From Exile

Studio Update 6: Strings Rehearsal

2008-07-28T17:27:00.002-04:00

Mary Knight and Jim Campbell are two of my favorite people on earth right now... They really made my day when we ripped right through this stuff. This is NOT the final recording, however. If you'll notice, we are recording in my ill-equipped home studio (bedroom).

Next is guitar leads and then on to vocals...

Studio Update 5: Bass Recording Session

2008-07-28T17:18:00.002-04:00

Special thanks to Jeremy Creamer of DAATH for helping us with bass tone... what a dude!

Ben and Eric are doing a side project show this saturday

2008-07-19T16:42:00.003-04:00

Come check it out; going to play some fresh tracks and even a bit of some new from exile

The New Music Industry Is Coming Quicker, Thanks to Last.fm

2008-07-10T12:05:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Last.fm started paying artist royalties directly to registered accounts for plays on their site. It is supported by ad revenue.

This is a big step, in comparison to Myspace's method of retaining ALL ad revenue generated by major/independent/DIY artists' music site.

Please visit http://www.last.fm/music/From+Exile

or just go to Last.fm use their site to stream and listen to new music instead of Myspace. At least you will be helping the artist out with a little money instead of how Myspace 'helps' an artist out: hacked song play numbers, auto-spam-adder bulletin bombers, bot-driven profile views.... Myspace is broken; I type more things like 'hdI84577cn' because they require so many captchas than I type normal, communicative phrases like, "hello, i like your band".

The point is; if you really want to support an independent artist like From Exile, listen to their music on last.fm instead of Myspace because it will make the artist money that they can use to continue their enterprise.

There is a great WIRED article about it here: http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/07/lastfm-compensa.html

You can learn more about it on the Last.fm site here: http://last.fm/uploadmusic

What do you think?

eric

Studio Update 4: Piano session and new material preview

2008-07-07T14:03:00.002-04:00

The piano for the record is done, back to guitar.

Studio Update 3: Clean Guitars

2008-05-27T23:57:00.003-04:00

Here is a long video of us making takes for a part using the ebow. Its a little slow-paced, but you can hear some of what we are working on:

Studio Update 2: Clean Guitars and Acoustics

2008-05-25T15:49:00.002-04:00

Thats all we got so far... ha!

Seriously, sounding tighter than ever...

http://justin.tv/ericguenther <--- if we can connect long enough to broadcast

Recording Update 1 - The Chart

2008-05-16T20:15:00.000-04:00

Recording Update; Live mp3 download

2008-05-16T13:07:00.004-04:00

Today we return to Hairy Breakfast studios to continue our work on the follow-up to Crushing Reality. We are about three weeks away from completion and it is beginning to sound incredible. It is absolutely leaps and bounds beyond our last recording. Our friend Mary Knight will be recording cello parts next week, and hopefully we will have some guest guitar solos to announce as well...

I will be putting together a studio footage mash-up once all the footage has been collected...

Here is a live mp3 of our instrumental "Phantom" from one of our shows at the Jinx in Savannah, GA last year:

From Exile - Phantom (live)

Stream it here;

From Exile mp3 - Crushing Reality Full Stream

2008-05-16T13:04:00.003-04:00

Stream the entirety of Crushing Reality Here:

Onset

Cataclysm

Soliloquy Of Death

Descension

Product of Sin

Phantom

Crushing Reality

Gunpoint

Ascension

Finale

Free Mp3 Download; Crushing Reality 2006 LP

2008-04-24T22:10:00.001-04:00

From Exile - Crushing Reality available for free download here!

Crushing Reality, the 2006 debut LP is available for free as 160k MP3s! HIGH QUALITY 320kbps and FLAC available with donation, which will guarantee your free entry into your choice of any show we play -- even all of them if you treat us right! (Link is on the right). We just want to be heard so we can continue to make music - Please consider donating in any amount you think is fair. Or, if you wallet is thin, help out by spreading the word and showing our music to someone else.

Blog it, email it, podcast it, myspace it, whatever!

- - Click here to download Crushing Reality (160kbps) - -

RECORDING NEW ALBUM NOW; DUE SUMMER 2008

From Exile Live Videos

2008-04-23T11:11:00.000-04:00

Mega content dump...

