Singing It Out

Shawn, singing @ The Skylight Studio, summer 2012

After six action-packed days in the studio over the last couple of months, singing it out with producer Vince Ratti, I've managed to lay down the vocals for all ten songs that will appear on Kiera Plan: Album Two.

Vince is a beast when it comes to vocals; he has a great sense for what a song does or doesn't need, and the wheels are always turning in his head in regards to what harmonies "might be cool here."

It's awesome to have Vince's decisiveness and reassurance at the helm when we're navigating the rough seas of vocal production.  The process for vocals is extremely exciting - you finally get to start really hearing the song you've been trying to put together - but there are so many options to consider at every point in the process (softer, louder, up an octave, down an octave, more sass, less sass, etc.) that, for me, it would be nerve-racking to be making all of these decisions from behind the mic without that great insight from behind the boards.

As to the big picture, while I have recorded the lead vocals for all the songs, and most backing vocals and harmonies, there are still some touch ups and additions to lay down.  There will also be a number of guest vocalists who will be coming in to the studio to make an appearance.  With the vocals in hand, we also still have some final pieces of instrumentation to record: keys, lead guitar riffs, strings, brass, supplemental percussion, and so forth.  It sound like a long list, but this stuff can go really quickly.  Some songs could be as little as 15 minutes of studio time away from being a wrap.

We definitely want to make sure that we don't leave any great ideas untapped for these songs, and we're really excited to get the guests we have lined up on the record.  So even though there isn't a lot of red light time left for album two, the coordination of the ten or so people who will be dropping in will probably take the recording process up to the end of September or early October.  At that point though, new music will be right around the corner!  We're incredibly excited for you to hear these songs.

I'll definitely be blasting session by session updates on Facebook and Twitter, so I hope all of our Tweeps will stay tuned there.

For now, thank you so much for your interest.

All the best!

Shawn

Inspiration and Instrumentation

Recording sessions for Kiera Plan Album Two have continued at the Skylight Studio with producer Vince Ratti over the last few weeks, and the record is really coming along.

Sessions at the end of May saw a couple of my bandmates getting in on the recording adventure.  Bassist Tim Zaprala helped finish up the bass tracks, and keyboardist J.J. Davis was in for the first round of synthesizer. 

Tim Zaprala on the left, J.J. Davis on the right

Just last week, I headed back into the studio for a couple of days, where Vince and I were able to lay down the lion's share of the guitar tracks for the record.  Getting the guitar down feels like turning a corner in the recording process:  the songs start to really sound like what you're hoping they'll sound like, and now there are a number of instruments playing off of each other.  There's a lot to like ("I love it when this guitar comes in!"  "Dude, that feedback sounds awesome there!").  I came away from these guitar days feeling so excited about how well everything is coming together.

A bearded Shawn O'Brien on guitar

Next up are vocals. We know from last time that we work through the vocals at the rate of only one or two songs per day, so we've scheduled a half dozen sessions between now and the middle of August.  Once the vocals are done though, we'll be within striking distance of wrapping up the actual tracking for the record.

It's definitely time to get psyched!  Album two is happening, team.  This is not a drill.

Thanks so much for your interest!  We'll continue to keep you posted, and we'll be really psyched to share some music with you. 

All the best!

Shawn

Recording for Album Two Kicks Off (Featuring Members of Zolof and Valencia)!

Recording sessions for our first album, Dedication, had wrapped up all the way back in 2008, so, needless to say, I was ecstatic to finally get back into the studio a couple weeks ago to start recording Kiera Plan: Album Two.

l-r: Daniel Pawlovich, Shawn O'Brien, Vince Ratti

I returned to The Skylight Studio in Fairless Hills with the incomparable Vince Ratti (of Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer) once again handling engineering and production.  This time out, I had the incredible pleasure to be joined by drummer Daniel Pawlovich (of Valencia).  All I can say about the lineup is that when you're starting your new album in collaboration with members of Zolof and Valencia, you know that you're in good hands with Allstate!

Leading up to these sessions, I'd been writing, demoing, and in some cases performing these songs live for a while now, and I want to thank John Collier, J.J. Davis, Tim Zaprala, and Kevin Brown who have already helped to make this collection of music something really special.  John and I had arranged the first album together, and we worked on several album two songs as well.  J.J., Tim, and Kevin have been performing live with me as the Kiera Plan and have all made contributions to the new material.

Vince, Dan, and I came into the studio on a mission to get the drums for all ten Album Two tracks laid down in the two days that we had together.  The sessions were just magic.  Ten tracks is a lot to try to get recorded in such a short window, and other than exchanging some demos via email, we hadn't had much prep time together.  In the end, that didn't really matter.  It was really exciting to be bringing in Vince and Dan's fresh ears to the songs, and Dan's drum work is incredible!

Dan, making the magic happen

I felt really lucky to have him on board for these sessions.  And after an action-packed 48 hours of production and percussion, we came away with the framework for a really great record.  Now we just have to build on that.

I'll be back in with Vince and a number of other collaborators over the course of the summer to continue recording.  I look forward to sharing the experience with you.  I can't wait to have something for you to hear!

For now, thank you so much for your interest.

Shawn

Album Two Update

Cover art for the "Time Flies" single, out now

So, we’re racing towards the finish line in the Battle of the Bands for a spot on the 2011 Warped Tour, and we’re very much in the running.  Kiera Fans can vote once a day until July 14th to help us win.  We really appreciate your continued support.

Other than trying to win our way to Warped, the focus right now is on getting ready to record the follow up to our debut album Dedication.  The official album two recording sessions could begin as early as the end of the summer.  In the meantime, I figured I’d hit you with an update on the pre-production process (a.k.a. everything we do before we actually record an album).

