November 26th, 2023,
On Friday afternoon after work I came home and downloaded a free trial of Ozone 11. One of the things I didn’t do with any of my previous releases was get them in any way mastered. It’s a weird thing that I’ve found myself going back and fourth about every time the thought came up or a new release cycle came into play.
As you know, everything I’ve released so far has been a solo effort from beginning to end, each time with the intent of showcasing the best of my ability in the moments it happened. I’d felt a certain level of comfortability producing, engineering and mixing all my own work because I’d done it for others previously, but I’m not a mastering engineer and I’d never really cared to become one.
But Neither Could Dylan is all about trying new things and expanding your skillset at any opportunity you feel it makes sense to or are driven towards attempting – I reached that point with mastering on Friday.
Now I’m not about to claim in any sense of the word that what I did afterwards is in any way comparable to the great mastering work of those I’ve been privileged to see in action or hear on some from some of my favourite records. Mastering is a fine art to me and I have nothing but the utmost respect for those that do it well.
But whereas when I listen back now to Acceptance or The Clearing and there is a noticeable drop in overall volume and the absence of that silky mastering coating that I know is possible from a great mastering engineer, yesterday when I listened back to my new album after some simple but effective mastering treatments made possible by Ozone 11, I was overwhelmed.
There is a subtle boost in clarity on my lead guitars. There is an elegance to the way the bells pop through the mix. There is a unique timbre and depth to the vocal effects as they enter and fade away. All rather subtle, but noticeably there when compared to the original unmastered tracks.
With each record or release I have tried to challenge myself to learn a new skill and now I can say I am well on my way to learning how to master records well should that be a path I choose to continue to walk down.
And, ahead of the very last payment in my 6-month financing plan on my Roland e-drums, I am elated that all the drum parts you hear on this new record are played by me. On previous records I didn’t even have a drum kit, so I relied heavily on the magic of midi programming, which was great but just as with the newly mastered mixes, there is something wonderfully unique about this record and I believe a lot of that comes from the live drumming that I fumbled my way through over the last couple weeks. I’ve never taken a drum lesson and my track record for being one of those musicians who can’t be assed to sit down and work on paradiddles for 10 minutes remains – instead I just cued up the tracks I was working on and saw what I could come up with for them.
The result of all this is the longest album I’ve put together to date. Previously I also set the limitation of a 40minute record as so many of my favourite artists tend to, but this time I decided that I didn’t want that to matter and I just wanted to ensure I was including all the best tracks that serve to tell the story pulling at the bottom of my sweater.
So I whittled my way down from 30-some-odd songs to the collection that will find its way on the final pressing of this record and whether they ended up being under 3 minutes in length or over 8, they’ve made the cut; I’m very proud of each one.
In a way, this album is a precursor to Acceptance and while most of the songs are new, there’s at least one or two you might’ve heard before.
Because of the way I’ve approached all my releases so far, there is always room for growth and improvement and in some cases, I’d been playing to revisit them even before I ever shared them with you the first time.
In 2021 I released Jestem Kryzywm Lasem; it’s an acoustic EP that is sort of a short story about the things that have driven me back to songwriting and performing music. It includes the track Driveway that is about an old friend of mine.
When I released Driveway at the time it was because it was such an important story for me to tell and one that I return to often and has a tendency to return to me at unexpected intervals.
Last night my family and I went out to dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday. We were originally planning to go to a local restaurant called Desserts Plus that’s popular in my town. When we were younger, we’d go to Desserts Plus almost every weekend and we’d celebrate almost every birthday or milestone event at its original location on Highway 7. To say we were regulars would be an understatement.
It’s an Italian place that boasts great home-style cooked Italian meals and was known for big portion sizes at a good price; it wasn’t very showy at all and you could go in jeans and a tee and feel just as comfortable as those who’d spruce up their look for their own night out.
Eventually Desserts Plus given its reputation for great food and its ever-increasing popularity moved to a new location on Weston Road, gave itself a slightly more upscale look and over time, it would become apparent that the service was less than to be desired.
It’s still one of the most popular restaurants in this part of town, but it’s one of those places that when you go now, you have to understand that you might be waiting a really, really long time for any kind of service – I’m talking sometimes up to 3 hours for a basic dinner that can be whipped up in 20 minutes. Food, drinks or otherwise – they just don’t really give a shit and the people that still frequent it don’t care enough to cause a stir.
The food is still just as good as it always has been, but the portion sizes have gone down, too and for me personally, the unpredictable level of service is enough to keep me away from it.
But this isn’t really about Desserts Plus.
See, when Desserts Plus moved out of its original location, a new Italian restaurant took its place.
Gran Gusto’s.
What you need to know about Gran Gusto’s is that it’s basically Desserts Plus. Like, the same things I’d order when it was Desserts Plus, I order now at Gran Gusto’s. Like some people doing the Pepsi/Coke challenge, it can be hard to notice much of a difference. In fact some of the people involved in Gran Gusto’s or working there now used to work at or in some way were affiliated with Desserts Plus – but make no mistake they are not the same owners or the same ownership.
