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In the Stev Skye Studio

Dec 22, 2009 Stev Skye Songs

I posted “Live from the Studio” the other night (December 14, 2009) just because I was actually at Stev’s studio for the first time and it seemed like a fun thing to do to mark the event. Although most of this won’t mean much to anyone at the moment (you kinda had to be there), the evening had some cool tidbits and interesting discussions that will be pretty interesting to reflect upon at some point in the future. As they say, “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life,” (pretty sure I heard that quote in a movie like Casablanca and/or a Pink Floyd song, or both).

For me, it was a chance to see the band in action, to see the studio firsthand and to get a taste of what’s to come in terms of the stage performance and new tunes the guys are working on now. What follows are my notes about what I saw and heard, including me trying to log each of the songs they played, as they played them.

From the studio on December 14, 2009:
Before we went over to the studio, Grammy made us some killer stuffed peppers. Grammy can cook like Stev can play the guitar. Damn fine eatin’! It’s just Jeff and Stev armed with musical instruments tonight – no bass guitar since Connor had some other stuff going on tonight and couldn’t be here. Robert’s back there on the sound board making damn sure I’ll have the rock-n-roll ringin’ in my ears in the morning (if not sooner)! I’m front and center here on the studio couch with my laptop ready to go.

Robert running the sound in the Stev Skye Studio

Stev and Jeff agree to do a run-through of their full set. Listed below is what they played. I added some random thoughts and notes next to the song names as they were playing and while we were talking. This all happened live, so it’s not totally complete, but you’ll get the gist!

They play:
1. (Let Me Stand Next to Your) Fire – Sweet F(profanity)ing solo! This time Stev’s playin’ Jimi Hendrix for real!
2. CalifornIA

After a couple songs, I happened to look over at that lonely bass guitar just sitting there on its stand as the guys decided to abort the full set run-through. Stev and Jeff both agreed that the sound was incomplete without the bass. I thought they were kicking ass, but WTF do I know!?!? Had I the ability to actually play a bass, even a little bit, I’d go up and give them the bassist bailout they so desperately want tonight!

Anyway, they decide to move on to practicing some of the newest material. After all, as Robert said, “We are professionals!”

Indeed they are, and so the show must go on!

3. Little Wing – Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And did I mention this is one of my all-time favorite songs? I did sense the bass missing on this one later in the song, but Jeff and Stev still killed it. It probably helps that I love this song unconditionally!
4. Caution (new track) – Good solid rock jam.
5. Opposites (brand spankin’ new track) – Stev says this one’s “like three days old”. . .Good, fast intro, heavy drumming and an overall upbeat tune with distinct transitions.
6. New Track (“Coexistence” is the working title) – It reminds me of . . .oh crap. . .it’s on the tip of my tongue. . .what the hell is that song I am thinking of?? Shit, just keep writing. . .whatever, I can’t think of it. . .This one’s more of a mellow twangy guitar song to start out and then it has a good grungy jam transition, then a gritty guitar solo later in the track. It ends up more with a mellow tone.
7. Pride and Joy – Stev does a sweet solo that’s extra long, the way it should be. I think Stevie Ray would be proud (and joyous).

We take a short pee-break/intermission here and we talked about playing other songs from Stevie Ray Vaughan. My suggestions were “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” or “Texas Flood”.

8. I really want to know
9. Wish You Were Here – Electric style, very cool. Had a little SRV taste to it and a nice smooth transition into Simple Man
10. Simple Man – And I didn’t even have to yell “play some Skynryd” for this one!
11. In Spirit – I think the vocals are powerful on this one. It’s probably one of Stev’s better vocal sounds not to mention an awesome solo/hook. Early-on favorite methinks!
12. Rings of Saturn – Mellow/kinda spacey beginning – good ambiance, which I dig.
13. Scream – A song about an epic rant that Dziadzia (Stev’s father) had after work one day. We won’t name any company names here. . .classic.
14. Sacred Journey – (another new one)
15. Times Three
16. A Chance to Live My Dreams

Near the end there, I was actually posting the “Live” blog as well as snapping a few of the pics I have which is why there isn’t much in the way of commentary on the songs.

From what I heard of the new stuff, I liked “In Spirit” the best. It’s really rare for me to instantly love a song after the first time I hear it (and I mean that across the board, including my beloved Pink Floyd), but that one seemed to stick the most in my brain. It’s not completely fair to judge music after only hearing it once and doing so in a rehearsal setting where it is still taking shape, not to mention it’s being played with a third of the sound missing. BUT, I must say that the new stuff is solid and Stev Skye fans have A LOT of good stuff to look forward to!

It’s exciting that there is so much more great stuff in the pipeline. And even without a complete sound tonight, the songs sounded awesome. It’s just a rehearsal, but if it truly were crap, I’d probably not have babbled on for this long about it!

Good show!

Tags: Jeff Hall, Jimi Hendrix, stev skye, Stev Skye Studio, Stevie Ray Vaughan

Live from the studio

Dec 14, 2009 Stev Skye Songs

So yeah. I am sitting here in the studio with nothing but brand new tunes bustin’ out around me. Just thought I would drop a quick line since I am sitting here front row/center couch with Stev and Jeff practicing some of the newest stuff – even sans bassist in this particular session – and it sounds pretty sweet for missing a pretty vital piece of the band at the moment.

Stay tuned for lots more (and pics!) from this session and our previous sit-down when Stev and I talked influences, gear and more!

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Tags: Guitar inspiration, holysmith!, Jeff Hall, Jimi Hendrix, stev skye, Stev Skye Studio

Skye Blues and a bottle of wine

Dec 13, 2009 Stev Skye Songs

Listening to “Skye Blues” (check it out at Stev’s ReverbNation page) is like tasting a very fine wine. You ease into it, you savor it and you let it splash around on your palette. You instantly feel the quality that went into it and that makes you appreciate it on a deeper level.

The taste just paints this perfect picture that bridges the gap between your taste buds and your imagination and it makes you feel at one with the wine universe. You take another taste – and another – and before you know it, there went the whole bottle.

It’s just that good.

In “Skye Blues,” Stev creates a sonic swirl with his guitar that establishes a sense of familiarity and comfort around the piece. It invites you in and you feel like you you’ve heard this before, but then you realize it’s better than what you think you know. It’s familiar in the sense that it’s a blues jam. It’s comfortable because the tone of his guitar is so clean.

As the jam evolves, it takes on more soul, more blues and more complexity. It’s so complex that it seems simple. The song taps those groove nerves that are usually tapped only by the great ones. You sense a fine hybrid of influences with a touch of Jimi Hendrix, a dash of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and perhaps a little David Gilmour and others. It’s all that and none of that. It peaks with a full bodied jam – the drums, the bass – everything where it should be.

At the end, you want more of it.

Put it up there in your collection with the other great blues jams.

Tags: David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Skye Blues, stev skye, Stevie Ray Vaughan