Back in 2015, Scarlet Roads was still going strong while Kaylee Bergin, our incredible lead singer, was having more and more opportunities come her way. One of these was a contest that Kaylee entered (and won) with the prize being the opportunity to cowrite and record with producer/writer Christopher Dwight Harris at the world-famous Capitol Records Studios. On our first day in Studio B, we tried (but quickly failed) to keep our cool-guy, rockstar-like composure and before long we ended up running around the studio taking pictures like vacationing tourists. I remember how validated we all felt as musicians just by having the chance to walk the hallowed halls of such an iconic fixture of the music industry.
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When we got down to business, Kaylee went about recording the original song that she co-wrote with Christopher. We all sat in the control room and listened as Kaylee tracked her vocals, played the grand piano in the live room, and sang background vocal parts. Later, the rest of the band took turns recording drums, guitars, bass, and many other sounds for the song.
At our manager Peter Bergin’s insistence, I was brought into the live room to record a saxophone part. Christopher did not have a particular part in mind, so I just created parts in the gaps of the song with guide-tone lines and maybe even a brief solo in between transitions.
After I tracked my part, we decided to negotiate with the Capitol Records front-desk about the possibility of getting a photo with the band on the roof. They were super supportive, but it was technically against building codes to do so. Knowing we would not have another chance to do so, we rallied as many band members as we could and took the elevator to the top floor and, with a little help from a friend we made on the Capitol Records staff, got on the roof of the most famous building of the entire LA Landscape. I remember we had to take pictures quickly so we did not alert anyone to our presence, but the risk was worth it for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
A few weeks later we got the final mix and of course it was incredible! Beyond Kaylee’s amazing vocals, I was blown away by the extremely sophisticated production and detailed nuances that Christopher added to this simple, but extremely moving original song. Among these many production elements is allegedly my saxophone, though for the life of me I cannot here it present anywhere in the mix. I think it was probably cut entirely during the final mixing process, but either way I am eternally grateful that I had the chance to record for this song, with this team, and of course at Capitol Records.
