TH E M US I C I A N’S R ES O U RC E
DEC 2012 FREE
BL AKE MILLS “WHETHER IT’S PRODUCING OR PLAYING GUITAR, IT ALL HELPS FEED MY SONGWRITING”
INTERVIEWS CRUSHED OUT KEPI GHOULIE BEN SOLLEE RULE
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LICENSING YOUR MUSIC WITH INDABA SYNC THE 411 ON THE COPYRIGHT ALERT SYSTEM RECORDING WITH REVERB IN THE STUDIO A MUSICIAN’S GUIDE TO TONEWOODS
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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
VOL.22, ISSUE 12
BLAKE MILLS by Benjamin Ricci
Sideman extraordinaire and allaround amazing guitarist, Blake Mills’ approach to dynamics is nearly unmatched in his field, as are his oneof-a-kind custom instruments.
cover
RULE by Carolyn Vallejo
16
Boston’s metal militia brings back the sounds of ’80s stadium anthems using the right gear and the right attitude.
Ben Sollee by Jason Ashcraft
20
The Kentucky cellist opens up about crowd-funding his new record, a simpler production approach and adding activism to his art.
28
Crushed Out by Alec Wooden
story
24
This super-cool duo chats about analog mixing, learning from fellow musicians on tour, and recording demo ideas on-the-fly.
D E PA R T M E N T S 5 Obituaries
48 Studio Diary: Hey Now, Morris Fader
6 Local News
50 My Favorite Axe: The Plastic Arts
13 Tour Stop: Marin County, CA
51 Recording: Tracking With Reverb pt.1
14 Spotlights: Ballyhoo! & Kepi Ghoulie
52 Gear Guide: Guitar Tonewoods
34 Top Picks: The best in new music
54 Gear Reviews
46 Music Licensing with Indaba Sync
56 Flashback: API 550 EQ
Photo credits, counter-clockwise from top: Oresti Tsonopoulos, Kelly Davidson, Glint Studios, Griffin Davis Cover photo by Oresti Tsonopoulos
47 Legal Pad: Copyright Alert System DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 3
FROM THE TOP Howdy, y’all!
Volume 22, Issue 12
By the time you read this in print, I will most likely be a father. My daughter is due any day now, and I can’t wait to meet her. All I can hope is that she ends up with good taste in music, because I don’t think I can stomach the thought of buying One Direction posters (not that I think they’ll still be around in a few years, mind you). If I can pass on anything to her, it would be my love of truly great music, and this issue is stuffed with fantastic artists I know she’ll love as much as I do. Our cover story focuses on guitarist Blake Mills, who is quickly making a name for himself as one of the most in-demand session and touring musicians in the industry. I often get asked how we choose cover artists, and I typically don’t have a straight answer. The truth is, stories can come from anywhere. Sometimes it’s an amazing CD we get sent that simply demands coverage, because it’s so
unique and mind-blowingly different. In the case of Blake Mills, I happened to see him open for Fiona Apple recently, and was completely blown away by his musicianship. Other times it’s a random video sent our way through various sources, as was the case with our Baby Baby cover. Heck, Crash Kings ended up on the cover in November because my brother-in-law insisted I watch a YouTube clip of them playing a hard rock medley without any guitars. I wish I could give artists a more scientific answer or a step-by-step guide on these sorts of things. Unfortunately, they just don’t happen that way. What I will say, though, is that talent is hard to ignore. So keep on making, building, writing, performing, creating, touring, and just plain doing. We’re listening…
-Benjamin Ricci Editor P.S. – In our October review of the TC Helicon VoiceTone Mic Mechanic, we erroneously stated that the unit did not work with phantom-powered mics, which was complete bullshit. They work just fine. And in the November issue, we mistakenly spelled photographer Brook Pifer’s name incorrectly as part of the Go Radio article. Yikes! So in my best Ike Turner voice, all I can say is, “Baby, it won’t happen again.”
performermag.com
/performermagazine
@performermag
24 Dane St., Suite 3 Somerville, MA 02143 Phone: 617-627-9200 - Fax: 617-627-9930 PUBLISHER
William House - bill@performermag.com EDITOR
Benjamin Ricci - ben@performermag.com DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION
Joe LoVasco - scoutco1@gmail.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Alex Lane editorial@performermag.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Adam Barnosky, Alec Wooden, Alex Lane, Alexandria Sardam, Amanda Macchia, Ari Goldberg, Ben Marazzi, Benjamin Ricci, Brad Hardisty, Brent Godin, Carolyn Vallejo, Chris Devine, Christopher Petro, Dean Keim, Elisabeth Wilson, Eric Wolff, Gail Fountain, Garrett Frierson, Jason Ashcraft, Joshua Bottomley, Julia DeStefano, Lesley Daunt, Lucy Fernandes, Michael St. James, Miikka Skaffari, Shawn M Haney, Tara Lacey, Taylor Haag, Terri Winston, Vanessa Bennett, Zac Cataldo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
ABOUT US
CORRECTIONS
Performer Magazine, a nationally distributed musician’s trade publication, focuses on independent musicians, those unsigned and on small labels, and their success in a DIY environment. We’re dedicated to promoting lesser-known talent and being the first to introduce you to artists you should know about.
Did we make a heinous blunder, factual error or just spell your name wrong? Contact editorial@performermag.com and let us know, cuz we’re big enough to say, “Baby, I was wrong.”
MUSIC SUBMISSIONS
In the words of our esteemed forefathers at CREEM: “NOBODY WHO WRITES FOR THIS RAG’S GOT ANYTHING YOU AIN’T GOT, at least in the way of credentials. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be sending us your stuff: reviews, features, photos, recording tips, DIY advice or whatever else you have in mind that might be interesting to our readers: independent and DIY musicians. Who else do ya know who’ll publish you? We really will... ask any of our dozens of satisfied customers. Just bop it along to us to editorial@performermag.com and see what comes back your way. If you have eyes to be in print, this just might be the place. Whaddya got to lose? Whaddya got?”
We listen to everything that comes into the office. We prefer physical CDs, cassettes and vinyl over downloads. If you do not have a physical copy, send download links to editorial@performermag.com.No attachments, please. Send CDs to: Performer Magazine Attn: Reviews 24 Dane St. Somerville, MA 02143
4 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS
Amanda Macchia, Benjamin Ricci, Brad Hardisty, Chris Martin, Dean Keim, Gail Fountain, Glint Studios, Griffin Davis, Jared Cheek, Jeremy Martin, Kelly Davidson, Miikka Skaffari, Mike Piscitelli, Oresti Tsonopoulos, Rick Carroll, Tara Lacey, Tom Rhodes ADVERTISING SALES
Kathleen Mackay - kathleen@performermag.com Deborah Rice - deborah@performermag.com
© 2012 by Performer Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any method whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher. The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited recordings, manuscripts, artwork or photographs and will not return such materials unless requested and accompanied by a SASE.
Annual Subscription Rate is $30 in the U.S.; $45 outside the U.S.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Elliott Carter died November 5 at the age of 103. Carter received a graduate degree in music from Harvard College in 1932, and began composing his own work in 1935. Over the course of his career, Carter had composed over 150 pieces, 40 of those between the ages of 90 and 100, and 14 after he had turned 100. In addition to his prosperous career as a composer, Carter was also a professor at many acclaimed universities, a husband, father and grandfather.
Mitch Lucker Suicide Silence Frontman 28-year-old vocalist and frontman for heavy metal band Suicide Silence, Mitch Lucker died November 1 at UCI Medical Center in Orange County. His death was a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident the night before. Lucker had been a founding member of Suicide Silence, which released three albums since its debut in 2007. The band, which toured on the Mayhem Festival in 2008 and again in 2011, received Revolver’s Golden God Awards for best new band and most innovative band.
Suzanne Glass Founder of indie-music.com Suzanne Glass, founder of indie-music. com, died following a short battle with cancer in mid-October. A critical figure in the independent music industry, Glass was known as a musician, founder of Glass House Recording Studio, her label Throwing Stones, independent music site indie-music.com, and all-around music junkie. The site, which she co-founded with husband Paul Bultman, along with her various side projects, will continue on in her absence.
Howard H. Scott Developer of the LP 92-year-old Howard H. Scott died September 22 in Pennsylvania of cancer. Scott was just 26 when he joined the team at Columbia Masterworks, and quickly became a part of the group of developers trying to create a long-playing record that would act as a replacement for the 78 r.p.m. disc. That replacement became today’s LP. Following his time at Columbia, Scott also worked at a number of other labels, and began producing music. In 1966 he won a Grammy Award as the producer for the Classical Music Album of the Year.
Hans Werner Henze German Composer German composer Hans Werner Henze died October 27 in Dresden, Germany at the age of 86. Henze was well known as an influential musician. He composed a number of works that varied in style and classification, including symphonies, stage works, chamber works, concertos and a requiem in his many decades as a professional composer. Henze was also a professor in many countries, including Austria, the U.S., Germany and Cuba. He was the recipient of both the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 1990, and the Praemium Imperiale in 2000.
OBITUARIES
Elliott Carter
Bill Dees Co-Writer of “Pretty Woman” Bill Dees, co-author of Roy Orbison’s 1960s hit “Pretty Woman,” died October 24 in Mountain Home, Arkansas at the age of 73. Dees, who is best known for his work on the classic, was also the co-author of about 70 of Orbison’s tunes. Dees was also responsible for writing songs that were later recorded by big names such as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Glen Campbell. The duo also co-wrote “Borne on the Wind,” “It’s Over” and “So This Is Love.”
Steve Paul New York Nightclub Owner Steve Paul, creator and owner of The Scene, died at the age of 71 in New York. The Scene, which was created by Paul as a place for entertainers to hang out and perform, became the hot spot for New York’s blues and bohemian nightlife. Hosting artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison (on the same night), Cream and The Who, it is hard to believe the spot was only open for six years. After The Scene shut its doors in the late 1960s, Paul went on to manage Johnny Winter, David Johansen, and Muddy Waters.
Terry Callier Singer, Songwriter Musician-turned-computer programmer, Terry Callier, died October 28 of cancer at the age of 67. Musically inclined from a young age, Callier had started recording while he was still in high school, but pursued schooling over music at the direction of his mother. Callier was a soul, jazz, and folk musician who’s work had dropped off the radar following his success in the early 1960s. British fans rediscovered his music in the early ’90s, causing him to leave his career in computer programming and re-establish himself as a musician.
DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 5
LOCAL NEWS
ATLANTA 5 MINUTES WITH... Mark Dannells Guitarist/Producer/Songwriter
Dishing Out a Heaping Bowl of Rock and Roll Atlanta’s SOUP Re-Reunites by Lesley Daunt
interview by Lesley Daunt photo by www.poparazziphotography.com Can you give us a 30-second bio? My primary gig is the guitarist for PleaseRock, Inc. I also have an original band called The Greater Vavoom that sounds like if NIN, The Talking Heads and The Bee Gees had a groovy lil’ baby. I also work with Audiosocket and Placement Music, creating music for various licensing opportunities. What are you trying to do in music? Enjoy myself and make a living. When you respect and get along with the people you work with (which I do), you are already ahead of the game. Loving your job can be pleasantly contagious, and I hope that affects people in a positive way when they see or hear me perform. Top achievement? The annual Yacht Rock Festivals PleaseRock puts on are always a trip. It was quite surreal playing “Love is Alive” and “Dream Weaver” with Gary Wright. As was performing “Frankenstein” and “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” with Rick Derringer a couple of weeks ago. Oh yeah, and we ate teppanyaki in a private room with Kiss on the Kiss Kruise II last week! Take THAT 12-year-old Mark Dannells! Three favorite local artists? I was always a fan of The Goodies…so much so I stole their bassist for The Greater Vavoom! Ponderosa and Fishhawk are two newer bands that have some great stuff going on. Oh yeah, James Hall! Yeah, I know that was 4 artists, but I wrote a short bio - chill!
For more info: www.markdannells.com www.pleaserock.com. 6 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Atlanta gave birth to many great bands in the ’90s; Man or Astroman?, Subsonics, Cat Power, Michelle Malone and Drag the River, and The Jody Grind to name a few. Of those and the many more talented acts who were staples around the ATL music scene at that time, SOUP stood out as favorite with their high-energy rock and roll and enthusiastic stage presence. Formed in 1995, SOUP toured from 19962002 and recorded four albums - three for Crunch Groove Records, and a double live album with Phoenix Rising Records, recorded by legendary producer Sam Kopper. The band continued to be a cornerstone of the local scene until their eventual split a decade ago. Then, after
STUDIO PROFILE
many fan requests and a five-year hiatus, SOUP reunited in 2007 to play one final show at their hometown venue, Smith’s Olde Bar. And now ladies and gents, the boys are back. Erik Rowen (lead vocals/guitar), Kevin Crow (lead guitar/vocals), Lee Adkins (bass), Bram Bessoff (drums) and Drew Margolis (keyboard) have reunited for 2012, playing to a sold out crowd at once again, Smith’s Olde Bar. With new videos and music available on sites such as Facebook, MySpace and ReverbNation, what’s old is new again in the Peach State.
www.facebook.com/Soup.ATL
Sonica Recording
Blending the Best of Digital and Analog Production Sonica Recording specializes in the production of rock, pop, jazz, blues, classical and everything in between. Originally constructed in a 1926, Sonica was rebuilt from the ground up in 2000 as a tracking facility with large, comfortable spaces and tremendous sound isolation between all studio rooms. Sonica uses a hybrid approach to recording music: they combine the best of modern digital with the best of classic analog. The studio is set up with excellent sightlines and a headphone system to ensure communication between musicians and engineers.
EQUIPMENT LIST Digital Recorders: Pro Tools HD Analog Recorders: Studer A827 2” 24 track, Studer A80 1/2” tape recorder, Tascam BR20T 1/4” tape recorder Outboard: API 525 compressor, API 3124 M+ preamps, Earthworks 1022 mic, Neve 1272 2-ch. mic pre, Neve 1066 pre/EQ, Universal Audio 4110 preamp, Universal Audio 2-176 stereo limiter, Universal Audio 1176 limiter, Universal Audio LA-2A compressor, Lexicon PCM-70 reverb, TC Electronic 2290 delay and much more…
PAST CLIENTS Will Lee, Shawn Mullins, Nuno Bettencourt, Goo Goo Dolls, Edwin McCain, DJ Hurricane, Holdcell, Michael Barbiero, David Cooper, DoubleDrive, UnCrowned, Fire Apes and many more… CONTACT INFO Contact John Briglevich for studio availability and rates, or to set up a facility tour.
Sonica Recording 500 Bishop St., Bld. C-2 - Atlanta, GA 30318 (404) 350-9540 john@sonicarecording.com www.sonicarecording.com
P E R F O R M E R P
P E R F O R SAN FRANCISCO ATLANTA M E R P R E S E N T S @ Slim’s December 13 feat. Passenger Kate Earl Doors @ 8:00 pm $15 - ALL AGES
Brought to you by:
@The Drunken Unicorn December 7 feat. Mr. Gnome Fader Vixen Nobra Noma Doors @ 9:00 pm $8- 18+
LOCAL NEWS
AUSTIN
FU N FU N FU N F E S T A Look Back at This Year’s Fun, and Booking Tips for 2013 photo and article by Tara Lacey
Austin’s hippest and fastest growing festival
Just when you think Austin’s hippest and fastest growing festival can’t get any cooler, Fun Fun Fun Fest manages to do it again for another year. Everything that the team at Transmission Entertainment works towards to set this festival apart from the rest oozes with awesome, from the scavenger hunts and Water Olympics they host for pre-festival promotions, to the seamless integration of sponsorship as a part of the experience. They set the bar high for what a music festival should be. If you’re salivating at the mouth for the chance to play Fun Fun Fun Festival, hang tight for next month’s issue and Performer will hash it out with the powers that be at Transmission, giving you the full 411 on their booking process. Plus you can pick up some tips for playing their renowned Red River 8 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
district venues at the same time. Fun Fun Fun Fest has enough diversity in its lineup each year to satisfy any taste for music. The blue stage hosts hip-hop and electronic acts, the orange stage hosts headliners and indie artists, the yellow stage hosts comedy and a myriad of off-thewall fun like the annual air sex competition and Peelander-Z, and the black stage stays true to the festival’s gritty roots with underground punk and metal. It’s a festival where you can see Run-D.M.C. in the same day and place as Minus the Bear, Superchunk, and Cursive. Friday afternoon didn’t disappoint with Fun Fun Fun’s customary weirdness as Val Kilmer miffed fans while on stage with punk rockers The Black Lips. After droning on in senseless babble, he finally took a straight razor to his long locks and tossed his hair into the audience. Against Me! went political, crooning out anthems on hot button election issues including the pro-choice song “White Crosses,” along with some of their best-known tracks like “Thrash Unreal.” They were followed by legends X with their punk-folk fusion rock. Decked to the nines in old Western duds, they proved that they still rage
harder than they did when they got together in 1977. It was a throwback kind of night, capped off by a long-anticipated performance by Run-D.M.C., who commemorated the memory of Jason ‘Jam Master Jay’ Mizell by having his sons up on stage to scribble and rhyme along side Rev Run. On Saturday Schoolboy Q combined the booty shakin’ style of Big Freedia with throwbacks to the bad boy flows of Dre and Snoop. In true Fun Fun Fun Fest fashion, taking a stroll to the other side of the festival provided a stark change of pace with Real Estate and The Head and The Heart performing on the orange stage. The highlight was a night cap by Diamond Rugs, a composite of musicians from a The Black Lips, Deer Tick, Los Lobos, Dead Confederate, and Six Finger Satellite, who started playing together just for the hell of it and found themselves with a few hits along the way. Diamond Rugs was gritty and raucous, full of whiskey rasp and brass - the perfect way to end the night, at the park that is. Fun Fun Fun Fest three-day passes also grant patrons access to Fun Fun Fun Fest nights sprinkled about downtown Austin. FFFF is simply the perfect Austin festival. www.funfunfunfest.com
NORTHEAST
N E W S B I T S
Perform at The Center for the Arts at the Armory
New York-based group Midnight Magic released their debut full-length Walking the Midnight Streets late last month, and has begun touring in support of the release.
Local Non-Profit Has Plans for Facility Improvements
New Jersey-based duo Fiction Family signed with Rock Ridge Music, and are set to release their second full-length album in late January.
Established in an historic armory building, The Center for Arts at the Armory is a non-profit, community arts center for the residents of Greater Somerville. The Armory is an establishment that hosts a number of different events including dance series, aerial arts shows, free music in their cafe, dance parties to celebrate local artists and musicians, youth programming, open mic nights, piano recitals, vocal contests, interactive art pieces, gallery art shows, and more. Lately, the Armory has looked to expand its services by increasing its occupancy limit, extending their hours, and installing new amenities within the building. The board of directors at The Armory recently met with the Somerville zoning committee regarding their proposed additions in late September, then again in mid-October, which garnered great support from the community.
The 23rd Annual Boscov’s Berk Jazz Fest, which will feature ten days of music in midApril, finalized the line-up for the 2013 show late last month. New York-based duo Von Haze released their album Kar Dee Akk Ake early last month. Solo artist from New York, Tom Shaner, released his new album Ghost Songs, Waltzes, and Rock and Roll early last month. Boston’s Celtic punks the Dropkick Murphys announced the release of their forthcoming album Signed and Sealed in Blood for early January. Vermont-based quintet Chamberlain began a national tour in support of their recently released album Look What I’ve Become.
by Alex Lane
STUDIO PROFILE
617.388.5395 themightydux@gmail.com CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE EVALUATION
BOOKING CONTACT The Center for the Arts at the Armory 191 Highland Ave., Suite 1-A Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 718-2191 info@artsatthearmory.org www.artsatthearmory.org
Combining a World-Renowned Studio with Rad Indie Label
Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Todd Carey announced a 13-city winter tour through November and December in support of his online album The Duets Project.
DRUM LESSONS with DEAN JOHNSTON
According to the Armory, “Since 2004, the Armory has been completely restored and brought up to code. Many of the Armory’s historic elements have been preserved such as the Armory’s drill hall, stairwells, turrets, and other important architectural elements. Given that artistic expression elevates a civil society, Arts at the Armory seeks to galvanize the creative spirit by providing a space where working artists and the community can come together.”
Q Division Records
Boston punk trio Great Lakes USA released their full-length album Live Fast. Die Whenever. early last month.
New York-based group Team Genius released an homage to their city in early November with New York Songs.
LOCAL NEWS
BOSTON
A homey feel, a sense of humor, and professionalism to boot. Located in Performer’s backyard, Q Division Music Services is a musician’s wet dream. Capable of recording and producing, along with packaging and promotion, Q Division is an affordable one-stop shop. The label/studio combination has been in business for over 20 years, and boasts a client roster that includes artists and groups from Aimee Mann and James Taylor to independent artists working on their first projects. In addition to their music production, they have also recently added a TV and film writing and production facility.
EQUIPMENT LIST Console: Neve 8068 Mark I, 32x16x32, fully refurbished and restored Tape & Digital Recorders: Studer A 827 2” 24 track tape machine, Pro Tools HD Ampex 102 1/2” 2 track tape machine Alesis ML-9600 Masterlink Tascam 2000 Real Time CD-R Panasonic SV 3800 DAT Machine PAST CLIENTS Aimee Mann, Al Kooper, Andrea Gillis, Anne Heaton, Liz Phair, Clairvoyants, The Pixies, Buffalo Tom, Dropkick Murphys, Fountains of Wayne, Graham Parker, and many more... CONTACT INFO Q DIVISION MUSIC 363 Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 625-9900 x105 info@qdivisionmusic.com www.qdivisionmusic.com
DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 9
Announcing International Musical Exchange Opportunities
American Music Abroad Program 2013-2014 Information at: www.americanvoices.org/ama http://exchanges.state.gov Application Deadline: Jan 18, 2013 American Music Abroad is an initiative of the U.S. Dept. of State’s Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs Administered by American Voices
RADIO PROMOTION (terrestrial, satellite, internet)
Dresden Dolls Bad Plus Girls Guns & Glory String Cheese Incident Esperanza Spalding Medeski Martin & Wood Steve Winwood Gov't Mule 311 Janis Ian Jim's Big Ego Stanley Clarke Umphrey's McGee Gretchen Parlato Miss Tess Mike Stern Soulive Maceo Parker PUBLICITY AND TOUR SUPPORT (print press and viral)
call: 800-356-1155 www: powderfingerpromo.com
5 MINUTES WITH... Adam Culver Vocalist for The Future
LOCAL NEWS
NASHVILLE The Marion James Musician’s Aid Society
Providing Medial Care & Financial Assistance to First Gen R&B Artists by Brad Hardisty
Interview by Brad Hardisty According to Culver, “Me and the boys play heartfelt, dancy hyper-rock pop music. I would absolutely take a bullet for any of the fellas in the band. There…just did it. Feel fine.” Why should we know you? The song always wins for us. It’s never about a selfish, showy part; everything has to benefit the song or GTFO. Also, science is pretty sure that singing along with our songs will cure all of the ills in your work and personal relationships. [editor’s note – we can’t vouch for that] What are you trying to do in music? We want to help people feel alive, feel loved, exorcise demons, exercise demons and shake their legs real fast. Proudest achievement? We made our latest record in a 10’x10’ room at my house and now it gets some play on the radio. Three current favorite local artists? Frances and the Foundation, the Gills, and Bang OK Bang.
For more info visit thefuturewebsite.com
Recently, The Marion James Musician’s Aid Society held its 30th Annual Jefferson Street Benefit Reunion. Jefferson Street was essentially Nashville’s “Beale Street,” where Ray Charles, Little Richard and a young Jimi Hendrix got their start. James, Nashville’s “Queen of The Blues,” had a touring band in the 1960s that featured guitarist a young Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox. James also had a top ten hit in 1966 with “That’s My Man” on Excello Records. To this day, she continues the tradition on her new release, Northside Soul on EllerSoul Records.
James organized the first Musician’s Reunion in 1982 after seeing the hardships, illness and financial difficulties that many musicians of the first wave of R&B had suffered. The Marion James Musician’s Aid Society was established to help musicians in need of medical care or financial assistance, such as repairs after a house fire of one of Nashville’s favorite blues musicians. James has lived near Jefferson Street her entire life and continues to support the community through benefits and fundraisers. Christmas is an especially important time to help musicians in need.
THOSE WISHING TO DONATE MAY SEND CONTRIBUTIONS TO: Marion James Musician’s Aid Society 2417 Scovel St. Nashville, TN 37208 For more information contact David Flynn at davidflynn10@yahoo.com or visit tinyurl.com/mjmas.
Booking Problems in Music City: Shortage of All Ages Venues Leaves Young Bands in the Cold article and photo by Brad Hardisty Nashville saw the closure of two of the most important all ages venues, The Muse and Little Hamilton during 2012, leaving a big hole for the under-18 crowd looking to book a local punk or metal show. Little Hamilton, located at 1318 Little Hamilton Street, a local arts collective of barely teens, was not only famous for its Five Dollar Annual Art Shows, but also as a venue for first time performances of local punk and metal acts. It also featured a shop up front that had DIY 7-inch vinyl not sold in other local indie record shops. Little Hamilton closed earlier than expected, with its final shows this past April. Not long after, The Muse closed after an 11-year run as the premier, all ages punk rock Nashville Mecca. They not only hosted early shows by The Sex (Jake and Jamin Orrall’s pre-JEFF the Brotherhood) and Save Macaulay the Band (Caitlin Rose’s pre-country band), but, bigger louder bands
Job For A Cowboy and punk rockers Agnostic Front. One of the last groups to play was psychobilly band The Koffin Kats. This sanctuary of rock and roll closed down in May. Infinity Cat Records wanted an all ages night for their 10 year celebration and booked The Zombie Shop, a moped and motorcycle repair shop that started all ages shows at night just a little over a year ago. The problem is The Zombie Shop sits in the shadow of the almost-completed, new Nashville Convention Center. Once the downtown project is completed and The Zombie Shop is gone, there will no longer be any under-18 venues other than the mega-sized Rocketown. This poses a huge problem for local acts whose fans are not yet of drinking age, and does an enormous disservice to the town that’s supposed to be America’s “Music City.” www.facebook.com/zombieshop www.rocketown.com DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 11
TOUR STOP
MARIN COUNTY, CA
On the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge lies Marin County, a small, suburban community with a rich musical history. This often-overlooked portion of the San Francisco Bay Area has served as a retreat for the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Les Claypool and many other great musicians. Though Marin County may appear to be a sleepy, quiet place, a vibrant music scene and unique musical resources await - if you know where to look. At the least, Marin is a great place to stop and enjoy passionate and supportive music fans (who love their jam bands) as well as some of the most inspiring landscapes and nature preserves on the West Coast. -Eric Wolff
VENUES SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL 19 Corte Madera Ave. Mill Valley, CA (415) 388-3850 WWW.SWEETWATERMUSICHALL.COM In the wake of Sweetwater Saloon’s closing in 2007, this legendary venue has been reincarnated in a new and larger location just a few blocks away. Like its predecessor, this venue has hosted a wide array of live music as well as local stars such as Bob Weir, Jerry Harrison, Narada Michael Walden and others. 19 BROADWAY 17 Broadway Blvd. Fairfax, CA (415) 459-0213 WWW.19BROADWAY.COM Tucked away in the alternative community of Fairfax, 19 Broadway is one of the most versatile show spaces in Marin, featuring hip-hop, reggae and funk as well as the usual jam band fare. GEORGE’S NIGHTCLUB 842 4th St. San Rafael, CA (415) 226-0262 WWW.GEORGESNIGHTCLUB.COM A great, small club for rock and blues, with a built-in crowd of regulars. Though the stage is small, the venue boasts a new, high-quality sound system. It’s located in the center of Marin, and an easy, 20-minute drive for fans in SF.
GEAR
RECORDING STUDIOS
BANANAS AT LARGE 1504 4th St. San Rafael, CA (415) 457-7600 WWW.BANANASMUSIC.COM For an independent music store, Bananas carries an impressive range of electric and acoustic instruments and accessories, and regularly produces free clinics that have featured artists such as Terry Bozzio and Victor Wooten.
THE ICE HOUSE STUDIOS 1556 4th St., Suite C San Rafael, CA (415) 457-5199 info@bonniehayes.com WWW.BONNIEHAYES.COM/FILES/ICEHOUSE.HTML Built inside of an actual ice house, this hidden gem is just 20 minutes from San Francisco and is owned and operated by a trio of world-class, yet down-to-earth professional musicians.
AMAZING GRACE MUSIC 91 Redhill Ave. San Anselmo, CA (415) 456-0414 info@amazinggracemusicmarin.com WWW.AMAZINGGRACEMUSICMARIN.COM Features a great selection of acoustic and folk
LAUGHING TIGER 1101 E. Francisco Blvd., Suite A San Rafael, CA (415) 485-5765 ari@laughingtiger.com WWW.LAUGHINGTIGER.COM
PRESS OUTLETS LOCAL MUSIC VIBE 4460 Redwood Highway #16-333 San Rafael, CA shelley@localmusicvibe.com WWW.LOCALMUSICVIBE.COM This website was founded by two Marin residents who have been unrelenting in their advocacy for local music. Their site remains one of the best resources for musicians to connect with fans in the area and has expanded to serve other communities.
RECORD STORES MILL VALLEY MUSIC 320 Miller Ave. Mill Valley, CA (415) 389-9090 WWW.MILLVALLEYMUSIC.COM With mountains of one-of-a-kind vinyl and CDs, Mill Valley Music is one of the best places to find physical music of all styles in the digital age.
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SPOTLIGHTS
BALLYHOO! Expanding Their Fanbase Through the Festival Circuit by Alexandria Sardam photo by Chris Martin
GENRE Reggae/Punk HOMETOWN Baltimore, MD
On performing for new crowds: “That’s always exciting and scary.
ARTISTIC APPROACH Playfully mixing reggae and punk.
You never really know how you’ll be received.” www.ballyhoorocks.com Ever talked your way out of handcuffs at a burrito store? Nope, didn’t think so. Ballyhoo! on the other hand…well, they have. One of the members of this reggae-infused punk band from Baltimore managed to talk his way out of an arrest just a few years back. Oh, and their van caught fire during their first tour in 2006. Pretty exciting, equally talented and a little bit weird, the guys of Ballyhoo! not only know how to party, they also know how to jam. “We love it. [There’s] lots of different types of music in Baltimore. We’ve been doing it a long time and it’s great to see people coming to the 14 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
shows and supporting it,” says lead singer and guitarist Howi Spangler, in response to how such a uniquely-crafted band fits into Baltimore’s music scene. The group was hard at work this summer, performing at the Vans Warped Tour alongside fellow reggae rockers, Tribal Seeds. “[That was a] great experience. Very hot and a lot of work. We were out there every day putting up posters and walking around with signs trying to bring kids to watch our set. It was a new crowd for us and a lot of people were into it. We sold a lot of CDs this summer,” says Spangler.
And while the guys are still hard at work, having recently kicked off their November tour, they still had some time to well, be boys with Tribal Seeds. “It was a lot of fun [and] cool to meet those guys. Really chill and [they] always offered us beers and weed. [laughter]. Again, we were playing for some new people and that’s always exciting and scary. You never really know how you’ll be received,” said Spangler. Ballyhoo! has a punk edge that’s mellowed out by their funky, beachy vibes, playfully teetering from sweet to sour. If you dig a punk rock beat and a fun, lively melody, check these guys out.
SPOTLIGHTS
On the transition from punk to children’s music: “Most of my songs were kids songs anyway.”
KEPI GHOULIE When Punk Rock Heads to Pre-School by Ben Marazzi / photo courtesy of the artist After years of perfecting his chops in the poppunk scene, song-writer/singer/painter/all around positive dude Kepi Ghoulie has released his latest record, Kepi For Kids, a collection of songs written specifically for, you guessed it, kids. When long-time label owner/friend Mike Park opened up his Fun Fun Records imprint (an Asian Man Records subsidiary dedicated to children’s music), the first artist he approached was Ghoulie. According to Kepi, he was, “Raised on classic Disney and roots music” and once he realized most of his songs “were kids songs anyway,” the transition was easy. Ghoulie originally got his footing during the Lookout Records explosion in the mid-’90s, which if the math is correct means most of the kids who spent their time pogo-ing along with The Groovie Ghoulies in the pit have since grown up and had
children of their own. Ghoulie’s music is fun, yet not as grating as your little nephew’s old Barney: Live in NYC cassette. Longtime Ghoulie fans will also notice that a children’s version of “The Beast With 5 Hands” has made the record (originally released on the Ghoulies’ album Appetite for Adrenochrome). Also, Ghoulie makes a nod to his punk roots with the Ramones-laced tune, “Dee Dee Taught Me How To Count” (1-2-3-4…get it?). So far, the rocker has taken his new tunes to art shows and schools, as well as a punk rock festival in Montreal. He currently isn’t working with any management or agents, but is excited to see what the future holds for his project. Sky’s the limit and he describes his current plans as “up for whatever.” Ghoulie doesn’t like to describe his music as “punk rockers making kids music.” At the end of our interview he concludes that, “I just really like a
GENRE Children’s Music/Punk HOMETOWN Sacramento, CA ARTISTIC APPROACH Playing music for kids that won’t drive parents crazy. www.kepiland.com
good song, and I like the way people like Neil Young or Jonathan Richman can play acoustic or electric or maybe a Johnny Cash song [that] will appeal to kids.” Years into the game, he’s still as positive as ever, saying, “I just like good music.” And now he’s here to help your kids like good music, too. DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 15
16 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
RU L E Using The Right Gear to Evoke ’80s Stadium Rock by Carolyn Vallejo photos by Kelly Davidson
In the middle of Harvard Square, Boston metal quartet RULE is set up in a corner table upstairs at Charlie’s, a kitschy bar that would have probably been filled with cigarette smoke before the Massachusetts smoking ban of 2004. They’re sipping beers, reflecting on how metal has changed since the ’80s and how bands today are failing at recreating the genre.
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ON THE DECISION NOT TO TOUR:
“Not to sound like the old band on the block, but we’ve slept on concrete floors. We’ve pissed in water bottles and Gatorade bottles while the van was going 80 miles an hour down the highway.”
