Blog

2026/06/16 - To Rock and/or Roll

Tomorrow night marks the first public performance of the Gabriel Harley Band since, I think, Halloween of 2025. We've gotten together a couple of times now, playing through the sets, and it's been fun. I have to admit, though, that I while I've missed playing with my bandmates, I tend to prefer the solitude and the creative flexibility of the studio these days. When you play live, there are so many unknown variables--the weather, the acoustics, the (mis)behavoir of the PA system, and even just the mood of the crowd. Yes, you can practice and prepare and minimize some of those variables but at the end of the day, what happens, happens. In the studio, you aren't at the mercy of the Fates... at least, not nearly as much. 

Something I learned early on--largely thanks to The Beatles--is that the studio can be an instrument as much as a guitar or a set of drums. On stage, we're painting an aural image with a limited set of colors. You have the tones of the voices and instruments, and the part they're playing. You also have the capabilities of any effects and mixing tricks the Front-of-House engineer and their PA system can add (though those are usually somewhat limited). In the studio, the color palatte is much broader and much more subtle. Want to subtly double your own voice to make a chorus more energetic? Done. Want to add in a cello for one verse of a song? Call up a cellist or dial up a sample. Especially today, in the age of inexpensive DAWs and small-but-mighty computers, you can achieve in your bedroom what even The Beatles and Abbey Road couldn't have accomplished.

Don't get me wrong. There's a lot to be said for the synergy of musician-to-musician and artist-to-audience in a live space. When it's right, it's as intoxicating as any drug. But when it comes to making things that last more than one night, the studio will always be king.