In my last blog post about Todd Rundgren I mentioned my great friend who is one of LA's biggest record producers and a total Rundgren freak. I kept him anonymous but he went ahead and outed himself in the comments!
John Fields changed the way I make music, period. Sometime around 2004 or 2005 I was recording at Glenwood studios in LA and my buddy Ross Hogarth saw me in the courtyard and said, “You gotta come in and meet my friend I'm working with.” and took me into studio B, I believe.
I met John Fields who was working on 2 projects, at the same time. I hadn't seen anybody do this, yet. I think he was working on Mandy Moore as I walked in the studio, or it was Clay Aiken. Micheal Bland (Prince), was playing drums so we all got caught up.
John finished a take on drums and bounced down a quick rough mix and then sent it off to Tommy Barbarella (Prince) back in Minneapolis to do strings on it. Emailed it to him. So he obviously got it within minutes and started working on it.
John, then closed out the Pro Tool session and opened the next artist. If memory serves me it was Mandy he was working on first and then opened up the Clay track.
First of all, not only was the production BRILLIANT, the speed he was working at was WAY UP MY ALLY. I had never been around anybody who did this, yet.
I also have to say that I leaned over to Ross and asked, “Who is this guy?!?!” and he said, “Oh yeah, John? He's just this bad ass who's tearing this town up. Ever since the Switchfoot stuff he's been getting a lot of calls”. I ask, “Who's Switchfoot?” and he called over to John, “Hey John, Jason hasn't heard Switchfoot”. Now I'm prepared for him to say, “Oh, they had this hit and it went… blah, blah, blah…” but another revolutionary thing happened… all of a sudden my phone beeped and I saw something was incoming. Fields had SENT me the Switchfoot album from his phone to mine, INSTANTANEOUSLY. MIND BLOWN… AGAIN!
You also need to know I had one foot in moving to Nashville. Jay DeMarcus and I were really starting to hit our stride and I was leaning on going there but my family wasn't, yet. My kids were still in the middle of their elementary school so we stayed in LA a little longer. And boy, am I glad I did. John and his crew, Dorian Crozier especially, (who played all over my latest album “Here I Am” as well as drums on the title track I co-wrote and produced for Chicago's 36th album, “Now” Chicago 36″), starting hanging A LOT! We made lots of music together, and still do and it was all from that fateful night at Glenwood. But back to the story…
John and I made friends that night… I went back out on the road, but the seed was planted. As I wrote in the Rundgren blog post, I was sitting around my hotel room one day and Fields starts Instant Messaging me. I was communicating with him for a good 10 minutes or so and thought to myself, “Why don't we just pick the phone up and talk?” and I realized I'm dealing with the next generation! This is how they communicate. Luckily, I took typing in 4th grade so I was ready when computers came out.
So I didn't have a problem going back and forth through Instant Messaging and it was fun. I also saw that it's about multitasking as well. You can have these conversations going and still be working, which he does, and influenced me to do the same.
All of a sudden the thought crossed my mind, “Everybody and their mother is always hitting people up to work for them. Why don't I do it? The worst that could happen is he says no. That he's covered. And judging by how multi-talented this guy was it wouldn't surprise me if he said he has background vocals covered too.”
So I said, “Hey John, I'm bored here. Send me something to work on!” and he asked, “Do you have a recording rig out there?” and I said, “Absolutely!” I had been bringing recording setups out on the road into my hotel rooms since Logic Audio first started integrating software synthesizers in their program. From late 2003 into 2004. I had my laptop, an Apogee Digital interface called the Mini Me and a Blue Dragonfly Mic.
John sent me a track of Clay Aiken's called “1000 Days” and I went ballistic! LOVED the track. Clay was KILLING the lead vocal so I got right to work on it.
John and I just talked about this earlier this morning on how you find people you want to work with, you let them do their thing and magic happens. Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE getting into a room with a great group of musicians and recording old school, together. We made several Chicago albums that way.
But this was the new world. I sent my parts in to John and I was expecting him to say either, “Ok, I like this but do this part different, etc.” or, “Yes, I love it!”, or “You know… I don't think this is gonna work out…” but I just bounced down the parts as I heard them in a stereo field, (just like Bill Champlin had shown me how to do it over the years), and John said, “I LOVE IT!”
I then asked, “Do you want me to send you the separate parts?” thinking that most guys would want to have total control over it but he said, “Nope. I love it just as it is” so I told him I'd get the files to him the next day.
(secretly I wanted to try and beat the tracks I'd sent him! I mean, I'd just learned it! And wouldn't you know it… I didn't beat the first tracks… so I sent them to him the next day, from the production office with Earth Wind and Fire playing their last song before the break and we'd be going on in 25 minutes or so…)
The rest is in the Rundgren blog so I encourage you to go read that. www.jasonscheff.com/rundgren
Sooooooooo, when John posted in the comments one of the tracks I'd done for Clay I wanted you all to hear this first song I did for John which kicked our relationship off. I'm very proud of these background vocals. As I strive to do, that all the greats do… Champlin, Rundgren, Mark Hudson… you wrap yourself around these singers. You phrase as they do. You try to become an extension of *their* voice. It's not time to try and stand out and shine.
And actually, I want to let you hear 2 songs! As I also said in my blog post about Rundgren, you never know what things that are happening in life are pointers of things to come. John sent me another Clay track, a cover of the GREAT “Without You”. Again, wait till you hear Clay sing THIS! And who would have thought I'd be touring with the guitar player, Joey Molland, of the band who originally released this song? Badfinger! AND, I get to go back tomorrow and sing more background vocals with Joey on his solo album Mark Hudson's producing. You just can't script this stuff… it just happens!
I hope you enjoy these songs! And thank you John for bringing me into your family!
PS A partial list of John's production credits are Switchfoot, Jonas Bros, Pink, Soul Asylum, Lighthouse, Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato, Mandy Moore, Clay Aiken and many more.
Jason,
I enjoyed reading this so much!
It is an incredible ride you are on these days! All the overlapping connections, the signs, the timing! I call it being “In the Zone”. It is so Awesome when it happens! I was there hard core from 2012-2014 and it was a long magical ride! Just one thing after the other that happens in a way that is so perfectly orchestrated it is downright other worldly! You say it’s like you’re making this stuff up but that’s what happens when you are prepared and in proximity and have a dream…magic! Keep riding the wave!
Thank you for showing us how it’s done, continuing to inspire me with your music and stories like this and taking us with you on your creative journey!
This is beyond a blast to witness!!
I’m so happy for you!
Amy
Dear Jason, absolutely beautiful! Clay is fantastic! And you are so incredible! So great to read about all these special moments of your life, which are even more special because of all the gratitude that can be read and felt in your words. .. Thank you the special person that you are! Rock on! Much love and gratitude to you!