Imagine two reclusive composers, hiding out in the Ozark Mountains and experimenting with a new form of music. Tired
of the conventional way of recording songs, and sick of the way the music business itself has ruined the creative process,
these two veteran musicians have completely turned their backs on the record industry and prefer to concentrate on making music
for themselves, without regard for genres, trends, or demographics.
Completely disregarding today's pitch-corrected, over produced, completely thought out type of production, this duo instead prefers to just set up and record
every time they sit down to their instruments. Both men are multi-instrumentalists, so one day they might start out with drums and bass, the next day it might be drums and guitar or drums and keyboard. The
only main rule of thumb is what they call the "Fresh slate" approach. Each session is regarded as only a jam, to get fresh, new ideas. Most seasoned musicians will tell you that all great songs start with a simple germ of a good idea, and
then the core of musicians present will then hammer out that idea into an arrangement.
Waveform LLC feels that when the jam stops to examine and contemplate that little idea, many other good ideas never get wings because
the flow of good ideas stops when the artist begins to compose an arrangement based on that idea. Instead, Waveform LLC prefers to keep recording, and ad libbing variations on the main theme over the course of the "jam session".
According to them, that is when "all the doors open up" and creative ideas flow back and forth with each variation on the central theme.
So instead of stopping when a good idea pops up, and then spending hours fine tuning it, the recording process captures MANY variables based on the original germ of an idea.
But they don't stop there. On the first playback of the jam session, a third support instrument track is added to the uncut jam. If the original was drums and bass, a guitar or keyboard is immediately added.
If the original track is drums and guitar or keys, a bass is added. These three instruments make up the foundation of the clips used in composing the entire arrangement, and everything else is added after the
entire composition is fleshed out. The vocal idea and lyrics are usually written as the third track is being recorded. With over sixty years of combined experience between these two music veterans, the ideas and lyrics
flow freely and very fast, adding even more excitement to the spontaneity of their method.
They feel this project was in no way contrived. They will tell you that "the songs wrote themselves". No conscious decisions about lyrics were predetermined beforehand. The
lyrics came to mind during the tracking process. Lyrics were not written before arrangements and music was not composed to suit any particular type or genre of music. The lyrics came,
on their own, as the song began to take shape. Particular care was taken to AVOID the "usual pitfalls" of "making a perfect record".
This project was not born out of either a desire to impress an audience or to make some sort of concept album. That's why it is titled "It Is What It Is".
This album contains 12 tracks. Two "guest stars" who also happen to live nearby appear on some of the songs. David Griffin, steel player extrordinaire added his zesty pedal steel
on "Heavy Handed", "Easy Livin'", Keep Trying", and "Fallen". Jerry Bone plays fretless bass guitar on "Don't Want To Know About It".
"Hold On To My Life"
For more information contact:
BOB KETCHUM
CEDAR CREST STUDIO
#17 CR 830
HENDERSON, ARKANSAS 72544
(870) 488-5777