TH E M US I C I A N’S R ES O U RC E
JUNE 2013 FREE
IN THIS ISSUE LEGAL GUIDE TO CONCERT SAFETY BEST USB MIC FOR YOUR HOME STUDIO LESSONS LEARNED AT ASCAP EXPO ‘13 IS TWITTER #MUSIC GOOD FOR ARTISTS? INTERVIEWS NORA JANE STRUTHERS THE ORANGE PEELS THE WILL CALLERS JASON LOLLAR
OXYMORRONS LAUGH IN THE FACE OF GENRE LIMITATIONS
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VOL.23, ISSUE 6
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Nora Jane Struthers by Brad Hardisty
16
Nashville’s songstress opens up about her crowd-funding successes and the future of Kickstarter in the indie music community.
The Orange Peels by Hannah Lowry
20
Allen Clapp, the man behind Cali’s indiepop collective, explains the benefits of an evolving lineup and how a simple four-track recorder expanded his creative capabilities.
28 Oxymorrons cover story by Benjamin Ricci
We go deep with KI and Deee, the brothers behind the NYC hip-hop group, on dealing with the loss of a key band member, recording collaboratively and crafting an engaging live show.
Jason Lollar
24
by Benjamin Ricci
Everything you ever wanted to know about designing custom guitar pickups, all from the master himself.
D E PA R T M E N T S 5 Obituaries
48 ASCAP Expo 2013 Recap
6 Local News
49 Legal Pad: Concert Safety
13 Tour Stop: Denton, TX
50 My Favorite Axe: Lita Ford
14 Spotlights: The Off Chance; The Will Callers
51 Recording: Backing Vox & Harmonies pt.1
34 Top Picks: The best in new music
52 Studio Diary: Teen Girl Scientist Monthly
46 Get The Most From Twitter Music pt. 2
54 Gear Reviews
47 Inside The Booking Process at Pitchfork
56 Flashback: 1976 Boss CE-1 Chorus Pedal
Photos: clockwise from left: Brandon Haynes, Scott Simontacchi, Harry Gregory, Rick Dahms Cover photo by Brandon Haynes
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 3
FROM THE TOP Howdy, y’all!
Volume 23, Issue 6
Just when I thought things had calmed down in the city following April’s attacks on the Boston Marathon, the Bruins are in the midst of one of the greatest Game 7 comebacks in history against the Leafs. Truth be told, my city is in the throes of a good comeback all around, one that’s a welcome relief after the events that transpired last month. Plus, it always feels good to kick some Canadian butt in hockey. Sorry, Weapon X, but us Yanks need this one. This issue is a testament to comebacks as well, albeit in a more musical sense. Our cover story shines a spotlight on New York’s Oxymorrons, a hip-hop group who’s had their own share of setbacks, like the departure of a key band member. Through it all, they’ve been smart enough to ensure that no one member is larger than the brand they’ve built, no matter how key
that member’s role. Having moved past lineup changes and the hurdles of crafting a killer live hip-hop show, the band is set to release its latest LP this summer. And it’s one that you’re sure to enjoy. Also in this issue: tons of new music picks, live show coverage from around the country, legal tips for concert safety, more info on the Twitter #Music initiative, a wrap-up of the recent ASCAP Expo and an interview with Pitchfork president Chris Kaskie on the media outlet’s festival booking process. We’ve also got gear reviews, vintage gear flashbacks, a kick-ass profile on Lita Ford’s prototype guitar and tips for recording better backup and harmony vocals in the studio. What moredjya want fer free??
-Benjamin Ricci, Editor P.S. – In lighter news, we’re stoked to be working on a special collector’s issue to be published later this summer. Keep an eye on performermag.com and our social media pages for details on how you can get involved. Here’s a hint: put down that mic and pick up a brush, Basquiat.
PUBLISHER
William House Phone: 617-627-9200 bill@performermag.com EDITOR
Benjamin Ricci - ben@performermag.com DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION
Joe LoVasco - scoutco1@gmail.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Glenn Skulls editorial@performermag.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Adam Barnosky, Ben Marazzi, Benjamin Ricci, Brad Hardisty, Brent Godin, Candace McDuffie, Chris Devine, Christopher Petro, Dan Shapiro, Elisabeth Wilson, Eric Palmquist, Eric Wolff, Garrett Frierson, Hannah Lowry, Heidi Schmitt, Jason Peterson, Jillian Dennis-Skillings, Joshua Broughton, Julia DeStefano, Lesley Daunt, Lulu McAllister, Margaret Price, Matt Lambert, Michael St. James, Shawn M Haney, Tara Lacey, Taylor Haag, Vanessa Bennett, Zac Cataldo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
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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 PO BOX 348 Somerville, MA 02143
4 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS
Brad Hardisty, Brandon Haynes, Candace McDuffie, Chris Skupien, Elisabeth Wilson, Harry Gregory, Heidi Schmitt, John Moyer, LA Hines, Lauren Slusher, Mark Randall Byland, Mark Weiss, Matt Lambert, Nolan Wells, Phil Sharp, Punam Bean, Rebecca Smeynel, Rick Dahms, Sam Haddix, Scott Simontacchi, Suzie Racho ADVERTISING SALES
Kathleen Mackay - kathleen@performermag.com Deborah Rice - deborah@performermag.com PO BOX 348 Somerville, MA 02143 Phone: 617-627-9200 - Fax: 617-627-9930
© 2013 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.
Slayer Guitarist & Founder Jeff Hanneman was an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the American thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman contributed both lyrical and musical material to every Slayer album and wrote the band’s popular songs “Raining Blood,” “War Ensemble,” “South of Heaven,” “Seasons in the Abyss” and “Angel of Death.” Considered to be one of the most technically gifted metal guitarists of his generation, Hanneman died of liver failure on May 2, 2013, in a local Los Angeles hospital near his home.
George Jones, 81 Country Music Legend George Glenn Jones was an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette. For the last 20 years of his life, Jones was frequently referred to as the greatest living country singer. Throughout his long career, Jones made headlines often as much for his drinking, stormy relationships with women, and violent rages as for his prolific career of making records and touring. His wild lifestyle led to Jones missing many performances, earning him the nickname “No Show Jones.”
Richie Havens, 72 Woodstock Icon, Folk Singer Richard Pierce “Richie” Havens was an American singer/songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul, and rhythm and blues. He is best known for his intense and rhythmic guitar style (often in open tunings), soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Havens increasingly devoted his energies after Woodstock to educating young people about ecological issues. In the mid-1970s, he co-founded the Northwind Undersea Institute, an oceanographic children’s museum in the Bronx.
Chris Kelly, 34 Member of Kris Kross, Mac Daddy Chris Kelly, also known as “Mac Daddy,” one half of the early-‘90s hip-hop sensation Kris Kross, died on May 1 of an apparent drug overdose. The duo found fame at a young age with the international hit single “Jump,” landing numerous television appearances and massive radio play. Along with his partner Chris Smith, the other half of Kris Kross, Kelly inspired a short-lived trend of wearing clothing inside out and backwards. Earlier this year, the group performed together to celebrate the anniversary of Jermaine Durpri’s label, So So Def.
Peter Rauhofer, 48 Remixer & DJ Peter Rauhofer was a DJ, remixer and producer who formerly went under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for remixing Cher’s “Believe,” a number of Madonna songs, as well as her collaboration with Britney Spears, “Me Against The Music” and various collaborations with Janet Jackson. He has also provided remixes for Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Yoko Ono, Pink, Tori Amos, and Mariah Carey. Rauhofer was a key figure behind the tribal house record label Star 69.
OBITUARIES
Jeff Hanneman, 49
Storm Thorgerson, 69 Dark Side of the Moon Cover Designer Storm Elvin Thorgerson was an English graphic designer, best known for his work for rock artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Europe, Catherine Wheel, Bruce Dickinson, Dream Theater, The Cranberries, The Mars Volta, and Muse. In 1968, along with Aubrey Powell, he founded the graphic art group Hipgnosis, and between them they designed many famous single and album covers, including The Dark Side of the Moon for Pink Floyd and Houses of the Holy for Led Zeppelin.
Michael Powers, 63 Master Luthier, Peavey Electronics Michael Powers was an integral part of Peavey’s development of musical instruments throughout the last four decades. He will be remembered for his innovative guitar designs, uncompromising work ethic, and warm nature. “Mike was part of the heart of this company,” shares Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics. “It’s hard to think about him not being involved in our next generation of products. He was a master craftsman and someone I could always count on to do his best and more. He will be sorely missed.”
George Jackson, 68 Songwriter (The Jackson 5, The Osmonds, Bob Seger) George Henry Jackson was an American rhythm and blues, rock and soul songwriter and singer. His prominence was as a prolific and skilled songwriter; he wrote or co-wrote many hit songs for other musicians, including “One Bad Apple,” “Old Time Rock and Roll” and “The Only Way Is Up.” Jackson died on April 14, 2013, at his home in Ridgeland, Mississippi, from cancer at the age of 68. He left a son and two grandchildren.
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 5
LOCAL NEWS
AUSTIN
Austin’s “School of Rock” Educates Young Performers A Look at Natural Ear Music
by Tara Lacey photo by John Moyer In the last year the city exalted the grungy, punk-y, tween-age trio Residual Kid into regional stardom. Since the Residual Kid craze, many venues have opened their doors to more under-age wonders. Given the opportunities for live performance here, Michele “Mike” Murphy created the Natural Ear School back in 1991. The school claims to be the first “school of rock” where students are taught to use their natural ear for music to create guitar-driven rock songs, sans sheet music or tabs. Natural Ear is home to A-list instructors, including John Moyer (best known as bassist for Disturbed) who is a key contributor to the school, which he claims is what inspires him most as an artist. Summer music camps are held in three sessions June, July, and August. Kids are placed in
groups based on age, skill level, and interest to form a rock band. Each camp ends with Natural Ear students performing a live rock show on some of same stages played by the greats. The school offers lessons as well as spring and fall sessions during the school year. Natural Ear provides amps, PA systems, microphones, and even instruments where there is a need, so all youth are welcome to come and learn. Classes are held at The Music Lab at Oltorf and Lamar in South Austin.
For more info, visit www.naturalearmusic.com.
Famed 6th Street Venue Antone’s Relocates Move From Downtown Comes with Mixed Emotions by Tara Lacey photo by Timoth Schwader
After SXSW this past March, Austin’s renowned ‘home of the blues’ and 6th Street’s very first bar relocated from its residence downtown to the burgeoning east side. Antone’s nightclub has hosted everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Eric Clapton, and while the departure from downtown came with mixed emotions from fans, it turns out it’s a pretty sweet deal. On Saturday, May 4, The Devil Makes Three performed as we caught a glimpse of what had been done with the former Beauty Ballroom’s glitter and fixtures in order to transform it into a suitable space for the gritty, rough-around-the-edges ‘home of the blues’ and accommodate the fans that come with it. Inside, there are two stories with a balcony that hangs over the ground level bar and houses a pool table, bar stools, and nooks for sitting. The stage 6 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
provides a good-sized space with the bar situated to the left and the main floor directly in front of fans, making for an intimate experience. Jonny Fritz was a standout in that particular night’s performances with a country twang that simultaneously jabs at the genre. His quick wit and comedic personality on stage kept the DM3 eager crowd engaged. When Devil Makes Three took the stage it was apparent that Antone’s was right at home. DM3 mixes the sounds of everything Antone’s - with folk, bluegrass, rockabilly, country, and blues. The bar tops may shine like new but the stripped-down, all-about-the-music atmosphere of the original fits right in here.
For more info, visit www.antonesnightclub.com.
Texas Artists Team up to Help West, TX Community compiled by Performer Staff In response to the recent tragedy in West, TX, Texas Thunder festival organizers have teamed up with fellow Texas music artists to support the West, TX community. The Texas Thunder music festival, which ran May 17-19 and took place in Gardendale, Texas, raised funds for those affected in the tragic explosion. “For 13 years now our band has been traveling I-35 and stopping in West, TX along the way to sample the good food,” says musician Randy Rogers. “It’s become a staple on our tour. Now it’s time for us to give back.” “We are disheartened by the tragedy in West, Texas. Texans are passionate about their communities and upon hearing of this tragedy, the Texas music community reached out to lend a helping hand,” says event organizer Brian Andrews. “100% of net proceeds from the Texas Thunder music festival will benefit the schools and first-responders of West, Texas.” Texas Thunder’s goal was to present an allstar, all-Texas line-up, with both musicians and fans coming together to help bring support to those who need it most.
For more information, please visit www.texasthunderfest.com.
A t l a n t a at The Drunken Unicorn June 14 featuring Marijuana Deathsquads & Solid Gold Doors at nine pm eight bucks 18 PLUS
San Francisco at Great American Music Hall June 17 featuring CSS MS MR & IO ECHO doors at seven pm TWENTY TWO bucks ALL ages
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LOCAL NEWS
BOSTON Allston Pudding Releases Marathon Relief Compilation All Proceeds to Benefit The One Fund Boston compiled by Benjamin Ricci
Rumble Crowns Eddie Japan 2013 Champs! by Benjamin Ricci
Local music blog Allston Pudding has released a digital mixtape featuring the songs of over 100 local artists. They explain the benefit release and how to help the victims of the Marathon attacks:
“The events that unfolded on Monday [April 15] left us at a loss for reaction. There was no way we could spin the situation to make sense of it, and we knew we weren’t alone. As we searched for ways to possibly help, turning to the Boston music scene was a no brainer. We posted a call for song donations on our Facebook page, and within a matter of minutes, our inbox was flooded with messages from musicians looking to help in any way. It was at this point that things came to perspective. We weren’t surprised in the least, but were overwhelmed by how much people love the hell out of this city. As if we needed any reminder at all, this was yet another example of how lucky we are to live in the most supportive music community that we’ve ever known. So from Allston Pudding to everyone who is a part of this (and there are many) - Thank you for being terrific souls. The following compilation features 130 tracks from 130 different bands and artists. Boston is represented heavily, but it doesn’t stop there. Support came from all over New England, as well as various States throughout the Nation, from North Carolina to Illinois, to California. Multiple genres appear throughout the playlist as well, making it a diverse and a curious mix for any kind of listener. To all who donated a track, but it did not make it on to the mix, our deepest apologies, but we wanted to release this in a timely fashion and had to cut off donations after a certain time! For a donation of $1 or more, you will be able to download all 130 of these songs (or download any individual track you would like if you prefer). 100% of the donations collected from this compilation will go directly to The One Fund Boston, to benefit the victims of the Marathon tragedy. If you make a donation of $10 or more in the next week, you will be entered to win an Allston Pudding sweatshirt.”
To download the compilation, visit allstonpudding.bandcamp.com. If you would prefer to contribute to One Fund Boston by mail, send a check to: One Fund Boston, Inc. - PO Box 990009 - Boston, MA 02199
8 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
WZLX’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble has crowned its 2013 winners, Eddie Japan. For those in the know, Eddie Japan is a band, not a man. EJ won the crown at the Rumble finals, held April 26 at Cambridge venue, and current Rumble home, TT The Bear’s, in a stunning fashion. Want to be involved in next year’s event? The Rumble is curated by local radio personality Anngelle Wood, host of ZLX’s Boston Emissions. You’ll need to get on her show to be considered for a performance slot in 2014. SUBMISSION INFO Head to wzlx.cbslocal.com/2013/02/05/submissions for full submission details, but here are some tips from Wood: “Send me your download files to BostonEmissions@gmail.com. Please have upto-date band information on your sites: Facebook, Bandcamp, Twitter, blog and so on as I want to learn about you and follow up. If you send me to MySpace, you will lose me entirely.” Snail mail: Anngelle Wood c/o Boston Emissions CBS Radio Boston 83 Leo Birmingham Parkway Boston, MA 02135
DRUM LESSONS with DEAN JOHNSTON 617.388.5395 themightydux@gmail.com CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE EVALUATION BOSTON, MA
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LOCAL NEWS
NASHVILLE
Get to know...
