The Sexy Accident Blog

mmmmmmastering!

2009-07-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've er... blogged. Dunno why. Actually, I suppose I do. I started a new day job and it's pretty intense at the moment. But the lack of communication does not signify inactivity. Far from it! Why just this very day we received the first pass at the mastered tracks for Mantoloking, our soon-to-be-released third studio album produced by Steve Fisk! It's incredibly awesome and I couldn't be more excited about it.

I was explaining to Steph the other day that this album really marks the end of a 12-year journey for me. I can honestly say that this is the first time I've made something that's truly excellent. It's a phenomenal album. The songs are great. The performances are great. The production is great. So much of that is due to Steve. Due, in fact, to one specific thing about Steve: he is uncompromising. He explained exactly what it took to make a great album, in terms of time, effort and approach, and he made it very clear that he had no interest in doing anything that wasn't great. So in effect, he raised our game. When we realized the level of investment in time, money and energy that we were going to put into this thing (and when we saw the level of investment Steve was going to be making and the faith he was putting in us [flying across the country to record a band on the basis of some Youtube clips]), we worked our assess off. Rehearsal after rehearsal after rehearsal, as a band, individually and even in sections. We played tons of shows. We refined the arrangements to the 9s. And I went from having 6, maybe 7 keeper songs to having the complete set of 11 that we recorded. The best songs I've ever written, bar none. In short, we made it happen because we had to. We got it done.

I'm going to write a piece on the story behind the songs: the story of the album as it were. I'm going to try to reconstruct the chronology of what I wrote when, and to the extent I can (to the extent I'm comfortable with), I'll talk about what went into each tune. How they came about. Where they came from. But that's for another night.

For now, I'm writing to label peeps and publicists trying to figure out how we're going to get this thing out there. We're trying to decide what makes the most sense and what's in line with our objectives. This isn't the end of anything, at all. The album being done is a starter pistol going off. The race starts NOW. Now we push and push, in every way we can, for people to hear this thing. We'll work as hard as we can, but more importantly, we have to work smart. We all have jobs and commitments. Chad and I have kids. We're not spring chickens compared to some. But there are advantages to that. We know what we're about, and what we're not, and we have experience to go along with our enthusiasm. You can hear it in the songs, and you're going to see it in the plays we make.

Anyway, I couldn't be more excited. This is a great time for the band. We've made an amazing work of art. It's truly the most immense and impressive thing I've ever been involved with. Everyone played their part perfectly. And soon it'll be time to reveal it to the world. In the meanwhile we'll play some shows, bring back some old tunes and do a whole lot of scheming.

Until next time!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Oh don't even think it

2009-05-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

that we're slowing down

it's just NOT happening.

things we have been doing:

1. hiring a business manager (Jennifer Long!)
2. preparing for the halftime show at the May 30 roller derby event and the first Indie Pop Alliance show the week after!
3. designing album art
4. compiling edit lists
5. thinking about mixing
6. scheduling mastering with John Golden
7. learning and re-vamping a whole bunch of songs from TOURISM and Kinda Like Fireworks

oh, and in real life i got a new job.

anywho, if you want a teaser, check out the lyrics and title for album three!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 7

2009-05-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

I'm actually writing this the morning after Day 7. Steve will be here in about an hour and I'll take him to the airport so he can fly back to Seattle.

Yesterday we spent the morning finishing off the final set of guitar overdubs for You're Out Of Luck and Say Goodnight. Then we took a lunch break and spent the afternoon and evening packing up, cooking up rough mixes of all the songs and backing up files. It was what Steve calls a "low rent" day, though his standards are a little skewed. Steve works hard!

At about 8:45pm, Chad and I rolled out of Eudora with two hard drive copies of the entire session. We high-tailed it through a a few thunderstorms to my house, where I burned him a copy of the rough mixes before he went home. At about 10:30, Steph and I sat down to listen to our own CD copy of the rough mixes for the first time - the first time that I really got to hear what we had done on my own stereo, without interruption.

Now I know I went on and on about the stress, etc., of the last few days. And it WAS stressful. But holy cow this album sounds good. And as early as the car ride back with Chad, I felt a change come over me. It's a feeling of being done. The feeling of accomplishment is only now starting to appear, but the feeling of "done" started to hit pretty fast. I already feel like a different person, like I'm back. And even as I type these words, the feeling gets stronger.

This album has been a huge mental focus, and a huge time consumer. We started rehearsing twice per week on January 10th, 2009, and continued a weekly regimen of two three-hour practices all the way through April 11th. We worked as a whole, on our own and in various sub-groups. During that same time period, we also played six electric shows and four acoustic shows to help prepare. In point of fact, I've probably never put more effort into any single project, and certainly not into any project of my own creation and initiative.