Live Oct 5 2006 Masquerade:

Live Feb 17 2007 Masquerade:

Live Feb 17 2007 Masquerade (Re-edit):

Live May 3 2007 Masquerade:

Acoustic set Home Park Fest 2007:

Product of Sin:

Crushing Reality:

New song:

As tears go by From Exile:

Thursday, May 3rd

2007-04-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Feb 17th, Masquerade Heaven

2007-02-19T16:49:00.000-05:00

Check out photos of our Masquerade Heaven set from Feb. 17th on the music blog www.ohmpark.com

1/29/07

2007-01-29T16:54:00.000-05:00

From Exile and bassist Beau MacKinlay have parted ways.

Beau will forever be a part of the From Exile family.

Peace Out 2K6

2006-12-31T03:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks for a great year, see you all in '07!
-From Exile

A New Era of Exile

2006-11-13T03:47:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 13th 2006, by Vince

Great things are happening in the world of From Exile. This past week, we played the first three of seven shows in what will easily become our busiest month since the recording of "Crushing Reality" almost a year ago. Ten High, 1084, and Tasty World all felt the onslaught. Thanks are understood. We are honored to have such good friends and to play with such great bands.

Stay tuned... things are starting to get interesting.

Home Park Fest 2006

2006-10-23T00:26:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 22nd 2006, by Vince

This past Saturday, From Exile had the privilege of headlining Home Park Fest 2006 in Atlanta. For those who don't know, Home Park is a cozy neighborhood near Georgia Tech campus that is home to many students and other unsavory characters. The festival was an all-day affair, including music and arts from residents and non-residents alike. A wide variety of great bands also performed, including Passer By and Sun Toucher. Big thanks go out to everyone who organized and helped make the festival possible. Special thanks also to everyone who came out to listen to the music. Those who watched us got to see the special debut of the prototype for a brand new From Exile song. Hope you guys enjoyed it! We may not perform that version ever again! We have several more shows in the area coming up very soon, so check our schedule and be sure to come out and party with us.

Here are some photos from the show, courtesy of Clint:

As always, check back later for more blogsclusive content! Later!

We've Been Busy/Album Finally Out!

2006-10-08T17:21:00.000-04:00

Sunday October 8th, 2006 by Vince

Remember way back in December and January when we chronicled the recording of our first full-length album "Crushing Reality?" Well, late last month the album was officially and completely released! It has been a long time in the works, and we are excited and proud to finally have the album out so that everyone can hear it. "CRUSHING REALITY," complete with badass artwork pictured above, is now availble for online order through our myspace page. You can also order From Exile logo T-shirts from the same location.

Some people have also been asking for personalized copies:

No problem.

We have also had a busy show schedule lately, with performances at Tasty World in Athens and the Masquerade in Atlanta. Big thanks to all friends and fans who have supported us at these shows. Special thanks go out to the phloggers who documented the mayhem. We are always in search of From Exile-related media, and encourage videography/photography/audio recording at all live shows. If you happen to have any photos or video you would like to share, we would like to hear from you.

There are plenty more shows coming up, so if you missed us the last couple times around, be sure to check our myspace page, which is constantly updated with show info. Check out some grainy camera-phone shots from our last show at the Masquerade, courtesy of the phlog.

Our performance at the Masquerade was filmed along with an interview for Georgia Tech TV. We will be making announcements about where to view this footage and probably posting some of it online in the weeks to come. Check back soon for more updates, and come to a show!

The Gang's All Here

2006-07-14T23:06:00.000-04:00

From Exile at our home base in Atlanta with honorary fifth and
sixth members, producer Anthony and band manager Mary.

An Evening With From Exile

2006-06-08T23:31:00.000-04:00

Thursday, June 8th 2006 by Vince

On the once-in-a-millenium date of 6/6/06, From Exile played a special live set that was broadcasted live on WREK in Atlanta. The awesome people from Wrekage played metal for 24 straight hours on the historic day of evil, and were also demonic enough to host From Exile live at Georgia Tech. The entire show, including our live performance, is archived on their website. So feel free to check it out if you missed the mayhem! Huge thanks go out to all of our friends who either came to the broadcast or tuned in to the show. Here are a few photos I took during setup and soundcheck:

And one more.

