Written on an acoustic guitar Meant 2 B is a simple Dm/Am progression. When I started to add instruments it was a textbook example to me how you can produce songs lots of different ways.  I was shocked how Latin and R & Bit started to sound.  Two things made me want to finish this one. Barry Sperti again said, “I have a few ideas for that song.”.   I set up an empty track, and put an old, beat up AKG RE20 mic on his Alto Sax and hit record. I was completely blown away by the emotion that he put into this song.  Sometimes he’s barely breathing into the thing.  There was so much good stuff on there that  I didn’t know what to cut out.  Then I managed to convince Jennifer, who was 13 years old at the time to sing on it.  I wanted it to be fun for her, so we went downtown to Earhole Recording Studio then with my friend and amazing engineer Joe Bader where she sang the lead and I sang some background stuff.  It was one of the first recordings I have of her.  With her permission I will post a few others she did at that time; like Another Day that was one the first songs she ever wrote.  The middle part was recorded back at home when a friend that heard it joked about a Barry White talked part in the middle.  After about 3 margaritas one night at MiRanchito in Lowell I came home and made it up on one pass.  The truth is I was laughing out loud between lines.

Meant 2 B

Old Devil Moon-(Lane/Harburg 1947)

Love's Better Man

Best That A Man Can (So In Love)

South Side of Chicago talent spanning 40 years, and there is no mistaking the chemistry of this fantastic group of musicians. Fronted by lead singer Barry Sperti also on piano and saxophonist , Terry Wiley and Ron Barry on guitar, Mick Zaklin on Harp, Glen Diersen on bass and Dan MacDonald's on drums, and Jennifer Knuth on background vocals. ©2012 Recorded 2012 David Knuth/Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL.

Runaway

Matteson All Stars in the studio performing frontman Barry Sperti's original track Radio. On and off since 1974 with a host of South Side of Chicago talent spanning 40 years, and there is no mistaking the chemistry of this fantastic group of musicians. Fronted by lead singer Barry Sperti also on piano and saxophonist , Terry Wiley and Ron Berry on guitar, Mick Zaklin on Harp, Glen Diersen on bass and Dan MacDonald's on drums, and Jennifer Knuth on background vocals. Record 2012 David Knuth/Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL.

MAS ©2012

The Healer

MUSIC and LYRICS BY David Knuth, Ed Knecht, Jay Mishur and Brian Schubbe 
©2014 Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL

I had been playing around with this riff and melody for about a year before I had Ed Knecht and Brian Schubbe over on a Friday evening to help turn the crank on it.  Brian helped streamline Ed and my nonsense with some lyrics and together we finish the chorus.  A week or two later, I had Jay Mishur and Ed over a second time.  We finished the lyrics and jammed it until it took shape.. 
If you are interested in recording (I know many of my studio friends are) here is a brief outline how it was tracked and produced. 

Jay, Ed and I jammed the song about 20 times until we felt like we had it together.  I like the idea of getting first interpretation from the people I am lucky enough to have over to the studio.  We tracked the guitar, bass, scratch vocals and drums through my Trident Fleximix to 2” tape with the 16 track head stacks on. There were no punch ins or edits.  Later,  I went back and tracked a second guitar, the tremolo guitar chorus riff and way lead to the 2" as well.  Ed came back and sang the lead vocal.  There was no question that he sounded better singing it than I did.  Then we all 3 sang the backgrounds part, and for the record, there is NO PITCH CORRECTION on any of the vocals.  Take them as they are, but they are real.   I still think they sound best without it.  
I used a Marshall JCM 800 with my 90’s ’62 reissue strat and my 1969 Gold Top Les Paul through the hand wired/last of the UK built VOX AC30's.  Ed auditioned a few bass amps here, but gravitated to a distorted tone through my late 70's Marshall JMP guitar amp with the  1960A 4-12” greenbacks cabinet.  I said, “Screw the rules.  If you like it, I’m down”.  He said F^*k yeah! Guitars were all mic’d with the Royer 121, Bass Beyer Dynamic M88 and drums a mix of vintage Yamaha MZ204, 205’s, Neumann KM84’s, M149 and an R20. The only mic pre’s I used this time (and I have plenty of others ) were the ones in the desk! 
Tape returns were sent back to the Trident for EQ and a quick mix.  Then I bounced everything into Protools.  Funny thing about tracking to tape first is that there is almost NO mixing in Protools.  Faders all at 0, all I did was a little compression (DBX 160), plate, tape delay and Lexicon PCM 91 reverb on the vocals and that’s it.  NO in the box EQ’s or compression on guitars or bass.  Drums are pretty much as recorded tp the 2”.  NO EQ there either.  I did do a quick in-house master with Waves L316 to get the levels up.   

