Granite Hill Lodge, FORT ANN, New YORK

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF RECORDING?

Dan Vassallo (drummer): My favorite part of recording is those moments where one of us does something that makes the whole team go “that’s sick!”. Something on the fly that no one had thought of until that moment in the studio and it takes the song and recording to the next level. Aside from personally striving for my best performance I can deliver when recording I’m always trying to think of something different and creative to try that will surprise the guys, get them stoked, and maybe cause them to think of something else they haven’t thought of yet even it’s it’s something very simple.

Joey Pantaleo (guitar and keys): Getting to be near Dan…but seriously, I love the spontaneity of it. Hearing parts for the first time and then adding little bits to them or hearing how they play off other things in the song.

Jay Tagg (guitarist): The creation process. I love starting the studio session with a blank page and just building until we have a final result. It’s super rewarding and always feels great!

Dennis Walsh (bassist): Being able to kind of hone in on what each member of Dalton brings to the sound in an isolated fashion while also not feeling “on the spot.”

Bryce Brashears (production and sound): Listening to y’all bicker like school children.

Brian Scully (singer): Honestly, I have a love-hate relationship with this whole thing. I love writing, when it works. I hate the feeling of writer's block. I love to hear what the guys do in the studio, but I'm not super confident in the studio, personally.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT WRITING AND RECORDING WITH DALTON?

Jay: I am lucky that a lot of recording done in my life I’ve done with my best pals and that continues with Dalton. I love in this project specifically getting to harmonize with Joey along with Scully’s vocal and the 3 of us blend so well together. It’s always fun in the studio getting to layer vocals with those boys.

Dan: While I’ve been friends with this group for almost 20 years and we’ve played many original band shows in VFW halls together (in different bands on the same bill) and in various cover bands together I’ve never had the opportunity to write and record in an original band with them. That alone is what’s different and special for me. I’m constantly wowed and inspired by everyone’s creativity, skill, and professionalism.

Denn: It’s less structured in a good way. We go into the studio with kind of a blank canvas and a producer who is helping us paint it in real time.

Joey: We just love playing with each other so much that it takes away the stress recording sometimes has.

Bryce: When the bickering stops, your instruments speak much better than your mouths.

Scully: The biggest thing for me is the trust I have in this group to do what's best for the song. Creating music is super challenging. Every idea is a referendum on your ability to do the very thing you are trying to do. I have a ton of trust in these guys to do right by the song, which I've never had before.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A SPOT LIKE GRANITE HILL LODGE?

Dan: This is a special one for me. I’m a native New Yorker and Lake George was where my family would go every single summer on vacation from when I was born until I was about 16 years old. There’s so much nostalgia for me in that region. When I learned that we were going to Granite Hill Lodge I was instantly inspired then when we got there and hiked up the mountain I realized we were looking at the opposite side of the same mountains I was staring at as a kid every year from our little lakeside bungalow. It was a full circle moment that was really inspiring.

Jay: It’s a vibe. In all the hippy sense of that word. It’s a beautiful cabin in the middle of nowhere and we just get to disconnect and write in real time. The extra relax time of sitting around the fire with a beer after a long days work is pretty great too.

Denn: The getaway writing session process is special to me. Everyone knows they’re there for a reason, away from distractions and extra inspiration comes naturally from being out in the woods of NY with your bandmates.

Bryce: Occasionally we’ll take recess to the top of the mountain at Granite Hill.

Joey: The general vibe of the house and area. There’s no distractions and it’s a relaxing way to go about the writing process.

Scully: It's a special spot. The owners are unreal and it's just this rare place that's a piece of America you don't get to see anymore. I love being a little off the grid. I grew up camping and it's so cool to see a place building their own throwback spot for families and friends.

WHAT'S ONE THING YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO UNSURPRISED? 

Dan: I actually think it’s the main guitar motif for me. It’s an awesome catchy little melody and different feel for Dalton. That was something that the guys came up with in the studio and I think really makes the song.

Jay: It’s just a fun, simple song and I love songs like that. I grew up on songs like that. I also enjoyed writing the guitar solo, it’s short and to the point, but super fun to play!

Denn: It’s kind of a unique sound for us honestly. It’s got that simple 90s feel while also having sweet layered guitars and harmonies that you’ll probably hear a different layer of with each listen.

Joey: Jay's solo. Always.

Scully: Yeah, I think this is a very different song for us. I think we stepped out in a different lane a little bit. I'm excited to see what people think of it.

ANY OTHER RANDOM TIDBITS ABOUT THE RECORDING PROCESS?

Bryce: Maybe one day they can listen to some of the recording outtakes, or the throw away versions of some of these songs.

Jay: It was fun because it all just started with a simple idea Joey had and we all just built off of that throwing in our own selves in our own unique and distinct ways. An amalgamation of all our own personalities comes through on the end result.

Denn: One thing for me bass wise that was kind of a cool/laughing moment was…in the intro/main riff bass line there is a constant slide up and down the neck that we came up with in the studio. It almost felt like I was playing a slide trombone or something. I think the string was getting hot from friction by the end of it haha

Joey: I miss Grumbellies…

Dan: Having this song out sort of wraps up our goal from that latest Granite Hill writing trip, which gets me excited to get back there and write the next batch of ideas

Bryce: Toyotas are better than Nissans.

Scully: Shots fired! The answer is Jeep. Always Jeep.