Its a funny thing what happens when a guest musician is brought in to add to a band’s sound. A touch of fresh musical inspiration can go a long way. On Tuesday, Jordan Lietner, keyboardist and frontman of the Mad-Sweet Pangs came into the studio with us to add some keyboard sounds to three of our tunes. Jordan and the band just finished recording their second full length album, Witness and Wait. It is a much different sound than their first album, Stumbling Through Blydepoort Canyon, with a more guitar heavy sound highlighting new member Gordon Lippincott on lead guitar. Jordan’s keyboard work is tasteful, spacious and textural. If you listen close you may find three or four keys parts and sounds at once weaving in and out. His rootsy and soulful feel seem to hug the rest of the band’s music into what makes the Mad-Sweet Pangs sound.

61 North is a guitar driven band rock n’ roll band, and thats how I like it, but on some songs keyboard parts seem to fly into my head. Thats why the obvious decision was to see if Jordan would be down to add to our music, as he so graciously has done. He laid down tracks on Jimi Is Gone, Funk You and Find Some Love. Jimi Is Gone was screaming for that ballad rock organ. A very proficient studio musician, Jordan understood our ideas quickly and clearly, and soon had added that sonic whooosh screaming organ we desired. Next we moved to Funk You. All we could hear on this one was Stevie Wonder clavinet sound, so I simply said “Hey Jordan, can you play some funked out Stevie Wonder shit?” Just listen to the song when it comes out. Finally, we went for Find Some Love. I have a particular fondness for this song and started to write a simple part for it on piano. After showing Jordan a few of my ideas, he ran with it and laid down a much better version than what I had in my head. The smooth, Whurlitzer sound really compliments the song and I couldn’t be more pleased.

As of now we are inches away from completing the tracking. A couple harmonies from myself, Bob and Gooch and we are ready to begin the editing. Listening to the album progress has helped us to be able to make the corrections necessary for the high level quality we are shooting for. Though anxious to release the music for everyone to hear, the band is firmly committed to putting out the best quality album possible. We owe it to our fans and ourselves. But for now, my mind is away from the studio and on Friday’s gig at Deer Park.

Rock n’ Roll,

- Brian