The Well is Dry

SYNC LICENSING & RIGHTS

Sync context and uses:

“The Well is Dry" is a dark, cinematic blues-rock track with a heavy, hypnotic groove and an unmistakably ominous atmosphere. “The Well Is Dry” combines muscular electric guitars, deep bass, programmed drums and haunting fuzz-driven lap-steel guitar from Los Angeles slide specialist Matt Bradford. Atmospheric synth textures add further depth, while the layered backing vocals take on an unusual Georgian/church-choir character.

Lyrically, the song deals with mortality, loss and the fear of death, inspired by the ancient figure Cronos, the harvest god associated with cutting down those who have grown. The haunting chorus — “Oh black death, don’t take away my friend” — gives the track an especially Gothic, ritualistic quality, making it well suited to scenes involving grief, mortality, impending danger, supernatural themes, dark Americana or a character confronting loss.

The track can work particularly well for crime drama, thriller, horror, Southern Gothic, Western/Americana, road drama and emotionally intense character scenes, as well as opening/closing credits where a dark, memorable blues-rock statement is required.

Master Rights Owner:

Helge Rognstad

Publishing Rights Owner / Label:

Helge Rognstad

One-Stop master clearance /licensing possible?

Yes, Helge Rognstad owns both songwriting and publishing for this song.

Licensing Contact:

Helge Rognstad (The Fluffy Jackets) – contact link

Genre:

Blues Rock

Subgenre:

Dark Blues Rock / Southern Gothic / Gothic Blues

Moods:

Dark, ominous, haunting, mournful, powerful, brooding, dramatic, intense, atmospheric, melancholic, defiant

Themes:

Death, mortality, grief, loss, friendship, remembrance, fear, fate, darkness, impending danger, the supernatural

Similar Artists:

The Black Keys, Rival Sons, The White Stripes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Gary Clark Jr., Clutch, The Doors, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, The Rolling Stones

Keywords:

blues rock, dark blues, gothic blues, Southern Gothic, cinematic blues, slide guitar, fuzz guitar, haunting vocals, church choir, death, mortality, grief, loss, supernatural, thriller, crime drama, horror, Western, Americana, road movie, soundtrack, sync licensing

PERSONNEL & PRODUCTION

Personnel

Helge Rognstad – vocals, guitar, keyboard, drum programming

Neil Murray – bass

Matt Bradford – lap slide guitar

Recorded at:

The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio, Bergen (Norway) except lead vocals recorded at Westpoint Studios, Acton, UK engineered by Shane Shanahan. The Lap Slide guitar solo was recorded in Los Angeles, USA, and the bass guitar was recorded in Selkirk, Scotland.

Instrumentation and recording equipment used:

Male lead vocals, electric guitar, slide guitar, dobro, electric bass, piano and drum kit.

The lead and backing vocals were performed by Helge Rognstad and recorded at Westpoint Studios in Acton, UK, with studio owner Shane Shanahan engineering the session.

The vocal recording chain consisted of a Sony C800 microphone running through a Neve 1081 microphone preamp, followed by an Un-Fairchild compressor, a Michelangelo EQ by Hendy Amps, and a MAAG EQ 500 Series, before being recorded into the SSL G-Series mixing console. The recorded vocals were subsequently comped before the digital effects were added.

The vocal effects were created using several software plugins, including multiple instances of Soundtoys EchoBoy for delay, along with ValhallaVintageVerb and Altiverb for reverb and ambience.

Harmony Vocals

The harmony arrangement for the song was designed by Shane Shanahan. He worked out suitable harmonies at the piano for the verses, which Helge then used to create a vocal demo. The harmony parts were further developed in Melodyne, with each individual line played repeatedly so that Helge could learn and reproduce every melody and interval accurately from scratch.

Importantly, the final harmony vocals themselves were not processed with Melodyne or otherwise pitch-corrected. Instead, Helge sang the final performances while listening to the perfectly pitched demo track, allowing him to reproduce the harmonies accurately while retaining the natural character of his voice.

Helge recorded each harmony part approximately six to eight times. Shane then comped the performances, selecting the strongest three or four takes to build the final harmony arrangement. Layering these carefully selected performances created a much larger and more powerful vocal sound.

