oriented. With the two both unable to agree on how to proceed, constant arguing and power struggles ensued. Patrick's collaboration with The Crystal Method had also opened his mind to collaborating with different musicians, leading him to start attempting to push Liesegang out of the band. The resulting tensions and fighting led Lenardo, Cavanaugh, and Walker all to leave first. Relations between Patrick and Liesegang continued to deteriorate, and by mid-1997, due to Patrick's "creative dominance", Liesegang quit the band as well, leaving Patrick as the sole member. Patrick, now on his own, attempted to restart the sessions for the album, but experienced further roadblocks: "I kind of had to hit rock bottom. I didn't have a band. I didn't have a studio. I had this platinum record that showed up in the mail, and I had nothing except for my own talents. So at some point, I forced myself to play the guitar. I would force myself to write lyrics. I was playing people's demos. I was still into the band. It's just that I didn't have anything. Patrick opted to start over by building his own studio, called "Abyssinian Son"; however, this ended up being far more complicated and time-consuming than he expected, with over two years going into dealing with realtors, property leases, and contractors to get the studio in functioning shape. Once preparations were complete, Patrick met up with, and started early sessions with music producer and sound engineer Rae DiLeo. However, after a month of sessions with just himself and DiLeo's guidance, Patrick decided not to do the entire album himself, and decided to seek out musicians, specifically, the Short Bus touring band. As several years had passed since members had left, this led to difficulties as well. Walker was unable to return, as he had become the replacement touring drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins to replace drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Lenardo initially was unable to return, as he had gotten married and had children and was living a life that was contrary to Patrick's requirements for him in the studio. However, after working through it, Patrick became more accommodating to his lifestyle, and Lenardo returned in a desire to provide for his family. Cavanaugh had been touring with Prong, but was able to return, and the band recruited new drummer Steven Gillis to replace Walker. Writing and recording With a working band back together, the