Produced & recorded by Allan Thomas w/ additional recording by Ron Pendragon & Brian Wohlgemuth

Mixed and Mastered by Mike Shipley - 2012 Grammy award winner for Best Engineered Album Non-Classical for Alison Krauss and Union Station's 'Paper Airplane'.

Allan Thomas - vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion
Graham Nash - backing vocals on 'Ray Of Hope'
Bryan Kessler - rhythm & lead guitar
Michael Ruff - keyboards, accordion, organ, backing vocals
Ken Emerson - slide guitar & Hawaiian lap steel
Kirk Smart - lead guitar, lap steel, mandolin
JP Allen - harmonica on title track
Jimmy Johnson - bass
Tris Imboden - drums
Anjela Rose - backing vocals



For those interested in knowing more about the recording of this collection of songs I have gone on in great length about the particulars below. Also on each song page you can find lyrics and anecdotes about the writing of each song should you care to delve further.

I began recording 'Making Up For Lost Time' on a G4 Apple iMac and Digidesign 002 8 track digital recorder around 2004 at Black Bamboo Studios #3 in Kilauea. Starting with drum and percussion loops - which I would later replace with a real drummer - I would then lay down my rhythm guitar parts. With all the noise from chickens, wind, cars and computer fans, I elected to use electric guitar instead of acoustic, making for a cleaner recording.

In the beginning I used my Steinberger Trans-Trem electric with some heavy gage strings to help with the intonation of the songs in the slack-key tunings I was using. I remember discovering a hum that would appear for about 30 seconds out of every minute while I was recording the electric guitar. Where did that come from, I never heard that before? For months I dealt with this phantom hum by waiting for the hum to stop then quickly recording a part for 30 seconds, then stopping, waiting for my next 30 second slot and begin recording again. Recording like this was not for the faint of heart, and forget about whole takes. This was not what I had intended for the rhythm guitar parts but there was nothing to be done, so I charged the task at hand and did the best I could. I had friends who knew about transient frequencies in the air and they came over and checked out the electric lines on the street but found no reason for the cyclic occurrence. My neighbor Jon Bernard came over and helped pound a six-foot long copper rod into the ground from which we tried to ground the house electronics. Nothing changed. Months later the signal would just disappear forever!

At one point, wanting some different electric guitar sounds, I asked NYC luthier Roger Sadowsky for one of his Tele Standards. The wait was supposed to be at least six months but three months later he rang up and asked for my shipping address as the guitar was ready. So with its different pickup configurations and active switches I had a nice little pallet of sounds to draw from. I also used my nylon string Sadowsky for lead fills on a couple of songs, particularly 'Leap Of Faith'.

For most of the vocals I used my Neumann U87. I ran mic cables about 25 feet long into the closet which was inside and through the bathroom. I hung bedspreads on the four walls of the cramped closet to deaden the space and could close two doors between my recording mic and the computer in the main living room. So I'd hit record on the computer keyboard - having adjusted the recording levels after a few trial and error takes beforehand - setting it so it would actually start recording in about 15 seconds - and then make a bee-line through the bathroom, closing the bathroom door behind me, then dash into the closet, close that door, and have just enough time to throw my headphones on and sing the first line of the tune. Later I would get the Frontier Design Tranzport for remote recording, which was a blessing because I could assume the recording position in the closet, hit record on the remote interface right next to me and the computer in the living room would start recording. But still I had to do this by myself and would have much preferred to have an engineer recording while I concentrated on performing a good vocal. OK so the world is not perfect especially the album budget department so I did what I had to do to get a vocal in the can by my self, and once I set my mind to the project at hand there was no stopping, except for a little incident that happened right in the middle of making the record. I'll get to that in a sec.

I had help with recording my lead vocals twice. On the song 'Leap Of Faith' I asked my dawn patrol surf buddy Bruce Borth - also a musician - to come over and hit record on the computer for me after I had set all the recording levels. That was such a luxury. The second occasion I had help recording the vocals was when I asked recording wiz Brian Wohlegemuth - who happened to be on island mixing a project with Mike Shipley - to record three vocals at Steel Ranch Studios up in the upper Kapaa area. That was wonderful - a real recording studio with a live-wire engineer. I did about three takes of three songs and it was done - well done all but for the editing.