And dang, does it sound good. Steph was floored when she heard it, and the tracks aren't even properly mixed! I don't want to hype things up too much, but this is most certainly the album I set out to make, and I'm thrilled about that. It's an album that I would really, really enjoy listening to even if it weren't my band. I can't say that about anything I've made to date, going all the way back to my bands in Pittsburgh. There have always been obvious, significant shortcomings (at least in my mind) in my work to date. But this album is different. It is what it is, but it isn't compromised. The songs will stand on their own merits. The performances and recordings are excellent, bar none.

And so, cheers to Daniel Torrence, my talented and diligent drummer, who really made this all click by insisting that we play with a click. It was his personal preparation that laid the foundation for all of our success. Cheers to Chad Toney, who aced all of his guitar leads (and almost all of his parts period) during his first takes, which created time for percussion overdubs, vocals and new inventive guitar tricks. And here's to Pat Padgett, whose solid playing anchored us, and whose constant gigantic grin reminded me of why we're here in the first place - because this stuff is fun. And because it's really, really satisfying to MAKE something. And finally, thanks to Steve Fisk for flying out to the middle of nowhere to take a chance recording a band he had never met all on the strength he saw in a a few YouTube videos. How hip is that?

And so, my friends, this ends the recording diary. The album is tracked. It is yet to be mixed and mastered, but our part is done. Vive la Sexy Accident! And oh, BTW, come out to see us rock tonight at the Popfreeradio.com showcase at Davey's Uptown in downtown KC. We're headlining! Pat Padgett's other band, Six II Chaos, is also playing.

Rock on,

Jesse

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 6

2009-04-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

I didn't expect that I would call this experience the third most intense of my life thus far. The first most intense was the birth and early childhood of my son. The second was my wedding. The third is/was recording this album.

This statement is probably very hard for anyone who hasn't done this to understand. And honestly, I'm kind of disappointed in myself for making it. I don't know exactly why. I sort of feel like I should be able to do this - to record an album - to spend seven days in the studio more or less non-stop. And I suppose I *can* do it. I have done it so far. Only one day to go, and barring any sort of sudden awfulness it should go well and be relatively enjoyable. But god am I tired. And at times the pressure (entirely self-inflicted though it may be) was almost too much for me to bare.

It's the fact that you have to be ON. You have to perform. You have to get it right. Right now. This moment. This take. Or maybe on the next one, but today. Not tomorrow. Sure, you could take another day. You could come back. But that'll cost you more money. Hundreds of dollars. You don't want to do that. That's not the deal you struck with your wife. Plus, you hate to be inefficient, right? You want to make this record as cost-effectively as possible. Great, but for the minimum cost. That's why you spent months and months rehearsing twice a week: to a click track, on your own, in groups, in coffee shops, on stage. All in preparation for THIS MOMENT. Right now, when the "tape" is rolling. But this moment isn't a moment. It's eleven hours of moments. And that's just today. Then there's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.

And it's easier than it's ever been, recording. You can copy and paste things. But we choose not to employ some of the tricks that seem to sacrifice too much or make it too phony. We don't do auto-tune. We punch in, instead. We sing the word right, at least once. There's certainly some satisfaction in that.

And why, at the end of the day, do I do this? It's a question I've been asking myself a lot over the last few days. I will most certainly get a high off of hearing this record when it's done. But chances are, when I play it for my friends, for my family, their reaction somehow won't give me what it is I'm chasing, no matter how enthusiastic they are. I'll still want to do another one. And another one. And another one.

I think I'm chasing something that I'll never get. Maybe it's self-acceptance. A feeling of "yes, you did it well enough." A feeling that I can be satisfied with the work that I've done. I don't have any answers here. I don't know why I do this. I know that I've read and said and heard others say that it's not really a choice. That if you're a creative person, you have to be creative. But maybe I have choices within the non-choice.

Steve is an excellent producer. He works hard, he gets great sounds, and he's really patient, kind and supportive. And all of this despite some major, major disruptions from outside of the studio. I can't think of a better person to work with, both aesthetically and in terms of professionalism.

I hope that when I recover from the stress and exhaustion of this week I can look back and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. I can already see it over the horizon. And I hope I can bask in the glow of that satisfaction and maybe, god forbid, take a few weeks (or at least days) off.

Of course, there are shows booked, etc. I've made sure that I have a stacked plate. No changing that, now. But I need to carve some time out to lie under a tree or similar. Life's too short not to see it as it's happening. I spend a whole lot of time being somewhere else.