Creative Art Space Caters to Indie Musicians
Introducing Nashville’s Department of Good & Services article and photo by Brad Hardisty
Department of Goods & Services partners Rachel Briggs, Shelby Rothenhöfer and Rex Runyeon recently opened their artistic creation space as an affiliation of rock band the Ettes’ record shop, Fond Object, as a combined effort. The team decided on the generic name with the acronym DOGS since the space was previously a dog-grooming parlor in East Nashville’s Riverside area. Briggs was the Art Director at American Songwriter and went freelance last year and has done album design, photography and art for Jason Isbell, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Ettes and Caitlin Rose. Rothenhöfer hand paints signs and is very
Celebrating 2013 Record Store Day in Nashville
skilled at printmaking. She enjoys mixing lettering and visual art together. Recent projects are album cover designs for Smith Westies and Karen Elson’s Milk & Honey 7-inch as well as The Freakin’ Weekend 2012 Benefit Concert poster. Runyeon loves to draw first and foremost. His most recent project has been designing cassette tape covers for local label Sturdy Girls Records. He says, “They were more interested in the artifact than the cassette tape.” Rex’s latest work is for the band Catfish. All three enjoy lettering and are skilled in block printing and silk screening, and have current art projects for local and national music acts. They work separately and collaboratively and can be contacted through their respective websites.
CONTACT INFO Department of Good & Services 1313 McGavock Pike Nashville, TN 37216 rachelbriggs.com shelbyrodeffer.com rexrunyeon.com
Tyler Davis / Chrome Pony at The Groove
All the Happenings From Local Shops article and photo by Brad Hardisty The lines started at 6 pm Friday night at Third Man Records as well as Grimey’s for limited edition Record Store Day releases as well as performances by some of the biggest local and regional bands all day on the green and parking lots of Nashville. The Great Escape was the first to open at 8 am with shorter lines and most of the stock that was available. Third Man Records premiered a Record Booth where anybody could come in and cut a 111 second vinyl and take it home. Neil Young even cut a record. Third Man had live entertainment with Karen Elson and Mark Watrous. Grimey’s had lines around the corner and had live sets from PUJOL, Hotpipes, The Features and several others. The Groove had the Mas Tacos truck out front, $1 albums all along the outside, local labels G.E.D. Soul and Jeffery Drag Records had booths and there was live music out back featuring Tristen, Forget Cassettes, DeRobert & The 10 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Half-Truths, Chrome Pony and Penicillin Baby. Rock band the Ettes opened a used vinyl shop and record label called Fond Object with the most used punk and metal in Nashville on Record Store Day. Fond Object started music in the backyard at 3 pm that spotlighted J.P. Harris & The Tough Choices as well as Cheap Time featuring Jessica from Heavy Cream on bass with little kids running around the grass. Country music ground zero, Ernest Tubb Record Shop, participated, as did Phonoluxe -who put out rare vintage collector vinyl for purchase. For more on next year’s festivities, visit recordstoreday.com.
Kim and Scott Collins The Smoking Flowers
interview by Brad Hardisty Background Nashville’s The Smoking Flowers is a band led by Kim and Scott Collins, married 14 years, who are vocalists and multi-instrumentalists and are just as red-hot soulful and sweet as those legendary duos: a duo that simply has a musical and relational love as strong as aged rare bourbon. The Smoking Flowers fire up an East Nashville-based brand of rock, blues and country with a sweet flavor of Southern Gothic folk, all with a punk attitude. Kim dances between accordion, acoustic guitar, drums, mandolin, and harmonica on “White Flags,” with lots of banging, shimmering tambourine and her own sensual, simmering country-soul vocals. Scott plays acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, and delivers his vocals like a feisty, gin-battered, heart-on-sleeve, hardscrabble troubadour. Why should we know you? “If you like raw, honest music, you will be glad to know us.” What are you trying to do in music? “We are trying to connect to each other and to our audience, day in and day out. We aim to leave behind a significant body of work that will stand the test of time...one that is a true reflection of the moment it was created in.” Current favorite local artists? “Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Phil Hummer & The White Falcons, Justin and The Cosmics.” For more info, visit www.thesmokingflowers.com.
ATLANTA
Get to know... Pull Out Kings, SLOWEARTH
interview by Joshua Broughton Why should we know you? “I have a pretty unique perspective on the Atlanta scene. I’ve been here a long time. You should know me because I’d like to know you, and I think SLOWEARTH and Pull Out Kings have interesting things to say.”
John Densmore Visits Atlanta
Doors Drummer Talks New Book
by Joshua Broughton Anyone who’s familiar with the music of the Sixties and Seventies will recognize the unmistakable sound of Jim Morrison’s baritone weaving though one of the best backlines in music history. John Densmore, the man who kept rhythm for Morrison, Krieger and Manzarek has a new book out and visited Criminal Records in Atlanta for a talk and an autograph session; The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial, was released in April. The book tells the story of Densmore disagreeing with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger on the (no doubt lucrative) prospect of selling Doors music for commercial advertisement. Densmore took issue with the idea and took the other surviving members of the Doors to court over it – even as they performed as a version of the Doors without him. Densmore, in league with Morrison’s estate, won the case and Cadillac was not allowed to use “Light My Fire” in a commercial. Densmore opened up about the court cases (plural: he was countersued by Manzarek and Krieger for a whopping $40 million), sold a few books, and signed some autographs. Morrison’s sword successfully ripostes, and we got to meet him.
STUDIO PROFILE
Atlanta’s answer to digital/analog co-habitation EQUIPMENT LIST · Pro Tools DAW · MOTU and Avid AIs · Alesis tape and ADAT recorders · Avalon and SansAmp preamps · Boss, Antares and Universal Audio dynamics processors · Neuman, AKG, Shure, and Audio-Technica mics · Gibson, Fender, Marshall, Vox guitars and amps · Paste, Zildjian, UFIP drum hardware
Proudest achievement? “I wish I had some great landmark moment, but everything is a giant, plodding progression of making things happen. There are those wonderful moments when you are in the midst of musical creation.”
For more info, visit www.slowearth.com www.pulloutkings.com.
For more info, visit www.johndensmore.com.
LedBelly Sound Studio
What are your goals in music? “My goal is to expand my music as far as it’ll go through sharing and feedback. The goal in that is to express and learn about myself, but I think that’s fed by - and feeds - interactivity and expansion.”
Favorite active local artists? “SLOWEARTH found the greatest symbiosis with Attention System. We have an obvious kinship with them as people, and in influence. Pull Out Kings is a lone drifter in a huge scene at this point; we’re carving our niche with much respect and a nod to all of the trailblazers who have inspired our path thus far.”
LOCAL NEWS
Zach Solem
Matt Washburn heads LedBelly, about 30 miles northwest of the Atlanta city limits sign. Great engineers and producers notwithstanding, LedBelly is a small, comfortable studio with plenty of amenities, including housing, a full kitchen, table games, and playful dogs. LedBelly is predominantly a digital studio, but offers an array of analog processing and mixdown options for the discerning customer.
PAST CLIENTS The clientele isn’t bad either, ranging from Mastodon to Armani Death Machine to Leechmilk.
CONTACT INFO LedBelly Sound Studio 243 Hwy 52 Dawsonville, GA 30534 Email: Matt@ledbellysound.com Phone: 678-977-6045 Web: www.ledbellysound.com JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 11
TOUR STOP
DENTON, TX
HOME OF THE UNIVERSITY of North Texas (a school known for its music program), Denton brings a wellspring of young musicians and music lovers into the area at least nine months out of the year. Most of Denton’s venues are within walking distance of the main square, and with a location only an hour north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the college town is an easy stop for musicians making their way through Texas. If the small-town charm and rich musical history aren’t enough incentive to check in, perhaps the popular Denton Jazz Festival or NX35 might provide added motivation. -Lulu McAllister
GEAR/REPAIR
VENUES RUBBER GLOVES REHEARSAL STUDIO 411 East Sycamore St. Denton, TX 76205 (940) 387-7781 www.rubberglovesdentontx.com Just outside of the city center, Rubber Gloves caters more to the punk crowd. The low-frills industrial space used to be an old cement factory, but opened anew in 1997 and has since hosted the likes of Modest Mouse and Daniel Johnston. DAN’S SILVER LEAF 103 Industrial St. Denton, TX 76201 (940) 320-2000 www.danssilverleaf.com Pulling in a mixed crowd of patrons, this former radiator repair is considered by many Dentonites to be the hub of the local music scene.
HAILEY’S 122 West Mulberry St. Denton, TX 76201 (940) 323-1159 www.haileysclub.com One-time recipient of The Dallas Observer’s award for Best Music Venue, Hailey’s is the place to go in Denton for dance and electronic music.
SKY GUITARS MUSIC STORE AND INSTRUMENT REPAIR 531 North Elm St. Denton, TX 76201 (940) 387-2671 www.skyguitars.com Denton’s largest music store and oldest repair shop stocks just about anything the touring musician might be looking for on the road.
THE BOILER ROOM 101 West Hickory St. Denton, TX 76201 (940) 566-5483 www.theboilerroomdenton.com This 350-capacity venue purports to feature the most diverse line-up of music in Denton.
PRESS OUTLETS DENTON RECORD CHRONICLE www.dentonrc.com You can check out the local music listings in Denton’s official town newspaper, and submit your own in advance of your gig in town.
380 GUIDE www.380guide.com Published on a bi-monthly basis, this online and print magazine showcases local artists and lets residents of Denton and surrounding towns know about upcoming shows and events. JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 13
SPOTLIGHTS
GENRE: Pop Rock HOMETOWN: Boston, MA
THE OFF CHANCE by Candace McDuffie / photo by Sam Haddix
ARTISTIC APPROACH: Blending hook-laden pop with grandiose rock. www.theoffchance.com
“I’D LOVE TO SEE [CLUBS]…FOCUS ON BEING REPUTABLE AND CONTEMPORARY…WHERE PEOPLE GO REGARDLESS IF THEY KNOW THE BAND OR NOT.” The Off Chance are more than just hook-savvy musicians—they are dedicated artists whose gravitas for grandiose tunes puts them in a league of their own. Their Change record is fully realized and multifaceted, saturated with crisp rock tunes and dissonant cries to seize the moment. The Off Chance’s ability to carefully sculpt noise into songs is certainly a talent, but getting followers to jump on their bandwagon in an age that is so digital is half the battle. “Just building a fan base is the hardest part right now,” Jason Differ explains. “Don’t get us wrong, we’ve definitely been 14 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
reaching new people - especially considering we’ve been [playing gigs] for less than a year. It’s hard to pique people’s interest enough to actually come out, but that’s where good marketing comes in.” Maldi Kellici is more specific when it comes to addressing grievances regarding the local circuit. “The business model some of the venues operate under makes it hard to [grow our audience]. I’d love to see them move away from the ‘arena-like’ attitude - where people show up only for events - and focus on being reputable and contemporary bars and restaurants where people go regardless if they
know the band or not.” Even though he possesses a strong opinion on the topic, he still has a soft spot in his heart for a few familiar haunts. “The Foundation Room at the House of Blues and the Hard Rock Café were the most rewarding shows for me. We had them packed with fans screaming our name; it was a fantastic feeling.” Differ chimes in with his modest take on the matter: “It’s been a blessing to start our live shows here in Boston. We feel like we have an approachable enough sound so that everyone can appreciate our show.”
SPOTLIGHTS
THE WILL CALLERS by Hannah Lowry / photo by Chris Skupien
Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, The Will Callers are a duo that has been playing together since they were about 13 years old. Daniel Slatton and Jake Murphy met each other at church, and not too much later, Murphy picked up a guitar, Slatton took up the drums and they began performing. Using gear such as and ’70s Ludwig drums with ’50s and ’70s cymbals, an old Silvertone and a ’60s Gibson amp, The Will Callers produce a sound that can only be described as having swagger. When you hear it, you can’t help but feel like you’re the coolest person in the world, and you’re ready to waltz into any room with their newest album, What Else is Left?, playing in the background. What is made even clearer from their sound, however, are their influences. When asked, the boys explain, “We like a lot of rock and roll, blues stuff. We
love bands like The Rolling Stones, The Band, Faces, Little Feat, and Gram Parsons.” The writing style of these two is even more interesting. They explain that, as many do other bands, they write their music at the same time as their lyrics. However, the pair comments that some of their music comes from “sparks of frustration, especially when we can’t actually get anything out there, we get frustrated and sit down and hammer things out.” Their favorite show was played at The Shed, in Maryville, Tennessee, and they would open for The Band if they could. They are The Will Callers, and their newest album is nothing short of fun, catchy, and addictive. Once you turn them on, you won’t even think about turning them off, and you’ll catch yourself listening to them all day.
GENRE: Country/Rock HOMETOWN: Fort Worth, TX ARTISTIC APPROACH: Writing music from sparks of frustration.
thewillcallers.bandcamp.com
ON SONGWRITING:
“WHEN WE CAN’T ACTUALLY GET ANYTHING OUT THERE, WE GET FRUSTRATED AND SIT DOWN AND HAMMER THINGS OUT.”
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 15
16 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
NORA JANE STRUTHERS On Her Successful Kickstarter Campaign & The Future of Crowdsourcing
by Brad Hardisty
N
photos by Scott Simontacchi
ora Jane Struthers has just self-released Carnival with a new band, The Party Line,
formed just prior to heading into the studio last fall. Although it’s a fresh band, Struthers is already excited about how things are coming together out on the road. Her music has been described as Appalachianroots-rock and has come together over the last few years in Nashville. Struthers best describes herself as a storyteller. “When you go to a carnival, you go into a sideshow tent, and on every stage you find a different person with a different story,” she says. “That’s why I’m trying to do with this album – craft vignettes, and in some cases more developed narratives, about imaginary people’s lives.” Produced by Brent Truitt (Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Dixie Chicks) at his studio in East Nashville, Carnival is comprised of 14 fresh, original compositions.
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 17
“I DIDN’T WANT TO BE ON A RECORD You have been touring over the last three years with different projects; how did you put the new band together?
LABEL AT THIS POINT, REALLY, AND POTENTIALLY EVER BECAUSE IT’S
When I moved to Nashville I met Joe Overton and we were actually roommates for a couple of months before he moved away. I got him to move back to Nashville to be in the band, which was really great. Aaron [Jonah Lewis], the fiddle player, I have known him for about ten years. We met at a Galax Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention in Virginia. We spent a week camping in the mud and playing music; I go to that every August. I always wanted to have him in my band and he actually moved from Berlin back to Nashville to be in the band with me - so that was pretty cool.
So he was actually in Berlin at the time when you guys started talking?
Yeah, totally, he had been living in Berlin for three years and he always comes back to the States for this festival that I was just telling you 18 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
this one. The musicians bring themselves to the music, especially our drummer. Drew [Lawhorn] is the youngest guy in the band and he never has been into any sort of bluegrass or roots music. I think what Drew brings to the [group] is something really that sets us apart, and I also really love that we have clawhammer banjo and a full drum kit. It is a unique combination and I like the way it sets up the parts more than other string bands.
EASY TO DO IT YOURSELF.” about. I booked him for a couple of gigs, and after playing a week together we decided that there was great chemistry and we would give it a shot playing together.
When you got together did you play out live or head into the studio?
Well, I had a pile of songs and we had a couple of weeks of just arranging and then we went into the studio. We hadn’t played a gig before we made the record, which is totally a weird thing to do, I think, but it turned out great and it was really a fun experience. I’m really proud of what we did.
The style has changed a little from the last project. I was trying to get more contemporary with
The band set up allows you to do things like going from SXSW to bluegrass festivals to the Folk Alliance. Yeah, we went up to the International Folk Alliance in Canada last February and that’s dead on, we are able to be pretty versatile. We are able to play acoustic instruments, but we can also play a 16-channel set on a festival stage and rock it.
Where do you seem to get the most airplay or a crowd?
For such a young band it is hard to say. I mean,
I have been touring now for almost four years. So there are lots of bands that have been touring for a lot longer than that. But, I think our focus is in the Southeast and Northeast. I get out to the Midwest once or twice a year and California and Colorado once a year, so that is where we have been returning to now and then.
Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line Carnival
Listen Now performermag.com
Standout Track: “Jack of Diamonds”
What was your favorite show so far this year?
There is a festival south of Austin and it’s held in this school that is like a hundred year old chapel with a beautiful wood mantel. They have a great lineup and really nice folks. It is my third year returning to that festival and I am really excited to go there again with the band and show them off.
