Recording with The Abbott Brothers

Lane Baldwin with The Abbott BrothersHey, all y’all! I know I’m a bit late, but like the rest of you, I’ve been busy with Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas season. Now that I’ve got a bit of time, I wanted to show you some photos from my recent recording session (November 23) with The Abbott Brothers – a mainstay of the Bay Area Bluegrass scene. The band consists of brothers Luke and Kyle Abbott, and bassist Mason Hutchinson. And let me tell you, they’re HOT!

Producer Polo Jones brought The Abbott Brothers in to record a pair of songs with me: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (my first ever Christmas song) and The Sing-Along Song. I chose Grandma… as my first Christmas song because it’s an old family favorite, and I wanted to keep the attitude light on this first venture into holiday music. The Sing-Along Song is one of mine, and comes from an experience I had with a five-generation family of musicians. Because the story centers on the family playing together in the back yard, Polo suggested – and I quickly agreed – that we do an acoustic version, so The Abbott Brothers were the perfect choice.

Polo and I had some other work today that afternoon, then met everyone else about 7 that evening. First things first, we fed the band while I got to know them. Next up was a quick rehearsal of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. The Abbot Brothers had arranged a cool intro that set the mood of the song perfectly. Once we had our arrangement down, we tracked the instruments in the main room while I sang in an isolation booth to give everyone a reference. Once Polo was satisfied with the instrumental tracks, Luke and Kyle tracked the background vocals.

Once all of the backing tracks were completed, we went straight into rehearsing and recording The Sing-Along Song. The trio had never heard the song before, and didn’t know the story, so we began with me telling them the origins of the song. After a very few run-throughs, they were ready to record. Again, the trio was in the main room, while I tracked guitar and vocals in the isolation booth.

The last track of the night was the final vocal for Grandma, which I got through in just a couple of takes. Then it was time for Polo to do his Producer Magic, which he began as soon as we said goodbye to the The Abbott Brothers, and finished the next day. We made it out of the studio shortly after midnight, and I started the long trip home, arriving around 3 in the I Need Sleep.

All told, it was an awesome session, and I’m so glad The Abbott Brothers were a part of both my first Christmas song, and the CD. I can’t wait to hear the final of The Sing-Along Song… I know it will be excellent.

Below is the photo gallery from the session. Begin the slide show by clicking on any photo. When you’re down, click on the photo again to exit the gallery.

Until next time, God Bless,

Lane


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