blackbox music recordings
Updated 4/8/2025
In the fall of 2024, I hung up black shipping blankets in the basement above the black carpet to form a sort of sound-deadening cube or black box for doing audio recordings. The intent was to create a quiet place to practice and record music with friends. I am currently using a Zoom H6 recorder with Shure SM-57 and SM-58 microphones. I set up a bunch of cameras, turn off the heat or air conditioning, hit record on all the devices, and hope all of the batteries last and the memory cards are not full. We capture a live recording, possibly add a couple overdubs, and then I edit all the pieces together, hopefully covering up a lot of the recording imperfections.
I have branded the space “blackbox”, and I hope to record music here frequently and welcome many new collaborations.
As opposed to blackbox multi-camera recordings, sometimes I want toput together a quick idea to share. Those will be less than a minute “soundbytes” that can be easily shared in Instagram. They are often single camera one-take ideas that I post on the “blackbox bytes” page linked below:
https://www.beargrassmedia.com/music-recordings/blackbox-bytes
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April 8, 2025
Long Journey
The most recent guests to the blackbox are Jubilee Fly and A Girl Named Earl. We recorded two songs. The first one was “Long Journey” written by Rosa Lee Watson and Doc Watson. (The second one written by Jubilee Fly will be posted later this week)
Jubilee Fly – Banjo, Vocals
A Girl Named Earl – Guitar, Vocals
Patrick Fitzgerald – Mandocello
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March 27, 2025
Double Talk
The most recent guest to the blackbox is David Morrison. We dusted off a song that I wrote and that he and I used to play together in the band Raspberry Pie. Marty Purdy came in late in the process and helped us whip the background vocals into shape (but he does not appear on camera.) Patrick Fitzgerald: Guitar, vocals. David Morrison: Piano, vocals. Marty Purdy: Vocals.
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March 25, 2025
Dudes
A very special visitor came to the blackbox recently: My daughter Lucy Fitzgerald and I have a very special affinity for the David Mead album “Dudes” including the title track. And Lucy is, by all accounts, one cool dude. Lucy Fitzgerald: Vocals. Patrick Fitzgerald: Guitar, mandola, vocals.
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March 16, 2025
Blood Count
It has been a busy couple months in the non-blackbox world. It is good to record again. This popup blackbox recording is first-take of a phone propped up against a coffe cup on top of a dusty keyboard. A couple small mistakes left in, but captures the somber mood of a chilly gray day. IMHO, Billy Strayhorn is a top 5 jazz composer of all time, and his tune Blood Count has been my obsssion for the past couple of days. My favorite recording of this tune is by Joe Henderson on his Lush Life album. I hope it takes you to a place you need to go.
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January 20, 2025
Momma Likes to Roll
A dirty blues rocker written by Marty Purdy. Featuring Marty on guitar and vocals, Brad Vanover on Electric Guitar, Patrick Fitzgerald on Bass, and Ian Mutchnik on Cajon.
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January 20, 2025
Dream a Little Dream of Me
There is no secret that I am not the best singer in my family. On this recording, we feature Amy Fitzgerald on vocals, Marty Purdy on guitar, Brad Vanover on Bass, and Patrick Fitzgerald on Mandola.
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December 17, 2024
The latest guests to the blackbox are John Cooksey on Mandolin, Blaine Adams on Guitar, and David Rue on Cajon. We recorded John’s tune Words on Trial. He describes it as sort of a sea shanty or Irish folk ballad and asked me to sing it as such.
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December 14, 2024
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For the inaugural recording, Marty Purdy and Brad Vanover came over. Although I hav known them independently for years, this was the first time the two of them met, so this was a really special way to kick it off. This is a song that Brad wrote in the fall of 2024 called “Two Doves”.
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I played in a band in the 1990s in Louisville called The Uglies. Dan Kilian writes these fantastic songs constantly, and this is one of my favorites from when we played together. Dan is in New York City now, so I called up the perfect pairing of John Fauver on Guitar and Ian Thomas on the Dobro to accompany my Mandocello. You know it’s true that neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow is gonna stop the postman. He’s gonna track me down.
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This latest edition of the blackbox recordings features Marty Purdy and Brad Vanover with Marty singing the Steve Winwood tune”Can’t Find My Way Home”. On the day of the recording, it was just the three of us. Later, we got Amy Fitzgerald to sing some backing vocals, and our friend and 6th grade neighbor McKenna Kragel added a violin part, but neither of them recorded on camera.
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This next edition of the blackbox recordings features Tim Kelty and Don King joining Patrick to sing a Greg Brown tune called “Just a Bum”. Tim and I have sung this song for years around campfires and living rooms. No matter how we plan and rehearse, we’re at a pink slip’s mercy in a paper universe.
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