Missing Records

The Clouds hail from Long Beach, CA and sometimes they blanket the sky. Sometimes they are wispy and small and lay delicately in the upper atmosphere. They can filter the summer sun and shade us when we want to be cool. For that we celebrate Jose, Pam, Carina, Jason and Al also known as "The Clouds." They dropped in from the troposhere to share some details about their upcoming record:

What was the process like for this one?

Jason: I don't want to say painstaking but Chinese water torture comes to mind.

Carina:  We were able to record the majority of the record at Hunter's Hollow with Aaron Embry over two days last summer. It was a really great place to record at. We felt very welcomed and at home there. That's probably why we were able to record it in so little time. Over the next few months we realized that there were takes that we weren't so happy with, so we re-recorded a lot of parts at Jose's house to polish things up. 

Jose: We all wanted different things for this record and we tried recording at three different places. It became very difficult to mix.  Fortunately, a good friend of mine, Alejandro Barajas, is an amazing Pro Tools engineer and helped us out immensely.  This record would e be nothing without him. 

Pam: Like the neverending story.  Thankfully, we met a few Falcors along the way like Alejandro, and Kyle and Katie of Ku Press.     

What has been the best part of recording this time?

Jason: Hanging out in Bubbles' room.

Jose: Getting the experience of recording at three different spots.  My apartment, a great garage studio and a major recording studio, the same one Thriller was recorded, hence, the Bubble's room.  I have a pretty good feeling of which one I liked the best now.

Pam: Making music with amazing people and discovering the incredible music of Aaron Embry of Amnion who we were blessed to with.   

Carina: Being able to re-record after the studio sessions was really essential to the album.  The fact that Jose has the knowledge and equipment to make this happen was great. It's made it possible for us to feel really good about putting out the record because we've reworked things and we are all really happy with it now.   

What is the creative (songwriting) process like for you guys and how did that help/hinder the recording process?

Jason: It's pretty collaborative and I'm pretty lucky cause I get to just put bass lines to cool songs.

Jose: Oh, man.  Where do I start.  It's really important for me to have a purpose for everything.  I begin at home, discuss it in great lengths with Pam.  I record it and email it to Carina who adds her stuff.  Then I take it all to Jason and Al and we all arrange it for the band.  This is great until we get to the studio.  Sometimes the song struggles between purpose and aesthetics.  I love the way the band made it sound after it went through the "cloud machine" but sometimes somewhere along the way it loses certain feelings that were meant to be communicated.  After a veto, a panel discussion and voting events, we come to an understanding.  It's very patriotic.  That or I just become the dictator and complain til I get my way.

Pam:  It's changed over time.  Originally most clouds songs were written and for the most part, arranged by Jose with the exception of a few songs written by me and Carina.  I think we've become more comfortable with ourselves and each other musically to be able to collaborate more in the writing process. Jose and Carina are songmaking machines.

Carina:  For the most part our songs originate from either Jose, Pam or myself and then we introduce them to the band to see if we can make them Cloudy. Once in a while a song doesn't seem like it can be worked into a Clouds song but for the most part it works out well. By the time we went into record the songs we had already been playing most of them live for a whole year. There were a couple minor new things that were written during the recording process but we didn't really go into it with the intention to write as we recorded. Later though Jose and I talked about how it can sometimes be disappointing if a band sounds the same live as they do recorded and Jose added some really good synth parts and effects to certain songs, which added a nice fullness and depth to the feel of the recordings.

What influences your music?

Jason: Pam, Carina, Jose and Al.

Jose: Jason.

Pam: All the above

Carina:  At some point we realized that nearly every song on the album is somehow connected with the theme of being removed from home. Pam, Jose and I all moved to Long Beach from Fillmore, Ca, a couple years ago. In Fillmore, everyone knows each other and the town is surrounded by miles of mountains and orange orchards on all sides. Leaving our hometown and adjusting to a much different city was a major influence on the record.  

Is this going to be an E.P. or a full length release? 

Carina: It's a full length record that is coming out with a limited edition, fifty page, handmade, hardcover book. The book has poetry, prose and photography that are connected to the album's theme.

Is there a title?

Removed From Home

When will it be released?

Carina: Our record release show will be Friday August 20th at 8:30pm at Zephyr Cafe in Long Beach. The cafe is at 340 E. 4th St., 90802. We are going to have some of the writers there to read from the book and Feed the Feeble will also being performing to open the event.

What's next for the Clouds? 

Jason: The stars.

Jose: I'd like to begin recording new songs we've written since finishing "Removed From Home".  We're going to approach it differently, much more like the first e.p.'s but with the experience of this full length. I'm not sure what would be next, I've recently felt more inspired to write than perform live.  As much as it is important to communicate with people in that setting, it feels more important to keep pushing my songwriting in order to best communicate and stay focused on the purpose of the song rather than the excitement of live music.

Pam:  Making music!

Thanks to The Clouds for sharing - If you want to get your hands on one of those amazing hand made records give The Clouds a shout @ thecloudsmusic@gmail.com