Anyway, that's enough of that. Today we finished the last two vocal tracks and did guitar overdubs and percussion. But now my wife is finally home, and we finally have a child-free and studio-free hour to talk. I'm not going to miss that, even to blog about gear and nonsense.

Until tomorrow!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 5

2009-04-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

So. Today Mr. Fisk continued to share his wisdom with us. While listening to "Merry Christmas" he noted that it's a very marketable thing, to have a Christmas song. He also pointed out that everyone has a birthday, everyone has a mom, everyone has a dog (or cat) and everyone (everyone!) loves Christmas.

In response to this critical marketing intelligence, The Sexy Accident have immediately begun penning a new song. The most marketable song ever! The song that is sure to catapult us to superstardom! What's it called, you ask? (Wait for it...)

...

...

Happy Birthday, Christmas Dog!

And don't forget: Christmas Dog was a gift from your mother! And one of the verses will conveniently mention that now that we know how much we love Christmas Dog, we need to get a Christmas Cat, as well!

Ahem.

In other news, we had another fun (yes, fun!) grab bag of a day in the studio. We did a whole mess of guitar overdubs on Merry Christmas, including a veritable sea of acoustics. We also did a tremendous surf lead overdub on I'm Just Trying To Help (Me Like You) (previously referred to as I Kind Of Want To Be With You) and smacked a vintage fender organ of I forget variety on there, as well.

I recorded vocals for I'm Just Trying To Help (Me Like You), All Surface, Buy Me Out and Merry Christmas. And I sketched in the vocal line that will be replaced by a female vocalist of Steve's choosing to turn Merry Christmas into a duet! The hardest of the four was All Surface by a significant margin. To give you a sense, I spent about an hour and half to net out two solid takes of All Surface, whereas I got two complete takes of Buy Me Out in less than fifteen minutes. AS is hard because it involves many, many sustained notes near that top of my range, which requires not only good breath and pitch control but awareness of where you are standing/looking in relation to the mic. Steve taught me to sing away from the mic for the long notes, so I was doing a lot of playing around with that technique. In contrast, Buy Me Out is just fun - it's angsty and expressive and involves no sustain whatsoever. It's almost like acting. (I am not in fact a shifty executive.)

Oh, and after I did the sketch vocals for the female duet thing, Steve doubled the pitch of my vocals to see what they would sound like in the likely womanly range. Needless to say, I make an awesome chipmunk. It was funny enough already, but when we got to this part that goes "ha ha ha ha ha ha" in various pitches, it just about killed Chad, Daniel and I. That was probably the high hilarity mark for the session thus far. :)

Continuing the list of new gear used, today we introduced:

- My Takamine classical
- The Fender organ thing
- Line 6 delay modeler (used on the organ)
- Single jingle bell

I left the studio at 6:30 to go get my wife and son from the airport (yay!) but Chad and Daniel continued to work through all kinds of stuff, including in depth work recording a single jingle bell and a whole bunch of backing vocals!

So we now have two songs left to sing and a variety of misc. overdubs to finish out, then it's on to rough mixes! Vive la Sexy Accident! :) Wish us luck!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 4

2009-04-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is going to sound strange: I had fun today! To be quite honest, with a few exceptions (playing I Just Need My Car, for one), I really can't say that the word I'd use to describe our studio time thus far would be "fun." Intense, intimidating, focused, challenging, stressful, exhausting, gratifying, enlightening. These descriptors are accurate. But "fun?" Not so much (at least for me!) Until today.

You see, we're done with basic tracking. Now it's all about adding extra colors and flavors (percussion, guitars, hand claps, whatever) and about doing vocals. To a degree, the pressure is off. I was still nervous going into tracking today re: the vocals. We had planned to do them in Seattle in the summer, so I hadn't really prepared to sing. I've been practicing guitar parts and all that jazz. Thankfully, we've been doing a lot of live shows. And the coffee shop shows are especially good vocal prep. So today when we started on vocals because we were ahead of schedule, I was able to do a pretty good job! Some of the songs took a few takes, but we got five of them done. I sang You're Out Of Luck, I Tried Again, Say Goodnight, The Chatty Bandit and Daddy Loves Me Some.

Like I said, we also did guitar overdubs. I won't enumerate all the details, there, but I'll continue the list of new gear deployed for the first time:

- Keeley Compressor
- Pat's Fender Hotrod Deluxe
- Pat's Sovtek Mig 50 (produces what we're now calling the "plow guitar" tone.)
- Black Lodge's Alamo amp (6L6s)
- Black Lodge's 2x12 Marshall cabinet

Tomorrow I'll sing some more songs, we'll lay down some more guitars, percussion and Steve will probably play a keyboard or two!

