Performer Magazine: November 2013

T H E M U S I C I A N ’S R E S O U RC E

NOV 2013 FREE

INTERVIEWS The Dismemberment Plan Jordan Galland Of Montreal The Rooks La Luz

DOG PARTY HONORING PUNK ETHICS AND DIY AESTHETICS

Ben Kweller Breaks Down Artist Management Practical Advice for Indie Film Scoring A Legal Guide to All-Ages Shows

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

VOL.23, ISSUE 11

Dog Party

by Ben Nine-K “[Recording to tape] is more genuine, more raw and full of energy.”

28 cover story

Dismemberment Plan

by Taylor Northern

16

“Tour not because it’s a career move, but because the Kerouac dream is still alive and you want to join the circus and see the world.

And when the dream is over, for you, STOP.”

La Luz

by Kevin Doran

20

“It makes a lot of sense that we use…a lo-fi kind of recording because a lot of stuff I was listening to at the time I was hearing on cassette…”

Of Montreal

by Hannah Lowry

24

“I take pieces of other people’s genius and blend them together in a way that’s interesting to me.”

D E PA R T M E N T S 5 Obituaries

45 Make Money Selling Holiday Music

7 Local News

46 Ben Kweller on Labels & Management

Photos: counter-clockwise from top:

13 Tour Stop: Dublin, Ireland

50 My Favorite Axe: Sarah Kenyon, GrandEvolution

Nina Barnes

14 Spotlights: Jordan Galland, The Rooks

51 Recording: Stereo Panning pt.2

32 Top Picks: The best in new music

52 Studio Diary: Golden Bloom

43 Legal Pad: Venues & Age Restrictions

54 Gear: TC Electronic, Hercules Stands, Vermona

44 Guide to Scoring Short Films

56 Flashback: 1953 Fender Telecaster

Sam Giles, Shervin Lainez, Angel Ceballos,

Cover photo by Sam Giles

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 3

FROM THE TOP Howdy, y’all!

This month we decided to put two teenage girls on the cover…no, not in a sexual way. You pervs can put down the mag now if you were hoping for something a little more titillating…

That would be too easy, and since we’re a free magazine anyway, it’s not like selling sex would help boost newsstand sales. No, we put Dog Party on our cover for one simple reason: these two underage girls from California are living proof that not only is rock and roll not dead, it’s alive and well and apparently living in Sacramento.

Not to be too gross about it, but listening to the band’s latest record, Lost Control, was kind of like listening to the Ramones fuck the Runaways.

There’s an unbridled passion for the music, an

authentic, raw energy that permeates every note, every drumbeat and every snarl of the guitar.

None of it’s faked, and none of it’s forced. It’s like growing up listening to nothing but Frank Sinatra and then being given a Replacements album. In a phrase: it’s a healthy revelation.

My faith in rock and roll is unwavering, though I know some have been digging its grave for over 50 years. I still hold out hope that the true spirit of rock and roll can never be killed, like that old denim concert jacket in the back of your mom’s closet. If Lost Control is any indicator, a new legion of fans might just start digging through closets to see what other treasures are waiting to be discovered…

Cheers, -Benjamin Ricci, Editor

/performermagazine

@performermag

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 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

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

P.S. – next month you’re in for a treat. In the December issue, we take a special look at the art and craft of music photography. We speak with photographers on their goals, their creative processes, their passion for the work and we also take a look at the tools they use to capture the incredible images we hold dear. We’ll also have a photo gallery, quick profiles on some of our favorite photogs as well as some helpful tips for bands on making the most of your photo shoot. Hope you enjoy!

performermag.com

Volume 23, Issue 11

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS

Adam Barnosky, Alexandra Lane, Ben Marazzi, Benjamin Ricci, Brad Hardisty, Brent Godin, Candace McDuffie, Chris Devine, Christopher Petro, Dawn Hafner, Don Miggs, Garrett Frierson, Hannah Lowry, Jaclyn Wing, Jacquinn Williams, Jillian Dennis-Skillings, Joe Nunez, Joshua Broughton, Kevin Doran, Kim Halliday, Lucy Fernandes, Michael St. James, Nicole E. Rosdahl, Shawn M Haney, Tara Lacey, Taylor Haag, Taylor Northern, Vanessa Bennett, Vincent Scarpa, Zac Cataldo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Angel Ceballos, Anton Yelchin, Ashley Anne Jones, Ben The Butcher, Brad Hardisty, Candace McDuffie, Ethan Photography, Gabriel Burgos, Kendra Connally, Kevin Baldes, Matt Lambert, Nina Barnes, Rick Carroll, Rick Levinson, Rosalyn Lee, Sam Giles, Shervin Lainez, Sophie Caby, Tara Lacey 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.

Guitarist, The Pogues Philip Ryan, professionally known as Philip Chevron, was an Irish singer/ songwriter and guitarist, best known as a member of The Pogues. He was regarded as one of the most influential figures in Irish punk music. Following the release of the Pogues’ 1984 debut album, he was invited to join the band on a short-term basis as cover for banjo player Jem Finer’s paternity leave. He took over as guitarist and in later years, he became The Pogues’ unofficial spokesperson.

Jackie Lomax, 69 British Singer, Part of Merseybeat generation John Richard ‘Jackie’ Lomax was an English guitarist and singer, best known for his association with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, England, he later resided in California with his wife. Lomax was a member of Dee and the Dynamites, The Undertakers, The Lomax Alliance, Heavy Jelly and Badger. He also worked with The Tea Bags, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Leon Russell and Nicky Hopkins during his career.

Jan Kuehnemund, 51 Guitarist & Founder, Vixen Janice Lynn “Jan” Kuehnemund was an American hard rock guitarist best known for her work with the ’80s all-female hair metal band Vixen. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, she was the original founding member of the band. Her trademark guitar playing can be heard on many of the Vixen songs. Vixen went through several personnel changes over the decades, with Kuehnemund being its last original member, and had a brief reunion in 2004. On October 10, 2013, Kuehnemund died from cancer at the age of 51.

John Hopkins, 86 Australian Conductor John Hopkins was born in Yorkshire in 1927. He was the assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Orchestra from 1949 to 1952 and then conductor of the BBC Northern Orchestra until 1957. He moved to New Zealand in 1957 to succeed James Robertson as conductor of the then National Orchestra (now the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra). In 1959 he founded the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra. He was present for the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season in 2009. As part of his contribution to youth music he also conducted the South African National Youth Orchestra.

John Wright, 74 Jew’s Harp Virtuoso In a memorial written by his brother Michael, John Wright was described as, “one of the world’s finest virtuosos on that most underrated of musical instruments, the jew’s harp (or jaw harp, though John never liked that name). An internationally admired musician, and a great shanty singer and fiddle player, he also played a key role in the reconstruction of working medieval musical instruments...working with many different musicians, John recorded awardwinning albums ranging from Irish traditional music and the compositions of John Playford to medieval interpretations.”

OBITUARIES

Philip Chevron, 56

Maxine Powell, 98 Director of Artist Development, Motown Maxine Powell was an American etiquette instructor and talent agent. She taught grooming, poise, and social graces to many recording artists at Motown in the 1960s. When the label expanded into new offices, she was hired into the Artist Personal Development department to teach artists such as Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5 and The Supremes, whose Mary Wilson stated Powell taught them more than stage presence, but “tools for us as human beings.” Powell left Motown in 1969 and began teaching personal development courses at Wayne County Community College.

Polly Anthony, 59 Former Geffen and Epic Executive According to Billboard, “Anthony is remembered as a passionate, artist-friendly music executive who championed and developed such global hit acts as Pearl Jam, Oasis, Korn, Rage Against the Machine and Celine Dion. She began her music business career as an assistant in promotions at Epic Records...from there, to president of Epic Label Group in 1997, making her one of the first women to add ‘label president’ to her resume. After that, she became president of DreamWorks Records at Universal and Sony’s 550 Records, eventually joining Geffen in 2004 as co-president with Jordan Schur.”

Wadih El Safi, 91 “The Voice of Lebanon” Wadih El Safi was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a Lebanese cultural icon, and is often called the “Voice of Lebanon.” Born in Niha, Lebanon, Wadih El Safi started his artistic journey at the age of seventeen when he took part in a singing contest held by Lebanese Radio and was chosen the winner among fifty other competitors. El Safi began composing and performing songs that drew upon his rural upbringing and love of traditional melodies, blended with an urban sound, and creating a new style of modernized Lebanese folk music.

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 5

DEC. 2013 PERFORMER’S

PHOTO ISSUE PICTURE IT.

E

Utopiafest 2013 Wrap Up Report Plus 2014 Booking Info

The air outside is beginning to chill, the school year is well underway, and the leaves are starting to change. Fall is not typically the season one associates with camping festivals, but in the Austin area, festival season never truly ends; it just means it is time for the best of them.

Utopiafest started as a modest family fest with about 300 members of the 4 Sisters’ circle of nearest and dearest. The dearest have grown to almost 2,000 in just five years and the lineup has become increasingly stacked. Performer

by Tara Lacey photo by Ethan Photography

An afternoon performance by bluegrass/ folk legend Peter Rowan was a highlight on a sunny Saturday listening to the ‘The Cuckoo” and dancing barefoot with the owners of 4 Sisters Ranch (who were all completely blissed out by the music). Children played nearby with Frisbees and hula-hoops; for the night owls and the curious, Lucius played a late night, secret set in a ravine amid a handful of fortunate fans.

It is the intimacy that makes Utopiafest truly special; here, the audience feels like family.

There’s nothing quite like it.

The booking agents at Onion Creek Magazine has been a partner in its growth every Productions start taking submissions at the end step of the way. This little Texas hill country gem of each year’s festival and get ready to begin addalso provides an outlet for some lesser-known ing to the lineup in early spring, usually around bands to have a chance to be heard, and in the case the time of SXSW in March. Check back with the website and with Onion Creek Productions of The Wheeler Brothers, catapult their careers.

This year’s highlights included EOTO at for updates and information on getting booked at Thursday’s pre-party. A show with EOTO is Utopiafest 2014. always a crapshoot as Michael Travis and Jason Hann are the masters of improvisation and never For more info, visit play the same set twice. Thursday’s throwdown www.utopiafest.com was one for the record books.

LOCAL NEWS

AUSTIN

Top Picks for Fun Fun Fun Fest

Performer’s Guide to Weird City’s Funnest Fest article and photo by Tara Lacey FunFunFun Festival is hands-down the best weekend festival that Austin hosts all year. It boasts a mix of all sorts of music, color-coded by stage. The folks at Transmission Entertainment call the shots when it comes to stacking the lineup, and it’s best to shoot for a spot on one of their Red River district venues (like Mohawk) to catch the right booking agents’ attention.

This year’s event is going to be even more awesome than the year of the taco cannon – just the type of eccentricity that is appreciated by this once-upon-a-time underground punk rock fest. Performer’s top picks for 2013 by stage are as follows…

Orange – The Polyphonic Spree is a Texasbased choral/symphonic pop-rock band. Think that’s a mouthful? The stage will be equally as full with over twenty members of the Spree who never disappoint.

Blue - Big Freedia (born Freddie Ross) is the queen of bounce. America owes the twerk to this

artist: Run DMC gal. Miley Cyrus should be writing her royalty checks right about now, but nobody brings it like Big Freedia. Festival goers can count on plenty of “ass everywhere” for this set – on stage, off stage, from the rigging. Who would expect any less from the Guinness World Record holder for inspiring the most people to twerk simultaneously?

Black – Code Orange Kids throws back to post-punk, hardcore, screamo rock. Mixing both male and female vocals, they challenge the limits

of their vocal cords to deliver a gritty, in-yourface performance.

Yellow – Altercation Punk Rock Comedy Hour is a must. What makes it punk? It’s ‘fast paced, uncompromising, aggressive, yet absurdist.’ The troupe has been seen on The Warped Tour and on Comedy Central.