In the middle of producing and recording this record, and doing the same for local artists Norman 'Kaawa' Solomon and Darryl Gonzales, I had the great fortune to rent my studio to Steely Dan alumni Donald Fagen. He was on Kauai to record vocals and do various overdub work on his third solo CD 'Morph The Cat'. I had to step up to the plate for the Fagen sessions and get a new G5 computer, Digidesign 192 interface, monitor, compressor and the Neumann U87, among other things, but now these great components would be used for all my recordings henceforth. In these two months I learned a great deal more about editing vocal composite tracks from Donald and his engineer TJ Doherty. I put this knowledge to good use when I got back to working on my album. I also learned how to play a decent game of H.O.R.S.E., a basketball game we three would play on breaks.

Many many vocalists will record several takes of the song and make a comp track of the best parts of all takes. I am no exception. Yes sometimes you get lucky and get a great take in one try but that case is rare indeed. Since this vocal will be living on in groovedom or infamy I work on a vocal until I can live with it and know I have given it my all, making sure it is in tune and in time and with believability.

Somewhere in the middle of the daily recording sessions I contracted a near-fatal strep A infection in my right leg due to a surfing mishap. This set me back eight months, but once I began work on the record again I was more determined then ever to finish the it, and set off with a vengeance to that end. I also now knew what the title track of the album would be.

One by one I would record the musicians on the songs. Bryan Kesser flew in from Oahu to record on five tracks and leave his indelible mark on the record. But there was also an abundance of talent on Kauai that I could and did mine. I would go to my long time music collaborator Michael Ruff's house in Princeville to record all his keyboard and accordion parts, and local guitar hero Ken Emerson would come over to my studio to record his lap steel and slide parts on three songs. Actually I lucked out again because recording engineer Brian Wohlgemuth was yet on Kauai mixing a project and came by on the day of Ken's sessions and took over the engineer helm. We used my new Carr tube amp for the amplification of the guitars and recorded it in the bedroom closet in the next room. On another day Brian also helped me take 2 of Ken's slide tracks and put them in stereo one slightly ahead of the other, and shared some other tasty editing techniques.

I recorded Kirk Smart on his tele direct into the Neve mic pre and the same for his mandolin and lap steel. Kirk was new to my group of recording brothers but not anymore. Such a great player, and he would take direction with no ego problems and be willing to try anything to get the part right. I really appreciated his positive attitude not to mention stellar chops. He and Bryan Kessler had gone to the same music school some 25 years earlier and had the same jazz rock blues sensibility that I resonate with for my music.

The newest kid on the block however was JP Allen, an amazing musician and ultra-cool brother previously from Austin Texas, who excelled in many instruments but especially so on harmonica. For his session we went to Steel Grass Studios and recorded his harmonica parts for the song 'Making Up For Lost Time'. He was the first to play on the track after my basic vocal, rhythm guitar and drum/percussion loops. So he could really stretch out and not step on anybody's toes, as it were. After editing JP's parts Mike Ruff laid his parts down with JP's blueprint to play off of. Nobody plays keys like Mike and he took the song to yet another level, as always.

I felt especially lucky to have such over-the-top players to record with. It makes all the difference in the world. Each and every one of them making vast contributions in their personal interpretation of the song. Each adding dimension and direction, shaping what the ultimate version of the song will be, and leaving their personal stamp on the music. I am good friends with all the people involved with making my records and it's never about the money and always about the groove and the good times together.

Speaking of which - quite by chance I ran into Graham Nash in Hanalei one day during the sessions. He asked me what I was up to and I filled him in on the details. He would always share with me the latest happenings in some of his world as well. Upon realizing I was making another record he asked was there anything he could do? I knew exactly what he could do: put his unique and soulful voice somewhere on my new record. He was going on tour but would be back later in the year which gave me some time to finish tracking all the songs and figure out which track might be best for him. Back in 1996 Graham graced my 3rd record Coconut Cutlure with his singing on a tracked called 'The Navigator'. His contribution to the track is something that generates chicken-skin almost every time I hear it. I couldn't wait to see what he would do this next time 'round.

