A snowy, freezing day welcomed Tone Tree Audio engineers to Saint James Catholic Church in Kearney, Nebraska in winter 2014. The Saint James Worship Group, led by Dorothy Clark, was practiced and ready to record a set of worship songs for an upcoming album of church music slated for a 2015 release. Even with a cold start to the session with a grueling gear haul into the church, the warmth of the musicians and vibe of playing live in their church was magical.

The Saint James musicians began with short run-throughs of several songs, while Tone Tree engineers set levels. After only a short hour of setup, the band blazed through a dozen tracks in only 4 hours time. The group was set up in a T, recording with drums and bass in the center of the church, piano to the left, guitar to the right, and a vocalist to help guide the group at the far end of the church (all to reduce bleed through on the live recordings). The result was a fantastic live feel with tight rhythms from playing as a whole.

In January, Tone Tree Audio began overdubs of other musicians for the album, starting with acoustic guitar and mandolin performed by Mike Metzger. More musicians will be brought into the recording in the coming months to round out the entire group.

See photos from the winter session and overdubbing with Mike below.