Tracking with The Rigneys and Dark Shadow Recording: Day 2

Producer Stephen Mougin is working in the studio with The Rigney Family Bluegrass Band for their next album this week. Being a harsh taskmaster, he has also prevailed upon the band members to record some of their impressions during the process. This second installment of their tracking diary comes from Andrew Rigney, the band’s 19 year old guitarist and vocalist.

markWe got a bright and early start at 9 a.m. and began our second day of recording with a Johnny Cash like song written by Ted DeMille and Rick Lang called Last Stop on the Line. We ran through it five or six times, and thought we could still do it better, but decided to take a break from the tune until later in the day. We then went back to Double or Nothin’ and tracked the vocals. The lead vocal came together in a few takes and the harmony vocals sounded great – we can’t wait to hear them after they are mixed!

After that, Melissa and Grant went to town to pick up some lunch and Dad (Mark), Mojo and I stayed and began tracking Finally Going Home. We cut a few takes, and then began working on Mark’s lead vocal. A few lines in, we realized the intonation on the guitar track we had just cut was out, and had to go back and rerecord it. Tip of the day: avoid the candy dish! The sugar drop mid afternoon is brutal.

With our bellies full, we went back to Last Stop on the Line, and tracked it with a different click track, and it came right together. We spent some time on the vocals, and changed a harmony part that made the song really shine! Five songs tracked in two days was a significant accomplishment. We can’t wait to get back into the studio next weekend; it looks like a full week of rehearsal ahead for The Rigneys!