On the road to Lexington

Tom (aka T-Bone Stukes, drummer) shares his experience on the road trip to Lexington to record the next album for The JAB at Shangri-la with Duane Lundy.

10 am. Leaving Chicago

Here we go! What a beautiful morning. The sun shines bright as we are packing our gear into our cars to head out for Lexington. There is an air of excitement but also anxiety. We have worked so hard in preproduction that we are confident but want to get it perfect down south.

Noon. Highway 65, southern bound.

It is a wonderfully beautiful horizon of green vegetation away from the tall skyscrapers of Chicago. As we caravan down, we feel the southern vibe already. We hope that Lexington has a direct effect on the songs we wrote. So many of the new songs have that southern feel, but don't worry—we have not lost our Chicago blues rock roots. This melding will be wonderful.

2:40 pm. Still on highway 65 near West Lafayette.

Playlist thus far:

Taj Mahal's self-titled 1967: awesome blues and great slide guitar that Ryan is big fan of.
Rival Son's new album Feral Roots: I love the slammin' drums, and Jam the powerful vocals.

4:22 pm.

The lone tree sits outside the forest Sparse but majestic as it flowers ever green It doesn't have the protection of the forest, not the comfort of closeness, but The seedlings fall among the grass below, germinating all, not caring what the forest thinks, not minding the comfortable space the forest holds between mediocrity and originality The tree stands alone and faces the harsh wind and rain, and will sustain, survive, and be reborn over and over again.

5:49 pm.

Alex is driving now. Only an hour out. The energy is still really high for what we are reaching for even though this has been a long ride. Music genres and different bands and musicians are the main topic of conversation. It is amazing how much they all know of different people and the complexities of their art. It is great to be surrounded by people that have the one goal of creating beautiful art to help people who are struggling through life,

7:06 pm.

We have arrived!!!! The studio is in a working class neighborhood. Perfect setting. The heat and humidity of the evening here is comforting and liberating. Duane, the producer, is a laidback, lovely person. The atmosphere of the studio is chill and inviting. This is going to be a great experience, for sure!!