Nine Bands Share Their First Recording

Page 5 of 9

For musicians of all ages, one of the most exciting things in the world can be digging your teeth into a brand-new project. With fresh faces and skill sets, the experience can make music feel brand new again for many. So we appreciate it when bands are willing to step back and share earlier works that haven’t seen the light of day.

We asked eight acts, including Rubblebucket, FAWN and ARMS, to share their first recordings as a band and talk about this process, and they were generous enough to revisit their beginnings. Feel free to share your own first recordings in the comment section below.

5. She Keeps Bees – “Blackout” (Demo)
“Early spring of 2005 I was teaching myself piano. This song was a meditation on a dream I had the night before. The lyrics were a stream of consciousness to try and shake a sadness over a stagnant place I’d let myself wallow in for too long. Recorded on a four-track in my living room, you can hear the windows are open—buses, kids playing outside and car horns. The main difference between my songwriting now and this time period is having a complete support system in Andy. He really gave me confidence. We grew together in our musicianship. I am forever grateful for how we continue to teach each other.”—Jessica Larrabee