Short piece on the recording process with an album called The Storyteller

Music At Fito’s
by Paul McCann

I’ve been writing songs for about 40 years . initially I recorded my songs in the 1980’s on with a guitar and voice on a Getto blaster or a small portable cassette deck then when mobile phones came out in the 21st Century I was able to record my songs on that kind of device . I started to think about the possibility of going to the next level of recording my songs in a studio with someone who could help me to create something good .
One day at work a colleague of mine was asking about my songs so I played one of them I had recorded at home . After he had a listen he asked me where I recorded it and I said on my apple phone .
He passed on a contact to me of an events organiser in Mittagong called Luminous who ran an operation in the Southern Highlands organizing evernts and promoting music . He suggested there might be someone there who could help me record some songs in a proper studio . For me this was an exciting thing to hear so after work I rang the number and spoke with Michael who mentioned they couldn’t help as they were really busy with lots of booking and events however he gave me the contact of a guy by the name of Fito who had a recording studio in Mittagong .
When I contacted Fito about the possibility of recording some songs for an album in his Mittagong studio he responded in a positive way and made an arrangement to meet me and gave his home address . The following week I went there with 14 song lyrics on sheets of paper and 14 MP3 guitar backing tracks for each song on a thumb drive .
On arrival to his home I parked my car in his driveway and Fito came to meet me with an outstretched hand . We exchanged a friendly handshake and he invited me inside his studio .
Walking into his basement studio was like going inside Aladdin’s cave . It was magic . I was looking everywhere all at once . There was a huge mixing deck and equipment everywhere . In one corner of the studio was a drum kid , adjacent to that was a Hammond organ , there were other keyboards as well . Ten guitars lined up side by side like weapons ready to use . There where microphones on stands that stood in various places , waiting for vocals . There was a feeling of music in the rafters that reeked all around the studio , it almost shook the foundations of the studio that was dressed with Persian rugs scattered under your feet . On lamp stands a half light shone creating a presence of the ethereal in the basement of his family home . All around the walls of the studio huge black and white photos of Peruvian people stare at you through picture frames that display life from a different perspective .
We spoke for a while about life and he told me of his mother who gave him a flute and encouraged him to play music , She had a love of butterflies and her influence un him in those early year had a major part of him being such an artistic person .. We talked about my songs and he listened to my backing tracks one by one . From the 14 songs I brought to the studio there were about 5 Fito thought would be good to record .
Fito said to me ,”Every thing we record we should give it the very best we can , Sometimes there might be some suffering involved but in the end its all worth it and you can have something you’re proud of “
This comment by Fito was a parallel comment Bob Dylan once said ,
“Behind every beautiful thing, there's some kind of pain”- Bob Dylan.
That day I was ready to begin the journey to record something worthwhile ,
The following week I started to do the vocals on several tracks . After a few weeks we had put down vocals to five songs and reviewed the work we had done Fito listened several times and seemed undecided or troubled about something , Then he and said to me ,
“Lets record Buckets Of Roses again but this time you need to convince me. Close your eyes and become part of it . Tell the story, I want to see the images when you sing “
I remembered how I told stories on a radio program I once did and tried using that storytelling voice as I sang . Fito had the ability to get the best out of me so the recording could be given the greatest benefit it possibly could. Anybody in the music business would agree that the best sound achievable is due to the talents of the engineer and arranger at the controls on the mixer in the studio .
After using the new storytelling voice Fito was happy and insisted , .
“ We are going to delete all the vocals and use your new voice on all the songs ., Forget that previous voice you used . We are going to use your new voice.”
The title of the album came to me that moment and I decided it was to be called “The Storyteller”
During the next few sessions Fito and I spoke about life in the world today and all the conflicts and problems in the world . We looked at finding words to express how we felt about some issues letting , music and song be the vehicle . Songs at times can speak as a witness for the world . At one of the recording sessions Fito played a few chords on his guitar and immediately I had the lyrics to something in my mind This was the birth of a song called Shine On . I wrote the lyrics in about 15 minutes and we recorded a rough demo of the song there in the studio . During the process of recording Fito felt every song and was always making suggestions with a view to the arrangements . He heard various instruments and the direction every song should take . Ten songs were selected for “The Storyteller”