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For one, says singer Mike Soltoff, it’s the “Cookie Monster” vocals heard on some newer extensions of the genre. “Screaming,” he says, clarifying. “It’s screamo. People don’t sing anymore.” The blending of contemporary metal with hardcore, thrash and screamo has, for some, unfairly changed the definition of what used to be a straight-up powerful, harsh and rebellious sound. They’re not exactly fathers of ’80s metal, but RULE can be considered its older brothers, taking it upon themselves to show the younger kids who try, sometimes in vain, how to recreate a now-classic era in which they never existed. The guys in RULE, however, saw it all. “This sort of genre is so pertinent even nowadays,” says drummer Greg Beadle. “The old-school, classic British heavy metal – a lot of younger kids, younger generations are picking up on it. But it’s the difference between taking something like that and interpreting it in the here-and-now, and the fact
RULE RULE EP Standout Track: “Sucker” LISTEN NOW @PERFORMERMAG.COM
that you find four guys who actually grew up with that. [That’s when] you get the truest nature…of what it is.” For RULE, the “truest nature” of metal means what guitarist John Brookhouse calls “basic big four,” building off of the template that Van Halen and Metallica and other greats left us. But where younger bands often use these classics merely as initial inspiration, RULE is continuing a legacy. “We’re drawing directly from [these bands],” says Soltoff. “Rather than little hints of it, we’re going straight to the source. And that’s what a lot of us listen to regularly, anyway.” “Classic metal hasn’t gone away,” adds bassist Jim Zavadoski. “Some of the stuff we’ve listened to back then is now in that lexicon of ‘classic’ just because of the fact it’s old.” Rounds of laughter aren’t uncommon among the guys when they talk about how “old” they are. While they exaggerate (Zavadoski gets hounded for sounding like they’re 70 when he reminisces about the old bands and labels they were a part of), RULE is part of a different time. But the age gives them a certain advantage of looking at ’80s metal in retrospect and isolating what does and does not work. Part of that advantage is knowing what gear gets that ’80s classic metal sound. Brookhouse does it right with Peavey VTM 60 and Van Halen 5150 tube amplifiers, and a 1980 Les Paul. “It’s straight from back in the day,” says Brookhouse. “I could probably sound like that on anything, but I feel like I have the advantage of old wood and old tubes in there.” Zavadoski says he takes a late-’70s approach with an Acoustic 220 bass amp to compete with Brookehouse’s gear. “For me, bass has to be loud to keep up with people with Peavey 5150s,” Zavadoski says, laughing. Beadle keeps it minimal, and while he says he’s a fan of the vintage Ludwig Slingerlands, he’s preserving the older gear and using a modern drum set that can handle the abuse of metal rhythms. With their gear, RULE has been able to
replicate the power of many of their idols, adding to it all the down-tuning to E-flat like Guns N’ Roses and Jimi Hendrix, among others. But there are certain parts about the 1980s the band is trying to avoid. “We’re looking at a form of music that, in some ways, hit its greatest achievement in the late-’80s,” says Zavadoski. “It became this arena thing, and sort of became so popular that it wasn’t fun anymore. We’re trying to get back to the point where it was fun.” The major stadium tours of heavy metal hair bands of decades past ballooned into a larger-thanlife persona for a genre of music that oftentimes started in teenagers’ bedrooms. In a sense, it became so massive that it collapsed on itself; the rock star lifestyle handed to musicians by their major label contracts and the cash flow it brought in ended up killing the music, sometimes literally. Now, RULE sits together at the bar and wonders whether that would even be a part of the band’s future – and whether they would even want it. “I’m not even sure what being on a label means these days,” says Soltoff. “Maybe I’ve been out of the game for a little bit, but are we even attractive to a label? Is it even a good business?” It’s not the first time the topic has been hashed out over a few beers, and the four seem to, once again, come to the consensus that getting signed is not the life they’d like for the band. “On our way back from the CD release show – actually, I think we came back here [to Charlie’s] to booze more – and we had a boozy conversation about what our hopes and dreams for the future of the band were,” says Soltoff. “We sort of came to a consensus because we might feel a bit differently about what our ultimate aims would be as musicians.” He’s referencing their album release show at Cambridge’s T.T. the Bear’s Place in August for their debut, self-titled EP. The event was the epitome of how RULE has, in ways, distanced themselves from the giants of the ’80s, turning to the modern DIY approach for everything: booking shows, releasing music, merchandising and promotion.
Most of this is handled by Brookhouse, though they all collaborate on promo and booking. “I just try and take care of as much stuff as I can,” says Brookhouse. “I just figure, the more work I put in, the more return, hopefully, we’ll see.” Return has been seen in the form of unanimously positive local press. It translates to a fanbase, but you won’t see RULE on the road anytime soon. “Not to sound like the old band on the block,” says Soltoff, “but we’ve slept on concrete floors. We’ve pissed in water bottles and Gatorade bottles while the van was going 80 miles an hour down the highway.” It’s not the sort of thing they’d like to do anymore. These days, the band looks at younger musicians living their life on the road in a constant struggle to establish their careers. For many, those tours come packaged – along with a publicist and a manager – with the record deal. But for RULE, it’s just not worth it. A major label contract is no guarantee for success. “There was an era, in my experience, where I knew a ton of dudes in Boston that had been on major labels – signed, the whole nine years. And then they got dropped,” says Zavadoski. “People in Boston will talk about it all the time, in this air of, ‘Oh, this band should have been something!’” Instead, RULE collectively decided to stay local and work hard to play the music they want to play. And as far as they can tell, it’ll stay that way for as long as it’s fun. In the corner of a familiar local bar, the members of RULE raise their Cuervo Silver tequila shot glasses cut with lime juice as they discuss the future of the band, explaining how too much pressure and too many expectations would ruin the moment. They pause to cheer. “Here’s to living single, seeing double, and sleeping triple,” says Soltoff. And with that, the band laughs into the night... rule.bandcamp.com
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Ben Sollee
Maximizing Crowdfunding to Record New Album
It’s a quiet, warm Saturday afternoon in downtown Louisville, and the lobby of the city’s most iconic display of Southern grandeur, The Seelbach Hotel, is bustling with by Jason Ashcraft photos by Glint Studios
road-worn and seemingly infrequent visitors stirring about. One of those visitors is Lexington-native Ben Sollee, one of Kentucky’s up-and-coming “musical” displays of Southern grandeur. A classically trained cellist, Sollee is a oneman orchestra, who owns his instrument and is known for playing it with a combination of passion and grace. He has managed to breed a whole new style of playing his centuries-old instrument, where the end result is a little rock and roll, a little soulful, a little bluegrassy, a little jazzy, very modern, and all Americana.
In 2007, Sollee was lauded by NPR’s Morning Edition as one of the “Top Ten Unknown Artists of the Year.” After that, he officially began exporting himself nationwide and into the spotlight. He’s played Louisville’s Forecastle Festival, Bonnaroo, the Newport Folk Festival and in 2009, landed one of his tunes on Showtime’s series Weeds. When Sollee wants to jam onstage, while on tour or while recording a new album, he collaborates with everyone from My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel and Jim James, to Daniel Martin Moore to Bella Fleck to Abigail Washburn. Broemel and Washburn joined Sollee on his latest release, Half-Made Man, released through his label, Tin Ear Records. He raised the funds to record it from a public-sourced fan base. Sitting down in The Old Seelbach Bar, Sollee candidly opens up about his music and life – from the how and why he creates songs and his top 20 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
picks for collaborations – to his bike tours and political activism.
music with and that I really respected their distinct character as musicians...
You’ve just released Half-Made Man, which you’ve said is your most personal album to date. What makes it so personal?
Carl Broemel from My Morning Jacket?
Well, the goal of the record was to create a collection of self-portraits. So the songs do that in various ways by capturing the pieces of my personality, whether it’s the part that likes to fix things, or the part that’s impatient or the fatherly side of me. And to capture those in a really intimate and raw way, I invited some wonderful musicians to cut it with in the studio.
Yeah, you had quite a few guest musicians join you. So tell me about the process of choosing them, and how they contributed to the artistic process.
Many of the musicians are folks that I’ve played
He came in and did a lot of the guitar work that you hear. Alana Rocklin is a tremendous R&B, jazz and hip-hop bass player [who] just came in and just covered all the bases. And Jordan Ellis, who is a percussionist, and who I’ve been playing with for a while. Then we had a fiddler come in named Jeremy Kittel, and he’s from a real diverse background, everything from Scottish fiddling to a contemporary classical musical ensemble. So, the thing about the ensemble is that we didn’t have to try very hard to create a unique sound, because there was already a unique collection of people. The production process, to me, for this record was pretty simple. Let’s just get good musicians in a good room with good equipment, and play it all damn night.
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“The production process for this record was pretty simple. Let’s just get good musicians in a good room with good equipment, and play it all damn night.”
You also had, as I understand it, a guy who is quickly becoming popular in the recording scene here in Louisville, Kevin Ratterman. He’s also worked with My Morning Jacket and Wax Fang, and helped with your production, as well?
I think ‘becoming popular’ might even be a little bit of an understatement. Kevin Ratterman, for the last decade has had his finger on what the Louisville rock sound has become - a lot of the sounds you hear coming out, whether it be Cheyenne Marie Mize or My Morning Jacket’s new record, or Wax Fang. You know all those things are being put out and recorded by Kevin because he’s got this big heart and unending search for ‘the sound.’
Yeah, he’s definitely getting to all the 22 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
musicians that have ‘the sound.’
That’s because he cares. It’s not necessarily because he has a fancy studio or even because of his rates. It’s because if you want to work with somebody - at this point if we’re going to spend all this time, money and energy recording a record we want it to be with somebody who gives a damn.
Speaking of the money, you had a different approach to recording this in terms of how you funded it. Tell us a little bit about that and how that came about. Well, the funding for this record was crowdsourced through a platform called Pledge Music.
Truly public music? [laughing] I guess so. And this project wouldn’t even be possible without that kind of support. So I think it’s fascinating, this relationship that’s developing. I think there
are some moments where it’s like a high school prom, where it’s kind of awkward, where you don’t know what you can and can’t do. But as we become more comfortable, as that relationship matures, I think it’s really going to be a profound way that perhaps funds a shift in the music business.
Your music has historically had an activism aspect to it, such as your bike tours. Is there anything in the future that’s gonna keep that part of you alive and how are you going to do it?
Well for me, my music always comes from a very personal place, and what I consider a very sincere expression. And in that way, all the things I care about as a person come to the surface. And I try to express them through the songs and through activities around the shows and through organizations I work with and various other
projects. And I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. I’m not going to stop caring about those folks. How I can tie in and help those organizations will change as my business grows. And more opportunities, if anything. For the bike tours, we’re really trying to do about a third of our touring each year by bicycle.
Where are you biking to and from this year?
We biked from the Newport Folk Festival, where we had a really wonderful bunch of shows. And we rode our bikes up the coast to a bunch of shows in Portland, Maine. It wasn’t a tremendously long tour, but it was a beautiful tour.
And you actually had the cello strapped to your back?
The cello actually goes on the side of the bicycle. It’s a utility bike on the side of the frame.
So tell me about some of the other artists out there who you’d still like to share a stage or studio with.
Oh, gosh, there are so many of them. There are folks like Paul Simon who I’d love to work with. There are folks like Ani DiFranco I’d like to work with. There are a tremendous amount of jazz artists I’d like to work with. The list is endless… www.bensollee.com
Ben Sollee Half-Made Man Standout Track: “Unfinished” LISTEN NOW @PERFORMERMAG.COM
How many miles would you say?
It was about 300 or so up the coast.
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On Analog Mixing and Learning From Fellow Musicians on the Road
by Alec Wooden photos by Griffin Davis
Three years ago, Frank Hoier and Moselle Spiller probably didn’t picture themselves here: 1,200 miles from home, killing time between tour stops in a Kansas City bowling alley. The duo, known today as rock outfit Crushed Out, began as so many musical projects do: two friends sharing a mutual love of music (in this case, early rock and roll) jamming for nothing more than the fun of it. Yet it’s progressed in a way that many projects don’t, spawning four national tours, a well-received 2010 EP and now a debut full-length, Want To Give (released November 6th via the band’s own Cool Clear Water imprint). What’s made it work? Making sure it never felt like work in the first place. We recently sat down with Hoier to discuss…
How did you guys get started playing together?
Moselle and I met each other when we lived in the same building in Brooklyn, and we just started jamming together on a mutual love of early rock and roll, the kind of more joyous, dancey side - anything with high energy. We got going so quickly because it was just based on fun. We had no idea we were actually starting a band. We just loved to play Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins songs and came together to play a more early rock and roll vibe that we didn’t see happening in Brooklyn. We started booking our own tours and now it has become our lives within two years.
What were some of the advantages of the band starting that way, as informal jam sessions? There was absolutely no pressure on us. We’re self-taught and learn things off of records and
play whatever we’re inspired by. If one day we’re inspired by something, we write it that way. We had the joy of the possibility of being creative, and wondering what it would sound like if we did our version of a rock duo and we were put in a Brooklyn loft party and wanted to get the whole room worked up and dancing. How would we do that? And that’s how the band started. We played this one party with some friends, opening for some more serious bands. It was probably 70-100 kids and it was just amazing - they were going wild. We thought ‘Wow, that’s fun.’ And so that has fueled the fire ever since.
rock and roll that is more direct and focused on the energy. We’re proud of this record because of all the different genres we’re able to branch into. There’s a spooky murder ballad, there’s a droning, slide guitar song with almost a Cuban Bo Diddley rhythm, and then we do explosive Little Richard sort of tunes, and some surf/rockabilly/punk. We actually close the album with an early country song. We’re a band that’s never going to have a ‘genre.’ We want to go from ’50s to ’70s to ’90s to whatever and let ourselves be influenced by any kind of thing that has contributed to American rock and roll.
What’s the thesis statement for the new record, Want To Give?
What’s your typical writing process, if there is such a thing, and how has it evolved with this latest batch of songs?
The biggest thing we’re excited about it is that it’s still kind of a live record. We don’t have a budget to spend two or three weeks in the studio. We had just a few days. So it’s really just an augmented live take, which we dig, because we want to be the side of
Most of our songs are written by us picking up our instruments and just making stuff on the spot, and then saying, ‘Wait, what was that right there?’ We have a tape recorder and record hundreds of DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 25
“One evening of music and its effect on you could change your life forever. You can see an amazing show that you weren’t prepared for and you’re never the same.”
small ideas as we go. These ideas grow together from us playing in the moment. But really, every process for us is just embracing that it’s going to be a different process. We feed off of each other’s energy and try to get ideas together.
Bands often have differing views of writing while on the road. Some say it’s impossible, some seem to prefer it. What’s your experience been with that?
I would definitely agree that most of the time it’s very hard to write on tour. You tend to write some words down on tour, but to actually work out songs is so hard just because you don’t have the time. But it’s funny; one of our favorite songs was made on tour [‘Tempter Tantrum’ from Want To Give]. We liked it so much that we would just start inserting it into the set, even though I didn’t really have lyrics, so I would just sort of mumble things [laughs]. We just started jamming on tour and developing it on stage, which is, for some people, an absolute nightmare. But we just went for it and let it
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unfold. I’m sure a few times it was terrible [laughs], but I think it [ultimately] turned out great.
A lot of the songs on the album seem to certainly be inspired by your travels, correct?
Some of the songs [are] probably subconscious responses to the emotional climate of America. Driving around and meeting so many people, all of that finds its way in [to the songs]. Mixed with the media and political billboards and bumper stickers, all that stuff has an influence.
A lot of your growth has been very DIY how about the actual recording process for the album?
Three or four of the songs I recorded myself. When I have to be the engineer, it’s a little tougher, I guess. The other six songs were done on a three-day stretch at The Bunker studio in Brooklyn, which is a great analog studio. We had to record and mix in three days, so we just [focused] on the energy we wanted. We got to mix them analog, which we loved
because that’s the era and the sound we really dig and pull from. We were able to hammer out an energetic take, maybe double up the guitars here and there. It is very much a live record.
Put us on the road with you guys. What do you do to unwind and stay sane day-to-day?
We really enjoy, whenever we can, finding the nearest state park and just getting out into nature. We take it easy on the alcohol, eat healthy and find nature when we can. And then going bowling on the days off [laughs]. That kind of thing.
You’ve been fortunate to tour with some great acts thus far, and a lot of young bands probably don’t realize how much they can be picking up from tour mates. Do you go out of your way to learn stuff from bands you tour with?
You pick up so much steam and wonderful energy from watching someone else and what they do. Maybe you’re in a rut and want to give a little more and you don’t know how to do that, and
Crushed Out Want To Give Standout Track: “Temper Tantrum” LISTEN NOW @PERFORMERMAG.COM
much as they want, but tell me what’s still special to you about the live show - something that’s much harder to de-value than a record.
ON THE LATEST BATCH OF SONGS:
“We got to mix them analog, which we loved because that’s the era and the sound we really dig and pull from.”
you’ll see someone do it and it inspires you. People like The David Mayfield Parade, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, they have absurdly wonderful live shows. You share a bill with people and you really work each other up. It’s like a big dialogue, sharing your strengths and differences with each other. You’re bound to pick up something based on the dialogue of those people who are inspiring you.
One thing that’s always changing with every record release is the environment into which it’s being released. People can argue about the value of recorded music as
The live energy to me will always be more valuable than the CD. We’ve grown as a live band, and it wouldn’t be possible without the people in [any] room. When you’re touring in the middle of nowhere, the people are it. [Crowd energy] is essential to the style of music we play. We could never just play our kind of rock and roll in a studio and expect it to be anywhere near how it is on stage. We love meeting people and receiving great energy back from great crowds. One evening of music and its effect on you could change your life forever. That can happen with recordings, too, but it’s different in the live setting. You can see an amazing show that you weren’t prepared for and you’re never the same. www.crushedoutmusic.com
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28 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Blake Mills On His Life as a Side Musician & The Importance of Dynamics
by Benjamin Ricci photos by Mike Piscitelli and Oresti Tsonopoulos
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“It’s good for me to get up there and get through some of those nights that maybe aren’t so great, because it just sort of hardens everything.”
ON BEING AN OPENING ACT:
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lake Mills can currently be seen on tour with Fiona Apple. Well, to be fair, at any point Mills can most likely be seen on tour, period. The young gunslinger is incredibly in-demand these days as one of the top sidemen in the world of live music. What touring artists recognize in Mills, and what was apparent to this reporter within seconds of hearing him turn on an amp, is his innate ability to evoke humanity out of six strings, a plank of wood and some coiled wires. One of the biggest mistakes young guitarists make is focusing too much on playing the right notes and the right rhythms, with little thought to how those notes and rhythms should be played. The name of the game is dynamics – it’s what can set a good musician apart from an amazing musician, and what adds that human element to what could otherwise turn into a robotic series of meaningless sounds. In his twenty-odd years on the planet, Mills has more than earned his reputation as an amazing musician.
