Off the Record - Harmony Handgrenade
After years of freak accidents, cartoon catastrophes and head-on/head-first collisions, Paul Megna was finally on a bit of a roll. The success of The Oxygen Ponies, a new relationship, and a mini-tour of the UK left him feeling inspired. The universe was finally on his side. Or maybe he just got out of his own damn way. Spending time outside of the United States for the first time in his life, Paul returned to NYC with a fresh perspective. He had spent his whole life blinded by the corporate American Dream. Everything he was brought up to believe he was supposed to want and have wasn't really all that important to him - the house, the wife, the kids, the car, the money. He began to feel less guilty about not pursuing those 'achievements' and became more focused on intangible qualities that were beginning to take precedence in his life - freedom - specifically, the freedom to create ►whatever and whenever he wanted - integrity, honesty, authenticity, and friendship.
Paul nurtured his involvement with a community of musicians at the Saltmines in Dumbo that kept him motivated to stay at the top of his game. His thirst for being accepted and a part of something larger than himself being satiated, songs poured out of him. He wanted to record them straightaway with the energy of a band playing them live in a room, rather than all alone with a click track as he did on the debut. Once he had that realization, he decided to co-produce and invite as many of his friends as possible to guest on the upcoming record. Once again, he turned to Don Piper.
Don and Paul, along with the rhythm section of Konrad Meissner and Brandon Wilde - tracked quickly. Nothing was rehearsed. Guest musicians were brought in and often recorded on their first take without being told the 'tape' was rolling. In most cases, everyone who played on the record wasn't allowed to hear the song they were playing on until that very first listen in the studio with the microphone on. Paul and Don wanted those gut instincts and realized that more takes didn't necessarily make the parts more interesting. The atmosphere was also essential - in these sessions, Paul wanted everyone to feel free enough to explore anything. The majority of the overdubs were tracked in a relaxed party vibe. Hours of video were shot with Paul or one of the other musicians manning the camera guerilla-style while the others were doing their parts in the studio. The whole session became a celebration. Dave McNair mixed and mastered the album in its entirety in early 2008. Still, plenty of time to prepare for a fall release to coincide with the upcoming election - only Paul had been dealt an ugly hand. While McNair was finishing up the record, Paul unexpectedly lost his job and remained unemployed for the next nine months. It would be impossible to release the album and tour properly that fall. Harmony Handgrenade nearly became the record that no one was ever going to hear.