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I would like here to talk about some of the songs on the album .Some of the songs I had previously written ,others were written as they were discovered.
“Buckets of Roses” is about a man who never bought his wife any flowers and when she died after 3 years of marriage , he felt guilty about that and quit
You’re So Beautiful” was originally was entitled ‘She’s so beautiful “ but I rewrote it with the thought that might make a good duet . It’s a love song and so it has a passion within the song that clearly comes through . An old friend of mine Dave Debs came into the studio one evening and played some beautiful guitar and harmonica which Fito mixed into the track . I could see Dave had a passion for this song as well when he played which is why he does what he does as a musician , There has to be a passion for artists in everything they do .
“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.” ― Plato
“Harry Found A Hero” was written for a neighbour of mine in Belfast . He was a kind person who drove a taxi and didn’t deserve to die thew way he did . Some people broke into his house and shot him dead in front of his children .
“The Love I Have For You” is a song in the form of a metaphor that describes how it feels to be in love . I like to write using metaphors with lyrics because the words form images and combine the expression into a movement , like living breathing water. It’s like turning on a water tap and allowing words to flow into streams of feelings that have a role to play and a place to be un a song where you can almost feel the emotions of what was said ,
“The Travellers” was one of those special songs that was composed on the spot after Fito and I discussed a topic about time travellers . He took his guitar and strummed a few chords and the rest was the magic of what happens with music . A song was born . I wrote the lyrics in a half hour and we recorded a demo of the song that speaks about the different kinds of people who have come and gone into the world . Some are heroes , others homeless nomads , emigrants even time travellers get a mention . Mark Oates plays fiddle on this track along with Chris Hayden on the mandolin , The two instruments fit well together ,
“The Gift” that also began with Fito playing his guitar and the lyrics to the song came through . The Gift is about aware of the unspoken words we hear and the images we see . Where I come people say a lot in a nod of the head . It’s like a gift we share . Some people see sunshine in the rain others feel the presence of departed ones being near . These lyrics are speaking of those issues .Some songs have a hidden factor . This is the gift within the music and lyric that no one can teach . Its life and the ability to share it with other people creates its own special harmony

‘Tir Na Oge” was written after Fito asked me to introduce my childhood into a song which meant a lot to me because I grew up in Belfast where as a kid we all made up songs as we played street games . The songs we sang where from our heart . Often we could change the lyrics to fit a new song . Some kids are great at doing that . Born poets and where I grew up there was so many who had songs in their heart . We also told stories to each other and listened to old folk speak about the myths and mysticism of Ireland . That day in Fitos studio my mind was drawn to an enchanting place called Tir Na Oge. As Fito strummed a few chords the inspiration came for the lyrics to the song about the land of eternal youth . The legend of Tir Na Oge came through the mists of time , when some people in Ireland had heard music coming out of the lakes which they thought was coming from another world , a place they called Tir Na Oge . I was reminded of that innocence and in a sea of innocence I composed the lyrics to the song . We recorded a demo that day to Tir Na Oge and after listening to the demo , Fito insisted that we get an Irish whistle on the track . Later that evening I rang Johnny Spillane a brilliant whistle player from Vork in Ireland now living on the South Coast of New South Wales . I asked Johnny if he could play on the track and sent him the demo . He responded immediately and Johnny arrived that week with his bag of whistles to record at Fito’s studio. . Mark Oates an Australia fiddler adopted by Ireland was on fire on this track with some excellent notes reflecting his love for Irish music .
“Love Is Strong” is a metaphor about love . The theme is about staying together in love through life’s ups and downs . Its message has an important role in the lives of countless people who have found each other and work at staying strong in everything that comes along . The guitar work in this song was provided by Martinez from South America who crafted a sound with beautiful overtones allowing space for the lyrical hooks to be heard . Daniel from Chile plays keys on this song as well as drums , Thaks to Fito for bringing these gifted musicians to play on the album .
“Shine On” is a song in reflection to what was going on during COVID 19 after the lockdown was over and life returned to somewhat normal . The borders were opened up and travel restrictions were relaxed . the sense of travel revenge was a mind set that surfaced because people felt angry about the years they could not go away and escape to holiday destinations and now that travel again was allowed many disgruntled people began to book cruises and flights, tours and escapes to weird and wonderful place to make up for the years they felt they were robbed of . “Shine On” is really about enjoying life and never taking things for granted . Life is short so shine on until the light has gone . Some excellent guitar work on this trach was provided by Martinez from South America
“Sweet Karama” has a message about theocracy and the fall of justice that eventually comes to us all . Good or bad karma will have its way, Some of us will see it when it happens others will hope and wait for it to come. Daniel from Chile played drums and Hammond organ . Mark Oates again with his fiddle brought a Celtic Rock feel to this song which was exactly what Fito was looking for .

The process of recording The Storyteller was now in its final stages with reviews on every trach that required vocals to be done again and other delicate touches with the balance of every instrument on each track .
Fito looked in depth at every song and continued to focus on the words he had said to me before we began this project ,
”Every thing we record we should give it the very best we can”
These are the words of a dedicated man devoted to the work he does and how lucky I am to have met someone like him to help me record my little songs .
Looking back now at the time we spent recording :”The Storyteller” I remember the man who made great suggestions with what how he felt and the presence he brought into the recording . The essence of passion and mystic is the grace that exudes the extraordinary talents of this excellent arranger and producer who engineered every song on the album in his studio in Mittagong . In the initial recording sessions songs came without an invitation . They were welcome additions to The Storyteller . Watching the album take shape was like watching a reflection of ripples across a still lake . Where did they come from ?
God only knows but their presence changed the sound of the album with a progressive feel making the experience of every recording a genuine statement to leaving a legacy relevant for its time ,
Thank you Fito Jorge for the moments and what you did with my songs .
You’re one of a kind and the perfect person for people like me who have been writing songs and have dreams of recording something worthwhile .
You’re the hero for songwriters and musicians . I hope to record again in your studio where the music of what happens is a journey of passion and love mixed with suffering and determination .
There is a magic presence with this album that asks the question , whom are we that suffer for what we love to do and why are we often put chains to find something worthwhile to the vocation we have with music .
The End