BoodAbooM recording project progress report

Blaise Zhiam

Bill Hicks

Myself, (Theo) on harmonica

Progress on the first BoodAbooM album has been an exhilarating experience. The first day in the studio is always a day that vibrates with anticipation. As things have come to be it looks as if the same band that recorded the “Choices” CD is recording the BoodAbooM collection with the exception of the bass of course. We still have to confirm the keyboard player, but Billy Hicks is back on drums, Blaise is on bass (my musical brother), Rick Salt will add some of that killer slide guitar and yours truly will be playing a lot more harmonica on this collection of songs. John Forrest who was the bassist on my “Choices” album passed roughly a year ago. R.I.P. Blackey, you were one helluva bass player and a character loved by many.

There is a lot of preparation prior to the actual recording session and I was pleased to be able to help Rick with that part of the process. The first day of laying it down with Blaise on bass, Bill at the drum set, myself on guitar and singing, was huge fun for a recording maniac like me. We put in a marathon session recording 12 songs in 10 hours with little or no breaks. It was exhausting, but once we were on a roll it was going fantastic so no one yelled “uncle” till the final hurdle had been leaped over. Good friend Paul Jay was privy to the inside skinny as he hung around for the session capturing digital images of the day’s activity. Click here to see some of those images.

The following few days were spent re-recording the guitar tracks. The original tracks are never destroyed, but usually re-recorded in order to be able to focus on and capture the most pristine performances possible. Rick is a master of guitar tone and beyond being a friend for long enough to begin counting in decades, he is a musical craftsman and an articulate audioscaper. I have asked Rick to help me produce the BoodAbooM album as well as engineer the recording. His ideas and input are greatly valued.

Lois Lane Studios is a busy place so next week is fully booked with other recording artist. BoodAbooM will resume with the keyboard tracks the following week. We will be recording keyboard tracks in the main part of the studio as a band of notoriety will be rehearsing in another part of the studio. I am hoping for a guest appearance on one of the BoodAbooM tracks by a member of that band but no promises, we’ll have to wait and see.

It’s a long row to hoe before we will be close to posting anything from the new album. As it stands though, we are flying forward full steam ahead and will complete as soon as possible. Discussion about graphics and merchandise continue, as well as a lot of thought about where to solicit some industry help. In today’s world of Internet, there are a lot of companies making money off of those wishing to impact the music world. Lots of promises, each one with a corresponding fee and no guaranteed results. The sharks still swim these waters. The truth is that no one can do this music thing alone, even if you are a dedicated soloist without management you still need your friends, fans, venues, followers and those interested in what you are doing to make it all work. We create the art without expectation, without pretence and bring it to our friends, fans and the world hoping enough of you support this through buying some merchandise and coming out to the shows. Blaise and I thank you for that.

Speaking of shows, BoodAbooM will be doing a duo show at the Quarterway Pub in Nanaimo on September 8th. Mark it on your calendar and come on down if you get a chance. Subscribe to this blog to follow along with the progress of the upcoming BoodAbooM recordings.

Please send your comments to boodaboomband@gmail.com where they will be screened and posted if appropriate. 

Until next time remember, a little kindness goes a long way.
Respectfully, Brother T

Many thanks to Paul Jay for the photos. Used by permission.

The only thing constant is change

First off I would like to say a big hello and thank you to the readers from far away places. The new blog site has already been getting readers from not only Canada and the United States, but also a decent readership from Russia, South Korea, the Netherlands (gotta love Holland!), and 

Germany. I am so appreciative of being able to share some thoughts and life moments with you.

Albert Einstein said it, the Buddha said it before him, the only thing constant is change. I think the sooner one accepts that change is an inevitability, the sooner one starts to become comfortable with what you are not going to be able to stop anyway. The Buddha taught that much of our suffering comes from our constant wanting. Craving for this, wanting that, our clinging to the way things are and grasping for the way we wish things were, are all human traits that we simply need to be aware of. Awareness is the first step toward understanding the difference between what we really need and what we simply want or would like to have. It is also the first step toward happiness or balance if you will.

BoodAbooM at a recent performance.

That being said, Blaise Zhiam and I are faced with a slight change. Warren DuMailo who teamed up with us for the “BoodAbooM” project has decided to focus on a different band that he is involved with. We had a great show together on August the 4th, but distance and details are prohibiting much more involvement with Warren. We wish him well in his new endeavours and perhaps we’ll team up again somewhere down the road.

This week Blaise and I are headed to “Lois Lane Studios” to begin recording our first album under the new band name “BoodAbooM”.  Twelve songs have been selected for this collection and session drummer Billy Hicks will be joining us on the drums. Bill is one of my all time favourite drummers. He has an impressive history and is sought after for his studio chops and live performance. Bill was also the drummer for my previous album “Choices” ( click here to listen / buy ) and I am thankful he has made time for this project.

BoodAbooM will focus on danceable music that for the most part reflects the teaching of Siddharha Gautama, better known as the Buddha.  Not so much from a religious point of view, but more so from a point of methodology. I am not a Buddhist and not a participant of any form of religion. What I do find is balance and wisdom in the bare bones Buddha dharma or teachings. The music itself for BoodAbooM is an upbeat mix of rock, North American roots music, and a dash of reggae. The first offering from our band is largely penned by myself, although our live performances and the next album will include collaborations between Blaise and myself. The music we are presenting is our art form, our expression of how we see things in this moment. If you like what we are doing with the BoodAbooM band, please follow along through this web site and tell others what you find interesting here. Please share our web links with others and send me an email with your comments, enquiries or suggestions.

I’ve also come to see that nothing is certain, there are no assurances, there are no guarantees that anything will turn out as you expect. In fact if things do go as you planned, they will be slightly different than you had expected once you get there. Regardless, life itself is the gift. The experience of consciousness with all its trials, tribulations, joys and successes, that is where we need to focus and what we need to savour right here, right now.

Until next time, do your best to live and exhibit loving kindness to all and in every situation.
Brother T