After the Freeze - Electric Version

This one was quite a journey!

Robbie recorded the main guitar parts and a couple of vocal takes on his own, then invited the group to come up with additional parts. On 2/17, after we’d finished up recording a bunch of other stuff (including some fine keyboard noodling from Cody for this song), John mentioned that he’d had an idea for this one after hearing Robbie’s guide tracks – instead of low-key hand percussion and mandolin or whatever, what would it sound like with snarly Neil Young-style guitars and heavier drums? “Hell, yeah!” said I (Kevin), and we proceeded to record John’s drum and guitar ideas for the main song, as well as my typically simple bass part. (John and I have been a rhythm section off and on for over 20 years! This fact will come up again later in the album…)

After we listened back, John paused and said, “I’ve got another idea. You mind recording another drum part?” “Sure!” John then laid down drums and rhythm guitar for a 32-bar bridge that could be inserted wherever it made sense in the song. We ran out of time in the studio before I could record a bass part to go along with the guitars, but the structure was there, so it’d be easy enough to add later.

Next day, I spliced the bridge into the song, rendered a rough mix, and uploaded it for Robbie to hear. John had expressed some mild trepidation about Robbie’s potential reaction to heavying up his song, but Robbie loved it.

The song then kind of fell through the cracks for a week, still needing bass and lead guitar for the added bridge. I was getting ready to ask for a favor from a couple of guitarist buddies, or failing that, to try to record a 32-bar guitar lead myself, but Robbie stepped in with the bass and lead parts you can hear in the song now.

The final touches were to add a couple of vocal parts from the first take to the end of the song (one after the keyboard lead and one at the very end), and to tone down the reverb effects on the vocal track. (Thanks, bebeh!)

Robbie Robinson – lyrics, songwriting, vocals, guitars, bass, recording
John Justice – drums, guitar
Cody Collum – keys
Kevin Craig – recording, bass, mixing

After the Freeze
by Robbie Robinson

Hard to think about the heat of summer, standing in the winter air.
Hard to see how you would know it, till the springtime turns it fair.

Here we go, heading for winter, after the freeze, things are going to thaw with time.
Though it may be hard to see, is not enough to disagree, the sun will shine.
The change of seasons doesn’t mean goodbye.

A season gone isn’t gone forever, in a year will be back again,
Orbiting round to start it over, like a date with a dear old friend.

Here we go, heading for winter, after the freeze, things are going to thaw with time.
Though it may be hard to see, is not enough to disagree, the sun will shine.
The change of seasons doesn’t mean goodbye.

After the bloom of the rose has faded, and the heat is hard to bear.
Fall arrives with splendid color, as the harvest time grows near.

Here we go, heading for winter, after the freeze, things are going to thaw with time.
For the freeze renews the seeds, the harvest feeds, and things are going to be just fine.
The change of seasons doesn’t mean goodbye.

Hard to think about the heat of summer, standing in the winter air.

Not what Kevin would say, but I believe that things are going to be okay.