Thanks again to everyone who made the show possible. In other news, Crushing Reality should finally see the light of day sometime this summer, so keep your eyes on From Exile's Myspace for info on the release and also for summer show updates. Over and out.

Two Weeks of Exile, Part 2

2006-03-15T16:03:00.000-05:00

Wednesday March 15, 2006 by Vince

On Saturday, March 11, From Exile hosted the official listening party for "Crushing Reality" in Atlanta. It was a rocking night of food, booze, and metal. Thanks to everyone! Here are some photos:

Eric, our buddy Greg from WUOG's Loud Fast Rules, and Ben

Some people listening?

Mary and Vince

Eric celebrates

Success!

Stay tuned for updates on the official release date of Crushing Reality, and check us out on myspace for new tracks!

Two Weeks of Exile, Part 1

2006-03-13T00:29:00.000-05:00

March 12th, 2006 by Vince

The first two weeks of March 2006 held much action and excitement in the From Exile camp. Let's take a look back...

On Friday March 3rd, Ben, Eric, and Vince returned to Rockstudio in Brunswick, GA to finish the mixing of "Crushing Reality" alongside all-star producer and fifth 'exile Anthony. Anthony had already done substantial work on mixes of two songs prior to our arrival, which helped us get off to a quick start Friday night. We spent most of the weekend perfecting the final mixes for the album, including the intricate "Finale," which took nearly 8 hours to mix on Saturday. Thanks to Anthony's patience and unrivaled skills, we completely finished the record late Sunday afternoon. Here are some photos from the mixing sessions:

Ben and Eric give their opinion on a mix.

Anthony catching up with us on Friday night.

Cool shot of Anthony and Eric.

In between mixing, we also took a brief sabbatical to Jeykll Island and stopped by Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon for some delicious food.

Vince on Jeykll.

Ben and Eric outside the home of unequaled Willie Burger.

After a long day and night on Saturday, the mixes for the album were finally done, and everyone was excited for a proper listen.

Anthony and J.R. take a listen back at Vince's house.

Ben and Eric admire their hard work over a cold one.

Vince very satisfied with the final mixes

On Sunday we finished the track layout for the CD and put the final touches on "Crushing Reality." That's a wrap! Everyone was very excited and relieved to have our vision for the album match up so well with the completed version, and we cannot wait to properly release the album. In the meantime, we decided to have a special listening party for the album in Atlanta the following weekend. Part 2 of this blog will be all about the listening party that was held at the House of 'Exile in Atlanta. Later!

2006-03-08T15:28:00.000-05:00

Email Vince for more info

Exile on Easy Street

2006-01-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

Saturday, January 7, 2006 by From Exile and Anthony

Today we finished recording our new album! We started the day off with Beau completeing the screaming vocals for a couple of songs. Then Eric experimented with clean vocals. We patched up one stray guitar lead that we had forgotten to do yesterday and then planned our course of action for the next couple of weeks.
Let's take a look to see how the band's studio beards are doing...

Remember, when Chuck Norris helps you jumpstart your car, beard positive, fist negative.

Now let's take a look back, two years in the past and see how From Exile has matured:

December 2003

January 2006

And again...

Great work guys.

So now we are done, more updates to come while we are back in the studio for mixing and mastering. Peace out and thanks for reading our studio blog!

From Exile

Rockstudio

Get on the Mic!

2006-01-07T02:01:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 6, 2006 by Anthony
After a late night last night,
we came in today and finished up several important studio tasks:

1. Ben and Eric finished their guitar solos.

2. Vince banged on his grandpa's bass drum.

3. Eric accompanied Vince on some floor tom overdubs.

4. Beau took to the microphone and belted out vocals for 4 songs. BAM!

Be sure to click on the links above to witness Blogsclusive video content.
Here are some additional photographs of today's proceedings.

Beau thinking about the mic.
Beau blurry on the mic.

Tomorrow shall be our last day of scheduled recording for this record. The band plans to return to mix later this month. Bye!

