Feature: Mark Caserta Decodes “Christmas & You (Home Recording)”
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "Christmas & You (Home Recording)?"
My philosophy in working with Victor is to always find ways to “serve the song”; only add something that makes the song better. In this case, Victor handed me the solo acoustic recording of the song and I spent hours trying to figure out what I was going to play along with it. Playing acoustic guitar took away from what was already a very strong, powerful guitar sound. Playing electric guitar (plugged in) didn’t sound right, even though that’s what I play when we perform this song live. I tried mandolin and resonator guitar and it just didn’t click. Eventually, I placed a microphone in front of the 9-string electric guitar that Victor made me (unplugged) and played that acoustically and it fit the song perfectly. That’s the second guitar sound you are hearing. It’s a weird choice that I’ve never tried before but in this case it really enhanced the song.
What impact do you hope "Christmas & You (Home Recording)" will have on your audience?
The song has very little to no reverb on it. It’s as dry as can be. The hope is that you will picture Victor and I sitting outside in the snow, next to a campfire, surrounded by lit Christmas trees and really key into what he is saying in his lyrics. It’s almost like he is singing right next to you. I think that makes a big impact on the song. It’s very intimate.
What did you enjoy most about making "Christmas & You (Home Recording)?"
I played jingle bells on the song. I have a small set of jingle bells that I recorded but they just didn’t quite sound the way I wanted them to. I realized that I had some more bells attached to my dog’s Christmas collar so I borrowed it from her for a few minutes and shook the dog collar in front of the mic. The mix of those two bell sounds is what you hear on the track. Doing silly things like that is what I enjoy most about making these home recordings.
How do you hope your music resonates with your audience? What message or feeling do you aim to convey through your performance?
When you tell someone that you have recorded a Christmas song, they are more likely to listen to it, I’ve found. But they are also expecting a lively cover of a Christmas classic, which this song is not. I want people to listen to it and say “Wow” and be blown away by the lyrics and intimate performance. I think we’ve achieved that in this track. It feels like Christmas but it’s also a personal story of redemption.
How do you seek opportunities for personal and artistic growth in your musical journey?
We have started to look for opportunities to collaborate when we record. We often collaborate live with musicians that we know here in Brooklyn but recording with friends is new. On our first release, A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, we collaborated with our friend Kat Lewis, an amazing singer/songwriter who also sings backup in our full band, Victor V. Gurbo & Co. Next week we will be releasing a second version of “Christmas & You” with our friends Johanna Telander, a Finnish-American composer and harpist and Katie Chambers, a cellist friend of ours. The song takes on a whole new dimension with harp and cello. We are really excited about it.