It’s a Friday afternoon inside the historic Church Studio, where Tulsa musician Casii Stephan is working on a song for her first album slated to be released in the spring.
After previous recording sessions at Blackwatch Studios in Norman, Stephan secured the legendary sound stage, located at 304 S. Trenton Ave., on Dec. 19 to record new music, including a collaboration with fellow Tulsan Branjae.
Tulsa Flyer had exclusive access to document the recording process inside the studio made famous by Leon Russell and the musical greats who have stood within its walls, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The GAP Band, Tom Petty and Stevie Wonder, among others.
Stephan and Branjae spent time in booths recording their vocals before going into the control room to listen to their takes.
Producer Chad Copelin, along with engineers Mike Prado and Gary Laney, play through the various options. After some vocal tweaks to better fit the beats, the duo returns to the booths to record a new take. Copelin will later play the organ to possibly add it to the mix.
The song they’re recording is “Hands,” co-written with Branjae and one of 10 songs on the forthcoming album. It was born from a conversation about the things they find attractive in men.
After running through the vocals a few more times, Stephan spends a few minutes at the piano waiting for a decision to be made for a meal break. Then, it will be back to recording.
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