As far as equipment, what is your main guitar you use for writing?
I have two acoustic guitars and I love them both. One of them is a vintage Martin D18 and it’s just an amazing instrument; I got it from Gruhn Guitars [in Nashville]. But, I didn’t want to put a pickup or anything in that one so I also purchased a Collings. It’s a small-bodied Collings, you know, made in Texas and that came with a pickup in it. It’s my road guitar. So, I play my Martin when I am at home just because I miss it, but I have my Collings for when I am on the road.
What are some of things that need to be taken care of on the road when you’re touring?
I have put a lot of focus on being able to keep in touch with the people who, maybe, purchased a shirt. I’m really big about signing people up on the email list and putting their zip codes down so I can let them know when we are coming back to their area. I feel like artists get a little self-conscious about trying to get people to sign up on the email list or buy CDs, and I think I have adopted the attitude that people are getting something out of me. The music that I am playing is adding to their lives and they want to know when we are coming back. The only way for them to know when we are coming back is for me to be in touch with them.
This was probably a big help for your successful Kickstarter campaign.
Yeah, well for my last record I did a Kickstarter campaign and I made $22,000 to make this record; that is sort of why everything happened in the order that it did. I raised the money and I had all these songs and I found the band and then we arranged them and made the record in the studio. It is kind of a backwards way to do things, but my experience with Kickstarter was so empowering and it’s because, you know, I was able to get in touch with the people that came and saw me through the years and really cared about what I was doing. They wanted to support me in that and that’s just an amazing feeling - I’m
not on a record label or anything, which I’m very happy with. I didn’t want to be on a record label at this point, really, and potentially ever because it’s easy to do it yourself if you have the support of people around the country.
The Kickstarter campaign was a success. Do you think it will be feasible in the future, with so many artists doing the same thing?
I am; it is quite a process. I didn’t have any experience with vinyl. The learning curve is pretty steep, actually.
Did you make a trip over to United Record Pressing?
Yeah, they are doing the duplication and George Ingram cut the music to vinyl and made the master.
I think it is going to be a feasible option in the future. I mean, one of the other good things about Kickstarter is now a couple hundred people are going to be really excited about your new record and they are going to come out to the show and they realize they are a part of why it exists. We are going to see those people while touring before we make another record and then we have whole other group of people who are excited about us. The reward process for Kickstarter has been fun, sending stuff in the mail [to donors] - like t-shirts and pressing a really awesome deluxe vinyl version of the record that I’m excited about.
I really am getting into merchandising because it’s fun and people like to buy stuff with the CD, so you can do package deals and I have some really cool t-shirts [made up]. I’m selling beer cozies shaped like a cowboy boot and stickers also. I have a friend who is an artist out in California that did 14 original illustrations for the title song. They could be made into a storybook and I am going to be selling those at shows. There is so much to keep up with; it’s kind of crazy!
Are you doing the pressing in Nashville?
www.norajanestruthers.com
That’s great information for other people who are trying to get their music that far.
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 19
THE ORANGE PEELS Re-Adjusting to the Creative Process Through Constant Lineup Changes by Hannah Lowry / photos by Harry Gregory & Suzy Racho
A band from California and true to their Cali sound, The Orange Peels took the time to speak to Performer about their latest album, Sun Moon. Allen Clapp, who first started recording with a four-track recorder, formed a band around a few songs he’d recorded early on. Since then, The Orange Peels have gained a name, a record deal, and have recorded an album about every four years. They’ve also taken on a new sound with each record they release, an interesting feat for
20 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
any group these days. They have an ever-evolving lineup that leaves each record with a different feel. With music that is intended to transmit an atmosphere to the listener, the band has one that matures with each album, and with a name like theirs, they attract fans that evolve with them.
Each album has a different lineup – can you explain how that affects the record-making process?
Well, it all started in 1996, with just a four-track recorder and me. I called myself Allen Clapp and His Orchestra, which was a joke because it was just me. I made an album like that and it ended up being famous and I started to get offers to be signed. I put a band together to play the songs; at that point it was my wife, Jill Pries, Larry Winther who used to be in The Mummies, and Bob Vickers. We started recording under Allen Clapp and His Orchestra, but then it became obvious that it was more of a band, so we decided to really become a band and get a name. We live in San Francisco, and no one really has any idea of how to be in a band and live in San Francisco. It’s expensive, and people move a lot because they can’t afford it. Each time we put out a record, we have a grace period where we tour on that album, then the band disintegrates. So we always form another band and record with them. As a result, each album has a new sound, even though people sometimes come back. Each time we put out a record, we almost do an informal evaluation, and move on from the sound of each record. Ever record evolves into something beyond the original California sound, even though that’s the root. There are lots of similarities, but a lot of differences. We continually evolve, just like the things we listen to. When I think about our new
album, we focused more on the approach to songwriting than our past album. I don’t know where it’s coming from, except that it’s coming from the four of us all at once. I used to write most of the material and bring it to the group, but this is different because we just showed up with no idea what we wanted to do. A lot of the songs happened in an hour and we recorded it really quick.
When did you buy your first guitar and what model was it?
The first instrument I ever played was a piano in my parents’ house. I did have a synthesizer in the ’80s - an analogue synthesizer with knobs and sliders on it and I still use it. But the first instrument I ever bought was a guitar. It was a mid-’60s Harmony Rocket, six strings. Harmony made knock-offs of Fender and Gibson guitars in the ’60s, but this guitar is perfect for me because it’s not a showpiece. It’s a cheap knock-off that happens to sound good. I’m more of a singer/ songwriter/producer, not really concerned with the sound as much.
What sort of gear do you use now? Are you into vintage gear? It’s a combination of keeping updated and
using vintage gear. We’re all using Ampeg amps from the mid-’60s - all the same make, for our guitar sound. It has amazing reverb, and you can get some great vintage tones without too much effort. Jill plays an Ampeg bass amp. It has a flip top and is just easier to travel with. Our drummer, Gabriel Coan, uses three old drum kits. He buys them for cheap and restores them. He has his one vintage drum set from the mid-’60s. We stick with this stuff because it’s easier to record if you have things that sound good already. I have a Fender Rhodes that I use in the studio and a Nord too, that I just got. That’s handling all my electric piano, string synthesizer and Mellotron, which I use for live shows now.
Can you tell me a bit about your artistic approach to songwriting?
For me, it’s got to be something that transmits an atmosphere or a feeling to the listener. I’m not sure how that happens, but if we’re working on something that I feel like isn’t doing that, we’ll stop working on it. I think the songwriting, lyrics, chord progression, ambience, mixing and recording itself has to support that mission.
How does writing typically work within the group? It’s always been predominantly me writing the songs, but there have been one or two things
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 21
The Orange Peels Sun Moon Standout Track: “Yonder”
“I HAD SUCCESS WITH
Listen Now
MY FOUR-TR ACK, WHICH WAS WEIRD TO ME, BECAUSE I JUST THOUGHT THAT THESE SONGS WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER IF I RECORDED [THEM] PROPERLY.”
performermag.com
on each record that other people have written. This album, we split the music four different ways, but I’d come up with the lyrics later. There was more of a division of labor and more collaborative this time around.
and we’re playing with them in San Francisco then going east to DC, Philly, New York. In the middle of the summer, we’re hitting Portland, Seattle, and hopefully late summer going to the Midwest.
Does the lyric or the tune come first?
If you could open for any group, who would it be?
Definitely the music comes first. The way we were writing it, the band would be together and I’d just say, “Hey, I don’t have anything today, but we’re all here so let’s just work on it until it seems like it’s a song.” I’d usually go back out there later in the week and try to sing on it and figure out what the message of the song would be.
What is your favorite song off of the new album to perform live?
The last song, “Yonder,” was fun to record for the same reason that it’s fun to play. It starts off simply and it’s the kind of song that always feels like it’s going somewhere, and that’s how you feel when you’re playing it. In the middle of the song where it takes off, we transition into this modulation, and [it] kicks into this high gear.
What are your touring plans for this release?
We are in promotion and publicity gear right now, so we are rehearsing for live shows and whatnot. We have tours coming up in San Fran and LA. There’s a band that’s been around for a while, Ocean Blue, that just released an album,
22 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
I’d have to say the very first version of Pink Floyd headed by Syd Barrett.
Anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
Make the recordings and songs that you want to make for whatever reason that is. Don’t try and figure out where that fits in, or if it fits into a specific genre. Don’t even try to sound like another band; make the music you want to make. I had success with my four-track, which was weird to me, because I just thought that these songs would be so much better if I recorded [them] properly, but that wasn’t how I was supposed to get out there. I was supposed to get out there with a fourtrack recorder. It’s changed my way of thinking about music.
www.theorangepeels.com
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24 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
JASON LOLLAR interview by Benjamin Ricci / photos by Rick Dahms
Pickup Guru on Tone, Custom Wiring & Modding Your Axe Jason Lollar is one of the undisputed heavyweights when it comes to the guitar pickup market – just ask any tonehound or axe-slinger and you’ll likely get these three names: Duncan, Fralin and Lollar. His designs can be found pre-installed in some of the top guitar brands in the world, as well as in thousands of instruments as aftermarket upgrades. Lollar got his start on an old Kay acoustic at age 7, moved to electric at 11 and wound up playing professionally in bars while still a minor – performing live up to six nights per week, 50 weeks out of the year. The master luthier and pickup guru began learning his craft at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in 1979, at a time when not many people were making pickups and Stewart-MacDonald was just a banjo parts supply company with a 10-page catalog! As he states: “I was making pickups for the guitars I built and I did occasional pickup repairs. What led me to focus so much on pickups was that I was looking for a way to broaden my customer base so that I could get enough sales to support myself building and repairing guitars without having to work other jobs. I got really serious about making
it happen in the early ’90s.”
How do pickups actually work, and what makes one pickup stand out against another similarly designed pickup?
A traditional electric guitar pickup is made of two or three basic components - a magnet or several magnets with a coil of wire wrapped around them, or a magnet or two and some kind of steel to make a pole piece with and a coil of wire wrapped around the steel pole or poles. The coil wire is actually called “magnet wire” and it is typically a very fine single strand of copper wire about the thickness of a hair that has an electrically insulating coating applied to it. On a typical Strat pickup, the pole piece that sits under each string is a magnet and then magnet wire is wound turn after turn around all of the magnets as a group. On a humbucking pickup the pole piece under the string is a piece of steel rod or a steel screw and the magnet sits under the coil. The difference is on a Fender pickup the magnets are in the coil and on a typical Gibson pickup there is a steel pole piece in the coil, and the magnet is under the coil touching the steel pole piece. The magnetic field runs through the coil; when the string moves it disturbs the magnetic field, which induces an electrical current to flow that basically matches the frequency the string is moving at. The more turns of wire in the coil, the more electrical signal the coil can produce. In general but not always, a pickup with a higher DC resistance than another will have a little more output compared to the lower DC resistance. It’s like this: more resistance equals a longer length of wire (for our purposes now), longer wire length means more turns around the magnets or magnet. More turns usually means more output. Turn count can also affect the tonal qualities along with the output. More turns tends to create a pickup with more bass and or mids and less treble, also the attack can seem smoother; fewer turns can be brighter and clearer sounding overall with a snappier feel to the attack. Oddly, a pickup that is brighter with less output than another can seem like it’s hotter than it is because of its tendency to cut through a mix better and its snappy and punchy attack can lead you to perceive something different than what’s actually occurring. Another aspect of resultant tone is the height of the coil. A Strat coil 1/32” taller than another Strat coil wound with the same amount of turns will sound a little brighter than the slightly shorter coil. Magnets - a common magnet used in guitar pickups is called Alnico, this means Aluminum Nickel and Cobalt. Changing the amount of the various component metals will make the magnet weaker or stronger when it is magnetized. Using a stronger magnet is similar to having more wire added - basically you’ll get more signal with a stronger magnet.
Lollar continues, “I wrote and selfpublished a book dealing with all of the mechanical aspects of pickup-making… and all of a sudden people were asking me to build them specialized pickups and to repair vintage pickups going all the way back to the ‘30s. I wound up selling several thousand books, hundreds of people got their start in the business by following the instructions in the book and because of the new demand, dozens of suppliers eventually began selling pickup making parts.” Our interview picks up there… What, from a technical standpoint, makes a
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 25
lousy pickup sound bad?
I am fairly sure some of the cheapest import pickups are never critically listened to. I have made enough different designs to know your first try is rarely the best-sounding attempt. Typically you build it, listen to it, critique it, make changes and try something else. If you repeat this enough times, you come up with something special. Bad sounding pickups could also be due to inconsistent product. Even if you listen to your product and come up with a specification set that you like, if you don’t know or care what the variables involved are then one pickup could sound very different than the next. There are many things you can change in an attempt to push some aspect of tone in a particular direction. Certainly not everyone bothers with it.
Is there a certain skill or process in winding that can affect the tone of a pickup, or is it more trial and error to achieve certain sounds?
Yes - it’s called Voodoo! Pickup humor again… There is far too much BS claimed, in my opinion. First, there is no handbook to tell you if you do XYZ you will wind up with 123. Of course there is my book, but it doesn’t give specific formulas, instead it shows all the steps involved in making a pickup from scratch and how to set up a machine to wind and how to run it. You have to learn by trial and error. Let me qualify that there are some charts of turn counts of various pickups that you can find…but the majority of the specs are nowhere near correct; it appears to be something that’s been copied over and over and handed down and passed around.
results, and also to know what you can do to take the design further. The other part of winding skill is just purely mechanical; I have seen a lot of sloppy work in photos in advertisements! With someone who is really good at it, it’s kind of like watching a great blues player; they make it look so easy and it seems simple enough that people often say, “I could do that,” but then they get up there fall flat on their face.
If someone were interested in winding their own pickups, or learning to custom wire guitars, what would be some good starting points? If you go on the Internet there are a lot of people who don’t know what they are talking about, so take at least half of it or more as suspect information. The first thing I would do is a Google image search on “pickup winding machines.” There are
ON BUILDING GREAT-SOUNDING PICKUPS:
“TYPICALLY YOU BUILD IT, LISTEN TO IT, CRITIQUE IT, MAKE CHANGES AND TRY SOMETHING ELSE. IF YOU REPEAT THIS ENOUGH TIMES, YOU COME UP WITH SOMETHING SPECIAL.”
Let’s say you are attempting to make an exact copy of another pickup. Even if you have the various metals analyzed and you use the same type of coil wire and get the resistance and the inductance measurement the same (measured in henries), it doesn’t mean the two pickups will sound identical. The skill involved is knowing enough to make a reasonable prediction of the 26 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
photos of hundreds of different machines people have made. They can be from winding on a hand drill to elaborate self-feeding machine assemblies. You have to have something to wind with. Secondly, I can give you a hint about a common misconception and that is the spool of wire you use to supply the bobbin does not spin; you don’t have to figure out how to make a ten
pound spool spin around at the same rate as the bobbin because the wire is just pulled off the end of the spool. The best book I have seen so far is called The Guitar Pickup Handbook by Dave Hunter. It has an overview of how pickups work, they examine various models of pickups and at the end has several interviews with pickup makers like Seymour Duncan, Lindy Fralin and myself. I feel this is the most up-to-date and most accurate book [on the market]. Of course my book Basic Pickup Winding & Complete Guide to Making Your Own Pickup Winder will save you a lot of time and headaches; it’s still the only book out there dealing with the mechanics of assembling bobbins, winding them and finishing off guitar pickups.
Do you have any recommendations on aftermarket pickup selection for users who are new to aftermarket mods?
Learn to play first, then spend some time with your guitar “as is” so you can critique the set up. This way you’ll have an idea of which way you want to go with your tone. Use the amp you will be playing the most while you do this; it does no good to change to a particular pickup then run out and buy a radically different amp. Make an attempt to educate yourself a little by reading magazines and books, also watch some YouTube videos and talk to other people you know who’ve tried various pickups. It may be as simple as trying a buddy’s rig that has a particular set of pickups installed that knock you out. If you need extra help, find a [store] that is willing to take a little time to advise you. Be prepared before you call; be specific about the guitar you have, the style of pickup it uses and the amp you’re running. You’ll need to decide some basic things: do you want more or less output? Do you want more or less bass, treble or midrange? Do you want a tighter, punchier tone or a smoother attack and more sustain? Whoever you contact can take all this into consideration and should be able to
guide you in the right direction. One more thing - get a good guitar cable; it makes a lot of difference (particularly when you use the volume and tone controls on the guitar). With good cables and good pickups you shouldn’t be having a problem loosing too much high end when you roll down the guitar’s volume knob.
