New Album Recording

[TastyGroove]

Just got back from the show and Sara said that they're going to start recording it November 4th.

[flutegrl71]

One word for that --- HURRAY!:D

So, people who are familiar with the music industry, can you tell us what that means for an approximate release date?

[Jimmie]

Originally posted by flutegrl71 So, people who are familiar with the music industry, can you tell us what that means for an approximate release date? Well, in most cases that would suggest a release date in the second half of 2005. But that's just an educated guess - a lot of factors go into it.

They were supposed to begin work on it back in January. That didn't happen, but they did spend most of the first half of the year writing and arranging, so the material is pretty well polished at this point.

They actually first went into the studio back in July, though I have no idea how far they got. After all, it was later in July that they started rehearsing for the MAS tour, so obviously they weren't doing much recording.

With a November start date, if they really got serious, they could probably have all the basic tracks down by the end of the year. They could mix it over the winter, get the mastering done during March, then turn it over to Sugar Hill to do the artwork, notes, packaging, etc. So the earliest probable release date would be early summer. More likely might be early August - exactly three years after This Side.

But sometimes things slip. And sometimes the record company decides to hold things back for marketing reasons. Record companies REALLY like to release CDs in the fall - just in time for that all-important Christmas buying season.

There's one more issue here - their contract with Sugar Hill calls for them to make three Nickel Creek CDs. I think it is very likely that they will sign with a major label after this contract has been fulfilled. So Sugar Hill will want to get as much mileage (ie, revenue) from this one as possible. That, too, could affect the schedule, though it's hard to say which way it would push it. Fall may be a good season for new releases, but it's generally NOT good for a band to wait 3+ years between CDs.

Deceiver is an issue, too. If it draws some mainstream radio attention, or if MTV picks up a video and runs with it, then that may affect the decision, too. Again, there's no good way for me to predict which way that would push the decision. They might want to let Deceiver run its course, or they might want to get a new NC CD out while Deceiver is at its peak.

Anyway, it's possible that the new CD could be out sooner than mid-year, but I don't think it's overly likely. Don't get your hopes up.

[UpInYourHeart]

Don't forget somewhere in or after that time line is Sean's solo CD, I believe?

[lethal12005]

Jimmie, that's a heck of an answer.

Speaking from being a fan and not knowing much about the business, they seem to have a lot of reasons to delay albums coming out, so I wish they'd come on.

[TastyGroove]

Originally posted by UpInYourHeart
Don't forget somewhere in or after that time line is Sean's solo CD, I believe?

and Sara said she's hoping to do one soon

[UpInYourHeart]

Yes, that too (which I'm very much looking forward too - thankfully she's been on a few of other peoples CD so we're not left in the total dust of having no new Sara material :D) but I mean, Sean's CD is supposed to be finished - or something along those lines. I mean, the MAS Sampler did say the two tracks from it would be on Sean's CD coming out in 2005, granted '05 is a very broad answer, but yeah...*shrugs*

[PrincessNic]

Mark, the base player, said that they were going to be going on tour again in May, so that might mean the cd could come out around then...tour for the new album and such.

[lethal12005]

Who is Eric Valentine? Sara mentioned him in her journal. I'm sorry, it's just that I have never heard of him, he must be a good producer though.

[Jimmie]

Eric Valentine is a rock producer. He has produced SmashMouth, Third Eye Blind, and Good Charlotte, among others. He has also produced songs for movies like Shrek, Shrek 2, and Spiderman 2.

He has a west coast studio called Hunk of studios - a ProTools-based studio. I think it's safe to say that his work will be significantly different from Alison Krauss.

[mandolinquent]

About the producer of the new CD, Chris said something about the Queens of the Stone Age. So maybe their producer or someone in the band will be producing the new NC album. Any thoughts on this?

[Jimmie]

Originally posted by mandolinquent
About the producer of the new CD, Chris said something about the Queens of the Stone Age. So maybe their producer or someone in the band will be producing the new NC album. Any thoughts on this? Yep, same guy. Eric Valentine produced their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf.