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May 23, 2006 I have moved my news section over to my Blog on myspace... you can check out the latest goings-on in my world here.
May 14, 2006 Three months? What? How did that go by so fast? Why are we almost halfway through 2006? The rocking has been keeping me busy, to say the least. Where to begin? The Manila Reign record finished up great, was polished up by the ever-astounding Adam Ayan. Adam Ayan also won a Grammy this year. I was hanging out with him at his studio earlier this week finishing up the new Headstart record (more on that later), and i see a post-it note on his console. My post-its are usually stuff like, "get food for the dog" or "call Kevin..." Adam's said "Bring home Grammy." That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you know you're in the presence of greatness. Adam (whose blog is this, anyway?) also mastered the new Kingpin Wrecking Crew record, which we picked up from duplication this week. It is gorgeous artwork. I think they put it out at the end of this month. The eagerly anticipated As Fast As debut on Octone also drops this month (yes, Adam mastered that too...). I'm very excited for this. I have a very special celebratory beer sitting in my fridge, a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, that I've been saving for the release date. I'm told its 20% ABV, so don't call me on the 23rd... I won't make any sense. I have tracked the new record for New Hampshire bongo-rockers The Whatnot, and start mixing this week. We've had a balst doing it, and its a more more convoluted album than the debut. We've spent a bit of time scratching our heads, wondering how we did the first album in 4 days. The world may never know. The brilliant Mike Beck came up and tracked six new songs with his instrumental powerhouses, Danny Crean and Rob Richie. I am taking a break form mixing these tracks as i write this. I did some more work with Lost on Liftoff, some of their strongest stuff yet. The debut EP is still selling strong, so I'm not sure when these tracks will see the light of day. iCal erased most of my entries in March (still not sure what happened there, a cell phone synchronization gone awry...), so details are sketchy... i did start a new project with The Baltic Sea. Boy, am I excited for this. I got a chance to see the band when it was called Vespertine, probably in 2002, and it was spectacular. the songs stuck with me for four years, and its great to hear some of them again. Speaking of Todd Hutchisen, I saw the artwork for the vinyl release of Seekonk's Pinkwood. Now, I'm incredibly proud of this record, its one of the most beautiful things I've ever been a part of. The vinyl artwork is too much for words. It looks so good, i have a hard time beliveing I had a hand in it; it looks like something out of an old movie. We did a new Headstart record, and for the first time in the history of the band, we did the album, start to finish, without interruption. Previous efforts were spanned over time, which is cool, and helpful for some reason, but there's something so rewarding and so cohesive about strating a record and two weeks later having it done. It's a great record, we dig in deep, and i think it shows. I mixed a new album from Hour Past, which was a blast. The Portland Phoenix Best Music Poll awards were this week, and I got to be a presenter... they assigned me to present the big award, best act... with one exception, the nominees were all bands that i had done records with, and i was overjoyed to find out that Pete Kilpatrick won. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, and i hope you weren't nearly as hung over as i was the next day. February 7, 2006 The new year is off to a blazing start with no end in sight. Today is my first real day off since the holidays, and i'm still gonna go into the shop to tie up some loose ends. Some big news, off the bat... Phantom Buffalo's "Shi Shi Mu Mu" was named one of the top 50 records of 2005 by Mojo Magazine. this is kind of a big deal. I'm extremely proud of those guys, and how far the little record we made in 2002 has come. And isn't it always the most unassuming things that end up really performing the best? For example, in September, when i opened up my new shop, I brought As Fast As in to work out a few bugs and break in the new room. The song we tracked, literally, before i had even finished fully wiring things up, is now a contender as a single on their Octone debut. Had a crazy technology moment related