Being in a band is fun.
It's a lot different this year, but still super fun.
When lockdown/quarantine started, Milk Money was just starting to gain some momentum on our first album, RECKON which came out last December. There were a bunch of awesome shows lined up, and we were really excited about playing a bunch of new places that none of us ever got to play with our respective HC bands.
We were also working on a video and just finished filming at one of the three locations we set up.
Then, well, you know.
My favorite thing about the video was the concept, which is laughably dated in our new, current reality.
It was going to be made up of three separate M$ "shows" in strange locations, while people tried their best to go about their business, pretending we weren't there. The first location was a tiny office while people worked at computers, made copies, and tried to have discussions. The second was a small, crowded restaurant while people ate, drank and hung out while we played in the aisle where a server had to maneuver through us to get to each table. The third was a busy toy store where customers crammed past us to get what they needed without giving us a second look. It was going to be fun.
Once all of our shows were cancelled and we realized that we wouldn't be getting together in real life any time soon, we changed course and started working on some new songs. Dan and I had been getting together every couple of weeks at Downtown Music, trading riffs, and demoing some songs to show Drew and Byron. Some of it was good, some of it was okay, and a lot of it needed work.
Eventually, after a lot of videos and audio files passed back and forth in the group text, we had the skeletons of four songs. Drew tracked drums at his house, and uploaded them to our Google Drive folder. From there, Dan, Byron, and I added our parts and stuck them back in the folder. Dan set up a vocal studio in his kitchen pantry and went to work while the rest of us gave our thoughts. When we had everything, we packaged it all up, and sent it to Scott Sellers, who used to sing for the band Rufio. He started producing records from home a while ago, and had access to a bunch of equipment that none of us did. We crossed our fingers and waited to hear what he put together.
Since all of our parts were recorded clean, we assumed that we were going to have to give him a little direction on tone after the first pass, but he nailed everything. All four songs came back so much better than any of us imagined, that I don't think anyone had any notes other than "This sounds fucking great!"
He finished mixing and mastering it around the beginning of October, and we officially released HOWL on October 23. It's one of my favorite things that I've ever been a part of, and I'm incredibly proud of how we put it together under the circumstances. We already started planning the follow-up, and the way things are going, we're probably going to be doing it the same way we did HOWL. It's not as much fun as being cooped up in a tiny room throwing out ideas, and then hanging out at a studio for three days, but it's much safer.
The only time we've been in the same place since March of this year was right before Halloween. We got together up in Heber to film a video for one of the new songs. It was awesome to see everyone again, even if it also meant hanging outside in 40 degree weather and hauling our gear a quarter of a mile down the side of a mountain for the perfect shot.
The songs on HOWL are a lot different than the ones on RECKON, but still have the same M$ vibe. You should check them out, and follow us on social media (@milkmoneyrock), Apple Music, and Spotify. We've got more songs coming, and who knows? Maybe we'll even get to play a show or two next year.
So we need you all to wear a fucking mask and follow the public health guidelines so we can do that. It's not a difficult concept. The more your dumb anti-mask friends protest, the longer this will go on. That's just how it is. I want restaurants to open at full capacity again, I want bars to stay open late and have bands play, I want to sit in coffee shop, and go to movie theaters. And I want to go to a fucking show and hang out in the parking lot for two hours after it's over bullshitting with my friends.
None of that happens until this virus is under control. Wear a mask, stay safe, and fuck Donald Trump and everyone who stands with him.
Now go listen to HOWL.
