Categories
Bountiful Hearts

What’s the Deal?

What’s the deal with Keep It Wild? Twelve years ago, I started recording an album with David Newton at Rollercoaster Recording in Burbank, California. Dave played bass, Joel Isaac Black played drums and I played guitar and keys. We were lucky to get Jessica Espeleta to lay down lead guitar on a few tracks. My brother, David Alexander, even played acoustic guitar on a cover. I was excited about the album and we were well on our way.

For various reasons, recording came to a halt and the tracks lay dormant on a hard drive. During 2020’s lockdown, I rediscovered the songs and put together the best of them for the Keep It Wild EP which will be released this Friday the 13th via RIP Ben Lee Records. Not many photos exist from this time, but today I am happy to share a few shots with you, in the hope that you get a sense of time and place. Jackie was a big part of the process as usual. Scroll through for a peek. And yes, that’s Kim Fowley in that last shot.

A big thank you goes to Dave, Bekki Netwon, Joel and Jessica, without whom I couldn’t have finished these songs. I’m still really proud of them.

Categories
The Blood Arm

Recording Infinite Nights

In 2012, Nicky Walsh came into the studio to capture the recording of The Blood Arm‘s fourth album Infinite Nights.

We were tense—the photos show that. It’s awkward to have a stranger come into the studio, but the results were fantastic, and we’re delighted to have these images now.

I hope you enjoy this little peek into our recording process.

Categories
Writing

Neon Nursery

Last night I was invited to do some writing with Damian Press at Neon Nursery, his studio in Charlottenburg. It’s an amazing space with great gear and Damian is a dream to work with. Check out the photos below to get a feel for the space. The session finished at 1am, and when I got home, I fell asleep instantly, happy to have used my songwriting muscles again.

Categories
Thee Nathaniel Fregoso & the Bountiful Hearts

Recording at The Cave

Here are a few shots of the Bountiful Hearts recording at Josiah Mazzaschi’s The Cave, back in L.A., October 2010. This is the lineup that helped me develop the songs on Thee Nathaniel Fregoso & the Bountiful Hearts. Randy Billings, Becky Gebhardt and Joel Isaac Black are all extremely talented musicians who poured their energy and magic into the album and made it something special. Listen to it this Friday on your favorite streaming service via R.I.P. Ben Lee Records.