What drew you to music, and in particular the guitar?
I was pretty enamored as a child with MTV. I watched a lot of it. And all the guys on that were playing the electric guitar, so I asked my dad for a couple years for an electric guitar. And once he eventually caved in, he took me to get a [Stratocaster], and we bought it at a shop in the valley that offered free
lessons if you bought a guitar from them. I had just learned a few riffs like “Come As You Are” and a few things off [Metallica’s] Black Album. Everything that I wanted to play I picked up pretty quickly. And then a friend of my father, who was a musician, was over the house one day. He was just curious as to what I was listening to, so I put on Pinkerton by Weezer, and played him a song off of that. He sort of nodded along, and said, ‘Okay, this is good - there are some actual chord progressions and actual music.’ He says these are the chords, and he explained it. He was able to pick those out just by listening - the fact that he was able to do it by ear seemed like such a cool magic trick. All of the sudden my goals got just a little bit higher, and I was like, ‘I want to be able to do that.’
So was that your first exposure to theory?
Yeah, it was. He was the catalyst. But, there’s a guy here that I’ve come in contact with, Bob Brozman. He’s an incredible guitar player, who makes records in different countries, with different people from those countries, in different styles of music. They’re all world music records. And he
showed me a bunch of Middle Eastern stuff and African stuff that has sort of taken over for me.
When I saw you perform, the thing that struck me most was your sense of dynamics. They seemed to come exclusively from the touch in your right hand. How did that develop? You go from a feather-light touch to an intense, gnarly snarl with the stroke of a finger. Well thanks. Part of the obsession for me with singers and horn players…they have this ability, with a wind instrument or voice, to hit a note and have the note get louder. As opposed to a guitar or drum, it’s sort of like the note is struck and then it begins to die out without the aid of effects or anything like that. So one of the things I’ve been trying to figure out is a way to get vocal or wind instrument sounds [on the guitar]. So there’s a bunch of squeaky volume knob stuff that comes into play for some of those things. But other than that, a lot of those horn players, and a lot of my favorite accompaniments that are on guitar, that’s how they interject a vocal quality; they will have this little melody come out.
It’s not like a synthesizer, where it’s on and it’s on full; it’s a little more delicate. A lot of the stuff [I play] comes from listening to a record and imagining somebody else on [it], and you’re just playing DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 31
ON HIS CUSTOM GUITAR:
“If I get called into a session,
I have to bring it because I assume that’s what they’ve heard. You know, like that’s what they’ve called me in for. I play it on everything now.” what that person would be doing. Like imagining a guy like Donny Hathaway sitting in with a microphone in front of him, how he would be singing along. That’s kind of the approach, I suppose.
One of the other cool things about seeing you live is getting to see some of your interesting guitars up close and personal. It looks like you have custom mods on just about all of them. Would you mind taking us through some of that?
Yeah, and it’s gotten even worse [laughs]. But one of my favorite guys, just all around dudes, in L.A. is Mike Cornwall. When I spent about a year with Lucinda Williams, he was out there with me as a guitar tech. We would come up with sort of hairbrained schemes, like put pickups in guitars that didn’t belong in them and fun stuff like that. So he built me this guitar, which is like this sort of put-together [Stratocaster], with a pickup from an old steel guitar and another Japanese pickup. I had him build it because I borrowed a friend’s guitar that I completely fell in love with, but he wouldn’t sell it to me. I think he’d had it since he was 14 and there was no way he could ever part with it. So we set about trying to copy it. We did everything - there’s an extra neck plate, between the neck and the guitar where the joint is. And all kinds of weird things that I don’t even know what the explanation [could possibly be]. And the guitar that Mike built ended up coming out completely different. And I realized that there’s no way to just rebuild something that has that sort of magic in it. For a little while I was sort of bummed and like, ‘I’m never going to have that fucking guitar.’ And then we started playing this thing, and I started to realize that it was its own guitar, and it became an invaluable instrument for me. Like if I get called into a session, I have to bring it because I assume that’s what they’ve heard. You know, like that’s what they’ve called me in for. I play it on everything now. And so there are a few more of those - sort of that Frankenstein thing. It was so fun that I started to get the hot-rod bug, maybe from my dad, of taking something and sort of souping it up and customizing it. And that can be kind of dangerous. A couple of them I’m not touching. A couple of the old ones I’m leaving as they are, but the new ones I’m having a little bit of fun with.
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Gotcha. What kinds of amps are you using on the road? I’m trying to keep them a secret.
Oh, okay. More Franken-amp creations?
Yeah, kind of! I will say that the guy that worked on them, the guy who basically built them, is this guy Austin Hooks. He’s just making this one particular kind of amp, and it’s incredible sounding. His company is called Red Rocket Amps, I believe. And anybody that’s interested, that will be a nice thing for them to go check out. It’s pretty unusual. I’ve got a couple of them out on the road with me now, and they’re not as loud as I’m used to. But as soon as I plugged them in, everyone was like, ‘Whoa!’ So they’re here to stay, for me at least.
Now speaking of the road, you’ve been on tour with Fiona for a while and I know that that tour is extending. You have not only been a member of her band, but you have also been the opening act. How has your music been received by her fans?
I think pretty well. Her shows are attended by generally one of two groups of fans. There are the diehards - they are pretty sophisticated music listeners so they’re there to hear what’s going on and they are respectful and patient. Then there is the sort of fan that comes and really just wants to see ‘Criminal’ and go home. You always deal with a certain level of impatience as an opener. And some nights it’s hardly noticeable, and some nights it’s right there in your face as they’re ordering drinks at the bar. I mean its tricky for me, because my music is so poorly designed as an opening set since so much of it is mellow and most of it is just me [alone] up there. That is not always the ‘warm up’ dynamic that seems to go over really well at a rock show. It’s good for me to get up there and get through some of those nights that maybe aren’t so great, because it just sort of hardens everything. I’m certainly not trying to go up there and conquer any sort of musical world or carve a new fan base out; if people are entertained by that, great. If they just want to wait patiently for Fiona, that’s totally understandable.
As a side musician, what is your dynamic within a touring band for an established artist? Are you in control of your own arrangements? Or is it dictated to you what your parts will be?
It works different for every musician. For me, I’ve never been very good at being the guy who comes in to play parts that are already there, already written. So this particular gig [with Fiona] has been great because there’s not a whole lot of guitar on her records.
Yeah, in fact, the new record is pretty much guitar-free.
Yeah, there is no guitar on it! So when she called me, she was like, ‘I want to hear you, I want to hear your voice on this stuff, and I want you to do whatever you want to do.’ And I was like ‘Great!’ I’ve been in enough projects like that to know that they are really fun. Sometimes they say that, and what they really want is…they use it as bait. ‘Well, what I was thinking…’ but this isn’t like that. She gets the types of musicians that she doesn’t have to dictate to. She responds to the band every night, responding to her. It’s really been one of the most beautiful bands that I have ever been a part of, because there are so many different musical personalities. I mean, the bass player Sebastian [Steinberg], has probably got the deepest musical knowledge of anybody I’ve played with. I’ve seen him do some really incredible things on the bass, playing along to a song he’s never heard before, improvising a complete part. And then Amy [Wood], the drummer…it’s the first time she’s been on a tour bus and played at venues this size. And she’s just poignant, she’s just rocking everybody out. And she listens. It’s interesting to be in a band where the drummer isn’t really the foundation. The singer is the foundation and the drummer is more the rhythm instrument that’s listening to the singer. And it’s great. You know, with somebody like Fiona, all that stuff just works. It’s this perfect combination of personalities that makes it. We will do the same set, or something really close to it, for about a month, and it never gets boring because it’s so different from night to night.
Her relationship with drummers is…I don’t know if ‘primal’ is the word, but I’ve seen her with Matt Chamberlain, and it’s just this intuition that they have to play off each other. I’ve seen it with you, too, playing guitar parts that, like you said, don’t exist on record. Her responding to that is an amazing sight to behold.
Yeah, she’s always in it. Like last night I was cracking up, I could not keep it together. We were in San Francisco, where she took total liberty with the melody of this one song and went somewhere with it, that thinking about it, was just so shocking. Her wit is pretty quick, and that comes across in her improvisational abilities. So if she goes for something, she will go all the way for it, and it will shock you. Whether it’s melodic or just increasing the intensity, she can take it anywhere she wants and the band is respectful enough to be like, ‘OK, that’s where we are going…’ and we just follow and try to keep up; that’s the game.
Blake Mills Break Mirrors Standout Track: “It’ll All Work Out” LISTEN NOW @ PERFORMERMAG.COM Getting back to your music - I know you’ve had a record sort of floating out there for some time without an ‘official’ release. What are your future recording plans for your own work?
Only just to make another record. I probably wouldn’t put it out in the same nature as I did with the first. The first record, I never really intended to keep it any sort of secret. But I didn’t really want to start a solo career or go out and tour [behind it]. So it’s sort of one of those things that’s available, but there was never any marketing push behind it, no PR, no tour. The only physical copies that were available were at shows I was playing in L.A., or if
I was opening for someone, I was bringing them with me. But the next one I make, I know what to put in and what to leave out in order to have a record that feels natural to perform and release. The intention is to make the next record special. I hope to go in and start working on it by the end of the year, or beginning of next year. Yet again, there are so many opportunities. Like this one to play with Fiona, and there’s one to go to Cuba to make a record with somebody. And if there is some stuff down the line that comes up that’s just too good to say no to, I might decide to do it.
Would you say that you see yourself, as far as your career goes, as more of the side person and less Blake Mills the solo artist?
I don’t know, I mean, it’s a weird climate in music where they’re becoming one in the same. I think the idea for me, career-wise, is just to keep them all going. Whether it’s producing or playing guitar, going on the road…that all helps and feeds my songwriting. www.blakemillsonline.com
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CMJ2012 LIVE SHOW
Various Venues - New York City / October 16-20, 2012 review and photos by Dean Keim
The five day long party that is CMJ defines the term “rock till you drop.” 34 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
CMJ fills the countless number of live venues across the vast Big Apple with an amazing array of diversity. It’s one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country, and 2012 was to be the biggest celebration of alternative music yet. This is a selection of the best bands over the course of the deliriously wild week. On Tuesday, Day One, Brooklyn outfit Savoir Adore displayed a lush and dreamy sound that sent everyone into a spacey trance, as frontman/ guitarist Paul Hammer created slick beats as well as long distortion-heavy intros and outros, while fairy-like frontwoman Deidre Muro swooned
away within her forlorn, yet seductive parts. The English Beat founding frontman Dave Wakeling had warm charismatic glow, skanking to the classic Two Tone ska they made so influential in the early 1980s, playing too many hits to mention, and achieving more classic magic moments than any of us deserve. Blonds, with their captivating lead singer Cari Rae, bewitched with a raw punk look, but big beguiling eyes and a soulful voice. Brooklyn’s Laura Stevenson and The Cans enchanted with a classically adorable appeal, as Stevenson’s sweet smile and soft-spoken rapport with the audience acted as the catalyst for a
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Artists left to right: DIIV, Blonds, Foxygen
H
sometimes folksy and sometimes country sound, one that was always ready for the beat to drop and guitars to roar. Day Two featured a set by Paul Banks, who didn’t play anything from his former band Interpol, but the new material had the same gloomy and dark fabric, with his distinctive baritone voice and brooding demeanor. Lead singer Z Berg of another new band called the JJAMZ stunned as she sashayed the stage in a revealing white dress, evoking an early ’80s Debbie Harry. Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman Ruban Nielson, with the his guitar slung high, powered through many intricate jams, as the trio’s psychedelic songs melding together effortlessly, with epic apexes providing wonderful highpoints throughout their set. Day Three kicked off with a band called Daughter, and their softly moderated drum beats played by fuzzy bass drum kicks, further subdued by cloth-covered drum heads, undulating, bowed guitar hums and frontwoman/ bassist Elena Tonra’s tender, yet truly gripping presence. After The Walkmen came on, the audience was awash with teary-eyed sentiment and grandiose
LI IGH
GHT
An overwhelming week of the best independent music this country has to offer.
sing-alongs. Singer Hamilton Leithauser, who won the “best dressed” award in a debonair suit, wound himself up from raspy baritone moans to godly roars screamed to the sky in songs that sounded somewhere between sloshed Irish drinking shanties, sad lonely country ditties, and a raw ’80s R.E.M. Telekinesis’ drummer/singer Michael Benjamin Lerner was, much to everyone’s astonishment, joined by SNL comedian (and former hardcore punk) Fred Armisen on bass, and the trio really turned out a great set. On Day Four, The Antlers’ Peter Silberman hushed the audience with his smoothly created textures. Jillette Johnson showed off her glowing beauty and striking talent, making up for a late start because her keyboard broke by playing what she called “the wonderfully out of tune piano in the corner,” giving a hauntingly chilly tone to her deeply personal songs. Foxygen also started exceedingly late, but lead singer Sam France made up for it with their trippy appeal, featuring a classic rock ‘n’ roll swagger and bluegrass boogie. Field Mouse’s arresting vocalist/guitarist Rachel Browne injected a power and urgency that easily took the trio beyond the shoegaze
genre. Brooklyn’s DIIV, headed by Zachary Cole Smith, guitarist from Beach Fossils, incited my first mosh pit of the festival; their sound was an intense departure with extraterrestrial reverberations, warbled vocals, and rippling rhythms. On the fifth and final day, the trio Beach Day, led by spicy lead singer/bassist Natalie Smallish “from Hollyweird,” mixed a bit of the ’60s Ronettes with another Hollywood outfit Concrete Blonde. Chalk And Numbers rocked with Andrew Pierce up front, pounding away on drums and Sable Yong charming the crowd on lead vocals. The exciting Seattle trio ORCA TEAM featured frontman/bassist’s Leif Anders’ wonderfully echoed harmonic sound, driven by softly reverberated vocals and bouncy bass, like a ’60s beach party jam inside a deep water helmet. CMJ is truly a journey worth taking. You get to experience all aspects of America’s largest and most diverse city while taking in some of the finest bands in modern independent music. Just bring your best walking shoes and a boundless love of music.
www.cmj.com/marathon DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 35
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OUR PHILOSOPHY ON REVIEWS
OUR review section is a little bit different. We don’t use a numbered scale or star system, and we don’t feature music we don’t like. Instead, think of this as our top picks of the month. These are the new releases that we’re really enjoying, and that we recommend you check out. We also mix in a few of our favorite live shows, as well as books and videos from time to time.
You can listen to the music featured in this issue at performermag.com. Enjoy.
Angel Snow
“Feels like Quaaludes on a sunny afternoon”
Angel Snow
Carved out of two-thirds of the family band Smoosh, Chloe and Asy Saavedra have re-branded and matured their sultry potion of indie-rock elegance with a heavy helping of dreamy melodies and wiggle-inducing rhythms. On their debut, the sisters tactfully weave together seductive whispers, uplifting choruses and naiveté-nudging subject matter in a fashion that is guaranteed to delight. The EP’s first single, “My Hands,” is an alluring wisp of synthesizers and speckled electronic drums with a tinge of dark danciness that feels like a nightclub on the outreaches of space. A femme fatale, finger-pointing quality becomes evident amidst traded croons and bouncy choruses that claim “you think you own everybody.” Though brief, S is a soft, down-tempo journey across popscapes that coasts smoothly like a pelican over the waves, each beat solidifying the band’s charm while leaving you feeling like having just eaten Quaaludes on a sunny afternoon; wondrous and comforted.
