introducing john!

check it out: i got new obnoxious argyle socks!
everyone else in DZAF is usually sporting a pair of argyles,
so I’m pretty happy about this Christmas gift.

Hello Dan Zanes and Friends friends…and friends of friends,

Phew. My name is John Foti and I’ve been playing accordion and saxophone with DZAF for the last year and a half. I can’t believe it’s been that long already! Some of you may agree that it still feels like June 2005 or so, but here we are kicking off 2008.

First off, I wanted to thank all of you who have attended DZAF shows and perhaps even chatted with me after a performance. You’re kindness, energy, and support continues to be unbelievable - and it makes me realize how lucky I am to be a part of this wild ride.

Second, while I plan on serving up more entries to the “Welcome Table” in the future, I thought I’d start by sharing a recent experience with you. While I’m not on tour with DZAF, I play music with a few other bands, one of which is my own. I’ve been writing and performing for a while now. After taking piano lessons since the age of 5, I started out in a band called the Morbid Chicken Puppies in 8th grade and we stayed together all the way until my second year out of college! Today, my band is made up of close friends, including a few former Chicken Puppies and my talented sister Kate. Since recent attempts to record an album on my own failed (I have no right trying to set up a microphone, especially on a piano), I finally sought the help of professionals and went upstate to record at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY the week before Christmas.

The plan was for me to get there the first day, record my piano and guitar parts, and then have the rest of the guys come up. When I first walked in, a few kind studio interns greeted me. They didn’t say much and seemed a bit timid. I hadn’t shaved in a while, so maybe I was a bit scary looking. Like any other unfamiliar social situation, it’s always a bit of a challenge to meet people for the first time, get a feel for your surroundings, and try to be comfortable. On top of all that, I had to get right to work. It was just Daniel the engineer, his assistant Eli, and me that first day. And while productive, it was pretty tough for me. I didn’t feel like I played all that well. I spent that night questioning myself and whether I was even ready to do this project. It’s one thing to have the songs, but another to be able to record them the way you want them to sound.

I woke up feeling pretty motivated on the second day and got a lot done early – then fellow DZAF band member Saskia came up and recorded upright bass parts (sorry I have no pictures to account for this, but she was there, I swear!). Not only was it great to see her, but she was a trooper and stayed very late to get her parts done. I’m so happy she’s a part of the recording. On the third day of the session, the rest of the band started to trickle in and that’s when things really started to get both easier AND intensely productive. We worked for three more days from 11am until midnight or so. Talk about past your bedtime!

vocal warmups!

I could go on and into more detail, but thanks to my band, Daniel and Eli, the session ended up being a terrific learning experience on many levels. Most importantly, I re-learned something that Dan always reminds us all in the band to do: have fun. I recognize now that I was a bit uptight and nervous at first, but as soon as my friends came up, things loosened up. And that’s what this was all about. The recording was going to get done somehow, someway. But that didn’t mean I had to over-think, worry, and take the joy out of it. Embracing the music being made with the people around you (which included watching Nils do 38 guitar takes for one song!), sharing stories, talking politics, learning about microphones, eating good food, being goofy - that’s what made this experience so special. Two strangers became new friends. Old friends became…older friends? And my sister…well…she’s still my sister.

And the best part is, because we didn’t completely finish things up in December, we’ll be heading back upstate in mid-February (this time, I’ll take more pictures). With that, here’s a list of ten things I learned while up at the studio:

1. Upstate NY/Hudson Valley is a beautiful place. I’m jealous of people who live there.
2. I should have taken more pictures (having traveled with Dan, I should have known this).
3. Drinking lots of water is important. So is having a bathroom nearby.
4. Friends make life a lot better.
5. So does music.
6. Rhinebeck Bagels makes a mean omelet sandwich.
7. When you’re doing something you love, it’s easy to forget about the money involved (in this case, I was spending it!)
8. Every now and then, it’s okay to wear the same shirt and pants two days in a row (as long as you shower).
9. Coffee is a wonderful thing. But too much is no good. I’m glad I didn’t start drinking it until after college.
10. Drawing silly faces on magazines is still fun after all these years.

You can check out this slideshow on the DZAF flicker page and even more pictures at myspace.com/johnfoti. And I’ll be sure to put up the new songs by April or so.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you soon,

John