Back in Business

2006-01-06T03:06:00.000-05:00

January 5th, 2006 by Beau

Vince and Eric headed to the studio early this morning to help Anthony get everything running again. Ben and I headed over there a little bit later. Here's a video of us on our way to the studio:

Check it out, we're mobile

Luckily when we arrived at the studio everything was back in working order and they were already re-doing the lost tracks from yesterday. Here's a video of Ben and I shortly after our arrival:

Back to work

Here's a photo of Eric and Anthony in the tracking room preparing to record more leads:

Later on in the night Eric began adding keys to some of the tracks. Here is an eerie photo of him in action:

Meanwhile, Ben and Vince entertained me with a lil tune:

Quiznos Subs

All that's left for tomorrow is a few leads on "E&B" and beginning the lyrics. Check back tomorrow for more updates.

$hit has hit the fan!

2006-01-05T16:39:00.000-05:00

January 4th, 2006 by Beau

You may notice that I'm posting the blog for January 4th on January 5th, there is a reason for that and you will soon find out.
The day started like the past few days with Eric and Ben laying down lead guitars. Here is a video of Ben getting some advice from Anthony and then putting it to use:

Gimme that rock candy

Then Eric went to work, here is some footage of that:

Riffage

Also during the day, Vince and I worked on finishing up the lyrics for "Epic" and "Dougale". Here is a video demonstrating the process we were using to write the lyrics:

Lyrics workstation

Then, around 1 AM, the shit hit the fan. We heard a pop coming from the HDR and then the faint smell of smoke, "This can't be good". We tried rebooting the system to no avail. Upon opening the HDR and removing the hard drive we found the culprit. The chip that controls the hard drive motor was fried. The last time we had backed up was the previous night, we had lost the entire days worth of work. Here is a video of the situation:

The burnt drive fiasco

To make things worse it was now 2:30 AM and we still couln't get the replacement hard drive working. Needless to say we did not feel like blogging. We decided to call it a night and work on it in the morning. Hopefully recording could continue tomorrow and we could try our best to recreate the lost tracks as well as still make progress on the album. To be continued...

It's a Pirate's life for Ben

2006-01-04T01:05:00.000-05:00

January 3rd, 2006 by Beau

Another day, another blog. Today we rocked out some more leads with Ben and Eric both spending extensive time ripping on the axe. Ben finished up the thrashfest known as "Rocktober". Here's a photo of him complete with regenerative eyepatch:

He's a pirate, ARRRRRR!!!1

Vince and I spent most of the day working on some sick lyrics. Here's a photo of us pumping out the good shit on the couch:

A-Dawg rocked the mixing board as Eric spewed forth some disgusting leads; here's a photo of the dirtiness:

We ended the night with Ben busting out some murderous leads for "finale". Here's a video of Ben in action:

That shit is murderous!!!1

And I can't forget, I got my car back today and it works. Not sure what they did but it didn't cost me a dime thanks to Firestone guaranteeing their work. We'll be back in the studio tomorrow finishing up the leads while Vince and I finish up writing the vox. So check back tomorrow or die.

A day and a half in the life of From Exile

2006-01-02T23:45:00.000-05:00

January 2nd, 2006 by Beau

Another big day in the studio. We took two cars to the studio today so that Vince could drive me to to the auto shop to get my car fixed. After the car was safely in the shop we headed to the studio (more on the car later). We started the day off with Eric dropping the sick licks on "Epic" and "Thrash1". Here's a BLOGSCLUSIVE video of Eric shredding.

Eric Shreds!!!1

Vince spent a good portion of the day tracking Eric. He also spent a good portion lying on the ground. Here's some blogsclusive proof:

Vince also added another great blogsclusive video of some typical studio behavior. But before I get to that, back to my car. I got a call from the auto shop saying my car was ready and Vince and I headed out to get it. After picking my car up I was able to make it to the next door parking lot before it died on me. I walked back to the shop and told them what happened and they were shocked saying it had passed all the tests. Apparently they forgot to apply the "drives 10 feet" test because it would have failed miserably. Well it's back in the shop now, stay tuned tomorrow for an update. Oh yeah, here's that BLOGSCLUSIVE video I was talking about:

Ya Gotta Tell Me When You're Taking Video!!!1

I spent most of the day working on lyrics but also found some time to read as well as create a photoshop picture of the band. Here's my rendition of From Exile "The self titled 1991 album":

I'm very proud of it so don't tell me if you could do better or some shit like that.