Nashville, TN (Self-released)
“Atmospheric female-fronted folk, topped with a bold voice” Nashville transplant Angel Snow nearly abandoned songwriting; inspiration has a way with fate. Grieving the loss of her aunt, Snow crossed paths with Alison Krauss, who introduced Snow to brother Viktor Krauss. Viktor and Snow began penning songs for Alison (Paper Airplane) before starting Snow’s release. Together, Snow and Viktor produced this elegant, sophisticated and glowing self-titled LP. A lover of atmospheric songwriting, Snow wades in color washes of ebbing strings, bluesy piano chords, bright acoustic strums, and brushed, unhurried rhythms (think Nick Drake or Beth Orton). Harnessing a deeper tone than most female songwriters, Snow bares longing, bold and contemplative verses and the occasional octave reach (“Windows Open”), but retains the melodious and placid benchmark. The release paces like a meandering creek, notes falling like rich autumn leaves, strokes of vividness, where Snow’s highest marks are earned in her up-tempo strides: “Stay Away,” “Civil Things,” and “Lie Awake.” The latter song is employed by Alison Krauss; nearly indistinguishable, except for Snow’s cadence taking a deeper, brooding route, emphasizing the clear emotional tugs - the original foundation. Snow’s latest release is a harbinger of matured, autumnal songwriting and wrings with emotional conviction and radiant soul. Produced by Viktor Krauss Mixed by Jason Lehning mastered by Jim Demain at Yes Mastering www.angelsnow.net -Christopher Petro
Chaos Chaos S Brooklyn, NY (Smoosh Music)
36 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Produced by Nathan Rosenberg and Alec Springer Mastered by Dave Cooley chaoschaosmusic.com -Taylor Haag
Crushed Out Want to Give Brooklyn, NY (Cool Clear Water)
“Country fried surf rock” Comprised of Frank Hoier and Moselle Spiller (guitar and drums respectively), Crushed Out (formerly known as Boom Chick) is a surf-rock duo from the East Coast. Their latest, Want to Give, is a lighthearted affair that doesn’t disappoint. Even though considered ‘surf,’ at times you can definitely hear the East Coast influence on this record. There is a conscious emphasis on the lo-fi aesthetic with Crushed Out, but Want to Give is definitely more polished than even Best Coast’s earlier offerings (think mid-career White Stripes) and lacks the ‘noise’ influence that a lot of the garage bands lean on these days. In some ways, Want to Give’s catchier numbers are more country-tinged than ‘fuzzy.’ Legend has it this
record was originally demo’d in a barn in NH. It would be interesting to hear what those original versions sounded like, as it’d be great to hear a rawer version of these rockers. All in all, Crushed Out is a great group with a lot to offer. Produced by Frank Hoier Mixed by John Davis at The Bunker Mastered by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering www.crushedoutmusic.com -Ben Nine-K
Freddy Hall & The Best Intentions Wander Years Brooklyn, NY (Self-released)
“Innate storytelling of a genuine and heartfelt nature” It is a rare treat to hear someone being true to himself through the craft of song. A selfproclaimed “modern day troubadour,” Hall is no stranger to the limelight, having recently toured with the Broadway musicals Spring Awakening and American Idiot, and has succeeded in making a name for himself and his band in just under two years time. It is no surprise; the amount of heart and soul put into every song, in addition to the effortlessness in which Hall transcends genres serves as evidence of his maturation as an artist, along with the ability to wear his vast influences proudly on his sleeve. Take, for instance, “Who Am I?” with its bluesy Pink Floyd flavor meets the funkified jam band of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, while “The Brainwash” spins things in an entirely different direction through its ambitious showcase of a rhythm reminiscent of the Cars, complete with electronic elements galore. “Hold Love, Keep it in Your Hands” even explores the alternative country realm and could fit easily within Wilco’s vast catalogue. Just as there is humor and joy, there is also pain and sorrow, and Hall has an effective way of conveying his emotions. A true artist of the human condition, Hall embodies boundless creativity, sophistication, and charm, three elements integral to the success of a young singer/songwriter and his band. Produced by Anthony ‘Rocky’ Gallo and Freddy Hall Mastered by Kevin Blackler at Blackler Mastering Recorded at Virtue and Vice Studios in Brooklyn www.freddyhallmusic.com -Julia R. DeStefano
Amateur Hernando, MS (Self-released)
“Gutsy, down-home singer/songwriter” A strong but sweet voice, powerful lyrics, and a mixture of melodies, Garrison Starr has done it again with her seventh full-length release Amateur. A strong, Southern female artist who has been in the industry for 15 years, Starr is no newbie to the music world, but her songs bring a fresh perspective on what it means to be folk. Amateur, which is Starr’s first self-released, fan-funded work, is a 13-track journey through her own personal experiences of heartbreak and self-actualization. With lyrics that are clear, sentimental, and poignant, this album is full of classic Americana. The record has its ebb and flow, with a consistent, underlying importance. From the opener “Keep Your Head Down,” with its powerful lyrics over an unexpected dancelike melody, to the more serious, ‘get-up-and-act’ “Slow Crawl,” all the way to the end with the slower tempo questioning of “Other People’s Eyes.” Notable for its co-writers and guest artists, who include Mary Chapin Carpenter, Josh Joplin, Glen Phillips and others, this album is a brilliant example of an artist who creates with passion. Though she is not an amateur in the traditional sense, Starr is a folksy, down-home artist who creates for the love of the music. Produced by Justin Glasco and Garrison Starr Mixed by Bryan Cook at Juice Monster Studios Mastered by Hans Dekline at Sound Bites Dog www.garrisonstarr.com -Alex Lane
The Higher Concept Everybody New York, NY (Projectivity Movement)
“Skilled MCs challenge mainstream hip-hop aesthetics” From a music industry standpoint, the debut album from The Higher Concept is the epitome of independent. Everybody features original tracks written and produced by the group and released on their own record label. Yet one listen is likely to send most hip-hop purists running for the hills. The album is permeated throughout by the aesthetic of commercial pop music. THC’s three MCs spit over pop-rock instrumentals, their verses punctuated by smooth melodic hooks occasionally belted out by female voices. The effect is driven home by a production style that
unleashes the full force of the digital music arsenal, from master-track filters to pitch correction on vocals. However, THC executes these elements with nearly flawless consistency, defying those who would write them off as merely another group bypassing artistic integrity in a bid for mainstream success. Their verses are unique, positive, and inspirational, delivered by skilled MCs whose voices and styles complement each other well. The production stands up convincingly next to anything on commercial radio, yet the songs break the mold of the newest incarnation of homogenized popular music. Weather you like it or not, Everybody will challenge you to reconsider what it means to be independent.
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Garrison Starr
Produced by J. Glaze www.thehigherconcept.com -Eric Wolff
Krussia Diagonal Russia via NYC (A Step Ahead Music)
“Satirical, sonically-dense Russian hip-hop” “I think we all roam through our individual life-ocean, fighting conflicts which are like waves,” Krussia typed over Facebook after sending me the video for “Waif,” the single off of his new album Diagonal. “They either drown you,” the MC continued, “or you ride them. Within the process you transform into something else.” In the video, a ragged Krussia tosses about below-deck on a ship, amidst bottles of liquor, fish carcasses, and dark green slime - like a stray barrel of ale left behind from the ship’s last sail. “Waif” introduces Krussia as he sees himself, and Diagonal opens with it. Estranged English words and phrases slip their way into the MC’s overwhelmingly Slavic verses. Krussia plays the bilingual card as an afterthought half the time, and a joke the other half, which reinforces the enigmatic, hardhitting sounds of the Russian language when put to hip-hop. The album isn’t afraid of live instrumentation. Opening tracks “Waif” and “Diagonal” lead loud, riffing electric guitars into heavy synths, with eerie samples pulled into the background, building a wall of noise that surrounds a more typical hip-hop drum beat in the back. In ”Rippin in NY” feat. C-Rayz Walz, the album returns to that classic hip-hop sound. The beat is bumping, and the song plays lightheartedly on the MC rippin’ it up as an outsider in the Big City. Other standout tracks are “See Tomorrow” feat. Alto and “A Round Corner.” Produced by Alexander “Krussia” Kalnev and
Andrew “Tripmastaz” Guycoronsky Mixed by Eric Hays at Heavy Roc Studios, New York Mastered by Greg Dubuis at Studio Duglon, Switzerland www.krussia.com -Amanda Macchia
Mister Loveless Grow Up Walnut Creek, CA (Shady Glen Records)
“Ferocious roots-indie-rock with more hooks than a tackle box” Oakland-via-Walnut Creek’s Mister Loveless has played together since 2003. Their first full-length LP in six years matures the novice high school laurels (where they met) into an inspired monolith. Ironically titled, Grow Up is a refreshing return-to-days of carefree, chunky electric guitars, battering post-punk percussion and bowing vocals. Nodding to the Futureheads and Henry Clay People, while singer Rob Miller aims yesteryear, where emotional juts are hung with unapologetic shredding (thanks for that, Morrissey). “Punk Like Me” exemplifies what many rock bands spend a career attempting to balance: simplicity, forcefulness and listenability. It’s catchy as hell, anthemic and kisses with a DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 37
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fist, Miller wailing, “Wait, wait, wait, did you hear the news? / Or are you to busy being born to lose?” The song is a manifesto, especially for anyone who had a punk stage. Another gem, “Wild Summer” boils with layer upon layer of electric guitars and speaker interplay, one riff bouncing to another, Miller’s voice bending above the grit with conversational and swelling arches. Mister Loveless has been together for nearly ten years; an album this hard-earned deserves all the attention it can get, unquestionably one of the best indie rock albums of the 2012. [editor’s note – the CD comes with a rad poster, too.]
songwriter. The lyrical messages throughout the record are impeccable, the words of a true poet happily at work. Produced by Todd Sickafoose Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music www.nelsandrews.com -Shawn M. Haney
Pollens Brighten & Break Seattle, WA (Tapete Records)
Engineered, Recorded and Mixed at Shady Glen Records by Duane M. Ramos Mastered by Stephen Marsh Produced by Duane M. Ramos and Mister Loveless www.misterloveless.com -Christopher Petro
Nels Andrews Scrimshaw Brooklyn, NY (Self-released)
“Poet master tackles youth and innocence on songwriter’s epic” Opening with “Tridents,” Brooklyn-based songwriter Nels Andrews begins a reflective, endearing journey for his listeners on his fresh new release, Scrimshaw. This track and many others feature beautifully orchestrated Nashville-like guitars, lavish percussion and alluring bass riffs, colorful and impressionistic. The instrumentation brings out the best of Andrews’ glorious, honeydrenched vocal tone, giving the recording a stable, strong backbone of melodic layering. The nine songs are dripping with delightful musical textures and blissful colors, a rain shower of emotion, with lyrics that tackle youth, innocence, love and loss. The tunes have precision in form, as this seasoned group of mature musicians are truly genuine in their approach, delivering songs in slow, melancholy tempos that allure the listener into reflecting on their lives as the somber, ambient moods of fall and winter soon begin. “Starboard” contains beautifully decorated chiming guitars and lush string synths, as Andrews sings, “Horses on the carousel, we see you’re sinking in the wishing well.” Andrews sings of “rhyming couplets,” “foreign tongues” and “love that isn’t really fair” in “Barroom Bards,” a glorious tune of “poet in exile,” bleeding with gorgeous melodies, lyrics and mandolins. One can’t give enough praiseworthy adjectives to describe such a fine work for a
“Indie-pop melodies, fusing funk and world beats” Seattle has been a musical Mecca of sorts for decades. Home to the garage-spun grunge and darker musings on life, it’s been a mysterious and haunting place of inspiration for many musicians. Pollens’ latest release, Brighten & Break goes against this image with a poppy and energy-filled creation. The six-piece band blends layers of vocals with building harmonies and an eccentric array of instruments to create something complex, yet naturally flowing. Each track offers something different. “Helping Hand” begins simply - cooing backing vocals behind Hanna Benn’s beautiful voice. However, as time ticks by, it builds to an explosive finale with steady electronic notes, cowbells and a pulsating snare drum. “Motion King” takes a more traditional approach to composition. Benn’s vocals are paired with those of Jeff Aaron Bryant and set to an indiepop melody that fuses funk and synths. Taking a drastic departure is “Without Their Hands,” driven by kendang drums and guitars and “Power,” which fuses African rhythms with folk-pop foundations. The unforeseeable twists in the album’s progression are part this band’s knack for creating something out of pretty much anything. Brighten & Break is a global journey both graceful and edgy, one that demonstrates Pollens’ strength as both artists and musicians. It is baffling at times, but also intoxicating. Produced by Charlie Smith www.pollensmusic.com -Vanessa Bennett
P.O.S. We Don’t Even Live Here Minneapolis, MN (Rhymesayers)
“Middle finger funk” Doomtree’s P.O.S. sits comfortably at the forefront of underground hip-hop, wearing a studded denim vest covered in Black Flag patches
and casually sipping from a Molotov cocktail. We Don’t Even Live Here combines swagger and social commentary into a nonstop flow of images and ideas - party rocking anthems that purvey a sense of hope through community, while bemoaning the state of our lives. P.O.S. has never been in better lyrical form, not afraid to tell you exactly what’s on his mind at this exact moment, how he feels about it, and what it means to the rest us. He rhymes with a confident sense of urgency, as if the world can’t wait to hear what he has to say. At once boastful and vulnerable, his words dance over quality beats from the Doomtree collective, from the intense punk-drum build of opening track “Bumper” to the electro-dance of “Get Down,” the album pumps powerfully. We Don’t Even Live Here showcases P.O.S. in his element, able to incite a riot of self-reflection, searching his soul through the arson of the culture that surrounds him. [editor’s note – As of press time, P.O.S. has been forced to cancel his upcoming tour as he is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Our thoughts are with him and his family during this time.] Produced by Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter, Mike Mictlan, Sims, P.O.S., and Andrew Dawson Mixed by Andrew Dawson www.rhymesayers.com/pos -Garrett Frierson
Rival Sons Head Down Long Beach, CA (Earache Records)
“Break out the black light” If Rival Sons were around when Jet and The Strokes were waving the Garage Revival banner, they would’ve shot to stardom. “Keep On Swinging” and “You Want To” are amped-up numbers that bring to mind Led Zep’s hard rock riffage along with The MC5’s unhinged abrasiveness. Alternatively “Wild Animal” and “Until The Sun Comes” feature higher vocals reminiscent of ’60s staples The Mamas & The Papas or The Zombies. “Run From Revolution” features bluesy simplicity that reminds one of The Black Keys’ early noodlings. These varying degrees of rock ‘n’ roll work well for Rival Sons, as they aren’t bogged down in one stereotype, but at times they reach a bit too far. “Jordan” sounds like a watered-down Joe Cocker while “All The Way” is a confused combo of a “Some Kind Of Wonderful” rolling drum beat and George Thorogood’s storytelling style. Head Down takes a psychedelic turn on “Manifest Destiny Pt. 1” and veers into a jam session for the song’s sequel, and closer “True” is a soft, soothing lullaby - a complete 180 from all hard hitters. Many may write off Rival Sons as another continued on 43
38 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
TOP PICKS
LIVE SHOW
A3C HIP-HOP FESTIVAL
Atlanta, GA / October 11-13, 2012
review and photo by Amanda Macchia
HIG
Artist: Dr. Rum Between battles and business, film and fashion, hip-hop had Atlanta on fire this past October at the annual A3C Hip-Hop Festival. One t-shirt said it all, “Music Chicks Kush & Kicks.” Indeed, the air was lit with wiffs of piff and colorful flygirls, all there for the love of that thing we call hip-hop. A3C is a 2-day, 3-night hip-hop festival, and is the largest event of its kind in the Southeastern United States. The festival draws in over 15,000 people annually, and is a networking hotspot for MCs, DJs, producers, and industry executives. In addition to a multi-stage schedule of live music, A3C hosts multiple battles (producer, DJ, and b-boy), as well as panel discussions, equipment demonstrations, live art, film screenings, and proaudio workshops. This year the jam was global. From Spain to Singapore, hip-hoppers came to ATL to get down on stage and rub shoulders with everyone from Uncle Herm (J Dilla’s uncle and founder of The J. Dilla Project) to the legendary Kelvin Mercer of De La Soul. One showcase in particular was all about this international phenomenon - Friday’s Planet Hip-Hop. Put on by online magazine World Hip Hop Market and PR firm The Bloom Effect, Planet Hip Hop’s roster included artists from the Netherlands, Singapore, Barbados, Mexico, and Panama. Beside an unfortunate hour-long lag in activity due to technical issues, the showcase was on point. DJ Fourth Wurld from Atlanta dropped the breaks all night, and the stage was blessed to be led by Atlanta’s legendary host, Fort Knox, who kept people’s energies buzzing despite the
lengthy pause in rhymes. At one point Brooklyn’s Adrienne Mack-Davis, who was in the audience with manager Felecia Cruz of feleciacruz. com, took the stage to fill in time. Surprising The Masquerade’s Jakprints Stage with her powerhouse voice and down-to-earth, take-me-in vibe, the heartwarming vocalist stepped down off the stage to rock with the crowd on the real. The highlight of the evening was youthful power duo Los Rakas, reppin’ Panama via Oakland. Whether they’re rapping in Spanish or in English, the pair’s Latin-infused rhythms combine dancehall and reggaeton with the pounding, Bay Area hyphy style of hip-hop. The name Los Rakas comes from the word “Rakata,” which in Panama is used to refer negatively to someone from the hood. The pair re-appropriated the name as if to exclaim, proudly, “This is who we are and only we determine our paths in life.” Cousins DunDun and Rico have used their bilingual flow to crack through the stubborn surface of North American hip-hop audiences. High-energy, quick-witted, full of soul, and built to spill over onto the crowd, Los Rakas’ live show is internationally raka-able. “Yo si soy,” they shout, Rico pointing the mic at the crowd, “RAKA!” the room answers back. At a Los Rakas show, we are all Raka-proud. Somos todos Los Rakas. Other artists like Oddisee, Freeway, One Be Lo, GZA, Prodigy, Raekwon, Tech N9ne, and Slum Village deserve shouts, as they made this year’s festival a gem in it’s own. Yet - one moment in particular stands out.
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Saturday night at the Guitar Center Stage in The Masquerade, was the B.L.A.P. producer showcase, put on by !llmind and powered by Native Instruments. In a line, among others, was Statik Selektah, Apollo Brown, !llmind, and Just Blaze. The room was packed with many of the weekend’s guests and performers, sipping on cups and ciphering over the beats being dropped. It felt like the homies’ hangout, with love&light vibes to go around. Just Blaze blasted off hit after hit - which might have been a little unfair because the list of songs he produced includes “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Jay-Z, Joe Budden’s “Pump It Up,” Eminem’s “No Love,” and “Live Your Life” by T.I. - but was too dope not to enjoy. When it came down to it, though, the beatmakers who got the most volume out of the crowd beside Just Blaze were Mellow Music Group’s Apollo Brown and rising star !llmind. The point of the performance was to determine how a party would respond to each producer’s beat, so the goal was to keep the crowd rocking. If that’s the case, then Apollo Brown and !llmind most certainly killed it. Blap, BLAP!
