Part 5 of 18 serialised by Nuance, New Straits Times
Second Week Of October 2002
Wednesday, 9th October. A day I have been looking forward to but also have been dreading for months. This is the first day of full band rehearsals.
In order to help me save money, Lewis Pragasam generously invited us to rehearse at his studio in the basement of the appropriately named Help Institute. The studio is where Lewis normally teaches drums, and it is plastered from wall to wall with egg cartons by way of DIY acoustic insulation. It is basic, but more than good enough to gear the band up for studio recording. Most importantly, it is for free.
Sherry and I would be playing with musicians who count amongst the best in the world – namely Lewis, who as I boy I used to go gawk at in jazz clubs, and Hayakawa, a bit of a maverick and legend in Japan. Both are more than a decade older than me. Both vastly more experienced. Both vastly accomplished. Both don’t normally play with singer songwriters. Itís either going to be great or a complete disaster.
In truth, the first day of band rehearsals sucked. It was all a bit of a mess and we simply didnít gel. We played three songs, all the up-tempo ones, and apart from one, we weren’t at all convincing. In retrospect, I guess it was too much playing and too little calm. I was also playing like an overawed newbie. And those funny charts made up of my highly personalised and eccentric language didn’t help. Ronan tried to reassure me that this was to be expected. After all, it was the first time we had ever played together. ëThe most important thing is to relax and enjoy yourself for nowí, said the producer. Yeah sure, Ronan, easier said than done. I didn’t feel much better.
Ronan was right though. The second day saw an immediate improvement. All of us made an attempt to relax and enjoy it. The result was astonishing. There were some moments of pure magic that will stay with me for life. Hayakawa began to find his feet and stamped his unique bass sound on the songs. He even started to understand my charts, although I did catch him having a good snigger to himself a few times while trying to decipher them. Lewis got used to playing within 10% of his ability and things began to settle down nicely. Sherry was as steady as he normally is. Even I played as though I wasn’t a complete disaster. Meanwhile, Ronan directed proceedings with calm authority and assurance. In our post-rehearsal drinks, Sherry and I agreed that Ronan was doing a fantastic job.
Day three. We were flying. We went through three and a half songs in less than two hours. It was a blast. We even had time to jam to 12 bar blues in between coffee breaks and banter. It was going really well and everyone felt it. I was a very relieved and happy boy. As we worked through the songs, it also became clear that we had a pretty interesting sound that no one else has ever heard. It was sparse yet lush, economical but never boring, and it was apparent that we would have a FAT sounding record like all the records I love. Things were going so well that we decided that we might not need the fourth day of rehearsals at all.
But we did, although for only two hours.
Fourth day. My friend Iskander arranged for Desmond, a very talented local indie filmmaker, to tape the last rehearsal session. So Desmond came and filmed us as though we were real rock stars. I tried not to strike up a pose whenever the camera was pointed in my direction, but it was hard. Anyway, when we wrapped the session after two hours, Desmond said he really liked the music. I caught my gratitude just in time and tried to sound like a cool and nonchalant rock star. Smirk. But that was before I tripped on a cable and fell on my face.
Still, there is a good reason for my self-satisfaction. I donít think I am overly biased, but every song sounded really strong. The happy ones were now full of life, and dare I say it, even potentially radio friendly; the sad ones tragic and cinematic; the sexy ones saucy and aggressive; and the stories magically rambling and engaging. They are now snappy when they need to be, quiet when they need to be, funky when they need to be and beautiful when they need to be. My nerves have disappeared. I can’t wait to get into the studio.
To top it off, Hayakawa and Lewis seem to be enjoying the sessions too. They were both relaxed and full of enthusiasm. Now, THAT is flattering. Two guys who played professionally while I was still a kid enjoyed playing my music.
Life is good.
So it was I suddenly found myself in front of the hotel twelve hours before our first recording session. I was dropping everyone off after dinner.
ìIím really looking forward to tomorrowî, said Hayakawa as he jumped out of my car. Then, as he walked away towards the entrance of the hotel, he turned back for a moment and winked at me. Hm. I took a moment to ponder. One of the world’s best bassists just said he is looking forward to playing on my record. Then he winked. Oh Man.
I think this is going to be fun.