to As Fast As.... turns out, a few last minute overdubs needed to be done. After a few conferenece calls to strategize, i received a protools file via fedex. The next morning, before my 10 am session, i strapped on a guitar, played the overdubs, and uploaded the file to my web server, where the mixer picked it up, and cut it into the mix. lieteraly, less than 24 hours, across the country twice, and a finished mix at the end of the day. how 'bout it, science? So, i'm pretty excited about this record. I've got two or three productions on it, four mixes, i play on two tracks, and i co-wrote one of them. Its pretty cool i was able to go along for the ride with those guys, and that my work gets to hang out next to the work of some of my heroes and mentors: Brian Malouf, Matt Wallace, Howard Benson and Randy Staub. December saw the last bit of tracking for the Kingpin Wrecking Crew album. I've got a few mixes and revisions to tie up, then its off to Adam Ayan at Gateway. I tracked a cover of "You Oughta Know" with The Killing Moon for a Fearless Records compilation that should be out soon. Its for a 90's cover compilation. I feel old. Regardless, it slams. I can't wait to hear what these guys come up with for a full length. Now Transmission came in and tracked a 5 song EP. We had one of those graet moments the first day of tracking, toward the end of the night, and one song was kind of a thorn in our side, just wouldn't come together. All of a sudden, in the middle of a take, we all kinda looked around, almost simultaneously realizing that we had caught the wave, and this was gonna be the one. And just like that, Andy crashed through the rest of the song like gangbusters. We almost didn't have to listen back. Hi Fivin White Guys tracked some vocals and horns for their upcoming release. Started the new Manila Reign full-length... kind of doing it in fits and starts, a few days at a time, but its coming out great... slammin' rhythm tracks so far. Also did a new EP with Boston's Lansdowne. We tracked drums at Wellspring in Acton, Massacusetts, then brought the record back north to finish up at my place. It was a blast. Jon Ricci gave me just abou the biggest compliment a mixer can get when he said "Every time i hear something i want to do, you do it without me having to ask." Well said.
On deck: The Whatnot (super excited about this... we've given ourselves lots of time, and i think these guys are gonna make a really great record), The Baltic Sea, Lost on Liftoff, and my old pal Mikey Beck and his band of merry men. Oooh, and the new Headstart full length... did i say that out loud?
December 2, 2005
"Just like forever, and ever is wide" Chris Whitley 1960 - 2005 If you don't know Chris Whitley's music, you ought to. http://www.chriswhitley.com On a happier note, the cover of Macca's "Wonderful Christmas Time" I did with As Fast As last year is on the itunes music store. In the middle of the new EP from Stealing Skylite! Going great.
November 15, 2005 Will ya look at that...the kid updates within a month. Must be the multivitamins. And the rock. Finished up last night with Sparks The Rescue. What a blast. We were prepared, we were enthused, everybody stayed really positive and worked really hard... we budgeted enough time, and used every second of it (and then some). And it sounds great. Couldn't have gone better. The band put up some photos from the session here. Nothing like hanging out with a bunch of skinny 19-year-olds to make me look like the fat old guy. I especiallly like the shot of my desk... SSL Compressor? Check. Nalgene? Check. 16 ounce Coffee? Check. Chap Stick? Check. Let's make a record. Also finished up the six song EP for gocasual (note the proper spelling there, misterlarabee). Mastered by Adam Ayan. The band already has som clips up on their myspace page. Speaking of myspace, I'm trying something new out with my myspace page. I'm using the top 8 to show off some of the bands I've been working with lately. I'll probably update it as much as i update this page, meaning close to never. Ryan McCalmon mixed his 8 song record with me. It was a pleasure to do. One of the more interesting / scary-in-a-technological-way things to happen to me recently occuring while mixing this record. See, Ryan, lives in Boston, and my mix room is in Maine. So, I'd post mixes to my web server, Ryan would check them out, make suggestions, and we'd go back and forth a little. Nothing new. However, I was surprised when I heard one of Ryan's songs on someone else's myspace