I've sent to all our supporting members the finished track, but here are a few behind the scene images of what transpired at HOBIN STUDIOS on a sunny September day a couple of weeks ago.
This was a pretty significant milestone. The idea of a string arrangement for LIE TO ME was originally floated last July, 2025.
The bassist chair of this operation is like the drum throne in SPINAL TAP. They keep spontaneously combusting, which sets the whole operation back immeasurably.
So rhythm section rehearsals for LIE TO ME with yet another bassist commenced in November of 2025. After months of rehearsal, the core unit (Drums, Bass, Pedal Steel, and Piano) was ready to attempt a basic track, of which the best one was captured in early February of 2026.
It then took us several drafts, and several MIDI mockups to finalize the string charts to be ready for recording with real string players. The charts can't be wrong... there's no room for experimentation, because the limited budget can't accommodate that kind of leeway. So Will Pegg and I spent months trading versions back and forth until we felt they were right.
While that was going on, concurrently Jeff Stockham was tweaking the horn arrangement to accommodate the "New" version of this song, including the basic track, the addition of the voice of a Pedal Steel Guitar, and the new string arrangement.
Then this ALL had to be scheduled.... it's the hardest part of the whole process, and enough money had to be put in reserve to pay for the horn and string sessions, respectfully.
Any normal person would have given up six months ago. I'm not normal.
And miraculously, neither are my bandmates, or anyone else that was associated with this recording. We all lashed ourselves to the mast and persevered until it got done. It's a testament to the collective iron will of the current Hungarian Rock and Soul Orchestra. I'm so proud of every single one of these cats.
And yeah. I'm one lucky MF too.
P.S. I sent the final recording to our member supporters. Those of you who got it? Let me know what you think! Feedback is important.