International flavor, gear demos and
killer MCs at every turn.
www.a3cfestival.com
DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 39
TOP PICKS
San Francisco, CA
LIVE SHOW
October 13-14, 2012
TREASURE ISLAND
Artist: The Coup
M U S I C F E S T I VA L review and photos by Miikka Skaffari As the summer festival season draws to a close, it is only suitable that San Francisco stashed the last few sunny days for the Treasure Island Music Festival. The event was held in Treasure Island in San Francisco on Oct. 13-14. Treasure Island is a man-made island between San Francisco and Oakland. It was built to house an airport and later put to military use. There is a long-standing debate on what should be done with the land that nowadays houses some 3,000 people but is mostly covered with de-commissioned military barracks and other abandoned buildings. The festival was arranged on a lawn 40 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
overlooking the beautiful San Francisco skyline. Being as eccentric as San Francisco itself, the island was the perfect backdrop for the festival that felt very San Franciscan, with a diverse collection of performers on two stages plus a very fun Porch Stage and a weirdly wonderful Silent Disco. The festival was split over two days in a way that made Saturday the party and Sunday easier for the “morning after” crowd. Saturday started with local favorites Dirty Ghosts, who immediately cashed all the promises that have been written about them. A light, groovy and somewhat Patti Smith-esque delivery put the audience
in the right mood for the rest of the festival. The day just got better with feel good rap by K.Flay followed by another local group The Coup. The Coup took the bigger stage with energetic swagger they are known for. The odd one out for the day was Public Enemy, who don’t need any introduction and who electrified the audience before the DJs took over for the rest of the evening. AraabMuzik and SBTRKT made sure that everybody danced the night away. Imperial Teen and Hospitality kicked off the easier and quirkier Sunday. There were plenty of blankets on the lawn between the two main
TOP PICKS HIG stages where groups of friends spent the whole day listening to the amazing musical offering and enjoying each other’s company. Highlights for the day were The War On Drugs, whose American storytelling pop was like an homage to times and performers of old, Joanna Newsom with her beautiful voice and amazing skills on the harp, audience favorites Best Coast who left nobody cold with their modern take on surf pop and Gossip, whose sexy, provocative and danceable tunes made the audience sing along until their hearts were content. The festival showcased a wide variety of
new and more established talent. Just as San Francisco is a melting pot for people from different backgrounds, Treasure Island is a melting pot for different kinds of music. The festival is arranged by Noise Pop, who are known for their own annual Noise Pop Festival, and Another Planet Entertainment, who arrange the Outside Lands Festival as well as hundreds of concerts in and around the Bay Area. With their combined experience and contacts, it’s no surprise that the festival keeps getting better each year.
www.treasureislandfestival.com
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Two days
On this page (clockwise):
of surf-pop,
Public Enemy,
hip-hop and
K.Flay,
amazing
Dirty Ghosts
San Francisco skylines. DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 41
VINYL OF THE MONTH
TOP PICKS
She Does Is Magic My Height In Heels Bloomington, IN (Flannelgraph Records)
“Sparkling guitars, pop sensibilities and Midwestern charm” Straight outta Bloomington, we get the new LP from Chad Serhal’s jangly indie-pop collective, She Does Is Magic. Grammatical errors aside, things kick off in a haze of VHS or Betalike atmosphere: swirling soundscapes, clean electric guitar lines and light drums accentuating the very essence of the Midwest. The spinning purple vinyl is hypotonic, as are the rest of the pop-infused bursts on the record. There are clear melodies here, to be sure, especially on tracks like “The Way.” The real strength of the album, though, is in the mood it sets; the opening textures of “We Got Somethin’” just feel like a drive on a lonely stretch of highway. A cool combination of The 42 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Smiths and R.E.M. instrumentally, Serhal takes vocal cues from the likes of…well, that’s the thing. You know there are influences there, but unlike most contemporary indie rock bands who wear their heroes on their sleeves, Serhal seems to have taken the best of his idols and blended them into a wonderfully unique timbre. The bottom line is simple: you’re gonna dig She Does Is Magic, and you’re gonna want this piece of vinyl in your collection. They’re different, they have a cohesive sound, and there’s a certain all-American charm waiting to be discovered in the grooves of this record. Seek out a copy while it’s still in print. - Benjamin Ricci
Size: 12-inch Speed: 33 1/3 RPM Color: Purple Marble Swirl Produced by Chad Serhal Mixed and Mastered by Mike Bridavski at Russian Recording Executive Produced by Jared Cheek shedoesismagic.bandcamp.com photo by Jared Cheek
retrofied copycat, but detractors should jam Head Down in its entirety before passing judgment, ’cause this record rocks. Produced by Dave Cobb Mixed By Vance Powell Recorded at Honey Pye Studios, Nashville, TN Mastered by Pete Lyman www.rivalsons.com -Joshua Bottomley
Sweet Talk Radio
handclaps, and subtle percussion. “Fly Away” is the most straightforward folkrock track, but still with heavy orchestral and piano accompaniment. The most charming track might be “Rosemarie,” featuring only voice and orchestral accompaniment combined with the lyrical imagery of confetti, balloons, apartments in SOHO, and pink champagne. “Dance With Me” is a film-worthy, slow dance number with just ukulele, piano, and a snare played with brushes. Shorr and Burlingame revel in the sugary sweet simplicity of newfound love and the “boy meets girl” narrative, crafting an album as sweet as their name. Mixed by Eric Robinson
State Of The Union
Mastered by Evren Goknar at Capitol Mastering
Los Angeles, CA
www.sweettalkradio.com
(Twopop Music)
-Elisabeth Wilson
Tensor
“Lovey-dovey husband and wife folk-pop”
old school hardcore on their Band in Nashville EP. Granted, hardcore punk really doesn’t have a whole lot of new ground to break. When a genre’s goals largely begin and end with “fastest” and “hardest,” there’s a fundamental sonic ceiling. You can’t really go fastest-er and hardest-er. But if punk were to care about silly things like grammar in the first place, it just wouldn’t be punk anyway now would it? The way in which Tensor works within these genre limitations, though, is exactly what makes the EP work. There’s a skill and musicianship to Tensor’s songs uncommon in the majority of hardcore punk. From Hüsker Dü and ska punk riffs in “Gotta Get Off” to bass solos in “NOHO Fattie” and Johnny Rotten sneering on the title track, Tensor is a more deeply layered outfit. Sure, there is speed and intensity for speed and intensity’s sake, but there are also enough twists and turns to distinguish Band in Nashville from the hardcore pack.
TOP PICKS
Rival Sons (continued)
tensor.bandcamp.com
Sweet Talk Radio is the husband and wife team of Kathrin Shorr and Tim Burlingame. Shorr and Burlingame share vocal duties, with Shorr’s songs being predominantly orchestral or played on a Rhodes piano. Burlingame’s songs are usually accompanied by acoustic guitar. Opening track “Breaking My Own Heart” begins with a soft organ with vibrato and the tapping of a tambourine. Shorr’s voice is emotional and slightly raspy, in the vein of Norah Jones. “I Love You Still” is a little livelier, featuring the tinkling of a xylophone,
Band in Nashville Boston, MA (Self-released)
“Pogo like it’s 1988” Seeing as it’s no longer, you know, the Reagan administration, just where does that leave a hardcore punk band in 2012? It apparently leaves Tensor partying like it’s 1988, with a strong set of
-Ari Goldberg continued on 44
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LIVE SHOW
DIEGO GARCIA
Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA October 8, 2012 review and photo by Gail Fountain
HIG “This is our first show in Atlanta,” announced beautiful, suave, quirky Diego Garcia, former singer of New York indie band Elefant. Garcia’s immensely talented band mates, Danny Bensi on cello and Zeke Zima on Spanish guitar, helped him open the show for Italian superstar Jovanotti’s U.S. tour. Garcia presented nearly his entire album’s material, singing stories of love, loss, and second chances in his full-bodied tenor voice while playing an acoustic Gibson guitar. The trio began their serenade of the mostly
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Argentinean roots, swooning vocals and acoustic tenderness.
Hispanic audience with “You Were Never There,” then moved into “Separate Lives.” As Garcia took breaks between songs, he wove his tale deeply, adding a cover of the Ray Davies’ penned song “This Strange Effect” as an element. During “Roses and Wine,” Bensi’s cello was showcased prominently as Garcia crouched beside him. “Stay” featured Zima’s guitar part as Bensi providing percussive bits on cello. The danceable, upbeat “Under This Spell” preceded “Laura,” a song named for Garcia’s wife. He said, “This song
is about the girl who broke my heart, but I got lucky. She came back.” During the closing song “In My Heart,” Garcia wore his guitar high on his chest as Bensi provided perfect vocal harmonies. Garcia’s friendly side showed when he commented during the set, “After this show we’d like to meet as many of you as possible.” He did just that, personalizing autographs for everyone who bought a CD.
www.facebook.com/diegogarciamusic DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 43
TOP PICKS
Weinland Los Processaur Portland, OR (Woodphone/Jealous Butcher)
“Infectious, brooding indie-folk lullabies” Portland’s much-beloved indie/alternative group Weinland creates a graceful, melodic and highly listenable new record, Los Processaur, a collection of amiable, feel-good songs. Beginning with “Bones Cracking In,” this group really knows how to craft likeable songs one can’t help but sing along to. Poetic and full of instrumental color and texture, the tracks are complete with reverb-laced guitars, charming piano and metaphor-drenched harmonies. The five-piece outfit features frontman Adam Shearer, who delivers on target exultant vocals in short melodies like “Holy Rose” and “Another Dollar Rainy Day.” Much of the material echoes Neil Young and Elliott Smith in resounding, haunting fashion. “Saints and Sinners” contains a pulse of appealing percussion, an opulent acoustic groove and a brilliant piano riff that adds buoyancy to the track. Shearer’s vocals shine here, helping make this catchy melody a highlight recording. Immediately gratifying and infectious, this
LIVE SHOW
collection displays the band’s enthusiasm, musical prowess and personality. As heard on the closing track “The Eagle,” Weinland’s up-tempo romp of joyful mayhem brings about the magic theme of love, as one encounters how much fun this band had in their studio recordings. A promising act in the Portland area, they certainly have paved the way to a bright future, as their music shines with confidence and character, a band wise beyond their years. A glorious collection of riveting music that stretches the fabric of folk lullabies, bringing their vision to the indie/alternative world, Weinland delivers a magical gem here with this fine effort. Recorded and Mixed by Adam Selzer www.weinlandmusic.com -Shawn M. Haney
The Winter Sounds
from becoming a truly colossal force. They’ve done 500 shows in the last five years and are about to release another full-length album, Runner. Fronted by Patrick Keenan, the band creates a sound that is many things – fun, energetic, sunny, yet mysterious and complex. Runner embodies all of these adjectives. From the first powerful chord of “The Sun Also Rises” to the final haunting lyrics on “Carousel,” the album explodes in a frantic manner. Moments of ’80s pop are mashed with pop-punk melodies on “Bird on Fire” and “Young Love” resonates like a lost ballad through contemporary electro-pop compositions. The Winter Sounds are no strangers to experimenting with sound. They blend every genre to churn out something that morphs between each track. Runner is an album of musical growth and of personal struggle and triumph. Produced and Mixed by Derek Garten Engineered by Scott Solter
Runner
Mastered by Kevin N ix at L Nix Mastering
Nashville, TN
www.thewintersounds.com
(New Granada Records)
-Vanessa Bennet
“Addictive indie-pop with swooning guitars and twangy country musings” Nashville, the country music capital of the U.S. of A., isn’t often known for its indie pop scene; however, that hasn’t stopped The Winter Sounds
The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA - October 17, 2012
HIG
review and photo by Shawn M. Haney
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Psychedelic garage rock, howling vocals and the mesmerizing sounds of fall.
BLACKFOOT GYPSIES, DEAD RABBITS, BRAIN The spirit of fall’s music scene on famed Ponce de Leon was in full swing. Local group Brain took the stage first, a little after 9:40, delivering a set of fervent indie/ surf rock anthems. Frontman Jack Lindsey lit up the stage with stunning vocals, both spellbinding and compelling. This six-piece arsenal of musicianship was made up of two reverb and delay-laced guitars, exhilarating bass, lush keys and glittering drums that fed off each other, with superb, well-orchestrated arrangements and booming choruses. Brain’s message and vision as a group was dazzling, with echoes of early Led Zeppelin, Black 44 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Sabbath and the Germany’s Feeding Fingers. Dead Rabbits, an Atlanta-based two-piece psychedelic garage band of the blues variety came on next at 10:35 and produced a sweltering set of highly-charged, impeccable blues, complete with appealing choruses, enthralling guitar riffs, and expansive drums rolls. Much like Jack White and Plain White T’s, the boldness of the vocals were pleasantly done, accompanied by rich, fuzzy sustain-drenched guitars. Finally, the headliner graced the stage at 11:15 for an hour of great American rock. Nashville’s own Blackfoot Gypsies delivered some incredible songs for a duet that featured slide guitar, shades
of Jimmy Page and remarkable drums in support. A tour de force, the Gypsies celebrated the night promoting their new vinyl release, On the Loose. The Gypsies have received much acclaim for their brand of bluesy, Woodstock-era rock, with shades of Skynyrd and Zeppelin. Their tight chemistry and howling vocals were completely mesmerizing, as the group pushed the envelope, eager to captivate with new sounds and rhythms.
facebook.com/blackfootgypsies deadrabbits.bandcamp.com brainmusicatl.bandcamp.com
CINCYPUNK FEST XI
TOP PICKS
LIVE SHOW
EDITOR’S PICKS
Newport, KY - The Southgate House October 12-13, 2012
Whiskee Last Summer Ever
by Lucy Fernandes photo by Rick Carroll
Boston, MA Genre: Indie Rock
Artist: Mala In Se The legendary Southgate House music venue, their audience, grooving into an upbeat set of shuttered at its previous location on December 31, ska/reggae/dub, complete with trumpet, saxo2011 due to familial legal wrangling, was forced phone, and trombone. Mad Anthony came on after that, playing their to find a new location after its previous manager, blend of unadulterated garage punk. Ross Raleigh, relinquished his share They were definitely one of Friday of the old building. After many night’s favorites, and later on I noticed months of searching, a former church that an ardent fan of theirs had “broonly a few blocks away provided the T GH HLI ken the cherry” of the new, spotless welcome replacement. Extensive G I H bathroom wall with a scrawl and some construction work was needed to lipstick kisses to the group. ready the place, and the scheduled On Saturday, Wonky Tonk opening weekend was delayed due to Re-opening of a put on an amusing, country-kitsch some last minute building code probperformance. Lead singer Jasmine lems. Those remedied, the annual CincyPunk Fest became the first local venue, punk Poole looked the part, all dressed up in a short white thrift-store gown event in the new digs. This was the with feathers at the collar, and sport11th incarnation of the charity event in abundance, ing cowboy boots. Her distinctive, organized by local music enthusiast slightly woozy vocals were the perAdam Rosing. More than 30 bands and Cincy fect accompaniment to the lyrics and played over the two-night span. music. Still, one of the three planned togetherness. Justin WW & Even Tiles’ set stages wasn’t quite ready on Friday, was a bit more difficult to define, but and the groups who were scheduled there needed to share the main stage in the captivating nonetheless. Offering a mixture of “Sanctuary” room instead; one band playing on haunting, sometimes ephemeral melodies, this one side of the large stage while the next one set up group of friends evoked a dreamy atmosphere. Two Cow Garage was a pleasant surprise. on the other side. It was a bit confusing about who was playing when, but by Saturday the logistics of The vocals, sung in a raspy, weathered voice by set times were all worked out. The place smelled Micah Schnabel, perfectly matched the bleak, like the lumber section at Home Depot, but the down home lyrics, but this band can rock pretty crowds were sizable and enthusiastic both nights. hard, too. Good songwriting. It was great to witness the Southgate House Particularly riveting were Mala In Se, an intense, often discordant, three-piece group Revival’s welcome re-entry into the Cincinnati featuring strong machine-gun like drum- music scene. Many more memories will be made in ming, scorching guitar, and guttural wailing. its new location, and the locals couldn’t be prouder Unfortunately, the vocal mics were inaudible for to have it back. their set, whether by design or technical glitch. cincypunkfest.com The Pinstripes followed and energized
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LISTEN TO MUSIC FROM THIS ISSUE @PERFORMERMAG.COM
Joshua James From The Top of Willamette Mountain Provo, UT Genre: Folk
Tyler Boone Changing Pace Charleston, SC Genre: Singer/Songwriter
163 Massachusetts Ave. (across from Berklee, next door to Daddy’s Music)
DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 45
LICEN S I N G
An Interview with Co-Founder Matt Siegel
License Your Music with Indaba Sync by Michael St. James
partners in different industries and asked them what they needed. Time and again, they said, ‘Quality and quick turnarounds.’ What makes us different is that we curate our catalog. That means real musicians listen to and evaluate all uploaded music; if it’s not up to spec, we’ll let the artists know and hopefully they can get us better stuff next time. For those who are great, we have even more opportunities.
Sounds like you’ve received positive industry response. Tell us about how that process works. Do you mostly get inbound requests, or do you go out and pitch the catalog?
A little of both, although now that we have launched SynchStage (a video comp suite for auditioning music on the fly), supervisors are really digging through our catalog, and requests are picking up fast. We’ve also had success with playlists that specifically address holidays or particular kind of placements. It’s all about making it easy for everyone involved.
Everyone always wants to know how much money they can make off licensing. Any ranges you’d like to share?
Ah, yes. I knew that was coming. We focus on national placements, although in some cases, a web use license comes up, but the majority are big ones with companies like Sony, OnStar, or HBO. So, the range is about $500 on the low-end to around $15,000.
Let’s do a
licensing.
Thankfully, there are some experts who do this for a living and are here to make the business easier, so you can keep on making great music. We got a chance to talk to Matt Siegel, co-founder of Indaba Music, which is launching a new portal site called Indaba Sync dedicated to making it easy to license your music.
First rule:
Give us the elevator pitch for Indaba Sync.