Do you wind by hand or machine?
To clarify, no one would wind 10,000 turns of hair-thin wire that is easily broken - let alone keeping track of the turn count- onto a guitar pickup by hand. The “hand winding” people refer to is whether you guide the wire onto the bobbin by hand or if you have an automatic wire feed that runs the coil wire back and forth onto the bobbin for you. I use both methods depending on what I am trying to do, and even the auto winders I do use were designed back in the 1940s or possibly the 1930s. The auto winders I use are set up so they have a lot more randomness to each layer of wire, which mimics hand-winding to a large extent. The technology that these machines use to guide the wire is actually from knitting machines invented in the 1800s. There is a misperception that an auto-fed winding machine layers each turn of wire next to the last in an orderly fashion. This pattern of wire placement is claimed by some to kill tone. Maybe it could if the machines actually did that, but in practice- because of the unique shape of guitar pickups - even a computerprogrammable winder is going to have variation from one turn to the next.
How many pickups does your shop produce in a given day, week, month?
Right now we have nine people who work in the manufacturing part of the shop, which includes the shop foreman and myself. Between all of us, we can make up to a couple thousand pickups a month, and have been for years. I have overseen the making of tens of thousands of pickups, if not more, and I have personally made thousands, if not more!
For the love of God, why is it so hard for manufacturers (besides yourself) to make a decent Jazzmaster pickup?
If you look at the side view of a Jazzmaster pickup, you would notice the coil height is only slightly taller than 1/8”. A Strat pickup would have a coil height closer to 1/2” tall. Imagine what happens to the width of the coil when you have a short space to wind 8,000 turns on it - it makes the width much wider than a taller coil, which would be narrower for the same amount of turns. Looking at the top view of a Jazzmaster pickup, where you would see the entire pickguard, you get a coil almost 1-1/2” wide by 3-1/2” long, where on a Strat it would be more like 5/8” by 2-3/4”. Obviously, this is much narrower than a Jazzmaster. These short coils are a lot harder
“IF YOU GO ON THE INTERNET THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT, SO TAKE AT LEAST HALF OF IT OR MORE AS SUSPECT INFORMATION.” to make for several reasons, one being it’s much harder to control the tension on the coil, which can warp the bobbin much easier than on a Strat coil. And if you make a mistake and have to cut the coil wire back off the bobbin, you only have 1/8” clearance to get a knife in the coil. Stripping a Jazzmaster pickup if a mistake is made takes way more time than usual, and they are extremely fussy about wire tension. Too much wire on a Jazzmaster pickup will quickly make the bass response too loose and flabby. It’s certainly not the hardest to make, but it’s easy to mess up.
Are there any final words of wisdom for either new custom builders, or guitarists looking to upgrade their instrument?
Take your time and research what it is you are after before you go throwing money at it. Best way to check the credentials of whoever you have
do the work is to ask guitar makers who use that company’s products, rather than relying on what you read on Internet forums. Forums have a terrible habit: when you ask about one [shop’s work], all of a sudden you get 20 different [manufacturer] names and no one has commented on the original shop in question. Another way is to see if you have a pal that own examples of what you want to try; maybe there is a local store that sells them or maybe they have guitars that come stock with the particular pickup. Talk to the guy behind the counter selling them and talk to the guy installing them, because you’ll hear about the product from two different angles.
www.lollarguitars.com
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 27
OXYMORRONS Regrouping After the Loss of a Frontman & Creating Collaboratively to Evolve Their Genre by Benjamin Ricci photos by Brandon Haynes
28 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Oxymorrons push the boundaries of what it means to be hip-hop, and in the process ensure that a vital genre to the culture stays ever-evolving and avoids becoming a clichéd, geriatric version of its former self. Brothers KI and Deee (extra “e” because…well, why the hell not?) got their start early, surrounded by music from a young age. As teenagers, they decided that music was going to be their career, and haven’t stopped the creative process since. They’ve got a new project, For Fun and Games, coming out this summer, and the video for their new single “Alone” is out now. We recently sat down with the boys to chat about building a brand, dealing with the loss of a frontman, and how best to prepare a live hip-hop show in order to grow your fanbase.
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 29
“ WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENTERTAIN ANYONE, WHETHER YOU’RE A FAN OR JUST SEEING US FOR THE FIRST TIME. YOU SHOULD LEAVE THE SHOW LOVING US, REGARDLESS. ”
30 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
One of your original members left the group around 2010. How do you deal with that as a band, from both a creative standpoint and a business standpoint?
Deee: Well, let’s start at the beginning… because it’s a long story. KI and his friend formed a group back in 2008. I was on tour with another group at that time, but those situations fell through. So we all got together after that and formed the Oxymorrons. Omar Hernandez was originally part of the group, also, and then Ony [Irvin] started to lose his hearing due to medical complications, and couldn’t continue. So me, KI and Omar continued and added Matt [Mayz], our drummer. So that’s basically how Oxymorrons formed.
So Ony actually lost his hearing completely? Deee: Well, he started to lose his hearing in one of his ears and couldn’t continue making music. His doctors actually told him to stop or he [ran the risk of] going completely deaf.
How do you come back from lineup changes like that? Do you have any advice for other bands that might be going through something similar?
Deee: It’s very difficult, because in the beginning our band had three frontmen. So Ony played a very vocal role and a really big part in the production. But if music is what you love and what you end up doing, honestly you’ve got to be able to transcend [problems] and get through that. You CAN change the face of your band, and a lot of groups do it. It’s literally fighting
Does it bother you if other people put a label on you?
through and getting your already-created fanbase to continually believe you can continue without that person. With Oxymorrons, we created a band identity through the name. So we branded everything through “Oxymorrons.” No one person stood out more than another, so it made it easier to transition when one person fell in or out.
So Oxymorrons is more of a brand, where no one person is bigger than the group. KI: Yeah, exactly.
How do you actually describe your sound, or are labels even relevant anymore?
Deee: We honestly never liked labels, but we know you need a label for people to place you in the industry, because they have to put you in some sort of box for people to understand [what you are]. Early on, we coined the term “clasher music,” because we were blending a lot of different genres. We don’t really fit into one particular genre because of the sounds [we make] and the things we like to do. We don’t really label ourselves anymore; it’s just good music.
Deee: It doesn’t bother us because our roots are historically hip-hop; we do use hiphop a lot in our music. So, it’s cool as long as you’re hearing the music and are getting the experience. Whatever you want to categorize it as, then you can take it that way. As long as you’re getting the message we’re sending out, then we don’t have a problem with that at all.
Can you break down your songwriting and creative processes for us?
KI: It’s basically collaborative. We all sit down and pick different sounds and plan where we want to go with the songs. Deee is very good with the structures of the songs and guiding how things move. And we all just push things together, coming up with the words…say if I was writing the hook, Deee would say, “Yo, you can put this word with that word” and we take it from there…
Do you guys ever write alone and then bring completed ideas to the group?
Deee: It’s mostly collaborative, but here and there, of course sometimes [someone will bring something] and we’ll just think it’s amazing. So we’ll try to structure it out and get the collective thoughts of the group. Verses, a lot of the time we tend to write along, but as far as the complete song, we almost always construct it [together].
How do you approach the recording studio, then? Do you begin with demos and flesh them out from there? JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 31
ON MOVING ON AFTER THE LOSS OF A KEY MEMBER:
“WE CREATED A BAND IDENTITY THROUGH THE NAME. NO ONE PERSON STOOD OUT MORE THAN ANOTHER, SO IT MADE IT EASIER TO TR ANSITION WHEN ONE PERSON FELL IN OR OUT.”
Oxymorrons For Fun and Games Standout Track: “Alone”
Listen Now performermag.com
Deee: Sometimes the writing is done in the studio, while the music is still being created. It varies; it’s a really organic creative experience when it comes to us. We just kind of make it all work…a lot of people will have a formula, or a routine. We don’t really have a routine because the music is based on how we’re feeling in the moment, and what’s going on in that moment.
Anything else you want to share about your studio process?
KI: It’s actually pretty cool. Sometimes we build a melody first, and we’ll build the whole song around the melody. Sometimes the words will be there first, and then we build the melody around the words. We like to co-produce a lot and bring other people in; it’s a collective experience, because we truly believe you can learn and gain from everyone [involved], so there’s a lot of collaborative work [in the studio].
Sometimes hip-hop is hard to translate to the stage. I’m not sure how to put this in a nice way, but I’ve seen an awful lot of terrible hip-hop shows. Deee: [laughs]
You guys are on the opposite end of the 32 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
spectrum there. So maybe you can shed some light on why it’s so difficult to put on a good live hip-hop show and what you’ve done to be successful with that aspect of the band…
Deee: A lot of the core factors of hip-hop… well, I wouldn’t say they’re not entertaining…but in general, I’ve learned by speaking to a lot of hiphop artists that rehearsal for shows isn’t always mandatory. They just get up there and perform to the track, rather than putting on a performance. You see, with us, we actually structure out a performance; we rehearse as a band. Even from the beginning, we had a live show before we had a CD to give anyone. We were opening up for Lupe Fiasco and we didn’t have any [recordings] to hand out. The live show is what drove everything for us, so we focused on that and always wanted to improve on that and make it better. It’s always been the focal point. We should be able to entertain anyone, whether you’re a fan or just seeing us for the first time. You should leave the show loving us, regardless.
www.oxymorrons.com
TOP PICKS
LIVE SHOW
DARWIN DEEZ Opening act’s odd mix of church music, meditation and high-octane guitar ballads.
April 2, 2013 Brighton Music Hall - Allston, MA
by Vanessa Bennett photo by Phil Sharp
34 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
The last time Darwin Deez played the Brighton Music Hall, a D documentary was made. This time, Deez wrapped up their North American tour with a toast to the crowd and a smattering of songs from their latest album. In typical Deez fashion, the band blended funky, choreographed dance moves with synthesized keyboard notes and heavy bass lines. Opening for the quartet were Spirit Kid, a Boston-bred indie band and Caged Animals, hailing from the Garden State. Spirit Kid started things off with harmonious indie pop ballads but Caged Animals really hooked the crowd with an odd mix of church music, meditation and highoctane guitar ballads. Their very animated performance that included echoing bass notes and rapid-fire drum beats was a great prep for what Darwin Deez had in store. The band emerged and without hesitation jumped into tracks off their new album Songs for
Imaginative People. “You Can’t Be My Girl” and “Chelsea Hotel” were sandwiched between old favorites including “Radar Detector” and “Bad Day.” The combination of new and old showed an evolution in the band’s sound, one that is now more reliant on rock musings and sharper guitar progressions. There was a heavier emphasis on length of notes and combination of chords. While their new tracks remain in the vein of indie pop, there is less pop and more rock and roll, a change fans seemed happy to embrace. As always, the band delivered a show that was not only entertaining but also a display of the strength of their knowledge and grasp of various instruments and musical genres. The show ended with a strong encore, a few words of love for the city of Boston and one final dance session set to some R&B classics.
www.darwindeez.com
Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival brings together Bulgarian string band,
TOP PICKS
Opening Night of Fifth
traditional fiddle and old school country music.
2013 BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL ~ NIGHT 1 April 19, 3013
review and photography by Heidi Schmitt
Bulgarian band playing Bulgarian folk music on authentic folk instruments – was one of the more unusual points of the evening, but Alex Battles and his Whisky Rebellion easily provided the rowdiest and most entertaining highlight. Battles and his guitarist sang together to cover the Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan classic “Girl from the North Country,” giving it a dirty but soulful and beautiful treatment with the full band’s support. And when the group closed their set with a rowdy cover of Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally,” the packed crowd sang along in approval, and the moment made you remember how much you love the song.
LIVE SHOW
The Bell House Brooklyn, NY
On April 19, the Brooklyn Folk Festival kicked off in the excellent Gowanus outpost, The Bell House, having outgrown its previous venue, festival co-presenter, The Fabulous Jalopy Theatre. The festival, which lasted three days and included dozens musical acts as well as movie screenings, singing workshops, a square dance and – obviously – a banjo toss, celebrated its fifth year since being founded by Eli Smith of Down Home Radio Show. Seven acts - Jackson Lynch, Joey Abata, Kristin Andreassen, Cherven Traktor, The Cactus Blossoms, Alex Battles and the Whiskey Rebellion and The Brain Cloud - provided about five hours of music, marked by diverse sounds and styles while remaining within the festival’s genre-based theme. Cherven Traktor – a
www.brooklynfolkfest.com
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 35
TOP PICKS
ALLISON WEISS
April 3, 2013 Great Scott Allston, MA
LIVE SHOW
review and photo by Matt Lambert
Although it was early April, Allison Weiss was wrapping up her March Radness tour with Pentimento and Candy Hearts, making her way around the country with a stop at Great Scott in Allston on April 3rd. With a full band in tow, she was ready to play some of her classic songs, and cuts off Say What You Mean, released last month, the first album on her new record label, No Sleep Records. Weiss started off as very DIY and the work paid off. She released her first full-length album with the assistance of Kickstarter back in 2009. You will often find her selling merch after a show and hanging with her fans. Her work ethic has taken her a long way; she was featured at South by Southwest twice as a performer and also as a panelist. She was also hand-picked by Lou Reed to perform with him in Europe on his tour last summer. Her music is a perfect blend of folk-rock, pop, and indie. As a songwriter and performer she is genuine, and isn’t afraid to laugh at herself. She has a very quirky yet confident charm. Being highly apologetic that it had taken so long to play in Boston again, she and the band played an older fan favorite, “You + Me + Alcohol,” then performed songs from the new album, like the already familiar tune to her fans “I Was an Island,” and “Don’t Go,” and then the single, “Making it Up.” Weiss later performed by herself (admitting it was very sappy) the track “Hole in Your Heart.” The past five years have been hugely successful for Weiss, and she isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Look for her on the Acoustic Basement Stage during most of this summer’s Vans Warped Tour.
www.allisonweiss.net
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.
A genuine singer/songwriter effortlessly performing classic cuts and new tracks.
HELP WANTED Booking Agents and Publicists for busy agency. Simon Says Booking is seeking qualified and experienced agents and publicists to join our team. We are experiencing unprecedented growth and we need more experienced agents in our Orange, MA office. Pay is commensurate with experience. Send resume to phil@simonsaysbooking.com for review.