The harmony was then further enhanced with a chorus/choir effect applied to the digital Melodyne version of the arrangement. The combination of the layered natural performances and the processed harmony created a sound reminiscent of a Georgian church choir, which fits the character of the song particularly well.

This effect is especially striking on the lyric line “Oh Black Death, don't take my friend,” where the dark, gothic quality of the layered choir creates an atmosphere that strongly complements the song.

Slide guitar recorded in Los Angeles

Matt Bradford plays the Lap Slide guitar solo on this track, recorded in his home-studio in Los Angeles California using his own custom-built Lap Steel guitar through a "DCC" handwired amplifier (Marshall clone) via a Fuzz Factory pedal.

Rhythm Guitars, Keyboards & Drums Recorded in Norway

Helge Rognstad recorded the remaining guitars on this track, including the rhythm guitars using a Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop through a handwired Marshall 18w combo amp and a Fulltone PlimSoul distortion pedal.

The "dive bomb guitar" solo during the bridge was recorded using Manny Charlton's self-built guitar, affectionally titled "Manny Blue", played through a Marshall Handwired 18 watt 1958x amplifier. Manny Charlton's Höfner Lap Slide guitar can also be heard among the synths in the verse starting with "He don't care about your people," enhanced by the AKG BX 20 reverb plugin from UAD with the "long and airy" preset.

Helge Rognstad plays keyboards on the track, using the digital "Shape" digital instrument that comes with UAD's LUNA digital audio workstation, also adding additional sound effects via the Brauer Motion FX plugin, creating the dynamic depth and space.

Helge Rognstad programmed the drums using BFD3 plugin (120 BPM, 4/4 time), structured to suit the vocals. Note of interest: several of the instruments used now reside in The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio in Norway, including the Hofner Lap Steel, "Manny Blue" and Neil Murray's Nordstrand Acinomyx bass - where they continue to be used on recordings.

Bass recorded in Scotland by Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore, Peter Green)

Neil Murray recorded bass remotely in Selkirk Scotland, using a Nordstrand Acinomyx bass, which is a modernised version of an  obscure  bass from the ‘60s. He used flatwound strings and just the neck pickup, recorded into Logic Pro (DAW).

MEDIA AND LISTENING

Behind the music:

Making of The Rise and Fall of The Songwriter (website article)

Matt Bradford records Lap Steel Slide Guitar Solo on "Well is Dry" (music video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVwpZ1bY9Mc

Other relevant Features

• Building The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio — Includes including signal flow, microphones, preamps.
• Guitars, Amps & Pedals at The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio — overview of guitars & equipment at the studio.
• Neil Murray’s Nordstrand Acinonyx Bass — the bass acquired from the Whitesnake and Black Sabbath bassist.
• 20 years of Neil Murray (Whitesnake) with the Fluffy Jackets — bass guitars behind the sounds.
• Five guitars previously owned by Manny Charlton — 5 guitars aquired from the Nazareth guitarist and producer.

  Streaming (external link):

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpqF91Gk2Jo

  Available in physical formats:

  CD, Vinyl

  Official Store:

  www.fluffyjackets.co.uk

  ```

DISCLAIMER

The information published on this page is provided in good faith and is intended as a reference for music industry professionals, including music supervisors, licensing agencies, publishers, broadcasters, distributors, journalists, researchers, and other parties seeking information about the recordings featured on The Fluffy Jackets – 20 Greatest (2007–2027).

While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, complete, and up to date at the time of publication, no representation or warranty is made regarding its completeness, accuracy, or suitability for any particular purpose. Metadata, rights information, publishing details, and industry identifiers may change over time or be updated by the relevant rights holders, collecting societies, publishers, or other authorised organisations.

Anyone relying on the information provided on this page should independently verify all rights, ownership, publishing information, identifiers (including ISRC, ISWC and IPI numbers), and licensing details before entering into any commercial agreement, obtaining licences, or making decisions based on the information presented.

The copyright owner, publisher, artist, website owner, and any associated parties accept no liability for any loss, damage, costs, claims, or consequences arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance upon, the information contained on this page, including any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.

If you believe any information is incorrect or requires updating, please contact us so that we can review and, where appropriate, correct the information as quickly as possible.