Speaking of Steve, he has the most amazing stories. Today he told me all about how Marvin Gaye challenged his father to a broadsword duel. It's fascinating stuff, all the things you learn when you're a record producer! In honor of Steve's profession (and Steve's outstanding and excellent representation of said profession), I have decided to stop using the phrase "over-produced" to refer to albums that have been buried in overdubs or otherwise over-slickified. The new word, as proposed by Steve is "Gelded." A strange choice of words from somebody who is so groovy and careful about gender stereotyping and such things. :) Just messing with you, Steve. Don't Geld me.

Well, that's it for today! More tomorrow.

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 3

2009-04-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Woot!

Today was a good day. First thing, we knocked out the basic tracks for the last two songs on our list: I Just Need My Car and Will You Be Mine?. That took about 4.5 hours, including all the guitar tone setting, etc. Then we took a nice lunch break in Lawrence at the Thai place there.

Next we headed back to the studio and switched over to overdubs.

Now, I'm not gonna lie. Ole' Jesse has been pretty damned stressed out for the past few days. Like really stressed. Today my forearms were tingling. We've been making amazing progress, undeniably quickly. But somehow it's still my baby, and we're still not done, and the more we put into it, and the more perfect and awesome it sounds, the more my subconscious fears losing everything we've done. I know it's not very rational, but there it is. I mentioned this to Mr. Fisk and asked him if he had any words for me, and he said something to the effect of "Let it go. It makes sense. It's OK because how you're feeling is a reflection of the same determination and commitment that got you here." I thought that made a whole lot of sense, but I'm still glad we have three hard drives (two backups.) You never known when a moose is going to run into the control room and smash everything.

I neglected to mention in my note re: yesterday that Steve got to experience his first tornado drill in our company. I could tell he was pretty perturbed, as anyone would be (and as I was, for sure) the first time they experience one. But we checked the weather map and he was relieved to know that these things only last a few minutes or hours. I still think he thinks we're a little crazy for putting up with it, though. Maybe he's right! Of course, we don't live next to an active volcano. :)

So re: the overdubs, today included some interesting activities:

- Chad, Daniel and I clapping in unison to a click track ("That was awful!" - Fisk, re: the first take.)
- Me plunking out some piano parts in two-finger, hunt-and-peck fashion.
- Daniel banging a bass drum with a rubber mallet.
- Daniel playing a tambourine (he was relieved that I didn't see this part as he felt it made him look effeminate. :)
- Chad and I arranging a wall of amps so we could rapidly switch between sounds for different parts of different songs.

Gear-wise, today saw the debut of:

- My Heritage played through the Tweed Bassman replica
- Chad's Yamaha played through my Z.

In other news, it appears we are going to finish all of the tracking here in KC! The intial plan was to do vocals and a few dubs in Seattle, but we're moving so fast that we should have enough time to finish it all up this week!

That's about all I've got, sports fans. And now, it is time to sleep.

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 2

2009-04-25T22:40:00.001-07:00

OK, so it's 12:40am and I am unbelievably tired. But I'll write a little update nonetheless. Just forgive any weird grammar errors, OK?

Today was incredibly productive. We got through basics for (in order of appearance): All Surface, Buy Me Out, The Chatty Bandit, Daddy Loves Me Some and Say Goodnight. We worked for 11 hours with a one hour lunch break.

All Surface came off well. We had to sort through some issues re: where and to what extent to use a click track (we decided to use it at the beginning of the song only, before the drums come in) and that took some time. Buy Me Out went more or less easily and we knocked The Chatty Bandit out of the park. Daddy Loves Me Some was a royal pain the ass, though. It took FOREVER to get it right. It's extremely slow and delicate, which is honestly about twice as hard to do vs. fast and aggressive. We ended the night by pushing for five and got 90% of the way through basics for Say Goodnight. We'll scrub it down in the morning and make sure it's right.

Gear-wise, today saw the debut of:

- My Heritage H-535
- Silverface Fender Champ
- Yamaha DI-10MII distortion pedal
- The Hotcake and Keeley Rat on bass
- EHX Wiggler
- EHX Memory Man
- EHX Small Stone
- Z. Vex Fuzz Factory

Honestly I don't have the energy to go into more detail. More tomorrow! Now I've gotta sleep.

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Album 3 Recording Diary: Day 1

2009-04-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I picked up our producer, Steve Fisk from the airport. It was around 8pm, and we kicked off his trip to our fair city with a band meal at Blue Koi! I ran into Natasha and a friend of hers, and then Steve and the rest of the Sexy Accident got to know one-another.

