Recording Synths at Programmable Soul

A dream is fulfilled

Playing the Prophet

Infernal Beast Synth

Fourth Day

Recording piano and Fun Machine at Programmable Soul Audio

D's grand piano

J's beloved Fun Machine

Fun Machine Detail

Third Day

Some moderately exciting news

We have finished recording drums and percussion for the album, at least we're done with what we planned. One never knows when something not intended to be hit with a stick will become the new backbone of a Wilboxempfran song. Suffice it to say that the primary percussion parts are in the proverbial can.

So what comes next? It has been discussed and at this point, it might be reported that J will be laying down piano and vocals soon. Then again it might not. You never can tell.

One Thing Worth Mentioning...

One thing worth mentioning that we did on the second day of recording is that we recorded drums next to the piano, which we rigged in such a way that the sustain lever stayed depressed so that the piano strings would ominously ring out as we recorded the percussion. This process gave the tracks not so much a wall of sound but a barbed wire fence of sound-J

Second Day

Quick Update

Yesterday K and J recorded some more percussion work at Programmable Soul. Progress report will be posted shortly.

K was especially excited about a section of a song in which four pairs of different-sized high-hats play one after the other. He was also excited about using samples of live percussion instruments in our songs. Q couldn't make it to the studio, but is definitely excited by the news.

Recording at Programmable Soul Audio

Discussing percussive possibilities

Experimenting with tandem drum recording

The gorgeous Blue Woodpecker Active Ribbon Mic

                                            

The man behind the curtain 

D saves the day

K takes the helm

Meat is Murder

Cymbal geek-out

First Day

"This morning the first thing I played was Disorder by Joy Division. I intentionally played it to start my morning because it seemed fitting that the first song I listened to on the day I began recording my first official album is the first track off of the first joy Division album Unknown Pleasures. This band of course is most definitely my biggest musical influence."-J

History or something like it

In 2008 a band was formed called A People Shooting Hat. They played electric carnival rock, provided the carnival was in a seaside town that they made sure to bomb. Songs were written, shows were played, lives were changed, etc.

This was said by somebody:

“A People Shooting Hat live is like the soundtrack to a drunken sailor’s slumber as he traverses between serenity and nightmare. Order two parts vocal intensity of Ian Curtis and Xiu Xiu, combine it with the maritime ferocity of Captain Ahab, add one part Doors, one part Lou Reed, and pound it down in a Manchester pub while Waits and Dylan are brawling nearby over whose lyrics are dryer. This cocktail is known as A People Shooting Hat.”

But that band went on hiatus.

Meanwhile, the madman J and his cohort Q thought that there should be a band to play the songs that wouldn't stop pouring from J's head/mouth/fingertips. K agreed, and a five of six piece group was created called WILBUR OXNARD AND THE EMPERORS OF SAN FRANCISCO with J Q K 7891011C R and T. They practiced a bunch, recorded one really good practice and planned to record an album. But then two or three of the members realized that they couldn't.

And so now, as a three piece consisting of J Q and K, WILBUR OXNARD AND THE EMPERORS OF SAN FRANCISCO enter the recording studio with legendary producer D. This will be the culmination of two years worth of songwriting, practicing, song re-writing and ultimately song reconstruction, the result of which will be a FULL LENGTH ALBUM of rousing hits that sound like A People Shooting Hat but a bit weirder, a bit more electronic, and a lot more like WILBUR OXNARD AND THE EMPERORS OF SAN FRANCISCO.