Izzy working on new solo album?

It looks like Izzy has been in the studio (a historic recording studio in Miami, Florida):

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqGmd--pRBm/

It will be Izzy's first output since 2016.

I actually thought he had given up on his solo career.

FUCK YEAH! SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soulmonster wrote:I actually thought he had given up on his solo career.

Hopefully he will release whatever he is recording!

I believe it is very unlikely he spent 6-7 years doing nothing. I think it is likely that he did some studio/recording sessions on the past 6-7 years but never got to release anything

What makes me believe in that? Two things: 1) there was a short video that (if I am not mistaken Izzy himself posted) of him playing a riff right around that time when he was releasing single songs in 2016 or 2017. If I am not mistaken he never release anything after posting that video. 2) And then there is also that recent Rich Richards interview where Rick mentions that Izzy has so much unreleased stuff. He could very well be talking about stuff that he recorded with Izzy in the past 6-7 years, right?

Hey @Izzy_Dutch any info if Izzy did any writing or recording on the past 6 years?

more photos!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIWwlRsxtH/

ludurigan wrote:

Soulmonster wrote:
Hey @Izzy_Dutch any info if Izzy did any writing or recording on the past 6 years?

As far as I know, he hasn't recorded anything since the pandemic started late 2019. Being the 2016 single 'To Being Alive' his latest studio recording. But I know he has a home studio where he demos and records stuff, he also plays drums (he did a demo for Duff's 'How To Be A Man' single where he played drums and slide on it) and my guess is he's always still busy writing and recording, but just at home for himself.

But there have been a few years, around 2009 and 2012 where he recorded in the studio but not all has been released. In 2009 he released an album with Timo, or atleast songs at Brotheryn Studios, but they weren't released (instead in december that year Smoke was released). And when you have the 'Baby Rann' and 'Upside' singles in 2012, I believe it was part of a complete album that was recorded but he just opted to put out 2 singles instead. And I think that has something to do with some new GN'R members were discussing with him at that time where they said that putting out singles is the thing to do in that time instead of albums. The thing is also, Izzy released everything digital via TuneCore but the way the system works is:
- The more albums/songs you release, the more you have to pay to keep those online/available. You have costs to release the album, but als 'yearly maintenance costs'. With TuneCore it's actually the more albums you put out, the more it 'll cost you, incrementally. Where as other companies for example say, you'll pay this amount for a year and you have unlimited releases. But with cheaper distribution services you'll end up with less insight in trends, of the streams, where in the world people listen the most, which songs, which platform makes the most etc. Seeing he's got lots of albums on iTunes but doesn't do promo and doesn't have a whole lot of streams, he's not making much money of streams if he's actually making money on it I think. Depending on the distribution service, these payments vary as other companies have different payment methods but if he's using TuneCore, it's not cheap. Also, the way streaming works, is you get a few cents per stream, like 0,0019 or something, but also there are algorithms involved. Say you have a 10 song album where each song gets 1 stream. Say you have 1 song that gets 10 streams. In both cases there are 10 streams you have as an artist right? But, the 1 song that gets streamed 10 times will get you more money. Because that's the way they've set it up. So commercially speaking it's more profiting if you put out singles instead of albums these days. I think that's also why he just put out singles since 2012. Personally though I'm an album guy and hope that he'll put out an album again, if he'll release something.

About these 2023 sessions, I sincerely hope that he'll release something, and hopefully a 10 track album. Perhaps the Stones rumoured to have just completed recording their new album and having it mastered has pumped him up again.

