A remarkable $900 pledge put the Oh Bruni “Kickstarter” campaign over the top. Coupled with several other three-digit contributions and an initial surge of local supporters, the Portland-based band is in the studio for the first time. All their practicing and frequent gigs is paying off as Mike Moore, the recording engineer at Dead Aunt Thelma’s recording studio in Portland neighborhood, Sellwood, is known for his efficiency. We observed his quiet, professionalism during our visit on the second day of recording.
Their first day was without Steve Pool but it was clear he’d be patched in later. What drove the urgency of this particular weekend was the imminent departure to Africa of guitarist and vocalist Steve Eggers. Fortunately, all the other 3 band members (Noah Axe, drums, Jordan Muller, bass, and Alicia Viani, guitar and vocals) were ready to go and the four of them laid down the basic tracks of the six songs selected for the EP (extended play recording).
With the bass and percussion tracks laid down, Alicia and Steve Eggers dove into the guitar and vocals on Sunday, and pulled everything off with literally minutes to spare. Mike had capped the day’s work at 5:00 and patiently guided them with subtle clock management; his 35 years of recording experience really paid off. Now Eggers can focus on his 6-month volunteer gig in Kenya helping village farmers expand their gardening skills and achieve self-sufficiency.
Click the play button to listen to the entire collection, or select a particular tune within the playlist to begin there.
[mp3-jplayer tracks=”Walk Your Way@01_walk.mp3, The Sun Never Shines@02_sun.mp3, Daylight@03_daylight.mp3, From Afar@04_afar.mp3, Nomadic Ways@05_nomadic.mp3, Sandpapered Hills@06_sandpapered.mp3″ list=”y”]
As for the other band members, it’ll be a little here, a little there, and then Mike will assemble it all together into yet another of his magical successes. He’s recorded extensively over the years and Oh Bruni was determined to get it done by a pro before Egger’s departure. Enter Kickstarter, and Jordan Muller really put together a compelling offer to potential contributors. Come winter, the yet-to-be-named compilation of Oh Bruni tunes will be available and, from what I read on their Kickstarter site, it should be “a beautiful document of their expression.”
Additional photos of Oh Bruni’s first day in the studio were taken by Trav Williams (Broken Banjo Photography). View them on his website.