FAQ

lesdebutantes@gmail.com ……Write to Les Debutantes like you’ve never written to them before!!!!

(Note that answers vary)

1. Fall2006???

a) Fall 2006 was the original projected release date of “Centennial”. It is currently Spring of 2010. The title of the website is a constant reminder of the perils of ambition.

b) Centennial was released in Fall 2006. Many claimed that their vinyl pressing stated “Spring of 2010.” Certainly, the album was written in two weeks and recorded in three. Art just comes to us, like missing dogs and proper fortune.

2. Where was/is “Centennial” recorded?

a) 25 songs were recorded with Kevin Ratterman at his Funeral Home studio, in two different sessions (plus additional mixing sessions). 17 songs were recorded in the summer of 2005 (? I think?) and another 8 were recorded around New Years of 2006.

After that, the Debs turned to “home recording”, primarily in the form of sitting in Glen’s living room and talking about basketball and girls.

Using this method, several demos and many finished songs emerged from what was christened Spacious Debutantes Studios on Payne St.

Shortly thereafter, Glen moved in with his lady friend, and her cats, and her couch. The studio was moved to this apartment in the Cherokee Park area of Louisville, and was subsequently named Luxurious Kitty Kat Land Studios. It was at this point that Danny joined the group in earnest, and strides were made in the form of software, equipment, and motivation (Danny will not allow the boys to talk about b-ball).

A few months later, Danny Cash formed his Site B studios (which Brent named after the secondary island used to breed dinosaurs in “The Lost World”…I’m sorry), and the boys have been recording there ever since.

b) The entirety of Centennial was recorded in Mt. Carmel, Kentucky, at St. Paul’s Firmament (located across the street from Cassius Clay’s Shave Ice & Corn Chips). Fr. Mumy was the chief engineer and he couldn’t have been more supportive of his parishioners’ musical aspirations. The only track exceptions were a few here and there recorded at Glen’s Apartment, Keddiz’ farmhouse, and Lockwise’s loft (both for the sake of saving time and to add flair).

3. Who plays on the album?

a) Brent and Glen write all of the songs. The Kevin Ratterman sessions were recorded by the then-current live lineup of Glen Reid (keys, vocals), Brent Stewart (vocals, guitar), Meredith Noel (bass), Charles Bailey (drums) and Danny Cash (lead guitars).

Charles departed for sunnier climes (Alabama specifically) shortly thereafter, and the band gave up live performance until the album was completed (except for a handful of “oops!” live performances).

Once the group moved to home recording, Brent took over the bass duties, as it was his original instrument and it was easier for him to just play the stuff while he was there. Danny handles most of the guitar duties. And we have had a rotating cast of drummers, with Andy Hurt (formerly of Follow the Train, among many others) taking on most of the duties. Andy has also been a regular idea contributor, and is, at this point, more or less a member of the band.

Other guests who have appeared so far are Venus Trap, Ultra Pulverize, Kevin Ratterman (Wax Fang), Drew Osborn and Jeremy Johnson (Your Black Star), Jason Nunn (Dirt One, early Debutantes), Justin Elliott (Dirt One), Su (Lucky Pineapple), and many, many others, to be listed in a ginormous CD booklet near you in the near future.

b) Most of the instrumentation was performed by the musicians and choir members of St. Paul’s Church. The Debutantes wrote all the songs with their fellow parishioners in mind and decided to mostly handle behind-the-scenes tweaking with Fr. Mumy (with the exception of after-hours vocal additives, whistling, and Andy Hurt percussive tips). The plan is to eventually release An Alternate Cen/Mentennial (A Pot Stickers Redux: Echoes of the Mirror’s Gaze), performed exclusively by the one-and-only Debutantes, through a Japanese distribution company.