Listen to the music featured in this issue @performermag.com
36 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Sub Verses Portland, OR & New York, NY (Dead Oceans)
“Propulsive, magnetic look at life through heavy guitars and layers of synth” Akron/Family is finally back with a followup to 2011’s Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT. Their latest release, Sub Verses is the next chapter is the band’s saga driven by bold statements, monumental sounds and their signature layers of synth, reverb and texture. The album functions as an epic tale complete with engulfing soundscapes, intricate looping, and perfectly timed percussion. Tracks like “Way Up” and “Whole World Is Watching” spin tales of humanism and life set to a wide array of musical styles and compositions. Once again Seth Olinsky brings his vocals to a breaking point, covering a massive range from whispers to glass-shattering pitches. They are the perfect companion to the unfiltered and crazed sound of the album which, is driven by drums, guitars and an immersion into the art being created. Akron/Family has always created works that are not only experimental, but imaginative and elaborate, as well. Even in their simplest of tracks, there are magnitudes of sound and range that are coupled with a magnetic physicality and drive. It has been a long wait for Sub Verses and it feels good to have it finally here. akronfamily.bandpage.com -Vanessa Bennett
The Appleseed Cast
Illumination Ritual Lawrence, KS (Graveface Records & Curiosities)
“Emo is as emo does” Kansas-based experimental post-rockers The Appleseed Cast return with their eighth full-length album, Illumination Ritual. The new release, out on Graveface Records, marks the band’s first new music since their moody 2009 album Sagarmatha and the contemplative 2011 EP Middle States. Despite lineup changes (lead singer/songwriter Chris Crisci is the only remaining original member), Illumination Ritual reads as a warm ode to the band’s emo roots, displaying their characteristic complex guitar riffs, technical drumming and distinctive varnishes as well as a restraint and maturity in sound that can only
come from 14 years of playing music. Like much of their work, long stretches of instrumental passages make up a good part of the album, from the glowing atmospherism of opener “Adriatic to Black Sea” to the ambling guitar drawl that rounds out “Barrier Islands (Do We Remain).” Mid-album standout “Cathedral Rings” blossoms from a cymbal-heavy intro into a metronomic powerhouse, showcasing drummer Nathan Wilder’s technical skill. “Branches On The Arrow Peak Revelation” channels the experimental post-rock of the notable Low Level Owl, and album closer “Illumination Ritual” finishes the release on a synthy, positive note. Not surprisingly, Illumination Ritual wouldn’t be an Appleseed Cast record without some overarching sense of despondency and uncertainty, but the band’s eighth release sees them fresh-faced and full of emo hopefulness. Recorded at Toyshop by Chris Crisci www.theappleseedcast.com -Margaret Price
Brighton MA Oh Lost Chicago, IL (Fast Plastic Records)
“Volatile, expansive compositions set to punchy indie-pop harmonies” Named for a hip Boston neighborhood but representing the Windy City, Brighton MA are releasing their sophomore album Oh Lost, an expansive and thoughtful work showcasing evolving talents and strengths. The combination of tender lyricism and upbeat harmonies is a staple of indie-rock that this band has captured well. The band’s dynamic approach to song composition and instrumental progression drives tracks rooted deeply in emotion and experience. There is an undeniable volatility to tracks like “Bulletproof” and “Touch” as lead singer Matt Kerstein’s vocals croon lyrics that are abundantly relatable, if not quite personal. The versatility of the band is demonstrated on “Good Kind of Crazy”, a rock ‘n’ roll ballad and “Wake the Dead,” the album’s closer, which progresses with well-defined percussion and haunting chord progressions. Brighton MA has been making music for nearly a decade, and while Oh Lost is only their second full-length endeavor, it shows tremendous growth and maturity. The album’s 11 tracks are perfectly arranged to create strong structures and enticing pieces that are well worth listening to. Produced by Brian Deck www.brightonma.net -Vanessa Bennett
Coastwest Unrest High Times on Lowly Streets Las Vegas, NV (Reclaim Records)
“Artful baritone lyrics ramble among a bed of wispy strings & acoustic rhythms”
TOP PICKS
Akron/Family
Hailing from Las Vegas, NV, Coastwest Unrest’s full-length High Times on Lowly Streets blossoms the acoustic trio into a quartet with the addition of classically trained cellist Zoë Kohen Ley. Coastwest Unrest’s Americana-roots-folk take on the nostalgic music craze (think Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers) by pairing freewheeling, string-centered instrumentation and Noah Dickie’s hardened baritone. Dickie bares a voice with a scarring deep cadence reminiscent to that of the iconic Mark Lanagan. Brimming with catchy songwriting, Coastwest Unrest fearlessly takes an aggressive approach to string composition: each song afire with cello, fiddle and strummy acoustic guitars. “Still Frightened” struts like a valiant desperado entering a dusty saloon. The dark, walking acoustic notes interlace seamlessly into Dickie’s call-and-response unto himself, “Coming from a place we want to forget / We can’t help it if you feel afraid / The curtain’s closed and the candle’s lit.” Smoldering with colorful moods, “A Parting Gift” and “Fortuitous Disaster” are warm embers that pass like a slow moving train, murmuring with windblown strings, unhurried percussive rhythms and Dickie’s staple tone. Heartfelt lyrics and brushy, easy-going instrumentation further texture the release, where Coastwest Unrest offers equal parts captivating listenability and artfulness. Recorded, Mixed & Engineered at Battle Born Studios by Robert Root Mastered at Tree Lady Studios by Garrett Haines Produced by Robert Root and Coastwest Unrest www.reclaimrecords.com -Christopher Petro
The Features The Features Nashville, TN (Self-released)
“Understated acoustics and thrift-store pastiche” The Features have never possessed an arena-rock sound - they have always been better suited for understated acouscontinued tics and thrift-store pastiche. But that on 38 approach all but disappears on their latest JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 37
self-titled album, in which opening track “Rotten” sets (continued) the tone for the album with gigantic drums and dramatic, attention-grabbing buildups. Their musical sophistication is based in token simplicity; the vocals are still piercing, the hooks are still undeniable, the instrumentation is still clean and straightforward. Lead single “This Disorder” is catchy, but doesn’t completely display the overall power of the album. “Won’t Be Long” is scraping at a pure rock sound with dominate strings and scrappier arrangements. “With Every Beat” rivals a King of Leon prowess, but has a more linear and tranquil energy. Not to be outdone or pigeonholed by themselves, songs like “Ain’t No Wonder” gives us a glimpse at how The Features execute wobble and buzz, while “In Your Arms” capitalizes on melancholy synths that simply swirl and sparkle. With this being their strongest record to date, it’s clear that the Nashville quartet only gets better with time.
TOP PICKS
The Features
Recorded & Mixed by Craig Alvin at Ripcord Studio, Vancouver, WA Additional Recording by Patrick Tetreault Produced by The Features Mastered by Andrew Mendelson at Georgetown Masters, Nashville, TN thefeatures.bandcamp.com -Candace McDuffie
Gin Wigmore Gravel & Wine Los Angeles, CA (Mercury Records)
“New Zealand native with a sultriness reminiscent of Amy Winehouse & Eartha Kitt” There is something insanely delicious about New Zealand native Gin Wigmore. Consider her a forbidden fruit that you cannot help yourself from indulging in. From her unassuming persona to her intoxicatingly rich tone (à la Eartha Kitt), Wigmore is temptation personified with an innate, vintage swagger that calls to mind Amy Winehouse and Duffy. The appropriately-named “Black Sheep” kicks off the record with a punch, a fitting opener in which Wigmore divulges her inability to fit in and, ultimately, how it led her down a path of self discovery. She sings: “…making my own road out of gravel and some wine, and if I have to fall, then it won’t be in your line. ” Wigmore’s strength lies in soulful numbers (“Man Like That,” “Poison,” “Dirty Love”) that allow her the opportunity to be bold - both vocally and in musical production. The star here is the earth-shattering “Kill of the Night” in which Wigmore’s sultriness is on full display, as she takes on the role of huntress amid an equally 38 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
seductive guitar riff reminiscent of T. Rex: “The danger is I’m dangerous and I might just tear you apart. ” It is the intrigue surrounding Wigmore that serves to lure listeners into her world, immersing them in hook-laden, soulful gems.
The Idyllists
Produced by Eric Rosse and Butch Walker
(Talking Bird Entertainment/
Engineered by Jake Sinclair
Bad-Transmission Collective)
The Grave & Unfortunate Life of Lord Hoffway & His Magnificent Piano New York, NY
Mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer
“Turning Idol fans into idyllists”
www.ginwigmore.com -Julia R. DeStefano
Ian Fitzgerald No Time To Be Tender Boston, MA (Self-released)
“Be prepared to be taken on a powerful folk journey” Opening with songs like “Something to Remember Me By” and “Let’s Go Down to Memphis,” Ian Fitzgerald successfully follows a golden road laid by many influential folk singer/ songwriters over the years, including Bob Welch, Hank Williams and Bob Dylan. The production is stellar on this record, and the quality of instrumentation by Ian’s backing band is superior. The arrangements are also beautifully orchestrated. It’s great to hear harmony vocals by fellow member Courtney Gallagher done so pristinely. The upright bass featured on standout tracks such as “A Place for You to Sleep” and “When Nellie Fell” by Brian Battles provides great warmth and percussive balance. Eric Lichter also provides gorgeous sounds on archtop, pedal steel and acoustic guitars. The album of ten songs is chock-full of great folk and ballad-like standards, with lyrics that are freely sung with heart and a devotion towards celebrating the magic and history of the greats of the folk scene. Fitzgerald is a polished songsmith who is high atop a field of great artists breaking through to festivals and folk concerts throughout the States, and with his touring schedule set for the rest of 2013, many new fans will be converted. He is a tender songwriter who composes with a flair and golden heart, seeking out faith over all obstacles and the burning flame of hope; his songs really take you on a journey. A highly enjoyable album, No Time to Be Tender is not to be missed.
After three years and two acclaimed albums, bi-coastal band The Idyllists bring us their latest release, The Grave & Unfortunate Life of Lord Hoffway & His Magnificent Piano. Led by British vocalist Ian Webber (of Atlanta’s The Tender Idols), he and his American bandmates have compiled an album that is well…magnificently full of piano and well crafted songs. Recorded in Webber’s Laurel Canyon home, songs like “Long Letter” and “Afterglow” transport you to a sunny Sunday afternoon driving with the top down along the Pacific Coast Highway. The twisted dark-guitar/synth and thought-provoking lyrics of “My Dark Horse,” are like making a wrong turn down an abandoned road, proving that The Grave and Unfortunate Life...runs the gamut of emotions. Webber brings such poetic beauty to songs like “Rose Coloured Glasses” and “Good Red Wine” and the tremendous musicianship of the band succeeds in bringing those poems to life. At times one is reminded of The Smiths...music that make you want to bop your head, yet when you stop and pay attention to the lyrics you’re not sure if you should be happy or sad. It’s hard to pick a stand out track as the more you listen, the more attached you become to each song. The Idyllists’ The Grave & Unfortunate Life of Lord Hoffway & His Magnificent Piano captures the confusions, concerns, and angst of trying to find the right life, or just a good life - and the uncertainties, insecurities, and regrets that go along with it with sharp melodies and unwavering honesty. Produced by the idyllists and Daniel Dempsey Engineered by Daniel Dempsey Mastered by Mark Chalecki www.theidyllists.com -Lesley Daunt
Produced by Eric Lichter at Dirt Floor Studio Mastered by Michael Burke at Specialized Mastering www.ianfitzgerald.com -Shawn M. Haney
continued on 43
TOP PICKS LIVE SHOW
LEEDZ EDUTAINMENT PRESENTS
KING LOS There’s something refreshing about an all ages hip-hop show. Granted, those in attendance are mostly excited to be away from a parent or any other authoritative figure in their immediate family. But there is also an excitement regarding their unadulterated love and appreciation of music. Their ears are the most sought after; their minds are the most influenced. So the fact that Leedz Edutainment are catering to this audience is quite remarkable. King Los, who is currently signed to Bad Boy, represents the new wave of artists infiltrating the label: artists who focus on energized live shows and a transparent recognition and appreciation of fans. Putting Hi-Rez on the bill as his opener was a good look - the 18-year-old Florida native has an unmatched kinetic stage presence and his aggressive delivery of bars (sans music, half the time) was wholly impressive. As he tore through songs off his Impatiently Waiting EP to a scarce crowd, it became clear that it didn’t matter if there were 100 people in attendance or 1,000; he came to give it his all. King Los took a similar approach
April 30, 2013 The Middle East(Downstairs)– Cambridge, MA review and photo by Candace McDuffie
to the stage, and of course onlookers digested it like candy. He has been on his grind for years and is finally receiving the fruits from his labor (also known as mix tapes). Tracks like “Becoming King” and “OD” made for frenzied performances, his freestyles memorable in cadence and crowd reception. Los’ royal title isn’t merely self-proclaimed; it is entirely deserved.
www.iamkinglos.com
Unmatched kinetic stage presence and aggressive delivery of bars.
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 39
TOP PICKS
LIVE SHOW
LA LUZ Sandwiched between two Portland rock staples, Hurry Up and Ghost Mom, the all-girl doo-wop surf band from Seattle, La Luz, surprised and thrilled a packed bar in Portland this Sunday night. Lead vocalist Shana Cleveland plays some serious guitar and slides back and forth on the stage between the keyboardist and bassist, exchanging smiles and twisting in unison. Their music is made up of heavy whammy bar tremolo, surf leads full of reverb, organ solos, doo-wop background vocals, and tight, exciting drumbeats. Not only is their music exceptional, La Luz has a stage presence and a chemistry between bandmates that is both heartwarming and cool. Cleveland and bassist Abbey Blackwell sometimes do a choreographed side-step sway in unison, and on the instrumental opener, “Phantom Pheelings,” keyboardist Alice Sandahl
joined Cleveland and Blackwell in a spontaneous squat, highlighting a quick drum solo. La Luz names the Ventures and the Marvelettes among their influences, but have a style uniquely their own. On the raunchy and infectious “Damp Face,” the guitarist requested the audience to split down the middle and start a Soul Train dance line, with everyone happily complying. “Adorable” was the word a lot of people in the audience used to describe the band which isn’t inaccurate, but it doesn’t fully capture the skill with which La Luz revive and capture a very nuanced genre.
laluz.bandcamp.com
All-girl doo-wop surf band incites Soul Train dance line in Portland bar.
March 31, 2013 The Know – Portland, OR
review and photo by Elisabeth Wilson
40 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
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SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION
LIVE SHOW April 5, 2013 The Sinclair Cambridge MA
review by Vanessa Bennett photo by Lauren Slusher
Hot off the heels of SXSW, Spirit Family Reunion made a return to Boston with a rip-roaring performance at the recently opened Sinclair in Harvard Square. The Brooklyn-based band once again brought with them a palpable energy that resonated throughout the tightly-packed venue with powerful drive and an intoxicating blend of gospel, bluegrass and folk. The night started off with sets by Thick Wild and Spitzer Space Telescope, who set the stage for a night of no-holds-barred performances. Spitzer Space Telescope is the work of one man - Dan MacDonald - and his fiery fusion of rock and folk music was the perfect companion to the SFR’s set. As the six-piece group took the stage, the crowd surged forward. The band has cultivated quite a name for itself since their performance at last year’s Newport Folk Festival, and with a number of superb shows in Boston under their belt they are well known in the area. The set was everything fans could have hoped for. Nick Panken’s vocals crooned over songs of youth, love and life’s hardships, while Maggie Carson’s five-string banjo lit up the venue. Her feverish finger plucking was accompanied by the otherworldly fiddle skills of Mat Davidson. Drumbeats pounded loudly as Panken’s guitar wailed and
Stephen Weinheimer took a washboard and turned it into one of the best, most intricately played instruments of the night. Each member threw their vocals into the mix, moving Carson’s raspier yet soft voice to Davidson’s deep bellow and ending with drummer Peter Pezzimenti’s almost childlike tone. The range of vocals coupled with complex chord progressions and layers of energy were truly impressive. The set came to an end late in the evening and as fans filtered out the exit doors or lingered on the patio for one last drink, the buzz about the latest Spirit Family Reunion show left those in attendance wanting more.
www.spiritfamilyreunion.com
Powerful drive and an intoxicating blend of gospel, bluegrass and folk.