What you are actually doing is licensing certain usage rights attached to a given composition, which consists of the underlying words and music and the sound recording. There are many rights within compositions (grand rights for musicals, etc.), but for this discussion, these are the ones you need to know. ‘Sync’ is short for the synchronization rights of a composition with a moving visual image. It is often used as a shorthand phrase for what is actually a “Master/Sync” agreement, whereby an entity licenses the use of your music for a production. The Master Use right is for the recording itself, typically owned by the record company; in most cases this is the person or company who paid for the recording. The Sync is the underlying words and music, typically owned by the publisher; in most cases, it is the person(s) who wrote the song. Don’t worry if that all sounded like gobbledygook; you are not alone - it’s complicated stuff.
quick review of music
NEVER sell your music, license it.
46 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Indaba Sync is a platform for our 700,000+ artists to have an opportunity to license their music in ads, television, movies, and so on. Artists upload their music, our group of expert curators get to work on deciding which ones make our catalog, and then match those songs with requests coming in. It’s non-exclusive, and we share 50/50 in the licensing revenue.
There’s a lot of competition in music licensing lately. What sets Indaba Sync apart from production or stock music houses?
Our artist community is just phenomenal; that’s our secret weapon. Indaba has been doing amazing ‘opportunity’ offers since 2007, and so we have deep experience in finding great music. Licensing music from a major label takes too long and gets very expensive, and stock libraries usually don’t have the authenticity that broadcast demands. So, we reached out to some
How about some tips on how to best participate in Indaba Sync?
First, you need high quality recordings, that means you need have .wav files and ideally, separated instrumental tracks. We have requests for all types of music, so don’t let genre stop you. Second, make sure that all of the meta-data is correct - that is crucial for being found in searches. Lastly, get involved in the Indaba Music community. Upload and participate in our various opportunities. That will get you noticed for syncs, and lead to greater opportunities. An example of that: Linkin Park worked with us recently and the band personally listened to every single song submitted, and even sent personal responses. The winner of that contest not only got their song used, but is also now collaborating with the band. So, the best thing you can do is get involved with the Indaba Music community. Like anything, you will get out of it what you put in.
-Michael St. James is the founder and creative director of St. James Media, specializing in music licensing, publishing, production and artist development.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO GET STARTED, VISIT INDABASYNC.COM
Can the Music Industry End Infringement? PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING HAS ALLOWED COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT to become so commonplace that enforcement of the law is nearly impossible. Lawmakers and the recording industry have tried several methods to enforce the law (multimillion dollar suits against individual users, SOPA, PIPA, etc), but all have failed in their estimated outcome. The Copyright Alert System is the newest brought not by lawmakers, but by the industry. As a content creator, copyright holder, and music consumer, this system could be relevant to your bottom line. Here’s what you should know:
WHAT IS IT? The “Copyright Alert System” will monitor peer-to-peer file sharing services for copyright infringement and educate users who are participating - knowingly or unknowingly - in infringing activities. A system will monitor networks, collect IP addresses where suspected infringement is occurring and submit the addresses to Internet Service Providers who will issue “alerts” to the infringer. Because IP addresses are easily identifiable (and are likely to present themselves during file sharing), it is a relatively easy practice to monitor. WHY WAS IT ESTABLISHED? Effective laws and regulations promote or discourage certain behaviors, often instilling penalties of jail time or money damages for violations. The United States copyright laws, which promote creation of the arts through protection of content, provide statutory damages (up to $150,000) and jail time (in rare circumstances) for those who infringe upon copyrighted work. However, these laws have been relatively ineffective in monitoring the Wild West of the web; therefore, the industry (along with tech companies) has taken it upon itself to create a solution. The Copyright Alert System differs from SOPA and PIPA and other anti-piracy proposals in that it is not a legislative solution to copyright infringement. CAS was launched by the Center for Copyright Information and includes participation by many of the Internet’s largest companies, including AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon. A “Memorandum of Understanding” was entered into between the participants (essentially, a rule book that everyone has agreed to), which lays the foundation for creating the CAS:
“A reasonable, alert-based approach may help to protect legal rights granted by copyright and stem the unlawful distribution of copyrighted works, while providing education, privacy protection, fair warning and an opportunity for review that protects the lawful interests of consumers. The efficiencies gained from such a cooperative model may benefit all interested parties, including consumers.” HOW DOES IT WORK? The CAS provides a less punitive, more educational system that hopes to deter and educate casual infringers from how they use copyrighted materials. The Center for Copyright Information provides a general overview for how the program will work: “Content owners (represented by MPAA and RIAA) will notify a participating ISP when they believe their copyrights are being misused online by a specific computer (identified by its IP address which indicates the connection to the Internet). The ISP will determine which of its subscriber accounts was allocated by the specified IP address at the applicable date and time and then send an alert to the subscriber whose account has been identified.” THERE ARE SIX ALERTS that a potential infringer could be served with: Alert #1: The subscriber will be notified by the ISP that their account may have been involved in copyright infringement. The message will direct the subscriber to educational resources to help check their computer/network security, provide steps to avoid further infringement, and give sites for legal sources of media content.
Alert #3: If the illegal activity continues, the subscriber will be provided with a message requiring the user to acknowledge receipt, designed to confirm the subscriber’s awareness of the infringement alert and prior educational alerts.
LEGAL PAD
COPYRIGHT ALERT SYSTEM
Alert #2: If the subscriber continues to infringe after the first alert, they will receive another alert detailing their use and providing education on infringement.
Alert #4: Like the prior alert, if the subscriber’s account again appears to have been used for copyright infringement, the subscriber will be provided with a message requiring the user to acknowledge receipt. Alert #5: If a subscriber continues to share or download copyrighted materials, the ISP has several steps available to prevent future copyright infringement, called “Mitigation Measures.” This is where subscribers may actually care, because such measure may include: reductions of Internet speeds or redirection to a landing page until the subscriber contacts the ISP. Alert #6: If the subscriber’s infringement persists, the ISP will send another alert and may implement another Mitigation Measure. HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU? Education is key to understanding copyright infringement. To that end, the Copyright Alert System is a laudable effort in providing users with tools to understand infringement. However, the system provides no actual penalty to continued infringement. There have been rumors that the ISPs may eliminate service altogether for repeat file-sharing offenders, however nowhere in the plan do they directly call for such drastic measures.
For more information, visit WWW.COPYRIGHTINFORMATION.ORG
Adam Barnosky is a Boston-based attorney and writer. For music industry news, entertainment law updates, or to suggest an upcoming Legal Pad topic, find him on Twitter @adambarnosky. Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is general legal information only. Consult your attorney for all specific considerations.
DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 47
STUDIO DIARY
IN THE STUDIO WITH HEY NOW, MORRIS FADER’S BROOKS MILGATE
No Synths Allowed! Recording Authentic, Piano-Based Rock.
ALBUM INFO BAND: Hey Now, Morris Fader TITLE: Good Times Ne’er Forgot RECORDING STUDIOS: New Alliance, Woolly
Mammoth, Hi-n-Dry, Tremolo Lounge, Various Home Studios RECORD LABEL: Buckwad Records RELEASE DATE: September 18, 2012 ENGINEER AND PRODUCER: Jonathan Taft ALBUM ARTWORK: Jesse James Salucci MASTERING: Nick Zampiello and Rob Gonnella
at New Alliance East Mastering 48 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
interview by Benjamin Ricci photos by Jeremy Martin
“We wanted a big sound - big mixes, but also big in the sense that we have a lot of instruments playing.” PRE-PRODUCTION
What was your pre-production like on this project?
We had a direction and an idea for where we wanted the album to go. We concentrated on writing and did quite a few demos in our rehearsal space. This was great for ironing out changes and harmonies, but it also enabled us to listen to the songs early on and decide to add horns, strings, and accordion - basically anything we wanted.
How did you choose the studio?
We worked with Jon Taft at New Alliance on our last record, and I’ve also worked with him on miscellaneous projects over the years. There was no question that we wanted to do drums and basic tracking there, because we loved the drum sound from our prior record. Most of the other studios (Hi-n-Dry, Woolly Mammoth) are great studios, but we had to go there out of necessity because they’re the only places that have a grand piano.
HAVE A UNIQUE STUDIO STORY TO SHARE? EMAIL EDITORIAL@PERFORMERMAG.COM
STUDIO DIARY
PRODUCTION
What kind of sound were you looking for and how did you achieve it?
We wanted a big sound - big mixes, but also big in the sense that we have a lot of instruments playing. We achieved it by putting mics EVERYWHERE! Especially for the drums - mics across the room, in the next room - and ultimately having a good engineer [Taft] who was able to pull all the tracks together and make it sound good as a whole.
How does it compare to your last release in terms of style and the creative process?
This is the first point where we were more than a duo. On our first two records we had the mindset of not wanting to record anything we couldn’t pull off live, but for this record we really wanted to have a giant production and didn’t want to limit ourselves - if we heard horns, we’d put horns on the track. This made the creative process a little lengthier, but also more fun.
Did you use any special gear or recording techniques on this one?
“Anytime you record in a pro studio, coming up with the money to pay for it is always a challenge!” KEY GEAR
No special recording techniques other than I did some of the extra filler stuff (harmonies, handclaps, tambourine) at home and then would bounce out the tracks, time stamp them and e-mail them back to Jon. That was kind of cool.
-Hammond A-100 Chopped Organ with a Leslie 142 -Rhodes Suitcase Piano -Vintage Hohner Hollowbody Guitar with a Bigsby -Vintage Morley Wah Pedal with Oil Can/Echo Chamber Unit
What was your philosophy on live, fullband takes versus individual tracking?
What were the toughest challenges you faced?
Being that the piano wasn’t in the same studio where we did the drums, we knew it couldn’t be completely live. We still set up and tracked the bass, drums, and scratch piano together, only replacing anything bad that really stood out.
Any special guests?
Why yes! Dana Colley (Morphine) plays on ‘Cop Show.’ Troy Gonyea (Fabulous Thunderbirds, Booker T. Jones, The Howl) plays guitar on ‘Blues and Alcohol,’ ‘Cop Show,’ ‘Two Weeks Notice.’ Pete Zeigler (The Rationales) plays guitar on ‘Smart Girls,’ ‘Suits,’ ‘Asleep at the Wheel,’ ‘Silent Wayne,’ and ‘Sounds the Same.’ Our horn section, which consisted of Chris Barrett (Kingsley Flood) on trumpet, Heather Day (Tigersaw) on trombone, and Brian Kearsley (JoyCo) played on ‘Blues and Alcohol’ and ‘Two Weeks Notice.’ Ian Kennedy (Reverse) played violins on ‘Gone For Good.’
What did you try to accomplish in the studio that you’re not able to do live?
Mainly just the instrumentation. We don’t actively gig with a string or horn section. Beyond that it was just layering. Recordings need to sound full and that’s achieved by doubling and layering different instruments.
Anytime you record in a pro studio, coming up with the money to pay for it is always a challenge! The last group of songs we recorded weren’t completely written by the time we were in the studio. The recording dates crept up on us. I remember sitting at the piano working it out with Alex [Sacco, drums] while Jon was adjusting the mics on his drums to start rolling. It was a bit stressful, but it was also exciting to be in the studio and be working out the kinks. We were pleased with the way the songs came out.
Any funny stories from the session that you’ll be telling for a while?
I remember when Troy [Gonyea] came in to lay down his parts, his guitar playing (and the fact that he’s a genuinely nice guy) attracted a small crowd in the control room. We were all looking at each other in disbelief hearing what he was effortlessly laying down. We Googled a YouTube clip of him playing with Booker T in front of about 10,000 people and everyone looks at me as if to ask, ‘How did you get this guy to play on your record?!’ Also, I don’t think another conversation will ever occur between me and Jon Taft without one of us saying to the other, ‘As you can clearly see, the guitar sounds fucking huge!!’ Ask him for the details of that story…
POST-PRODUCTION
How did you handle final mixing and mastering?
We left mixing up to Jon. Ultimately, we had final say if we wanted something changed, but Jon has worked with us enough that he knew what we were looking for. We had a good system of him sending me the mixes and us giving approval or giving details of what we wanted fixed. Mastering was with Nick and Rob at New Alliance East. Again, they did our last record so we knew we’d like the results. The mastering was revised two or three times, but all very subtle changes.
What are your release plans?
We did a CD Release show at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester, MA on 9/8/12. It was phenomenal. We had a horn section and our new full time guitarist, Jeremy Martin. We had a ton of bands - all of which delivered incredible sets! All in all, it was a great party of a time. We’re also working with Powderfinger Promotions to help us get the word out. The official release date was 9/18/12 and now we are just trying to spread the word and get our music heard. Booking shows, promoting, and I have a couple of potential licensing opportunities in the works.
Any special packaging?
CD Digipack. People still buy CDs, right?
heynowmorrisfader.bandcamp.com DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 49
SPOTLIGHTS GEAR
BACKGROUND My name is Kyle M. Terrizzi. I’m a San Francisco Bay Area songwriter who writes and performs as The Plastic Arts. My voice has been compared to everyone from Jeff Buckley to John Mayer, and I write super emotional, confessional songs in the vein of early Counting Crows and Ryan Adams.
MY FAVORITE AXE
MAKE AND MODEL The Loar LO-16
WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU I’m one of those guys gearheads love to hate. I not only know nothing about guitars, I’ll buy one more for the way it looks than for its tone. I’ve always loved vintage, small-bodied guitars, but don’t plan on winning the lottery anytime soon, so luckily for me, the LO-16 is beautiful, cheap, and happens to sound great.
MODIFICATIONS Other than installing a Fishman Rare Earth pickup, nothing. I haven’t even needed to have it set up since pulling it out of the box it shipped in.
WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE Very loud and very bright. I always play with a capo very high up on the neck for a more percussive sound. It projects phenomenally well, and has an especially warm and throaty sound when fingerpicking.
CAN BE HEARD ON My last record, Academy Clonez, was recorded entirely with the LO-16. It’s also the main guitar in my live performance.
VISIT WWW.THEPLASTICARTS.COM Got a favorite instrument you’d like to share? Email us at editorial@performermag.com.
photo by Tom Rhodes
50 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
RECORDING
REVERB An Evolutionary Advantage Part 1 of 2
transducer inside spring reverb tank Reverb isn’t echo exactly and it’s not delay, even though it’s in the same family of effects. Reverb is a psycho-acoustic phenomenon. Turns out that just like our ability to tell one human face from another, our brains are really good at distinguishing the space in which sound is made. It’s this amazing ability that helps keep
you safe when you’re crossing the street. How does reverb do that? Well, think about all the sounds that are being produced from the dozens of automobiles and people. As you are crossing the street, your brain can tell without you even looking, that the big truck it hears off to the left is still safely half a block away. So how does your
brain do it? In a word – reverb. Sounds reflect off of surfaces and get absorbed by others. And because you have two ears, your brain can calculate not only the distance and type of space the sound is in, but also its location and movement. Pretty important evolutionary trait for humans who hunt (and cross streets).
THREE TYPES OF REVERB
REVERB PARAMETERS
There are three ways to add reverb to a recording. You can mic an instrument so as to capture not only the direct sound, but also the sound it makes interacting with its environment. An example of this would be setting up microphones 20 feet away from a piano in a concert hall. But what if your piano lives with you in a small apartment and you want that concert hall sound? It used to be (up until the 1980s) that if you wanted to add artificial reverb to an instrument, you needed to use a plate or spring reverb unit. Basically these analog devices have a transducer and a pickup separated by either a plate or springs. When an electrical impulse (input) is picked up through the spring/plate it simulates the sound of reverb (sound bouncing off of walls). Pretty much all reverb you hear on popular recordings from the 1950s–1970s was made this way. Then in the 1980s with the invention of the microprocessor, companies like Lexicon came up with algorithms to simulate what happens to sound in different spaces - and viola! Digital reverb was born. Now we had the ability to dial in any type of space (rooms, halls, cathedrals) and start to play with the parameters of reverb. Today we can actually sample real spaces and use those as the algorithms for our reverb to re-create any space you can imagine!
When we add more reverb to a signal, we say it’s getting “wet,” and obviously as we reduce the reverb, we say it’s getting “dry.” It used to be, that was pretty much all we could control – the wet/dry ratio. Today there are many parameters that we use to adjust reverb. The most important is RT60 time - the time it takes for the level of reverb to drop 60dB (or basically “how big the space is”). Sound travels at 1,126 feet per second. You might not know the speed of sound but don’t worry, your brain does. So if you want your piano to sound like it’s in a hall 60 feet away, the first thing you do is dial in an RT60 time of about 53ms (sound travels at 1.12 feet per millisecond so divide 60 feet by 1.12). When your brain hears that it takes 53 milliseconds for the sound of the piano to hit a surface (what are called the “early reflections”), it intuitively knows that piano is in a big space.
space between your initial sound sources, you would need to add more Pre-Delay. Today’s digital reverbs usually will include Reverb Damping with High- and Low-Frequency Damping parameters, which allow you to shorten the reverb decay for the frequency extremes. Using Low-Frequency Damping can help create the feeling of a larger, cavernous room, while use of High-Frequency Damping can create a much warmer, intimate space. Some reverb plug-ins, like the Lexicon Pantheon, also include “Spread” and “Diffusion,” which can be used to enhance the spaciousness of your reverb. Some plug-ins also include an “Echo” section, which allows you to create echoes in your reverb, if you be so bold!
