BEHIND THE SCENES #22 - October 13, 2022
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SIGNING OFF....It's a been a hell of ride!
Check out the video for insight to a few upcoming projects I'm working on and a personal milestone (thanks to you!) This is a final goodbye to the Behind The Scenes journey. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I'll see you out there my friend! Cheers |
BEHIND THE SCENES #21 - August 20, 2022
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IT'S GETTING REAL....CD's are in. Vinyl has begun production. It's getting real.
Well, it's been real for a long time but you know what I mean. A couple Behind The Scenes posts remain before we sign off with the release of the record but I wanted to share today's excitement that sprang throughout the house when the UPS truck pulled in the driveway. |
BEHIND THE SCENES # 20 - August 04, 2022
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How about that artwork!!!!
Today I wanted to give a shout out to my longtime friend and talented artist, Kurt Smith of Vivid Eye Studios. Kurt and I go way back. When I was a young, strapping lad, new to the music scene I was hired by Kurt and his colleagues to perform at his art studio SHAPE Gallery in downtown Shippensburg. Kurt has always been an advocate for the arts, so he was the first person I thought of to design the artwork for the new album. I loved how we bounced ideas off one another and to be quite honest, how willing he was to take the reins on most of the layout so I could spend my time on recording, the tour and other music/life obligations. Kurt definitely falls under that category of surrounding yourself with great people! ABOUT THE COVER: The faceplate is the actual faceplate of my resonator guitar. A few months ago I had a small issue with the guitar that forced me to send it back to the company that made it. Due to a slight issue with a screw, they offered to replace the faceplate but after I mentioned that it was a major part of the artwork, they figured out a way to make sure I was able to keep the same faceplate. Making me a happy boy! BEHIND THE NAME: The title "Rust Don't Shine" comes from a lyric in the song "Rusted Belt" "..... rust don't shine like it used to do...." In the song, it refers to a steel mill worker who is about to lose his job for various reasons But you know us songwriters, there's a deeper meaning than just that I could bend the metaphors a million different ways concerning how it applies to me. But for now I'll wait and let you see if it has any deeper connections to you. Click the play button and have a first listen to the finished track "Rusted Belt" |
BEHIND THE SCENES #19 - July 12, 2022
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In the beginning I mentioned that there were 20 songs written for this record and our goal was to find the best 10. Well, those 10 have been found.
But what about the other 10? Some may not see the light of day again. Some, I may steal a line or part that I like and work it into another song in the future. Some may need a little fine tuning, a better result in the studio and just may end up in your ears someday. Like the song in the video.... "Orange & Earl" is a song I wrote for Maggie. We lived at the intersection of these two streets when we were young and dreaming of the future. Marriage, kids, careers, they were questions in our minds, barely on the radar. This song is about us. It didn't make the new record (which landed me in the doghouse!) but in my opinion, not because it wasn't a good song. But I think the recording made could've been better, in the end it didn't feel up to par. Back in 2016, I made a tough decision to pull a song called "Working Hands" (then it was called Pioneer) off of a record, also called Pioneer. It was supposed to be the title track. I loved the idea. But the song and recording needed work. Needed time. Now, "Working Hands" is a fan and personal favorite. All because it had a chance to grow. I'm going to let this song grow. Iron out some kinks. Give it time. Just like Maggie and I did for our dreams. Hope you enjoy the video! |
BEHIND THE SCENES #18 - June 27, 2022
As promised, here is a rough demo of a song I've referenced before called "Appalachian Moon" (scroll down to post #4 for some behind the song info). But this time, today's post features my dear friend, Virginia Masland on mandolin!
Also featured on this track is Adam Grabowski (drums) and Jesse Landis (upright bass).
Enjoy!
Also featured on this track is Adam Grabowski (drums) and Jesse Landis (upright bass).
Enjoy!
BEHIND THE SCENES #17 - June 20, 2022
A few weeks ago I had an "appreciation" post for my friends, Cody Wilt and Virginia Masland.