page, within an hour of completing the mix. That, my friends, is fast. I think its amazing that music can get to people, anywhere, so quickly. Got a chance to meet Nigel Hall while mixing Ryan's stuff, which was great, seeing as how we have so many friends in common. I had to be the one to tell Nigel that Todd Rundgren actually wrote "Hello, It's Me," to which he replied, without hesitation, nay, even before i finshed my sentence, "But the Isely Brothers made it GOOD." Lost on Liftoff EP is done, hopefully we'll be doing some more soon! Wrapped up a couple more tracks with Heastart!, and we're making some noise about starting a new record in January. I got a chance to meet one of my favorite songwriters a week ago. His name is David Mead, and i was introduced to his music through Brian Malouf (a bad-ass mixer / producer / all around great guy, but that's a story for another time), who was his A & R at RCA records at the time. I was working on a big pop record, and it was pretty meticulous, intense stuff. When Ineeded a break, Iput on the first David Mead record, and it was like a warm bath. I've been a fan ever since, and I flipped when D-Lo told me that he would be coming to Portland. I brought Jess and my sister down to the Big Easy, paid the four bucks for each of us, got a beer and sat down. As it turns out, David pretty much played for us and the opening band. Nobody came out, which is sad. I don't know where the probem lies. I mean, it was a Monday night, after all, and the Patriots were playing, but come on! I mean, I have to belive that more than ten people in theis town would get out to see a show. And here's the kicker: if we don't go out to see these shows when they come through, and they don't get enough response, they're not going to come back. I always hear people bitching about how we don't get as many shows as some other cities... if we don't go see the shows that DO come around, there are going to be even fewer. So take a chance, spend four bucks. It may not be great, it may change your life. That's the beauty of it. October 19, 2005 Well, the big news is, I'm working out of a new shop, an as-of-yet unnamed private studio. I abolutely love it. It's cozy and comfortable, the gear is fantastic, and there's a great sandwich shop across the street (wha have been very good about brewing fresh coffee for me, even an hour before they close). I've only been there for as little over a month, and it already feels like home. One of the first projects at the new shop was the new album from Kingpin Wrecking Crew, for their Chosen Records debut. It's been a blast doing this record, really throwing convention to the wind and approaching each song individually... different instrumentations, different rooms, heck, even different vocalists... I mixed some new tracks for Lost on Liftoff, in anticipation of an upcoming EP release. Headstart came in and tracked some new songs, which i believee may be released in conjuction with a new music video they just wrapped. I haven't seen the video yet, but if its anything like what Kev tells me, its gonna be sick. I tracked some guit-fiddles with the High Fivin White Guys for their album, and there's rumors fo more tracky-tracks in store. Scott Link continues to do great work on his solo record. Tracking acoustic guitars. Speaking of acoustic guitars, I'm now the proud owner of a Scott Conley guitar. Apparently, my wife had been squirreling away nickles and dimes and sprung it on me on my thirtieth birthday. It's so good, I can hardly stand it: Honduran walnut back and sides, sitka top... Scott put a special contour on the lower bout to accomodate my right arm after the bone tumor surgeries. Its great. Now if i only had time to play it. The new Phantom Buffalo record is in the can. I absolutely love it. Definitely a departure from the debut album, but sooooo good. I also started a project with Go Casual, which looks to be a potential EP soon. I think I'm just about done with the Nokia Unwired stuff for MTV. That was a lot of fun, and some really cool bands. Bummer is, I never even got to see a single show, between my lack of cable and my work schedule. I envision it like the episode of the Simpsons, where Bart's a production assistant on the Krusty the Klown show, and his name rolls by in the credits in the blink of an eye. On Deck: More Lost on Liftoff, Headstart, Stealing Skylight, Tony McNaboe, and mixing Ryan McCalmon's new record. Rumors of a new full length from Pete Kilpatrick as well. August 13, 2005 Finished the new Dead