The creation of an album like The Longest Time is a huge undertaking involving dozens of people and month – even years – of songwriting, arranging, rehearsing and recording.
Each step of the process is both interesting and engaging, and it all leads to a completed album which bears the hopes na dreams of everyone involved.
Here we will be looking at the process step by step, as it unfolds.
The process of song writing starts out as a solitary process, but once the song is initially conceived it moves through a process of discussion, and arranging and rehearsing that is driven by an almost magical interaction of all involved.
Rehearsal
The first steps in the process for The Longest Time began in a garage rehearsal space in Cotati California where our collection of musicians and arrangers fleshed out the tunes one by one.
This early rehearsal of the song Boulevard is a perfect example of this process.
Tracking at Prairie Sun
After a couple months of rehearsals, on St. Patrick’s Day, the whole crew moved to Studio C at Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati, CA where the recording sessions took place.
The first song on the first day is the first song on the album, The Longest Time.
A segment from the studio documentary of The Longest Time, this 30 minute peak at the full process of creating the song in the studio takes a deep dive into Hope Of The Hard Luck Stranger.