But I didn't get to share any of the music from them.... that changes now!
Today I have a rough demo of a song called "If I Had To Guess" which I invited Cody to play on. Within a day, he called me, excitedly talking about his ideas for the song. We chatted about the song but ultimately I said "come in, be you" and he did. Cody is very well in the conversation when it comes to insanely talented guitar players. The kind of player that makes other guitars players, like me, wonder if you should stay at his show or go home and practice. Cody has a great soul and it is reflected in his generosity, personality and musicality. Enjoy this rough demo, I have another post of Virginia's song coming later in the week.
But I didn't get to share any of the music from them.... that changes now!
Today I have a rough demo of a song called "If I Had To Guess" which I invited Cody to play on. Within a day, he called me, excitedly talking about his ideas for the song. We chatted about the song but ultimately I said "come in, be you" and he did. Cody is very well in the conversation when it comes to insanely talented guitar players. The kind of player that makes other guitars players, like me, wonder if you should stay at his show or go home and practice. Cody has a great soul and it is reflected in his generosity, personality and musicality. Enjoy this rough demo, I have another post of Virginia's song coming later in the week.
BEHIND THE SCENES #16 - June 01, 2022
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There's an old music story that seems to have a few variations but the watered down version is this....
A long time ago, Quincy Jones was producing a record with Michael Jackson and a conversation came up between the two about a certain song. Whether is was regarding production of the song, or vocals, or something else, I don't remember, but Quincy Jones basically told Michael... "you have to leave room for God to walk through" Well, that's where I am... this record is no longer in my hands. With a week until I leave for tour, I think I am officially finished with my recording obligations. Of course, I mentioned there is still a week until I leave, so something may change between now and then but I'm cleaning the studio today. Cleaning, organizing. Not putting away :) But my larger point is, its now in the hands of my #1 pick to work on this record, Mr Adam Grabowski for mixing. After that, it goes into the hands of a man I've worked with before but never officially met out of Nashville TN for mastering. Then into vinyl and cd production. Finally into yours. The fun of making a record is making the record. Some bands know exactly a time when they will be finished. This record did not necessarily have an end date in mind. We had goals, sure, but here I am on June 1st 2022 and I look around my studio. A room I have spent hours upon hours in since last summer, brainstorming the songs, writing and rewriting the songs, demoing the songs, recording the songs. A little bit of blood, definitely some sweat and a honestly, some tears. Now like magic, they float up the staircase, out the front door and start their journey into other's hands until they reach yours. It's a day of celebration, reflection and a day to start the anticipation of the release a few months from now (tentatively mid Sept) All that being said, fear not, more and more behind the scenes posts will be coming all the way up to the release of the album. Until next time, check out this rough demo from early on in the recording process of a song I wrote for my daughter called "In The Morning" Cheers my friend! |
BEHIND THE SCENES #15 - May 19, 2022
MORE SPECIAL GUESTS....
One of my favorite things about making an album like this one is bringing in my supremely talented friends to lend their musical flavors to my songs. Each special guest on this record was filled in about their song/songs, I answered questions if they had any, but they were left on their own as to what to play.
And that is when special moments happen.
A few months ago I had the pleasure of recording my friends Cody Wilt, guitarist from Cold Spring Union and a couple weeks later, Virginia Masland, instrumentalist and singer from Cumberland Honey.
Both Cody and Virginia are powerhouse musicians and it'll show on the songs when you hear them. I'll share some snippets of their performances after I return from New York this weekend.
Until then, this post is to promote them. Below are links to their respective bands. Give them a "like" or a "follow" and check out the fantastic music they make with their bands!
And that is when special moments happen.
A few months ago I had the pleasure of recording my friends Cody Wilt, guitarist from Cold Spring Union and a couple weeks later, Virginia Masland, instrumentalist and singer from Cumberland Honey.
