With at least six shows under his belt after last week’s SXSW madness, and probably a few more we don’t even know about, it’s totally understandable that Jonathan Terrell wouldn’t mind taking an extended nap. “Exhausting” is an understatement. Such is the nature of the beast. But like any musician who loves his craft, there are so many beautiful connections made that make it all worthwhile.
When Terrell was tracking vocals at Cacophony Recorders for “Color Me Lucky,” featured on today’s Austin Music Minute, he felt he just wasn’t getting the take he wanted. “We were recording to tape and I didn’t want to use any corrections,” he recalls. “I had to take a few minutes to get my head in the right place. At Cacophony, the view out the big bay window looks over the Colorado River, which was still dangerously high after last spring’s flood, and the vocal booth has a clear shot of this view. (Producer) Erik Wofford hits ‘record,’ and right before I was supposed to come in, a huge white crane swooped in and landed perfectly in the top branches of a tall birch tree that was halfway underwater. I thought it was just so beautiful, and it set me in such a peaceful mental place. We used that entire take for the final. It was seriously a magic moment.”
Expect more magic when you see Terrell perform at his Wednesday night residency at The White Horse, 500 Comal. Casa Loma Playboys start out the night at 8 p.m., followed by Sophia Johnson at 10 p.m. Terrell’s on when the clock strikes 12. Don’t miss it.
-Photography by Martin do Nascimento, KUTX.
