Oceanside is home to something you don’t see just everywhere in Southern California…and analog recording studio!  Thunderbird Analog Studios is located on Freeman St. in the heart of Oceanside and carries with it a considerable history.  This, owner Thomas Yearsley proudly claims, is the fourth location for this historic studio.  Walking in, you can just feel the history…from the old 2-track recorder in the lobby (it works), to the “screw room” all the way in the back…you know a lot of special stuff has happened under the bird!

Tonight was something special indeed; for the first time I’ve ever heard of, people were invited to attend a “live recording” session at an analog studio.  The band to be featured was none other than the smash sensation Daring Greatly.  The studio itself had some of the best acoustics in a pitched ceiling that resembled a church more than a record studio as Hall of Fame inductee Greg Douglass was tuning up his guitar.  He was happy to perform with these guys again, much less for a couple of songs that will be on a future album of recordings like this.  RexRode Productions was behind this event, along with the guys of Daring Greatly and Lux Records, the house record company associated with Thunderbird Analog Studios.

The evening was a reception on high, fans and friends of Daring Greatly filled the halls of the studio as vinyl spun through vintage speakers.  There was certainly a buzz about the place; nobody had witnessed anything like this before.  BackStage 360 and RexRode Productions were stationed in the “Screw Room” for interviews (and only interviews) between recordings.  The idea was that the band would play three 30-minute sessions to be recorded on the old-school 24-track 2” tape machine Thomas had in the control room and the best of the recordings would end up on the final album.

The time flew by as we applauded before and after each song during each 30-minute set.  Dail Croome asked all present to do just that, but it was natural with music this good.  Each take seemed more special than the one before as guests drank, partied, and chatted it up between sets.  Thomas invited about 100 people into his studio, RexRode crafted the idea to do more of these events, and we will be forever enshrined in the first volume of Thunderbird Analog Studios live recordings.  Only time will tell when it will be released, who else will be on it, or what the actual name is going to be…but we all know it will be bad ass!

Big Jon / BackStage360

(Editors Note:  Interviews and A behind the scenes peak video will be published in the April Issue)