The Making of Tuscazure
About the new Paul Kitchen album....
I’ve been going to my studio for about 47 years now, just to see if there’s anything there for me to do. Sometimes it’s music. Other times its words, or maybe some graphics and video work. I like to do it all. Sometimes I just sit. And listen. But I go to my studio every day. Last time I finished an album of new songs was in 2018. Before that, 2015. Before that, 1993. Considering my new albums ten tracks, I’ve released 31 new songs...in 31 years. Compare that to hundreds of songs recorded in the years prior to 1993. I've slowed down considerably it appears.
Though the albums come slower now, I still enjoy the process and want to hear the final product. I’m still stunned by modern day musicians, who say they see no reason to record new albums, as there’s no money in it. I guess they know better than me.
Nonetheless, I’m happy to announce the new album ‘Tuscazure’ is finished and available now. Even after all these years, it still feels and sounds like a Paul Kitchen album. At least to the current me. And I’m thankful for that. I took my sweet time this time around, and didn’t force any kind of deadline on myself – at least until I was certain it was nearly finished. And it had to be a full moon. A Harvest Moon this time around.
As for the title and title track, it was initially a combo of tuscan and azure, and didn’t go much beyond that for a long time, until I read Marcela Lobos’ book ‘Awakening Your Inner Shaman’. Her book referred to another book ‘A Step Away from Paradise’ by Thomas Shor, and the concept of Beyul’s — Precious hidden lands like Shambala. When looking for some creative common’s footage on YouTube, I found the Himalayan ‘Girl on the Bike’ video, which I ended up using for the ‘I Can Believe’ video. Now you know…
One interesting thing that happened nearing the finish line was my PC died, and my finding out my audio interface wouldn’t work with the new PC I bought (old drivers, hardware no longer supported) – So I ended up having to replace the audio interface too. It’s amazing how many moving parts and plugins a modern-day DAW has, and having to find and reinstall all that stuff is a challenge, much less all of the everyday apps I use, disk drives, SN’s etc…
I also wrote my first song with the Keith Richards Open G tuning of DGDGBD. I even went as far as using my Hamer guitar strictly for that, including removing the low D string ala Keef. Ended up with the track ‘Feeling Blue’.
Anyway, I really like the album. It’s got a flavor that’s different for me. I’m also happy that I pretty much used every instrument that I own. The hundred-dollar guitars, and the expensive antiques. They all sound good. I think it’s true that the sound has more to do with the hands than the instrument. And all of the processing available now doesn't hurt. Maybe you can play the game of find the cheap guitar on Tuscazure. They’re there.
If you like the album, don’t be afraid to let me know. And please share…thx PK