Not saying what I do is necessarily the best, but I like to continual understand, refine and share production.  I think I have learned that LESS=MORE.  IF the amps and drums sound good in the room, then I just need to capture it .  TAPE KILLS

Mallory Gallery

LET GO - D. Knuth ©2014
Lyrics
Guess I forgot to let you know
That you’re all I ever wanted or need
Didn’t mean to stoop so low
Cut out your warm still beating heart

As time passes by
Like a hurricane waiting for the eye
I believe that together we must try then

Let Go
Hold your head up high
From the deepest place inside just
Let go oh oh oh oh oh
Let go

Guitar Solo

Do you think of me
I really need to know
I wanna do everything with you    
I only want what I deserve

My darling
how I need you
‘cause I love you

And time passes by
Like a hurricane waiting for the eye
I believe that together we must try and

Let Go
Hold your head up high
From the deepest space inside just
Let go oh oh oh oh oh
Let go
Oooooh, ooooh let go

Credits
Piano-David Knuth
Bass-David Knuth
Electric guitar-David Knuth
Pedal Steel Guitar- Daniel Keith 
Lead and B/R Vocals-David Knuth
Drums- Mike Husa and John Douthitt


Let Go

I Fear Falling 
D.Knuth 2015

If I could go back 
Maybe travel in time
Unravel the twine
That’s tangles my mind
Bend until break
Recover a fate
That’s treating me so unkind

Because I fear falling
That’s why I’m still crawling
Sometimes I fear falling in my mind
Because I,  fear falling
And so I’m still calling you, I
Don’t know which space to call my own

Grind off each trace
And take my place
Confront this face to face 
Start to define
Draw out each line
The angel of my eye

Because I fear falling
That’s why I’m still crawling 
Sometimes I fear falling in my mind
Because I fear falling
And so I’m still calling you, I
Don’t know which space to call my own

BRIDGE

Like a roller coast never
Never getting closer so
Sit back and enjoy the ride
Cause in the end
I will mend the
Broken pieces of your heart

Coming Full Circle 
Coming Full Circle
Coming Full circle back to you
Turning Coming Full Circle
Turning Full Circle now I
I know the place to call my home

I Fear Falling KOG Vocals Only 04.16.15

Another track from Barefoot Studio. This song was written by Brian Schubbe. He came to my studio to track guitar and the lead vocal. It was a pleasant surprise to hear him turn me loose on the production. So this is a collaboration between Brian, the very talented Vincent Ochwat on drums and myself. I re-arranged it a little bit, engineered, wrote and played the melodic hooked lead and the bass. Brian played some great riffs and a great outro lead. A fun project that we knocked out rather quickly.
Listen and/or share if you like. Onto something new!


In Absentia

Matteson All Stars in the studio performing frontman Barry Sperti's original track Radio. On and off since 1974 with a host of South Side of Chicago talent spanning 40 years, and there is no mistaking the chemistry of this fantastic group of musicians. Fronted by lead singer Barry Sperti also on piano and saxophonist , Terry Wiley and Ron Berry on guitar, Mick Zaklin on Harp, Glen Diersen on bass and Dan MacDonald's on drums, and Jennifer Knuth on background vocals. Record 2012 David Knuth/Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL.

This unarguably poppy track resonates with their signature sound of Sax and Harmonica. There is no mistaking Barry Sperti's voice. As usual, it resonates in perfect pitch and tone.


Produced and engineered by David Knuth Barefoot Studio Beecher, IL

Radio

I found this beautiful recording while doing a mix down of something else.  I recorded this duet Played and sung by Lupe Carrol and Jennifer Knuth  somewhere about 2004 during a practice session before preforming at the Beecher 4th of July celebration.

Dave Barnes Cover-I Have And I Always Will

You never know what will walk through the door at your studio.  I just say that when these 15 kids came and said they wanted record some funk, I thought...shit, there's a whole lots of you all!.  Divide and conquer.  What a fun project!

Morajo Funk-Afro Budah

The very talented Jimmy Boyton's cover of Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Barefoot Recording Studio

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