Chi McClean

Well, I just finished up another mini recording session with the folks at Broken Radio (www.brokenradio.com). We were working on dubbing some of my new Taylor 814ce for a new song called “Thought I’d Never” that we tracked with the band last Monday. We also recorded some vocals for the song, too. Man, I knew the guitar sounded good, but when I finally heard it through a nice mic… Woah. Sweetness! The vocals sounded great, too, and I guess Matt Boudreau (wizard behind the board in the control room) didn’t even have to add any plug-ins or anything to get it to a nice listening place… nice dry mix and, I have to tell you, it sounds pretty darn good. A few of Matt’s students from Pyramind were there, too, and they did a great job of supporting him while learning a thing or two and giving me some good moral support (thanks, guys!) during the session. Apparently, I need to start singing about clocks, according to them… go figure. All in all, it was a fun and really productive day over there. Thanks tons to Matt Boudreau, the kids over at Pyramind, and Broken Radio for making it a fun time!

Thanks to everyone who made it out to La Barca last night! It was packed, loud, and tons of fun. It was great to hear folks shouting out requests for my tunes, too. Of course, I was happy to oblige! Great to see so many new faces out in the crowd, as well.

It was a late night – wrapping up the set around 2:00am after about four hours of playing solo – but it was a ton of fun. Somehow, despite the 3:45am lights-out, I’m up and at ‘em at 10:00am here on Sunday, getting ready for a quick surf to kick things off for the day. My fingers are pretty raw from hours of playing, my voice is scratchy, and my ears are ringing, but that’s nothing a little cold water and a few good waves can’t fix, I suppose.

Next up: recording some vocals and guitar work at Broken Radio tomorrow morning starting at 10:00am. This will be round two of the recording session for a few new tunes I started last Monday with Matt Boudreau behind the console. Looking forward to hanging with him tomorrow and his crew from Broken Radio and Pyramind. Should be a fun day. Stay tuned!

Well, we finished the initial tracking of four new tunes in the studio today at Broken Radio, thanks to Matt Boudreau and his crew. Boone rocked it on drums, Dan “D-Lucca” destroyed some fretless bass, and Jordan made the B-3 (or was it an A-100) wail… lots of fun, plenty of good jamming, and even some pretty darn amazing Korean barbeque in between (I had the barbequed pork special, just in case you’re wondering, and it was delightful). Yes, it was a mighty fine day over there, indeed. Next up, it’s time to listen to the tracks, make some edits, do a little rough mixing, and lay down some vocals and some comp guitar parts. It should be just as fun. Stay tuned here for updates and get ready for some new music, coming at you soon. In the mean time, be sure to check out www.brokenradio.com if you’re thinking about doing any recording here in San Francisco. They have an outstanding live room, two killer pianos, a sick B-3 with two Leslies, and a ton of other great gear. Most importantly, they have Matt Boudreau running the whole thing like clockwork and making it all sound smoother than silken tofu. Thanks to Matt and Broken Radio for a great day in the studio!

Well, I’ve managed to pin down some studio time at Broken Radio (www.brokenradio.com) for Monday, October 19th here in San Francisco, CA thanks to Boone Spooner and Matt Boudreau. I’ve been writing some new tunes and the band has been learning them (and even playing a few of them at some of our recent gigs) and now there’s an opportunity to get into Broken Radio and record some tracks for a new EP. It should be a ton of fun with Boone Spooner on drums, Dan “D-Lucca” Parenti on bass, and Jordan Feinstein on B-3 and piano. I’m putting some new strings on the guitars now, running through the changes, printing out the songs for the band, etc. and am getting pretty psyched. Stay tuned here and on my Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace social networks for play by play updates throughout the day. If all goes well, we’ll have a few new tunes cut by end of day Monday and, with just a little additional mixing and some mastering, we might even have this thing buttoned up within a few weeks. Who knows?! Okay, got to tidy up a few things for Monday, then it’s off to bed. G’night!

