The OBW Tapes

Mise en Place visited the studio last weekend to record a healthy sample of the material that will likely comprise the band's second record, Capiche.. [The title includes a period.] 75 percent of the band were in tip-top shape for the session.

Old Blackberry Way, located in Minneapolis a/k/a Murderapolis, served as the location of the demonstration recording. The OBW is a legendary studio at which numerous seminal Minneapolis bands (e.g., Husker Du, The Replacements, The Suburbs, and others) have made great recordings of their music.* While an increasing number of hip Minny acts have re-discovered this wonderful place, whose roof is featured on the cover the Replacements' Let it Be, Mise en Place became the first known Edina band to venture into the OBW's hallowed halls. And, by "hallowed halls," we mean "humble and comfortable rooms in a converted house."

The 'Place boys recorded about two hours' worth of music, failing to even reach the point where Drew Patrick says stuff into a microphone so that you, the listener, are bored with more than just the music. Old Blackberry Way proprietor Neil Weir assisted the band in the endeavor and tolerated intra-band arguments about GMail shorthand (e.g., GIT), the era of Mena Suvari and other such . . . people, whether Shaun Westphal should read books during recording sessions, and which members of the band would Trek to the movies with Cory "Fuzzy Bear" Rath to see a certain film in the near future. During all of this banter, somehow the band agreed to record the playful "Breeders Song" and the controversial "'Man in the Box' Song," along with 14 other "songs." M. Forrester's guitar was effective throughout, even as he discovered he is somehow in a prog-rock band.

Speaking of which, based on what happened at Old Blackberry Way, preliminary indications are that Capiche. is probably going to be a double- or triple-album (the Japanese edition will include alternate takes of hits like "On Ravioli" and "The Hit"). Mise en Place will keep you updated as things progress.

*SOUL ASYLUM ALSO RECORDED AT THE OL' B-DUB.