After dinner, I drove Steve out to the Black Lodge. We couldn't figure out how to get into the apartment (we knew it involved an untrustworthy set of stairs, but couldn't remember which) and after some fumbling about while using our cell phones as flashlights, we gave up and called David Chutka, who got us squared away. Steve got situated and I headed back to KC.

I got home around 11pm. I had been so excited the day before that I hadn't slept well, and so I started to crash. I figured I had all the time in the world to get a good night's sleep before we were to begin at 10:30 the next day, but I went to bed early anyway. Unfortunately, sleep was fleeting. I woke up at about 2:30am and just couldn't fall back to sleep. I was too excited! Exhausted, but excited. I couldn't get my brain to stop. So at about 5am, I found myself at the local Sun Fresh buying some Valerian to help me sleep. I had to wait for their cash registers to reboot (this apparently happens just before 5) before I could check out, and I got home and back in bed by about 5:30. I woke again at 7. Then at 8:30. So I basically got a completely garbage night of sleep. And I wasn't the only one. Pat Padgett (our bass player) had a similar experience.

So at 10:30 this morning we all congregated at the Black Lodge. When I got there, Daniel and Steve were already hard at work setting up the drum kit and positioning the sixteen microphones that Steve would use to track the drums. At about noon, after we had set up, the three guitarists took a trip to Lawrence while Steve and Daniel continued working on getting the drums to sound right. We ate at the Aladdin Cafe, and stopped off at Mass St. Music where the gracious staff let us rent a stunning 5F6-A Tweed Bassman clone for the week for the extremely reasonable sum of $80. This amp will augment our arsenal of Chad's Vox AC15, my Dr. Z RxES and my Silverface Champ. We've already used it on one of the songs.

At about 2:00, we got back to the studio. Steve and Daniel were wrapping up work on the drum kit, so Chad and Pat and I began working on our guitar tones, checking intonation, etc. We set up such that our guitar amps were in the Black Lodge's three isolation rooms and the drum kit was in the main room. We kept the isolation room doors open, however, so we could all stand together and avoid using headphones during the group takes. This makes everything much more comfortable and natural-feeling. Headphones can be pretty sterile. They're fine for overdubs, but Mr. Fisk is wise enough to realize that they kind of kill the vibe of a group playing together.

At about 2:30, we took our first take of our first song - I Tried Again. We nailed it on the first try, which felt great. There were maybe one or two tiny edits made, but it was a great take. Next we moved on to Merry Christmas, which also went down swimmingly on the first pass. My guitar part required a little help, but nothing major. Chad played Pat's Strat into the Vox.

Next came You're Out of Luck, which was a much more ornery beast. The song involves a lot of repetitive sections with the only differentiation coming from the vocals, so I sang a scratch track live while the rest of the band played their instruments so everyone could keep track of where we were in the song structure. Pat had a question about the song arrangement and I gave him the wrong answer. It took us three tries, but we eventually got the perfect drum take. Pat fixed a few bass flubs, I put down my guitar part in 1.5 passes separately (using headphones) and Chad more or less sailed through without trouble. Chad used the Bassman, but we realized we missed the awesome snarly harshness of the AC15 at times, so we put it back in in a few spots.

Finally, we moved on to I Kind of Want to Be With You, which took four takes to get right. But man, was it worth it. Each take was better than the last, and when we finished the fourth, not only did we have just the right feel, but almost everyone had played their parts absolutely perfectly. When you hear this one on the album, excepting the extra instrumentation that we'll add on later to round things out, you'll be hearing what we sounded like this evening in Eudora, KS. How satisfying!

By the time we finished playing back the tunes and double-checking things, it was 8:30pm. We had gotten four tracks worth of basics down in six hours, which is quite speedy. Steve was pleased, and up for doing more, but Pat and I were exhausted from lack of sleep so we called it a night and headed home. But not before I gave Steve the keys to my Corolla so he could get around out in Eudora!

And now it's a perfectly stunning Friday evening. The weather is flawless. 71 and just right humidity-wise. I'm probably the only person within a 10 mile radius on a computer right now. But all of my friends are either occupied with other plans or out of town, and I need to sleep, so I probably won't be heading out. Maybe for a quick walk, but nothing major.

So that was our first day. More tomorrow!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

New review!

2009-04-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Aaron Kupferberg over at powerpopaholic.com had some nice things to say about our latest album, Kinda Like Fireworks. Check it out!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Help us be smart!