For more info, visit www.funfunfunfest.com NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 7

LOCAL NEWS

BOSTON

Boston Area Musicians Help Raise Funds

Supporting the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis

A wonderful cast of musicians, organized by Marion Leeds Carroll, presented Music to Cure MS, an annual benefit concert of opera, songs, and chamber music to support the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis, on Sunday, October 27 in Arlington, MA. Those who wish to support the efforts of Ms. Carroll and her fellow musicians but were unable to attend this benefit will find a link to the Music to Cure MS fundraising page (http://acceleratedcure.donorpages.com/ MusictoCureMS2013) at the top of the Music to Cure MS website: www.singtocurems.org/2013/ program.shtml.

Music to Cure MS is the brainchild of Marion Leeds Carroll, a former opera singer and stage director who was diagnosed with MS in 1988. Ms. Carroll heard about the Accelerated Cure Project

in 2002 and decided to use her own skill-set to bring opportunities to her own world: classical music. The first fundraising concerts she organized were called “Sing to Cure MS,” but it soon became clear that musicians other than singers were eager to take part and thus the broader name was adopted.

Now in its 11th year, this year’s program is planned to include selections spanning from the operatic repertoire to works by Bach, Brel, Brahms, Wolf, Schubert, Wildhorn & Knighton, and Rodgers & Hammerstein.

This year’s performers include contralto Elizabeth Anker; sopranos Karen Amlaw, Sangeetha Vandeyar Appavoo, Marion Leeds Carroll, Laura Hansen, Alyssa Koogler, Julie Poole Martini, Kimberly States, and Sonya

Taaffe; mezzo-sopranos Kate Meifert, Sophie Michaux and Janine Waneé; tenor Ethan Butler; baritones Tom Frates and Miles Rind; violinist Jagan-Nath Khalsa and his chamber ensemble Seele Musicale; and accompanists James Hay and Mark McNeill. Lyman Opie will return as the Master of Ceremonies for the program.

Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to curing MS by determining its causes. Its major success so far is the creation of a large-scale, multidisciplinary MS Repository of blood samples and data from people with MS and matched controls. With the help of funds raised by efforts like Music to Cure MS, samples are being collected at sites across the United States.

These samples are currently being used by over 25 studies investigating the causes of MS. In exchange for access to the repository, researchers agree to return the data they generate from the samples so that results from disparate experiments can be combined.

For more information about The Accelerated Cure Project (781) 487-0008 www.acceleratedcure.org

BU Welcomes Laurie Anderson for 2013 Engaging Minds Conference Heads Four-Day Event on International Opportunities in the Arts

This four-day event brings together curators, galleries, funders, critics, artist-in-residency directors, and artists from around the world for a unique cross-disciplinary platform to network, showcase, support, and promote artists’ work.

“As the academic host for TransCultural Exchange’s Engaging Minds conference, Boston University recognizes the unique opportunity that comes with this collaboration,” says Benjamín Juárez, Dean, Boston University College of Fine Arts. “The alliance between Boston University and TransCultural Exchange aims to bridge the gap between academic and 8 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

real-world experience by enhancing the possibility for BU students and faculty to participate in the global arts community.”

Celebrated artist Laurie Anderson will serve as the Keynote Speaker for the 2013 Engaging Minds Conference. Anderson has created large-scale theatrical works that combine a variety of media - music, video, storytelling, projected imagery, and sculpture - in which she

is an electrifying performer. As a visual artist, her work has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, as well as extensively in Europe, including at the Centre Georges Prompidou in Paris. She has also released seven albums for Warner Brothers; in 1999, she staged “Songs and Stories from Moby Dick,” an interpretation of Herman Melville’s 1851 novel.

For more info, visit www.bu.edu/cfa/visual-arts/galleries/transcultural-exchange-conference

NASHVILLE

Nashville Indie Labels PALAVER RECORDS P.O. Box 160322 Nashville, TN 37216 info@palaverrecords.com www.palaverrecords.com BEACH STREET RECORDS C/O Matilda P.O. Box 210586 Nashville, TN 37221 www.beachstreetrecords.com CASTLE RECORDS Attn: Dave Sullivan Or Dinara Knight 19 Music Square West Suite U-V-W Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 401-7111 CastleRecords@CastleRecords.com www.castlerecords.com COMPASS RECORDS 916 19th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 320-7672 submission@compassrecords.com www.compassrecords.com GATEWAY ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Attn: Artist Submissions 9 Music Square South, Suite 92 Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 256-9253 terry@gatewayentertainment.com www.gatewayentertainment.com HEY Y’ALL RECORDS country@heyyallrecords.com www.heyyallrecords.com PER CAPITA RECORDS percapitarecords@gmail.com www.percapitarecords.com COLT RECORDS 837 Briley Parkway #320 Nashville, TN 37217 ken@coltrecords.com www.coltrecords.com ME AND THE MACHINE RECORDS 1001 Riverspring Drive Nashville, TN 3722 lisa@meandthemachine.com www.meandthemachine.com

For more listings, visit

performermag.com

LOCAL NEWS

Accepting Submissions

Americana Music Festival 2013 Recap

Plus Submission Info for 2014 article and photography by Brad Hardisty

The 14th Annual Americana Music Festival and Awards show was held in Nashville, Tennessee between September 18-22, 2013 at six official venues with over 130 performers as well as unofficial live shows at indie record stores. Other unofficial showcases were filled by fans from all over the world who are tuning into a multi-genre category, drawing everybody from former “DeadHeads” to Neo-Country Traditionalists.

This year welcomed St. Louis’ Pokey LaFarge, who recently signed with Nashville label Third Man Records along with Nashville’s own Nikki Lane, who is readying her second full-length release due out later this year.

The Groove record shop had a different theme every day such as “Texas” day and “Canada” day, which featured serious up-and-coming Canadian artists JJ Voss (founding member of The Wailin’ Jennys), Ruth Moody and Joe Nolan.

The blues were represented by soul/blues headliner Bobby Rush and Bonnaroo Festival mainstays The North Mississippi Allstars, which featured plenty of Hill Country influenced blues with Lightnin’ Malcolm on bass and his current juke joint drummer Stud.

The big headliners were Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale, who released a duet album this past year and who could be considered the current leaders of the movement. Miller gained international recognition after playing bandleader for Robert Plant’s Band of Joy a couple of years ago.

While there were plenty of Nashville locals, the increasing involvement from outside the States was felt throughout, including a showcase held by the BBC at The Hard Rock Café Reverb Room. The interest overseas in all things rooted traditional American sounds is reminiscent of post-WWII Britain.

In the last few years, Americana artists The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons and The Civil Wars have crossed over to mainstream success and this year saw members of Portland, Oregon’s The Decemberists drawing showcase attention with a new group called Black Prairie. Shovels & Rope were also discussed regarding strong indie radio rotation.

The Americana Music Festival is a time when

artist: Buddy Miller For more info, visit www.americanamusic.org

workshops are held and business is done to gain recognition, especially for DIY artists. The convention aspect of the festival is similar to IBMA and SXSW by presenting opportunities to interact with radio programmers, promoters and other media contacts.

Involvement in The Americana Music Festival would be a good step forward in developing recognition and a more national and international following after developing on a regional level. Members of The Americana Music Association can submit entries for free while there is a nominal fee for non-members. A simple FAQ guide is located on the website outling the submission process.

As far as music, the Americana format is an ever-increasing circle of American-rooted music, as seen by the inclusion of original punk protagonists Black Flag headlining recent events.

The highlight is the Awards show, of course, which is broadcast worldwide. Jim Lauderdale says, “It’s a genre in which the past and traditions matter, even as we celebrate the infinite new ways those traditions can be extended and expanded.”

This year, The President’s Award was posthumously given to Hank Williams and was accepted by his granddaughter Holly Williams. Emerging Artist of The Year was The Milk Carton Kids.

Other awards were given to Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell for Duo/Group of the Year and Dr. John received Lifetime Achievement of Performance and performed for the first time in 10 years with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 9

RADIO PROMOTION (terrestrial, satellite, internet)

Dresden Dolls Bad Plus Girls Guns & Glory String Cheese Incident Esperanza Spalding Medeski Martin & Wood Steve Winwood Gov't Mule 311 Janis Ian Jim's Big Ego Stanley Clarke Umphrey's McGee Gretchen Parlato Miss Tess Mike Stern Soulive Maceo Parker PUBLICITY AND TOUR SUPPORT (print press and viral)

call: 800-356-1155 www: powderfingerpromo.com

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published

WRITE FOR PERFORMER MAGAZINE contact editorial@performermag.com

Bo Orr Bassist, Dead in the Dirt

Changing of the Guard in ATL Club Scene

LOCAL NEWS

Get to know...

ATLANTA

Star Community Bar Nets New Owner

by Joshua Broughton photo by Ken Falcon

interview by Joshua Broughton photo by Kendra Connally Dead in the Dirt is a three-piece hardcore punk/grindcore band formed in 2008 just outside of Atlanta. They specialize in aggressive bursts of sonic fury and swelling feedback.

How has the Atlanta community been to Dead in the Dirt?

The Atlanta community is supportive within a certain realm. As always, though, there are people who don’t care for what we do. Some dismiss us outright, and some are kindred spirits. It brings equal joy to know both exist.

If only the entire world was reduced to likes and unlikes!

Best venue in town for your type of music?

Atlanta has a distinct lack of all-ages and DIY venues within the city, which is, unfortunately where punk and hardcore music is at its best. The closest thing to that is 529 in EAV.

How’s the press been?

The only bad press I’ve seen seems to come from people who are fresh to the concepts we present. We take influences from a long history of socially conscious punk music.

Nothing is new; everything is permitted.

What’s the five-year goal?

The five-year goal is to persist. “Through endurance we conquer.”

deadinthedirt.bandcamp.com

Every town in America has a neighborhood where the kids go on Friday night. Call it a strip if you’re feeling nostalgic; it’s a tradition that came into vogue sometime just around the invention of the teenager.

Atlanta is no different. The lanes have gotten a little bigger over the years, and the restaurants have certainly changed, but the Little Five Points community, nestled near the middle of what most Atlantans consider to be downtown proper, is just that neighborhood.

The Star Community Bar served its first beer sometime just before Bill Clinton’s first term as president, and it’s still one of the most popular and charmingly dystopian jukes in the city.

Every band in Atlanta is familiar with its oddlyshaped hexagonal stage (pointed directly toward the front door in either a fuck-your-ears kind of punk rock defiance or a make-shift architectural

STUDIO PROFILE

change over the building’s life).

Times are changing. But not too much.

The club has seen three sets of owners come and go over its time, and, as it enters decade number three, Kahle Davis now takes the reigns.

Davis is an Atlanta staple, having worn just about every hat you can in the music biz. Davis also, maybe most importantly, has been a Star Bar regular since the doors opened. He says the lavatories will get a bit of a facelift, elevating them approximately from the same level as a Mad Max film, but not much else will change in the immediate future.

Atlanta certainly hopes so. Clubs like the Star Bar are far too important.

For more info, visit starbaratlanta.com

Avatar Rehearsal Studios

Providing ATL Bands the Security and Space to Jam Freely

Atlanta has a shortage of good, secure rehearsal studios that are centrally located and offer what musicians need to get down to the business of creating art. Avatar Studios is certainly one of the few that fills that need well.

Avatar’s rooms are a bit cozy (the largest being 10ft x 17ft, but you’re in a power trio, right?) and a bit less expensive than those of its brother, Thunderbox, but the amenities are there in spades: loading docks, clean restrooms, vending machines, climate control, wi-fi access, security cameras, drum and specialty closets – all accessible 24-hours-a-day via a coded entry point.

It’s also less than a ten minute drive from each of Atlanta’s club circuits, whether you’re doing OTP jazz gigs on the north side, playing a wedding in one of the ’burbs, or jumping right into the indie scene downtown. Also, the Sweetwater brewery is walking distance from the front door.