Our new single, “Time Flies,” was released back on February 25^th.  “Time Flies” is available on iTunes and Amazon, and you can hear the full track on our Battle of the Bands page.  The single is an acoustic version of the song we recorded back in late 2010, with engineer/producer Vince Ratti – the man behind the boards on Dedication, who’ll also be back for album two.  John Collier (you’ll remember his ferocious drums) and I have been working up the full band version of “Time Flies” which will appear on album two.

There are also four additional new tracks very likely to appear on the next record that are already in the mix for our live shows.  If you’ve been to any show this year, you’ve heard “Right Now,” another new one which I’ll probably want to rename or subtitle in light of Van Halen’s 90s hit of the same name.  I played two more new songs at the Whole Foods show a couple weeks back.

I feel so strongly about the fifth new song that if we aren’t ready to start the album two sessions at The Skylight Studio in a month or so, I’ll probably go in to record it as another acoustic single just to get another new song out.

There are a handful of other songs contending for a spot on album two, but they’re all still too unfinished in one way or another to count into the tally.  I’ll be demoing and writing a lot in the next few weeks, and so these will quickly start to take shape as full songs.

Long story short, new music is definitely in the works! In the meantime, we appreciate your continued support with the Warped contest.  There is also a pretty decent stockpile of pics and video from the last few shows, so stay tuned for some serious new multimedia in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading,

Shawn

Making History

It's actually one of the first questions I get asked when someone finds out that I'm in a band: "what kind of places do you play?"  This question is tough, because with The Kiera Plan, I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play in a number of different kinds of places. 

So I'm really excited about the new Kiera Plan Show History we've put together on our website.  It gives the full breakdown for every show we've ever played.  And with some of the notes I've added, a quick browse through the history gives even more of an idea of The Kiera Plan than our bio alone could.

Please check it out if you get a chance.  And if you have any memories from these shows that you'd like to share, we would love to hear them.  Feel free to e-mail us at: tkprock@gmail.com

1/11/11 (Are You Ready?)

TheKieraPlan.com: under construction

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you all had a great holiday season.  For The Kiera Plan, 2011 is a year where we're going to be swinging for the fences.  We're going to step it up in every way possible this year.  Like Diddy always used to say, "We can't stop, 'cause we won't stop."  [Heck yeah!  That's what I'm talking about! 2011-style!]

We'll be starting not stopping with the internet. On January 11th, or the numerically exciting 1/11/11, we're officially launching TheKieraPlan.com.  We'll be bringing you music, videos, pictures, and all kinds of fun and excitement like never before!  So mark your calendar, and get ready for the next level!

But the website isn't the only thing excitedly under construction: on New Year's Eve, I was back at The Skylight Studio with my man (and sonic magician) Vince Ratti, putting the finishing touches on a BRAND NEW SONG!

Shawn in the studio cooking up a new track.

We're well into writing album two, but I couldn't wait for those sessions to bring you some new music.  So, we're just a touch of post-production and the right moment away from the next entry in the soon-to-be epic Kiera Catalog!

There's so much in store for the new year, and having been infected with an exceptionally go-getitive spirit, I'll be back with more news pre-launch.

For now, thanks for ruling!

Shawn

Hello, College Radio!

It's easy for me to fall into the habit of focusing my musical energy exclusively on performing and recording.  But, I know that I need to do more than just play and record, because there is so much that I want to make happen for the Kiera Plan.  So lately, I've been putting a lot of time into the behind-the-scenes business stuff that it's all too easy to neglect.

One big project has been getting the Dedication album to as many college radio stations as possible.  I've had a number of great experiences with college radio in the past -- in fact, West Chester University's WCUR was spinning the album months before it even came out -- so I'm really excited about what I've dubbed the "College Radio Mission."  This could be a big help in introducing new people to the Kiera Plan, and building up buzz as we gear up for the next record.

If you'd like to hear the Kiera Plan on the airwaves in your area, here are a list of stations that currently have our album, and the phone numbers for their request lines:

WKDU, Drexel University / Philadelphia, PA – (215) 895-5917

WDNR, Widener University / Chester, PA - (610) 499-4440

WPRB, Princeton University / Princeton, NJ – (609) 258-1033

WERS, Emerson University / Boston, MA – (617) 482-8890

WICB, Ithaca College / Ithaca, NY – (607) 274-3217

Radio DePaul, DePaul University / Chicago, IL - (773) 325-7308

KEXP, University of Washington / Seattle, WA – (206) 903-5397

WJCU, John Carroll University / Cleveland, OH – (216) 397-4438

KZSC, University of California, Santa Cruz / Santa Cruz, CA – (831) 459-4036

KPSU, Portland State University / Portland, OR – (503) 725-5945

WNYU, New York University / New York, NY – (212) 998-1818

BSR, Brown University / Providence, RI – (401) 863-9277

WBRU, Brown University (Commercial) / Providence, RI – (866) 382-9555

KALX, University of California, Berkeley / Berkeley, CA – (510) 642-5259

KXLU, Loyola Marymount University / Los Angeles, CA – (310) 338-5958

Radio K, University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN – (612) 626-4770

WRMC, Middlebury College / Middlebury, VT – (802) 443-6323

CHUO, / Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – (613) 562-5967

CJLO, Concordia University / Montreal, Quebec, Canada – (514) 848-7471

CFUV, University of Victoria / Victoria, British Columbia, Canada – (250) 721-8700

We appreciate all of your support!  And, of course, you can still rock to Kiera Plan Radio on Pandora, or stream the full album at ReverbNation.  What I really want, though, is to be on your iPod, so e-mail the title of your favorite song to tkprock@gmail.com and I'll e-mail you the mp3 for free.

When you realize that you have to have the rest ;), you can download them from iTunes or get the physical CD from Amazon.