we can’t wait to get started!! in this page you’ll find the prompt, some ideas to get you started (if you want, ignore if you don’t), studio scheduler, backline info, the timeline, etc.

the prompt

change, as a companion

This record is an expression of community, diversity, and the shared experiences that unite us. As we grow or decline, our music shifts with us. It becomes a vessel that lives and breathes, mirroring the ways we try to breathe life into one another, or ourselves. In a world uncertain with what tomorrow will bring, some of us may find a breath of fresh air in that our creativity will walk alongside us regardless of the good, bad or indifferent. It perseveres, struggles, wins and changes just as we do.

Your song should reflect change, the beauty or terror that comes with it, the safety we find in knowing a new day will come, etc. It doesn’t need to be happy, it doesn’t need to be sad, it should be however you see or feel it.

  • Transformation: emotional, spiritual, personal, communal, or artistic growth

  • Cycles: seasons of loss and renewal; endings that lead to beginnings

  • Adversity as Catalyst: the beauty found in struggle and the lessons it teaches

  • Resilience: the quiet strength that carries us through uncertainty

  • Perseverance: as a habit, the voice in our head

  • Creativity as Companion: art as a witness, guide, or mirror through our lives

themes to explore

questions that guide

  • What does change feel like in your body, heart, or mind?

  • When have you been carried by resilience, even quietly?

  • What role has community played in shaping who you are becoming?

  • How does creativity walk with you, comfort you, challenge you?

  • What have you had to let go of in order to grow?

  • Incorporate musical metaphors: rhythms breaking, melodies returning, dissonance resolving. (we ask for no major timing changes, however)

  • Explore contrasting sections: verses grounded in struggle, choruses opening into hope.

  • Let ambiguity be part of the story; change is often unclear until we look back.

other ideas

most importantly, make what YOU want

the timeline

december 15

time to write, compose and finalize your song

p.s. recording can begin as soon as song is finalized!

preparation and writing

december ?- march 8

scheduling portal will be open to book 3hr recording blocks, each track will be allotted 2-4 3hr sessions at the mess (this includes a mixing session).

recording and mixing sessions

January 8

musicians will get together, make introductions, discuss the project in-depth, share questions, comments, and concerns and discuss their songwriting process thus far

first all-hands meeting

tracks sent for mastering

april 6th

final mixes have been reviewed, approved and sent off to local audio engineers for mastering.

week of april 27th - exact date TBD

musicians get together, talk about their mess tape experience, discuss promo cycle and solidify release timeline

second all-hands meeting

date TBD!!!

the mess tape vol. 2 is released!

release

The Studio

Living room with a sloped ceiling, illuminated by sunlight coming through a window. Features include a white bookshelf filled with books and decorative items, a peach armchair with a white cushion, a beige sofa with pillows, a guitar, and a side tabl
A white electric guitar hanging on a wooden wall, next to a wall with various jewelry, headphones, and photos pinned on a white pegboard.
Home music studio setup with dual monitors, keyboard, laptop, microphone, speakers, and various musical equipment.
Living room with two chairs, a side table with a lamp and neon sign, and built-in bookshelves.
Electric guitar with a floral strap leaning against an amplifier in a room.
Shelf with numerous small jars, a tray with three yellow candles, camera, and a candle on the windowsill, window with sunlight, books and framed photos around the shelf.
Room with a cream-colored couch, several guitars on a stand, and a red collage board with cables and headphones hanging on a wall.
Decorative table lamp on a side table with books and a neon sign that says 'the mess' in a living room with wood-paneled walls.

The Backline

  • A white electric guitar with black pickups and controls leaning against a black table, with a lamp and a stack of books in the background. A neon sign spells out 'the mess' behind the lamp.

    1989 Squier Stratocaster

    made in korea with 3 single-coil pickups and a rosewood fingerboard

  • 2007 Fender Telecaster Special

    made in korea with a flame spalted maple top, a set mahogany neck and two humbucker pickups with a coil-splitter knob

  • Gretsch 5655-QM

    electromatic center block jr. with dual broad’tron humbuckers and a bigsby b70

  • the acoustic I stole from my sister

    I cannot tell you anything specific about this instrument, other than many people have told me it’s the nicest neck on an acoustic they’ve ever played so at least there’s that

  • An electric bass guitar leans against a small table with a stack of books, decorative vase, and a lamp with a shade that has the word 'the mess' in neon lights behind it. The background is wood-paneled.

    Stingray Classic Ray24

    sterling by music man bass with a single humbucker

  • A cream-colored electric bass guitar with a tortoiseshell pickguard standing upright in front of a wooden table with a lamp and books, and a neon sign behind it reading 'the mess'.

    1994 Fender Precision Bass

    made in Mexico between ‘94 and ‘95, features a p-bass body with a jazz bass next, a P/J pickup configuration and kubicki era 2-band preamp with 2 concentric knobs

Drums

Pearl Export 5-piece drum set

Bass drum: 22 x 16”

Toms: 10x8” and 12x9”

Floor tom: 16x16”

**please bring your own cymbals and snare, the house kits suck**

The Desk

A home workspace with two large speakers, a laptop, a desktop monitor, a mixer, and various electronic devices arranged on a table with a green tablecloth.

DAW: Ableton Live 11 Standard

Monitors: JBL 305P MKII 5”

Interface: Universal Audio Volt 476P

Microphone: Sterling Audio ST159

disclosure: studio is located in an attic and is only accessible by a pull-down staircase/ladder. reasonable accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis. please feel welcome to bring any and all of your own gear, we are able to bring it all up into the space! the backline we offer is a convenience above all else.

book your session