Avatar also has a relatively rich pedigree for a humble rehearsal studio. It was started in the 1980s under the (admittedly horrible) name “Rehearse Too Much.” They catered not only to local musicians looking for a

home, but also to national touring acts that needed room to set up and debug shows, musical equipment, lights and whatever else they’d brought on the road.

If you’re looking for a place to hang your hat, Avatar is one of the best around.

CONTACT INFO 255B Ottley Drive NE Atlanta, GA 30328 (404) 391-7909 www.avatarrehearsal.com NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 11

DUBLIN, IRELAND TOUR STOP

VENUES THE OLYMPIA THEATER Located across from historic Dublin Castle, The Olympia Theater is one of Dublin’s most beloved theaters and music venues, featuring a variety of music from rock to traditional Irish folk.

72 Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland +353 1 672 5883 info@olympia.ie www.olympia.ie THE 02 The Point closed in 2007 and reopened as The 02 and has updated their seating planning to one that resembles an amphitheater. This modern concert venue has ample room backstage as well as architecture that has ideal acoustics.

North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, Ireland +353 (0) 1 819 8888 enquiry@theo2.ie www.theo2.ie THE ACADEMY In addition to being a concert venue, they offer rehearsal space in the Main Room or Academy 2 to local and touring bands.

57 Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1, Ireland +353 01 877 9999 nfo@theacademydublin.com www.theacademydublin.com

RECORD STORES FREEBIRD RECORDS Quality second hand vinyl shop with a collection of indie, classic rock, alternative and dance music.

15A Wicklow Street, Dublin 2, Ireland +353 (01) 707 9955 www.freebird.ie SPINDIZZY RECORDS New and second hand LPs and CDs in all genres.

32 Georges St Arcade, St Great Georges St., Dublin 2, Ireland +353 1 671 1711 info@spindizzyrecords.com www.spindizzyrecords.com

RADIO TOP HITS AND ALTERNATIVE The Malthouse, South Block, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland +353 01 65 64 600 info@spin103.8.com www.spin1038.com

A harmonic balance between historical architecture and a modern cityscape sets the tone for a lively and vibrant music scene. Live traditional Celtic music can be found in pubs located throughout the city, which provides an authentic cultural experience with more intimate interactions with the artist. Dublin offers touring artists a chance to explore aspects of Celtic music’s influence on the city’s defining characteristics. A convenient stop between European tour anchors like Paris and London, Dublin provides artists with a unique music scene and opportunities to expand their professional palate. -Jaclyn Wing

RECORDING STUDIOS WINDMILL LANE RECORDING STUDIOS Located near Dublin’s city centre, they have three studios, a 72 channel Neve VR2 Legend console, Steinway Grand Piano and a collection of outboard processing.

20 Ringsend Rd., Dublin 4, Ireland +353 (1) 668 5567 studios@windmillanerecording.com www.windmilllanerecording.com TEMPLE LANE STUDIOS With three studios, rehearsal spaces, a residential recording studio, and sound training, Temple Lane Studios is considered to be a home of independent Irish music and bands.

CAULDRON STUDIOS Engineers at Cauldron Studios are skilled in recording and mixing; they have cutting-edge equipment and combine analog and digital set-ups to highlight their multiple musical disciplines.

8-9 Blessington St., Dublin 1, Ireland +353 1 860 3633 music@cauldronstudios.com www.cauldronstudios.com

GEAR GOODWINS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Located near Dublin city centre, Goodwins has acoustic, classical, electric and bass guitars, technology for home recording, amps, keyboards and pianos, folk and traditional Irish instruments as well as used gear.

134 Capel Street, Dublin 1, Ireland +353 (01) 873 0846 info@goodwinsmusic.ie www.goodwinsmusic.ie WALTONS In addition to providing musical instruments and accessories, they produce their own Irish tin whistles, harps, bodhráns, and produce their own publications.

69 South Great Georges St., Dublin 2, Ireland +353 (0) 1 475 0661 info@waltonsmusic.ie www.waltons.ie

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 13

SPOTLIGHTS

JORDAN GALLAND

by Jillian Dennis-Skillings photo by Sophie Caby

GENRE: Experimental Pop Rock HOMETOWN: New York, NY ARTISTIC APPROACH: Creating the perfect balance between music and film. www.jordangalland.com

“BALANCING FILM AND MUSIC PROJECTS WORKS IF YOU CAN BE PATIENT AND STEP AWAY FROM PART OF THE PROCESS TO WORK ON SOMETHINGELSE.” New York musician/filmmaker Jordan Galland released his most recent EP Wind-Up Rabbit this past July. When Galland is not in the studio working on music, he is collaborating with other artists for film projects. “Balancing film and music projects works if you can be patient and step away from part of the process to work on something else,” he explains. Music and film are Galland’s creative passions and they are constantly overlapping.

Unlike Galland’s other records, Wind-Up Rabbit has more of an original sound than a synth-driven one. He made a conscious effort to rely on older equipment, which gave the EP its retro vibe. “There’s something more organic about it,” says Galland. For example, Galland 14 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

used a Mellotron, the oldest form of sampling made famous by The Beatles. Rather than experimenting with different synth sounds, most tracks were a result of afternoons jamming and creating musical patterns that set this EP apart from its predecessors.

People tend to ask Galland why he doesn’t score his own movies. As an independent film director, Galland is responsible for of all aspects of the film. “You’re so immersed in micromanaging things that the overall perspective is hard to maintain,” he says. Sean Lennon, a close collaborator and friend, filled the role as composer on Galland’s most recent film, Alter Egos. He would inform Lennon of what a specific scene should sound like and the

two artists would collaborate until that vision was met.

Music and film frequently intersect in Galland’s life. His music can be found on the soundtrack for the independent film Supporting Characters, directed by Daniel Schechter. Galland also scored The Neistat Brothers, an HBO Original Series.

So does the musician/filmmaker have any touring plans in the near future? “I wish I did. I really miss performing, but the big tradeoff is not being able to organize a proper band or tour because I’m working on other film projects.” Whether it be in film or music, it is certain that Galland is “wound up” and ready to embark on future endeavors.

SPOTLIGHTS

THE ROOKS

by Alexandra Lane photo courtesy of the artist

GENRE: Indie Soul HOMETOWN: NYC via Middletown, CT ARTISTIC APPROACH: Balancing collaborative writing and improv. therooksband.bandcamp.com

From the funky beats of The Roots, to the vocal prowess of Stevie Wonder, to the fierceness of Queen Bey, New York’s indie-soul sextet The Rooks are a perfect combination of all the right things.

Garth Taylor (vox), Louis Russo (bass), Gabe Gordon (keys), Nate Mondschein (drums), Spencer Hattendorf (sax) and Graham Richman (guitar) all met at Wesleyan University as undergrads. After years of running in the same social circles, and overlapping into various musical endeavors, the guys formed The Rooks in late 2011. They recorded a brief set of studio singles in early 2012, and just released their first EP this past summer.

Now, they are living in NYC as “salaried humans,” says Taylor, with legitimate jobs as teachers, lawyers, and something that Taylor and Mondschein are unclear on, but agree is some form of “financial sorcery” and trying to make this music thing happen.

Their five-song EP, Something You Can Take, is a collection of jazzy, poetic numbers about swooning over that certain someone.

All the songs are a reflection of the group as a whole as Mondschein explains, “Everyone on some level is involved in the song, but in varying capacities.” Whether one person brings an idea to rehearsal, or they all develop it together in improvisational jam sessions, the goal is the same: “To find a balance between putting out a cohesive, artistic product, but one that also shows the different sides of our sound,” Mondschein continues.

They call themselves ‘The Rooks’ because they are rookies to the industry, and like a rook,

ON THE GOAL OF THEIR DEBUT EP: “TO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN PUTTING OUT A COHESIVE, ARTISTIC PRODUCT, BUT ONE THAT ALSO SHOWS THE DIFFERENT SIDES OF OUR SOUND.” they are looking to strategically move forward.

Their next move is to tour through Connecticut, New York and DC. Then they plan on recording more material in December. After that, Taylor says, half jokingly, it’s on to stardom and Grammys.

“I think before we even knew what the name of our band was, I told everyone that by the time I’m 25 I need to have a Grammy in my hand. I need to be holding it; it needs to be on my shelf,

that’s it. Recently I have made the caveat that it doesn’t need to be a real Grammy, like someone can make it for me at the mall, that’s also fine.

But I need to have it,” Taylor jokes.

Joking aside, the guys are making moves, and creating a sound that this generation of music is missing. The Rooks’ main goal is, Taylor says, “Definitely within the next few years we want to be seeing new faces and sharing our music with as many people as we can.“ NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 15

16 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

DESCENDING INTO THE UNCANNEY VALLEY WITH

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN

by Taylor Northern photos by Shervin Lainez

In 2003, Washington D.C. based members of the group packed up their Caddell transitioned into freelance post-punk band the Dismemberment instruments and traded them for suits audio engineering, while bassist Eric Plan vanished from the face of the and ties in the corporate workforce. Axelson taught high school students earth. The quartet had released Lead singer and rhythm guitarist about voting rights and civic efficacy four seminal indie rock albums and Travis Morrison accepted a position as a manager for Rock the Vote. performed on tours with Death Cab as a sales tech for the Huffington Drummer Joe Easley drifted into for Cutie and Pearl Jam, but the band Post and released a solo album called stratosphere as an engineer at NASA. decided to call it quits. The individual Travistan. Lead guitarist Jason However, it appeared the universe had a greater plan to reunite this dismembered bunch.

In 2007, the band announced it would be playing a one-off benefit concert in memory of Callum Robbins, the son of Jawbox singer and DeSoto Records labelmate J. Robbins. Tickets to the show sold out within minutes and the fans’ online reaction was tremendous; people wanted to see the D-Plan in action again. The band

continued to play a handful of shows between 2007-2011, slowly gaining traction, until 2012, when Travis Morrison revealed the band had been working on new material. Fast forward to 2013 and the group is releasing a new album entitled Uncanney Valley.

Uncanney Valley is a refreshing experience – the Dismemberment Plan manages to hold onto their signature brand of melodic,

offbeat dance punk while still being progressive and gracefully venturing into new sonic territory. The time spent away from the studio and the road has allowed the guys to rediscover the initial alchemy that made the early records so dynamic and explosive. I had a chance to speak with Dismemberment Plan frontman Travis Morrison about the new album Uncanney Valley and what happened during the band’s hiatus.

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 17

“WE DON’T HAVE THAT CONTINENTAL SHOWBIZ DISCIPLINE THAT DAFT PUNK HAS. WE’D RIP OFF OUR HELMETS HALF WAY THROUGH THE SHOW TO MAKE OUT WITH SOMEONE!”

It’s been twelve years since your last studio album dropped; what’s with the wait?

We were doing other things - raising kids, working jobs, playing in other bands, teaching, building robots at NASA, singing in church choirs… life!

An “Uncanny Valley” is loosely defined as a field of aesthetics in which a robot’s characteristics resemble a human so closely that it causes repulsion in human beings. Are you insinuating the new Dismemberment Plan consists of robots?

What does Uncanney Valley mean to you?

Haha! No, we aren’t repulse-tendencied or robots. We are quite friendly! [laughs] Actually it’s intentionally misspelled ‘Uncanney Valley’ and it looks like a small town in Virginia. I’m from Virginia too, just not from a small town in the state. I liked the confluence of good old-boy and high tech there. That might kind of speak to our personalities. We aren’t the Dukes of Hazzard, but we’re kind of down-home types. We 18 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

don’t have that continental showbiz discipline that Daft Punk has. We’d rip off our helmets half way through the show to make out with someone! [chuckles]

What motivated you to go back into the studio and complete a record after a tenyear hiatus?

