I stepped into Studio D at The Village and had a choice.

I could either (a) read up on all the history of this legendary studio and freak myself out before the recording sessions for my next record or (b) ignore the history and have that gap in my head for the entire sessions.

Was there any good choice?

I went with option (b).

I didn’t read anything while we recorded in Studio D. Instead, I kept my head down, focusing on the part I had to play: getting my voice right, writing great lyrics, and making the best record possible.

I even walked head down in the hallways in the mornings, so Tom Petty’s gold-plated records like “Wildflowers” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” wouldn’t catch my eye.

But then a funny thing happened.

It felt like the history of Studio D began working with us.

When we recorded “More Than Life” (one of the title tracks), we needed a poppier chorus. Suddenly, the Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ adage “Don’t bore us / Get to the chorus” showed up in my head. Then a harmony hit -- a simple “ooooh, ahhhh, ooooh” that lifted the melody and made the song pop.

Or the analog equipment. Engineers kept bringing in old gear for us to apply on the record. Chorus reverbs and analog systems that hadn’t been touched in years. Some dated back to the studio’s founding.

When we made the decision to record this music live on the studio floor at The Village in Studio D, everyone told us we were idiots. “They don’t do it like that anymore” or “the vocal bleed will kill your mix.”

But by making music like they did in the past, something more exciting happened. We weren’t there to treat the studio as some ancient history museum and just honor the ghosts.

We were there to embody the work.

And if you’re there to embody the work, the ghosts start working with you.

-- Mitch

Jan. 2022

I stepped into Studio D at The Village and had a choice.

I could either (a) read up on all the history of this legendary studio and freak myself out before the recording sessions for my next record or (b) ignore the history and have that gap in my head for the entire sessions.

Was there any good choice?

I went with option (b).

I didn’t read anything while we recorded in Studio D. Instead, I kept my head down, focusing on the part I had to play: getting my voice right, writing great lyrics, and making the best record possible.

I even walked head down in the hallways in the mornings, so Tom Petty’s gold-plated records like “Wildflowers” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” wouldn’t catch my eye.

But then a funny thing happened.

It felt like the history of Studio D began working with us.

When we recorded “More Than Life” (one of the title tracks), we needed a poppier chorus. Suddenly, the Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ adage “Don’t bore us / Get to the chorus” showed up in my head. Then a harmony hit -- a simple “ooooh, ahhhh, ooooh” that lifted the melody and made the song pop.

Or the analog equipment. Engineers kept bringing in old gear for us to apply on the record. Chorus reverbs and analog systems that hadn’t been touched in years. Some dated back to the studio’s founding.

When we made the decision to record this music live on the studio floor at The Village in Studio D, everyone told us we were idiots. “They don’t do it like that anymore” or “the vocal bleed will kill your mix.”

But by making music like they did in the past, something more exciting happened. We weren’t there to treat the studio as some ancient history museum and just honor the ghosts.

We were there to embody the work.

And if you’re there to embody the work, the ghosts start working with you.

-- Mitch

Jan. 2022