Later on Ben got goin on some leads and I nearly sharted upon hearing the final product of "Evil 2". Expect great things. We'll be back in the studio pounding out more destructive leads so check back for more blogsclusive news, photos, and video.

Battle Axe

2006-01-02T00:46:00.000-05:00

January 1st, 2006, by Vince

We spent New Year's Day doing the exact same thing as last year: locked away in Anthony Stubelek's studio of rock. We began with more fixes to guitars and bass, and prepared to attack the lead guitars for the record. Once again, the search for the right tone was tricky. Fortunately, Mike Jarocki was nice enough to lend his ESP KH-2 to the band for use on leads. After trying several amp/guitar combinations, we decided to use the KH-2 through the Dual Rectifier for the leads. Re-read that last sentence. That took us about 8 hours to do. Such is life in the studio. Frustration can arise when things do not go swimmingly, which can be often. We have about a week left of studio time allotted, and are feeling the pressure of a restrained schedule. These next few days are crucial to the outcome of the album.

Here is Ben diligently working on his lead parts while Eric begins tracking.

Tomorrow we will begin a large chunk of the lead guitars for the album. You care.

With the Force of Dragons...

2006-01-01T01:42:00.000-05:00

December 31, 2005 by Eric.

On the final day of the year 2005, From Exile attacked their increasingly weakening workload without mercy. Ripping through the rest of the clean electric guitars (Ben's tracks on the Evils and Phantom Jam), we moved on directly to the acoustic guitars. Anthony (the manthony) spent much of the day chasing the dragon (searching for good tones for our acoustic parts). Tragedy struck, however, as Beau, on his drive back from Florida, was left stranded 30 miles from the studio, thanks to his car's unexpected death heading north on I-95. Luckily, he made it to the studio in time to eat dinner with his fellow Exiles: a fantastic feast of burgers, hot dogs and crab stew (!!), courtesy of the generous Jarocki family. After dinner, I finished the acoustic rhythms and leads, allowing a little time for Ben to work on a few bass parts. That's all for now, we're very tired. We will update again tomorrow morning.

Hot Licks, Cool Dudes!

2005-12-31T00:43:00.000-05:00

December 30th, 2005, by Vince

It's the penultimate day of the year and we remain positive despite various technical and health-related setbacks. We began the day with a late breakfast and then wished our departing friends a safe journey back to Savannah and Atlanta. After careful deliberation, the band has decided to put in a full day's work on New Year's Eve in lieu of partying. The real celebrating will begin when we have completed work on the album. Until then, we must stay focused and bear down to keep on schedule. However, we did finish early last night, since all our friends were in town, and had a great time hanging out with all of them afterwards. Here is a photo of some of the group at the studio last night, minus Ben, who went home early to take a nap.

Real Rockers
We spent the day at the studio fixing a few rhythms and began tracking clean guitar sounds with Ben's Fender Strat. Ben tracked parts on "Epic" and Eric did substantial work on "Phantom Jam." We plan to get an early jump on the game tomorrow, and plan to finish clean guitar sounds so that we can move on to lead guitars.

Get ready for this awesome selection of BLOGSCLUSIVE VIDEO!!!!
(Eric recording hot licks for a new song)

We'll be back tomorrow with much more blogsclusive content. Over and Out!

Touché, Angra!

2005-12-29T20:34:00.000-05:00

Thursday, December 29, 2005 by Anthony
Today we got into the studio and started tracking cello overdubs on several of the new songs. This is when we got really pumped and rocked out hard. Mary Exile bowed the strings for nearly 6 hours! At this point Eric and Ben are dying to rip some awesome leads and solos! Unfortunately we have to patch up some more rhythm guitar parts and add clean guitars to some songs. I expect we will be recording guitars until the 3rd of January. After that we will record vocals and so on. Here are some more photos from today's studio recording session::::::::

Eric sits in the control room.

Mary Exile bees outside the studio.

Anthony!

Red Rocker.

Get ready for this.... BLOGSCLUSIVE VIDEO!!!!!!! (from last night's impromptu b-boy jam in the studio of rock!)

Today we took a late lunch break and ventured to St. Simons Island for a grand meal and a brief drive to Anthony's house and back. Then we got back to work on Cello and had a blast with all of our friends who spent the day with us at the studio! Huge thanks go out to Mary Exile for rocking the cello and adding another dimension to the album. Let us all hear it dudes! (blogsclusive audio)
Peace be with thou!