We played some shows to promote a vinyl rerelease and we just started jamming. When the shows were over, we kept jamming, and we tried to keep it in that place. Fun, open-ended, just get loose and make noise.

Did you plan on enticing younger indie rock fans while recording Uncanney Valley?

I don’t know, man, you just don’t fake the bacon. When I was 20, we had so many older heroes. Tom Waits, the guys from Morphine, Sonic Youth, Brian Eno and Los Lobos. It’s not about age, as long as you keep it real, wherever you are in life, people can dig it. Game recognizes game across the generations. You just have

to stay true to yourself. I’m not saying the Miley Cyrus Twerk Nation is gonna dig us, but they never did anyways. Not even when we were 25.

Uncanney Valley is a bit more toned down and less angry than your previous releases. As you get older and more mature as a songwriter, what do you draw inspiration from?

The thing about inspiration is that is that it will never ever come from where you look. It will always come from your peripheral vision. So I’d say I draw inspiration from working hard and patience and hoping it just clangs on my head from a direction I never anticipated. If I’m disciplined about it, that usually happens, no matter how freaked out and writer’s-blocky I feel.

Can you describe some of the lyrical themes and songwriting process behind the new LP?

Where I used to sing about sex and loneliness, now it’s love and ambition. Sex becomes a

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you won’t, I think. performermag.com

The Dismemberment Plan Uncanney Valley Standout Track: “Daddy Was A Real Good Dancer”

subset of love as you get older, and loneliness gets a little corny. I mean I know it and I feel it, and I’m not a jerk… but let’s be real. As far as songwriting, it’s a third me bringing in songs and the band trying to work through it and a third the band jamming and something catches my eye.

Then the other third is a hybrid, where I bring in something and it sparks a different direction and I’m like, ‘Man, this is fresher than what I brought in, let’s ride this pony.’

Where was Uncanney Valley recorded and who produced it?

We did it with the first-amongst-equals leadership of my bandmate and freelance audio engineer Jason Caddell, recorded at Magpie Cage in Baltimore with J. Robbins, mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie.

What equipment was used to record the new LP? What gear are you taking on tour and what’s your favorite piece of gear in your collection?

Man, I’m the singer. I don’t know this stuff [laughs]. I play a Les Paul through a Fender 1x15 combo. I can direct you to Jason Caddell though!

He knows.

(Lead guitarist Jason Caddell chimes in) J. Robbins is an incredible engineer, and the Magpie Cage has an incredible live room. Those two factors were far more crucial to the sounds on the record than what gear we decided to use.

J. and I spent a fair amount of time strategizing before the sessions began, with particular emphasis on the drums. His implementation of that strategy is what you will hear on the record.

That said, here’s a partial list: Magpie Cage has a solid working collection of mics and pres. Drums were largely recorded with API and True preamps, with dynamics, condensers, and ribbons by Shure, Beyerdynamic, Chameleon Labs, and others. Guitars with APIs and ribbons by Beyerdynamic and Royer plus some compression from a UREI 1176. Bass with AT condensers and AKG dynamics, plus an Avalon DI. Keys were largely direct. Vocals

were recorded with a Royer R-121 at Magpie Cage, and with, if memory serves, Neumanns and other equipment at Grand Street Recording in Brooklyn. Plus our standard instruments: Les Pauls and Danelectro 12-strings with Fender ’65 Custom 15 Schecter Custom PTs and Les Paul Jr with Tone King Meteor II, custom Fender Precision Bass with Fender Super Bassman 300. [For drums],Yamaha Maple Custom kit and Roland SPD-SX drum sampler. [And also] Reason 7 and M-Audio controllers, Moog Little Phatty, DSI Mopho [for keyboards]. All of these instruments were used in the studio, and all of them save the synths will be coming on tour.

Thank you, Jason! Dismemberment Plan originally started out at Interscope.

Then you moved to indie label DeSoto records and now Partisan Records. How has the band’s relationship with labels evolved since its inception?

We put out our first two records on DeSoto.

Then we signed to Interscope and were dropped before the record even came out, so that record came out on DeSoto [as well]. Then our fourth and final record was released on DeSoto. Not to be a correct-a-holic, but we’ve never had a release on a major label.

Now, you know, in the end it’s on us to make the great art. That’s our job. It’s their job to support us.

Both Partisan and DeSoto did that. And I mean, we got a huge budget to record Emergency & I and then got to put it out on a small label.

That’s kind of an amazing forward fumble [chuckles].

As a band that originated in DC when the post-punk scene was starting to bloom, was D-Plan heavily active in the DIY community there?

What’s the most difficult part of the music business and what do you suggest young musicians should learn in order maintain control of their careers?

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS. You will have so many decisions to make and what Radiohead does or what Fugazi does or what Mariah Carey does is good for them…but you’ll have to decide on your own what works for your business. Like, should you be on Spotify? Well, look at it calmly, like a business decision. It’s great for catalog discovery, but they don’t pay much. They aren’t a charity, they’re a business just like you, so take a breath and make a reasoned decision about whether it works for you.

And then do this a thousand times over!

And be tough-yet-flexible. It’s a hysterically dynamic business to be in, very volatile, and you have to stick by your guns BUT be honest when your guns are fresh out of bullets. And go get a new gun or maybe people need flamethrowers now.

What advice do you have for musicians about being on the road and balancing the need for personal time and creative time?

Tour not because it’s a career move, but because the Kerouac dream is still alive and you want to join the circus and see the world. And when the dream is over, for you, STOP.

What are the unexpected consequences of being a musician and what would you tell young artists and bands to be aware of?

Consequences? I don’t think it’s like that. It’s not like crystal meth! [laughs]

What personal qualities do you need to succeed as a musician?

You have to have a strange mix of introversion and extroversion. Like Mark Sandman of Morphine said, “I’m a loner, but I’m not antisocial. I’m a sociable loner.” You have to love money, but be OK without it; you have to love being in the game more than winning it.

What are the three things you like most about being a musician?

The vast network of acquaintances and connections, the therapy of making noise and the surprises - sometimes brutal, sometimes miraculous, always interesting [smiles]. www.dismembermentplan.com

Yes we played benefit shows all the time, all-ages shows, all of that; it’s in our bones.

It’s so important to be ready to play a show for free to help someone else. You’re a bit lost if

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 19

by Kevin Doran photos by Angel Ceballos

LA LUZ The ripples of the reverb sway back shaded by the towering redwoods and and forth like the tides. This is surf scattered driftwood on the shores. music, an American tradition passed There’s no suntan to be spoken of; it’s down to us from Frankie Avalon and much too cloudy. Frankie and Annette Annette Funicello’s bandstand romps might have to throw on an extra layer on the beach. But the bikinis and if it gets any darker.

Wayfarers have a darker tint today,

Traditionally, surf rock isn’t a genre laden with realism. It’s escapist at its core, an urge to run, not walk, board in hand to get away to the beach for a while. But in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll be a little harder pressed to find every day so sunny.

That’s where Seattle surf quartet La Luz comes into play. While the name translates to “the light,” the band’s debut full-length It’s Alive veers ironically into the darker side of surf, dropping expressive, damaged vocals over frenetically paced psychedelia.

“It’s not just like sunny California pop,” says the band’s lead singer and guitarist Shana Cleveland. “I think of surf music as having a gothic vibe to it. The surf rock I like to listen to the most is Link Wray and Dick Dale and stuff like that. It seems like it always has a darker side than, like, the Beach Boys.”

20 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Supplementing Cleveland’s tenacious guitar hooks and blackened lyrical tone is a full-on assault of all-female vocal harmonies, drawing a haunting, lo-fidelity alternative to the glossy style of ’60s girl-group pop.

While the marriage of raging surf rock and glistening girl group could drown in overproduction, the band’s lo-fi attitude carries over into the recording process, a nod to Cleveland’s passion for cassette-tape aesthetics and the grimy garage style of artists like Shannon and the Clams, The Shivas and Ty Segall.

“When I was first writing the music for this band, [for] the first few songs that we played I was mostly inspired by stuff that was on cassette tapes,” Cleveland says. “It makes a lot of sense that we use kind of a lo-fi kind of recording because a lot of stuff I was listening to at the time I was hearing on cassette, so it was all kind

of gritty and lo-fi.”

The band recorded It’s Alive, out now on Sub Pop’s sister label Hardly Art, in the same place as 2012’s Damp Face EP: a trailer park bedroom on the outskirts of Seattle. But Cleveland says the band was sure to take more care with the fulllength to hammer out the particulars.

“We recorded the EP in a day and kind of mixed it in one more day,” Cleveland explains. “[We] just blew through it as fast as we could, just to have some tracks recorded. We went back over a couple weeks and did overdubs and spent a lot of time so we could have it mixed as we wanted.”

That wasn’t the only change La Luz undertook, however. Although It’s Alive shares a few tracks in common with the group’s earlier EP, the band added Alice Sandahl’s organ chops to its lineup in an effort to round out the surf vibe of the record.

SEATTLE SURF GURUS CHART THE DEPTHS OF LO-FI RECORDING… IN TRAILER PARK BEDROOMS

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 21

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performermag.com

“When I heard the EP I thought, ‘Holy shit, I love this shit and I need to be a part of this shit.’ I really loved hanging out with them and it’s been a magical experience,” Sandahl says.

Despite Sandahl’s reckless abandon en route to joining La Luz, the project has been years in the making. Cleveland and drummer Marian Li Pino had played the Seattle scene in K Records’ garage outfit The Curious Mystery, so when Cleveland set out to assemble an all-female band, Li Pino was a natural choice.

“I really liked the way we worked together, so when she asked me I was totally down,” Li Pino

La Luz, It’s Alive Standout Track: “Pink Slime”

22 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

says. “It seemed like it would be really fun to play in this band, too.”

The addition of bassist Abbey Blackwell took more legwork, but once approached she was game.

“Shana was just looking for girl bass players and I kind of almost knew her,” Blackwell says to the laughter of her bandmates. “I’d heard her music before and I thought she was super cool so I was like ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll hang out with you guys and play music.’ ” The creative process for La Luz has followed suit, with Cleveland handling songwriting duties before presenting ideas to the band for arranging.

“It ends up changing or evolving based on what people think makes sense,” Cleveland says. “I don’t have a hard or fast idea of how the song’s gonna go. We definitely have a lot of collaboration.”

One of the most crucial steps for the band, especially given its girl-group aesthetic, is combining sultry vocal harmonies to the instrumental backbone of its surf sound.

“Those are two of my favorite things to hear in music,” Cleveland says. “I have a feeling that backup vocals are coming back.”

Cleveland’s affinity for tender harmonies

layers distinctively against the band’s aggressive, guitar-driven surf backbone. But she enjoys the dynamic, the druggy haze of the band’s beach buzz, allowing her lyrics to shine between her ripping guitar solos. Suddenly, La Luz has carved out a unique style no Dick Dale or Diana Ross can lay claim to.

“I think there’s only benefits to having our own unique sound,” Cleveland says. “I feel like it’s pretty accessible music. It’s the kind of music that appeals to a lot of different kinds of people.”

After the band’s album release, the ladies

will take to the road to open for psych-pop legends Of Montreal, turning their Pacific Northwest brand of goth-surf into a coast-tocoast wave. Blackwell describes the sudden rise in notoriety as something of a surprise. “I don’t think any one of us expected it to become this successful,” she says. “I had no idea what I was getting into, so how could I know?” www.hardlyart.com/laluz.html

“IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE THAT WE USE…A LO-FI KIND OF RECORDING BECAUSE A LOT OF STUFF I WAS LISTENING TO AT THE TIME I WAS HEARING ON CASSETTE…”

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 23

by Hannah Lowry photos by Nina Barnes

WRITING OUT OF OBSESSION AND LEAVING THE DIGITAL REALM BEHIND

OF MONTREAL

An ever-evolving group from Athens, Of Montreal has been around for choose from and such an eclectic Georgia, with only one consistent years; they’ve always been a group sound, it will be more than interesting member, Of Montreal has put out yet that people have heard of, but in an to see how the group’s latest LP, Lousy another album this year, which can exclusive interview with the man who With Sylvianbriar, connects with the be added to the long list of records makes it all happen, Performer had music-buying public. in their back catalog. After a long the chance to learn about the writing talk with bandleader Kevin Barnes, processes, the group’s association and exploring the common thread with the legendary Elephant 6 through all twelve albums, it’s clear Collective, and even heard a mention that Of Montreal has been and always of another album due out next year. will be his own little project.

