Growing up in Michigan, there was a feeling of magic in the way the leaves on the trees transformed each fall. Living there at such a young age though I didn't really appreciate the beauty at the time. For me the highlight was putting those leaves in huge piles and then, with a running start landing right in the middle of them until I nearly disappeared! I still remember the smell of the leaves and the fun I had with my family and neighbors.
Another highlight of Autumn was Halloween. I have a ridiculously sweet tooth, so going door to door to collect candy was just about the most exciting thing ever. But also - I loved dressing up and becoming a character for the day, first at school and then as I ventured out with pillow-case in hand. There was a sense of sadness in having to let go of that tradition as I grew older. Just one of the ways in which we leave our childhood behind as we go on to more serious ventures.
Several years ago I had the opportunity to record some songs in a real recording studio - the kind of studio that has a grand piano and an engineer on hand to press the 'record' button in a room behind glass. I was the receptionist at the time. The studio was in W. Los Angeles, called The Village Recorder and it's still there today. Just to give you an idea of the kinds of artists who have recorded there, here is a partial list: Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, The Doors, John Lennon and Elton John. A more complete list can be found on Wikipedia. Not only was I the receptionist at the studio (in the early nineties) I was also the receptionist for Robbie Robertson of The Band, who had his office and studio upstairs. My heart always skipped a beat when he would come in or out of his studio, although I tried to play it cool whenever he passed by. He never knew what a thrill it was for me to be his receptionist.
The owner of the Village Recorder was Geordi Hormel. He came in to the studio from time to time while I worked there. He was an amazing but quiet presence. Instead of continuing the family beef business he decided to purchase the building on Butler Ave. He himself was a musician. Geordi died in 2006 as modestly as he lived, yet leaving quite a remarkable legacy behind.
The building itself was also quite infamous. Built in the 1920's, it was originally a Masonic Temple, built by the Freemasons. In the 1960's, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi used it as his L.A. based Transcendental Meditation Center. I remember when I worked there marveling at the odd symbols in the hallways, on doors and windows. I didn't know at the time of its unique and eclectic history. It was converted into a recording studio in the late 60's by Geordi and was soon discovered by artists like Steely Dan (who recorded Aja there), Frank Zappa and Bob Dylan. The rest, as they say is (rock and roll) history.
But I digress... Back to my very own recording experience at the Village Recorder! There I was one night sitting at a grand piano - one in which John Lennon or Elton John may very well have once sat at, with my friend and co-worker at the huge board behind glass. He was kind enough to indulge me. I had asked a few times if I could record a few songs, perhaps on a rare slow night when most of the others had already left.
As I sat down to play, the sound of the grand piano was pure perfection! I improvised, as I often do and came out of the session with three of four decent tracks.
I held on to that tape for about ten years (mixed onto a DAT). I must have moved a dozen times during those years, but, I never lost track of that recording. I kept it with me in a shoe box full of cassette tapes even though I had a sinking feeling that I would die some day without anyone else ever hearing it.
But then eventually as the years rolled by something amazing happened. The music industry changed. It was no longer about getting that record deal on a major label and being discovered. It was suddenly about being your own record label. Discovering yourself and putting out your own music on the internet or college radio or just pressing it onto a CD and handing it out to friends and family. You might still be a small fish in a big pond, but, now you could at least SWIM in that pond! It was an incredible change - a new paradigm - which unfortunately has caused many record labels to scramble to reinvent themselves. But all in all, I believe it's been a good thing for artists - songwriters like myself who would never have had the opportunity to be heard otherwise.
So, I dusted off those songs and recorded a few new ones and put out a CD called Winter Magic. I gave my CD to friends and family for Christmas and sold a few too. And, then six years later came Summer Magic. And, now, my latest CD in the series is Autumn Magic - seven songs written and recorded in about a month's time in my home studio using a Tascam 8-track digital, which I love. (If I can figure out how to use this thing, anyone can.)
Yes - Autumn is a magical time, and working at the Village Recorder was too. (I hadn't planned on writing about my time at the Village but somehow the memory of it intertwined with my memories of Autumn!)
AUTUMN MAGIC is available on my website -