2009-03-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

We want to get our free music out there. Got any bright ideas? Here's an example of the kind of thing I'm talking about -

"On a busy corner in São Paulo, Brazil, street vendors pitch the latest "tecnobrega" CDs, including one by a hot band called Banda Calypso. Like CDs from most street vendors, these did not come from a record label. But neither are they illicit. They came directly from the band. Calypso distributes masters of its CDs and CD liner art to street vendor networks in towns it plans to tour, with full agreement that the vendors will copy the CDs, sell them, and keep all the money. That's OK, because selling discs isn't Calypso's main source of income. The band is really in the performance business — and business is good. Traveling from town to town this way, preceded by a wave of supercheap CDs, Calypso has filled its shows and paid for a private jet."

If we use your idea we'll love you forever.

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

This Saturday, March 28th!

2009-03-26T22:18:00.001-07:00

The Sexy Accident will rock the books off the shelves at Prospero's on Saturday night at 10pm. Cover is only $3. We'll be playing our soon-to-be-recorded third album in its entirety!

Chuck Whittington of namelessnumberheadman is opening with an acoustic set of his brand new pop material.

As always, if you bring three people who haven't seen us before, you get one of our amazing American Apparel T-Shirts for FREE.

Oh, and if you haven't heard our music before, all of our tunes are available for free download at sexyaccident.com

Prospero's is located at the corner of 39th & Bell in midtown KC. Near KU Med and across from D'Bronx. Come out, grab a bite, and enjoy the rock!

- Jesse o' The Sexy Accident

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Recording - how we roll

2009-03-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

I thought some of you might be interested in our process in terms of what we do to prepare to record.

It all starts with the song. Those come from me, at least for now. :) I'll usually write a single guitar part, sometimes two, and the vocal melody and placeholder lyrics. Sometimes I bring just the guitar part to the band and I mess around with vocal melodies as we start to experiment with parts. I tend to write one "keeper" song a month, with many ideas getting discarded along the way.

Then we spend a good deal of time working on the arrangement. We experiment with feels, keys, different drum approaches. We'll work on omitting instruments in various sections to see what kinds of moods we can evoke. During this process, we also establish a baseline tempo for the song. We'll try it faster and slower, narrowing down in smaller and smaller BPM increments to just the right core speed. (Daniel plays to a click). When we find it, we write it down. This process usually takes about 2-3 weeks per song (with one group band practice per week.) We then record the first demo of the song so we have a reference we can all listen to at home.

In terms of album prep, what we then do is have a second practice in two "groups." The guitars (bass, two guitars) get together at my place and we play quietly to a metronome. Daniel works on his own as well. This allows us to focus on our individual parts and iron out timing and tempo issues that you can't hear when everyone's being loud. We do these on Wednesdays.

For the final check-off procedure, each week, we focus on two songs. We rehearse them on a Saturday, then practice in sections on Wednesday, then "certify" them on the next Saturday. To certify your part in the song, you have to nail it on the first or second try - no mistakes allowed whatsoever. So the band plays the song twice on the second Saturday - no more, no less - and if you nail it, you get a check by your name for that song. If some of the parts don't get played perfectly within the first or second try, we try again next week, but again, we only do two takes. The goal is to have a check by everyone's name for half the songs by the end of this month, and the remaining half by the second week of April, a week before recording. The reason we're soooo focused on this is everything you have to play twice in the studio costs you time, which in this case (because we have a fixed budget and amount of studio time) means less time for the fun parts: multiple takes, overdubs, experiments. So it's important to be really, really prepared.

On top of all that I practice my vocals in the car, though the intent here is to do those later, in Seattle, at Steve's home studio.

So that's a view into how we work. It's a lot of effort, that's for sure. I have a great band. :)

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Aw heck - it's ALL FREE!

2009-03-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

You know, I've been doing some thinking.

The Sexy Accident is a rock band. We play shows. We rock the hizzy. That's our business.

Our business isn't selling shiny plastic discs, and everyone knows that most people don't pay for .MP3s.

So, we're going to the extreme. As of RIGHT NOW, you can download our newest album, Kinda Like Fireworks, from our website for FREE.

We even encoded it at 320BPS for all you iPod-wielding audiophiles.

So go get it. And spread it far and wide! We want as many people to hear our music as possible, and we want you all to show up to take in the rock action when we play your town!

I'll encode and post our back catalog (and the Whitford and Jesse Kates albums) sometime in the future.

All this said, we truly do appreciate (and need!) financial support, so if you want to show your love monetarily, buy a t-shirt or button!

- Jesse Kates / Download Kinda Like Fireworks for FREE

Skies - Download it free!

2009-03-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Sexy Accident have released our third and final "single" from Kinda Like Fireworks - the spectacular album closer Skies.

You can download it for free from sexyaccident.com and iLike, or stream it from Facebook or myspace.

Enjoy!