With such a wide range of music to

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 25

“I TAKE PIECES OF OTHER PEOPLE’S GENIUS AND BLEND THEM TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT’S INTERESTING TO ME.” lyrics fit the melody. I generally just write lyrics but I don’t use 99% of the things I write. I’m always writing and always playing, but I don’t force it. Sometimes I don’t even go back to the old lyrics, I just want something new. If I get an idea, I’ll write it down. I don’t think I’ve ever tried; I just keep my mind open to it.

Tell me a bit about what it meant to be in the Elephant 6 Collective.

It was mainly just this nebulous thing. It wasn’t a situation where people were signing contracts, or record deals. The whole thing was very fluid all around. They were like-minded people making similar records, playing off of each other’s records and played at home. We were always on the periphery, just friends of them, and we were kind of E6 “wanna-be’s” - almost like a big brother thing. Of Montreal wasn’t there at the beginning of it, we were just on the fringe side. I’m still friends with them, though.

How would you classify your genre?

We don’t have a fixed genre. The most recent one, though, is definitely a combination of words that are dead because they’ve been abused.

Americana, outlaw country, folk, rock. It’s definitely more of a confessional album.

There have been a lot of changes over the years, and you’re the only consistent member; have the changes influenced the directions you take with your music?

It changes depending on what I want it to sound like, and a player’s skills are hired based on that. It’s always been my project.

Do you enjoy being the only consistent member of the band?

I like being the only one. I don’t have to get other people’s permission. I don’t have arguments with anyone, as far as changing directions and styles. I can do whatever I want. I definitely work with people but I don’t have a partner on the musical side or a consistent creative partner, which has its positives and negatives. There’s something cool about the bands that have more than one songwriter, kind of like The Beatles. Those bands have so much diversity. I just haven’t met anyone that I really want to consistently work with.

Now, you guys have a very interesting sound, so can you tell me who you consider as your influences?

I feel like what I do is take pieces of other people’s genius and blend them together in a way that’s

26 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

interesting to me - sort of like a collector of other peoples’ ideas. Someone else’s songs inspire almost all my songs. I always listen to music and if I hear something that’s cool, I try to do my own version of that. The records I like the most are the ones from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. I listen to some contemporary stuff, though. There were a lot of bands that were “lifers.” Maybe back in the day people had a better work ethic. There were the people who would just play and play until no one bought their records or went to their shows anymore, and those are the people I always look back to.

When did you buy your first guitar and what model or brand was it?

At 14 I got my first acoustic guitar. I think it was a Washburn; I don’t still use it now.

What sort of gear do you use now? Are you into vintage gear?

Martin acoustic, Yamaha piano, Gibson…

I have a lot of guitars. My favorite guitar is the Gibson SG; I tour with it and play it in the studio.

Tell me a bit about your artistic approach to writing.

I write a lot of lyrics and if I get a melody line in my head, often I’ll go back and see if any of the

You guys have put out so many records. Do you expect to continue this high volume of music production?

I’m actually working on a new record right now, hopefully [we’ll] have it out by next year.

I know that you’ve been featured on a lot of different songs. Can you tell me who was your favorite person or group to work with?

A few people like Kishi Bashi and Zac Colwell.

It’s fun playing with them. They play instruments I can’t play; they’re excellent musicians, skilled arrangers, they added something big I couldn’t do on my own, especially now that I’ve moved away from the digital world and have moved back into the analog world. It’s cool to know people who can play classical instruments.

Any last words?

For me, writing is a thing I do because I have an obsession with it. We went through periods where nobody knew or wrote about us or went to our shows but I kept working, and you’ve just got to have it inside of you. It can mess with your personal life, but if you’re naturally driven, you’ll do it.

www.ofmontreal.net

Listen Now

performermag.com

Of Montreal Lousy with Sylvianbriar Standout Track: “Fugitive Air”

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 27

DOG PARTY WHY TWO TEENAGE GIRLS FROM CALIFORNIA MIGHT JUST SAVE ROCK N ROLL It’s more than likely a school night. A light glows from a room in Sacramento. A microphone plugged into a karaoke machine hangs from the rafters of a teenage bedroom.

Toiling below the mic, two pre-teen punk rock hopefuls sit in front of their instruments and begin picking through notes, forming what will be the first song of their catalogue.

It’s 2007, and the members of Dog Party are 11 and 9 years old.

28 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

by Ben Nine-K photos by Sam Giles

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 29

“WE CHOOSE NOT TO REALLY LOOK AT AGE OR GENDER IN RELATION TO THE BANDS WE LISTEN TO OR THE SHOWS WE PLAY.”

30 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Listen Now

performermag.com

Dog Party Lost Control Standout Track: “Lost Control”

Sisters Gwen and Lucy formed the band out of a love for ’70s and ’80s punk music. Encouraged by their parents, they quickly blazed a trail most independent musicians would envy. Since 2007, the group has released two full-length records and is preparing to release their third (Lost Control) with the help of Mike Park and Asian Man Records. The girls have merch, a record deal, and they’ve just completed yet another national tour. Side note: they still tour with their parents.

And yes at 17, Gwendolyn has just gotten her driver’s license, but points out she wont be able to legally drive her bandmate/sister until she is 18, due to California state law.

The interesting thing about Dog Party is that they’re incredibly well behaved. Although it’s interesting on paper, the 17-year-old with the guitar and the record deal is surprisingly normal. Dog Party likes playing shows, but goes so far as in our interview to point out that, “During the school year we try not to play too many shows during the week. We just played a show last night (Thursday) and it was really tough! I had an essay that I had to work on the entire time, and even missed our friend’s band, who I really wanted to see. We just have to really manage our time.”

Their latest effort, Lost Control, is incredibly accomplished. Their sound lies somewhere between The Runaways and Best Coast (emphasis lying arguably on the latter, somewhat unintentionally). Their new record was recorded on tape, a process the girls prefer over digital, as recording to tape is, as they put it, “more genuine, more raw and full of energy.” This begs the question: What garage band do you know that’s made it through three records? Better question, what 15-year-old has an opinion on tape vs. digital that they can actually back up via a catalogue?

This isn’t meant to be patronizing, either. A quick jog around the Internet exposes interview after interview of the same questions regarding school, boys, age, parents etc. Dog Party basically

answers the same ‘Top 5’ questions worldwide.

No wonder they have a publicist. I imagine at this point answers can simply be copied and pasted.

Their story begs another question: How important is age in music these days? Was Dog Party arguably too young at its inception? Do they often feel patronized due to it? They’re also both female and in the punk scene, and although we’d like to think that was all cleared up by Ms. Hanna (Kathleen) back in the ’90s, is still mostly a major issue.

The girls address the topic with ease. “We choose not to really look at age or gender in relation to the bands we listen to or the shows we play, but I guess it could affect some people before they actually get to know us.” Age or gender apparently does not factor into Dog Party’s universe.

They are without interest and can’t be bothered by either supposed hardship. The only downside they care to mention is, “It limits the venues we can play and we occasionally miss out on [performing live] with some really cool bands because of it.”

We’re at a stalemate. Dog Party is either so incredibly positive that they float above any and all conflict, or they are the most media-savvy teenagers in public school. They are normal, happy kids. They live normal lives and probably eat dinner every night with their family.

But they have a publicist, which is what makes this feel different. They aren’t prodigies or musical masterminds. Their worth is built upon their relationship as a team. Their value is as a band; Dog Party is indie-rock’s most successful (literal) garage band.

They don’t hang out with people their age.

They go on tour with musicians like Kepi Ghoulie (a punk scene staple for 20 years). Their first show was opening for Agent Orange. Dog Party goes home and does their homework, but the bands they open up for are the same age as their parents, and maybe that’s the real lynchpin here; Dog

Party is two young ladies with incredibly supportive parents. Maybe at the end of the day this isn’t about talent or luck, but about a support system built around the creativity of two young people.

As their label owner Mike Park points out, “You don’t see many parents who are at every show helping sell merch and just being there to support instead of trying to show the world their kid is the next superstar. Everyone is humble and understands the punk ethics involved in this DIY endeavor.” Maybe what we really need are for the parents of these two bright young musicians to write a book on how to help kids blossom artistically. There aren’t a lot of kids out their who have three records under their belt, but there also aren’t many parents who would let their kid hop in a tour van at 17 and haul ass around the planet.

This is a “chicken or the egg” scenario that should really be given some thought.

Gwen and Lucy are positive about their musical future. When asked about their upcoming plans, their only goal is “to have as much fun as possible! Make good records!” In some ways talking to Dog Party feels like talking to the incredibly positive sheltered kid in your math class. Except Dog Party isn’t sheltered by a social construct or an overly protective patriarch. They are held boldly in the arms of a music scene and network of people who’ve chosen to foster and encourage two kids with big ideas (and killer punk songs, to boot). Does Dog Party have more records than the average garage band because they are exceptional? Or is this a shining example of what two kids are capable of when we empower them to blaze their own trail?

Feel free to think about that one… asianmanrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lost-control

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 31

TOP PICKS

Brianna Lea Pruett

Briar Rabbit

The Darcys

Gypsy Bells

From Your Bones

Warring

Chicago, IL

Toronto, ON

(Self-released)

(Arts & Crafts Records)

Gold Country, CA (Canyon Records)

“Roots & Americana reminiscent of Emmylou Harris with a hint of Darrell Scott” Brianna Lea Pruett’s twelve-song album, Gypsy Bells, is (quite literally) hot off the burner, having been very recently released this October.

The singer/songwriter hails from Gold Country, California, and it is her Cherokee/Choctaw roots that made her an excellent addition to the roster of Canyon Records. The label provides a home for Native American music and artists, with a long history of awards and nominations on their list of credentials.

Brianna Lea Pruett’s vocals are thick with Native nuances and phrasings, which are nicely accompanied by an acoustic group with guitars, bass, drums and percussion; the instrumentation supports her warm voice in a very complementary fashion, and adds depth and extension to the feel and high quality of the album. An occasional smattering and tasteful use of electric guitars, with a southwest flavor, enhances the sound and is in no way overbearing to the acoustic players.

The title track, “Gypsy Bells,” immediately brings to mind a strong Emmylou Harris influence, especially in the vocal layering. Two of the tracks were pre-released as singles for the album, “No Diamond Ring” and “It’s All Right,” which helped to whet the fans’ appetite and build anticipation for the LP. This record is a very nice listen, and a welcome addition to anyone’s collection – especially if they enjoy Americana, roots, and folk.

“A musical ride from Chicago-based singer/songwriter”

From the first track of his newest album From Your Bones, the Chicago-based singer/songwriter Briar Rabbit takes listeners on a quick musical ride where lyrics and tracks are sometimes beautifully mismatched. Up-tempo, folksy and sugary in sound, “So Long” is about an ending, but only in the last few bars does the music slow down enough for listeners to realize it’s really a goodbye.

Though his self-dubbed “thought-pop” album has its highs and lows, Briar Rabbit really shines on “Invisible,” where he asks: “Why am I invisible when I’m not putting on a show? Why do I see myself through all these eyes? They’re not my own, no they’re not my own.” Another standout is “Gifted Girl Blues” where the complexity and darkness is less hidden. Anger is seeping in on “Bad Blood,” but it doesn’t feel as dark as it could - yet it’s lyrically impressive just the same.

