On The Making Of.
These tracks were recorded in my basement – a fairly common set up for working musicians. On my last album, Becoming Liturgy, Justin Rimbo added some claps and vocals and by an oversight of my record label didn’t get his name in the liner notes. I was pretty annoyed with my record label but have since forgiven myself. And Justin has forgiven me as well. All the same, I thought it a kind gesture to ask Justin to help me produce Reform Follows Function. In fact, before I came up with this name I thought about naming the album Justin Rimbo. Maybe that’ll be it’s nickname. Either way it worked out great. Justin accepted my offer to do a whole bunch of work for free. And just think, that’s my way of saying sorry.
I recorded acoustic demo’s to a click track and sent them to Graham Peterson (drums) and Justin Rimbo (bass) then, on one of the last flip flop days of fall we set up the drums and a smattering of mics and added drums and bass to the click tracks. Bed tracks done. For those of you who don’t know, Graham and Justin are both gigging musicians all over the Twin Cities and have spent years playing together as the
Fuller Still rhythm section. They work great together. On a weird sidenote – 9 years ago I was playing in the
Rachel Kurtz band in AZ and Graham’s band was also playing at the event and Graham sat in as the Rachel Kurtz drummer. In AZ. 9 years ago. Weird. Both Graham and Justin are a joy to work with and brought incredible life to these songs.
Over the next couple of months I would go downstairs whenever I had a couple of hours (sometimes minutes) and add stuff to the tracks. Take it away. Put different stuff on. And so on.
Jonathan Rundman came over and added the accordian tracks one day as our kids played ever so quietly upstairs. (When I played on his
Protestant Rock Ethicalbum our first round of kids played upstairs while we recorded in his basement) A couple days later I took tracks over to his house and he added Wurlitzer and Hammond. My friend Mari came over right before Christmas and added the catchy/trippy fiddle parts. For ephemera I put out a call on facebook for anyone that had dated via letters and got a bunch of couples to come over and sing on Ephemera. My seven year old was singing along too so I recorded a take of her. And then my three year old didn’t want to be left out so I got her on it too. Originally I didn’t think they’d make the final cut – but the more I listened to those voices the more perfect it became – a sort of passing on of the letter writing tradition. It may be my favorite song on the album, especially when I’m on the road and away from home. On take your time the clickety clack sound is my friend Matt playing typewriters. One pass with fingers on the keys and one pass using rods. Erin Deboer-Moran came in and did the harmonies. I held her newborn (my goddaughter!) as she sang. We took two takes just because one take seemed too easy. But I’m pretty sure we just used the first take. She makes it look easy.
Micah came over with a mandolin and we added that to Out on the Plains. (Last time Micah recorded mandolin on my kids album two years ago his young son was in the room and can be heard making kid noises on the MKNATPPOPPL) Then we ran the mandocaster through way too many pedals and added all the noise on Take Your Time and Redemption. On one of those I think I was playing the mandocaster and he was just kneeling in front of the pedal board twisting knobs. We had a couple vocal edits/tweaking to do so I sent tracks to longtime friend and gizmo genius
Joel Pakan who worked his magic. Around this time the tracking was wrapping up. My work was done.
Pat Tomek of the Rainmakers took on the task of mixing. He also added some great percussion and in the midst of recording an album with the Rainmakers left his drums set up and played the drums on Take Your Time. Once again I was working with a great guy that knew how to get great sounds out of my lo-fi basement studio sound. The last guy to work that sort of magic was Gregg Ward on the Mysterious Kung Fu Ninja and The Pink Princess of Pretty Pretty Land CD. Gregg’s been doing a lot of mastering lately so once Pat perfected the mixes they were sent off to Gregg who masterfully mastered the album and came up with some amazing fades that really pay off when you listen to this album straight through. Take that shuffle.
As the mixing and mastering continued I borrowed a painting of Matt Holm’s and
Kjel Alkire began the design and layout. There’s a whole great story behind the origin of the painting but for legal reasons I’d rather not put it out there for the general public. I will say that it was very intentional to have a gray and fluid image. I think that is a wonderful description of my faith journey, and likely yours. I’m grateful for Matt’s willingness to share the image, and Kjel’s sensibility to incorporate it into the design of this album.
When all that was done I took it off to
Copy Cats where Ed took it under his wing and gave it all back one thousand fold.
And that’s how we made Reform Follows Function.
On The Songs:
All We Can Do. I wrote this for my wife’s ordination into the ministry of Word and Sacrament as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. She was ordained in her hometown in rural North Dakota. The congregation was full of pastors and farmers. Some draw life from the pulpit, some draw it from the dirt.
Heretics. Though by definition I’m not a big fan of heretics, by connotation I am. We need voices that challenge the church, push its buttons, and reform it.
Metanoia. It’s Greek for turn around or repent. My foreign language song. I’d like to thank Prof. Jastram for the tutelage.
Out On The Plains. I wrote this biking from Fargo to Grand Forks one warm August day. I’m pro farmer and I sing about it.
Heartache and All. After reading Woody Guthrie: A Life I was compelled by his life ending in hospitals that struggled to discern between his being sick or his being crazy. This is the era that Bob Dylan came around to visit. It’s a love song. Micah Taylor and I used to play this song a lot around the time we recorded the Rachel Kurtz CD, Fault Line. (Now available as free download) Micah wrote Levee for that album and it later came back on For Crying Out Loud. I’m not sure who came up with that bouncy hammer on riff but it has served us both well.
Ephemera. Ticket stubs, bulletins, wedding invitations – stuff (usually paper) that in of itself is worthless but when we attach meaning to it it becomes priceless. In this case I’m singing about the letters Jodi and I wrote to each other in the early days of our courtship. She in Idaho, I in Minnesota. We’ve since moved to the same state.
Our Way Out. War. Not a fan. Soldiers. Some of them are my friends. It’s gray and heartbreaking. I’m done with being against things and creating polarizing arguments. I’m for peace and I’m for loving my neighbor and that’s a Truth that guides my prayers.
Take Your Time. Inspired by an interview I heard with MN actor Kevin Kling. In short he said, “When you can laugh at something it no longer controls you.” I see that when people are freed up to give away those things that once possessed them. In church circles we speak of treasure, talent, and time as the gifts we give. Give it away. Go ahead. Do that. You’ll laugh.
Redemption. I don’t believe the world’s going to crap. I don’t subscribe to the Left Behind/Rapture doom and destruction take on end times. It doesn’t jive with the bigger story we’re given in the Bible. The bigger story is that God is about one thing. Love. Love for us, the earth, and all that is in it. A love that heals and makes whole. A love that redeems. And we get to join in that redeeming work. And if it cleans up lakes and makes fishing a more successful venture… well that’s a nice bonus too.
Your Work In Me. The scales are always tipped on the side of grace. It’s not what I do, it’s what God has done, is doing, will do. You and I simply respond.
My My. The bridge on this song speaks to my dealings with depression, the verses to the hardship and frustration of living out one’s calling and the chorus is a reminder that when God created the world God didn’t say, It is perfect.” God said, “It is good.” That gives me great hope.
