Solo Piano Recording Q4 2023
Recording on a 100 year old Steinway Model D
I have been having the time of my life reconnecting with the piano after touring the world with my Extreme Metal band all year. A bit of down time has afforded me a deep dive with that magnanimous beast of an instrument. It is my true love in this universe. A complete instrument with so much depth. That’s the world I like to disappear in most of all!
On December 10th 2023 I went into the studio to record an album of Imperial Triumphant’s music, which I arranged for solo piano. I spent the entire Autumn preparing and creating in an attempt to get my work out there. I’m quite pleased with the results we got. While I know the music intimately (since I am in the band) it has been a great experience interpreting this music for piano.
It was recorded by Colin Mohnacs at GB’s Juke Joint in Queens NYC USA, one of my favorite studios around. Glen is great guy with impeccable taste and an unbelievable collection of vintage gear and instruments.
The piano was a Steinway Model D built in 1927 that has obviously had much work done to it over the years. For one, the ivory key tops are gone and have been replaced with plastic. I would need to take out the action and have a closer look to reveal more details. I had to fight a bit with the middle register, but the piano did have plenty of character to go around. Overall, it could use some work on the action. Tonally it’s a monster though. The low end was insane and we tried to capture that with this recording.
This year has had me working like crazy. I traveled tens of thousands of miles with my band. Q4 of 2023 has had me completing so many jobs, projects, recordings, gigs, and all around craziness. I have much more planned for 2024, especially piano related.
The album will be released summer of 2024 on Silent Pendulum Records.
