Location: The witch's house aka Songbird Studios

This time we actually wanted to physically get together instead of writing remotely by sending audio files back and forth online. We got on a video call to find an affordable and remote place where we could play and sing without disturbing any neighbors. Interestingly enough, many remote places do not have electricity, which of course was a no-go for us. Electric guitar and all ... When we saw the Hexenhäuschen (witch’s house) on Airbnb, we tried to make sure that there really really were outlets in the walls, not simply a weak generator. On one photo of the kitchen we saw an electric kettle! YES! This is it! It was decided: We would go to the Fichtel Mountains (mid-Germany).

Nerd moment

The keyboard ...

Fun fact: We're tall. I am 1.80m (5'11''), Volker is much taller. Upon arrival it became clear immediately why the owners call this cottage Hexenhäuschen (= little house of the witch). It really is a small cottage that could be part of a fairy tale. And when I say small, I mean small! We could not really stand up while going from room to room, we had to watch our heads in the kitchen and bow down when walking up the stairs. Moving around became a strange choreography, unique and hilarious. I did not fit into the bed I slept in. Volker had a wasp nest in the wall just next to the head of his bed. I would not have had the nerves to sleep there! Fortunately he did ...
Outside in the garden, everything was lush and green, and many different birds were singing their tunes. We were ready to go.

Writing HEAT: Jamming out like it's 1995!

When Volker and I meet, we don't waste time. Upon arrival, we immediately set up everything. Volker brought tons of equipment: Guitar and amp, Virus synth and keyboard, mic stands, speakers, all the cables and extension cords needed — and ... a BASS! I started out as a bass player in a Punk band, before I joined Volker's band RAWJAW as a singer in my late teens. So when he pulled out the bass in our temporary pop-up studio, I was surprised and thrilled — it was so much fun to get back to it and actually jam out together! Since I have to travel light (carry on luggage only), I just brought two mics and my audio box so that we could record on my laptop (in Ableton Live).

Nightly Sessions

At night we listened back to our arrangements, shared ideas and came up with the album title and concept. We brainstormed themes and important keywords to underline the feeling of each song.
We took photos of the big oven in the living room, wondering if this might be a good album cover. Although we decided to use a different cover art in the end, we still think it would be a perfect fit for the band Fu Manchu!

Recording

On day 5 we were exhausted and happy: We had written five songs for our third EP called HEAT. I guess we could have called it a day. But well, there's always an idea, there's always something exciting to do. So we decided to start recording!
We set up two mics (Shure and Neumann), one close to the Peavey amp, one further away — to get texture, depth and a signature sound. I became the sound engineer, Volker the recording artist. In an insane creative flow, Volker put down the rhythm guitars for each song as well as the solo guitars of Flare and Blowtorch. He also played and modulated the Virus sounds for each of the five songs.

Highlight

You can hear the birds singing in the background of the guitar solo of Blowtorch. This is why we called our pop-up studio Songbird Studios.