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 41
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VINYL
LARK’S TONGUE
MONTH
The Rope / Tucson, Arizona
“Midwest psyche -rock punc tuated by low-
(7-inch single)
end heaviness and guitar squawk s”
of the
Peoria, IL (Bird Dialect Records) larkstongue.bandcamp.com
Founded in Peoria, IL (of all places), Bird Dialect Records is home to its founders and psyche-rock masterminds Lark’s Tongue. Their debut 7-inch makes effective use of their moniker’s reference to King Crimson in both its tonality and overall badassitude. Engulfed in a thick layer of fuzzy, grungeheavy guitar drones, Side A melts your face off with “The Rope.” But make no mistake; there are clear melodies to be found here, with standard song structures buried underneath the rubble of glorious noise. And is that a hint of Morrissey in the vocals? Hmm… In any event, fans of late-’80s Sub Pop singles will fall in love with this. Side B’s no slouch, either. “Tucson, Arizona” is a fine track in its own right, replete with shimmering guitars, ’90s alt-drum grooves and spaced-out, yearning vocal lines. It trudges along at a stoner-approved pace, making it the perfect soundtrack to those late-night Dominos deliveries. Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em…
42 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Recorded by: Jeff Gregory at Tonelab in Peoria, IL Mastered by: Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering in Brooklyn Format: 7-inch Speed: 45 rpm Color: Black Vinyl Limited Edition: 500 Units Pressed review by Benjamin Ricci / photo by Mark Randall Byland
Feelin’ American Vancouver, BC (Light Organ Records)
“Britpop-inspired tracks, situated somewhere between a head nod and a boogie jam” If you’ve ever heard of the Costellos, the Arctic Monkeys, or the Fratellis, then you will thoroughly enjoy James Younger. Straight from Vancouver, James is producing noise that sounds just as indie as some of the big name bands that you already know and love. His songs feature a dominant guitar with a subtle, but strong, bass line masked beneath the strings, vocals and drums. The strumming throughout the album keeps a steady, constant beat, which leaves your body twitching and ready to dance. Feelin’ American is an album that will find you somewhere between a head nod and a boogie jam. The record features a light sound that could be played on the beach, in a coffee shop or inside on a rainy day. Feelin’ American sports a versatile sound that will interest anyone who will take the time to listen. This feel-good record will leave listeners feeling carefree and is perfect for the upcoming summer season. With influences such as Tom Petty, the Strokes and the Smiths, its understandable that his music sounds the way it does. And we love him for it. Produced by Steve Bays Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound jamesyounger.bandcamp.com -Hannah Lowry
John Brown’s Body Kings And Queens Ithaca, NY & Boston, MA (Easy Star Records)
“Reggae ‘Kings’ continue their reign” Though it’s been five years since their last record, Kings And Queens is indisputable proof that John Brown’s Body hasn’t missed a beat. Fans of the band’s early records should be warned that almost none of the original members are still with the group. Even so, JBB manages to stay true to their roots, even as they deliver new material that is fresh and innovative. What sets this album apart most from the band’s earlier work is the glitzy, futuristic production style that’s a major departure from the analog, Studio One sound of classic reggae. Luckily, it’s clear that this is a stylistic choice rather than a crutch. The group’s stellar musicianship shines through the flashy production.
“Fall On Deep” is one of the best examples of behind-the-beat grooving on record - a refreshing break from the quantized rhythms that dominate so much of modern music. On the single “Old John Brown,” the band takes a playful approach to serious music. The song begins with a marching drumbeat that sounds out of character, until the rest of the band drops in unison with a hard-hitting instrumental hook. When the horns fly in two measures later, you already know you’ll be putting this track on repeat.
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James Younger
Produced by Elliot Martin Mixed by Matt Saccuccimorano at Moonbase Alphalfa Recorded by Brian Dozeretz at Ithaca College Mastered by Jocko at More Sound Recording Studio www.johnbrownsbody.com -Eric Wolff
Kopecky Family Band Kids Raising Kids Nashville, TN (ATO Records)
“Fully developed, multi-layered record that calls for multiple listens” On their first full-length album (following two EPs, a B-side collection, and years of touring), Kopecky Family Band establishes themselves as bona fide songwriters, singers, and players. Although they share sensibilities with the likes Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Of Monsters and Men, the band has a certain something that’s not easily replicated: killer songs. These songs include the instantly-lodgedin-your-head “Wandering Eyes,” and the equally catchy “Heartbeat” and “My Way.” The fact that these are the opening three songs on Kids Raising Kids could either bode well for the rest of the album or set it up for coasting mediocrity. Thankfully, the former holds true, as the rest of Kids delivers on its early promise. Many bands follow the blueprint of releasing multiple EPs followed by their first full-length, growing and developing their sound and their fanbase until both are ready for something more. Kids Raising Kids is that something more for Kopecky Family Band – a fully developed, multi-layered record that calls for multiple listens. But listener beware: multiple listens might just cause Kopecky Family Band’s tunes to get stuck in your head for the foreseeable future. Produced by Konrad Snyder Mastered by Hank Williams at MasterMix www.kopeckyfamilyband.com -Jason Peterson
continued on 44
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 43
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Max Garcia Conover Burrow Portland, ME (Clip Records)
“Fragrant flamenco folk” Decorated with fluttering chords and adamant couplets, Conover’s blend of North Country folk and Americana is a fresh filet of homegrown acoustic songwriting tinged with canapés of flamenco guitar. Burrow dotes along with an organic richness - the feeling of just a poet and his guitar belting stanzas into cold walls - but lush lyrics carry a sense of warmth and reassurance in the blizzard of emotion that is Burrow. The album’s closer, “The Wedding Line,” is barebones stroll, scantly clad with sparse chords and dissonant, picture-painting lyrics that are as emotionally loaded as William Wordsworth’s vows. On this track and throughout the record, Conover narrates listeners through crystalline scenes: “All of us in the wedding line / Cry my father’s mother in her cataract eyes / She said she was a saltwater woman and the rain only made her more dry.” Drunk with melody and silver linings, Burrow plays out like a rich, New England autumnal pallet, where bright hues and earth tones seemingly clash, until the colors coalesce into something truly unique, honest and decadent. Produced by Pete Morse and Max Garcia Conover www.MarkGarciaConover.com -Taylor Haag
Niall Connolly Sound Brooklyn, NY (C.U. Records)
“Irish singer-songwriter flexes his pop, rock muscles”
songs that characterized his first several albums. “Places I Promised I’d Go” is an achingly beautiful tune about a traveling musician worn out by his time on the road. But some of the songs lack the substance of Connolly’s characteristic storytelling lyrics. It might be intentional, considering the album is more about snippets in time rather than full-blown chapters of life. All in all, the record works best if you go in with the right expectations. Produced by Brandon Wilde and Niall Connolly Recorded & Mixed at Studio 76, Brooklyn Mastered by Ed Littman www.niallconnolly.com -Heidi Schmitt
Nightmares for a Week Civilian War Kingston, NY (Suburban Home Records)
“Every song sounds like it should be an anthem” There is nothing that this album makes you want to do but jump around in a mosh pit. Civilian War could not have been more appropriately titled, as the songs all sound like they should be played in a garage somewhere while a group of guys kick it in some run-down chairs in the driveway. Many of the songs have a layered, textured sound, and there’s a large emphasis on multiple guitars in many of the songs. With this serving as only their second full-length, the Nightmares for a Week has produced another great record, which seems to have a heavier, more aggressive timbre than their previous LP. Civilian War is an album that one could argue is full of anthems. This makes sense when you read some of the quotes the band has put out, but perhaps the one that I find most accurate to the sound Nightmares for a Week produce is one found on a profile of theirs: “It all started out with three of four poorly recorded demos, a summer vacation, a couple cases of beer, a back porch, and a couple of old friends. This is Nightmare for a Week.” Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by John Naclero
Niall Connolly’s latest offering, Sound, is a bit of a departure from some of his earlier works, boasting slightly slicker production and showing greater pop and rock influences. The results are mixed for the native of Cork, Ireland, now transplanted to Brooklyn. The lyrics in many of the more uptempo songs are literally repetitive (“Fire. Fire. Fire.” in “The Year of the Dragon”), an effect that gets tiresome after a couple of songs. This isn’t to say that the faster songs on the album fail. The final track, “Work With Pigs,” exposes the listener to the gritty reality that “Sometimes bringing home the bacon / Means you have to work with pigs.” But Connolly hits the sweet spot when he strums out the mellower 44 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Recorded at Nada Recording Studio, New Windsor, NY nightmaresforaweek.bandcamp.com -Hannah Lowry
Pepper Proud Riddles & Rhymes Seattle, WA (Self-Released)
“Captivating, honest lyrics & precisely layered instrumental folk arrangements”
“You’ve got to whisper to the ones that you want to hear you the most,” sings Pepper Proud on her debut album Riddles & Rhymes. She proves herself right with a record that is both understated and utterly captivating. Hailing from Lewisburg, West Virginia, and currently based in Seattle, Pepper’s music reflects the natural beauty that surrounds her. Pepper’s unassuming songs backed by guitar, mandolin and cello are tempting to categorize as folk or Americana. However, her honest lyrics and precisely layered instrumental arrangements will resonate beyond the world of simple folk. On “Dotted Line,” cello notes stretch out ominously like an open tundra, while Pepper chants out a melody that sounds almost Celtic in nature. She builds her sound around her airy, dynamic voice, and brings a unique vocal approach to each song, carefully manipulating her phrasing and inflection with the skill of a Joni Mitchell or Joanna Newsom. The only hint that this is a debut album is that some of the best songs are hidden away at the bottom of the track list. Thankfully, the miracle of digital music allows us to re-imagine the song order. Listening to the album from end to beginning is an entirely different experience that forces the listener to engage with some of the album’s more challenging material first, lending a new perspective to the more straightforward songs on the record. Recorded at Studio Nel’s and Parlour Trick, Seattle, WA Produced by Jason Goessl and Pepper Proud Mastered by Huntley Miller www.pepperproud.com -Eric Wolff
Shannon and the Clams Dreams in the Rat House Oakland, CA (Hardly Art)
“Buddy Holly on acid” Here it is, the long awaited Hardly Art debut from Bay Area garage rockers Shannon and the Clams! For those unaware, Shannon and the Clams are a psyche-pop garage-surf trio from Oakland fronted by two vocalists (Shannon and Cody). Their overall sound is sort of a “Buddy Holly on acid” sort of vibe. The recording quality is so dirty and reverb-filled it sort of extends beyond just genre typecasting and turns into a mutation of an already-popular sound. For those who are fans of the genre, honestly, you probably don’t need to read this review. You’ve most likely already pre-ordered this 12-song set (on vinyl, no doubt). For those who aren’t familiar, if deep down you wish your Detroit Cobras CDs sounded just a little bit “dustier” or if you know who I’m talking about when I mention
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EDITOR’S PICKS
Eksi Ekso
Emily Wells
Irma Thomas
Archfiend
Mama – Acoustic Recordings
In Between Tears (Re-Issue)
Boston, MA
New York, NY
New Orleans, LA
Genre: Indie Rock
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Genre: Soul/R&B
“Hunx” (as in his Punx), then Shannon and the Clams are the doo-wop rockers for you. Start with the track “Rip Van Winkle” – and if you don’t like the party The Clams are inviting you to, you probably weren’t on the guest list in the first place.
Engineered, Recorded & Produced by Tall Heights
The Wheel Workers
Mixed by Jared Fiske at Foundation Studios, Sturbridge, MA Mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering www.tallheights.com
Past to Present
-Christopher Petro
Houston, TX (ZenHill Records)
www.shannonandtheclams.com -Ben Nine-K
Treetop Flyers Tall Heights
The Mountain Moves
Man of Stone
London, UK
Boston, MA
(Partisan Records)
(Self-Released)
“England visits the L.A. scene circa 1969” “Cello/guitar folk duo burns with Bon Iverlike harmonies & breathy melodies” The minimalist duo has amassed a noble Boston following for their hushed and jeweled instrumentation, showcased for all on their debut full-length, Man of Stone. Performing together since 2010, Tall Heights is centered around mature and nuanced vocals, “Goodbye, goodbye Eastern Standard Time / In the dark, dark hour of night / I’ll be the only one alone” (“Eastern Standard Time”) swoons the two musicians, Tim Harrington and Paul Wright. Inspired by Bon Iver’s heartfelt falsetto songwriting, Tall Heights is lyrically daring. Playing with minimal accompaniment requires ingenuity to keep the momentum, variance and surprises without sounding repetitive or overwrought. The pair manages the challenge with coupled vocal harmonies, call-and-response, shared and solo instrumentation, blurring the lines between minimal chamber-pop and folk. “Out of the Ground” features exquisitely haunting cello notes, which pour like symphonic droplets. Entering with acoustic noodling and the lyrics, “What a wreck of a day / What a wreck of a man I’ve become / What a thing to say / But I said it.” Elegantly simple prose matches the transparent instrumentation in beautiful synchronicity: a mesmerizing result. In a genre packed with punchy, strummy romps, Tall Heights is a soothing journey into the sunset.
Treetop Flyers’ debut album, The Mountain Moves, serves as a temporary escape to Laurel Canyon in its heyday. Each track is a melting pot of iconic bands from that era of music, such as CSNY, The Band and Fleetwood Mac (pre-Buckingham/Nicks). The London-based band settled in Malibu to record the album and channeled their West Coast, laid-back vibe to create a record worth playing on repeat. Singer Reid Morrison finds his inner Neil Young on the opener “Things Will Change,” which sets the artistic tone for the rest of the album. “Houses are Burning” is a refreshing track as harmonies and guitar riffs blend together to create a hooky chorus that you won’t want to get out of your head. The band also has some bluesy tracks, such as “Rose Is In The Yard,” which has a sound that would make English blues musician John Mayall proud. The real gem has to be “Haunted House,” a perfect combo of blues and rock, which builds into a crescendo of guitars and a harmonic vocal climax. The Treetop Flyers’ sense of self is showcased on an album that could have easily been recorded by previous generations’ musical greats. The Mountain Moves is a testament to a time when art was the central force of peace, love and kick-ass music.
“Haunting arrangements on piano, filtering into mesmerizing percussion and riveting bass” The Wheel Workers’ new album streams with sounds of Arcade Fire, the best of Radiohead, the Flaming Lips and R.E.M., and they continue to make an immediate impact on festivals throughout the States, including SXSW. “Power” opens up this 12-song epic with a flourish, giving Past to Present a wonderful pad of creativity to let their music lift off from. “Past to Present” features a gorgeous and haunting arrangement on piano, filtering into mesmerizing percussion and riveting bass. The guitars are quite spacey and out-of–this-world, as this group intends to find groundbreaking territory in their music. Breaking through walls they do well, constantly searching for new sounds, both in their instrumental arrangements and through their rich, golden vocals. “Starve the Beast” and “Drone” feature more intricate instrumental layouts and fuzzy ’80s Korg synths that take the music to a higher realm. The Wheel Workers are rocking Houston with their brilliant chemistry and make up the best of today’s indie. They are touring with a brand that signifies soul and sweat, with music captivating, enriching and timeless. Past to Present is a brilliant effort that should be heard over the airwaves nationwide. Recorded at SugarHill Studios by Chris Longwood, Dan Workman and Steven Higgenbottham Mixed by Dan Workman Mastered by Dave McNair www.thewheelworkers.com -Shawn M. Haney
Produced by Noah Georgeson, Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom www.treetopflyers.co.uk -Jillian Dennis-Skillings
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 45
PART 2 OF 2
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter #Music for Indie Artists Why the Social Media Giant Will Become Your Most Essential Promo Tool
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael St. James is the founder and creative director of St. James Media, specializing in music licensing, publishing, production and artist development.
Twitter #Music is officially in the wild and available as an app in your favorite store or you can visit the standalone web version at music. twitter.com. Just to refresh your memory, Twitter #Music is a social music discovery and charting engine, meant to integrate with other platforms to share music in real-time. This is the result of the We Are Hunted acquisition that Twitter made last year. We Are Hunted specialized in aggregating data to chart emerging and Top 40 songs based on social media and prominent blog postings. THE BASICS Let’s get all the basics out of the way. The app is free to download, free to use online, and you do not have to be on Twitter. However, having a Twitter account opens up a lot of integration with your own preferences and feed. Notably, as an artist, you do not have to be on Twitter either, just on iTunes, Spotify, etc. More on that later. All of Twitter #Music is driven by songs, not albums. The layout is beautiful, with tiled Twitter profile avatars and a little 45rpm-looking player interface in the bottom left. You can instantly follow any of the artists. And, on mobile if you push and hover, you can see which of your users posted which song you are being served. There are pull-down menus of categories: “Popular” - new music trending “Emerging”- hidden talent in tweets “Suggested” - artists you may like “#NowPlaying” - music tweeted by people you follow “Me” - artists you follow 46 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
The last three categories are only functional if you sign in with your Twitter handle. T h i s last one may be the most worthless because it only lists artists who are basically signed and on iTunes. I am looking at my Twitter #Music right now and on “Me” there are less than 20 showing, but I follow literally thousands of artists - it’s just that most of them are real musicians and bands… like you. To be brutally honest, I’m “optimistically disappointed” with the launch. Many of us hoped for features such as in-stream radio, true independent discovery, free or ad-supported full song play, and so on. Having said that, it’s new, and I’m hopeful Twitter will refine it as they go. GETTING DISCOVERED The basic Twitter #Music only plays 30 second previews served by iTunes, so if you’re not on iTunes, you’re out – unsearchable. And I cannot tell you how deeply that pisses me off. Further, if a user wants to hear “Full Tracks,” they must have either a Spotify or Rdio Premium account (about $10/month). That means your music must be on iTunes to be found by most users. To be fair, this is from the Twitter #Music F.A.Q.: “Importantly, remember that it’s all about the music. To be heard you’ll need to have at least one track in one of the catalogs our users can connect to - iTunes, Spotify or Rdio. If you don’t see a playable track on Twitter #Music, email us to let us know.” But I did not find this to be true. I searched
NEXT MONTH We explore the music discovery and identification app Shazam, and its effects on the indie music community.
for some artists I work with - all are on iTunes, Spotify, Rdio, AND I follow them, AND I have tweeted them as #NowPlaying and yet, nowhere can they be found. I hope this is a “bug” to be worked out, but I fear the initial launch is slanted toward more lucrative major and mainstream artists. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE But wait; there’s hope! Many of us have sorted through the developer code and can see integration areas with SoundCloud and YouTube. If you read this space, you know that I insist you be on both. When (if) those integrate, everyone will be searchable. Also, Twitter is still Twitter. In a way, the fact that the app is separate, not inside of Twitter, is good. Sharing music properly is still important, as is building a fan base and communicating with them. What I am ultimately pissed off about is that Twitter #Music is not keeping with the spirit of Twitter, which is immediate, real-time interaction; the police scanner theory that @Jack envisioned. If they are going to just push songs already on iTunes (or perhaps Spotify), that means those songs are done, mixed, mastered, ISRC’d, bagged and tagged for accepted digital distribution. I would only be able to hear songs that are at least months old; that’s not discovery, that’s being sold to. That’s the exciting part of discovery, a song that was just uploaded, pushed into this world with millions ready to hear it. Twitter #Music could, and should, be the driver of ALL music releases. I hope they realize it soon, or the next startup will.