Both Cody and Virginia are powerhouse musicians and it'll show on the songs when you hear them. I'll share some snippets of their performances after I return from New York this weekend.
Until then, this post is to promote them. Below are links to their respective bands. Give them a "like" or a "follow" and check out the fantastic music they make with their bands!
BEHIND THE SCENES #14 - May 10, 2022
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you can tell I'm a guitar player, my hands never stop moving when I sing without one!
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Someday when I hit the lottery.... I guess I have to play it in order to win it.... the first thing I'm doing with my billion dollars is making all my favorite bands make a record of their songs, but ONLY the vocals.
I'm a sucker for the videos on YouTube where the music is removed and you only hear the vocals. Something about the breaths in between words. The nuances of the voice swaying in and out of tune gently. It's humanizing. We are perfectly imperfect and that is what makes us unique. I enjoy recording music in general, but vocals are my favorite. I love singing a track. Reviewing it. Trying new things to make it different. Is it better? Is it worse? What if I sang it higher? Lower? Closer to the mic? Further away? You get my point. I love singing and all the aspects that come with singing, especially in the studio. Today's video is a VOCAL ONLY take of a song called "Laramie" Last summer, Maggie, Larkin and I hit the road, we decided to book gigs in small towns as opposed to crowded cities with covid still in mix. Distancing ourselves from people led us to camping in South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. While in Wyoming we spent a day in Laramie. Maybe it was the nice weather. The simpleness of the town's layout. The gorgeous mountains in the distance. The beauty of the name, Laramie, as it rolls off the tongue. Something stuck with me. So I wrote a song about a young man from Laramie. Living in the shadows of his family. Losing his path. And the desire to find it again. But I do throw that word "maybe" into the choruses just to leave a little room for the imagination to take over and wonder if he does ever "reconsider Laramie" Hope all you enjoy the video! |
BEHIND THE SCENES #13 - April 28, 2022
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Didn't I say something a while ago about surrounding yourselves with great people?
Well, here's another one of those posts. Meet Jake. Jake is a professional photographer who I've gotten to know over the past few years. Some of you may have seen him taking pictures at live shows around the Gettysburg area. A couple months ago, I met with Jake in his hometown of Hanover PA for a photo shoot. I've worked with many photographers. Everybody from the good, the bad and the downright rude. Jake is in a class of his own. He is GREAT! Jake went above and beyond to capture what I was looking for but also adding his expertise helped make the session smooth, fun and the results were perfect. The album artwork will be revealed soon but in the meantime you can check out a couple other great photos captured from our session. Sorry, I can't share them all. I gotta leave some surprises! If you are interested in learning more about Jake or need a photographer in the future you can check out his website at www.tvjphotos.com/ Be sure to follow him on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM |
BEHIND THE SCENES #12 - April 18, 2022 |
THINGS ARE PROGRESSING.... FAST! |
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Co-producer Adam Grabowski's initial reaction video to "Maybe It'll Shine"
A recent rough mix. Not finished, but with more instruments and a rough sketch of how the final version may sound
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The recording process is just about finished. Mixing has begun.
And that means things are starting to sound closer to a finished product. Not finished.... but certainly closer than we were yesterday, last week and months ago. Today's post includes a video taken by co-producer Adam Grabowski about 5 or 6 months ago when I was sending him demos of the songs. Adam listened to the songs for the first time while filming himself to get a true reaction to the song. I saved the videos for posts like today to compare where we were to where we are now. In the video, you'll hear him listen to "Maybe It'll Shine" in its first demo version. And you'll hear and see him brainstorm up his initial drum and production ideas. From there you can listen to a recent rough mix of the same song, only this time, the rough mix includes Adam's drum tracks, bass and the sounds of a beautiful pedal steel played by my friend and special guest on the record, Zach King. Again this is only a rough mix, but you can certainly get an idea of how far the recording process has come. Part of the fun of being a songwriter and recording artist is hearing how a song evolves over time. To some, these are simply 3-4 minute songs. For artists, it's a lifetime of practice, a forever life altering moment, and months and months of extremely hard work. To me, they are more than songs. We still have some work to do and believe me, we are working hard. But in the meantime, enjoy the process of an idea, from a demo to a rough mix..... and in a few short months, a finished song on a CD or vinyl record! |
BEHIND THE SCENES #11 - March 29, 2022
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JOIN THE BAND!!!! Adam and myself have been working extremely hard on the new record.
