In October 2008, we had the pleasure of spending at day at Catherine North Studios, co-owned and operated by the late Dan Achen. We had first been there a few months prior, recording with our friend Amanda Zelina, and were blown away by the space, so we booked a day in the middle of a hectic tour to record a few songs of our own. Entering the studio with four completely unrehearsed songs and attempting to record them live off the floor is no easy task, especially for a band as road-weary as we were, but Dan made it feel effortless.
One of the first things we ever heard him say was during the first time we met him at the Amanda Zelina session; In response to someone’s query “shouldn’t we lay down a click-track first?”, he promptly replied “No man, just vibe with it”. I remember how freeing it was to hear a producer say something like that, and every time I’ve recorded with a metronome since then I’ve always wondered if Dan would have done it that way.
Having only spent a brief period of time with him, its hard to provide a detailed memoir of his character, but ask anyone who knew him and they’ll tell you how great Dan was and what a pleasure he was to work with. His resume was extensive, and he had great musicians working with him for good reason. Canada has lost a fantastic member of the music community, and alot of people have lost a good friend. Our condolences go out to those who share in this loss.
In memory of Dan, we’d like to share with you the four songs we recorded on that day in October ’08. You’ll recognize all of the songs from our latest album (and the Magician EP), but the structures of some songs are slightly different than the final versions, as these are songs in their early stages. And yes, that’s Dan at the beginning of the first song who says “a two minute song? This song’s only two minutes long?”
Hey Dan – we added a chorus at the end of the song, so its 2:36 now!
Love,
Said The Whale
On behalf of Dan’s son (I am his son’s mom), thanks for this lovely tribute.
Very well said…
Dan was someone that my bandmates and I worked closely with for the past few years, even up until his death.. He was our producer, but more importantly, he was our friend and a true mentor – like the extra member of our band. Hearing him say things like “Just vibe with it” were always refreshing and he always moved us to do the best with our abilities as songwriters and musicians.. He went out of his way to do so. I’m happy to share in your sentiments and to be able to relate fully..
I’m glad you got the chance to know him too.
Rest In Peace, Dan.
Tim
(Holding.Sky)
Thanks so much for posting these tracks. I hadn’t heard them since that day back in October of 2008. I remember recording that day with you guys. I had a crazy bad cold, but I had a great time working with you.
One of Dan’s closest friends, Ian Smith, wrote a song called Passing Trains very soon after Dan passed away. We recorded it at Catherine North, and it was the first new project we started without Dan.
Today, July 13, would’ve been Dan’s 52nd birthday.
We’re releasing the song today, July 13, as it would’ve been Dan’s 52nd birthday: http://www.catherinenorth.com/2010/07/tribute-to-dan-achen-released/
Happy Birthday Dan. This song’s for you.
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