Here's a couple pics to prove that we've been recording

CD update #1 (but in all reality we’ve done a lot so in your mind think update #74)

 Last week was the ten month anniversary of when we began working with our producer Ben Calhoun on our first record. Now if you had told us then that it would take 10+ months to finish the CD we probably would have cried a little and maybe thrown something in a manner that expressed extreme frustration and impatience. Originally we promised you a CD at the end of spring. That didn’t happen, and I don’t want you to cry or throw something either, so here’s a little update to let you know what we’ve accomplished and where we are at in the journey. I won’t go into a lot of details about what happens at each step because Kendel wrote a blog doing exactly that so you can check it out here if you feel inclined (http://thelalasoflife.blogspot.com/2011/11/process-of-making-our-cd-9-months.html ).  Over the past 10 months we have had 43 sessions in the studio.

Here is a little time line of our journey on this CD making project. I hope it makes you excited. I hope it explains why things have been delayed and dissuades you from throwing rocks and forming an angry mob outside my window.  I live in a basement so even if you throw like the main kid from Sandlot you’ll still easily be able to bash my window in with a rock.

 December we started making rough demos of the songs, recording on my laptop in my mom’s basement. We used stage mics and everything was very rough and very ghetto, but it actually was a pretty helpful stage.

January 13th we began working on preproduction with Ben. The brand new (and still under construction) Ember records at Judson became our home as we began arranging songs and figuring out instrumentation.

April While we were still finishing preproduction on some songs, we began recording final versions of others. We started with the main instruments such as piano, guitar, and ukulele.

May 19^th Met our lifelong friends drummer David R. P. Blascoe and Bass slapper Ben Blascoe and began recording percussion and bass.

May 20^th- Finished preproduction for all songs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This was a good day)

May 25^th Kendel recorded her first lead vocal track

June 8^th was visited in studio by Grammy nominated Matt Dally of Superchick. Kendel recorded a lead vocal with him the studio…..talk about intimidating right?

Mid July-Recorded last acoustic guitar track

Late July- Recorded last piano track

August recorded lots of drums, bass, and background vocals

September 1st - I recorded my first back ground vocals

September-Lots and lots of vocal recording

October 27^th Kendel recorded last lead vocal track

November 10^th I recorded harmonica and electric guitar (yup that’s right)

November 10^th A new friend Lukas O’Donnel came out and recorded bassoon for us

November 13^th New friends Rachel Matthys and Kelsey Murray came out and tracked some strings (violin and cello) for us.

November 17^th Rachel and Kelsey came back to the studio and we finished recording strings.

So where does that leave us now you ask?

At this point:

All lead vocals are recorded

All piano has been recorded

All acoustic guitar has been recorded

All ukulele has been recorded

All strings have been recorded

All yodeling has been recorded (we think)

95.67% of drums have been recorded

83.97% of bass has been recorded

Most back ground vocals have been recorded

We have a little recording left to do and then we turn to editing (which has actually already been started), mixing, and mastering. We really are in the home stretch. So please put down your rocks, torches, and pitchforks, put on some party hats and get pumped for the CD which will be released on…………....a date in the somewhat near future………we think

Just shep

I think it fitting that I take my first blog to explain why you are reading these words.....right......now. Why a blog? Am I really a blogger? Has it come to this? This blog is just a place where I can keep friends, family, and fans updated on music and life. In the last month we've played several shows on the road and had our first out of state show. I loved being on the road and cannot wait to travel more. Nevertheless, it made me think a lot about the importance of being connected to everyone back home. This blog will be a way to share the experiences of the road, shows, and the studio with everyone.

Recording has been an incredibly long road, but it has been a whirlwind at the same time (a year long tornado of chaos and awesomeness). People are always asking me where we are at in the process, how things are going, when the CD will be done etc. It will be nice to have a way to keep you all posted on everything.

I also will be able to share all the little moments that I am crazy excited about. For example, I am pumped today because we had two new friends come in and record strings (cello and violin) for a song. They sounded absolutely amazing. I'm excited and now you can be too!

I also plan on sharing song ideas and little bits of lyrics as I write them. I write songs often but I rarely actually finish them. The blog will be a way to share them with you (since you so rarely get to hear any of them). It might also motivate me to put the time into finishing another song or two.

The best songs I have ever heard have been drenched in passion and honesty. I don't want to just share words and melody with you, but to strive to share the heart and drive behind it all. Sometimes I will write about the thoughts, emotions, and experiences in life that motivate me to write songs and play shows.

Expect everything that is part of who I am, rants about coffee, thoughts about life, lyrics, random questions, band updates, short jokes, and all kinds of cheeky ridiculousness. This isn't me trying to act famous or like I'm a big deal. I am and will always be just shep. Love to all