August 20, 2012

To The Moon & Back Last Studio Session

Yaaaaa!!!!! One more studio tracking session coming up this week at Bedside an this album is a wrap. The last song is called To The Moon & Back…can’t wait for everyone to hear it!!!

August 6, 2012

Help Name This Album & iPhone 5 Contest

I’m back from my one week of being ‘unplugged’ and just yesterday picked up semi-final mixes of all but 1 song on the album. Yep ~ only one night left for tracking in the studio then this puppy goes off to get mastered!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still so much to do and I need your HELP.

1. Naming rights for this album are still up for grabs. Anyone who comes up with the name for this album will earn digital & print credit. You interested?

2. Pick Up The Phone single ( still need a iPhone 5 or equivalent competitive sponsor) for part of the kick ass contest we have planned come this Fall to promote the album release. If you know of a local cell phone contact who needs exposure please introduce them.

3. Album Art ( 1 Juno winning designer has already agreed to take a stab at the design) Will be sending him the bed tracks in the next 2 weeks.

4. Digital distribution, Contacting Press, CBC Music, Tunecore, iTunes, etc……

Lastly, here is a pic I took on holidays ‘The Calm After The Storm” that will keep me relaxed and focused on getting this all done.

Thanks for all your help.

 

 

 

July 22, 2012

Pick Up The Phone- Guitar Studio Work

In the continued fashion of inviting you into the studio to share with me the recording of my album,  here is my acoustic guitar session on Pick Up The Phone.  I posted earlier that this will be a song that you will either love or hate… no in between on this one!

Nuff said… here is the video!

http://youtu.be/q3dIaRNDYR4

July 21, 2012

Guitar Work On ~To The Moon & Back

Shot a little video last week at Bedside Studio for ya! I’m not sure if you enjoy these vids of partially done songs, but it’s REAL nonetheless (vocals not done, back ups needed, and a whole lot of tender love and care still to go)! So much work and love goes into this process its hard to fathom sometimes… Wow, did I just call that work. Umm, let me replace that with ‘living the dream‘.

Hope your having a great summer!!!

Cheers,

Lee

http://youtu.be/uv8_pY6ux9Q

July 9, 2012

The Brolo

I’d like to think I’ve invented a new musical term…. but probably not 🙂 Anyway, here is a very short video and a few pics  shot while recording a take of the 2nd bridge/solo of a song called Rock The Water. Since its NOT a bridge and NOT a solo I here by decree my first BROLO!

Anyway! Album is coming along and is still on target for a fall release. Thanks to everyone who keeps encouraging me to push on… ( it means more than you’ll ever know)!!!

Cheers,

Lee

Raito~ The Brolo Session

Raito

Raito's Fender Strat

Raito’s Fender Strat

 

 

 

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May 30, 2012

Studio Album Update- Mr. Maker

This past weekend got to spend 5 hours at Bedside Studio here in Winnipeg. Finished up an acoustic/rock song, with another blazing solo, called Mr. Maker. Thats the 3rd song which is now 100% complete and ready for post production! I may LEAK it out on Soundcloud later this week 🙂

The remaining songs have more work… But are well on their way. With any luck I’ll be releasing my album early this fall.

Thanks for your support,

Lee

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April 1, 2012

Kenny Shields of Streetheart & Alexander Keith

Hi All,

Had the amazing pleasure of getting a pic with Kenny Shields and telling him a story of how we are connected. After performing my newly released single ‘Alexander Keith’  I got to open up the conversation with Kenny saying , “Alexander Keith was recorded on some of the same equipment used to record many of the Streetheart albums!” Wow,  Music in Winnipeg, and even Canada for that matter, is such a small circle~ one degree of separation!

It just so happens that when I was growing up, one of my friends Dad, John Hildebrand,  was the owner of Century 21 Studios. I remember visiting Century 21 and dreaming of one day being good enough to record music. Flash forward to today, and in the process of recording my album at Len Milne’s Bedside Studio, I have discovered that when Century 21 Studios shut down in 1998  some of the equipment ended up at Beside. Another amazing fact is that when Century 21 shut down the AC-DC road crew apparently drove to Winnipeg to pick up the Neve Consoles… too cool.  So as a result, on most of the songs hat I have recorded at Bedside Studios, including Alexander Keith, I have been doing so on some of the same equipment that Kenny Shields & Streetheart used back in the day! SO a big thank you to John Hildebrand of Century 21 Studios and his son Kris for giving me those studio tours. It is very, very cool that the experience is not just a memory, but in fact has had an affect on the recording of my album.

Ron Paley put together a great article here that talks a fair amount about the history of  the Eternals and  Century 21 here: http://www.mocm.ca/Music/Artist.aspx?ArtistId=94752&RoomId=54

 

Lee Raito & Kenny Shields

Raito & Kenny Shields of Streetheart

March 4, 2012

Pick Up The Phone

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Len Milne ~ Bedside Studio

Just got back from Len Milne’s Bedside Studio recording the ethereal sounds for ‘Pick Up The Phone‘ and almost can’t describe the craziness. We have used no drummer but YET have a a crazy wicked beat to this song that is hard to describe other than ‘ far out’. To do this wild ear candy we have added the following to this song; pennies on a snare, e-bow slide on Gibson electric guitar, shaker, bass drum modified through an effects panel & tambourine. We’ll be introducing some digital sounds in this song, but the vast majority is 100% au natural creative musical mojo!

Here is a pic of Len Milne, my producer and recording engineer, adding a repetitive secondary guitar part on his ‘Gibson’ 🙂

Can’t wait for you all to hear this one. I promise you it will be worth the wait when the album is released. I’m sure people will hear something new every time they listen to ‘Pick Up The Phone’!

It’s actually a song that I think people will either love or hate… no in between on this one.

Cheers,

Lee

 

March 3, 2012

Studio & Winn$tock

Big news!

I’ll be performing Alexander Keith, and one other song off my upcoming album, live at Winn$tock March 15th (Cowboys Night Club). There are 5 bands battling for the title, of which I’m not one! Just there to entertain and perform for 10 minutes in between the 1st and second set. You can get tickets here: www.winnstock.ca This is a great charity event and a wicked time… Join us if you can!

Also, heading back into the studio today to start editing the rest of the songs on the album! Still a few songs left to record too… I’ll try and get some pics and new video up soon.

Cheers,
Lee

PS. Thanks for all the encouragement re: Alexander Keith! It’s been a ride commercially releasing my first single. Lots to learn about radio promotion, licensing, etc…

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August 26, 2011

Laying the Beat

Back to Bedside Studio tonight to lay the bass & drum tracks for my upcoming EP (no name as of yet so open to suggestions). A few songs that will be on this recording are in very rough form on YouTube: The River Runs, Three Guitars, & Rock the Water. The rest are new and I can’t wait for you to hear them all with a band backing it all up!

Time to go lay the beat!

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