KKC: The writing process

04/14/12
Started my day out proctoring the ACT Test.  Didn't have enough desks.  When I went to move desks, dropped a book on my foot.   It's just what I do.

But the event of the day was Kitchen Knife Conspiracy jamming.  Jeremy (guitarist) came to the BeeHive with three or four new riffs.  We, of course, start playing around with them.  But, as anyone who knows my band knows--we have a different singer than we had for the previous five releases.  Ian (who spent time in other bands, most notably IO) is ready to RECORD.  Like, itching for it.  So am I.  We all are.  In fact, up until the last album, we never went more than two years without releasing SOMETHING.  It's been almost six years now.  Tons of changes.  But several things have really drawn out the process this time.

1. The Beehive.  We spent a few years finishing the studio--which also serves as our practice space.  For a while, KKC was without a jamming spot.  Johnny's pops was a little tired of our shenanigans--leaving wrappers and drink bottles around--so we didn't really want to impose there any longer.  So for several months, even if we wanted to jam, we couldn't.
2. No singer.  John Prosenjak just kinda decided he was done with the band--due to his career, from all indications.  I can see that being an excuse for some people.  I can't ever imagine a point in my life where I won't be playing music.  Like, when I'm 96 and living in a home, I'd insist on having a drum I could beat on with my flappy skin, just to create a beat.  Lots of exciting imagery for y'all there. 
3. Singer tryouts, and getting Ian up to speed on older stuff.  Really, this was the biggest hurdle.  We didn't know if we could find someone to fit the bill.  Luckily, Ian is super-awesome and endlessly loves music.  He wears Vanilla Ice shirts--but besides that, he's okay.  I mean, stepping in to sing for a band where half the lyrics are still slightly undecipherable--that's a challenge.  We had around 50 songs he needed to look through and learn.  We'll have to revisit these before the next show.
4. My knee.  I broke my kneecap.  That's a boatload of shittiness, when you're a drummer.
5. The ambition of the new album.  We decided to do a thematic-type thing.  Seven deadly sins.  So, there's instrumentals to be done.  We've been chopping songs we don't like after a while.  Changing them.  Shifting titles.  I'm pretty sure we've flirted with 20 different full songs by now, but we're still sitting around 12-14 potential tracks for the disc.  No pressure.  When you're in a death metal band in Youngstown, Ohio--I don't think you have pressure.  Fans will just be pumped to hear new shit.  And I guarantee, we'll be pumped to play it for them.

So, as Jeremy continues to bring bungloads of riffs, and Ian continues to bitch about how we can't write more songs until we record the ones we have--it's actually getting closer.  Today, several of the newer songs were just getting really, really tight.  Especially "They're All Dead in There"--oh. God.  I can't WAIT until people can hear that track.  It makes me want to punch myself in the face.  No exaggeration.  It's THAT balls-up.