Chicago will be blistering hot with temperatures reaching 90 degrees, coupled with the usual humidity that you can slice with a knife. These conditions will make the factory reach 100 degrees with the relief of only one high powered industrial fan that must be powered down when we begin recording to cut its' noise. To make matters worse, day 6 of the Oil Recordings will consist of 3 sessions beginning at 10AM with The Dishes.

The band and Lance are already at the factory when I arrive, and it is made know that Pat Kay, who has the keys, is on the way. He was a victim of THICK Records owner, Zak Einstein's' karaoke style birthday party. The events of the night led to Pat seeing the sun come up. When he pulls up, he is still drunk and sporting the same clothes as the day before. Regardless, he is all smiles and head straight for the keg. Fortunately, for his liver, the keg is dry.

Sarah and Kiki haul in their own amps for the session, Sharon uses our bass set up and Mike uses Lances kit. The Dishes have a proven reputation for showing off some razor sharp and somewhat lo fi sounds, so I am not surprised the girls use their own rigs. Lance mics everything up as the band works through their tune that is propelled by a repeating, and simply catchy guitar riff. The nail a take after a handful of attempts, of which Lance records directly to his computers hard drive-this is a first. We "comp" a few guitar takes, and move on to vocals. One of the most interesting things I have witnessed during all the Oil sessions, is the approach everyone takes to vocals. Sarah Dish, sings, and screams so quietly I have to check the meters to make sure Lance is getting enough volume on tape. To my surprise, the take is fine and the voice has tons of character, and the illusion that Sarah is singing at the top of her lungs. Strange. We fire up the grill, eat, finish a back up vocal, tambourine and hand claps. The song is done and easily takes the top spot as one of my favorite recordings thus far.

Without a break, Lance sets up for Tom Daily, as The Dishes say their good-byes. Simultaneously, Kevin Jay Frank from Haymarket Riot shows up. Things are starting to resemble a music factory. Tom has written a song specifically for Oil. It is an ode to Chicago, with the working title; "Uncool is what you make it". A series of comedic errors make this session memorable. First, Tom breaks his guitar strap, the a string on the very last note of the song, which we all convince he should leave in. Regardless, he tries another take and breaks another string. We are all rolling on the control room floor as Tom, screams "God damit" in utter frustration. We feed Tom a beer to avoid a coronary and begin vocals. The lyrics make reference to Chicago as the "3rd Coast with bruised and bleeding shoulders". Genius.

The beaten, and torn warship, Haymarket Riot is next. Kevin Jay Frank, the nail that holds this band together will be tracking; guitars, bass, and vocals, with Shane of Hero of 100 Fights on drums. We will not see Billy Smith or Mike Bennet who have both recently left Haymarket. Also, bassist Fred Popolo is absent having commitments in Boston. Kevin stands tall and confident and begins to piece together "Grand Canyon" from start to finish. The display is so typical of Haymarket Riot, who must be the hardest working band in Chicago. The song moves from angular math problems, to metal style riffage with dense layers of guitars. The bass track will serve as a guide for Fred to track to later, and the vocals come naturally with minimal harmonies and back ups. We end the session just after Midnight, thus ending a 14 hour day. Tomorrow we entertain Check Engine.