Inertia by Sara Shansky

We took three of my songs and three of Steve's and created an EP called "Exflosion" of which we made a small run to sell at shows. Around the time those EPs sold out, Steve had plans to move to Austin and I had been discussing moving to San Francisco with my boyfriend, Adam, who had been offered a teaching job in Oakland. As Steve and I went our separate ways, I feared my recording efforts would just be put on hold until I made my way to Austin.

While in San Francisco, I took every opportunity I could to play shows with Jess and Justin, as well as on my own around the Bay Area. I wanted to take advantage of living near these guys and get into a recording studio. I heard about the Expression Media Center from a local singer/songwriter who had recorded there(thanks Cory). I spent months trying to schedule a session there and finally found a couple dates that worked for the three of us. In two 8-hour sessions we recorded basically what you hear on Thorny Roses, This Song Twice, and Still My Blue (Steve recorded bass lines later).

Adam's friend John, a fellow musician in San Francisco, had just finished recording an album with Robert Preston and told me about a studio open house Mr. Preston was hosting. He was letting a bunch of bands go in and record one song each so I thought I'd go and check it out. I strolled in and was told everyone gets one take. So I put my name on the list and listened to a few hard rock and heavy metal bands, feeling a little out of place. When it was my turn, Robert set up a single mike between my guitar and my mouth and hit "record". What came out in that one take is exactly what you hear on Ben's Dream. That spring Adam and I agreed we wanted to move to Austin. As a going away present, John got me a another session with Robert and we mixed down the songs I had recorded at Expression.

I wanted to finish the album as soon as possible so that I'd have something to send out to venues right when I got to Austin. With Steve's help, we rerecorded a few vocals, added some bass, and mixed the last few tracks. Steve introduced me to Eldridge, who had been recording his friend's new album. It took me a little while to get in touch with him, as he had been out of town performing with several bands. He agreed to do the mastering and a few weeks later, I had my final cd. I had been working on the graphics for a few months, so by the time the actual cd was done, I was all ready to go to a duplication company.

So there you have it. I couldn't have done this without the help of so many people. To Steve, Jess, and Justin, my hat is off to you. I can only hope the four of us will all live in the same city one day. I have all the formal thank yous in the liner notes of the cd. To everyone who preordered the album, I am most grateful. I hope you can appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this project.

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