Sandra McCracken

Happy 10th Birthday, Gypsy Flat Road

Happy Birthday to my second record, Gypsy Flat Road!  I was remembering today when I wrote the title track on our honeymoon in California with our little backpacker guitar.  We had to lug that guitar all over the place while we traveled (we had way over-packed for that trip), but it was worth it in the end.

I remember the sessions when we recorded those songs...the orange carpet and walls in the MCA Universal studio over on music row.  The room was like a clubhouse, perfect for sound and atmosphere, and it was an incredible group of musicians (Bucky Baxter, James Digirolamo, Craig Wright, Millard Powers).   We tracked the songs live with King Williams masterfully engineering.  Jonathan Trebing gave shape to the performances as the producer and lead electric guitar player.  A couple times, we had to shuffle our schedules at the last minute because we had to record during the off times when the studio was not being used for country demos.

After it was all recorded, I remember asking Roger Moutenot to mix it, and although I was a HUGE fan of his work, I didn't have much cash.  But he was willing and gracious to work with me on a shoestring budget.  He was temporarily set up to mix in the old bank that was boarded up across the street from Woodland studios (in East Nashville).  This was just after Woodland had been closed for flooding and renovation. That bank building was dark and creepy (and filled with so much studio junk) except for Roger's mixing board and a modest sofa for listening.  He worked his magic on the songs...taking care to frame the mixes as a singer-songwriter record, with emphasis on the guitar/vocal performances. 

And I remember the CD release party at the Radio Cafe (which incidentally, is the local establishment that is now gone and sorely missed).  The night of the show, we had the whole band crammed on that tiny stage, and the show was loud and sort of gritty, but in the best way.  I remember seeing my husband beaming in the audience (we were newlyweds), and friends and folks packed into that narrow room.  

Listening to the album this morning, after all these years makes me a little uneasy at some of my vocals (let's just say I hope that means I've grown as a singer).  But self-conciousness aside, listening afresh makes me grateful for the experiences that brought these songs into being, and grateful for the way that these songs are still a part of me today. 

I'm uploading the album to NoiseTrade for you to download and share for a few weeks in hopes that these songs would be part of you, too.

GYPSY FLAT ROAD FREE DOWNLOAD

All the best,

Sandra