Session with Seven Aurelius

I just got back from the most amazing recording session with producer, Seven Aurelius. So, it was 11pm on Sunday night. I was in my studio pulling up a "Man On Earth" song i'm producing and was just starting the mix (sorry guys, I'll mix it tomorrow) when the phone rang. Matt, one of the very talented tracking engineers for Bad Boy, was on the line asking me if i'd like to come to the studio and play guitar for Seven Aurelius, whom i've never worked with until tonight but had always heard amazing things about. By Midnight i arrived at Bad Boy HQ and was hauling all my gear in. I brought my Line 6 Variax electric guitar, a nylon string acoustic (that i played "All Falls Down" with), my steel string acoustic, and a high strung 12 string acoustic. my Fender tube combo amp and all of my stomp pedals. in other words, i brought the kitchen sink, you never know what you'll need and i used some of my real esoteric stuff tonight.

I actually love when i'm called to work just as a session guitarist and i can focus all my energy on my guitar, the song and music, and not have to split my brain into creative and technical. Matt is a very skilled engineer so i didnt have to worry about anything technical all night, thanks so much Matt. Sooooo, I've heard alot about Seven, how he's very spiritual, works very much on vibe, and is quite a unique guy, so i really had no idea what to expect, but when i got there the vibe was instantly positive, creative and it felt like we immediately clicked. Oh yeah, not to mention that he is an INCREDIBLE producer.

So, i plugged in, started discussing the song with Seven, which had been spinning on loop since i walked in. he told me his vision, i switched up a few stomp pedals and started playing along. the room felt charged with energy, everything felt so creative and the music just flowed out of me effortlessly. i threw down a few different vibes and approaches for him, we picked the choice moments, then he asked for a couple alternated approaches on different parts, and after about 45 minutes of jamming, I was done, he was very happy and so was i.

So, after that, he played me this new song he's working on for Donnie called "Rolling Stone". 3 words. OH MY GOD. that song is amazing, that song is adjectives i cant come up with right now.

So, i gotta say i relearned something important about music tonight. Often i talk about the vibe of music, the vibe of a session, etc... but Seven really lives that mantra to the fullest and it shows in the quality of his music. I have a reawakened appreciation for "vibe" and how important it can be to the creative process. So, i'm back at my studio now, lights are dim, lava lamp is rockin, music is playing low, i'm sipping a beer and about to chill for a few, watch some tivo of Making the Band, and call it a night. I hope your day went as well as mine. That was the funnest session I've done in a long time.

-Ken Lewis