Live?

It’s hard to be absolutely perfect when you perform “live.” Whether it is an instrument out of tune or a musician out of time, it is rare that a band can capture perfect takes of their songs.

It is even rarer when there is no audience.

That was the environment we faced in recording some of our new songs in a “live” environment. We tracked together live on stage, with only the echoes of cheers kept fondly in our minds from the past shows. With no external forces to help uplift us, we found ourselves digging deep within to extract the necessary emotions to pull off performances for each song.

The whole experience seemed like a sleep-deprived, stress-induced haze that did not clear until the morning after we go back in Austin. The emotional hangover was staggering. Between rehearsing and the process of recording in Dallas, we had spent a dozen 12 hour days in a row playing music non-stop.

When we arrived back in Austin it was time to catch up on some much needed rest. Needless to say, the sleep was fantastic! ~Mark

Well, we returned to the scene of the crime, the place where the three of us laid down our first recordings together. It seemed like such a long time ago that we made “A Fire is Missing” and then we performed on the soundstage before an audience of some of our fans for the recording of a live DVD/CD.

Maximedia Studios in Dallas, Texas.

We’ve returned, this time determined to get yet another live recording -- bigger and better than the last, with some new songs -- never before recorded tracks from our latest meridianwest set list.

It started as is always does, slow and frustrating. Then it moves to even slower………and more frustrating with NO hope in sight. But, as always we find a way at the last minute to pull it all together and avoid disaster, but not before……of course that we have countless meetings and arguments to figure out the best resolve for the situation. However, in the end we do what we do best -- create music that we feel will represent meridianwest in a positive way in a “live” atmosphere.

So, we set up on the ‘live’ soundstage late on a Sunday night and over the next 3 days we worked, worked and then worked even harder. It was much more difficult than we had anticipated -- trying to recreate a ‘live’ atmosphere when there was no energy from an audience lifting our spirits when things got tough.

It’s just “us” in a big empty room on a giant stage left with our songs.

It is these songs that we believe in……..and feel when we perform them. And it is these songs that can be full of frustration, but at the same time carry lots of patience.

Songs that overflow with passion, yet still have a distinct feel of heartbreak. And the ones that test us as a band……..they push us to the limit……..put us on the very edge……..and ultimately draw us closer together as musicians and most importantly………friends.

And in the end, it always turns out to be enough. ~Ryan