What does a journalist with some guitar chops do when he meets up with two other aspiring musicians? He recruits them to help him realize a long-time dream of recording his own album. Jo, a real estate agent, talented singer and Eric Siblin's muse-by-text-message, is the first to join the author on his journey to finish a record. Siblin then runs into an old college buddy, Morey, who has a digital recording studio in his basement; he helps Siblin connect with other singers (including Morey's daughter, Haley Richman) and music producers.
Self-deprecating and admittedly an egotistic auteur, Siblin describes his journey from a handful of acoustic guitar strum-based songs to a fully formed, multi-instrument album--freely available to stream online. The process seems at times frustrating and demoralizing with moments of transcendence. Along the way, he records in Montreal's Hotel2Tango analog studio with Arcade Fire producer Howard Bilerman, in a tiny basement studio run by a wedding band drummer and in Morey's attic studio, where they re-envision one of Siblin's songs with more of a trip-hop vibe, placing Haley's ethereal vocals front and center.
Studio Grace excels at describing the process of recording more traditional guitar-driven pop songs in the current era of YouTube and digital workstations. It's a solid story that is recommended reading for anyone interested in making recorded music. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer/editor