Covering love, the pain of break-ups and coming face-to-face with one’s self, From Your Bones is an easy way to hear the truth (as unflattering as it may be) wrapped up in feel-good-at-first-listen tunes. But, with every play, one is sure to hear a little more than before.

“Dutiful and explorative rock with driving rhythms and a haunting core”

www.briarrabbit.net

Warring is among the most stunning and inspired albums of the millennium, on par with Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights. The third installment for the Toronto art-rock quartet pairs heavy and foreboding instrumentation with deafening rhythm and hook-filled songwriting. Somewhere in the venue of the Dears and the Doves, the Darcys impose a glum indie rock trinity (electric guitar, bass and drums) with a dim spotlight centered singer/keyboardist Jason Couse.

Often daring the falsetto, Couse is reined in and controlled, imparting subtle emotional pulls while maintaining a long cool delivery. “The Pacific Theatre” is an understated deviation from the album’s forceful up-tempo core (think Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah”). A lone piano murmurs with Couse’s fertile octaves: “I know rain soaked through / And our hearts bleed wanting a new day / Pack up your fears.”

Unconventional turns, pacing and novel songwriting (“Hunting” and “Itchy Blood”) rewards Warring with listenability and artistic nuance. It’s an album distinguished for implacable understatement. A song like “Pretty Girls” goes by unassuming, romping with rhythmic energy. Closer attention notes the stark, fluid mood changes and deep volatile vocal colors underscored by barely-there harmonies and flourishing crescendos.

-Jacquinn Williams

Produced & Engineered by Tom McFall

Engineered and Mastered by Michael Hagler at Kingsize Sound Labs

Produced by Stephen Butler and Robert Doyle

Recorded at Mushroom Studios by Tom McFall

Engineered by Eliot Curtis

Mixed by Dave Schiffman

Mixed and Mastered by Russ Marsden

Mastered at Joao Carvalho by Joao Carvalho

www.briannaleapruett.com

www.thedarcys.ca

-Dawn Hafner

-Christopher Petro

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32 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

continued on 37

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.

Listen to the music featured at performermag.com

TOP PICKS

GRAND POINT NORTH FESTIVAL September 15, 2013 Waterfront Park - Burlington, VT

LIVE SHOW

by Vanessa Bennett photography by Rick Levinson

artist: Trombone Shorty

Power ballads, soul, banjos, hugs and the collision of musical talent and style.

Grand Point North’s Saturday lineup rocked the waterfront in Burlington with raucous and driving performances by Scott Tournet, The DuPont Brothers, The Felice Brothers, Charles Bradley and headliner Grace Potter the Nocturnals, to name a few. The festival, a staple of the Burlington community, commenced its third year on the shores of Lake Champlain to a swelling crowd and a plethora of fans docked in the harbor.

Banjos, heavy guitar, soulful funk and intricately concocted harmonies wafted into the mountain air as a wide array of acts graced the festival’s main stage. The DuPont Brothers and The Felice Brothers brought an ambling charm to the event, respectively, with well-seasoned compositions and impressive instrumentation. Ian Felice’s gravely vocals strained over a set list that encompassed the group’s prolific works.

The folksy bluegrass was put aside as Charles Bradley took the stage. With the first note, the audience was awash with intoxicating and infectious soul. His set was more theatrical than others, featuring enticing introductions, costume changes and an impressive array of hip-swiveling dance moves. His vocals hit deep lingering notes that echoed across the park and the Menahan Street Band created a commanding atmosphere with bellowing horn sections and pounding percussion. Bradley wrapped up his set by jumping off the stage and into the crowd, hugging fans and thanking them for sharing the night with him.

The night ended with a two-hour set by Grace Potter, one reeling with sprawling guitar solos, power ballads and vocals that reached piercing octaves. The set included songs from the band’s entire catalog and ranged from gospel to rock to soul to country. Her solo performance of

“Apologies” brought a quiet hush to the crowd, consisting merely of her and softly played piano.

The energy was ramped right back up with layers of guitars and percussion that drove a hard 1-2 beat. Potter’s encore included not only the band’s original signature tracks, but also impressive covers of songs such as “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton and an utterly captivating rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.”

At every turn, Grand Point North threw curveballs that awed and impressed the audience.

The festival has hit its stride and Potter continues to culminate a noteworthy and unique lineup that showcases a myriad of talents. What acts will grace Burlington’s Waterfront Park next year remains unknown, but it’s clear that the festival has solidified its place on New England music fans’ radars. www.grandpointnorth.com NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 33

TOP PICKS LIVE SHOW

artist: Passion Pit

BOSTON CALLING MUSIC FESTIVAL September 7-8, 2013 City Hall Plaza – Boston, MA

by Candace McDuffie / photography by Ashley Anne Jones

The Boston Calling sequel totally made the first installment look like child’s play. Gone was the safe indie-only shadowbox of a lineup. In its place: grinding electro, open-throated powerhouse singing, and much better weather. The location of the stages had better spots for viewing, the entrance to the festival was in a more strategic location, and the VIP was way swankier—founders Brian Appel and Mike Snow had really outdone themselves. And what was even more impressive was the diverse talent that dominated Day 2. Below is a list of Boston Calling’s more memorable acts and all of their shenanigans.

Overall Most Adorable Performer: Bat For Lashes

Maybe it was the English accent. Or maybe it was her captivating effervescent ensemble.

34 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

But Natasha Khan - aka Bat For Lashes pulled off a performance that possessed a level of cuteness that I never anticipated (even as her fellow Scorpio). Somehow, her voice also never digressed from its angelic state (no matter how hard she pressed it). Jovial dancing was the icing on the cake and right as she dipped into “Daniel” as her last number, the crowd was in awe of how she kept us in control by being completely ladylike.

Artist Who Held It Down The Best: Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is currently the only rapper to ever play Boston Calling. The highly skilled MC - who just found himself heaped in a bit of welcomed controversy - happily obliged the challenge he laid down on “Control” (in which he was the self-proclaimed

King of New York) and gave us a performance to remember. Whether he was spewing lascivious bars on “Fuckin’ Problems” or talking about his tendency to self-medicate life’s most sumptuous vices on “P&P,” the man shut shit down.

Duo That Drew The Most Interesting Crowd: Major Lazer

I completely understand the appeal of booking Major Lazer at a festival. Their hip-hop infused dubstep mashups are infectious, their gorgeous backup dancers are seemingly allergic to pants, and the twosome has a talent for revving up the crowd. But with great power comes great responsibility, and Major Lazer was singlehandedly responsible for the following people I encountered during their set: a guy attempting to breakdance in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ski mask and sunglasses, another dude donning a Scream mask and a Santa hat, and two half-naked girls throwing beer on each other.

Most Anticipated Homecoming: Passion Pit

Passion Pit’s rise to musical superstardom is kind of like a fable: work hard and you too can achieve your dreams. To put their popularity into perspective, it should be noted that they held the same exact slot that The National did at the first Boston Calling; they closed out the entire festival.

Only their performance was more of a celebratory affair, highlighted by hit singles that proved there’s something daft and touching about seeing a band you can call your own. www.bostoncalling.com

September 26-28, 2013 / Cincinnati, Ohio

by Lucy Fernandes / photography by Rick Carroll It’s been a short twelve years since the first Midpoint Music Festival broke ground in Cincinnati, and during the ensuing period it’s seen a progressive change in focus. Switching management from originators Bill Donabedian and Sean Rhiney to CityBeat in 2008, and under current creative director Dan McCabe’s watchful eye, it has evolved from a primarily local talent showcase into a more diverse national musical event. Over 170 artists and 16 stages participated

in 2013; this years’ crop of performers represented the widest range of genres yet, and from observing the weekend crowds it looked certain to surpass last year’s attendance record of 27,000.

There was a dizzying array of talent on display over the three days, and no possible way anyone could experience it all. Here are just a few of the highlights I enjoyed, and apologies to those who I missed seeing.

Cincy weekend chock-full of a dizzying array of talented artists.

THURSDAY

LIVE SHOW

Snowmine at Grammer’s tent. Trippy, echo-y pop with a keyboard wash, and sweet tenor vocals.

Shuggie Otis outdoors at Washington Park. Legendary but sidelined blues/soul artist, dusting himself off from a long self-imposed exile. Backed by a big band and horn section, his soulful, old school delivery brought to mind Sly Stone, another of his early contemporaries.

“Inspiration Information” and other songs lazily drifted out into the open air and bounced off the surrounding brick apartments, the city skyline in background relief.

Locals Mad Anthony at the Drinkery. Loud, in-your-face, head-bangin’ music. Great to see them back in action following a van crackup and some serious injuries earlier this year.

Bleached upstairs at the Know Theatre.

Sisters reunited, previously with punk band Mika Miko, this four-piece rocked the house with their sunny California harmonies delivered with just enough cheeky attitude. A real treat.

TOP PICKS

MIDPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL

FRIDAY

Honeyspiders (another local act) at Mainstay Rock Bar. From the ashes of Banderas, a Cincy punk favorite, rises this dark, intense, and sonic band featuring searing guitars, Doors-like organs, and brooding, moody vocals.

Dead Fame at Below Zero Lounge. A powerhouse retro-synth-pop group wielding intense stage presence, punchy drum rhythms, crooning vocals, plus a wild, colorful, light show.

Impeccably reinterpreted New Wave.

The Technicolors at Motr Club. Polished, yet rootsy pop tunes. Chris Izaak/Ray Davies reminiscent vocals, with some pretty tasty guitar thrown in, too.

SATURDAY

Brooklyn’s Helado Negro at Motr Pub. Winding down and closing out the final festival night with a much more subdued performance from this solo artist, who roamed a darkened stage in front of a blacklighted design. Amidst a wash of ambient and other hypnotic sounds, his near shamanistic intonations crested into a trancelike atmosphere.

MPMF has come a long way in a dozen years, earning increasing music industry recognition with every year. And that can only be a good thing for Cincinnati. artist: Mad Anthony

www.mpmf.com NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 35

TOP PICKS

LEEDZ EDUTAINMENT SHOW OF THE MONTH

review and photo by Candace McDuffie

LIVE SHOW

KILLARMY September 20, 2013 The Middle East Cambridge, MA

Electrifying stage presence and Wu-Tang blessings.

36 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

There aren’t a lot of relevant rap groups out right now - period. What saturates the industry is merely loose affiliations between artists, or rappers whose careers were already established when they decided to align themselves with cliques of little or no value. But Killarmy’s most refreshing to trait - besides their undeniable raw talent and electrifying stage presence - is the fact they personify brotherhood and have so much loyalty to each other as well as their artistry.

The Wu-Tang-endorsed mouthpieces from New York found themselves opening up for the

aggressive and rabid Papoose in front of a slew of hardcore fans. Killarmy’s reunion show was intense, with feverish energy being transmitted from one member to another. They bounced between cuts off of Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars and Dirty Weaponry and as onlookers were captivated, some even waved their Killarmy albums back and forth as a testament to the fact that they’ve been down since day one. The connection that Killarmy shares with their fans is something they should be proud of as well. www.leedzedutainment.com

Shake Cambridge, MA (Self-Released)

“Energized, experimental chamber pop with summervocals and shimmering guitars” Cambridge, MA’s Friendly People tapped twenty musicians to record Shake. The result edges the quartet closer to the experimental horizon, more Dirty Projectors than Vampire Weekend, yet both influences can are heard. The strength of Shake lies in the use of complex instrumentation, which rhythmically swirls and folds melodies around ambushing instrumentation and tempo changes (“Here We Are” and “Maps”).

The difficulty in writing big songs lies in honing succinctness. Most songs on Shake clock in over five minutes. Certainly, some could dive in sooner, but the extraordinary variance and melodic character rises above any residual selfaggrandizing; the songs are catchy.

Stylishly employed guitars, banjo, percussion and horns are scattered throughout Shake, baring the specter of Americana roots while the band surveys the edges of pop and experimental genres.

