DAY 45, and we’re finally mixing down our first tune since beginning this project more than 6 weeks ago. “One For Me” is the first to take the leap, and if I could be so bold, I think it sounds fantastic. After hearing a rough demo mix for so long now, it’s awfully gratifying to hear mixed drums that nicely fill their own little space (and no one else’s) in the mix. A little reverb, some gates, and EQ make all the difference.

It’s kind of like eating ground chuck for a month solid and finally tasting a seasoned, dry-aged filet — it’s still beef, but boy is this one more tender (and way more satisfying to eat). Apoligies to all my vegetarian friends out there, but I just don’t know how to contrast it for you. Maybe it’s akin to an organic orange, ripe off the vine as opposed to the pre-picked, store-bought variety that got gassed on the truck on the way to the market. You know what I’m talking about…

Now comes the tricky part — trying to listen to your own song with an objective ear and make the crucial tweaks to tighten up the mix and get it ready for the world. From everything I’ve learned, it’s part art and part science, and somewhere in-between lies talent and experience. Pick one and pray the other shows up, and you’ll have it.

After the studio, Tim and I cruised over to Hollywood to catch Amy’s third show in four outings at the Hotel Cafe. That girl is talented, man. Every time I hear her play I subconsciously make that John Mayer blues face (you know the one where your face scrunches up and contorts and turns slightly to the left as if to “feel” the music a little better — as if we were playing charades and my phrase to act out was, “Damn, that’s good!”)

Even Tim, the seasoned, working musician who’s just about seen it all in his tenure, commented about how impressed he was at the depth of her musicality.

And she’s just getting started — albeit a few steps ahead of me…

Cut to the coolest part of the day, where I got to chat it up in-between sets with her producers, Peter Barker and Mandi Martin. (You remember Mandi from a couple of weeks ago in Santa Barbara, right?) Anyway, Mandi introduced me to Peter as “her new love,” and without hesitation I blurted out, “Yeah, she’s my sugar mama!”

Less than impressed, Peter gave me a strange “who are you again?” look, and I began to chew on the foot in my mouth for the next hour…

Nice one, Nick. Nice.

Ask and ye shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened. Another way to say that is, “cook it, and they will come.”

That being said, I just may have a new band.

After getting pretty attached to the idea of hiring a backing band rather than building one from scratch, I’ve been talking to a group of local players that might be a good fit. I’ve heard good things about these guys, and have wanted to practice with them for a long time. Last week, we scheduled tonight to get together. Trying to impress, I decided to feed them first, and ended up pulling out all the stops. I called my good friend Kyle Williams the chef and begged him for his best Cajun-inspired pork tenderloin recipe with plum sauce. We fired up the grill, mashed up some potatoes, BBQ’d the asparagus, and feasted like kings.

Too bad only the drummer showed up.

Well, it’s a start anyway. To be fair, the guitarist was out of town and the bass player was working late. No worries though, because I wanted to talk about the groove anyway. So without further ado, let me introduce you all to Tres. Yep, that’s really his name. Spanish people call him “Three.”

Tres is a great drummer out of Austin, TX — not too far from my old digs. He roots for the Longhorns, plays funk, and loves the blues Texas-style. I think I’m gonna like this cat.

Our paths crossed last summer for the first time at a volunteer camp we did for kids with cancer. Boy, a week in the wilderness, and you really get to know somebody. It’s just that we had no instruments then and a hundred kids to look after. But I digress…

Tres came over with a djembe drum, and I busted out the guitars and shaker. After the feast, I played through my arsenal of songs, and Tres followed right behind, listening intently for every break and section change without ever blatently showing off just to prove he could play. (I’ve had a few drummers like that in my day.) He just laid down a nice beat to tap your toes to, which really added a needed element to the mix. All this, and he’d never heard my tunes before. He just has an innate sense of where the songs needed to go.

Looks like a green light.  We had a good time just jammin’ out.  Now we just gotta add the rest of the guys into the mix.  (And I gotta get my charts together.)

Perfecto. Now we’re cookin.

I spent most of today in a dandy little recording studio in Lompoc, CA called “Certain Sparks.” They charge the most ridiculous prices I’ve ever seen for recording fees…

…$10/hour. I know, crazy right??

