Where Have All My Horses Gone? - Part IX
IX. I obsessed over the production details and was desperate to find out where it was recorded. I was shocked to discover a twenty year old in his parent’s basement in Regina would be given the credit
Following the break-up of my band The New Weapon, I had remained close to lead guitarist, Travis Rennebohm. We had met as I picked up work as a server at Moxie’s restaurant during my second (and final) year of University in Regina. I had transferred the few credits I obtained from the University of Saskatchewan and continued my course of not engaging studies in the slightest. Shortly after our second shift together, and a handful that Travis blew off, he came into work to face the wrath of a hot-tempered Greek. The manager attempted the belittling and Trav ended his commitments with a fuck you and fingers in the air.
Knowing he played guitar, I told myself I needed him in my band. After a decade together, Trav began writing for his own project, Iron Bison. I was enlisted on keys and synth before I made the drunken juvenile decision of the attempted theft of a keg of beer following a performance at Regina’s German Club. He stood by me as a friend but released me of my professional duties. Iron Bison evolved into Tiger Charmer, a fuzz driven assault of riffs having Travis’ vocals soaring from his hips. And if it was the band’s writing and compositions that pulled me in, I was quickly floored by their sonic capture and album mix. It bled youth and a freshness in sound that I hadn’t felt since first hearing The Tragically Hip, Soundgarden, Beck, or Stone Temple Pilots at 10 years old - I immediately obsessed over the production details and was desperate to find out where it was made and who with. I was shocked to discover a twenty year old in his parent’s basement in Regina would be given the credit.
Chris Dimas, a prodigy drummer and engineer had somehow flown under my radar. Junior National Champion with the Roland’s V-Drum competition at 14, appearing on Canada’s Got Talent, an audition for Shania Twain, and full time member in Juno nominated band, Bleeker. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, he already had 20 records credited to his name as producer and/or engineer. He was a machine. I messaged him and said we needed to make a record together.
The re-write of “Where Have All My Horses Gone?” had opened the flood gates. I was writing furiously. Hardly a song finished before starting another, using the lyrics of one song as the hook to another, blending the endings of songs into the beginnings of the next. I filled a three ring binder of looseleaf, single spaced, some pages were topped with block lettered titles sitting empty until a conversation was overhead, a book was read, a film was watched, a whisper was heard. I was hearing the Tragically Hip, George Strait, Sloan, Marty Stuart, Days of the New, Ian Tyson, Soundgarden, Oasis, John Prine, Willie Nelson, Odds, The Guess Who, never outloud but somewhere in my subconscious.
And I was angry. Our province was being totally overstimulated and pummelled with alienating policies and lying politicians. Once inspiring turned cowards. Corporatists ruling under Favouritism. The more money you gave the more influence you had. I questioned how rural Saskatchewan became as apathetic as it seemed in their allegiance. That wasn’t us. A mass awakening of the heart and spirit was dire. I paid more attention to commentary and studied policy. I made phone calls to SaskParty supporters, NDP candidates, Buffalo Party representatives, Liberal organizers.
And I talked to farmers.
I asked myself, why me and started from the beginning. A kid doing chores before school, being taken to church, practicing the piano, quitting university, spending twenty years on the road and moving home.
At 15 I took a tape recorder home from our high school paper room. I sat in the back of the farmhouse recording my electric guitar. I’d play the tape back through the speakers of a second player and record the combination with my vocals onto a new tape on the first recorder again. At 18 I got a four-track tape recorder and would make demos when I should be studying for university finals. My rock band, Spent, would take over our bassist’s parents’ house lining microphones into bedrooms, the bathroom and the living room, recording into a Boss recording workstation. Over the course of the next 15 years I did whatever I could do to get the next record done. From ranch studios to multi-million dollar facilities - always working alongside the engineer and producer to soak in as many tricks and tips as I could absorb.
Loading our gear into the basement of Chris’ parent’s house felt like everything had come full circle. I was about to make a record with a kid at the beginning of his recording journey. I was going to produce it. Our only gameplan was to start. Capture the drums and go from there.
20 years of recordings under my belt and I felt like I had just stolen the tape recorder from the paper room again.
Howdy Readers,
Popped this one out to everybody because the next (and final) installment of the Where Have All My Horses Gone? series is going to include the new album cut of
“…Horses” for paid subscribers. Holy shit, how long has it been since I put new music out into the world?! Years.
Lastly, I’m going hard with podcasts through this campaign:
Growing The Future with Dan Aberhart. We spoke about the family farm, succession planning, our roles growing up, and the passing of Dad.
Weird in Highschool with Bretton Lee John. We spoke about my time in Nashville this month, the granting system at home and some big songwriting projects I’m working on.
Interview with Calvin Daniels for SaskToday/Yorkton This Week. We spoke about why I’m only going to make concept records from this point forward and why I feel they are relevant to commercial success more than ever.
https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/local-arts/blake-berglund-back-with-expansive-concept-album-8066583
Folks, the campaign is picking up steam. Please upgrade your subscriptions to a paid tier and get access to everything that I have coming down the pike. It’s a massive gesture in supporting the art I’m putting out into the world, from long form prose, 20 upcoming tracks, a handful of music videos and some documentary work. $66 and you get the new album “What’s Left of the Right” to your door-step. I sure appreciate the assistance in it all. Thank you, kindly.
BB