Singer Pat McCusker approximates Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) in his boyish lyrical interplay with fiery heaves of instrumentation, uniting and bridging the rambling background. “Branches” showcases one of the album’s strongest songs, which initially tugs the heels of bedroom folk, slowly throbbing into a dazzling arch of acoustic and electric guitars, pounding rhythms and warm harmonic embers. Shake offers a blissful crunch of pop-listenability and furtive experimental tinkering, resulting in surprising cohesiveness.

Produced & Engineered by Friendly People Recorded at the Record Company and The Friendly House by Friendly People , Mixed at The Friendly House by Mitchell Stewart and Andrew Sarlo, Mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton www.friendlypeoplemusic.com -Christopher Petro

Hunters Hunters Brooklyn, PA (Mom + Pop Records)

“Grunge rock makes its debut record”

Engineered & Mixed by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio Mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering Produced by Hunters www.huntershunters.com -Hannah Lowry

Lovers A Friend In the World Portland, OR (Badman Recording Co.)

“Unique, memorable and saturated with emotion” The first thing that jumped into my mind when I heard this album by Lovers is the ’90s era. A few of the songs seem like they should have been featured on The Perks of Being a Wallflower soundtrack, or that they should be the music featured in a scene of a My So-Called Life. Lovers is a band that continues to feed the ‘successful band’ mentality that people associate with the Pacific Northwest, and they sound as if they have been influenced by other bands in the region, such as Postal Service or Death Cab for Cutie.

A Friend In the World has a somewhat electronic, psychedelic feel that is beautifully fused with gorgeous vocals and a touch of acoustic instrumentation. These themes are threaded throughout the entire album, and it’s easy to fall in love with all of the songs instantly. The group seems to strike the ideal balance of technology and nature with their latest record.

Lovers had the opportunity to work with a number of producers who have, in turn, worked with other highly successful groups such as R.E.M., Starfucker, She & Him and Bright Eyes. The group’s opportunity to work with these producers has surely boosted the beauty of their album and should speak to the quality of A Friend In the World.

Recorded at Type Foundry Studios, Portland, OR Mixed by Andy LeMaster, Mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk

Hunters’ debut, self-titled album, is a throwback to Blink-182’s original work back in the ’90s.

The first thing that you will notice about the record

TOP PICKS

Friendly People

is the garage-band, distorted sound that so many punk bands of the era adopted. You’ll find yourself head banging and reminiscing about the days when people wore lots of black, baggy jeans and combat boots. It’s definitely worth a listen.

The album itself, Hunters, capitalizes on the heavy guitar and drum sound that links it back to before its time; in short, it’s a perfect album to remind you of the good ol’ days.

This LP is diverse in its sound, mood and distortion levels. It can be heavy, emotional and fun all at once. It’s an album that shouldn’t be missed, and you can definitely expect the band to grow even more from this point on.

www.loversarelovers.com -Hannah Lowry

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DRUM LESSONS with DEAN JOHNSTON 617.388.5395 themightydux@gmail.com CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE EVALUATION BOSTON, MA

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 37

TOP PICKS

Meg Hutchinson Beyond That Boston, MA (Red House Records)

“A record of spiritual growth” In “Making You A Place,” one of many standout tracks from Meg Hutchinson’s magnificent and special record Beyond That, she sings what is the album’s thesis statement: “If nothing can stay,” she says, “let’s stay open to the changes.”

And the Meg Hutchinson of this record is certainly a changed one since we last heard her on 2010’s The Living Side. She’s outdone herself lyrically, switched over to the piano as her primary instrument, and grown tremendously as a vocalist. The production, too, feels like it’s serving the songs in even smarter ways than it has previously.

But most importantly, and what resonates most profoundly in listening to the record, is Hutchinson’s growth as an artist and as a person.

She’s seeking uncharted territory on this new record, the subject matter of the songs taking her to places she hasn’t been before on previous albums. If you can even call them songs. So many of the tracks here feel like profound meditations, like nondenominational prayers. With a poet’s eye, Hutchinson captures so beautifully that human journey toward peace, toward forgiveness, toward acceptance - and all this in less than an hour from the first track to the epilogue. This record is best listened to in one sitting. And then another. And another…

Produced by Crit Harmon

such as Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Bob Marley and Otis Redding.

A beautiful, endearing work, Isberto does a fantastic job of leading his band of backing musicians, inspiring them to play to their highest level.

An album of great songwriting flair, you’ll find soul and folk intermixed amongst standout tracks like “Truth North,” the piano gem “Lullaby Rain,” and the edgy, appealing swing of “So Lost” (complete with compelling drums and angelic cymbals).

The drums are riveting, the piano recorded in lovely fashion, the vocals drip like honey. The acoustic guitars are the backbone of the record, helping to make each song’s structure perfection.

“Perfect Day” is a dreamy, feel-good love song. It’s a piece of work that spells beauty lyrically, touching on themes ranging from summer nights, the rain, movie scenes, and stargazing.

Overall, this is a great album to reflect on, meditate to, and take a summer nap to; it’s also a gorgeously recorded and produced record to savor and enjoy as the holidays draw near.

Recorded & Mixed by Mike Isberto, Jordan De Recorded at the JD Workshop in Loma Linda, CA Mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio in Cornwall, NY www.mikeisberto.com -Shawn M. Haney

Moderat II Berlin, Germany (Mute)

Cambridge, MA

“Innovative, impassioned dance music” www.meghutchinson.com

Mike Isberto More in Love Fullerton, CA (Self-released)

“Charming and achingly beautiful singer/ songwriter soul, soft rock” A dazzling effort of songwriting and vocal delivery by a rising California star, Mike Isberto’s More in Love is a collection of love songs and ballads that exercise the theme of facing the world head on, no longer running from the demons of the past or life’s challenges. A fresh new talent from California, his influences stem from greats 38 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Produced and Mixed by Moderat www.moderat.fm -Garrett Frierson

RJD2 More Is Than Isn’t Philadelphia, PA (RJ’s Electrical Connection)

Guzman and Chad Manalo

Mastered by Ian Kennedy at New Alliance East,

-Vincent Scarpa

adeptness at creating varied textures that still relate to each other. To sample the variety of the album, check out “Milk,” “Ilona” and “Damage Done” - each standout tracks in their own right that create wildly different, yet related, sonic worlds.

To get the whole experience, though, one must listen to the album in its entirety. II carries listeners on an intense but beautiful journey, and, much like its creators, the sum is greater than the whole of its parts.

Moderat is the supergroup of Berlin electronic music. It combines the poetic atmosphere of Apparat and the dancefloor brawn of Modeselektor into something that’s not quite one, and not quite the other, but something new and wonderful in the space between them. The album opener is a fitting metaphor for the collaboration.

“The Mark” is one and a half minutes of a pleasant spatial drone that a dance floor synth wanders into and begins calling out, as if it was lost and wondering how it ended up in this strange “other side” of electronic music.

The disparate genres quickly make peace and begin the aural assault with “Bad Kingdom,” a track that combines an aggressive bass line and breakbeats with airy pads and Apparat’s emotive singing. The album continues on to explore the rich musical ground that separates Apparat and Modeselektor’s separate projects, finding ways to simultaneously sway hearts and hips in catchy and surprising ways. II shows Moderat’s

“Uncommon classic in hip-hop innovation” From founding his own record label to building his own studio to amassing one of the most impressive synthesizer collections on the planet, RJD2 doesn’t like to do anything small, and his fifth LP is no exception. The four years since his last record have been spent producing for various artists as well as his Icebird project with Aaron Livingston. The time was well spent, as RJ has clearly settled into his role as a producer. He only sings on one track, opting instead to let his signature dense and funky production style speak for him, while guest singers occasionally stop by to sprinkle lyrics atop his energetic tracks.

The musical complexity of this album is more adventurous than anything he’s yet attempted, at times mixing elements of jazz, Motown, and some of the sampling/rhythmic techniques used by many dance producers. The album opens with “Suite 1,” an atmospheric piano piece that gently eases into “Temperamental” with guest singer Phonte Coleman, a soulful track reminiscent in style to Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black.

“Temperamental” is followed by a pair of instrumental tracks that put any doubt about RJD2’s current direction to rest.

“Behold, Numbers!” puts his singular sampling and MPC skills on display, layering chopped drums and strings into an exciting arrangement of synth and percussion elements, followed by the album’s lead single “Her Majesty’s Socialist Request,” an energetic track whose bold arrangement and surprising melodic choices show the producer at his best. Over the 15 years since he first debuted, RJD2 continued has had as many successes as mison 42 takes and failures, but he seems to

review and photo by Candace McDuffie

September 29, 2013 / House of Blues - Boston, MA When it comes to my live encounters with Portugal. The Man, it really does seem like third time’s the charm. The first time I was lucky enough to experience them was at the very first Boston Calling back in May. Decked out in rain gear for the shitty weather, they were stoked to deliver psychedelic sounds from their seventh studio release, Evil Friends - a definitive album with a funky undercurrent pulling against pastoral kindness.

In June, they were just one of the many talented acts recruited to grace one of the four stages at Governor’s Ball, except their set

was eclipsed by muddy festival grounds and the assortment of bands on the bill. But their most recent appearance in Boston at House of Blues is what brought out the most love. So maybe cueing their intro to dimmed lights and “Unchained Melody” served as a forerunner of said affection.

Then, in front of the nearly sold-out venue, PTM prepared to blow our minds by really kicking things off with “Purple Yellow Red & Blue.”

The only thing more impressive and inspiring than the borderline manic guitar-playing from Noah Gersh was the borderline manic

state of the crowd; Portugal can honestly boast they have some of the most passionate fans out there. Every song they played, from “Hip Hop Kids” to “Atomic Man” to “Got It All” to their take on “Hey Jude,” was countered with exuberant dancing and fearless singalongs.

Closing the night with “Purple Yellow Red & Blue” might have provided bookends for their performance, but there is nothing formulaic about a Portugal. The Man show.

TOP PICKS

PORTUGAL. THE MAN

www.portugaltheman.com

LIVE SHOW

Manic guitar playing and a more manic crowd.

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 39

TOP PICKS

SYMBIOSIS GATHERING

September 19-23, 2013 / Woodward Reservoir – Oakdale, CA

by Nicole E. Rosdahl photography by Rosalyn Lee

LIVE SHOW

Spiritual unity, capoeira, fire dancing and (from the sound of it) lots of really great drugs.

40 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

The conglomeration of festival goers, musicians, artists, vendors, workshops, instructors, volunteers and organizers at the gathering created an axis mundi (or world axis) of transpersonal energy. The creators of Symbiosis are guided by the belief that the manifested moment is the key to individual and collective transformation, which is facilitated by a unique aesthetic space and irreplaceable experiences.

Upon entering the event, one can anticipate

ample waiting time for vehicle inspection, guided car parking, and patience for setting up camp sites, but once one is situated, expect the dust to do anything but settle! The bass from the music reverberates through your campground, luring you to life, crowds and laughter. Immense talent was seen and heard. What seemed at first an Australian didgeridoo, is local artist SyzyGy manipulating his vocals with other beat boxers and the Jazz Mafia. Within are four stages that play a diverse mix of techno, house, and progressive, including tracks from Phaeleh, An-ten-ae, Blue Tech, Random Rab, Gaudi, Lunice, Shpongle, Iamwhoiam, Christian Martin and Sunday’s headliner Emancipator.

Each stage created a baroque experience with fantastic lighting and sound effects. Other performing artists such as capoeira practitioners, aerialists, and fire dancers were a display of sheer adrenaline. One spectacle to behold was the Edwardian Ball Road Show which brought the macabre clown to reality as a symbol for the darker aspect of ‘the self,’ – quite literally when they jumped off stage into the audience!