I've employed the talents of a handful of my good friends. But now it's your turn to make some noise! We have a few songs on the record that we would like to mix in some stomping and clapping. And we thought it would be fun to involve you. And its SUPER easy to do... 1) USE YOUR PHONE If you can record just audio, that works. Or you can record a video and we will extract the audio from the video 2) FIND A NICE SOUNDING ROOM Maybe a bathroom, stairwell or a garage. If you can't make it to one of those, any room will do. 3) CAPTURE IT Give a little space between each stomp. Give a little space between each clap. Two or three of each will do the trick 4) Send it to us via EMAIL: [email protected] TEXT: 215-703-8280 FACEBOOK: Nick Andrew Staver Music DISCLAIMER: No need to be shy, your video or audio will not be shared with the public. Other than the amazing stomping and clapping you'll be doing! That's it. Join the band today and reap all the benefits of being able to tell your friends you are featured on a record! Thanks friends, looking forward to getting your best stomps and claps! Nick |
BEHIND THE SCENES #10 - March 10, 2022
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ONE TAKE....I've been having a helluva good time in the studio recording my parts for these songs, so today I wanted to bring you in on the fun. Working on a song called "Rusted Belt" I challenged myself to hit my guitar part in one take.
Time will tell if this take is "the one". Guess you'll we'll find out when the album drops! |
BEHIND THE SCENES #09 - February 24, 2022
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A (somewhat, kinda, sorta, trying to be) BEAUTIFUL MINDYou ever see that movie, A Beautiful Mind, with Russell Crowe. Fantastic movie in my opinion. I love when he looks at an object and sees a larger, more meaningful concept. In the music world...
That object, is a whiteboard It keeps things clean, organized. The act of removing something from a to-do list is a simple reminder that things are getting done. "Keep chopping" is a saying I find myself repeating a lot lately. And I'm happy to announce things are moving forward, quickly. This past week saw a lot of boxes on the whiteboard get checked off. Still a good bit of work to do but when you find that "in the zone" feeling when making an album there is no better vibe you can surround yourself in. Over the next couple weeks Adam is tracking drums, I'll be doing more guitar work, I have some special guest recruits to come lay down there talents soon. Its a busy time and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! On the other side of making this album, a recent photo shoot has me super excited to see the final pictures and how I can work them into the art concept. I've brought on board a dear friend of mine to do the art design. Other goodies are in production and some are already waiting patiently in my studio to be handed over to you when this album is a wrap! It's an exciting time, the creative process has my brain firing on all cylinders. Just trying my best at being my own BEAUTIFUL MIND. Cheers! |
BEHIND THE SCENES #08 - February 10, 2022
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SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE...
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BEHIND THE SCENES #07 - February 02, 2022
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SONGWRITINGI wrote 20 songs for this record, well technically 18. The last two were newer and I didn't want to force them to be "finished" just so they could be in consideration of this album, so Im saving those two.
