John Doe Invites Fans to “Step Inside the Studio” on Saturday

Whether he is working with his X band mates, a new band or on a solo project, John Doe is not one to shun innovation. In announcing on his website that he will be doing a tandem EP with singer Jill Sobule, the two are inviting 40 fans to come to The Pass Studios in Los Angeles to witness and take part in their live recordings of several tracks for their upcoming releases.

It would seem that recording their albums on the same day with the same band is a cunning plan by both acclaimed musicians to find a new way to fund studio time. This may be less of a stunt than something others might want to pay attention to as it not only handles the financial end, but allows fans to share some intimate time with the artists as they create, rehearse and refine.

Fans in the LA area this Saturday (April 11) can buy tickets through the eventbrite.com, which offers the following tiers:

• ALL-DAY “MUSICIAN’S MUSICIAN” ACCESS ($200): For recording engineers, DIY musicians or anyone that wants to see it from the ground up. Only 10 tickets are available. Attendees will be able to see and interact with every aspect of the recording process for the entire day, starting at 10am: set up, getting sounds, tracking, overdubs, editing and rough mixing. No prior recording experience is required but we’ll drill down as much as you’d like into the technical side of the process.
• HALF-DAY “CREATIVE PATRON” ACCESS ($125): For aspiring producers, songwriters, amongst others. Only 15 tickets available. Those a bit less interested in the nuts and bolts will arrive at 1PM as the songs to be recorded are arranged and rehearsed. Production decisions will be made and everyone will be honing in on the actual recording, which is scheduled to begin at 4pm. Attendees will be able to watch the proceeds in the tracking room with the musicians while they record.
• WRAP-UP “MUSIC LOVERS” ACCESS ($75): Here’s a level for the person who simply loves music. Only 15 tickets available. Arrive at 4PM to see the actual recording, which will last until 7pm (TBA). This will likely be done in two parts: the first, mostly acoustic and the second, more electric, with a meal break between. During this time Jill, John, Dave & the musicians will be available to chat about the process.

The idea of having fans invest in good music that does not generally get airplay on mainstream radio makes both business and artistic sense as longtime listeners of Doe and Sobule’s work can not only see the creative process closely, but also take the position of art patrons who would contribute high quality music to the public by their own choice and not have such creativity be forced to bend at the behest of a record label executive. With the growing number of musicians (especially from the classic alternative era) gravitating toward independent distribution and niche record companies and the effects of the current global recession in effect, it is ideas like this that will soon become a trend rather than an oddity.