Des Moines Register : Nadas Release Second Song of Year-Long Almanac : Full Article

Jason Walsmith, frontman for Des Moines-based rock band the Nadas, recorded vocals last week for the band’s newest song, “Long Goodbye.” A mere couple days later the track was mixed, mastered and ready for an 8:45 a.m. debut during drive time on local radio station KPTL-FM “Capital” 106.3.

“Long Goodbye” is the February installment of the Nadas’ new album-in-progress, “Almanac.” It’s a year-long project in which the band creates and releases one song per month. The work will culminate in the band’s ninth studio album, to be released at about this time next year.

“I think that by spacing it out … it will give you a snapshot of the whole year,” Walsmith explained.

Every part of the artistic process is documented for subscribers to the Nadas’ Almanac Web site, thenadas.com/almanac. The band (Walsmith, singer/guitarist Mike Butterworth, bassist Jon Locker, drummer Ian Sheperd and drummer/keyboardist Scott Dawson) even posts its raw song demos online – not necessarily for artistic feedback, but so fans can feel like part of the process.

Revealing the songwriting process to his fans is like “walking on the stage naked for everyone to hear,” Walsmith explained in a recent blog post.

Between vocal takes and sips of black coffee last week in the recording studio, Walsmith chatted online with his fans, snapped pictures of the band and posted them for his 1,180 Twitter followers to view. He blogged and interacted with listeners who watched a live online video stream of the band’s studio session. He conversed comfortably during a separate video interview with this reporter.

“I think the impetus is that the industry has changed so much,” Walsmith said. “You have to be reaching out to your audience and giving things to your audience more consistently. We’re just sort of embracing that and at the same time figuring out how to make a business of it.”

This behind-the-scenes idea is not an entirely new concept. Sound-check bootlegs have circulated online for years, and artists are more receptive to revealing their work process. Singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2006 released a demo medley of three of her hits. Last year rocker Ari Hest launched “52,” a project in which he wrote one song per week, and his fans voted on their favorite dozen tunes for inclusion on “12 Mondays” (to be released March 10).

The Nadas, however, post updates in real time.

“I don’t think anyone has put the pieces together like we have,” Walsmith said of “Almanac.”

The ambitious production method and schedule does challenge the band. Walsmith wonders if the band is “taking the magic away” from the final product. Also, one month doesn’t leave much time to debate artistic choices, such as the decision to enhance the vocals on “Long Goodbye” with the Auto-Tune effect that has made so many rappers (T-Pain, Kanye West) and pop singers sound a bit more robotic on recent hit songs.

But there are advantages, too, such as a disciplined writing schedule and immediate inspiration.

“Long Goodbye” was inspired by the death of Walsmith’s grandfather in January.

Walsmith’s grandmother took it hard. “She said, ‘It’s been a long goodbye,’” Walsmith said.

Walsmith also drew inspiration from the buzz surrounding biologist Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday on Feb. 12. The news not only helped him form the song but sparked its preliminary title, “The Evolution of Love.”

As for the March track, Walsmith asked Butterworth if he had an idea or a musical “seed” in the works.

“He said he had a sapling,” Walsmith reported.

We’ll just have to wait and listen – and track the band’s every note on its Almanac Web site.