Months later I left word on Nash's message machine on Kauai that I was ready to record some backing vocals, but months passed and there was no word. I knew he was busy on the mainland with a hundred and one important projects and just figured he might be too tied up in other projects. Needing to keep moving ahead with the record I asked Michael Ruff to sing backing vocals with me on 'How Long Till Light'. We went to Ron Pendragon's home studio for the recording date. It has always been a blast to sing with Ruff. Ever since our first sessions on 'The Island' CD in 1987 I have looked forward to our collaborations. We created the backing harmonies pretty much on the spot, digging around in our R & B east coast roots for inspiration.

Ruff had already played keyboards on the tune, with he and Emerson each having a solo section to solo over. In fact in a few songs on the album, including 'How Long..' I would mute my vocal track and ask the soloists to solo over the verse and chorus vocal sections where the lead voice would usually be. Later when editing their parts I was so blown away by their solo's that I extended the song with some editing mojo so I could have their playing on those sections. So I wound up with a few six-and-half minute songs, but I really wasn't thinking about all the radio play I wasn't going to get on commercial radio stations, with such a long song, so much as thinking how much interesting music could I fit on those songs. I figured let these guys play their hearts out and give them a place for their efforts in the songs, rather than give in to the fear of not being commercial enough for radio. I wasn't making a record for radio - though there's nothing better than having your music surfing the airwaves - but making music for art sake, for the hearts sake. Let the destiny of the recording find its place rather than try to manipulate some false direction based on possibility of commercial success alone. I guess there is a fine line between being overly self indulgent and creating art. I walk that line as best I can. That said, I do try to have a least a couple of songs somewhere under five minutes.

Next I called Anjela Rose for some backing vocals on 'Leap Of Faith' and 'Remember The Best'. Having first been a vocal group singer in the early sixties, I was keen on having some harmonies on 'Making Up For Lost Time'. I had seen Anjela performing around Hanalei town a number of times as a solo singer songwriter, and in a number of band configurations. I loved the timbre in her voice and thought our blend would be cool. I was right too. It didn't hurt that Anjela has a great temperment, is a sweetheart and is real easy on the eyes.

Ron Pendragon recorded us singing backups at Steel Ranch Studios right down the road from his home studio. Can't tell you how nice it is to have a cat like Ron on the island to record with. He has a very mellow even-keeled manner and is totally competent as an engineer. Turns out he also did all the graphic art for the CD as well. With Anjela and Mike Ruff's backing vocals complete on the three songs I felt like that was it for backing vocals. I still hadn't heard from Nash and all that was left to record was drums and bass.

Avid surfer and drummer for Chicago Tris Imboden, had been living on Kauai for some time. But though I'd heard about him for years I'd never personally met the dude. I first knew him as a surfer who would show up at Hanalei bay to surf as myself and the other dawn patrol surfers were just getting out of the water. I call Tris' surfing time slot 'yawn patrol'. Finally after a long while I was formally introduced to him and we became friends. When Donald Fagen asked where we could borrow some mallets for some over dubbing on Don's record, I called Tris and he arranged for me to pick up the mallets within minutes, such was his enthusiasm for Steely Dan music, this for me was a good sign. Tris and I were also in the band Donald put together for a benefit concert for Kula school here on Kauai, so I experienced his rock-solid drumming first-hand. Because we have similar tastes in music and because of his strong groove playing and extremely positive vibes as a person I asked Tris to play drums on the CD.

We drove up to Ron Pendragon's home studio together for the drum sessions. Ron had been recording a lot of recent projects with Tris whenever he came home from touring with Chicago, so they had their technical thing already worked out as far as what mic's , mic placements, and pre amps to use on Tris' drum set. As it happens I had a flu during the three days of drum tracking. I don't write arrangements or chord charts for the players, prefering to be right with them and offer suggestions when they record their parts for one of my songs. But with that flu hounding me it was very very difficult to stand up, lock eyes with Tris and guide him physically with my hands, arms, and sometimes whole body jumping in the air to emphasize an accent or where I felt the dynamics should go, but it just had to be done. I would rather have canceled the session for another time, stay at home and sleep but Tris was most always on tour so it had to be done now. His ability to intuitively know where to go and to flow with my direction sealed the deal. There was no bass on the tracks yet and that didn't bother him in the least. Tris asked Ron to let him hear the drum tracks I had programmed in his headphones which surprised and made me feel like maybe I was on the money as far as finally being able to create a decent drum loop. I always intended to erase all the pre-programmed drums after Tris recorded his parts, but I wound up keeping all the percussion. Tris Imboden is one of the most enthusiastic musicians I have ever met, particularly regarding his absolute conviction and love for this collection of songs and the album in general. It was nice to feel I might be on the right track if a seasoned pro like Tris was excited by it. I slept for three days after the drum sessions.

