Charles Wecker On the Making Of “Lenticular Clouds”
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of "Lenticular Clouds?"
My newest single “Lenticular Clouds” was inspired by a hike with my wife and 2 dogs - a dachshund and chihuahua mix- in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado near the very, very small mountain town of Rico. This summer we had a lot rain and weird cloud formations. During the hike we were at about 10,000 feet in elevation and basically right below the lenticular clouds as they were forming. Lenticular Clouds are often called UFO clouds because that’s exactly what they look like. This image stuck with me, and became the first image I describe in the lyrics to “Lenticular Clouds.” The photograph on the cover of the single was also actually taken on this hike.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "Lenticular Clouds?"
I’ve been trying to keep the recording process for my songs as simple as possible to allow an open and raw sound that makes one feel like they’re sitting in the room with me - but with enough polish and production to keep people, myself included, engaged. I recorded this at my home studio in one take using 2 microphones. One for my Martin guitar, and another for my voice. I used one of my favorite vocal mic, the humble SM57. The Martin played is my trusty HD-28 which for all intents and purposes is my muse.
Because of the simplicity of the recording the production process is fairly straightforward in that I EQ everything, add enough compression to take down some of the peaks and then master the track. The key to making a good recording is to make sure that the source recording is of good quality! I learned how to do this when I was working at KDUR community radio in Durango during college, through years of experience recording demos, and a lot of sleuthing through forums online.
What impact do you hope this single will have on your audience?
As my 2nd single and my 2nd straight single about clouds I hope that it leaves people floating!
In all seriousness, I hope that this helps to bring my music to a wider audience as I have big plans for the rest of the year and 2025 including a couple more single releases, and a full album release. I’ll then be playing locally in the 4 Corners and (hopefully) regionally to help promote the album and singles.
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and composing music?
My creative process usually starts with a nice chord progression. I’ll sit down to practice in either my recording studio or my teaching studio, and play around with progressions, melodies, and just improvise. This usually leads to a progression which I really like. Once the harmony is in place I’ll start to add a melody either through humming, singing, or adding additional notes on the guitar or piano.
Finally, I’ll start to add words. I’ve actually had some of my poetry published in the past, and love writing poems and prose. For songs I usually use images and then describe them. The images can be either literal or based on an emotion. In the case of “Lenticular Clouds” the verses are fairly literal, and maybe a bit fantastical, while the chorus is describing an emotion as an image.
What is the best part of being a musician?
I’ve been interested in playing music as long as I can remember, and for me the best part is the exploration of it-kind of like Star Trek but for music. In addition to my songwriting, I also play classical piano, jazz, and run a teaching studio in Southwestern Colorado and remotely. I get to explore the works of great composers, visionaries, and help my students do the same. Music allows us to explore parts of ourselves we wouldn’t otherwise, and that’s the greatest gift that music can bring to one’s life.