The Story Of Pancakes as told by Skip Staples
In 2012, my wife and son gave me a small ProTools recording studio outfit. To use the software, I bought a refurbished upright tower PC equipped with Windows XP, loaded ProTools LE on it, and made many pretty good recordings. Most were my own, including the notorious Batshit Crazy album in 2013, but I also recorded material for several friends. However, time and technology never rest and soon the equipment only gathered dust and that’s how it stayed for years.
But in 2023, Ken, Steve, and I met at my house for blueberry pancakes and to play music together, something we all love to do. Almost instantly Old Men In Hats was formed. We liked what we were doing and decided we wanted to share it, but we needed a convenient place to record. Renting a studio was complicated and too expensive. So, with full spousal permission, I dusted off my old studio gear and computer and converted our living room into a recording studio for the entire month of March, 2024.
There were a few minor technical issues. For example, the system did not work anymore. Fortunately I once made a living fixing equipment like this, and I had time, so I fixed everything as best I could. But I always knew each time I powered this antique gear up, it could be the last. We got lucky.
We also studied several methods to properly mic a drum kit with just 2 microphones. Incidentally, I found no useful online information about how to mic a bass drum that is actually a Samsonite suitcase, but we pressed on anyway. We moved furniture in, out, and around and added several rugs to make the room sound warmer. Soon we were set to go and the recording dates were agreed upon.
The best idea of all the good ideas was to ask Wendi Spraker to feed the band and our guests for three days. That was a rootin’ tootin’ brainstorm! The food was marvelous. To paraphrase an old cliche, we worked hard and we ate hard. Play music, eat, play music, eat, - we got spoiled quickly. The menu was varied, delicious, and food was more than ample. My mouth is watering as I type this. It all seems like a dream. Mick Jagger never had it so good. Wendi enjoyed herself too and renamed Reuben James the Red Dog as ‘the kitchen Roomba’ for obvious reasons. Reuben loved it.
Between meals, we recorded twelve songs over three days. It still amazes me. Ken is well-experienced at recording, myself somewhat, but Steve was a novice. Along with Henry, the four of us wore headphones which put us in our own little world where we could hear ourselves and each other clearly. That made everything we did sound much different. What matters is everything worked, things fell into place, we did not seek perfection, and no one was hurt for three great days with friends in March, 2024.
After a few days rest, Ken came over and we mixed it down. Then the tracks went out to cdbaby for mastering and production. I supplied the artwork including Wendi’s beautiful cover photo, and five weeks later, we had it in our hands all on a CD. The music, the artwork, everything was done online without the need to leave my house. Amazing.
People who hear Pancakes are very complimentary. Most people tell us what great songs we chose to put on the album. Yeah, we did. They are all covers except for the mysterious El Envierno del Alma (The Winter of the Soul) written and arranged by my friend and bandmate Mr. Kenneth Bloom.
Pancakes far exceeds my greatest expectations. Frankly, it sounds much better than a home recording, but that’s truly what it is. Of course, I hear things we could do better, especially me, but that’s always going to be the case. It sounds just like us and that’s the best we could ever hope for. I am and always will be delighted by the entire experience. Thank you all.
The musicians are:
Old Men In Hats (OMIH):
Kenneth Bloom - guitar, bowed dulcimer, clarinet, vocals
Skip Staples - guitar, vocals
Steve Shelton - drums, vocals
Guest musicians:
Henry Hubbard - bass, mandola, vocals
Jim Green - harmonica on Blues For Dixie
The We’ll Meet Again chorus (All of the above plus):
Wendi Spraker
Leslie Staples
Russell Lapinski
Pancakes is available directly from any member of the band and is also available online. If you want a copy of your very own, email me at skip.staples@gmail.com. We hope you like it.