Our Trip to Gat3 Studio in Charlotte, NC

Sarah and I were blessed with the opportunity to go with Buddy and Kay down to Charlotte, NC to see him record his new CD of Noah's Ark songs. We have been wanting to go with them the past couple of times, but our schedules never worked out. I have always wanted to see behind-the-scenes of music recording, and it certainly wasn't a let down!

Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Mom drove us (and the luggage, although we didn't over-pack this time!) down to B & K's and we left their house at 8:00am. They have a little Subaru station wagon, and with the four of us, luggage and some instruments, we were pretty loaded down. We made a quick stop at a Tim Horton's in Zanesville. After that, we only made one stop, and that was in Beckley, West Virginia. They had a squished penny machine in the plaza, so Sarah and I each got one with the WV capitol building pressed into it! Sarah and I had packed veggie burgers and Goldfish crackers to eat in the car, so we didn't even have to get food out.

Drove for a couple hours on the turnpike, so it wasn't really built up. Actually, the lack of traffic was pretty amazing. The trip from Knox County to WV was beautiful and we hardly had any other vehicles on the rode. While on the turnpike, we went through two huge tunnels that go under mountains. At the end of the second was the Virginia border. Sarah and I absolutely LOVE WV and VA. They are such beautiful states that you can really understand the pride of Virginians during the Civil War. We drove through a small section of Jefferson National Forest, and you have never seen anything like it! Just green tree tops for as far as you can see! Simply breathtaking! Once in North Carolina, the scenery/greenery became somewhat flat and scrubby. Rather dull really. We arrived at the hotel at 4pm and decided to unpack and wait a bit before heading to dinner. The hotel was really nice! Much better than either of us had expected. It the Staybridge Suites (Arrowwood) in Charlotte at Exit 3 of I-77.



We were at the way back corner of one wing on the second floor. Right across from the back stairway, way far from the elevator (Yay!). You entered into the living area which had a kitchen with a full-size fridge/freezer, a dishwasher, mini sink, two-burner stovetop, convection & microwave ovens, cabinets and real dishes; dining area with a four-seat table; and a living room area with a couch, armchair, and an entertainment center with a TV and DVD/VCR unit. To the right was a room with a king bed, closet, TV, conference table, dresser and a full bath (B & K got this one). To the left was our room with two double beds, dresser, TV, closet, and another full bath! Really swell.



We unpacked before heading out to dinner. There was a Ruby Tuesday right down the street and Buddy had been thinking of ribs all day, so that was chosen. Sarah and I had salad bar and sides of onion rings and french fries. Usually sides of those are teeny-tiny servings. Man, were we surprised when we got huge platters full of them! We ended up taking a bunch back to the hotel for later. We sat around in the living area for a while, talking about Buddy's family and his cousin, etc. Went to bed a bit after 9pm and Sarah and I plugged our little travel DVD player into the screen and watched about half an hour of an Audie Murphy western before hitting the snooze den.

Thursday, 14 June 2012
Due to the strange beds and excitement, Sarah and I were up before 6am. We all went to the lobby for breakfast. A really nice continental breakfast. The typical juice, coffee, bagels, English muffins, pastries, and fruit, but they also had hot stuff. Bacon, eggs, grits, oatmeal, and waffles! Really nice. Didn't have to be at the studio until 10am, so we went back to the room and We talked to Mom for a while. Buddy wanted to take doughnuts to the studio, so we searched for a doughnut shop, eventually finding a Dunkin' Donuts. We got to the studio on the dot and settled in. The musicians started arriving after we did and by 10:30 they began recording. Mark, the bass guitarist, came from Nashville, TN. Danny, the pianist, came from SC, and Tony, the drummer, and David (who plays everything else) were from NC.

