On So Thin A Line: Stories and Tales from Studio and Beyond, Part 2

Continuing with our stories about the tracks on On So Thin A Line, today is all about the song "Inventing The Game".

Track 2- "Inventing The Game"


Dan: I remember us having a rough time with this song in its earlier stages. We had worked out a live-ready version back around 2010, and had played it out a couple of times and discovered something both alarming and saddening: people really didn't respond to it. Everyone in the room would be really engaged in the set, and then we would pull "Game" out and it seemed like we sucked all the energy out of the room. Taking the hint, we were ready to scrap it and move on.

He can get into this more, but Nick really saved this song. We dragged it back out in rehearsal and he completely changed the drum beat to the beat that now exists on the album, which made a huge difference instantly. Josh added what I like to call the "Joy Division bass line"; a part that was higher up than a normal bass line and had a melodic quality to it. My approach was to slide the electric guitar under the acoustic part, which is very rhythmic, and have it just be driving rather than overly melodic. And, of course, drenched in delay.

"Game" came together really well in the studio, and I don't think any of us realized what the song was actually going to sound like until it was finished. The outro guitar solo was completely conceived and executed on the spot over a couple of takes. I wanted a David Gilmour sound to the solo (not so much a Gilmour part, though), which was accomplished with a Fender Strat, a bit of delay and keeping it simple. Always keep it simple.

James: "Game" was written with a three feel, which is still how I play it at solo shows. It was built around the dramatic dynamic change, which, unfortunately, didn't make the original full-band arrangement work. Either way, it only sorta works for me until I get to lean back, open up and holler halfway through.

This song, more than probably any other, was an example of trusting my instincts as much as possible: I actually did play the changes and sing nonsense syllables into a recorder, then kept singing over and over until the words formed. Took about an hour of feeling really silly, yet each pass felt more and more like a song. Mumbles became words, words became phrases, and phrases became a song, which turned out to be dark, moody, illicit. Not bad for a spring afternoon in my sunny living room!

I turned it over and over in my head as we approached the studio; I wanted to maintain the moodiness and sordidness of the original, while still working within the more driving rhythm. The addition of Katie Barbato (formerly of The Sleepwells, now courtesy of herself) struck me: in addition to loving her writing and performances, she had done some nice duet work with Dan Collins, another great local singer-songwriter of our acquaintance. Her vocals still give me chills on this track.

Nick: Ditto on the chills. Thanks again, Katie.

The band allowed me to put on my arranging hat for this song at practice one day, and that hat was a fedora. Like Dan said, I decided that the beat should change to align with a certain part of James' rhythm guitar demo track. The song needed a little more forward movement and I thought a certain driving beat would do the trick. I was inspired by a song recorded by my friend Michael Jackson. Afterwards, Dan bought me a shirt that looks like Michael's jacket. I haven't worn that shirt yet, but I will soon. It has zipper graphics, and fake pockets and sequins.

What was I saying? Oh, right, copying beats from Thriller...