We did it! After months of wondering how it could work to record at someone’s house, and coordinating schedules, and arranging the details (and a little of the furniture), we can finally say that we did it!
Our email readers may remember that a while ago we asked if anyone would be interested in having a little house concert and host us while we record. Well, our dear friend Rex was game to give it a try.
Here’s Rex with us after our session in his piano room last Saturday.
He’s smiling! That’s good – and he already asked us when we’re going to come do it again. 🙂
I think he was enjoying himself.
Here’s something you need to know about the home of Rex. It is occupied by a woman – his wife – from Bali. She loves her country, and she loves to travel, and their home tells a story of beautiful far off places. I kind of feel like I need to show my passport upon arrival.
The trickling pond greeted us. And so did this:
This door was carved out of a single piece of wood.
(Note. Most recording spaces do not have doors like this. Fancy intricate carved wooden doors from Indonesia are optional. But greatly appreciated.)
A peak into the piano room from the foyer:
Glass flowers are also an optional element when it comes to designing a recording studio. When I brought my daughter over the week prior to check out the space, she was pretty captivated….
My pictures don’t do it justice. This is where we’ve had our choir Christmas party several times. A bright morning in June sure brings about a different look that those dark December evenings!
I hadn’t realized they have water in their back hard. It’s a lovely spring-fed pond. Fitting, a fountain out front and a pond out back, considering this month’s theme of water.
So many hours of time and thoughtfulness behind these pieces of art…
And get this! – He even gave us some lunch! Wish I had taken pictures of the food – two kinds of curry that his wife had prepared. That woman is amazing.
Let me be clear. Such royal treatment was far above anything we expected! Our contract only mentioned turning off cell phones during takes.
(Just kidding. We didn’t have a contract.)
Back to the actual recording.
That’s Nick doing his stuff (or pretending to, for the picture).
And here’s us. We survived. Some hiccups greeted us along the way, but we greeted them right back and sent them through customs back to where they came from.
This international home , with art from across the oceans, became the place where we captured the sounds of these songs – songs about traversing the seas of life and finding beauty even in the storms.
And when we left, we might have let the door hit us on the way out, just because it’s a really cool door.
Thanks, R and M, for sharing your home with us for the morning! It is beautiful. And you are both beautiful.
Interested in getting the scoop about the songs we recorded here? Fill out this form and we’ll let you know how to hear more about them.
Absolutely delightful story and pictures. Very special relationship you have there. Maybe R and M have some particular interests that would suggest other themes for future recordings…?