Musicians:

Danny Crawford (Piano and Keyboard)
Tony Creasman (Drums)

David Johnson (Guitar, Various Acoustic Instruments)
Buddy Davis (Vocals)
Mark Fain (Bass Guitar)

Buddy wanted this CD to have the 50s/60/70s Country style sound, so they would listen to the demo of each song and then decided what particular style they would do each song in. They started recording at 10:30 and didn't stop until lunch break at 2pm.

We sat in the room with the sound guys. There is a listening area in front of the sound boards and a huge glass window that showed the entire recording room. Tony and Mark sat in the room together. Mark's guitars were plugged directly into the board, so all you heard if you were sitting in the room was the sound of the metal string. Tony's drums were surrounded by a dozen microphones. There are two little sound booths in the two far corners of the room. The left had the grand piano and that is where Danny played. The right is where David played. He is amazing. On this CD alone he plays Acoustic, electric, and steel guitar; dobro; harmonica; violin; mandolin; octave mandolin; and dulcimer! Right next to the sofa in the sound room where we sat is a little sound booth where Buddy sang. While the guys recorded all the tracks, Buddy sang a scratch vocals, but the real vocals were not recorded.



Some of the songs were finished in twenty minutes! The guys were really amazing. At 2pm, they broke for lunch and we all went to an Italian restaurant called Villa Antonio which looked nice, but was super expensive, had terrible service and every single thing had meat! Definitely not the place for vegetarians. So we ate a really poor salad bar. It was nice to get to talk to the guys though. Turns out that Tony, the drummer, has always dreamed of going to Monaco to see the Auto Rally. We were telling him about stamps and stuff and he was so interested. I am going to send him some of my extra Monaco stamps.

They recorded 13 songs, in the order they will appear on the CD. They did seven before lunch and then the other six. They ended up working solidly until 8:30pm. The four of us were really tired and didn't feel like going out to dinner, so we ordered pizza into the room. Sarah and I ate some more of our onion rings, too! :o)

Friday, 15 June 2012
Got up early on Friday. We all ate breakfast in the lobby again. Sarah and I had oatmeal and waffles. Then we took some juice and a bagel and english muffin back to the room and hung around for a bit. We were all a bit tired, so Sarah and I finished watching Ride Clear of Diablo. Got to the studio at 10am and were back in the same room. We spread out in the viewing area and Buddy got into the little sound booth. Buddy recorded all the songs in reverse order, because he thought that the last two were going to be the hardest to sing. He only got surprised when the second to last (second on the cd) was in a different key than he thought and was really low for him.



Kay was lyric police and watched to make sure he said everything correctly. Sarah and I were the 'peanut gallery' and gave our opinions as well. Wade, one of the interns and the two of us had a great time. All in all, Buddy doesn't really make many mistakes. One song he did, he only did one take with no punch-ins! His voice all day was really good and each song sounds wonderful! He actually finished at 5:30, so it wasn't even too late.




For dinner, we drove right over the border into South Carolina and went to a Cracker Barrel which was right across from the entrance to CaroWinds amusement park. It was really fun. We each had a salad and shared pancakes and biscuits. We also bought a couple things in the store. A little plate with a fish on it for Dad, and a repro bendable Gumbie, like Mom and Dad have always had! Back at the hotewl, Sarah and I packed everything except what we would need. Kay wanted to leave at 6:30am, so that really means 6:00.

Saturday, 16 June 2012
Sarah andI woke up at 5:25am! (Yikes!) So we got dressed and finished packing. We did have a bit of trouble closing one suitcase. I had Sarah push down on the lid and I pressed the two latches in and she let go and . . . Bingo! The lid popped open and the clothes fell right out onto the floor! However, with a bot of clever rearranging we managed to pack everything in a way that it would arrive home. Sarah and I loaded the car. Kay was busy on facebook, so we figured we would get the loading done. It was funny, the hotel lobby was still dark ad only a couple staff members were there. They didn't start breakfast until 7am, and Kay wanted to leave, so Sarah and I figured we'd eat peanut butter sandwiches in the car. We left a bit before 6:30 and stopped at a Starbucks across the street so Buddy and Kay could get the first coffee of the day. Buddy also bought a Johnny Cash cd, so we listened to that on the way.

