Friday, May 22, 2009 

 

My Ranch (not really)  
Current mood: charismatic
Category: Music

 

I know I haven’t written for a while – here’s what I’ve been doing…

 

It occurred to me that before I finished recording my CD I had to, in fact, finish writing my CD.  This I have done with great bursts of inspiration followed by weeks of boredom and lackluster attempts.  I now have 13 tracks, one stolen (from Leonard Cohen but I’m hoping he won’t mind), and am waiting my final session at Skywalker Studios to finish it up.

 

Skywalker itself is amazing!  It seems that George Lucas owns not only Skywalker Ranch itself, but the surrounding mountains.  To get to the first of like three gates, you need to drive about 20 minutes off the freeway into the San Rafael hills.  The Ranch itself is kind of indescribable.  The rooms where you stay are differently themed, the trees are always in bloom, and the whole thing is probably self-sustaining.  It’s kind of like being on a different planet.  The soundstage (where I recorded) is no less impressive.  To give you a general idea of the level of surreal, I got lost on my way back to the sound booth, and was wandering the halls when I stepped into an ordinary looking room.  I was looking for someone to point me in the right direction when I noticed the four Academy Awards and Golden Globes sitting on a shelf in the back corner.  I know right!??!

 

To play on the first few tracks Johnston flew in world-renowned musicians like David Hungate (bass), Paul Leim (drums) and Shane Keister (arrangements).  They’ve worked with just about everybody under the sun from Billy Joel to Elvis and McCartney.

 

Halfway through the first session, Johnston called me out into the hall for a ‘surprise’ that turned out to be a meeting with two screenplay writers who offered me a small role in their next film.  I swear I was floating by the end of the day!

 

That’s all for now, but after this last trip to the Ranch (my Ranch, as I call it in

 

To listen to Natalie Pinkis' music click here

 

Natalie Pinkis is an alternative singer / songwriter from California.  Her insightful songs with their piano accompaniment, reminiscent of Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan, have captivated audiences and led to appearances on some of America's largest radio stations. Recently Natalie recorded a duet with country music legend Willie Nelson and she has been recording her debut CD at Skywalker Studios with celebrated producer Bob Johnston (Bob Dylan, Simone and Garfunkel, Whitney Houston and Johnny Cash)