I am about to start mixing a mini record that was recorded at the beginning of the year but got lost in the process. If the files turn up in the mail, things should be online in a few weeks or so. That is on SoundCloud, Facebook and the blog that is – iTunes takes a while, and Spotify takes even longer.

But it sure sounds good!

This is an early demo of a new song called “Brainhurt”. Please enjoy!

What a great way to spend your lunch break.
Christian and Mattias had an early start this morning and headed to the studio to record guitars tracks for the new EP. They were all set to record when I came along for some snap shots. I was later told that all guitar tracks for the three songs were finished by early afternoon! Chop-chop boys!

Last Friday we were back in the studio, with GRP’s trusty producer, Mattias Johansson.

Molly, 158 and Keith now have recorded drums, badass bass and temporary guitar and vocals. In a couple of weeks it is guitar time, then vox and harmonica. Things are going along nicely, very nicely indeed. Who knew that practicing makes you better?

Now it is time to start things up again. The band has been rehearsing pretty much the whole time so we are better than ever. In November we’ll record a maxi with Mattias Johansson. Right now it looks as though Simon Vikokel will be mixing. So if things go well, you’ll have another Golden Rocket Pony record for the winter holidays!

What about concerts? Will I be able to see the band live anytime soon within this century? We’re have started working on it. At the moment we’re throwing around ideas about setting up our own party this winter and invite loads of people. A nice combination of playing parties and the occasional rock club in Malmö seems like the way forward.

More info soon… Y’all come back with your RSS readers ya hear!

Here’s one for you DIY recordists, band sound guys and gear sluts out there.

Since we started the band, me, MB and Big J have done OK when it comes to sound – demo recording quality, live monitoring, etc. We have amassed a decent sound rig over the years and we record out own demos in the rehearsal space.

I have done the DIY sound man job for a few years now, in a couple of different bands and recording projects, and I am at least getting a hold of a few things. Out of the handful of gigs that we have done, only once have someone else done the sound.

I like tinkering with all the gear, experimenting and trying to get the best sound possible. Some musicians interestingly don’t seem to be very sensitive to how things sound, but to me it is a big deal. Those moments when everything sounds just right and the band finds the groove is what the musician in me lives for. I know when performances are good – it’s when the hair on the back of my neck start to stand up.

The downside of being the band’s sound engineer that sometimes technical matters distract you too much from being a songwriter, singer and guitarist. It is hard being inspired when you get feedback, voltage drops, humming cables and a computer that keeps freezing. Luckily Jonas has done a fair bit of recording on analog consoles and helps out.

I have heavily relied on my MacBook Pro and Logic for all mixing and effects, with an 8-input MOTU soundcard (actually only 7 have been working lately) and a cheap Behringer mixer for outputting signal to the band PA and floor monitors.

Things have been fine most of the time, all faders being in a computer program and one mono monitor output for 3 monitors is not very practical when things start feeding back during a concert. That’s when you want a knob or a fader that you can adjust mid-gig.

I have been looking around for a suitable solution for a while, and when Simon recommended the Presonus StudioLive 16.4.2 mixer i think I found it. 16 inputs, 6 aux sends, 4 subs, reverb/delay FX, full firewire integration, filters, gates, compressors, eq’s on every channel – yum yum yum!

So I saved up for and ordered one about a week ago. I am getting it tomorrow and we are using it for the first time with the band on Wednesday. For the first time I will be able to ring out the monitors properly. My plan is also to record entire gigs and rehearsals and publish little gems right here on the web site. We will also use the new mixer to record the new EP. I’ll get back to you with a review once I have tried things out a bit.

I have also got a new member in my guitar effect pedal arsenal; the Skychord Truck Loud, that might replace the Tube Screamer for low/medium dirt sounds. We’ll see if I love it or hate it.

Now, get off the internet and go outside and have an ice cream!

Well the band is far from slowing down. We have taken it a bit easy and me and Jonas have spent a few weeks in the states (albeit on different sides of the same continent), but we have kept rehearsing when all of us have been in Malmö.

The next step is to make record number two. This will not be an LP with 10 songs, rather a 3 or 4-song demo. Songs like Molly, Twice a week, Kieth (Microphone Tree) and a few others are likely candidates. I will act as recording engineer together with Jonas. We’ll see how good of a sound we can get in the rehearsal space basement. If it is not good enough we’ll try something else like packing up the rig and go to a different location. There are also talk about making a video with Ola Nilsson and Mogge Alfredson.

Live-wise, the plan is to try and get together 2 or 3 gigs during autumn, a mix o private parties and public places. Strangely many people seem to want to see us again, and we really want to show you guys that we are getting better, musically and on stage!

Now I am going to have breakfast. This weekend I am hanging out with my sister here in Stockholm. Next week there will be a lot of playing with the new mixer. Golden Rocket Pony will sound better than ever!

Credits:

• Text & Music: Christian Vikingsson, Jonas Andersson, Mårten Bladh
• Harmonica & Keyboards: Otto Ottosson
• Background vocals: Malena & Lina
• Recording & Mix: Mattias Johansson
• Master: Simon Vikukel
• Cover Art: Morgon Alfredson

I’ll send it off to be published to iTunes, Spotify, etc in a couple of days.

Until then it is available in select locations, like my work desk.