It’s difficult to trace back how you’ve arrived at a given place in life. The chance encounters and whim decisions often decide our fates. As I was writing my bucket list nearly 4 years ago, there were certain items I wrote down, despite feeling quite certain I could never mark them off. Sometimes, though, life pulls out some nice surprises.

24. Be in the control room for recording an entire album

The odds of a) getting the opportunity and b) having the typical few months of free time to go were close to zero. To think I almost used a lack of vacation days as an excuse not to seize this chance seems so ludicrous now.

Tyler voted hood and I voted against it

Driving away from the airport in my rental, my all too familiar anxieties were creeping in. Any denial I had about where I was and what I was about to do had been blasted away the moment I stepped off the plane and heard Diamond Rio on the speaker, telling me not to leave my luggage unattended. I entered the driveway of what looked to be an abandoned house: bars on the window & old furniture on the porch. Afraid of what I might be walking in on, I called Jordan for reassurance that my iPhone hadn’t led me astray (as it already had 4 turnarounds earlier).

There’s something special about this group of people I was joining in Nashville. No matter the occasion, I’ve never once felt like an outside visitor to the group. Some casual “Hello’s” and a few, more excited “Hi Mindy’s!” and it was like I’d been there all along. Jordan and Ryan’s wife, Anna, were already there, but the Bender trio arrived soon after with a carload of snacks to feed the starving musicians (and their friends ;). Also, thanks to Tyler’s mom, Patty, we learned all about the history of the Lyricanvas studio from the owner, James, including details on several of the renovations. The drums were next to silent thanks to the floating foundation in that room. It was impressive. I wish my apartment had 18” walls.

Andy’s checking out the take

I arrived just in time for the final takes of “It’s Okay” and coincidentally, when I left a few days later, it was just before the vocals for the same song. In between were takes of 10 other songs with harmony tweaking, rhythm adjustments, and several occasions of finally realizing what Tyler was singing in a given song. At long last, I know why she’ll be back in “Simple Man”. Viewers who tuned in to the live studio feed even got to see some remixes by Brian & Andy, including “So Cold Alone” a la Asian.

The first day was rough. Between sleep deprivation and a real need for showering, the fact that spirits stayed so high was a true testament to the band’s enthusiasm about being in the studio. Plus, it helped that everyone was anxious for the evening, which would deliver Phil Keaggy’s accompaniment on “The Rain”. Around 7pm, Tyler, his Dad, and I piled in my blue Chevy Cobalt, guiding our way to Bellevue with some help from Tyler’s phone. We meandered further and further from any sign of the city, wandering by beautiful homes on spacious wooded lots. The pristine yards and home fronts had the style & grace one expects from the South. By the time we reached Keaggy’s house on a quiet cul-de-sac, we were greeted only by rows of glowing porch lights. Keaggy, a cheery white-haired man who stood no more than 5’ 5”, met us at the door and swept us directly to the dining room where his wife, two daughters, and their college friends were finishing up dinner. We were immediately offered helpings of the large bowl of pasta in the middle of the table, but we had [regrettably] already eaten. I did take note that they dined in style, leaving untouched place settings in front of the two unoccupied chairs.

Phil Keaggy

We rounded through the kitchen and down the stairs to the studio in the basement. A 3’ foot architectural illustration of Golden Gate bridge, a framed P.O.D. gold record, and other assorted items lined the stairwell. The studio was deceptively plain with cream walls and a navy and burgundy floral paper border along the ceiling. Not the decor expected from a rock guitar icon. On closer inspection, Keaggy’s personal additions to the room started to come to light. Aside from the obvious row of 10-15 various guitars along the wall, the side table where Tyler’s Dad & I sat held copies of select books about The Beatles and Eric Clapton’s biography. Between the piles of other books, numerous vinyls, and 8x10 of Keaggy with Paul McCartney, there was no denying the influence of The Beatles on this man.

Keaggy records atmospheric track for The Rain

After a single listen to “The Rain”, Phil held his Fender vertically and started recording. His clicking in Pro Tools seemed as effortless as his playing and soon he was playing back the song with this new level of atmosphere just created. With each playback, he’d turn to Tyler and humbly ask, “Is that okay?” Two hours, two more tracks (one on the Fender and the other on a gorgeous acoustic), and an “almost lost my dinner” moment when one of the tracks disappeared later, we heard an already beautiful song somehow made more beautiful. Tyler seemed unfazed by the experience, keeping his feedback to his usual “yea”, hiding every ounce of so-called nervousness mentioned before we walked in. Meanwhile, Tyler’s dad, also named Phil, was living out his own dream, sitting quietly in the back, watching the man he’d idolized for decades play along to his son’s song. It was truly an inspired night, almost more for the fact of how it managed to seem so ordinary at the time. When the recording was done, we joked in the kitchen over a batch of freshly baked muffins, where we (inappropriately) came up with too many ways of referring to “going #2”.

Keaggy propped his arms up right after Tyler. Hilarious.