So of the 18, about 10 will make the final cut, maybe an extra or two as a "bonus track", we'll cross that bridge later. However at the end of the day, those 6 or 8 songs that won't make the final cut obviously still mean something to me. I wouldn't have dedicated so much time to them if they hadn't. The pandemic was horrible, still is. Many people were affected by it in negative ways. We all were. My job, my career was put on hold for a while. The music industry took a major hit all while at the same time contributing to saving peoples sanity with live stream gigs and quarantine records (see "Medicine"). On a personal level, forget what happened professionally, I leaned into the pandemic. It kept me home at a very vulnerable time of getting sober. I couldn't go out, so temptation was minimal. I got to spend time watching my daughter grow in the those early important years. It helped me re-evaluate goals with a fresh perspective on how I want to proceed forward, hence, this pre-order project and new album. This plan has been in the making for over a year. I wrote a song about it all. "Home Again". I basically turned "home" into a verb. The pandemic taught me how to "learn how to home again." This song may or may not make the final track list but don't be surprised if you hear it at an occasional live show! |
"HOME AGAIN" LYRICIt's been a hell of a year
Never thought we'd still be here I can count on both hands the times I thought we wouldn't make it But here we are It wasn't how the world came crashing down to a halt It wasn't how we forgot all we've been taught It was standing still It was starting over Learning who I really am Learning how to home again We may be treading water But better to tread than sink like a stone Maggie, we made it this far Might as well see what's more to come We saw the light burn brighter And just like that the light wouldn't burn no more We cleaned this house, now we're thankful for what we have And learning to live without It wasn't how the world came crashing down to a halt It wasn't how we forgot all we've been taught It was staying home It was getting clean Watching our wild weed grow Learning how to home again |
BEHIND THE SCENES #06 - January 27, 2022
Ladies and Gents - I present you studio master extraordinaire, the rhythm keeper of my heart, my dear friend, Mr Adam Grabowski
Adam and I have been playing live together for about a handful of years now. But my first professional work with Adam came when he took over mixing and mastering responsibilities of my 2017 album, YOPE.
Now here in 2022, I am greatly pleased to team up with him on this new album and bring you nothing short of our very best!
Nick
Adam and I have been playing live together for about a handful of years now. But my first professional work with Adam came when he took over mixing and mastering responsibilities of my 2017 album, YOPE.
Now here in 2022, I am greatly pleased to team up with him on this new album and bring you nothing short of our very best!
Nick
BEHIND THE SCENES #05 - January 20, 2022
LYRICS
Hear the echoes thunder down the hall
Busy feet on the tiled floor I never could sit through the wait Feel the cold stare from the on-call desk Her eyes haven’t left me yet I never could sit through the wait The radio signal dims The world's hanging on by a single thread They say tomorrow the sun’s supposed to rise If we’re lucky, maybe it’ll shine The light from the chapels on The sign says the Chaplins gone If I hang around he’ll be back in a few As if it was as easy as that To hang a sign and forget I don’t think I could even if I wanted to The radio signal dims The world's hanging on by a single thread They say tomorrow the sun’s supposed to rise If we’re lucky, maybe it’ll shine Remember when Mama asked me to pray When it comes to this, God and I have nothing to say I’ve been lying to myself, to you and everyone else, I’m not ok The radio signal dims The world's hanging on by a single thread They say tomorrow the sun’s supposed to rise If we’re lucky, maybe it’ll shine |
ABOUT THE SONGThis new album is running the entire length of the emotion spectrum for me. Everything from my wife and I being young, in love and dreaming about our future life, to being a touring musician, to fictional stories of how I imagine life for my ancestors. But this song, easily, carries the heaviest of emotions. In early 2021 my wife and I experienced a miscarriage of twins. The rug swept out quickly from under us, we struggled emotionally. Then, now and, I'm sure, forever.
While a couple different songs on this record subtly touch on our experience, "Maybe It'll Shine" (tentative title) is ABOUT the experience. These current lyrics will most likely be edited slightly, using about 10 different rough drafts of verses and choruses. As we track this song Im going to let my gut instinct tell me what the final words should be. Sad songs, honestly, make me happy. Always have. They are therapy. Writing and playing music for me is therapy. It's a sad song. But it's more than that at the same time. |
BEHIND THE SCENES #04 - January 10, 2022
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SONGWRITER NOTESIn 2020, I came across a book that had some info about distant relatives of mine who served in the Civil War. That opened up a journey of finding out more about my family tree which ultimately resulted in learning that my grandfathers extended family was huge, families with lots of children. I wondered what they did. Although being a farmer was a safe bet I began to imagine stories about them. One story in particular was about an illegal moonshiner.