Back in Black

2005-12-28T23:20:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, December 28th, 2005 by Vince

It's December 28th and we return to the studio for the home stretch of recording the album. The morning could not have started off worse, as Ben encountered ear problems and Eric awoke to vomiting for hours upon end. No heavy partying took place last night, so we suspect he ate a nasty oyster the previous day at his family's oyster roast hoe-down in Bluffton, SC. Vince and Ben left Eric to recuperate and headed to the studio to perform some minor changes and adjustments in the rythym and bass tracks. Eric pulled through like a starship trooper and made it to the studio in the late afternoon, where we discussed issues regarding the upcoming session and awaited the arrival of Mary Exile, who will be performing cello on the record. While we waited, we honed our skills on the elusive hacky sack, and watched funny videos on the internet. Here is a photo of us hacking that was snapped just as Mary arrived:

After a dinner break, we returned to the studio and prepared to record cello. Eric helped Mary with her parts by jamming on the keyboard:

Eric and Mary prepare for the onslaught of METAL!!

After much discussion of cello parts, we set up microphones and began to experiment with different sounds. Ben anticipates the need for a squeegie in the studio, as the sound is amazing. Tomorrow morning we will begin bright and early, and plan to finish all cello tracks, as Mary leaves on friday. Let's wail!!

Happy Christmas

2005-12-23T16:29:00.000-05:00

Friday, December 23, 2005 by From Exile
Today we arrived at the studio and listened to yesterday's work. We fixed a few bass parts and then printed some rough mixes. We will need the mixes to finish writing lyrics and for close scrutiny of the guitar and bass parts. We have four or five more days of recording guitar leads and additional instruments. We also have vocals to do and then to mix. We are taking a short break for the holidays and an oyster roast with Eric's family, we will be back in the studio on December 28th. We are also planning to break on New Year's eve and head to Savannah for mayhem and fireworks. We hope you all have a happy holiday. We will update again on the 28th. Over and out.

These Tracks Got Served

2005-12-22T22:28:00.000-05:00

Thursday December 22, 2005 by Eric.

It was a bad day to be a rhythm or bass track in From Exile's studio today because we laid waste to many a track. I laid down a few quick tracks, but Ben and Beau were the starship troopers; the execution squad. I basically listened in and distracted them throughout the day. We're one track away from having all the bass, rhythm guitars, and drums finished. The songs becoming more and more listenable has been very exciting, and things here are getting a little crazier.

We continued to drink a ton of Vault energy drink, as Vince served as soda bitch for the tracksters. As they were doing ALL THE WORK, after supplying us with Vault, Vince took a well deserved nap. He obviously did not drink enough Vault.

Out like a trout. Here Anthony offers some of his masterful advice to Beau on how to properly obliterate the bass line for the thrash-fest that Ben has tentatively named "Rocktober". This song is seriously going to brutalize you all when it finally hits the street.

Tomorrow we're going to finish whatever bass we don't nail tonight, get some clean guitars out of the way, and then break for the holiday. Christmas is Sunday, which gives us all a day to buy presents and get to our homes (and away from this god forsaken studio). Next week we have Mary Exile coming down to play cello for us, which should add another layer of badassitude upon an already wicked sick recording.

Rock and Roll McDonald's

2005-12-22T00:22:00.000-05:00

Wednesday December 21, 2005 by Ben, intro by Beau

It's 1:30 AM and you know what that means, time for a recap of the day via the studio blog. Today was the first day we made it in to the studio on time thanks to Eric taking charge from Vince on getting everyone up. Luckily we started off with Ben on rhythm guitar so I could take a delicious nap. When I awoke, great progress had been made, which brought me joy. I then vaulted into action thanks to a delicious "Vault" beverage from our friends at Coca Cola. 15 and half hours later and we're done. We got a lot accomplished and are heading into tomorrow looking like we'll finish up all the guitar rhythm tracks as well as all the bass tracks. Now to Ben for the thorough recap. I'm gonna have a nightcap and head to bed.

Today started off quite sluggish at 10AM. Plans for an early sleep the previous evening were thrown out the window as the band deemed it a necessity to cut loose exceptionally hard. Following a night of booze and assorted antics, we staggered to our local McDonald's for a hearty breakfast, and headed to the studio.