Keaggy realized they were being twins and caught me taking photos of it

The drive home was quiet. Whether it was a bit of shock recovery or everyone focusing on my driving in the dense fog, I’m not sure. Tyler broke the silence with “that made me want to not play music ever again.” The band shared his sentiments when we got the track back to the studio, everyone agreeing that audiences would never be privy to a live version that fully honored the studio release. However, Keaggy does have a few decades lead on them, so I believe they’ll get there. Actually, I think his work partially inspired Jon’s new ambient guitar ending for “In Between”.

That night we spread ourselves across couches and air mattresses. Jason Hall, our producer/mixer/sound person extraordinaire, was gracious enough to put us up for our stay. Sunday morning came early after the night had stretched even later with a midnight Wal-Mart run after realizing none of the pumps were inflating the mattresses and there was a big movement to make Tyler shower. We rolled in to the studio about an hour later than expected after a short stop at McDonald’s. Despite the late start, the day proved incredibly productive, finishing tracks for the 6 remaining songs and vocals on 4 others. Tyler’s sister, Tara, came in to record vocals for “Chicago”. It’s incredible how her voice changes the feel of the song. She got several shout-out’s from people watching the video stream. She’d also brought Tyler a birthday cake, which we finally dove in to Monday, after singing “Happy Birthday,” of course.

Now, I was unaware that Nashville was famous for it’s bbq. I’m starting to wonder if San Francisco is the only place that isn’t, in fact. We had lunch at this place called Barb-e-cutie, which was next to New Famous Chinese Restaurant. I think Nashville should be more famous for its business names. The food was great, though. So great that half the crew went back the next day.

Ryan rocking out a bass line on Day 1

Brian’s fake drumming so I can get a picture of him

Even though the guys had made great progress, everyone was a little nervous about the fact that Tyler would have only 1 day to do vocals for 6 songs. Tyler was most nervous of all. But we had squeezed all we could out of his voice and consciousness, so we made our plan for the final day and headed back to Jason’s. I can’t speak for the rest of the band, but those 2 nights were some of the most restful I’ve ever had. I think we all crashed hard.

Monday, while the rest of the band entertained their online viewers, Tyler spent half his day singing and the other half in the bathroom. We really should have kept count of how many boiling hot cups of Refresh tea he took in that day. We erred on the side of caution and took turns keeping his cup filled. There were breaks every couple songs to do percussion and piano overdubs. Since we had video issues, we had only our imaginations to picture Brian rocking out on the tambourine in the other room. It somehow came up that it would sound great to throw it on the floor at the end. Something was a little off, though, and it was finally decided we had to take this show to the kitchen. We did get a dramatic re-enactment on film.

Jon & Andy working through keys for Fight in Me

Andy practicing with the organ. The wave formation created by the motor was insane.

Throughout the day, Andy had been working on a piano accompaniment to “Fight in Me”, Tyler’s latest song. After finishing all the other songs, Tyler & Andy played through the song twice. There wasn’t time to do more takes, as they were all facing a 6-hour drive home. From what I heard at the afternoon practice, the piano sounded really nice, so I’m looking forward to hearing this version. It’s undecided whether the guitar or piano track will make it on the album. Either way, I’ve already mentioned my love for the song, so it will be wonderful either way.

When Tyler first joined Mediasauce, I listened to his songs on MySpace, but for some reason or another I was convinced that he & I had nothing in common, especially not his music. Finally, in August 2007, I saw him live for the first time at Birdy’s. I can’t believe that was less than 2 years ago. Since that time, I’ve followed him through solo shows and his days with the cover band, Training Wheel Fire, up through the current line-up of Tyler Bender Band. I’ve been to band practices and show setups—there’s little the band has done that I haven’t experienced some sliver of. And yet, this weekend was the proudest I’ve ever been to call myself a fan. From witnessing their understanding of music to the way they collaborate to make each part perfect to the miracle that 3 days passed without any fall-outs, I couldn’t have left more impressed. That on top of the obvious accomplishment of recording 11 songs in 3 days, a feat said to be next to impossible. I was in constant awe from atop by bar stool in the control room. Three days of sitting and watching have never before passed so quickly.

Tyler, Jon, Brian, Andy, Ryan, and Jason (seated)

I set out on this adventure expecting a nice vacation. But every vacation I’ve taken has always come to a natural end, a moment when I long to be home again. After pushing my departure to the airport back just beyond the last minute, it was becoming clear that this trip was different than all the rest. Despite three days with mixed company of friends and strangers in unfamiliar places witnessing all new experiences, I had been feeling at home all along. And so, tears filled my eyes as I shared my excitement over the new album and began my rushed goodbyes. I was all too aware of the special place I was leaving and the tears came back each time I let myself think about it the entire way home. My cross-country move hadn’t brought such emotion.

However, on my flight from Dallas to SF, something a bit magical happened. I’d set my iPod to play all the Tyler Bender Band songs as well as some classic country. I drifted off somewhere in the playlist, but when I woke up, the playlist had long finished and yet, I heard the song “In Between” clear as day, some carryover from my dream I suppose. Reality was a bit fuzzy, so I glanced out the window to get some orientation. Just as I turned, I saw the short burst of a shooting star flow across the night. I closed my eyes and made my wish. It seemed a little silly but I couldn’t see the harm. I’d already seen that some dreams do come true.