Season album, and it was, perhaps, the smoothest session I have ever done. Those guys were prepared, rehearsed, and psyched to work. The fruits of their labor, called "The Fight"will be released later this month. Lost on Liftoff came in and did some more tracking for what promises to be an upcoming full-length, hopefully completed by summer's end. Ryan McCalmon tracked drums for his upcoming release with Averi drummer Matt Lydon. Matt and I also went to high school together. Ryan's new project promised to be fantastic, hard to categorize, so just check it out. Averi's new album, "Drawn To Revolving Doors," is fantastic as well. On The Outside came in to do a take-no-prisoners hardcore album in no-time flat, slated for release on Thorp Records. We had a ballst, and I think I may have laughed harder than I ever have during a record when Chris (audibly) farted into the pickups of his Les Paul before a take. I've been working on a TV series called Nokia Unwired at Hard Rock Live for MTV. I've been doing surround mixes of a live concert series for broadcast. I've been working on Trillville, Ying Yang Twins, TI, My Chemical Romance, Fallout Boy, Akon, and Hot Hot Heat. The show airs on MTV, but I don't have cable! Adam Flaherty came in and mastered the new record from his Adam Flaherty Noise Machine. The tracks we did together way back (a year and a half ago) will be on the record. Started the new album with Phantom Buffalo, and its incredible. No word on a release date, but I've heard there will be both vinyl and CD releases. Did some new tracks with The Kingpin Wrecking Crew, who will have a new record out this fall. The band just signed a deal with Chosen Records. In other news, I moved, again, and just about at the worst time possible, recovering from surgery. Like knights in shining armor, members of As Fast As, The Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup, Diesel Doug & The Long Haul Truckers, Headstart, Vague Valentine, Kingpin Wrecking Crew, and The Frous Caper swooped in to help me in my hour of need. My new neigbors were probably taken aback when a dozen rockers descended upon their otherwise quiet street. There will be pictures soon. June 14, 2005 PHANTOM BUFFALO ALERT! Wow! I went over to see Jonny, Tim, and Sean the other night, and they showed me the April issue of Mojo Magazine, where Phantom Buffalo's (nee The Pony's) debut album, ShiShiMuMu received a glowing 4 star review, hanging alongside the new releases from The Mars Volta and Brendan Benson. The Buffalo's also got a mention in a "Top Ten" sidebar in the magazine. Way to go, boys. We're gonna be hunkering down in July to work on a new full length. In the midst of the new Dead Season album as I write this. Heavy, heavy stuff... it's coming out great. June 3, 2005 It should be noted that the guys from Animal Suit Driveby have been absolutely on fire lately. They were the #1 most played son on Pure Volume this weekend, they've been packing them in at shows, at word is they just got a slot on the Ernie Ball Stage at Warped Tour this summer, so hats off to you, guys, for some badass hard work. May 18, 2005 The Mike Beck record is complete, finished off by yet another superlative mastering job by Adam Ayan at Gateway. Look for it in stores this summer, or online at www.beckmusic.com. Headstart! album is also done, and in stores now. Did a breakneck, 5 song demo for Our Last Stand, a hardcore band which includes my old friend Jay from Lowlife, who I worked with in the infancy of my career. Another fast, hard and succinct project was Blue Collar Product, a hardcore band from here in Maine, via Naples, Florida. I belive this will be another early summer release. Working hard on a new project called Lost On Liftoff, featruring a bunch of old friends, Nick Lambert (Chaos Twin, Allison Engine), Shane Kinney (Broken Clown, and resident drum guru), Walter Craven (6gig, Goud's Thumb), and Shifty, also of Chaos Twin fame. I am so excited about this project. Slamming, heavy stuff, but so melodic and hooky... appeals to all the different sides of my id. By the way, congrats go out to Nick and Paula, who got married recently! Have been doing a bunch of tracking recently with Pushing Zero. Scott Link started work on his new solo album, with drum tracks laid down by the incomprable Ginger Cote. Third Floor View recently completed their new EP, slated for release soon. As Fast As swooped in between their US tour with The Wonderstuff and their next jaunt out to LA to woodshed a couple of new songs with