Pitchfork Music Festival Interview
with Chris Kaskie, President
BOOKING
Inside the Booking Process at the
pictured: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion- photo by Nolan Wells
The 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival is just around the corner, kicking off on July 19. Every summer the festival takes over Union Park in Chicago for three days of impressive and provocative music and has become a staple event in the neighborhood. Since its inception in 2006, the festival has grown into one of the most internationally renowned exhibitions of music and art, providing attendees with a wide variety of big name and unknown artists. Chris Kaskie, Pitchfork’s charismatic and dedicated president, sat down with Performer to talk the 2013 line up and future plans. How did the Pitchfork Festival come about?
We wanted to find new ways to reach our fans and the festival was designed to showcase the purpose and content of the magazine in the real world setting. When we first started the festival, we viewed is as a way to expand our presence and connect with our audience. The idea and creation of the festival was very organic, we new we wanted to bring together talented artists and we knew we wanted to do it in a way that was engaging to our fans.
How do you and your team choose the festival line up every year?
We think about our content, about what our fans want to see and then try to create something that’s unique from year to year. The curation process has evolved but is really just a group of us in a room hashing through all the things we’d like to see and the things we think our fans would like to see. The variety of bands is really important and there isn’t one thing we look for or one approach we take. We sit down and figure out who is new and who we’ve never had before. We try to bring a good mix of emerging and well-established acts. Honestly, we think about the acts that we’ve dreamt of having.
How do you choose your headliners?
We don’t really approach the process by trying to first determine who will or won’t headline. We take the festival as a whole and instead we
look at what acts we want. The team looks at who has played in previous years and tries to figure out who the fans want to see most. We take careful care when deciding and really want to get acts in that we feel will be the most fun and will bring something new to the festival each year.
Is there anything that bands can do to make the line up? Any advice you give those interested in being chosen for 2014?
Not really. It’s an outreach process for us; we go searching for the artists we want. While variety and range are important and while we want to showcase up-and-coming bands, we really don’t look at demos or materials submitted by bands. Instead our team works with agents to find bands that will be the best fit for the year. Even though materials may come across our desks, we don’t really put out a call for bands. We look for what will be the best fit.
When creating your line up, do you and the team draw from years past? Do you invite bands to return or try to create something totally unique from year to year? We’ve had bands perform multiple times and there’s no hard and fast rule about that. That said, we try to get as much new as we possibly can. On average, about ninety-five percent of what we have is stuff we’ve never had before. In year’s past we’ve had unknown artists and bands who are well established, and if having a band return feels
right, we’ll do it. We definitely want the festival to be the most fun and most daring it can be and that means striving for creativity and giving the fans something new and exciting every year.
How has the festival grown over the years?
We’ve gotten much bigger. Over the years we’ve added more days and more bands. We’ve expanded the structural organization and improved the caliber of booking. But the festival has grown primarily in terms of production, services available to attendees and the behindthe-scenes operations. We’ve really tried to make the entire festival run more smoothly. We’re always looking at possibilities for growth and expansion but our location is a key component. We’ve really become apart of the neighborhood and we don’t want to lose that.
Where do you see it in the next five or ten years?
It’s hard to say. I think we’re pretty comfortable in the location we’ve been in. We’ve been here for nine years and the audience is happy here. The arguments for getting bigger always stay the same and we have expanded internationally, but it’s about setting realistic expectations year after year. Keeping things easily accessible for attendees and staying all about the music is the main goal. We could get bigger but we don’t want to go crazy and we don’t the festival to become something over-the-top or driven by sponsors. It’s not about money, it’s about the fans and the music and the magazine. This festival means something to Chicago and to our readers and fans and we want to continue to improve, but never lose that connection.
For more info, visit pitchforkmusicfestival.com
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 47
CONFERENCE
ASCAP Inspires Creators at 2013 Expo
Industry Pros Share Insights with Independent Artists
photo courtesy of ASCAP
Thousands of music industry professionals and musicians from around the nation convened at the Loews Hollywood Hotel from April 18-20 for the annual ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo, eager to learn from the conference’s esteemed guests, veterans, and panel members, and connect with their musical peers. With dozens of seminars that ranged from mastering sessions and social media optimization to cracking the East Asian pop market and publishing guidance, the Expo’s biggest draw was multi-platinum recording artist Katy Perry, who recalled her own days as an aspiring artist, offering advice to the ASCAP faithful. “I don’t have any agenda except to speak from the heart. I think it helps to be really honest, and vulnerable,” stated Perry. “Anything you can do to get that first opportunity, you have to always be ready and available.” While Perry reminisced about her journey from struggling songwriter to international superstar, acclaimed producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Phish, Johnny Thunders, XTC) drew on vignettes from his 35 years of studio experience to tackle the practical subject of writing and recording. “I believe in studios. I believe in a certain chemistry when people get together,” explained Lillywhite. “It has something to do with joy… 48 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
you don’t know what it is; a little bit of magic. We embrace technology, we embrace the future, but we are still in charge of the machines.” Aside from Perry and Lillywhite, the ASCAP Expo also featured acclaimed panelists Ne-Yo, Diplo, Jill Scott, No I.D. and Savan Kotecha, but the focus remained on up-and-comers, like Mailani Makainai, an award-winning Hawaiian singer and songwriter, who was one of the few artists to secure a performance slot on the ASCAP Playback Stage. “I’ve been [an ASCAP] member since 2001, and I have an admiration for a team that interacts with its members,” offered Makainai, who received a return invitation to perform in Los Angeles in August 2013. “I never thought to attend before, but I felt it was so important that I grabbed from my savings and it’s already paying off. I’m shy, so it pushed me to go out and talk with people.” Reggie Walson, an independent, Chicago, Illinois-based producer who records under the moniker Volcano Beats arrived for his first ASCAP Expo to not only scout vocal talent for an upcoming release, but also to utilize the vast resources available. “I came looking for a couple songwriters to work with and collaborate with. I met a couple people that I think can get that done, so it’s been
by Dan Shapiro
beneficial so far,” stated Walson. “I’m trying to graduate from having an online presence to pitching stuff to labels and trying to get placements and make money.” Walson wasn’t the only Chicago native in attendance at the ASCAP Expo. Singer/ songwriter Lynn Solar also flew in from the Midwest, with hopes to expand her network and boost her profile. “I saw this as an opportunity to further my music career and become more established as an artist. I was hoping to acquire more information about the music industry as well as meet other songwriters and producers,” explained Solar. “What I got from the Expo [was] inspiration, which I believe is the most important [thing] for my music at this time. I am more knowledgeable about how to go about getting my work out to the world.” On the topic of digital distribution, ASCAP President Paul Williams took another approach, summoning a panel that included Grammy award-winning composer Brett James (Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride) and Congresswomen Judy Chu and Marsha Blackburn. Williams expressed dissatisfaction with streaming outlet Pandora, referring to a “tsunami of misinformation” in regards to unequal digital royalty schemes. Blackburn in fact took Williams’ concerns to another level, addressing songwriter publishing rights and royalty collections through Congress’ Creative Rights Council. “We create a world in which your good work can take place and you can be fairly compensated,” commented Blackburn. “The U.S. is going to protect your right to create and benefit…for the promotion of art.” Using music as both their medium and message, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers addressed the everchanging climate of the music industry, constantly instilling in their legions that despite the recent adverse effects of digital advancement, songwriters’ rights are still at the forefront of their mission. With that, ASCAP concluded its 2013 Expo, but continues its commitment and efforts to promote fair licensing and distribution of music.
For more info, visit www.ascap.com/eventsawards/events/expo
How to Protect Yourself, Your Fans, and Avoid a Lawsuit
THE SAME ELEMENTS THAT MAKE FOR A GREAT SHOW can sometimes turn against you.
The combination
of large crowds, loud music, dancing, booze and a host of other elements are often a breeding ground for injury and personal liability. Whether it’s a fight,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adam Barnosky is a Boston-based attorney and writer. For industry trends, legal updates, or to request an upcoming Legal Pad topic, find him on Twitter at @adambarnosky.
DISCLAIMER
LEGAL PAD
Concert Security
The information contained in this column is general legal information only and should not be taken as a comprehensive guide to copyright law. Consult your attorney for all specific considerations.
a fall, a stumble, or a combination of all three, you’ll want to make sure you are protected when accidents happen. If a problem arises, how do you know whether it’s your “fault,” and what can you do to protect yourself against a lawsuit? This month’s Legal Pad dives into negligence, insurance, and playing live.
“Negligence” = Liability. When you should have known better or could have done something about it, it is generally called “negligence” and you could be liable for someone else’s injury. Nolo’s “PlainEnglish” law dictionary defines negligence as:
“Failure to exercise the care toward others that a reasonable or prudent person would use in the same circumstances, or taking action that such a reasonable person would not, resulting in unintentional harm to another. Negligence forms a common basis for civil litigation, with plaintiffs suing for damages based on a variety of injuries, from physical or property damage to business errors and miscalculations. The injured party (plaintiff) must prove: 1) that the allegedly negligent defendant had a duty to the injured party or to the general public, 2) that the defendant’s action (or failure to act) was not what a reasonably prudent person would have done, and 3) that the damages were directly (“proximately”) caused by the negligence. An added factor in the formula for determining negligence is whether the damages were “reasonably foreseeable” at the time of the alleged carelessness.” While the test for negligence surrounds particular facts and circumstances, you should
own insurance and liability waivers. Live performance insurance can include liability for personal injury and property damage and can be bought on an annual or per event basis. For smaller venues, policies covering between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 should be more than sufficient (premiums are less expensive than it sounds). Again, oftentimes a venue contract will specify pictured: The Jesus Lizard - photo by Nolan Wells what policy limits are required and demand to evaluate your act (and your venue) to determine see proof of insurance. If audience members, what preventative measures you could take to equipment, or you are injured during the course stop a problem before it happens. Does your band of the performance, club policy and party coverhave fans who jump off the stage into the crowd? age will determine responsibilities and payout. You should get security as a barrier to the stage. Do you have a lot of minors at your show? Check The good news is, if you have insurance, get IDs at the door and at the bar. Does your band sued, and the injury is covered under your light off pyrotechnics during the show? Stop policy, (a) your insurance will take care of the doing that. You get the point. legal expense in defending the suit – there is a specialty in the field known as “insurance Venues & Insurance: When someone is hurt at defense,” and (2) the company will cough a concert, they will often seek money to cover up any resulting damages from the suit. their medical bills and expenses related to the injury. Many times this will come in the form of Protecting Yourself: When in doubt, take it upon a lawsuit. Most popular venues will have insur- yourself to get covered. So what’s the best way ance that covers people who might be injured to get insurance? First, try exploring online during the course of a gig. If you are signing an options. New York-based MusicPro Insurance agreement with a venue, find out whether they (www.musicproinsurance.com) has an inforcarry insurance. If they do, this should be con- mative and user-friendly website that makes tained in the contract. In the event that someone insurance selection easy. You’ll need basic inforis injured and it turns out that the club does mation to get started, including tour itinerary not have insurance – you could have a cause of (dates, venue, and venue capacity), transportaaction against them based upon the contract. tion details, payroll information (if requesting workers’ compensation), and your band’s federal During the past few years, however, insurance ID (if it’s an LLC or a corporation). After filling companies have been cracking down on live in the required criteria, you’ll be issued a quote. venues. This has a trickledown effect on perform- Better to take care of this sooner rather than ers. Some insurance companies are requiring later; your band, gear (and wallet) will thank insured venues to have live bands provide their you in the event that you actually need to use it. JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 49
GEAR
y m FAVORITE AXE
with LITA FORD
BACKGROUND
Lita Ford is a true Rock Goddess; she’s a badass guitar player, singer and self-described “Blonde Bitch from Hell.” We couldn’t agree more, and we’re super-stoked that she’s still living like a Runaway. MAKE & MODEL
“1982 B.C. Rich Warlock with Seymour Duncan pickups. I also use Marshall JCM 800s, a Jerry Cantrell wah pedal and a BOSS DD-3 Delay, Monster guitar cables and Dean Markley Stings (gauges 9-42).” WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU
“These are my work tools. They are old and valuable prototypes - just like me ;) ” WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE
“Sounds like POWER, DISTORTION and SUSTAIN. You have to capture it like a wild animal.”
SPECIAL FEATURES
“None needed. Just one blonde female, one guitar, one Marshall and a stage.” LISTEN NOW at litafordonline.com.
Got a favorite instrument you’d like to share?
Email us at editorial@performermag.com
photo by Mark Weiss 50 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
ABOUT THE AUTHORS 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.
One of the most effective ways to get your songs above the fray and to the next level is by recording great harmonies and background vocals. Over the years we have found that the bigwigs in the music biz love to hear excellent lead vocals AND quality harmonies/background vocals. The problem we have observed is that many artists are used to hearing backing tracks and harmonies on songs without really noticing them. They know a song sounds good but when asked if there are vocal backing tracks on that recording, many actually don’t hear them until they’re pointed out. A lot of bands do not fully understand what vocal backing and harmonizing is until they get into the studio, but with a little coaching, most can learn how to record a good harmony and will soon be trying to write harmonies for all their songs. At this point you must be asking yourself the burning question: What is the best way to record a harmony/background vocal?! In this article, we will detail some of the techniques that we have found are the most successful for recording, as well as some mixing tricks that will help give you those sexy harmonies to make your tracks pop! Step 1… The first thing that you should do when getting ready to record harmonies and background vocals is to have rehearsed and written vocal parts before the session! Many bands do not even think about this, so if you want to save yourself some money, spend a little rehearsal time working out some background vocals before going into the studio. Once you have your background vocals rehearsed, you must then figure out who will be singing them. Some groups will only have a lead vocalist, so in these instances you will have him/her record harmonies to their already-tracked lead part. In other cases, you may have multiple vocalists. Once you have all of this established, you are ready to move on to the next step, which is… Headphone Mix Every engineer’s favorite thing in the whole recording world! (Note the sarcasm). Getting the perfect headphone mix can be one of the most time-consuming parts of any session, much to the dismay of us engineers. At Night Train Studios, we have recently adopted the Behringer Powerplay P16-M Personal Mixer system. This allows for the artist to control their own headset mixes, which has made our lives (and theirs) a lot easier. But many studios still use a more traditional headphone amp system, where you have
to manually adjust the headset mixes of your artist, so there are some good tricks to keep in mind. One thing we would recommend trying is adding some reverb to the vocals. A little reverb can help your performer feel a little less “naked” when they hear themselves through the cans, and give them more confidence while performing. Most singers do better hearing themselves naturally, which will often times play a role in deciding which headphones we will select. There are two categories that most headphones fall into - closed and open. Closed cup phones (like the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO) block out much of the ambient room sound and work great when other loud instruments are present; they also help keep the music from leaking into a hot mic. Open cup (like the AKG K 240) have a more natural feel but allow more unintentional leakage. If time allows, let the talent audition a few different pairs to see which they prefer. Headphones give singers a version of themselves that they may not be used to, so we often suggest they experiment a bit as they warm up by moving one cup off their ear until they find a sweet spot between the room and headphone mix. Once a vocalist finds a pair of headphones they like, we often recommend that they purchase a pair and use them all the time so that singing with them on becomes second nature.
