Cody Beebe and the Crooks "Friends of the Old Mill"

We didn’t have anything to do with it, but we’re still big fans of former Vicarious Rex artist Cody Beebe, who’s new album with The Crooks is available now. The album is titled “Friends of the Old Mill” and can purchased through the band’s website www.codybeebeandthecrooks.com or you can also find it on iTunes.

…and what a trip it was….Every once in a while it’s nice to get out of town to revitalize the spirit and, in the case of Vrex, recharge some musical inspiration batteries. With that in mind, Jake and I took Vrex on the road this past weekend to the Emerald city of Seattle. Highlights? you got it….

First, we started off our day of awesomeness by eating what is probably the best breakfast ever at Beth’s Cafe on Aurora Ave. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing the hashbrowns were…..

…..moving on to some music related activities…..After breakfast we headed to London Bridge Studios where former Vicarious Rex recording artist Cody Beebe is recording his new album. The studio first surged to fame after recording Pearl Jam’s “Ten” and has housed many prominent bands such as Alice in Chains, Blind Melon, Soundgarden, Nickelback and 3 Doors Down. Cody and Owner/Producer Jonathan Plum were gracious enough to let us sneak a peak at the studio and sit in on some drum editing and bass overdubs. The experience was amazing and I was floating on cloud nine afterward…..in an effort to return to reality we took a break from music activities for a few hours to drive around in search of parking spaces and then battle it out for mini-golf supremacy at the Interbay Golf Center…..

…..The nightcap kicked off with a trip to the Tractor Tavern in Ballard to see the final show on Miles Kurosky’s nationwide tour. Miles was great and the show couldn’t have been more fun (unless there were horns maybe). Having limited experience with Miles’ music, I was blown away by the performance and became an instant fan. If you haven’t heard him, or his former indie rock band Beulah, you definitely need to check out some of the tunes.

Welp, those are the highlights, but not the whole story so if you want to know more about our trip, like where to find the best pizzeria next to a boat company, who is the supreme chancellor of mini-golf or what happens when you pass das boot without taking a drink, just send us an email.

Rock and/or Roar!
Chris

Welp, here we are, a new post.  If you are the kind of person who eagerly awaits new updates from Vrex and is constantly checking the site….you’ve probably been getting disappointed on  a daily basis for the last month and a half.  You may have been asking yourself, “What the heck is going on with those guys…did their crazy little  dream of keeping a local recording studio afloat in Walla Walla finally run its course?”  Well to answer the question that I put in your head for you….no way, no how and not yet.  In fact, the reason there haven’t been any new posts in a while is because we’ve had so many projects lately there hasn’t been time to get them sorted out and on the site.  I’ll be posting about all the happenings (and the upcomings) in the next few days, but first I wanted to get the word out about a couple of cool events happening this Saturday 3/20.

If you don’t have plans for Saturday evening yet, grab a friend and do what I’m going to do (Which is the following)…  First, at 7:30 head over to Cordiner Hall on the Whitman campus to see the Nancy Wells dance production titled, “The Windy Wizard of Walla Walla.”  While there, take a peak through the program and check out the Vicarious Rex ad (big thanks to Joel at Walla Walla Village Winery for piecing that together).  Oh, and all the music you’re hearing as the soundtrack was put together at Vicarious Rex!

After the live dance performance, top off your night of fun by heading to the Jim German Bar in Waitsburg for the super fantastic album release show of Vicarious Rex friends “The Table of Contents.”  The show will be starting around 9, and I can tell you first hand, good times will be had by all.  The JGB, if you’ve never been, is a really cool venue and place to enjoy your Saturday night.  Not positive, but you probably have to be 21 to get in though.  But if you’re not 21, go anyway, buy a CD and then stand outside the window and look real sad….maybe someone will take pity and let you in.  Anyway, The Table of Contents plays a real fun live show so bring your dancing shoes.  Oh, and while you’re there come say hi to the guy running the mixing board (that’ll be me:).

That’s all for now. Stay tuned to the Vrex channel, and we promise to minimize your lack of new blog disappointment in the future.

Rock and Roar!

Chris

What is “The Abyss” you ask?  It’s a place where rogue resonating sound waves go to die….and it’s also the code name for the newly constructed vocal isolation booth in the studio.  Da beej and me put on our hard hats and work gloves this past weekend to develop the storage closet in the back of the live room into a fully functioning vocal booth.  Unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to take any pictures of our hard work, but once we take care of a few finishing touches we’ll finally be able to put together our “tour of the studio” photo gallery.

The addition of the iso booth to the studio adds a lot of functionality.  Not only is the booth a great acoustic environment to record vocals,  it also will serve as another room to separate live performers and isolate guitar amps….all good things.

Woohoo!

-Chris

Welp, the decorations are up, the cookies are in the oven and all the familiar songs of the season are on the stereo…that means it’s time to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!

It’s been a big year for VRex.  In March we moved into our studio and kicked off a new era in the evolution of the recording studio/label.  The new space was a much needed upgrade and solidified our presence in Walla Walla…  and what’s a new space without some new gear to start tweaking?  With that in mind we made a significant investment in the quality of our services by upgrading our board, mics, instruments and computer equipment.  Lastly, thanks to the substantial effort and genius of our very own Jake Carlson, we finally started a complete overhaul and redesign of the website.  Though we didn’t meet all of our goals for the year (most notably putting on an all-ages rock concert in Walla Walla…still in the works, stay tuned), we still did pretty well, and 2010 is setting up to be another huge year for us.

Read more…

Well, it’s time for some shameless marketing tactics.  We are trying to move up the google list for Walla Walla Recording Studio searches, so I thought it might be worthwhile to mention that we are a recording studio in Walla Walla and any musician looking to record music in Walla Walla should check out our recording services…phew, that ought to do it.

Seriously though, we really are trying to get our name out there as a resource for all levels of musicians in the Walla Walla area.  We just want to make music and make musicians happy.  So if that sounds like something you are into, then be sure to drop us a comment or send an email our way.  

Rock and Roar,

Chris,Vicarious Rex

Hey everybody! 

This is the new (and hopefully improved) Vicarious Rex experience.  We have a lot of exciting things to let you in on in the coming weeks so stay tuned as we develop the new site.  More to come soon…..

-Chris