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

25 Albums

2009-02-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

Think of 25 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. They might not be what you listen to now, but these are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world. When you finish, tag 25 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it

In approximate chronological order -

1. Random Unknown Mozart Tape
2. LL Cool J - Mamma Said Knock You Out
3. Quadiliacha - S/T
4. Propagandhi - How to Clean Everything
5. Primus - Suck on This
6. Car vs. Driver - ???
7. Swank - ???
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
9. The Cure - Wish
10. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy
11. Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle
12. Weezer - The Blue Album
13. Sunny Day Real Estate - S/T
14. The Wedding Present - George Best
15. The Wedding Present - Seamonsters
16. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
17. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup
18. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
19. Long Fin Killie - Houdini
20. Jeremy Enigk - Return of the Frog Queen
21. Lullaby for the Working Class - Blanket Warm
22. Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret
23. Josh Rouse - Dressed Up Like Nebraska
24. Cinerama - Disco Volante
25. Arcade Fire - Funeral

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

Photos from the Replay

2009-02-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

The talented Dalia Estrada took a few shots of us at our show at the Replay Lounge last week.

Enjoy!

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

Live & Album 3 Preview!

2009-02-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

The Sexy Accident recorded our show at the Replay Lounge last night on my little mobile mp3 recorder. I'm really happy with this performance, and I wanted to share it with you!

SXAReplayFeb2009.mp3

The setlist is as follows:

My Girl
You're Out Of Luck
I Just Need My Car
I'm Just Trying To Help Me Like You
Merry Christmas
Chatty Bandit
Buy Me Out (one of the best of the night)
Say Goodnight
I Tried Again
All Surface

9 of the 10 songs are brand new, for the new album we're recording in April. Let us know what you think!!

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

Bring three, get a tee FREE!

2009-01-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Beat this. Bring three people to any one of our shows who have never seen us before and we'll give you any one of these incredible T-shirts for FREE. Just talk to Jesse after the show and he'll hook you up.

There's no corner cutting, here. The designs are killer, and we only print on the finest quality American Apparel T-Shirts. You'll want to wear our shirts again and again.

Of course, if you want to buy them, that's fine, too. :)

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

16 Random Things about Jesse Kates

2009-01-20T11:49:00.001-08:00

1. The thing I hate most is boredom.

2. I stopped being a vegetarian (started eating fish) because I got bored with it.

3. When somebody disagrees with me, I assume they have thought through everything I have thought through and reached a different conclusion. This is almost never the case.

4. As with most people, my brain can't tell the difference between reality and something vividly imagined.

5. I feel that I am always compromising everything and it drives me crazy. Corollary: I push things as far as they can be pushed. Above all, I am incapable of half-assing anything.

6. I would like a new kind of breakfast cereal.

7. Sometimes I wish I had no scruples. But not really. The thought makes me feel guilty.

8. Somehow despite all this drive I really love lying under a tree in a park with a book. For an hour or so. Then I have to do something else. :)

9. Generally, I'd rather play scrabble with somebody than watch TV.

10. My worldview was overly influenced by Robotech.

11. I thought about naming my guitars for a while, but decided it would be douchey to do so.

12. I've always wanted to learn to play Flamenco. And be an excellent skateboarder.

13. Dancing is very unnatural for me and I find this frustrating.

14. Sometimes I think I would like to own a marginally successful retail business or restaurant. I'd rather it not be too successful so I can 1) make it be quirky and awesome and 2) so I can be a little slack. Other than that this dream is not very specific.

15. I second-guess things a lot.

16. At heart, I am an artist. I am a hack. I only care about mastering anything as much as I need to to make something, or to achieve my goals. I am a jack of all trades, master of none, semi-pro in some. :)

17. (bonus) I'm really into the fact that Aretha Franklin is singing at the inauguration.

And that's all I have to say about that.

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

Do you like to design posters and things?

2009-01-13T09:20:00.001-08:00

The Sexy Accident has a fine tradition of excellent posters. Just look at our Myspace or Facebook Flyer galleries!

To date, I've done 99% of the designs myself. But as the band continues to move forward and we play more and more shows, etc., I'm finding I can't keep up!

SO: we're looking for somebody who would enjoy making some "Sexy Accident" flyers. Maybe you'd want to do it for the portfolio, or maybe just for fun? In return, we can guestlist you to shows, give you free drinks (if you're of age. :) and toss you some CDs and shirts, etc. And of course copies of whatever posters you make!

We'd cover all printing costs (full color, nice paper.) We're just looking for help with the design!

Interested? Get in touch.

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

Kapow!

2009-01-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

We've got a lot going on here at Sexy Accident central. And, by BINGOD, I'm going to tell you all about it.