The ride back was pretty uneventful. I took a few naps throughout the day. We stopped at a travel plaza in West Virginia, and while Buddy and Kay hunted up coffee and milkshakes, Sarah and I bought some postcards and two really nice quartz pieces. A purple one, and one that is green and looks like a raw emerald. We also got a big iced tea at Burger King. Yum!

Made it back to Buddy and Kay's house earlier than we thought. Only seven and a half hours home. Must have had a tailwind! Mom and Dad came to pick us up about twenty minutes later and then we headed home for dinner and some rest!

So, to close, it was a wonderful experience and a pretty fun trip. The hotel was lovely, the recording was fabulous and the drive was beautiful. Could you ask for anything more?

Adventures

Well, since I have been meaning to write an entry for the past couple of weeks and haven't, I have some catching up to do! To start . . . two weekends ago, we went to a bunch of garage sales. On Saturday, we went to the Mt. Vernon fairgrounds for "Ohio's Largest Garage Sale" or something like that. Really fun, actually. I got 11 new Agatha Christie books, four of which I really wanted my own copy of. The highlight of the day, however, was the cutest little Josef statue of a cartoon mama kangaroo. Mom dug it out of a $0.10 box. Man, did I fall in love with it! It is the cutest thing! So, we come home after a few hours and I start washing everything we got. Mom looks this kangaroo up on eBay and finds that she originally had a little joey that laid in her pouch. Well, we decided to run back and check the box to see if it had fallen out. So, back in the car and get there an hour before it closes. Sarah and I run ahead and, guess what!? There was the little joey in the bottom of the box, not even chipped! It is even cuter! Sarah took this really cute photo of it in the cabinet upstairs. The other really fun thing we got was a table lamp that is a china statue of a rooster. It's new home is the end table between the sofa and recliner upstairs. It really makes a wonderful addition in the TV room! I wanted to name him, but Mom said absolutely no naming a lamp!



The week was extremely hot and Dad even put in the AC units in our bedroom and the back room. We spent a few days in the air conditioning. Got some Hogan's Heroes and Dick van Dyke Show DVDs from the library, and we have been really enjoying them. I started making a scrapbook with all the photos and letters of Uncle JD. It is really coming along. On Sunday (27 May), Mr. and Mrs. Keultjes came over in the evening and spent a few hours with us. We went upstairs with the AC and just had a nice visit talking. They are always fun, and we don't get to see them so much anymore.

Memorial Day dawned hot and yucky (that means sunny). I came down first (!?) and closed all the windows so it wouldn't heat up inside too soon. When I got to the window over the victrola, I thought a baby bird was on the ground. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Couldn't see anything, so I dismissed it. Probably just an annoying young grackle, they make such a fuss. Dad went out and spent the morning doing trim work and weeding. I did dishes and tried to keep somewhat cool. About 1:00pm and the squeaking got really loud. I go to the window, look down and there is a tiny tuxedo kitten screaming under the deck. So, I get some shoes and head out with a pan of water and some moistened kibbles while Mom gets in the car and drives around to all the neighbors. Pussy-Pussy (I christened it "Pussy-Pussy" because I spent so long calling it) was so lonely and frightened. Unfortunately, we live on the Mid-Ohio racetrack (just kidding - maybe) and every fast, loud car, truck and motorcycle that went by made Pussy-Pussy run back under the deck. I spent an hour and a half trying to coax it out. No deal. It would come out and rub against the bush and it sat on a protruding foundation block and frenzied. But it wouldn't come out to me. So, I start getting really hot and decide to go inside for a bit. Maybe it would get lonely for me. So, I leave a little can lid of milk out there and go inside and sit for a little while with a cold towel. Drink a little hot coffee (What?! HOT coffee when I am overheated? Don't ask . . . ). I feel bad, so I leave the coffee and head back out. The minute I round the corner of the house and emerge from the lilac bush, Pussy-Pussy starts screaming and walks right over to me. How cute! :o) So, Sis came out and we petted it and tried to see if it was a little Max or a Maxine. Couldn't tell. We got it drink most of the milk. Well, it didn't belong to any neighbor, so it was probably dropped off by someone figuring we were in the country and it was early on a holiday morning. Little Pussy-Pussy wasn't over six weeks old. So, Mom got a hold of a lady who lives down the street who runs a private cat shelter. She agreed to come and take it that afternoon. So, Sarah and I made Pussy-Pussy comfy in a carrier in the front room (doors to the rest of the house closed, of course!). It curled up on an old towel and went to bed. Sarah and I went up and showered and changed and then the lady came over and took Pussy-Pussy (who turned out to be a little girl). So that was our holiday!