me... who knows, maybe we'll see them on the album. As Fast As was also featured on Nickelodeon recently. The Hi Fivin' White Guys tracked basics for a handful of songs recently, which I think Josh is going to overdub on himself, and then hand back to me to mix. Loki came by to track three new songs. I also have to note how much I love the new Foo Fighters single. I'm such a sucker for a track where the vocal starts before even the guitars come in, and its such an incredible vocal performance as well. Definitely in heavy rotation on my ipod. April 6, 2005 Live action Transformers movie, November 17, 2006. I will be first in line. January 23, 2005 A blizzard has blanketed Portland... rather than face the world, i thought I'd update my website. Its been a while, after all.I spent the better part of October holed up in a barn with As Fast As, working on songs for their upcoming Octone Records release. the boys are out in LA, with producer Matt Wallace, working on their new album. They missed this lovely blizzard. I am going to fedex them a snowball. On an off day from the AFA woodshedding, The Hi Fivin' White Guys came in and tracked a couplea songs with me. In early November, i went back to New York City for the first time in two or three years. My friend Claudius Mittendorfer showed me around The Hit Factory and Avatar, where Isaw Rich Costey, but didn't get to meet him, even though we were dressed alike. Got to catch up with producer Warren Bruleigh as well, who's working on new stuff with Gordon Gano among other things. Also paid a visit to ever-trendy Williamsburg and my old friend Mike Beck but we'll get into that later... I returned to Big Sound to do some work in December, starting with some new Headstart! mixes, which planted the seed for a new album that I'm currently tracking. It's their best stuff yet, and I think they have one of the new tracks available online. Seekonk recorded their new album with me in December, again to the big 2 inch tape. No word on a release yet, but its gonna be fantastic. I trevelled to Martha's Vineyard for a week between Christmas and New Year's with The Kingpin Wrecking Crew to produce some tracks for their new album. Darren, I'm still recovering form all that coffee... 2005 started off with a bang, and really hasn't stopped. I did three new tracks for Animal Suit Driveby that were combined with the two tracks I did with them a few months ago for a five-song EP, to be released in February. Brooklyn-based songwriter Mike Beck came in with a top-notch band to record six tracks, and we're scheduled to do six more later this month... mike is one of my oldest friends. He played drums in my band when he was 14 and i was 17... the boy is good at everything. Cosades tracked their new album, 10 songs of adventurous pop-rock. We start mixing this week. Their completely unpromoted EP, Something Rhymes With Orange, has been selling very well locally. Coming up: new Heastart! album, mixing the new Pete Kilpatrick album, produced by Spenecer Albee of As Fast As (i think a few of my productions will be on it as well), new Ransom, new Dead Season, and a solo album from Scott Link, of Diesel Doug and the Long-Haul Truckers. I'll sleep when I'm dead... until next time... September 16, 2004 As Fast As recently inked a deal with Octone Records, the label that broke Maroon 5. No word on a release date yet. My wife, Jessica Anthony, is featured in the most recent issue of McSweeney's. She's also featured in their most recent publication, The Future Dictionary of America. Oh, I finally put a links page up (after two years). Let me know if I've forgotten anyone. July 22, 2004 I just started the new album from Stars Look Down, a band comprised of former members of Trailor. We've got 11 songs set for the album; just recorede nine brand new rhythm tracks over the last three days. Adam Ayan is scheduled to master. I'm really excited to hear how this is going to come out. Did a demo with Strange Daze in early July, as well as two new songs with Even All Out. Had a great day with Alex Steed of Angioplasty Media. Alex put together a compilation of local music, and organized it for four sides of vinyl. Yup, you wanna hear this masterpiece, you gotta get yourself a turntable. It's a really interesting cross-section of music from Portland, and a lot of it is some cool guerilla home-recording. June 10, 2004 Once again, my news page has fallen shamefully behind, due only to an enormous amount of rocking. Let's recap: I mixed the new Now Is Now record, titled "Days of Summer." Mitch Alden was super to work with, and the album was mastered by Brad Blackwood at Euphonic Masters in Memphis. The album release party is June 25 at Ri Ra on Commercial Street in Portland Three more days with Ransom brought about three of their strongest songs yet. We even got to track drums and bass to a few more songs that we didn't get around to finishing, hopefully to be included on their next release. I tracked and mixed a new 5 song EP from Dead Season, which was mastered by the inimitable Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering. The new Paranoid Social Club double album (!) was completed. The album is an amalgam of different productions (once again seamlessly melded into a cohesive whole by Mr. Ayan), split into two separate themes, each occupying its own disc. I got to track and mix a bunch of the rock disc. Another big release set for this summer is the new effoort from As Fast As. Again, a combination of different tracking spaces and techniques made for a cool creative texture. Spencer Albee did a bunch of tracking at home on his vintage Tascam 388, and brought it to me. Some of it we augmented with a few overdubs, some of it we used as a blueprint and tracked new stuff entirely, but the most interesting for me was the cut "Gretchen, My Captian," where the verses were tracked by Spence at home, and the band tracked the choruses lin the studio. Makes for some cool, abrupt changes of scenery. Anyway, Adam Ayan mastered this one as well (been keeping the boy busy these days). I mixed an album for a New Hampshire based band called Tractor Trailer. I actually tracked the drums for this record in November, and they took it to a friends home studio for the overdubs, and then brought it back to me for mixing. These guys write great songs, tinted with early Elvis Costello, which gets big points in my book. They also have exceptionally diverse and comprehensive tastes in music... John mentioned so many records I should listen to... i should e-mail him and get a list. I bid a fond farewell and a hearty good luck to the seniors in the two a capella groups I have been working with, the Colby College Megalomaniacs and the Bates College Manic Optimists. A whirlwind two-song demo day for Headstart! These guys have some serious songs brewing for the next album, some of which may be comprised of these demos we've been doing. It should also be noted that Kevin Kennie, singer of Headstart!,and Allison Roods were wed on June 5. Congratulations. Did a new 4 song EP for The Ben Burgess Band, though I'm told a name change is imminent. Keep an eye on these guys. No, it wasn't an optical illusion at the Big Easy on Sunday, June 6. I was indeed sitting in with the Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup on guitar. It was actually my first time playing a club show in about seven years, and I was as nervous as I have ever been. But it was a blast. I'm also slated to start some new demos with the boys tomorrow, as well as a string of live gigs in June. Wish me luck. I'm going to be updated my discography and sound clips soon, I promise. March 31, 2004 Oh my word, where has the time gone. Bunch of stuff has been going on, where to start... Finally got together with 4-Fold, after our last session was cancelled because of an emergency appendectomy (no kidding!). Pushing Zero, a relatively new band from just north of here, had me mix some tracks for theem. They just launched their website at http://www.pushingzero.com Singer-songwriter Aron Werman came in to track five of his acoustic based songs with his band. Did a demo for Haven't Talked Since, a power-pop-punk band comprised of some of the founding members of the now-defunct ska group That's What She Said. Adam Ayan at Gateway mastered it, fantastically, as usual. The band also used my chicken scratch handwriting on their CD art, which Ibelive is a first for me. I've been mixing more tracks for the upcoming Paranoid Social Club double album. Adam Flaherty came in and did two songs with me. It was a total blast. Spence from As Fast As came by to lay down some tracks, as did Hutch from PKSG. Kaiulani Kimbrell, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from los Angeles, came in and tracked vocals for her new three song demo with me. I mixed the project as well. Portland rock band Loki came by to record and mix theeir new three song demo. Matraya burst on to the scene earlier this month, and came in to do a three song demo that smokes. Definitely check them out if you get