Vibe Out
This past year we had a really great line up of bands and artists. I was continually thanking my lucky stars for how nice and down to earth all the musicians were. Most of the time I was just so happy to be working with genuinely nice talent. A lot of good people to hang with and create. Really and truly.
But -- cue: tympani roll, lightning storm, and Tannhäuser (imagine Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, too, if that helps) -- with all the good apples, I gotta say, the studio had a few "challenges," too; artists that really put the good times in perspective. I call this Good Versus Evil. Most often I react just like any other engineer - don't take it personal, let it roll off you, and just deal. Artists vibing out a session and bringing a lot of bad energy can take myriad forms, but it is typically people yelling in the talk back mic (not realizing it's more of a creative, organized exchange than a conversation), new additions to a band that completely lack studio protocol, hyped-out singers that are just evil b!tch#s at their core and can't help it, and those that are disingenuous and manipulative. Twice this past year I crushed evil. It felt good. Going forward, I am resolved to crush it every chance I get. I work with too many cool, awesome people not to! Why let jerks vibe the session out? Just say no to evil!