Rafael Miranda
Thu 20 Jul 2023
Hey guys!
It's that time of the week again, and today's blog is about the bass recording sessions for our EP!
In case you hadn't heard, we are currently recording our second studio release: a brand new EP, with the first single to be released within the next few months.
Our first studio album was an absolute success, with results and feedback from the public much better than expected, and if you haven't already don't forget to check it out on all digital platforms: Black Wolf Blues.
And now a couple of years later, a lot of hard work and preparation has been put into this EP, with some of the songs having been in the works for years, now finally ready to be released.
Just to clarify for those who are not too used to the nomenclature, the only difference between an EP and an album is the number of songs, with EPs usually having up to 5/6 songs, with anything more than that being an album.
Our EP will consist of 5 songs in total, but they will be released in singles, with the first one set to be released in a few months. From there we will be releasing a new single every month, and with the final one our EP will be officially and fully released.
Recording technology has evolved immensely in the last two decades, giving many independent artists the opportunities that once only big studios and labels could offer.
The music industry has also changed, allowing for artists to distribute their music directly to all digital platforms accessible to anyone around the world, as well as interact directly with their fanbase online and on social media.
And in case you didn't know, our guitarist Jake is also a certified music producer, fresh out of one of the best music universities in London, he will be in charge of the recording and production of our EP.
Taking all of this combined with the amazing creative output we have been getting from our new line up, and all the beautiful material that has been coming out of it, means that this EP is only the second of many releases yet to come.
Now on the bass recording sessions, let's start by telling you a little bit about our bassist, Liam.
Liam Hutchinson is responsible for holding down the low end for the band. Also from London, UK, he is not only a bassist but a great guitar player as well.
He began studying and playing the guitar at the age of 12, after becoming friends with Cameron during their time together at school. Liam had been playing with both Jake and Cam for over 6 years by the time they all joined Black Wolf Blues in early 2022.
He really enjoys being on stage as well as being involved in the band's music writing process.
He is influenced by everything from rock and metal to jazz, soul and blues, including bands and artists such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ACDC, SRV, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, The Marcus King Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Stevie Wonder and Tom Misch, to name a few.
Liam is pursuing his studies in music at college as of 2022.
Liam definitely has a lot of hard rock in his influences, and you can hear that on his playing and you'll definitely be able to hear that on the EP.
We are using state-of-the-art software for the recording of the bass, and the results will really amaze you!
Check out a little bit of what Liam had to say about the recording sessions:
"This week we started recording bass for the EP, the recording went smooth and it was good fun to experiment with some new bass tones.
Because we were recording at home everything on the shelves were rattling, which was pretty funny, but we sorted that out with pillows and by putting the bass amp on a chair.
I'm really looking forward to recording the rest of the songs in the future and getting the EP out..."
Also, check out a little bit of what Jake had to say, as the producer of our EP and of these recording sessions:
"The 2nd stage of the recording process is underway as we move onto bass and I am getting more and more excited as we record more and more!
Liam has been laying down, what I like to call the glue, so that the tracks are ready for guitars and vocals.
We have learnt a lot both Liam and I while recording the bass lines from coming up with ideas serving the song, to even how the instruments need to be set up in order to deliver the highest quality recording we can achieve within our limitations.
We have found that it's quite easy to add ideas into the songs however, we are both finding that keeping the foundation solid and strong is what our common goal is.
We are experimenting with various effects along the way to see what textures we can add to the sound and we have found some pretty interesting ideas and tones for sections of certain songs in particular and we are recording everything so we can decide what works best!
It's been really interesting to see Liam grow as a bassist since joining Black Wolf Blues and I feel that we are now starting to discover the right sounds that work for the band. This E.P. so far is also proving to be a journey through tone shaping that all of us are individually taking to find and hone in our sounds so that we can sound the best we can for our style of genre.
We are currently three bass tracks down, with two left to go!..."
One thing that really amazed me personally and that became one of the funnest parts of the whole thing was the writing process.
The writing process we established in this new line up is better than ever! And on top of it all, the dynamic we established between us as band members during the writing process and during the planning of this recording project as a whole is something that finished closing the bonds between us as a band.
We are really excited and working on this project every single day, it will really blow your minds.
You will naturally also get to see the artwork of the EP - which will be awesome - from the very first single, as well as the name of the EP.
As an independent band we need all the support we can get, so we are running a crowdfunding campaign to help us fund the recording of our EP and make it as awesome as possible for you!
If you'd like to contribute with any amount just head on over to our website or Linktree and you will find the link to the crowdfunding there.
Our next gig is this weekend 22 July at the Camden Rocks Presents shows at The Fiddler's Elbow in Camden Town, an amazing venue right in the heart of Camden, on a rocking Saturday night!
Many other bands will play before us and we’ll be playing at around 7 PM. This is gonna be a really special performance we’re preparing for you so make sure you are there!
Check out our Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for some of our videos, pictures and exclusive content.
A new video is uploaded to our YouTube channel every Tuesday, so don't forget to like and subscribe so that you don't miss out on new content weekly.
We also publish a new blog every Thursday, and next week's blog is going to be one of a kind. So stay tuned, rock on and have an amazing weekend!
Black Wolf Blues
Rafael, Jake, Liam & Cam