a chance. Speaking of bursting out onto the scene, Trailor opened for Headstart recently. It was the first time in nine moths that the band had played in Portland, and their first time ever playing out with new drummer Brian Nickerson. It was simply amazing. Pat from As Fast As leaned over to me during their set and said, stoically, "Trailor is back with a vengeance." Well said. Had a beer last night with Mitch Alden from Now is Now, in preparations for mixing their new album. January 22, 2004 Great review of the Headstart album in the new Portland Phoenix. Check out the CD release shows January 22 (21+) and January 25 (All Ages) at the Big Easy in Portland. January 21, 2004 Happy new year, one and all... definitely an eventful end of the year. The boys from Even All Out topped the local record sales charts for the year 2003, and scored the #2 most requested song ("Written It Off") on WCYY, and was named one of the top 20 unsigned bands in the country for 2003 by Alternative Addiction. Jeremiah Freed, Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup, and Tony McNaboe also made the Bull Moose top local sales. The debut album from Headstart is finally being released! January 20th... they have a bunch of cool promotions going on with MaineToday.com Seekonk's debut album, "For Barbara Lee," has been getting some great press lately, which you can check out on their website. The album was picked up by Kimchee Records in Boston. Speaking of Seekonk, Northeast Performer ran an issue in December (I know, I'm a little behind) about Maine bands, including Seekonk and The Ponys. I did four more days with Boston-based Deadfriend. We worked on their best material yet, which I think they're going to release very soon. Had some fun times doing some breakneck demos with The Leftovers and Short of April as well. Looks like I might be heading in to do some tracking with singer-sonwriter Adam Flaherty. We've been threatening to do this for a while, so I'm pretty excted. October 15, 2003 Selina Ricks at the Portland Press Herald wrote an article about protecting your hearing, and I was able to lend a hand. The new releases from Vacationland and the Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup are in stores now, and doing really well, from what I hear. Also on the way is the debut relaesa from portsmouth, NH's The Whatnot. There's a really cool studio journal on their website that percussionist Chris Matthews kept on his laptop during the making of the album. And though I haven't heard anything yet, I'm really excited to hear David leonard's spin on the mixes, which were done at Skyline in Boston. Trailor came in for fast demos of two of their strongest songs yet. Drummer Brian Nickerson really adds a new, aggressive dimension to the band. Can't wait to do a full-length. While Iwas down at a Trailor rehearsal, I overheard the new incarnation of Every Forty Seconds. Wow. They keep getting better. September 10, 2003 That was, by far, the fastest summer on record. where does the time go? New records are on the way from Vacationland and The Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup. I've also been doing breakneck-speed demos of new material for Even All Out and Headstart. The Whatnot came up from New Hampshire over two weekends to track their new album (YIPES! That was fast!). It's ten songs of acoustic rock (guitar, bass, hand drums). These guys can really sing. David Leonard is slated to mix. Did some more tracking with a band from Boston called The Great Northern. July 5, 2003 The fireworks were cancelled in Portland last night, due to a huge amount of fog. Some unhappy fried dough vendors indeed. I've begun work on the new Vacationland full-length album, with producer Warren Bruleigh. So far, the album is very raw, uncluttered rock. I'm enoying it immensely. We should have it wrapped up by mid-month, maybe on the shelves by the end off summer??? The boys from The Drive sent me some pictures from their recent session. June 22, 2003 The new Jeremiah Freed is indeed finished, and off to the presses. It was mastered last week by the always-fantastic Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering. Though we've been working together on projects for over a year, this was the first time I've been able to sit in and actually observe the process. It was, simply, amazing. I was sitting in the back of the room, quietly poring over a magazine, while Adam put up a song and made tiny, almost imperceptible adjustments. And then, all of a sudden, it kind of snuck up on me; the song had become worlds clearer and more robust than when I brought it in. And it wasn't like there was a concrete moment where it turned the corner, or Adam threw a magic lever and the song opened up. It was all incredibly subtle and unobtrusive. Very cool. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of Adam, both as a human being and as an engineer. I strongly recommend anyone considering putting out a record give him a ring. June 14, 2003 Been a while since I've been able to update this. I moved to a new apartment, and have been busy with sessions on top of that. The Even All Out record has been doing great, remaining the number one selling local record at Bull Moose, as well as the most requested song on WCYY. I had a great session with The Drive, a young band from just south of Boston, with a pop-punk vibe not unlike Finch, The Ataris, and Brand New (I heart Brand New). Though we had never met until we got into the studio, we really hit it off and had a blast. I really look forward to working with these guys again. My friends in Cherry S/T came up for another round of demos. Nothings confirmed yet, but it looks like we're just about finished with the new Jeremiah Freed record. it was produced by the band, Claudius Mittendorfer (an awesome producer / engineer, who recently relocated to LA from NYC) and myself. Its a distinctly more rock and roll record than their debut. May 9, 2003 The debut album from Even All Out will be released May 13. I really love this record. Also, the new E.P. from Trailor that I produced was just released. go out and get it now. Everyone should come down to geno's for an old school rock thowdown for their CD release party on May 16. Headstart is opening. The Ponys' album is out as well... I saw the vinyl down at Casco Bay Books the other night... four sides of vinyl, and some absolutely gorgeous artwork by members of the band. I really have to suck it up and buy a real turntable now. April 17, 2003 Charlie Gaylord interviewed me on his "Greetings from Area Code 207" radio show. The show will be aired on WCLZ 98.9 on Wednesday, April 23rd at 6:00 PM, and again on Sunday April 27th at 11 (I believe). CLZ also streams their broadcast online on their website. I got to play some tunes from Even All Out and Seekonk. Coincidentally, on the 23rd, the new album from Headstart will be masterd by Adam Ayan at Gateway. no concrete release date yet, but check back for details. April 8, 2003 Visiting Aadam at Gateway Mastering the other day, Bob Ludwig introduced me to Mick Guzauski. He,Bob, and Mick's assistant, Dennis, played me some of the new 5.1 B.B. King album they're working on, which sounded amazing. Mick is an absurdly talented person and a really nice guy. Bob took this picture. March 27, 2003 Sam Pfeifle of the Portland Phoenix came and sat in on one of the Seekonk sessions. He worote a great story about it in this week's Portland Phoenix. The Rocktopus CD release party is shaping up to be an amazing show... including the guests of honor, Even All Out, Tony McNaboe, and The Ponys... I've even heard some unconfirmed rumors of the Pete Kilpatrick band. April 12th at the State Theater. The new Rocktopus album is fantastic, by the way. It comes out April 1. March 15, 2003 So, I'm just now getting around to beginning this news and press section... lots of good things going on... Tony McNaboe just released his debut solo album. It's available at Bull Moose in Maine (not sure just yet where to get it in the rest of the world. The Portland Phoenix just published a great article about it. On St. Patrick's Day, I'll start mixing the new album from Seekonk. It was an absolute joy to track, and I think a lot of folks are really going to like the record. they're hard to describe, and there's no website or anything yet, but I got to check out their recent show at Space on Congress Street, and it was wonderful. The debut album from Even All Out is set for release on April 29. Keep your eyes peeled. I'm also currently producing a full length for a band called Headstart, comprised of Kevin Kennie (formerly of Shufflin' Tremble) and the members of a now defunct band called Warmfront. We're having a blast, and they're planning on releasing something in early May. A while ago, I was featured on the Digidesign website with some ProTools techniques and some stuff about the record I mixed for Speech. Check it out here. Speech also just released another new record available on his website. That's all for now... back to work... jw |