Anways here's what I've heard and discovered from other people and looking at the pictures from Facebook/Insta etc.:

They did 1 week of recording basic tracks at Criteria Studios E:
- Taz is playing a DW drumkit like usual
- JT is playing bass, a white Fender Precision Bass and does engineering duties like since 2003's Like A Dog album
- Izzy is using a Fender Hot Rod Deville amp, same as on 2012's Baby Rann (check out the music video on YouTube, you'll recognize the same amp on the left as on Instagram's Criteria Studios vid). I've also seen a headstock of a 70's Fender Telecaster Custom, which I know he has for quite some time (since JJH days) and also used on albums (like River, along with his Gibson ES-135) but we haven't seen alot on pictures. There are some JJH pictures from Chicago '92 where he's playing a sunburst one, and I believe he still has that one, along with a 60's sunburst Fender Telecaster (single coil pickups) which he also has since UYI days and also played live with GN'R. He still uses the 60's one on recordings a lot (on Wave Of Heat for example). But that 70's one with humbucker pickup, the 'Keith Richards' guitar I think he's using that one aswell with this new project. And from what I've understand he's got around dozen guitars but goes thru a lot of them, he's got a few main guitars and others get traded around. Among his main guitars are the black Gibson ES-135 (he's got two, a sunburst with humbuckers and the black one with P-90's which I think is his favorit). His 60's UYI Fender Telecaster, a Les Paul Goldtop and Gibson Hummingbird and J-200 acoustics from the GN'R days. And also a yellow Gibson SG (used on Maimi album). As far as amps go around the start of River he used a Fender Deluxe amp. From Like A Dog he used a Fender Pro Jr. for quite some time. On Wave Of Heat he also used a Fender Super Sonic on overdubs. And after that it becomes a bit of a mystery... as mentioned on Baby Rann he used a Fender Hot Rod Deville which he now also uses. And around 2018 a picture appeared on social media where he bought a Marshall 1974x combo amp. Oh and he also used a Marshall DSL401 combo on Miami and on the 2016 sessions with 'Walkin'. He mentioned this in interviews and I've also recognized the sound on a 2016 recording clip, cause I've bought one myself after finding out he/Rick also used them on the Miami album haha. Rick's also using that one (or sharing the same one?). And surprise surprise.. he's also using a Zemaitis for the first time ever on recordings af far as I know! Never seen it before, he's using this one, the AC-24: https://zemaitisguitarcompany.com/collections/metal-front/products/zemaitis-mfg-ac-24-natural and in case you wonder how I know it's Izzy using these and not Rick, well cause there's a big triangle white plectrum that Izzy likes to put between the strings at the first fret. I've seen it before on pics from recording, with 2012 recordings and 2015 with Duff (Taz made some pics back  then) Izzy likes to put his plectrums between the strings when the guitar is in the standard. Anways, pretty cool that he's using them. Ronnie Wood's also a big fan of Zemaitis and perhaps that's where he got his inspiration from. Also fun fact, Gilby Clarke also has a custom made Zemaitais and it's his favorite guitar.
- Rick: I've seen a picture from his amp, both basic tracks placement and with overdubs placement (on a chair) and he's used a Mesa Boogie Mark Five 35 2-Channel 35-Watt 1x12" Guitar Combo or a Mesa Boogie Mark Five 25 2-Channel 35-Watt 1x12" Guitar Combo. My guess it's the 35W version. It could also be a Mark Four or older but the amp seem to look relatively new, not scratched etc.

But my first thought when I noticed a) the 70's Tele, b) the Zemaitis, c) the Mesa Boogie amp, d) the maracas laying around on the desk in the control room, that it would have a Stonesy sound/vibe they where going for. But then I heard Izzy's guitar sound clip on insta from Criteria Studios and it seems a bit to much aggressive for that.

Anyways, so what they did was the first week everyone was present and they recorded basic tracks (nobody knows how many) and the 2nd week, after the weekend, they flew back to Miami (except Taz) and they recorded overdubs. You can see in the iso booth there's a vocal mic set up and two small guitar amps, including the Mesa Boogie on a chair, so they recorded guitar solos, vocals and perhaps other stuff... I also saw a Grand Piano mic'ed up in the live room, on a pic that was taken in the control room, but don't know if they also used it or was set up for another client.

WOW! so much gear info! crazy stuff Dutch!

Soulmonster wrote:I actually thought he had given up on his solo career.

I never did. The question is: does he himself even view it as a "career"?
It seems to me he has no "pressure" from record companies or anyone, thus he just does what he likes. And when he feels like recording & releasing something, he does so. If not, he does not.