One of the biggest challenges since the beginning of this project was to find the drum sound - or at lease something resembling what I had in my head for these songs. This album needed subtilties...and to make each note meaningful. During these struggles, I phoned a friend - Chicago singer/songwriter Dina Bach to see if she had any recommendations. Enter Mike Charbonneau, and the rest was history.
My only direction for Mike was that each track should sound unique so that each track could stand on it's own. Each track was designed to tell another layer of the Corporate Story, so finding a way to make it unique and interwoven was a key part in the progression. At the end of the day - with very little prep time I might add - Mike was able to come through in a big way and deliver some great performances on this masterpiece.
Some of the standouts for myself - the conga flavor on "Orientation", the slow driving back beat on "Rat Race", the side stick approach in "Acceptance Letter", and the cymbal crescendos that get more intense on each chorus of "The Waiting".
Mike was also key in connecting me to other contributors on the album, such as Hanna Watson and Jessica Ondresek who both comprised the string section on a handful of key tracks.
Very pleased with Mike's help, and he has become a staple over the last several years in the Chicago music scene.