RE-CREATING REAL-WORLD REVERB The problem with early spring and plate reverb devices was that they started making reverb from the instant a signal was applied. But in the real world, when you hit that piano key in the concert hall, the sound takes 53 milliseconds before it hits anything and begins to travel back. Nowadays, we can simulate this effect with “Pre-Delay.” So, to recreate the feeling of more
[editor’s note - join us next month as we wrap up our discussion on reverb in Part 2.] Zac Cataldo is a musician and owner/producer at Night Train Studios, a recording studio in Westford, MA. He is also co-owner of Black Cloud Productions, a music publishing company. Reach him at zac@nighttrainstudios.com. Brent Godin is a bassist/guitarist and engineer/producer at Night Train Studios. He is also a talent scout at Black Cloud Productions. Reach him at brent@blackcloudproductions.com. DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 51
GEAR GUIDE
A Guitarist’s Guide to Tonewoods Get the Right Sound to Match Your Style article and main photo by Benjamin Ricci additional research by Glenn Skulls birds of a feather: two Mockingbirds, two different tonal possibilities
WHY TONEWOODS MATTER Ah, tone. The Holy Grail for every guitar player. An endless quest to replicate the magical, mystical noises heard in one’s head – the almighty sound that will shake the very foundation of the heavens. OK, so maybe that’s a bit overboard (or maybe not – visit any guitar forum online and you’ll read things that aren’t too far off). Anyway, a guitar’s sound is defined by a number of things, including its electronics, hardware, scale length, the amps being used and yes, the woods used in construction. Tonewoods are exactly what they sound like
BODIES & TOPS
two-piece swamp ash Stratocaster body
Poplar/Alder The workingman’s tonewood, used for decades in most Strats and bolt-on guitars. Poplar and alder aren’t super pretty, which is why most Strats come with opaque paint jobs. Although the wood is plain to look at, it’s sweet to listen to. Alder resonates well, although the tone might be bland for some, attenuating the high end and necessitating a mid-range boost. Poplar can be even plainer looking than alder, and sounds pretty similar. Again, used mostly in bolt-on axes and lower-priced imports. 52 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
– woods that resonate and make a great fit for use in the craft of building stringed instruments. Tonewoods allow the strings to vibrate fully through the wood itself, adding to the instrument’s sustain and to the overall timbre of the notes being played. The choice of tonewoods is an important factor to keep in mind when picking out a guitar, for sure, but comes into play even more so when building an instrument from scratch, or assembling an axe from parts (a la Warmoth, etc). Take a look at the two BC Rich Mockingbirds pictured here. Both have the same shape, the
same hardware, the same electronics and the same pickups. Yet each has a unique, distinct tone when plugged in (and even unplugged). The difference is the tonewoods used for each. One features mahogany body sides, a thick maple cap and a rock maple neck. The other features a koa top, nato sides, walnut stringers and a rock maple neck. Both have ebony fingerboards. To understand why these differences exist, we must look at what common tonewoods bring to the table in terms of timbre, and what characteristics they each have.
Mahogany The choice for most Gibson-style guitars, mahogany is a brownish tonewood that can sound different depending on the thickness of the cut. A slimmer guitar, like an SG, for example, has a bit more bite and a “warmer” sound, while thicker slabs, like those used on Les Pauls and PRS-style guitars, will have a chunkier sound, meatier if you will, but still shine when it comes to attack and note clarity.
Basswood This is a cheap wood that grows fast, and is used in a lot of lower-end guitars. If you’re building an instrument from scratch, you likely won’t want to use basswood bodies. It doesn’t have the richness of mahogany or the bite of maple. It’s bland, both in sound and looks. Stay away, future luthiers.
Maple One of the hardest and strongest woods used in guitar construction, maple is a beautiful wood that can come in a number of striking patters – bird’s eye, tiger flame, quilted, and more. Even a plain maple top can make an otherwise boring guitar look like a million bucks. But what about the tone of the wood? That ambiguous term “presence” gets thrown around a lot – in plain English, maple can be pretty bright, accentuating highs and mids, without sacrificing the low-end tones that a great mahogany can bring out. For this reason (and for aesthetics), maple is often used as a “cap” on top of another body wood, to add some sparkle to the tone. Jazz lovers might need a bit more smoothness, although most thinline and semi-hollow guitars will feature a maplelaminate of some sort.
Ash Ash is another striking, heavy wood used on a lot of Strats. Its grain pattern is pleasing to the eye, and tonally, it’s more open than the other woods on the list. Strat and Tele users dig it because ash-bodied guitars are great at cutting through the mix without sounding shrill. If you like the general look and sound of ash, but don’t want to break your back, swamp ash is a lighter alternative that Fender and other manufacturers have been using for decades. Rosewood For the George Harrison fans in the crowd, you might be interested in building an all-rosewood Tele. You might also be interested to know that true solid rosewood bodies aren’t all that easy to find, they’re also very expensive, and they’re shockingly heavy. That said, rosewood is mostly found on fingerboards, but can be used as a body wood, as well. Highs sing out strong, and mids are warm, but can border on the muddy end of the spectrum.
maple Strat replacement neck with maple fingerboard
Maple The go-to wood for most neck construction, and for good reason. Maple is hard (hence the name hard rock maple), and can withstand a lot of abuse and temperature changes. Maple is also easy to finish, easy to re-fret when used as fingerboard material, and (as mentioned above), can feature a multitude of beautiful grain patterns. Maple is also being used as the primary fretboard wood in Gibson guitars, through a process called “baked maple,” which sounds delicious. Basically the wood is cooked, drained of moisture, and turned a rich brown color to simulate the look of rosewood (which Gibby is avoiding due to their recent environmental agency run-ins).
Rosewood Rosewood became Fender’s fretboard material of choice in the 1960s, as Leo thought it was more pleasing to the eye than the sweatstained maple fretboards he was seeing out in the world. Rosewood plays like butter, it’s easy to maintain and keep moist (though some rosewood boards can dry out without proper care), and for many players, is just a more pleasing option than maple. All-rosewood necks are much rarer, and aren’t as stable as hard rock maple. The difference between a maple fingerboard and a rosewood one, tonally, is subjective. Many players claim to be able to tell the difference, stating that maple has a slight edge in the brightness category, but in the real
world, most musicians would be hard pressed in a double-blind test to pick out a maple board over a rosewood board on two guitars that were otherwise the same.
GEAR GUIDE
NECKS & FRETBOARDS
Mahogany Again, one of Gibson’s favorite woods for necks, but never to be used as fretboard material. Of course, Gibson is somewhat limited in that regard anyway due to their recent run-ins over their questionable acquisition of rosewood. Expect a lot more mahogany beck/baked maple fretboard combos coming out of Nashville in the near future.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WARMOTH CUSTOM GUITAR PARTS www.warmoth.com The king of them all – Warmoth has literally everything you’d need to build, customize or hotrod a guitar from the ground up. They specialize in custom bodies and necks, and their quality rivals the major manufacturers. Warmoth also has a wealth of information on every tonewood imaginable, which you can then use when placing a custom order. Good luck with that allrosewood Tele.
custom Warmoth body made of mahogany with an exotic bubinga wood cap
THE EXOTICS If you’re building your own guitar from scratch, you may even be inclined to use more exotic woods, for both their beauty and the rich tones they may offer. While we don’t have the space in this article to address all the wonderful exotic wood choices out there, we can make a few recommendations. Keep in mind that body blanks and pre-cut bodies using exotic tonewoods can be quite expensive, difficult to come by, and in some cases, could pose legal problems in countries that don’t allow the import or export of certain species. Koa A Hawaiian wood great for top caps, whole bodies and even necks. Gorgeous wood grain and
a very mahogany-like tone. Just be forewarned that koa is getting ridiculously hard to come by. Korina Another mahogany-like wood from Africa, with a great look, tons of bite and slighly lighter weight. Walnut Walnut is plentiful, it’s beautiful (sometimes), and it’s incredibly hard. A great body wood, although not quite as resonant as others, which makes it a better choice for a top or veneer. Cocobolo Perhaps the most visually stunning on the list, this wood comes from the rosewood family. Very warm, rich sounding tones that can be used as a fretboard material, a laminate top or a full-on body wood. Always a stunner.
STEWART-MACDONALD www.stewmac.com Tons of info on guitar building and woodworking skills, with great books and DVDs to help you out. They also specialize in aftermarket parts, including hardware, bodies and necks. ALLPARTS www.allparts.com Another aftermarket parts dealer, Allparts is mostly known for their hardware, knobs, bridges, tuners, etc. But there is plenty of info on bodies and necks to get you started. GUITAR FETISH www.guitarfetish.com Online retailer that outsources hardware, kits and parts from the Far East. The prices are low, the quality is good, and you can learn a lot about the guitar-making process without breaking the bank on your first project. Good in-stock selection of body blanks and necks, too. DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 53
GEAR REVIEWS
PICSTIX Adhesive Gel Pick Holders - $5.99
PROS
CONS
Sticks picks without leaving residue, reusable.
Not for use on nitrocellulose finishes.
Loosing a guitar pick mid song is never cool. However, being able to grab a replacement on the fly, is. PicStix has released a new, interesting and inexpensive product to help guitarists in this predicament. Each pack of PicStix’s adhesive pick holders comes with two strips of a gel-like material that feels tacky enough to hold a pick, but not enough to leave any gumminess on your precious instrument. Just peel one side, place it on a surface, and stick some picks on there. It’s that easy. They stay on, and when removed, there’s no glue or residue on the picks or your axe - like double-sided tape, or even rolled over gaffer’s tape. When they get soiled, they can simply be rinsed with water and reused. They’re quite inexpensive at a list price of $5.99 for a pack of two. So forgetting them on a mic stand at a gig won’t break the bank, like a molded rubber pick gripper (those always seem to get left behind at gigs). Put simply, PicStix makes a great, inexpensive product that works, and should be in every guitarist’s gig bag or survival kit. The only complaint we have is that PicStix recommends their strips not be used on guitars with nitrocellulose finishes, which affects a lot of Gibson players. Luckily, the strips adhere to amps, mic stands, and just about any other surface on stage (even drums!), so it’s only a minor inconvenience. -Chris Devine
CERWIN VEGA CVM-1224FX USB Mixer - $299
PROS Tons of features, plenty of live/recording applications, easy to use.
CONS None to speak of.
54 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Mixers almost always seem to be available in a standard set of configurations - 12, 16, 24 tracks, for example. In recent years, certain features and designs have also become standards, as well. Cerwin Vega’s new CVM series of mixers are no exception. The unit itself is not all that big considering what’s offered. There are plenty of connections for inputs and outputs, as well as a USB connection for playback and external recording. For personal monitoring, a 1/4” headphone connection is there as well. A series of LED indicators monitor output levels, in the usual green to red spectrum. Phantom power is also available for microphones requiring it. A set of rack mount ears are also included, a nice touch for pro users. The effects sound good, and as with most mixers in this price range, they’re optimized for ambience, not over-the-top sounds. Connecting to a PC via the USB enables the mixer to interact with recording software, effectively making this an input device for home recording or demos. The EQ & FX work fine, and the sound quality is great, but with the limited amount of XLR inputs (at least on the 12-channel version) it might be lacking for recording a full band and extensive live use. That said, for a typical rock band that will normally only run vocals and a few instruments through the PA, this will fit the bill perfectly. An even better application would be for podcasting or other
multimedia, as usually more than 12 tracks aren’t being used at the same time. At a street price of $299, it’s competitive to other mixers out there, in terms of features and price, but the power supply is a bit of a concern. Cerwin Vega uses a laptop-like power supply for their mixer. If this gets lost, finding a replacement at your local dealer might be tough; a standard power supply connection or the standard 3-prong IEC cable would have been a more convenient option. On the bright side, if the power supply does fail, it would be easier to replace than the entire mixer. -Chris Devine
FEATURES 4 mono, 4 stereo line inputs w/ 6 XLR mic inputs Stereo RCA jacks for conOutput: nection to a recorder 3-Band channel equalizer EQ: providing +/-15 dB (HF,LF) and +/-12 dB (MF) per channel 60mm Faders: Switch @75Hz to eliminate Low Cut (HPF): background rumble Controls to adjust the level AUX/EFX: of signal sent to bus Phantom Power (+48V): Switch for safe connection of condenser mics Inputs:
GEAR REVIEWS
BUILDER P RO F I L E
New Analog for a Digital World
Dave Smith is your greatest influence whose name you don’t know. Since 1977, his work has opened up new frontiers in music technology and created entire industries based around his designs. He is known as the “Father of MIDI,” released the first polyphonic and programmable synthesizer (the Prophet-5) as well as the first multi-timbral synthesizer, and developed the first software synthesizer in 1994. After years of working in the new frontiers of software synthesis, Smith returned to the world of hardware and founded DSI, quickly becoming known for incredible sounding instruments with innovative interfaces. His instruments reflect his history, combining the physicality and sound of analog with digital’s flexibility and memory. “I didn’t like looking at a computer monitor, typing, then hitting a note on a controller keyboard to get sound,” Smith says about his return to hardware, “I prefer a knob that changes sound directly and always does the same thing.” DSI instruments feature analog signal paths combined with dedicated hardware interfaces and digital control systems, making them easy to understand and incredibly versatile. Upon release, the Prophet ’08 and its smaller sibling the Mopho quickly showed up in pro studios and on tour with major artists, but their affordability ($300-$1999) has made them the choice of many independent artists and studios. All DSI instruments are built in San Francisco. www.davesmithinstruments.com
DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS THE TEMPEST - $1999.00 Technically it’s a drum machine, but calling the Tempest a drum machine is like calling Abbey Road a home studio. The Tempest is a performance-oriented machine that uses six analog synthesis voices fed through layers of effects and sound-shaping tools to make personalized drum patches. Created by Dave Smith and legendary LinnDrum inventor Robert Linn, the Tempest combines the feel of an analog drum machine with the functionality of software production. With the Tempest, a performer can create and edit their sounds while playing or sequencing a beat with automated FX modulation, all in real time, then
save their settings for the next show. The pads are velocity sensitive and incredibly responsive, and the Tempest is easy to understand, with physical controllers flowing in the same order as the signal path. Choose your waveform and begin to shape it with filters, compressors, distortion, and other FX you can set or map to two touch controllers. The Tempest doesn’t just deal with drums, though; its synth voices can easily create unique tonal instruments playable using the pads as a keyboard. Far and beyond anything else being made, the Tempest is the cutting edge of music production. -Garrett Frierson
CUBEDGE EDGE.sound Wireless Speaker - $149
PROS Small size, plenty of connectivity, eco-friendly design.
CONS Sound quality isn’t that great.
Small companies still exist, and with new designs and concepts, CUBEDGE got started with Kickstarter, and through small investors brought their EDGE.sound wireless speaker to life. It’s pretty small, at about 6” long and 2” wide; the casing is a rubberized material, and the speaker grille is recycled aluminum. The rear panel has a 1/8” stereo input jack, a USB connection and an on/off switch. The release of the iPhone 5’s new connector has made manufacturers realize that connectivity for future hardware is just as important as the current model – so this unit has included Bluetooth wireless connection, as well. The top panel is very simple, with just volume and function buttons. The angled section features an LED indicator that gives connection status and battery charging info, depending upon the color. The USB port allows its internal batteries to be charged, giving up to 10 hours of battery life. The Bluetooth also allows it to act as a microphone and speaker for phone calls as well. While it all sounds ultra-advanced and comes in a clean, simple design, the sound quality is just… OK. It’s lacking a little in the bass frequencies, and
FEATURES Output: Speaker Frequency Range: Width: Height: Depth: Weight:
up to 95db 40Hz-20,000Hz 150mm 61mm 55mm 290 grams
overall it sounds a bit thin. Considering its $149 suggested price tag, there are plenty of other wired speakers out there that deliver the same sound at a fraction of the price. Also, several other manufacturers, all with better reputations in the audio community, have Bluetooth speakers on the market that sound way better at similar price points. For musicians on the road, it’s nice to be able to play music in your hotel room, or at the beach, but it’s still hard to justify its expense, even with Bluetooth connectivity. The disappointing sound quality is plainly noticeable even to untrained ears, and for any musician out there, it’s certainly not something you’re going to use to listen to your latest mixes. -Chris Devine DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 55
FLASHBACK
EQUALIZER
API 550 EQ
“Hand-Wired, Simple Design Minimizes Phase Shift” YEAR Late 1960s CATEGORY Equalizer HISTORY The API 550 EQ was designed by Saul Walker in the late 1960s and was first used in API and custom console designs. It has been a very influential piece of recording gear and has been used on countless hit records. It is a 500 series module, which means it needs a 500 series enclosure or “lunchbox,” or needs to be installed in a console that uses 500 series modules. It has a unique sound due to the custom Saul Walker-designed 2520 op amps and the “Proportional-Q” circuitry, which automatically adjusts the bandwidth based on the amount of EQ applied. This innovative feature eliminated the need for a bandwidth adjustment and also minimized phase shift. Phase coherence is especially important in recording very tight, low end in instruments such as bass guitars and kick drums and this is where the 550 shines. Many recording engineers swear by the vintage 550s due to the hand-wired, simple design and more direct signal path. HOW IT’S USED The API 550 is commonly used in both tracking and mixing of guitars (listen to the guitars on the White Stripes’ “Icky Thump,” engineered by Joe Chiccarelli), vocals and drums. MODERN EQUIVALENT API makes excellent modern versions of the 550 - the 550A and 550B EQs. Waves also makes an API 550 plug-in for computer-based recording.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Terri Winston is the Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Audio Mission, a San Francisco based non-profit dedicated to the advancement of women in music production and the recording arts. Winston established WAM in 2003 during her tenure as a professor and Director of the Sound Recording Arts Program at City College of San Francisco. Today, WAM seeks to “change the face of sound” by providing hands-on training at their San Francisco studio, experience, career counseling and job placement to women and girls in media technology for music, radio, film, television and the Internet. To join, or for more info, visit WWW.WOMENSAUDIOMISSION.ORG
56 DECEMBER 2012 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
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