As if on cue I run into Graham Nash at the Ching Young village parking lot one day not long after recording the drums. He asked me how the record was going. I painted the picture and asked him if he'd gotten my previous message about recording backing vocals. He replied that he had not gotten any message but was still interested if we could do it soon, as he was leaving shortly for another tour. We made an appointment for me to drive up to his home in Wainiha and play him the tracks.

Now I'm thinking what song can he sing on? I had already recorded backing vocals with Ruff and Anjela on the songs I thought should have them. I was perplexed but knew I'd better come up with a plan for our meeting. I listened to the songs again and realized 'Ray Of Hope' would be benefited by Nash's remarkable voice. With that in mind I went to our meeting and played him the song. He listened intently but said he didn't hear a part for himself. I asked him to hit play one more time and got up the nerve to sing him some possible harmony parts over the vocal in both chorus and verse. Bobbing and weaving to the music in the usual Nash way he smiled and starting making up his own parts and agreed the song would work for him.

The next day Graham meets me at the Kilauea gas station and we begin the drive up to Ron Pendragon's studio with him occasionally playing the song and rehearsing his parts along the way. Ron was totally prepared for us having set up the tube Neumann U67, so we got right into it. Nash astonished both Ron and I with his near perfect pitch, great attitude and ease of effort. At one point I had a suggestion for a harmony part which Nash liked. He asked me to join him and sing it together, but I stopped for a second and realized that as much as I wanted to sing and record with him, his groove might be in serious jeopardy if I were to slow down his workflow with flat notes or whatever, so I passed and just let him perform his magic, content to not have to sing or engineer and just produce and enjoy the memorable session. The session was over in like an hour and fifteen minutes, and 'Ray Of Hope' had a new shine about it.

I had thought long and hard about who to have play bass on the record - the proverbial icing on the cake - but the choice remained unclear. By chance both Mike Ruff and Tris suggested Jimmy Johnson. I've always loved Jimmy's playing since hearing him in Santa Monica with Ruff's band in back in 1982 or so. Jimmy has been James Taylor's bassist for like the last seventeen years and played jazz and singer/songwriter styles with equal aplomb, The brother was such an amazingly gifted bassist that I knew he would be right for the songs, if only I could get him to do it. It turned out not that difficult. Ruff and I e-mailed him, made contact and set aside a date for a few weeks later. Jimmy had been recently coming to Kauai for a few Mike Ruff sessions at Ron Pendragon's, whenever he had the time off, but this time I would have to fly to LA to record him there. At present he was with Taylor touring in Europe and would be back for a short stay once back in LA. He asked me to e-mail him Mp3's of the songs in their current state and he wound up making his own song charts for the sessions while traveling.

Frequent visitor to Kauai, and TV soundtrack meister Snuffy Walden, generously offered his state-of-the-art recording studio in Woodland Hills California, for the bass recording sessions. Snuffy asked Avi Kipper, his associate engineer at his recording facility, to set Jimmy and I up with a good preamp, and get the pro tools rig fired up. Having complied with supreme efficacy, Jimmy and I found ourselves set up in this beautiful recording studio with none-other than AT as engineer. What an experience it was to sit with the low-key but renown Jimmy Johnson and work on the arrangements for the tunes, and to record him as well. He was well prepared having written out his own charts, and he was also energized and chomping at the bit to get at the tunes. We had the studio for two days but once we got into it we just kept at it, recording about a tune an hour and stopping only for a dinner break. Next thing you know all ten songs were finished and I could now hear what each song sounded like with all the instruments together. I was beyond pleased with the result, and the way the record had magically taken shape one piece at a time, and now finally it was ready for mixing.