"Appalachian Moon" was born. PS in the video, Im not actually looking at the camera, I'm reading a lyric sheet right next to the camera :) |
FUN FACT: That one of my wife's painting over my shoulder!
SIDE NOTE: A question was asked a few weeks ago that I wanted to address with everyone incase you aren't aware. At this moment, I'm only sharing "demo" recordings of the songs. These are not the versions that will end up on the final cut of the album. These are simple, quickly recorded sketches of the songs. Demos help me as a songwriter. It allows me to hear the song how you, the listener, would hear the song, then I can make changes to lyrics, arrangements, etc... It also allows me to send versions of the songs to Adam, so he can make decisions on how to approach the recording process when making the album versions.
BEHIND THE SCENES #03 - January 03, 2022
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AUDIONOTETo answer a question that someone submitted in a previous post via the comment section (at the bottom of this page). I was asked about the drum sound that you can hear in the background of the demos. Some demos are recorded naturally, meaning I hit record, play and sing at the same time like a live show. However, some demos I'm doing for this album have what is called a "Click Track" to play along with. In my recording software I replaced the "click" with a snare drum sound so the tempo Im recording to stays consistent. Human beings are not perfect so in a way its a very unnatural thing to do to play to a perfect drum tempo but it helps in getting ideas down on the demo. That way if I mess something up or a few days later want to try a different chord or lyric in a specific spot, I can go back and fix it without having to re-do the entire song. So, no, that is not a real drummer behind me and not what the final track will sound like. I like real people playing music, not machines :)
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BEHIND THE SCENES #02 - December 21, 2021
ABOUT THE SONG
"I Got You" has been around for a few years now, you might have even heard me play it live at a couple shows. I never got around to recording it because I didn't want to force it on an album. I really wanted this song to mature and with Adam's suggestions of slowing the tempo and adding a piano track of some kind, just might do that.
I've always told the story of this song to be about helping out a friend in need because they were there for me.
One, there is some truth to that. Two, more times that not, that friend is also myself.
This song is a look in the mirror every time I sing it.
We don't always have to fight our battles alone but sometimes, every so often our best ally is ourselves.
I've always told the story of this song to be about helping out a friend in need because they were there for me.
One, there is some truth to that. Two, more times that not, that friend is also myself.
This song is a look in the mirror every time I sing it.
We don't always have to fight our battles alone but sometimes, every so often our best ally is ourselves.
PRODUCER NOTESInitial Thoughts...
ADAM - try pulling tempo back - add piano? - cut band in bridge and return on "just look at us now" - maybe drums switch to different feel for a few bars to emphasize the moment NICK - will experiment with slower tempo, I do like on first practice though - special guest for piano? |
LYRICEvery time I drop by it seems to be raining
It’s easy to tell by the shape you’re in I’ll stand by the window and look out for the flood As you stagger down the stairs full of bourbon and charm Full of bourbon and charm You seem better than the last time I saw you Better being the lack for a better word All dolled up for glitz and grandeur Armed with a voice that could burn the Earth I got you because you had me I got you because you had me I got you because you had me The first time I met you, you were smiling Happy as happy can be All the while the world around you was turning inside out I knew you’d never believe that it could all work out Just look at us now Just look at us now I got you because you had me I got you because you had me You were there for me when I needed you So I got you because you had me Don’t worry, I got you now Every time I drop by it seems to be raining |
BEHIND THE SCENES #01 - December 16, 2021
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This is only a small start. Lots more content is on the way. Recordings. Videos. An insight to my lyric editing process. And much more!
Enjoy this video and I'll let you know when more is posted. Cheers!
Enjoy this video and I'll let you know when more is posted. Cheers!