First of all, we extend a warm, mushy welcome to our new bass player, Pat Padgett! Pat comes to us by way of excellent KC rock band Six II Chaos and he's already adding exciting new aspects to our sound.

As thrilled as we are to have Pat P. aboard, we are sad to say goodbye to Mr. Pat Fent, our bass player of the last year and a half or so. Pat was a very important part of the band. Always great in a clutch situation (he's used to performing under pressure - ha), Mr. Fent probably did a better job than both Daniel and me when we hit the studio to record Kinda Like Fireworks. Through good shows and bad, Pat was unflappable and always good-humored. He put up with my oft-perfectionistic ways and he kept us down to earth. I know I speak for all of us when I say we're going to miss him. So, salut Mr. Fent! Rock onwards and upwards, and enjoy your new life in sunny, bikini-equipped Florida. We're sure you're going to do just fine down there.

We continue to rehearse like mad to prepare for album three (to be tracked in April.) And our new songs are terribly, terribly exciting. Why just today we worked on one that sounds like a cross between the Cure, Nada Surf and Iron Maiden. Can you hear it in your mind's ear? I sure can.

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

Thursday, January 8, 7pm

2009-01-07T22:00:00.001-08:00

Jesse will be playing an all-ages, parent and kid-friendly acoustic show in Brookside's swankiest coffee shop, The Roasterie! He'll be playing songs new and old, and should get rolling around 7pm.

The Roasterie is located at 6223 Brookside Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64113 (directions)

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

The tyranny of rhyme

2008-12-25T11:14:00.001-08:00

It's amazing to me how I have to contort things to make them fit a rhyme scheme. Writing a pop song is like trying to load a Toyota Tercel with the un-boxed contents of a two bedroom apartment. There's only one right answer, and sometimes you're still left with a floor lamp sticking out of the trunk.

Today, I've been wrestling with the chorus to a new song. This isn't the exact form, but I've simplified it to make an example.

The scene is simple: a guy sees the girl he was going to give a surprise Christmas gift kissing another, unknown man. Not complex. I had an image in my head of her wearing a bright red wool coat - something that would jump out of a black and white train station scene like a Frank Miller color treatment. I've established the setting through the verses, so all I need to convey is the kiss, the shock and I'd like to get that jacket in there. Sounds feasible, but it's easier said than done.

The rhyme scheme is:

A
A
B
B

Also simple. The ends of the first two lines (couplet) have to rhyme, as do the ends of the second two lines. And there need to be five syllables per line.

Here are four variants, starting with my first attempt.

1.

Your jacket jet black
His hands on your back
You’re turning towards me
I panic and flee

2.

Your jacket bright red
I turned and I fled
I saw him reach out
Your lips met his mouth

3.

Your jacket bright red
I saw and I fled
Your hands on his hips
While he kissed your lips

4.

It’s burned in my head
your jacket bright red
and how could I miss
your lips locked to his?

As you can see, the first variant lost the color of the jacket due to rhyme. Few words rhyme with red, though I managed to figure out a way to use "head" for that purpose by the time I got to variant 4. And very, very little rhymes with "jacket." :) Racket. Whack it. Basket. Yay.

The other criteria are that the first and last line should be strong - you want to leave a powerful image lingering as you transition back into the verse. And you want the first line of the chorus to catch the listener's attention. Variant 4 is the best given those requirements.

I'm still poking at it, but you get the idea. Sometimes I never quite get to the point where I'm fully satisfied, but I usually do. Right now, there's only one set of verse lines in all the new songs that I'm completely unhappy with. But that's another story.

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes

National Press: The Big Takeover

2008-12-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

The Sexy Accident were just reviewed by Dave Heaton in The Big Takeover!

I just got my copy of issue 63 in the mail today, with Death Cab for Cutie on the cover.

Our review is on page 153! Here's the text:

the sexy accident
kinda like fireworks

This Kansas City-based band's second LP is just as driven by catchy
melodies and smart, real-life lyric-writing as their first, 2006's
Tourism. But they're tighter: a forceful, even fiery power-pop trio.
The band's singer/songwriter/guitarist, Jesse Kates, sings with a
devotion and sensitivity that's sometimes surprising; his voice will
rise above the rock, catch air. His guitar will too, alternating
between lightness and crunch. The songs switch too from the rough to
the gentle, by telling stories sad and sweet. Within them people make
mistakes, hurt each other, and express their love, through road trips
and a shared knowledge of each other's eccentricities. This musical
and lyrical balancing of hurt and tenderness is to the album's
benefit, making it a very human sort of rock 'n' roll album.

- Dave Heaton

Like what you hear? Order Kinda Like Fireworks directly from us!

- Jesse Kates / the Sexy Accident > listen on iTunes