Upon arrival at the studio, I began to lay down my rhythm tracks for "Thrash1" but got frustrated and ended up letting Eric cut his tracks first so I could wake up. Several hours, a lunch break, and many cigarettes later, the rhythms for "Thrash1" and "intro" were completed.

Anthony, who had not had a break in the action for a solid week, headed home for the evening around 7PM for well-deserved rest, and the band decided to stick around and push on. Vince took the reins and ran the session until the wee hours of the night. Beau laid down his bass line for "Thrash1" first. Here is a photo:

Next, Eric began cutting the rhythms for "epic":

While Eric was shredding away, I hyped myself up with an intense game of Quake III:

That's all from the Ben-meister. Z-ya tomorrow!

Power metal-nap

2005-12-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 by Anthony
Today we arrived to the studio a little late because we were all exhausted. We worked so late last night and we have all been drained of energy from rocking out so much in the studio. So randomly throughout the day we have all taken naps. All except Ben, and he was starting to feel sick yesterday. I think we will all have decent sleep tonight.
We started the day with Eric finishing rhythm guitars and Ben rocking the bass on "Dougale". Then Ben recorded his rhythm tracks on "Rocktober" while Eric slept.

After a lunch break we started on "Finale" with Eric and Ben both recording their rhythm guitar tracks.
Here is Ben carefully listening to his recorded parts.

In between takes we stopped for a few minutes to have a mini two hand touch game in the library parking lot across the street from the studio.

In case you are not familiar with studio recording, here is a short rundown on course of action:
The first thing we do before starting a record is get together (the producer and the band) and talk about what the goal is for the album, We discuss the sound, the treatment of the instruments, the time frame, and the budget. Next we will organize a calendar that includes all of the recording dates as well as holidays, breaks, and other dates of interest or concern. All the while, the band is sending to the producer their demos of songs that may appear on the forthcoming album. The producer, in this case me, Anthony Stubelek, will listen to the demos for many months and keep in close contact with the band about changes and modifications that should be made to the song before bringing it into the studio. Eric and Ben are very good at recording their demos for new songs and it makes my share of work very easy.

Next the band will contact me with ideas about different instruments and effects that they may want to include on the record, and I will get these things lined up for them to use while in the studio. I will get the studio ready to accommodate the band for numerous weeks and work out a detailed schedule for recording times during the days of recording. The sessions for this record have been running about 12 hour days starting between 10 and 11 a.m. Ultimately I would like to have earlier days for several reasons: it is much easier to get dinner at 7 o'clock rather than midnight; I like waking up at 8:30a.m. as opposed to 2 p.m.; overall it feels like you have accomplished much more if you are done at 6:30 in the evening. I will continue this diatribe on a later blog. Peace.

Hot Plate! Ouch!

2005-12-20T00:16:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 19th 2005 by Vince

Today we vaulted to new levels of six-string shredding thanks to the THD Hot Plate, which lets us get the unparalleled sound of a Mesa Dual Rectifier cranked to hell without actually turning the amp all the way up. It was an exhaustive day which began around 10 a.m. and did not end until after midnight, but it was well worth it. We found the elusive screaming guitar tone that had evaded us for so long, and completed the rhythm guitar tracks and bass guitar for "Ben1demo." After a dinner break, Eric finally stopped sulking and laid down some guitars for the intricate maze that is the tentatively titled "Dougale." Oh man this song is sounding awesome. Dude, did you just hear that?

Here is a photo of Eric tracking guitars on "Dougale."

Beau rocked the bass on "Ben1demo" and continued to work on lyrics.

We are all exhausted! Time to actually get to bed at a decent hour and get back to rocking early in the morning. Eric is no longer pissed.

LATER!

Hunting for Tone

2005-12-19T00:41:00.000-05:00

Sunday December 18, 2005 by From Exile.

Today, we began by venturing to Credle's Complete Marine to celebrate Vince's completion of the primary drum tracks for the album. What better way to celebrate than by blowing up some clays with Anthony's 12 gauge and shooting some rounds from a Sig Sauer into a METAL plate.
After we ran out of clays Beau decided to do some killing, he doesn't call it hunting because that implies the possibility of failure.

