Well Log #3 – Seafood Chowder (2/26/26)
We’ve been extended an opportunity to record three original songs—both video and audio—by John Little, professor in the audio department at the community college in Gardner, MA. Our target recording date is Saturday, March 28th, with a planned setup day on March 25th. Students and faculty will assist us in this endeavor.
Practice will follow a predetermined schedule, starting tonight, Thursday 2/19, and continuing every Thursday night for the next six weeks.
Our band team consists of:
Robert LaBelle – Piano and vocals
Chris Garretson – Guitar
Jennifer Thayer – Vocal harmonies, saxophone, flute, and keyboards
Nathan Thayer – Drums
Joe Parker – Bass
Afraid of Heights, our band, has a total of nine fully recorded songs for this project, Sterling—recorded, mixed, and mastered by Chris Cormier, with John Little contributing engineering and mixing on three of the tracks.
Tonight we practiced the first three songs: Wekepeke, Mrs. Mattson, and Set Free. Went well. We’ve set up gear, tweaked sound, and cleaned the band room.
Mike, Jennifer’s sound engineer friend, was already in the band room when Chris and I arrived. He was tracing cables, moving slowly, taking it all in. After shifting things around and listening from vantage points, he grabbed a to-go container of chowder, refused a $100 bill, and headed for the door.
“No thank you. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,” he said as the storm door swung shut.
He stayed just long enough to hear Wekepeke. “Good songwriting,” he said three times. I liked Mike. Sincere. Direct.
We definitely sounded better tonight. I could hear my vocals clearly. Everything felt more defined. Chris still needs to turn up a bit on guitar solos, but we’re getting there.
Lindsey arrived on time to add her vocals. She and Jennifer sound beautiful together—natural, blended, strong.
It felt like real progress tonight. The band feels like it’s coming together. It’s really happening. And that brings a little anxiety with it.
Joe came straight from the doctor tonight. High cholesterol. No chowder for him. His A1C is 10.2, so apparently diabetes too. I told him I’m in the same club.
Nathan brings a good energy into the room. Jennifer mentioned he thinks the songs are good—just not really his kind of music.
There’s something steady about him that makes me pay attention.
Jennifer isn’t just another member anymore. She’s part of the core.
I had one more bowl of chowder before we hit the road. We packed up leftovers and divided them out. I left tired but satisfied. It was a good night. Thank you, God. I love life.