Now I’m no dummy, and even if the quality was poor (and it’s actually quite good), you can’t beat the price. So we tracked acoustic guitar and vocals for “Out of my League” and then I headed back home to L.A., hoping to be back in time for Amy’s show.
With about a half hour to spare, I segregated myself from the I-405-induced road rage and angst that can only be achieved by driving 20 miles in first gear over the span of 2 hours.

I checked in with the MySpace crew, then quickly headed out for an iced mocha and an hour of good music at the Welcome Cafe.

(SIDE NOTE: I’m playing there Oct 7.)

Amy delivered a great performance again tonight, and I think she caught me singing along a couple of times. Already.

Got to chat with Mandi Martin again (turns out Mandi manages Amy), and talk more about the music thing. I’ve got to send her some of my tunes for critique and perhaps production work, if she digs the sound.

I’m so happy to have finally started recording “Out of My League.” It’s been a long time coming, and you guys are gonna go crazy for the finished product. One day.

DAY 36 - After my show last night I headed down to Santa Barbara (home of the mighty UCSB Gauchos) to scout out some new venues to play at. This town makes things pretty easy, because everything is one one jam-packed user-friendly street: STATE ST.

After a late dinner with my buddy Alan, we took a walk around all the big live music venues, and stopped into the ones that looked appealing. Inside of an hour, I had 3 venues selected, with business cards of each of the owners/booking agents.

The first was a little coffee shop that seemed very mellow but upscale called Northstar Coffee Company. Second was a more rock venue that’s pretty famous for its high energy acts called Velvet Jones. Finally, we happened into a little acoustic lounge called “Rocks” where I instantly felt at home. They were hosting a showcase of several artists from L.A. and offered to let us in — just as soon as we paid the $7 cover.

(Hey, I’m nobody special yet. But I bet Beyoncé would have gotten in free.)

We were just scouting locations for a fall mini-tour, and after chatting with Justin (the Rocks promoter) were ready to leave. But something told me to stop in and check out what the little girl singing on stage with the big guitar was up to. She turned out to be a very talented up-and-comer named Amy Kuney.

Ignoring the obnoxious drunk birthday girls in the back booth, we stood and listened for the remainder of her set, pleasantly surprised at what we heard. She had a sensibility and a sophistication that I don’t see very often among young songwriters. Her last tune, “Breaking Bad Habits” stuck with me for the rest of the night. (I still can’t get that hook out of my head.)

Ironically enough, she’s playing tomorrow night in Redondo Beach like 3 miles from my house. I’ll be sure to check her out. Hope 2 nights in a row isn’t too weird. (How soon is too soon to be a groupie?)

Next up was a John Mayer-esque guitar-slinging surfer by the name of Tim Fagan. Very skilled player and I enjoyed his set very much. BTW, if you ever see Tim live, ask him to play “Blame it on the Rain,” by Milli Vinilli. Superb.

Needless to say, I was amazed by both artists. They had me nodding right along as if I had been a fan for years.

All in all, I made some great new contacts, including a veteran music producer (and world record pinball champ) Mandi Martin.  She seems very friendly and down-to-earth.  Someone I’d love to work with one day.

Who knows, maybe the $7 cover charge will be the golden ticket that changes everything…

Played my first 2-hour set since 2003 tonight to a wonderful crowd of 10 people in Lompoc, CA.

Sugar Magnolia’s Café is an eclectic little antique shop/internet cafe/local coffee hangout that does their very best to host live music in this town. I happened to be in Lompoc a few weeks ago and checked out the Friday night open mic they host. After my set I chatted with Susan the owner and she agreed to stay open late on a Thursday to let me play a full set.

“No pay, but we’ll feed ya,” she said. “You can put out a tip jar though.” So I did of course. But this show wasn’t about making money.

Right now I’m all about the experience. Even if only 1 person showed up, it would’ve been a good chance to practice the material — especially some of the new songs.

(Notice the color scheme they have going.
You’d think I planned it this way or something.)

All in all, it was a fun little show. Doesn’t get much more intimate. Everyone had a good time and I got 10 really nice complements afterwards on the music.

Maybe the elaborate P.A. and jumbo speaker system was too much though. I’m sure my 10 new friends could’ve heard me just fine.