Studios

Questions & Answers with the one and only Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, Weird Al's drummer since 1980!

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QuantumError
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Studios

Post by QuantumError »

Hi Jon!
If I'm not mistaken from what I remember, it seems like the band and you have two places where you record for Al's albums...one being Westlake Audio and the other being Mad Dog Studios. Am I mistaken? I also seem to recall seeing something saying that the parodies are done at Mad Dog and the originals at Westlake. If this is true, what is the reason for doing that?
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Re: Studios

Post by bermuda »

We've used more than a few studios, especially in the last 10 years or so. I think we were in 4 different studios for Straight Outta Lynwood! But choosing studios is not based on whether the originals or parodies are being tracked, there are other reasons. A studio may be already booked at a time when we might not have the luxury of waiting, so we find another. We might try a studio, then find we didn't like it very much - for any number of reasons - and not return there. A studio may have raised their rates and priced themselves out of the album budget. In Mad Dog's case, they changed ownership and downsized.

On the new album, you'll see new studios, along with some familiar and some new faces. :)

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Re: Studios

Post by QuantumError »

Hey Jon, I was wondering a bit about when you guys are working on albums...Does everyone all go in at the same time for recording their parts, or do the band members ever just go in solo to record some of their parts? I'd imagine Al being there during the band's parts to make sure the sound he wants is being developed...And if I'm not mistaken, Al sometimes goes in on his own after the instruments are laid down so he can work on his parts..does that sound about right?
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Re: Studios

Post by bermuda »

The process varies, and may depend on our individual tech capabilities. Jim and Steve can record their live parts at home, I can't. We all sequence parts at home, and may not need to show up in the studio at all unless we're doing vocals or have specific parts that require us to be there. And we also still play (somewhat) as a band on the live songs, although it's typically just bass & drums at the start.

Al's vocals are normally done after we've left, but only because there's nothing for us to do and no real reason to hang around.

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Re: Studios

Post by Moneybags »

I remember being fascinated by the recording process as it was documented on the bonus video that came with Straight Outta Lynwood. Any chance we'll ever see anything like that again in the future?
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Re: Studios

Post by bermuda »

Don't know, perhaps once was enough! Actually, it's essentially free for Al to shoot and edit something for the YouTube crowd, but a proper HD version authored to BD starts to cost real money. By itself, it's doubtful that such a video would make enough to cover its expense. Besides, we haven't shot any behind the scenes stuff since the Straight Outta Lynwood sessions, so there's nothing new to offer.

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Re: Studios

Post by anthontherun »

I loved the SOL doc and would love to see more in that vein. What about something like the genesis of a parody from start to finish? From when Al comes up with the idea and asks permission, to demo-ing, recording, mixing, shooting the video...could be a cool angle to approach it from! 8)
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Re: Studios

Post by bermuda »

I don't think it's possible to do that with the "single", as everything tends to move too fast at that point and Al is fairly consumed with the imminent release of the album. Note that the SOL documentary involved only the originals, and was shot and edited a year before the album was released.

FWIW, that documentary is about as interesting as it gets. A fresh one won't reveal anything new about what Al or the band does.

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