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.
RECORDING
Tracking Harmonies and Background Vocals
Part 1 of 2
Microphone Techniques/Selection Background vocals rehearsed: Check! Headphone mix created: Check! Now we need to pick out which mic we’re going to use. We almost always use a pop filter to help eliminate plosives P’s and B’s when recording background vocals. We also like to use a mic isolation shield (like the Auralex MudGuard) to help minimize unwanted room reflections that can color a vocal performance. These are especially helpful if you are forced to record in a less-than-optimal space. While there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to mic selection, you hardly ever can go wrong with a large (3/4” - 1”) diaphragm condenser mic on vocals. If your budget is limited, there are many low-cost mics that do a great job - check out the MXL 990 or Audio Technica AT2020, great choices for under $100. For a few hundred bucks, the choices are virtually limitless and many vocal mics double as great instrument mics, too. Tracking Separately A veteran vocalist knows how to move during a vocal take, sidling up close to the pop screen during intimate passages and taking a half step back and turning slightly when the chorus comes and it’s time to belt it out. Let’s also mention here that you might be tempted to record two or more vocalists simultaneously for a backing vocal track – fight that temptation. Unless the vocalists are pitch-perfect pros, you will be left with a track with imperfections in pitch and volume that you will have trouble fixing in the mix. Better to track each vocalist separately with two or more takes each so that you can focus on individual performances and can easily tweak any inconsistencies later on. [Editor’s note – read Part 2 in next month’s issue and online at performermag.com]
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 51
STUDIO DIARY
In the Studio with TEEN GIRL SCIENTIST MONTHLY
Tapping Into Performances From the Road for Recording Inspiration
interview by Benjamin Ricci photos courtesy of the band
Artist: Teen Girl Scientist Monthly Album: Modern Dances
album info
Recording Studio: GaluminumFoil Studios - Brooklyn Record Label: Self-released Release Date: February 26, 2013 Producer/Engineer: Gary Atturio Mastering: Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk Artwork: Matt Gliva
-Yamaha Pacifica Guitars (4eva) -Yamaha CS-5 Keyboard key gear
-Wurlitzer Music Learning Module -Marshall JCM Amplifier -Fender Deluxe Reverb Amplifier -Bad Cat Amplifier -Pedals: Tube Screamer, Blues Driver -Lots of tambourines (we will never forget you guys)
“WE THROW OURSELVES
PRE-PRODUCTION What was your pre-production like on this project?
We had our demos and Berger made a ton of lists with details and parts and everything, but the best bit that we took into the studio came from touring to SXSW last year. A lot of what we thought we knew about the music went out the window when we were playing it every night in new places to new people. The most basic, strongest elements came out; we found places to lock in, places to play. When we got back, everything felt different, less set in stone, more electric, and a week later we were tracking drums. 52 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
How did you choose the studio?
We recorded the majority of the album at GaluminumFoil Studios in Brooklyn. Mel, our keyboardist, did her band’s debut EP there a year ago, and we really liked how it felt like a hideout, a place to steal away the nights together. Gary Atturio, our friend, engineer and mixer, works there - he knew our live show and what we were going for and all that just made it the perfect spot to stomp and yell the summer into pieces together.
AROUND A LOT DURING OUR LIVE SHOWS, AND WE WANTED TO CAPTURE THAT LIVE ENERGY IN THE SONGS, BUT THEN DRESS THEM UP FOR PROM.”
ON TOURING’S EFFECT ON THE RECORDING PROCESS:
“WHEN WE GOT BACK, EVERYTHING FELT DIFFERENT,
STUDIO DIARY
HAVE A UNIQUE STUDIO STORY TO SHARE? EMAIL EDITORIAL@PERFORMERMAG.COM
LESS SET IN STONE, MORE ELECTRIC, AND A WEEK LATER WE WERE TRACKING DRUMS.”
teengirlscimo.com
POST-PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION What kind of sound were you looking for and how did you achieve it?
We throw ourselves around a lot during our live shows, and we wanted to capture that live energy in the songs, but then dress them up for prom. We recorded the majority of the drums and bass live and did a lot of group vocals yelling along with the lyrics in the background. We didn’t aim for perfection, but energy, which meant trying to get each other to laugh and react and let go a bit.
How does it compare to your last release in terms of style and the creative process?
Like comparing apples and baby wolverines. Pioneer Ghost, our first EP, was recorded right as we were coming together as a band, and it comes across a little flat by our ears. There was so much left to discover about each of those songs, but we rushed the record out. With Modern Dances, we had a lot more time with each track, and found a lot more in each to play with and live in.
Did you use any special gear or recording techniques on this one?
There are also some Mellotron patches on “Faith” and whatever that snarky nasal key tone from early ’90s hip-hop is called on “Little Fur.”
What was your philosophy on live, fullband takes versus individual tracking?
They yin and yang. The live sound is the most honest for our music, but the songs went somewhere new and exciting with the overdubs. We don’t have many philosophies in Teen Girl. Berger points out that he flunked Philosophy, but we don’t understand why he’s so proud of that.
What did you try to accomplish in the studio that you’re not able to do live?
We were super lucky to have a trio of very awesome ladies play strings on a few of the tracks. We had a violin in the band back when we were getting started, and for some of the songs it was the perfect way to get them to their full potential. Kristine Kruta, our friend and the cellist on the record, arranged some really amazing parts for us - melodic and cinematic. She’s incredible.
We had a field day with synths. We used a Any funny stories from the session that Yamaha CS-5 for some really buzzy, dirty stuff, and you’ll be telling for a while? We all swore by blood pact never to mention a Music Learning Module (made by Wurlitzer for, we assume, really lucky school kids in the ’80s) for what we did after the third drink each night. some rounder, Rhodes-with-a-stupid-grin tones.
How did you handle final mixing and mastering?
Gary mixed it for us in September, which was perfect - like looking back over your summer vacation. For mastering, we worked with Alex DeTurk at Masterdisk in Manhattan, a really funny, genuine guy who walked us through all our options for getting the best sounds.
What are your release plans?
We threw a little party for our NYC fans, which was amazing - sold out, with a fantastic group of people in a very sweaty room. For the actual release, we have some dates around the East Coast, as well as an NYC show at Cameo in Brooklyn, when we’ll be releasing the second single off the album.
Any special packaging?
Gliva, our bassist, made a collage from old home improvement books and pictures of flowers and gymnasts for the album proper, and it looks great. For our first single – “Summer Skin” - the packaging is actually an 88-page Choose Your Own Adventure book that Berger wrote and Pete illustrated. You have to get to the right ending to get your download code. Otherwise, you get killed by a wizard, or have to fight the dragon. Bummer. JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 53
GEAR REVIEWS
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT2020 USB Condenser Microphone - $149
AUDIO-TECHNICA System 10 Digital Wireless Systems – $489 - $664
PROS
Quality construction and sound, easy to use.
CONS
Included tripod is a bit flimsy.
F E AT U R E S
Microphone Type: Condenser Polar Pattern: Cardioid Diaphragm Size: .63” (16mm) Frequency Response: 20Hz-16kHz Max SPL: 144dB SPL (1kHz at 1% THD) Signal to Noise Ratio: 74dB, 1kHz at 1 Pa Weight: .82 lb. Included Accessories: stand mount, desk stand, USB cable 54 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
CONS
None.
F E AT U R E S
PROS
Since USB devices have become standard, a lot of companies have flocked to use this technology in recording; with the AT2020 USB mic, AudioTechnica has merged their industry-standard sound with home studio ease. Construction-wise, it’s robust, with a nice cast metal casing and metal grille, it echoes the quality studio microphones AT’s known for. No cheap plastics here. A metal mount connects it to either the included tripod or a standard mic stand. Feature-wise, it’s not overwhelming, a 1/8” connection for headphones, and two volume wheels, one for headphone volume, and the second is a mix control that allows the blend of mic vs. playback signal. Connecting is simple: plug and play. It works with Mac and Windows software easily, and with pretty much every recording application that recognizes USB devices. It’s a condenser mic, and its frequency response is pretty flat, leaving plenty of room for external EQ (if desired). For acoustic and electric instruments it works really well, with plenty of range and dynamics. On vocals, it doesn’t color the sound, and the ability for a singer to control their own mix and headphone levels at the mic is great, especially for those singers that want to run their own sessions without an engineer. The included tripod is a bit flimsy, but for desktop use such as recording a podcast or voiceover, it’ll be perfectly fine. In many applications a standard mic stand may work better, though. Overall, it’s a quality built mic, with a quality sound, and is perfect for many uses: instruments, vocals or voiceovers. The street price is around $150, and for any home studio or podcast producer, it’s well worth the money. -Chris Devine
Good price, no interference, great sound.
Wireless mics used to be the luxury item even for touring artists, and when the technology came down to what local bands could afford, the quality was severely lacking. AT now delivers pro quality at indie band prices. The overall design isn’t anything out of the ordinary for a wireless mic setup - a quality, handheld dynamic unidirectional microphone, transmitter and a receiver. The receiver is also designed to be stacked with another unit; so for bands with multiple vocalists, it can keep the clutter to a minimum. The receiver is pretty simple in its setup: 1/4” and XLR connections, level control, and two antennas. Spec-wise, it runs in the 2.4GHZ range, meaning no interference from things like TV sets, remotes or Wi-Fi signals, and no “Spinal Tap”esque radio interference to worry about! It has excellent clarity and range. In a blind listening test, this unit blows away a “tethered” microphone. For the price of the unit we tested ($299 street) it’s one of those things a good singer/ performer can easily add to their arsenal without breaking the bank, while getting a high quality sound in the process. There should be plenty of range from the back of the house to the receiver, even in most mid-sized venues. Overall, it’s got state-of –the-art sound, a pretty decent price, and no connections and settings to worry about - just plug and sing! -Chris Devine
Operating Frequencies: 2.4 GHz ISM band Dynamic Range: >109 dB (A-weighted), typical Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.05% typical Operating Range: 30 m (100’) typical Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Faderfox
Control for a New Era www.faderfox.de
PROS
Small, simple, easyto-use, inexpensive.
CONS
F E AT U R E S
None.
Looping, or playing along with a pre-record or delayed signal in real-time, isn’t really new. In the past, it required specialized hardware, limited software, and was difficult to use. TC Electronic has now solved all the problems of loopers past in a tiny FX unit. While not much bigger than a credit card, it still has standard 1/4” inputs and outputs and a USB connection is located on the side for software updates. The footswitch controls the recording and playback, and a single knob controls the playback/loop level. Power is provided by a standard 9v power jack. With the limited controls, it’s not limited in its abilities. The looper has 5 minutes of record time, which is more than enough for most applications, and while in looping mode, the signal that goes through it stays as an analog signal, which maintains tone. The big thing is getting your playing in sync with pressing the footswitch record and playback modes; it’s awkward at first, but with a few tries it’s old hat. Sound quality is great; whatever sound you put in is what gets looped - simple as that. So what are the applications for such a device? In a power trio, and want a rhythm guitar behind a solo? No problem. Practicing a part of song in a bedroom, very easy to do. There are artists out there who create complete soundscapes by layering overdub upon overdub. The only way to record or playback though is live, through the inputs, with no way to import any files from a computer or external memory. The plus side is the loop will be held in memory, even if it’s unplugged. It’s basically a “my first looper.” It’s not overwhelming to figure out, and with its reasonable price, it’s an easy investment to add more of your playing to your music. -Chris Devine
Electronic musicians are the electric guitar players of the 21st Century. Much like the rockers of yore, they’re burning up stages across the globe with a new instrument and making us reconsider everything we once assumed about music. “But,” one might ask, “how does someone play a laptop?” Enter Faderfox, a one-man company making unique MIDI controllers for laptop performers, DJs, and anyone else who needs tactile control over their computer. To those unfamiliar with laptop performance, Faderfox products might look futuristic, something you’d expect to see on a spaceship in a decade or so, but those knobs and buttons have many applications for today’s musician. Each controller is optimized for a different type of performer. Like to use NI’s Traktor? Try the DS3 or DJ3. Need a customizable universal controller? Get the UC3. Want a monster DJ controller with all the buttons, knobs, and displays you could ever want? Check out the 4TrackTrigger, a collaboration with Glanzmann Digital DJ Solutions in Sweden. Faderfox MIDI controllers are designed for the road, packing lots of control parameters into small, sleek rectangles of power. Faderfox owner and designer Mathias Fuch is based in Hamburg, and enjoys keeping personal contact with his customers via e-mail. All Faderfox products are made in Germany.
REVIEW UC3 $223
GEAR REVIEWS
TC ELECTRONIC Ditto Looper Pedal - $129
Builder Profile
The UC3 is a universal MIDI controller for Mac, PC, and iPad with eight push-encoders, nine faders, and a 4-digit-display showing control values and programming data. Each control surface is independently programmable and easily mapped to any controllable parameter, perfect for use with most DJ and video software straight out of the box or, if you’re into Ableton Live, the UC3 also comes with a special control surface script specialized for Live 8/9. The encoders (knobs) and faders are switchable to eight groups, allowing control over 136 parameters in a single setup. The UC3 is cased in black plastic with a metal casing and is interfaced via class-compliant USB (no drivers necessary). -Garrett Frierson
Case: Compact pedal Controls: Single loop level knob True Bypass: Yes Audio Standard: Uncompressed 24-bit Power: 9V external power supply, not included
JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 55
FLASHBACK
The World’s First Commercial Chorus Pedal
1976 Boss CE-1 Chorus Pedal
BACKGROUND Not only was the CE-1 was the first Boss fx pedal, it was also the first commercial chorus pedal built. It was based on the circuit from their Roland Jazz Chorus amplifier. It is known as the mother of all chorus pedals, and has two features, the first being the chorus and the second true pitch shifting vibrato. HOW IT WAS USED This box has been used on countless records. Andy Summers of The Police and Jeff Skunk Baxter of The Doobie Brothers quickly helped to make the CE-1 a classic for guitar players, while Herbie Hancock brought it in vogue for keyboard players. Chorus brings a spatial effect to sounds, making them feel deeper and wider. The vibrato makes the sound feel as though it’s rotating around the listener. Like the famous Brownface Fenders, this vibrato bends the pitch 56 JUNE 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
to help enhance the effect. INTERESTING FEATURES The Boss is known for its stereo features (mono in/mono or stereo out) and incredibly warm and rich tone. A sound can be given a gentle chorus or vibrato, or deeply affected extreme tones. Another aspect that separates this from many later pedals is how organically the unit affects the sound. It doesn’t sound like something was added on top of the sound, but rather completely integrated like a fine Bechamel sauce. I’ll run whatever my imagination tells me to through it: vocals, bass, guitar, keys, and percussion. MODERN EQUIVALENT There are many chorus pedals on the market today, but the warmth of the CE-1 is hard to top. Universal Audio makes a nice plug-in version of the pedal, which is how I first found out about it.
LESSONS LEARNED This is the chorus that all other choruses are measured up to. There is a reason we all had to read Shakespeare, right? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Eric Palmquist is the owner and Principal Engineer of Palmquist Studios (at Infrasonic Sound). Formerly known as Infrasonic Sound, Palmquist acquired the East L.A. recording studio earlier this year, transitioning from studio manager to studio owner. His discography reads as a “Who’s Who” of indie rock, including the critically acclaimed album Leave No Trace from Fool’s Gold, 119 - Trash Talk’s 2012 release via Odd Future Recordings and Life Sux by Wavves. He is always eager to work with new bands as both a producer and engineer. Find more info at www.infrasonicsound.com.
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