Tuesday was hot and we weren't going to do anything big. Until we started picking random stuff up in the front room. We ended up putting the new sheet music cabinet in place, shelving all the sheet music, putting stuff away in the trunk next to the piano (even dusting behind it!) and totally cleaning off the top of the piano! I am so, so, so thrilled! One of those projects that is always on the list, but never seems to make it to the top priority! Very satisfying. So, now my piano is totally clean and I even opened the top yesterday morning to play it like a baby grand should be played! First time in five years (because of the cats)! Ooooooooh!

Friday, Buddy and Kay came over for for the afternoon. We discussed the new CD and watched a fabulous new western. Silver Lode with Dan Duryea and John Payne. Probably one of the top westerns we've ever seen! Really a must-see! They ate dinner with us and stayed and watched Sgt. York with Gary Cooper.

Yesterday, Dad worked around the yard while Mom and the two of us went to some more garage sales in Danville. Beautiful day for a drive. I was feeling great! The weather cooled off Thursday night, so it is much nicer. The sun was shining, and I was feeling really good. No headache, even! Didn't find many garage sales, but the one we did find was fabulous! I finally got a little monk pepper shaker. There is this set of monk shaped things (Salt and peppers, sugar, creamer, jelly jar, etc.) made by a German company. I have wanted a piece for years and finally got one yesterday. He was really dirty, so I haven't taken a photo of him yet, as he is in the dish drainer drying. He is really cute, though. Mom and Sarah dropped me off at the house so I could do some dishes while they ran to Wade and Gatton nurseries to look at hostas.

Today, after Church, Dad and the two of us went to the bike trail. First time we have been biking in three or four years. Dad filled all the tires yesterday, so we were all set. Get there and head out. Sarah and I had some nice discussion about Leighs. Just as we were approaching the 3 mile marker, that familiar hissing sound came from behind us and Sarah and I were already pulled over and turning around before Dad really realized what had happened. We couldn't believe it! He had another flat tire! Before he got this new bike, he had a flat tire every time we went riding. Sarah and I have walked more miles on the Knox and Richland County bike trails than we have ever ridden. The last time with his old bike, Mom dropped us off and then drove to a stop seven miles ahead to pick us up. She hadn't been out of the parking lot 30 seconds before he had a blow out. We had a nice seven mile hike. Well, we thought that was behind us. New bike, new tire, mountain tire. So, we walk three miles back. I don't know what I would do if we actually biked all the way out and back! Ah, well . . .

Something else really fun happened. Yesterday, in the mail, was an envelope from a guy who sent me Harold Swetland's Individual Deceased Personnel File. It has the list of his effects, his height, weight, hair and eye colour, date of enlistment, even his shoe size! This is really exciting. It also listed two Air Force Bases that he was stationed in 1940. This morning I found the one base on the 1940 US census and paged through, looking for Harold. I finally found him on page 47 of 100 (after doing the first 11 pages and then working from the back ). He is on line 22. I have been waiting for the 1940 census to come out and I was so impatient while they work on indexing the states. So, I was thrilled to be able to find him! Now I am trying to find Uncle JD. Both my "uncle" heroes. :o)