the E'ville Experience EP - Written by Genesis Valentine

On an early bay area morning with the view of the San Francisco skyline and towering drum set in my rearview mirror, I’d excitedly rush over to the far less traveled Emeryville. Emeryville, the birthplace of the E’ville Experience, where I spent much of my year in pursuit of aiding to record an incredible EP. This project would be a great teacher and, unbeknownst to me, one of my most enjoyable recording experiences yet.

Slow and steady wins the race

Working with The E’ville Experience has taught me another approach to the recording process. Previously, I’ve worked with artists such as The Golden Hexagrams (my first professional gig) and The Onyx to record a last minute EP. The E’ville Experience had a far different approach to anyone I had ever worked with. It was much more of a slow and steady wins the race approach. That approach has made the EP thrive tremendously. Rose and Bill are incredibly detailed and thorough in planning out every nuance. Nick and Elliott made it easy to learn the songs and were patient with me throughout the learning process. We recorded every instrument on separate days for each song. This meant that every instrument got their day in the spotlight.

This EP was recorded over some months and was combed though with a fine tooth comb. The results aren’t as surprising as they are satisfying to see the work of the entire team come into fruition. I can confidently say that, The E’ville Experience is a group of individuals who strive for excellence in every sense of the word. This excellence couldn’t be made possible without Rose leading us into victory with fierce determination, planning, patience and professionalism. Rose sets that standard for herself and it trickles down to everyone else involved with The E’ville Experience. This project was a long time coming, but it turns out that slow and steady really proved some major wins.

Photo taken at SAE Expression College. From L to R: Genesis, Nick, Bill, and Rose

The Audition

From the beginning, the band has been incredibly professional and easy to work with. Also, there’s always snacks, ALWAYS! For someone who loses myself in whatever work I’m doing and often forgets to eat, this was a huge plus. Going back to their professionalism (ahem), I remember thinking that this project would be much different from the day of the audition. When I walked into Soundwave Studios, I saw a couple of drummers sitting outside waiting to be auditioned. Rose walked out of the studio to introduce herself and gave us application forms to talk about our influences, experience with recording, tuning drums, social media handle etc. In my mind I thought, wow this is serious (haha). Of course up until this point of my music career, my auditions had always been very low key. When It was finally my turn, I walked into the studio and of course there was the band, Bill sitting near the door and maybe another person or 2 watching. At the time, I never went to an audition where the producer was there to watch and give feedback. If I’m being honest, it was a little intimidating, but exciting to know that they took this project so seriously. I set up my snare and replaced the cymbals that were on the stands. I had my notebook of chicken scratch drum notation to remember the songs if I had a brain fart. My sweaty hands were just dry enough to not slip out and accidentally stab someone. From that point on, I just gave it my all and tried to embody every great drummer that I looked up to. I walked out feeling good about giving my all. I had done enough auditions to know that once I walked out of the door to just let go. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Now on the other side of everything that’s happened, a completed EP and multiple shows with them under my belt, it’s incredible to think about it. I walked into that room not knowing what to expect and came out of it being their main drummer. It’s always humbling and thought provoking to think that putting myself out there with 1 audition could bloom this harvest of opportunity and success.

In the studio

The anticipation and excitement of creating something great was my true coffee every morning of a recording day. Recording days for me meant 8 hours in the studio and at least 5 or 6 hours of pretty consistent drumming. About 1 hour of setting everything up and an hour of breaking everything down with lunch in between. Physically, it really gave me endurance on the drums to play precisely for long periods of time. Mentally, it conditioned me to stay focused, to stay present, learn my limitations and also when to take breaks. Warming up during soundcheck, stretching, eating, being well hydrated, and wearing something comfortable all played a vital role in having longevity. The team all made sure that I was taken care of so that I could perform at my best. This made the recording experience so much more enjoyable and effortless because I didn’t have to worry about anything except playing the drums. I appreciate them so much for this. At the time I was limited with my resources (aka drums are expensive). With the help of YouTube University and tuning lessons from my drummer friends, Bill and I made my Questlove kit sound like something out of a Foo Fighters record. Of course, throughout the recording process I acquired other drums through drummer friends and generous bandmates to have a big, rock sounding kit. I’m really grateful for Bill’s patience and genius with this. He has a true gift for sound and is a student to the craft. My favorite thing about working with Bill is his communication style.

Genesis and Bill during an EP planning session

Even though he isn’t a drummer, he was able to communicate effectively almost as if getting into the mind of a drummer. He was able to evoke a lot out of me and helped me to think differently about certain sections of the songs. For many artists, musicians and producers, this is no easy task. He was able to speak the language of a drummer with the perspective of a producer. His knowledge of every instrument, the ability to assess problems and quickly solve them before I even had to say anything made him invaluable. NIck was the mastermind behind helping me to get the “feel” of each song. Since I was the first instrument to record, this set the tone for everyone else. Nick was extremely important to this entire process. He recorded every instrument, including programming the drum parts. Having that as a reference prior to recording and the rough mix in my ears made me breathe easier knowing that I could count on the feel and ideas of Nick’s playing. Even talking to him about how some of the songs came to be and the meaning of the song made me approach the songs differently and try to mirror the emotion and message that he intended. If every studio experience could be like this, I would live in the studio. Despite the long hours and intense amount of playing, I couldn’t have been happier doing what I loved. Recording an EP like this was what the younger me dreamed about. Coupling such a wonderful project with people who valued me as a musician is all I can ever really ask for.

The best is yet to come

I often say that this was one of my favorite recording experiences for so many reasons. Mainly because I love working with people who hold themselves to a high standard, have big ambitions and work hard to accomplish those ambitions. I think it makes for a great working environment. I felt extremely taken care of and valued in my thoughts and my role throughout working with them. Also, it doesn’t hurt that everyone is around my age and has a minor obsession with Paramore and early 2000’s/90’s rock. Moving forward, I’m excited to be working more with the E’ville Experience family and everything that is to come. This EP has been a huge milestone in my own life and I’m incredibly grateful for it. I’m blessed to have met so many talented and down to earth people along the way who also helped with sound and video. There are so many opportunities that have and will align itself with us because of the energy and passion we all put into it. I couldn’t be more proud of this EP and have received a downpour of support and love toward this project. Good things have manifested and the best is yet to come.

Genesis Valentine is a spectacular drummer and we are so grateful to have her on our team!

Follow her on Instagram and listen to our EP to hear her work