Trying to break out of my usual mid-winter malaise this year I decided to take part in the RPM challenge. For those who are unfamiliar with RPM it's a challenge to make a record in the month of February. There are no prizes or recognition for completing the task (besides satisfaction and putting something new out into the world). It's just a way to get yourself motivated to do the thing you've been thinking or talking about but never getting around to.
I had originally planned to make a record of classical guitar pieces. The plan was to record and mix everything in the analog domain using my trusty Vestax MR66 6-track cassette machine.
That idea quickly morphed into a 5 song EP of classical and steel guitar duets made with my brother Duncan MacKinnon. Duncan has been playing steel for a few years now and guested on the last FemBots record. This EP is the first time we've really played together since we were teenagers. It was a blast.
The record came together quick and painlessly and we almost finished everything in February. Unfortunately mixing the last song and mastering delayed us by a week. Whatever. It was a blast and I'm fairly sure there will be more collaboration down the road.
The record is already up on Bandcamp and will hit all the streaming services by the end of March. I hope people enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.