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In 2014 Vee Bordukov, a Belarusian indie artist, approached me saying he was looking to connect with a writer / producer who could help him take his creative aspirations to the next level. In assessing his material, I found nuggets of ideas I related to; a riff here, a chorus there… The overriding influences in his music were Beatle-esque chord changes and an aesthetic that landed somewhere between classic rock and indie rock. Not strident enough to be Led Zeppelin and not hipster enough to be Alex Turner though there were allusions to both and at times a psychedelic Pink Floyd moment. I suggested he come over to my apartment for a tea and a chat. Read more on Avid Pro Tools blog>>>  
Brad: “Vee had some of the riffs... The structure went through a few incarnations. My Love took about 6 months from writing to final master. We recorded the solo live with the band—it was one take, no edits. The final result is deliberately snappy. We wanted it to be charming & vibey, with a live feel. On My Love we are referencing the Black Keys. Thank you to Phil Simmonds on bass, Jake Hayden on drums, Erik Hammer on electric guitar, Steve Maggiora on Hammond, our engineer Jared Scott, and Candace at the EastWest Studios.”
Vee: “The Black Keys was the inspiration behind My Love… Most of the song was hidden in my back drawer, we then brushed it off and updated for a more cool, current sound which was The Black Keys at that moment. Hats off guys! My Love is riffy and energetic. We wanted it to hold attention from start to finish. I like playing it. I think it came well together.
The original version was very much blues oriented which we later turned into a more indie-rock-pop sound with broader audience in mind. First version still sounds cool though in it's own right.” Listen to My Love on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud.Vee had this musical idea that was punky and abrasive. I liked the energy of it and wanted to create a kind of “Nirvana” vibe with it. It morphed into something else by the time both my input and Vee's punk desires were mixed together. We sat with this song for a while. It's challenging to be political and not come off in an undesired way or a way that alienates people and turns them off to what you have to say. I think we got the balance right. Global politics is generally a mess. The fact that America currently has Trump and Clinton as their proposed leaders just highlights that! They're both terrible candidates for president in my humble opinion but Trump is a complete disaster! A return to medieval times.  The recording was all live including the vocals. We recorded it at Studio 1 of East West Studios. We had to record extra guitars at Pacifique studios afterwards. I think it sounds cool. It’s kind of fairly hard hitting, anti-establishment punk rock. It evokes anger, energy, discontentment, rage, freedom of speech. I'd love to know what Tom Morello makes of it. ~ Brad Kohn, co-writer/ co-producer/ vocalist Stone Cold took us a long time to write, with many structural and lyrical revisions. The whole process took probably several months off and on. Tweaking with the lyrics went on through the actual recording at the East West Studios. The song’s structure is unusual: it has a very slow opening supported by Hammond and ambient noises only, all the way through the second verse where drums kick in, and full force only in the second chorus. This song is about a personal journey. A journey of someone who is not quite sure where and how to find the support to go forward. There are existential thoughts. You know, like the feeling you sometimes have that the ground beneath you starts to give way, and you don't know if you'll be able to push on. I think this song evokes the feelings of angst, anxiety--but resolving into a stronger you. There’s introspection, triumph, healing, partnership, peace, gratitude, and rebirth. ~ Vee Bordukov, co-writer/ co-producer  Photo courtesy of Daniel Lir of Dream Team Directors.
Listen to Stone Cold on Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music or Amazon. |