Reconnecting
Ξ September 29th, 2008 | → | ∇ Uncategorized |
This last weekend, it was my turn to go into the recording studio to lay down my tracks. This would be the 3rd studio we are on as the other two decided to close down. LeighAnn flew in, and she and I made our way to Skyline Studios of Dallas. Although I could write about how wonderful the guys were at Skyline, or about our experiences there, this is really about LeighAnn and I.
We were friends before we ever started singing together. Then when the group formed we became more of a hive, with a hive mind. It is very, very rare that I spend individual time with each of the Sirens’ Song girls now. I live in Dallas, and the other 3 are still in Abilene. If I had to guess, I would say that it’s been 10 or more years since I’ve spent individual time of any length with any of the girls.
In the week leading up to last weekend, I wondered if we would struggle to find things to talk about or if it would feel awkward. I don’t remember the last time she and I were alone on a project that we had to work together. So, there was an awareness that we could kill each other when we went into the studio. I wasn’t looking for trouble, but I was aware that there could be pitfalls.
This last weekend, when it was just LeighAnn and I, it did have a different vibe then when all 4 of us are together. It reminded me of the girls we were when we met, of finding the things that we had in common or found interesting about the other. We seemed to easily flow from “work” to our every day lives just like it did when I lived 10 minutes from her all those years ago.
LeighAnn is a talented woman especially with music. She knows what she likes, and she knows what she doesn’t. She also has a pretty good concept of what works and what doesn’t. (While those two sentences sound the same, they really are not.) So it was very easy to let her take the reigns and produce while I stood in a little closet and sang. Because of the way we have to rehearse with a 3 hour distance between me and the rest of the girls, the first time she really heard my part was in the studio. Most worked well, a few of things she rewrote on the spot and I recorded that. A couple of things were tabled until we could pull the rest of the group in. All in all, our experience was a good one. We accomplished a great deal more then we thought we would. We were both exhausted beyond belief by the time I took her back to the airport Sunday afternoon. AND, most importantly, we did not kill each other - didn’t even come close.
Although this past weekend was a wonderful experience, it did make me want more time with each of the girls to reconnect on the individual friendships while still enjoying the unique friendship of the hive mind.