Well, we had another great rehearsal this afternoon out in Walnut Creek, of all places. Yeah, our bass player couldn’t get out of the house today, so we went to him! Fortunately, we survived the “Victory at Sea” conditions while crossing the Bay Bridge and narrowly escaped a number of near fender benders en route. With all this rain and wind, the Bay Area roadways were a mess. In any case, rehearsal went great, we updated a few arrangements to some newer tunes, and locked down the trio for Thursday night. Also joining us will be some keys (who were in absentia today), so be sure to come check things out when we go live at Rockit Room this Thursday night. Just in case you’re missing the details, we’ll be starting at 9:00pm sharp and playing until 10:00pm or so. Rockit Room is over at 406 Clement Street in San Francisco and happens to be next to all sorts of killer food from Phó, to pizza, to Mexican food, and more. Heck, Clement Street is a foody’s delight! Anyway, the cover is just $5.00 and it will be well worth it, if you can make the show. See you guys soon!

I’m headed over to Slim’s SF tonight to hang out with some SXSW’ites to network a little bit in advance of the 2010 festival next March. If you’re out and about at Slim’s SF, say “hi”! I’ll be the guy handing out flyers for my show this coming Thursday, October 15th at Rockit Room here in San Francisco from 9-10:00 PM (they’re orange… can’t miss ‘em), so there ya go.

In other news, I just booked another gig this afternoon down at Lestat’s West in San Diego for this coming January 13th. It’s on the heels of a performance at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles the night before on January 12th, so if you’re in the SoCal area, be sure to mark your calendars now. In case you’re wondering, I’m working on booking a string of shows for my mini-Cali’ tour this January, so stay tuned here for updates on other performances at a venue near you soon. And, hey… if you have any suggestions for places I ought to be playing in your area, definitely don’t be shy – let me know!

Finally, I taught my first “official” guitar lesson to this brilliant 10 year-old this afternoon. I must say that his enthusiasm and stoke for learning the guitar was contagious to say the least. You know what else was really cool? This kid gave me hope for the new generation of music fans and musicians: he absolutely LOVES classic rock (read: Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin). Thank goodness some kids still listen to REAL music (sigh of relief here).

Since I’m on the subject, I heard a disheartening story the other day from a good friend of mine who recounted an experience with one of his co-workers where he was talking about The Black Crowes. Apparently, the person he was chatting with had no clue whoThe Black Crowes were… I mean, seriously? Has this person been living under a rock or what? How could you not know who The Black Crowes are? Shoot… Chris Robinson could light up a small town with the energy and power from his voice alone. This person clearly needs some musical re-education. But I digress…

Cava Wine Bar is one of those rare gems that you find when cruising the lazy streets of Capitola (Santa Cruz). Nestled in this quaint little town, Cava Wine Bar serves up an array of delicious wines from all over the world (with a special affinity for wines of from the Santa Cruz region) and provides a near perfect venue for a relaxing night of acoustic guitar by the sea. Tonight, Thursday, October 8th, come on down, get a surf in, or just soak in some rays on the nearby beach, and swing in at 7:00 PM for an intimate, solo performance featuring songs from “Something Out There”, some new works-in-progress, and a couple classic covers. Admission is free, and the wine pours a plenty. For directions or more information, visit www.cavacapitola.com or call (831) 476-2282. (21+). Hope to see you there!

On Thursday, October 15th, we’ll be performing at the legendary upstairs lounge at the Rockit Room in San Francisco. From 9-10pm, the band and I will be playing some old favorites from the album, a few new tunes, and a few surprise Motown covers that might just get yer feet all in a frenzy! Mark your calendars now and plan on being there early so you can catch the full set. When you’re done, be sure to stick around for our friends from Black Eagle Trust and Light Machine. The cover is just $5.00, and I guarantee that you won’t find a better time in the city than right there in the pit at the Rockit Room, so come one, come all!

Yep, you know what that means… headed to Tommy’s on Geary Blvd. at 24th Ave. in San Francisco for margaritas, Mexican food, and some hang time with a few good friends. If you’re in town and want to join in the festivities, swing on by! The more, the merrier…

Tonight from 10:30-11:30pm, I’ll be playing a solo acoustic set at the Acoustic Lounge in the Rockit Room. Located at 406 Clement Street in San Francisco, this joint features a cool sound system, a great bar, cozy couches, and a nice hideaway from the rest of the week. Come on out and say hi! No cover. 21+