DUMBO

We finished our mastering about a week ago with Joe Lambert Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.  What a strange day it was when the mastering began.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was completely wrecked.  Lorne and I had just played with Clogs the night before at the BAM Opera House, I moved a ton of gear, was going on several weeks of only 4-5 hours of sleep a night, and really did NOT want to get out of bed - but we've got to get this done!  I packed up the hard drive with all of our files, put it in my backpack, brewed some coffee, and then mounted the Raleigh ten-speed to ride down to DUMBO (it's about a mile from our studio in Bed-Stuy).  

I turned the corner onto Jay Street, I can just see the water now (East River), and there is a truck down near the river spewing huge clouds of smoke that envelope the entire block.  What the hell is going on??  I have to drive my bike through this Armageddon to get to my destination and manage to chain the bike next to a pile of trash on the river's edge.  

I find my way upstairs, through the long hallways of the industrial-building-turned-artist/business offices and finally come to the door of Joe Lambert Mastering.  "Come on in, Tom."  I immediately feel like I've known this guy for at least the past ten years, even though we've only spoken on the phone twice.  I tell him about the environmental disaster I just witnessed outside and we head to the nearest window....the smoke has cleared...what are you going to do...We go back and sit down at Joe's work station.  "Friday's a great day to make a record," says Joe.  So it is, so it is....