Sharkbite Studios
Returning west, The K.G.B. went back in with Urbano, recording at Oakland's Sharkbite Studios. This time, they churned out a bunch of much more economical and light-hearted songs. DreamWorks Records principal Michael Ostin loved what he heard and signed the band. Says Toby: "This was a perfect situation and an ideal time to put college on hold. We could live at home and practice every day - you just can't do that when you have a day job or classes."
Indeed, The K.G.B. continued to practice tirelessly and further immersed themselves in music history, learning more and more from the greats of soul, rock, pop and funk. They sorted through a sprawling stock of songs, reinventing early K.G.B. material and infusing newer compositions with what they'd gleaned from their ongoing survey. After months of pre-production, the boys joined Urbano and co-producer David Bianco (Tom Petty, AC/DC, U2, L.L. Cool J.) at Oakland's Studio 880.
Mixing went down at Universal City, California-based Larrabee North. "We stayed at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, which had no hot tub, no room service and only old people staying there" Toby states. "We were in the Portola wing of the hotel. The building across the way was the El Dorado wing. We were so fried after two weeks of mixing that we somehow got it into out heads that the El Dorado was the enemy. We decided to wage war - 'El Dorado must die!'"
So we get home and Tom's playing the vintage drum kit he'd bought way before we ever went to L.A. He looks down at the bass drum and scratched on there is, 'El Dorado.' I swear to God, none of us did it. It had been there the whole time. It was the curse of El Dorado!"
The curse does not, however, seem to have affected The K.G.B., which bears a warm, organic sound that amply reflects the band members' various influences. Sequencing and programming are co-credited to Urbano and enigmatic, unofficial sixth K.G.B. member y-bot, a shadowy figure the band is reluctant to discuss. "He's a communist," Tom offers. "Shut up - he is not!" Toby retorts, clarifying: "y-bot is a close personal friend of mine. He's from Kazakhstan. He's very pale. We speak with him through a translator. We send him MP3 files."
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