A Reflection on Recording - Written by Murmur (AKA: Nick Banuelos)

I had been in the studio a handful of times before recording with The E’ville Experience, and with each session my love for studio work grew. There's something about being in a room shut away from the world creating music with a group of people you love and respect that resonates with me in a way that nothing else does. It feels like you're cracking open some great secret of the universe that you get to bear witness to. You leave feeling powerful with the memory tattooed to your mind and a hunger for more that never leaves you.

     So needless to say, I was extremely excited to enter the studio and record what would be the E’ville Experience’s first EP. Much of that excitement stemmed from my confidence in the team behind this project: Rose Gonzales, the perfect voice to match the caustic aggression of my guitar playing, fearless leader, snack provider, one of my best friends and a literal angel in the face of stress; Genesis Valentine, badass drummer extraordinaire, certified superhero and a joy to work with as well as perform with; and Bill Snyder III, who by chance ended up behind the boards for our early single “Olivia” and has proven his worth time and time again since. With these three locked in, we got to work on the EP.

Bill Snyder III working on “Oliva” June 14, 2018

     For the most part, recording went smoothly. I obsessively practice my parts for fun anyway, so for the vast majority of the songs it was simply a matter of figuring out what parts went where and playing them a few times. There were a few exceptions of course, most of them small suggestions by Bill which always led to improvements. But one session in particular sticks with me because it completely changed how I view this particular song.

     It was the last session I had for guitars. I powered through the first of the two songs without a problem and, feeling confident in myself, foolishly skipped a food break and continued straight into recording guitars for “Bullet in Flight”. “Bullet” is a song that changed a lot from the early demos, morphing from a synth driven groove to a shreddy 80’s jam. Anyone who had seen us live at that point would have been familiar with the fast, scratchy riff that led the song and continued throughout. Playing that riff for an extended period of time never failed to tire me out, and the thought of having to play that riff over and over again for 20 some odd minutes filled me with dread.

Murmur (AKA: Nick Banuelos) recording guitars for “Lightspeed”

     So the time came, I did two passes of the song and was exhausted pretty much right away. I was in the middle of cursing myself for not taking that break before I saw what I had come to recognize as Bill’s “hmmm” face. Usually this means he had an idea, and given how done I was with the riff, I was down with whatever he had in mind.

     “I dunno about that riff, it's a little too repetitive.” said Bill, his voice echoing in my headphones. “Is there something we can do to break things up a little?”

     The hamster that occupies the space where my brain would be began to run in his wheel.

     “Actually, I think I have an idea. Let's do another take and you guys lemme know if this works.”

     So we start again, I start playing the riff and so far nothing has changed. But when the verses came, I added in a pause to the riff which gave the whole song some much needed space while giving my hands a brief rest.

     Judging by everyones reactions, it was a good move to make.

     It was little moments like these that had a surprisingly large impact on the songs themselves. All of a sudden, the material that Rose and I had worked on for months started to evolve into something more defined. There was a togetherness about the music that got me excited for the future of what we were making. I could hear these songs being played on radio, I found myself daydreaming about complete strangers enjoying our music, I imagined fans at our shows singing along to our songs. 

     For the first time in my career, something I was a part of felt substantial. The music we made together during this time is truly the best music I’ve ever had the fortune to have a hand in creating. It's visceral, powerful, and an unapologetic reflection of the people who made it. It’s both a big “hello” and a tease at what comes next. It comes at a time of great change not only in my life, but what feels like the world. 

     I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, good and bad. While I’m sad that I won’t be able to celebrate the release of the EP in person with everyone, this still feels like the right time to release this music. To me, the songs reflect three things that I imagine echo in all of our lives: urgency, aggression and, most importantly, hope. Urgency to act in the face of corruption, aggression in the face of injustice, and hope for a better tomorrow.

     This might be a less than ideal time to release music, but for this EP and what we have to say, now is the perfect time. I can’t wait for you all to hear what we’ve worked on.

the E’ville Experience EP will be released November 20th, 2020