They’ve changed the decor a bit so that it’s a little nicer than the old Desserts Plus used to look, but it’s still very laid back and the food is still phenomenal.
And the service? Impeccable.
Prices have gone up a bit as with literally every other restaurant in the world but you can’t even fuss about it once you see the insane portion size you’ll get for it. There is simply no better Italian restaurant in all of Vaughan and I feel comfortable saying that because I’ve been to a hell of a lot of them.
Get the caesar salad with some bruschetta and Rigatoni alla vodka – thank me later.
Anyway, so Desserts Plus was all booked up last night so we went to Gran Gusto’s instead. I was stoked.
See, between moving out of Vaughan and just not really going out to dinner all that often since the pandemic and everything else, I haven’t actually been to Gusto’s in quite a long time and until last night I couldn’t really remember the last significant event I was there for.
When we got inside just minutes ahead of our 7PM reservation, my mother as she always does went right up to the owner to say hello and sort out where they’d placed us. She’s still a much more frequent visitor than the rest of us are so when I’m there with her, it sort of feels just like the early Desserts Plus days – coupled with the fact that it still looks largely the same right down to the tables and chairs.
Unusually quiet inside for a Saturday night, we were told we’d be in the dining room. When we were kids this was the smoking room and that’s still kind of funny for me to think about. It’s much more enjoyable as a non-smoking environment and I mostly find it insane that we as people were so cool with smoking rooms for so long – some places still have them! Mental.
Even the servers that won’t necessarily be serving you are remarkably nice here and said hello as we walked over to the double doors that lead into the dining room.
When I passed through it was like being transported back in time as my mind was quick to remember what I was last here for.
It was a round table for our large family and I took the one that allowed me to be nestled in the corner looking out to the rest of the room; I generally prefer not to have my back facing other people whenever possible.
As everyone else took their seats and removed their jackets, one of my brothers remarked how being in this room reminded him that we would often come here for hockey-related events when he was younger.
Later, his wife remarked and pointed out a table that she and my brother had one of their first Valentine’s Day dates at some 13-years ago.
Driveway as I mentioned is about an old friend; Robert committed suicide over 10 years ago now.
The lump that had entered my throat as I adjusted to my chair was because the last time I was at Gusto’s (and it was Gusto’s by then), and sitting at this very same round table in this dining room was when I recommended it as the place we would celebrate his birthday.
The timing of returning to to this particular place could not have been more appropriate to me; a full-band production of Driveway is one that’s included on my upcoming album. The one I just finished a couple hours before dinner.
I almost didn’t release Driveway on Jestem Kryzywm Lasem because I felt I hadn’t necessarily done the song justice. “It should have strings and piano,” I had told myself repeatedly when I first wrote it. But at the time I couldn’t play piano and didn’t know if I understood how to arrange accompanying strings. It wasn’t the send-off I wanted for him, but I was proud enough of my efforts to put it out there. I was sure he’d understand.
At some point later in the dinner someone else asked my mom how old she was now and my mom, as she always does and always has, refused to say. She’s been 21 as long as I’ve been alive.
This turned to a conversation that happens with some frequency within my family with others chiming in how they also hate admitting how old they’ve turned when celebrating their own days.
It’s a baffling thing to me because I have always had the opposite feeling about birthdays and I’ve spoken about it often.
After Robert died I sat with the understanding that he would no longer have a birthday cake and even if he did, the age would always be the same. There would be no more candles, no milestone toppers.
“Everyone reaches an age eventually where they no longer want to talk about their age,” my sister said. She’s been that person since she was 16.
“Speak for yourself,” came my response.
Every day I am here is a privilege. Every lap around the sun a remarkable feat.
How quickly it can be taken away is a constant murmur provoking me to get up and move, to create, to learn, to celebrate whatever I deem worth celebrating.
I have felt this way since I was very young but with every unexpected death or tragedy, it presses forward with insatiable urgency.
To live to see 100 candles would be an incredible sight. I would obnoxiously object to those numbered candles and instead fight to fit them as individual pieces on a multi-tiered spectacle. I would make sure to blow out every last one.
The time between when I originally wrote Driveway and now has not been without its challenges, but yesterday as I listened back to the new version of Driveway, I was able to smile about the fact that I was finally able to do it justice.
It has beautiful string swells. It has a lovely piano lead.
Our grief has a funny way of convincing us to dwell on the things that we can no longer experience with those who have left us, but the one thing that was just as clear when I listened back to the record as it was when I was sat at that round table is that I am still here and he is still here with me.
I look forward to sharing the new version of Driveway with you on this upcoming album and celebrating the lives and stories that inspired or influenced the writing of this record. There is so much more that I’m eager to share with you; I appreciate you being here and listening.
I don’t have a release date in mind yet for the album, but rest assured I’ll keep you in the loop.
And just in case nobody has said so yet…
Happy birthday.
Make sure to try the cake, too.
Neither Could Dylan 
Leave a comment