The Ponderosa
People often ask us about our studio compound, "the Ponderosa" where we have recorded and or mixed our last fourteen albums.Here, for your edification is a guided tour of our joint. Of course, we can't show any studio shots as industrial espionage is rife in the music scene and we don't want no bastards copping our EQ settings or scoping our compression knees.


This is the aloof , uninviting north face of the Ponderosa. This is as far as Postman Plod is allowed to go. We wait until his motorbike has turned the corner and scurry out to get our precious parcels. He knows too much already.


The stairs leading up to the vocal booth. We have designed the studio so as to be indistinguishable from a normal , everyday 21st century aristocrats living quarters. We don't like to see the joins in our lifestyles. Its gotta have the flow, its gotta be seamless.

The Most Southerly aspect of the Ponderosa, facing the railway lines. We got all these horses in for a bit of an F Troop vibe when we were cutting "My Life on the Plains". The bloke that brought them never came back to get them again.We like people riding past to think that we're too poor to own a car. I like to come out here in the morning for a piss and a look around.

 


Just around to the right, Clare is laying down some drum tracks. The cathedral ceiling gives it that cool natural slapback she digs from her Gretsch.

To the Northwest is our private entrance. This is where we get to walk in to our house. Only us. No other bastard is allowed to use this particular portal. It is ours.

 


To the South East. I took this snap at night using my old Boldera with an F8 stop. I was just having a piss and a look around and the light caught my fancy.

This is what I see when I'm sitting on the can. Gold records and old leather settees. Of course, no other bastard can ever see this for real. There is a Supermarket about 15 clicks down the road. They have a public toilet there.

Everybody needs a quiet place to get away to. Another joint where they can unwind and collect their thoughts. This is ours. We call it Fernando Po, connected to the Ponderosa by a short bike track. Just over the back fence. It looks onto the creek. Everybody thinks its owned by some other bastard that we hate. We like them to think that.

At night, Fernando Po, the Eastern aspect. I took this with a disposable polaroid. The lights just looked cool the way they came on.


Fernando Po, looking out towards the back. Thats me sweating over some lyrics down on the deck.

 

The kitchen. The whole floor area , including table and chair depressions is carved out of a single piece of wood. I found it when I was tooling around in the back lot one day.