed Cheez-Its. Pour melted butter over the top and sprinkle with the almond slices.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Serve hot.

NOTE: You can omit and/or add any vegetables that you like.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Good luck with the recipe, Mark! And Jeremiah passes along a hearty UGA hello. "How bout them DAWGS??!"



GREG BLUE! Jer and I just gave each other high fives.

Andy from Indianapolis, Indiana writes:
"What's it like having a girl in the band?"

If I hear that queston one more time.

Jacob DL from Cincinnati, Ohio writes:
"HUUUUUUUUUGE Anathallo fan here. I'm an aspiring blogger myself - how do you guys do it???"

One day at a time, Jay. One day at a time.

Finally, Margo from San Francisco, California writes:
"Hey guys. I've been getting this weird feeling lately that I don't actually exist... And that - instead - I'm merely someone's cheap fictional creation whose only purpose is to serve as a contrived (but AMUSING) blog gimmick. Strange, right? Anyways, I was wondering if you have a title for the album yet?! Or a release date?"

Well, Margo. First, weird. And secondly, no - everything is still up in the air. The release date probably depends on whether we put it out ourselves again. If there's a label involved - and who's to say? - then I'm sure they'd have a better idea of where we would fit on their calendar. As for an album title, there's no folktale here tying everything together. These songs kind of dance around - an astronaut, an orinthologist, Matt's girlfriend, an averted apocalypse, Erica's mom (no, really), the occasional earthquake - they all make an appearance. So I think that pretty much rules out "Floating World 2: The Awakening." What I'm saying - when we know, you'll know. Thanks for writing in!

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And I think that's it. I'm posting this a day later than I intended, but we have so many more stick clicks recorded now. You have no idea.

Bye!