Before handing the house over to the new owners, I felt I had unfinished business. A vineyard on our hillside where pinot noir needed harvesting and Neal Schon wanted to come over to my studio to finish up some guitar parts for the new upcoming Journey album. I also downloaded my analog tapes onto digital formats that required baking tapes for sometimes as long as eight hours. It was strange being in the studio alone without Doc--my beloved tech who died last year of liver cancer. Doc Shaffer worked tirelessly for seventeen years not only for me but for Journey on countless projects. Before I went on the road we shared a bittersweet visit. I spent an afternoon with him at the hospital two days before he passed.
The Nashville move was tedious and it took several Mayflower truckloads to transport the layers of belongings and keepsakes we had accumulated over the years as a family to Tennessee. The part I procrastinated on and dreaded the most-- tearing the 1500 square foot recording studio apart I built back in 1991. It took weeks to sort through --but with the help of some friends and Brent Jeffers, my keyboard tech, I was successful in vacating Wildhorse Studio--a space that helped me create over nine CD’s and countless Journey projects—including writing material for the new album to be released next year, which Neal and I started-- back in late January this year.
Fittingly, Neal Schon came over to my studio in October to play some guitar on the new Journey album (due out next April) before I had the place taken apart. Pictured is the two of us on the last day of the recording session. As we hugged that afternoon, I got caught up in emotion recalling the memorable musical events that had taken place there. Not only did we crank out Neal’s Beyond the Thunder, and Soul Sirkus there—I recorded and mixed 8 solo albums—spanning genres from pop to jazz to new age. Elvin Bishop, Greg Allman, and yes-- even Steve Perry-- all sang there. This was the space that Neal and I put Journey back together in 1997. A clubhouse that we could create in Wildhorse proved to be a needed tool for us to continue to hone our sound.
In June, with Kevin Shirley at the helm as producer, the recording for the new Journey album began at Fantasy Studios over in Berkeley, where we did Escape and Frontiers. We laid down the basic tracks that Neal and I had created during the early part of 2010. It was inspiring being back in the studio we had so much success in the 80’s. Not much had changed except that the old console had been replaced by a newer SSL. The tracking went quickly as Neal and I brought in several new songs we demoed on the weekends at Wildhorse to add to the mix. The staff was friendly and helpful during the time we were there and I even got to see some Giants games right over the Bay Bridge at AT+T Park. A concept album--the new release is a departure from what we have done in the past. It has a hard-hitting rock edge with soul-searching lyrics. Arnel soars along with some of Neal’s best playing -- the band is solid as ever. I look forward to next spring when we will release it—probably at Walmart.
From Cain's latest update:
http://www.jonathancain.com/