Then we headed to the studio to begin working on the guitar tone for the album. We tried many different combinations of amps and rocked them on top of Vince's drum tracks. We also worked on the bass tone and after much deliberation found what we wanted.
Here's a photo of Anthony working on the guitar tone.

Tomorrow we'll be coming into the studio early to build some boxes around the guitar cabs to help maximize the tone. Here's a photo of the work in progress.

Check back tomorrow for more blogsclusive pictures and video!

Recording: D Day+3

2005-12-17T23:01:00.000-05:00

Saturday, December 17, 2005 by Anthony.
Today we successfully met our deadline for completing the primary drum tracks. Vince recorded drums from the early afternoon until 10:45 pm. We had a great dinner break on St. Simons Island at Boda-Bing Pizza.

Everyone settled into their places at the studio today.
Ben found a home in between takes:

Beau focused on the latest From Exile demos:

Eric hung out near his computer:

And that was about it until 11:15 or so when I posted this awesome BLOGSCLUSIVE VIDEO!!!!!!!!! Vince tells all

Tomorrow we are going to start our GUITAR TONE ODYSSEY for the upcoming duel with two guitars and a bass. I will be seeking shelter from the TONE ODYSSEY BARRAGE! Bye.

Recording: D Day+2

2005-12-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

Friday, December 16, 2005. by Anthony
Today started off early with coffees and some down time in the studio. I tuned the piano while Vince and Ben discussed several issues regarding the upcoming song. While we awaited Eric and Beau's arrival from Atlanta we started to make a tempo map for one of the album's most intricate songs (tentatively entitled "Epic"). This is what we looked like during the labor intensive process of beat mapping...

Eric and Beau arrived early in the evening and we ate burritos and then got down to business at around 8:30 pm. We have been trying to start early and finish early in the studio, however we ended up having a really late night. The drums for "Epic" took over 5 hours with a single 5 minute break somewhere around 12 am. I am glad that I do not play drums for From Exile!
Eric brought his computer into the studio and set it up so he can reference his demos while recording the guitar parts. Here is a photo of him and his setup:

Ben and Eric took turns playing the scratch guitar along with Vince during the night-long event. Here is what that looks like:

As I mentioned earlier, we did take a short break to blow off some steam, and this is how we do that:

HAHA! here it is again with no flash:
Sorry, no blogsclusive video today, maybe tomorrow. Peace out.
Anthony

Recording: D Day+1

2005-12-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

December 15, 2005. by Anthony, Vince and Ben.
Recording day 2 has ended and we remain on schedule! Vince completed 2 full songs today- "Finale" and "Rocktober". Vince played drums for nearly 8 hours straight! Whew. Here is a photo of Vince behind his drum kit today:

During the day we took several moments to practice meditation. Minutes later, Ben demonstrated his break dancing as Vince beat-boxed. Here is photographic evidence:

Here is a From Exile Blogsclusive video!!! Rocktober
Eric and Beau are due to arrive in Brunswick tomorrow, friday the 16th.
Also of note, Anthony created a big-ass at-a-glance checklist for the entire recording, as seen in the photo at the top.

Recording Hath Begun

2005-12-15T00:25:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, December 14, 2005 by Anthony Stubelek (Recording Engineer / Producer)
Today We started the recording of From Exile's first full length album. From Exile representatives Ben and Vince were in attendance and spent a full day in the studio. We have developed a very strict production schedule for this album which spans nearly a month.
Todays projects included constructing a isolation cove for a small tube amplifier used for recording scratch guitar tracks to accompany the drummer while recording, and putting the final touches on our drum sound.
Vince and Ben arrived at rockstudio early in the a.m. and after a brief warm-up, drum tracks for three full songs were laid with the precision of a master mason. Tomorow we will be recording more drums tracks and enjoying the comforts of downtown Brunswick, GA in our home base, the one and only rockstudio!
here are some more photos from today:

Recording

2005-11-03T21:37:00.000-05:00

From Exile will begin recording our first full-length album this December in Brunswick, GA's Rockstudio. This weblog will chronicle the recording process and give frequent updates and photos of our progress. Be sure to check this journal often in December for an inside look at our studio odyssey. Until then, check back for show updates and other important information, and visit us on myspace.

-V.

from exile