The day before yesterday we started work on demoing a new song "Start of Darkness". We recorded at the home studio of a producer named Scott Humphrey. I had heard of him before (Metallica, Rob Zombie, A Perfect Circle, etc.) but never met him.

I will try to describe his house, but believe me, words will fail. It's a very large black box nestled in the hills. After walking up the long driveway to the front step, Scott opened the door to his music laboratory ...more like a vault. Everything was black, or grey, concrete, steel, or leather. The walls were unfinished grey concrete with giant original paintings on the wall of really dark haunting imagery. His main workspace is very large, with enough room to sit on the couch and watch the recording "action" around the boards from quite a distance. On the walls were a collection of old monster movie posters and odd memorabilia and photos. On the way downstairs to the drum room were a series of framed stills from the movie "The Shining", for example. Every possible detail of the place was tricked out in an industrial/Tim Burton style. Loads of guitars, gear, and an entire wall of knobs and switches. I was completely blown away. It was a strange mix of dark, foreboding, and comfortable and utilitarian.

We set to work on tracking the song in one day. Stephen laid down the drums a few times, Chaney tracked the bass, and we broke for lunch. A really friendly guy named "Chef J" was cooking all afternoon in the kitchen, everytime I went in there he was grilling something or slicing up some fresh veggies, on his way to making the ultimate sandwiches- like walking on the set of the Food Network.

Dave got to work on the guitars (used a Strat, a Gretch, and Les Paul, I believe) and got most of the way through the tracks before we had to go. Tommy Lee showed up and needed to finish a song for his new album. He has been working with Scott for a while, and they are in the home stretch. We agreed to let them work and come back in a couple days (tonight) to finish a few guitar tracks, the vocals, and let him mix it up.

I had met Tommy a few times before really briefly, so this was the first time I got to talk with him. Really cool guy. He has a reality show coming out in June on NBC where he goes back to school, I hear it's hilarious.

All in all, I was just amazed to be inside this rock and roll world in the hills where Scott Humphrey does his magic. What a place. I will have to take some pictures this time.

We have been setting up the Panic Community all this week, thanks everyone for making it such a success.

Posted by steveisaacs at 02:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (50)

Hey everybody - we  just opened up our Panic Channel forums - go over and have a look!
The Panic Community

Posted by steveisaacs at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)

Raining like crazy here in Los Angeles, unbelievable.

Tonight I am going to go see "White Noise", a new thriller about spirit communications and EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). As usual with horror/thrillers, I can't go in expecting much, because they all usually suck, but I really hope this one will be good. It's coming out at a perfect time when I have been reading books about spirit communication and EVP, and watching Ghost Hunters. When I found out that there was a movie coming out about this stuff, I was hooked. The trailer looks good, but like I said, you never know. Good rainy night thing to do.

Working on something for the online Panic Community, and depending on how hellish the experience is, it might be ready by early next week. I think you'll like this one.

Links:

The perils of passing out. Good Times.

Fear Factor: It's about time. I like this idea - suing shitty shows for being shitty and making home viewers vomit.

Posted by steveisaacs at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

FYI: I guess someone is over at aintnoright.com posting as me, don't know what is going on, and I don't plan on checking it out -but rest assured, it's not me: I'm not registered over there and never check that zone out.

But whomever is posting as me - have fun! But please: make me say something rakishly clever. And witty. With a touch of world weary sarcasm. Yeah..."Something witty with a touch of world weary sarcasm". Well, not too much sarcasm. How about ..."Darkly witty with a touch of youthful optimism tempered by a steel-eyed focus on world peace". Maybe too much. Nah. I am cool with that. Yeah, that sounds good.

Do me proud.

Or ...just post that I am masturbating on newborn kittens and worshipping Cuthulu while wearing a fetching lime green pantsuit from Ross Dress For Less, watching reruns of "Diff'rent Strokes" covered in my own blood, laughing the laugh of the insane! The insane I tell you! Ahhh Ahhh Ahhh ha ha ha haha!

Either way, ...your call.

(Thanks Cori for the heads up)

Posted by steveisaacs at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)

Sometimes when you wake up and see a link like this, you know it's going to be a good day. (take my advice - wait til the end - it won't be easy, but it will be worth it).

I don't seem to have a "body clock", I seem to have a cheap "body wristwatch" that apparently is broken. I don't know when to sleep and when to be awake. Go to bed when the sun comes up, or try to switch it all around and stay awake to reset myself, then STILL can't sleep.

Don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I don't remember my dreams. Odd, but ever since I was around 20, I just don't take anything with me when I open my eyes in the morning. I am kind of envious of people who remember theirs. That said, I confess that I am most bored on planet Earth when someone decides to tell me the minutiae of one of their dreams. When someone starts up with: "I had the craziest dream last night", 20 minutes later I am starting to dream myself - of my own sweet death releasing me from the bondage of their boring story. It's just that dream imagery, to me, seems very individually specific. Therefore only entertaining to the one who had the dream. Our symbols are really our own. A reason I never got into dream imagery books - I have a hard time believing that dream symbols are universal.

My Father is a clinical psychologist, and has alot of experience with hypnosis, dream definitions and other interesting mind research, and assures me that with nightly doses of a certain B vitamin and recording what you remember the instant you wake up in the morning in a dream journal, you can remember them. I tried for a while, but didn't seem to take, so I gave up. These days, I have the most barely perceptible flash of ... something, but when I open my eyes, it's gone.

Panic News:
We had band rehearsal the last two days, focusing on 2 new songs, "Not What You Said You'd Be" (tentative title), and "Start of Darkness". Dave and Chris are in Vegas today playing a Camp Freddy show, then Perk has a Banyan show Fri/Sat, so we go back in on Monday. On Tuesday we are demoing out "Start of Darkness" in the studio.

This is a new year, and we begin a new enterprise: getting The Panic Channel all "official", so we are starting to do the meetings & lunches, dance this week. So far, we have done everything on our own (with help from some close friends of the band), but it's time to kick this shit up a notch. We'll keep you posted on the process. Have to hold on to our "good news" for a little while longer, but it's in this department.

I had forgotten how much I liked The Damned. Listening to them now. Especially a record from the 80's called "Phantasmagoria". Can't find it on iTunes. Drag. 

"The deadbeats and the dispossessed, seekers of unlikely rest"
The Damned, "Street of Dreams"

Posted by steveisaacs at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Hope you are having a great night! Best wishes to you  in 2005! Change yourself, and the world changes...

all my best,
Steve

Posted by steveisaacs at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)