Raising consciousness on a global scale for the environment and internally as an individual is a paramount goal of Symbiosis Gathering’s creators. An assortment of workshops on sustainable living, permaculture villages, and protecting endangered biodiversity were a few among numerous topics covered. Spiritual leaders and elders from Native American, Himalayan, and African traditions performed sacred ceremonies. Healing arts included massage, bodywork, acupuncture, Reiki, and sound healing. Group meditations, yoga and communal saunas were exceptional retreats in the midst of Symbiosis. Whether one witnessed or participated in any of these endeavors, the intent of those involved did indeed raise vibrations.

A magnanimous community can be predictable, quality of merchandise exceptional, and overall choices of things to do at Symbiosis Gathering seemingly endless. Symbiosis Gathering is like the mythical Scottish village Brigadoon, instead of disappearing for a 100 years and gracing us with its presence for one day, it promises to be an epic, annual five-day adventure not to be missed. www.symbiosisgathering.com

VINYL OF THE MONTH

TOP PICKS

Dumb Numbers

Dumb Numbers Australia & The United States (Joyful Noise Recordings)

“Indie rock supergroup debuts smashing noise-bomb of an LP” Dumb Numbers is like an old-school college radio junkie’s wet dream. Essentially a decade in the making, the project (helmed by Aussie musician Adam Harding) brings together Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion), Dale Crover (Melvins), Murph (Dinosaur Jr.), Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), and C.R. Matheny (Emperor X) for one hell of an impressive debut LP. Droned out, feedback-laden guitars open the record (naturally), after which the sludge onslaught commences in earnest. It’s as if the honest, raw quality of Bleach-era Nirvana was infused with My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze sensibilities. Along the way, you’ll hear massive

amounts of each band member’s respective sound – there’s a healthy smattering of Dinosaur, Jr., Melvins and Sebadoh, to be sure.

The LP’s most accessible track, “Strange Beauty,” sounds much like its title suggests; it’s a bizarrely hypnotic balancing act of lo-fi-chillgaze and watery Mudhoney riffage. If you long for the days of early-’90s Sub Pop, this just might be your bag. Side Two also features the hauntingly Elliott Smith-esque “The Broken Promise,” and closes with an ambient piano and string outro, befitting of the record’s experimental quality and textures.

Highly recommended.

Produced by Adam Harding Mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic, Los Angeles Design by David Yow Size: 12-inch Speed: 33 1/3 rpm Color: Black Vinyl

review by Benjamin Ricci photo by Ben The Butcher www.dumbnumbers.com

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 41

TOP PICKS

EDITOR’S PICKS

The Devil Makes Three

Josh & The Jamtones

Black Hearted Brother

I’m A Stranger Here

Bear Hunt!

Stars Are Our Home

Santa Cruz, CA

Boston, MA

London, England

Genre: Bluegrass/Americana

Genre: Ska/Reggae

Genre: Space Rock

have been taking notes and learning through the process.

More Is Than Isn’t isn’t just a culmination of the skills and lessons he’s taken in over the years, but an innovative and welcome return to form from one of hip-hop’s most unique voices.

songs - the soundtrack to a steampunk love story, equal parts irreverent joy and haunting despair.

Two Cow Garage The Death of the Self-Preservation Society

www.rosincoven.com -Joe Nunez

Columbus, OH (Last Chance Records)

Produced, Mixed & Mastered by RJD2

Schooner

www.rjd2.net

“You live for the bridges of this album”

-Garrett Frierson

Neighborhood Veins Durham, NC

Rosin Coven Sing Me Malaise

(PotLuck Records)

“An auditory sun shower”

San Francisco, CA (Self-released)

“Like stepping into a smoky speakeasy populated by circus freaks” Rosin Coven is known for their kinetic live shows, a circus of theatricality and style. On Sing Me Malaise, the band is tasked with using only their songs to pull the listener into their world, without the costumes and pageantry.

Fortunately, the album manages to convey everything that the band is about, losing almost nothing in the journey from stage to stereo.

The nine members of Rosin Coven layer jazzy vocals over strings, brass, vibraphones and more. They deftly bounce through genres, from the lounge swing of “I Found the Gold” to the dark and progressive “Magpies” and the dreamy dirge of “House of Roses.” The album makes the listener feel like they’re stepping into another world, a smoky speakeasy populated by eccentrics and circus freaks, corsets and courtesans.

Though there are certainly a few highlight tracks in the collection, the individual compositions each stand on their own. There is a narrative consistency in the lyrics, even though the subject matter often varies wildly from song to song.

In the era of 99 cent digital downloads, the album comes across like a cohesive collection of 42 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

The latest release by the Tar Heel rockers, led by vocalist Reid Johnson, is a dreamy dozen of indie noise-pop soldered together with compassion and a cunning sense of self.

Tickled with reverb, noise collages and meandering bass grooves, the album’s cozy melodies and hearty vocals are both bighearted and nostalgic. Neighborhood Veins is about owning the melancholy: wearing self-doubt like your favorite t-shirt while looking for new love with someone kind, cool and who’s got a battered heart to talk about. Whether in looming, heavy waltzes like “Floodlights and Ghosts” and “Nowhere to Wait” or upbeat sing-a-longs like “It Won’t Matter,” the band tactfully balances the morose with the merry.

The LP’s closer and title track is a Jackson Pollock of a song. The left field noise collage strolls on for nearly 12 minutes, randomly flinging about eerie horns, oddball chords, Morse code blips, and something that sounds like a bumblebee having a seizure. The monolith of sound serves the perfect terminus to a perfect indie daydream.

For all of you Cage the Elephant and Drive-By Truckers fans out there, this is an album that you shouldn’t pass up. A mishmash of messy sounds and clean-cut guitars, Two Cow Garage throws a fantastic record at us, and we can’t seem to get enough.

With an anthem-worthy sound, the threeman band put out a collection that includes some heavy guitars and noteworthy bass, but none of that distracts the listeners from the fantastic vocals and meaningful lyrics. The bridges and breakdowns of these songs are possibly the best parts of the tracks, and you find yourself waiting to hear what the lead singer has to say next.

Two Cow Garage describes their influences as Cheap Girls, Drag The River, Glossary, Grand Champeen, The Drams, The Old Sweethearts, Lucero and Centro-Matic. With diverse tracks throughout the album and great lyrics that you’ll be singing to yourself soon enough, you can’t help but pull something more from this record. Be sure to keep an ear out for the LP’s title track; it’s by far the most addicting.

Produced by Matt Smith and TCG Recorded at Hi/Lo Studios in Eden, NY Mixed by Michael Crow at Industrial Oaks, Austin, TX Mastered by Dan Utter

Recorded at Arbor Ridge Studios

www.twocowgarage.us

Mastered by Nick Petersen

-Hannah Lowry

www.schoonermusic.com -Taylor Haag

Age Restrictions, Alcohol, & Liability 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 @ adambarnosky.

DISCLAIMER The information

LEGAL PAD

Running a Venue

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.

photo by Matt Lambert RUNNING A MUSIC VENUE COMES WITH MANY STRINGS ATTACHED. While a main concern is booking quality bands and getting a paying audience in night after night, there are many other considerations that a venue owner must deal with every day. This month’s Legal Pad looks into venue ownership, age restrictions, and a few other legal dilemmas.

of your venue’s liquor license. Mass. General Law, Chapter 138, Section 34 regulates penalties for sale or furnishing of alcohol to a minor, with penalties being a fine of $2,000 and jail time of up to one year. More often than not, however, it is the local town or city that will issue the penalty for problems with underage drinking. Generally, he penalty will come in the form of license suspension (days or weeks for repeat offenders). License Age Restrictions on Shows: There is a cost/ suspension can cripple your business, particubenefit analysis that every venue owner must cal- larly when bands are booked early and tickets are culate when deciding whether to enforce an age sold months in advance. restriction on a show. Generally, the higher the age restriction, the lower your liability; if every- Ways to limit your liability: Whether you have one at your show is above the age of 21, there are bought your own venue, are renting a space, or are less concerns about underage drinking. If every- putting together a concert off-site, there are sevone is over 18, there are fewer concerns about eral other ways to limit your personal liability: underage drinking and minor liability. However, if you put too many caps on age, your audience IDs: Check identification at the door, not the bar. pool reduces significantly, depending on the If your show is 21+, no one underage is allowed band’s draw and demographic. admittance. Front door ID checks also take the burden off of your bartenders to check IDs at Penalties for Serving a Minor: There can be every transaction. If your show is 18+, make sure hefty penalties to serving alcohol to a minor. This to have unique or custom wristbands for everydoesn’t even technically mean that you or your one over 21 years of age. Markers and stamps are staff services the minor. If a minor is found on easily duplicated and wear off easily. Also deterpremises drinking (even if it’s given to him/her by mine a strict policy on the types of identification a friend), you could be held liable. Penalties often that is allowed at your venue. A safe bet is passarise from a compliance check conducted by ports or a valid license from the state you are in. local police or the state liquor licensing author- The less familiar your security is with the format, ity. Some venues are cited for underage drinking the more vulnerable your venue is to fake IDs. secondary to an inciting act (alcohol poisoning, fighting, etc) where police are called and a viola- Security: Have your security detail wearing tion is discovered later. the same outfit or uniform, with a shirt or armband clearly identifying them as security. Have In Massachusetts, for example, serving a minor regular sweeps through the crowd looking for can have multiple repercussions, including civil underage drinking and signs that patrons have penalties, jail time, and suspension or revocation been over served. Make sure your bartenders

are aware of intoxicated patrons and have them safely escorted out of the building and tended to as needed.

LLC: Whether you own a venue or are setting up a few shows, do it through a business entity.

Although your selection of a corporate entity will vary depending on your needs, the most popular entity for venues is the Limited Liability Company, which are often used because they are less complicated to maintain and provide liability protection coupled with tax advantages less formal than corporations. An LLC protects you from liabilities associated with the business (meaning that you are not personally responsible for any debts or claims against the business). Essentially, with an LLC a debtor could come after the venue’s assets but not – for example – your car or home.

LLC requirements vary from state to state. To check out options for forming an LLC where you live, go to www.nolo.com, search “LLC” and click on your state.

Insurance: Make sure to have a general liability policy and a policy that insures your company for personal injury on site. This is probably the insurance most often used by bars, nightclubs and music venues due to the nature of the beast.

Try exploring online options. New York-based MusicPro Insurance (www.musicproinsurance.com) has an informative and user-friendly website that makes insurance selection easy, especially if you are only putting on a small number of shows. If you own a venue, opt for a blanket policy instead, which covers the property at all times.

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 43

COMPOSING

Overcoming Film Scoring Challenges One Composer’s Personal Experiences with the Art & Craft

Many film composers learn their trade by scoring short films. Many continue to score short films, and many never get an opportunity to score a full feature. The truth is that there are many challenges with a short – how do you get coherent themes into so few cues, for example, and how do you establish a style in a short piece? Equally, can you impress the audience and bring something to the film?

I’ve been commissioned to provide music for a short film for a director I’ve worked with before, Dave Maybrick. The film is a short drama about a meeting between a retired soap actress and a fan. There’s some guide music the editor has used in the edit I have, by William Walton and Claude Debussy. Dave really likes the music that the edit contained. This comes up quite often - it makes the edit look more real, and editors often like to cut the picture to music.

A director often likes the guide track so much they want to keep it, or, if it’s not available to license within their budget, they want something very similar. Keeping it is OK although I’d argue that in a drama it’s better to have bespoke music without any other associations unless, of course, you want to be making those associations (time passing in Goodfellas, for example). Replacing it with something similar is potentially a lose/lose negotiation - the composer isn’t satisfied because the final cue is too close to the guide track, and the director isn’t satisfied because the cue isn’t close enough! But my advice is don’t get obsessed about 44 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

it; it’s probably just one cue!

What you can take is a big pointer towards instrumentation and style, though – the clip of William Walton is a string section, and the Debussy is piano, so that’s where we’re headed with this score.

We also need a theme for the Jubilee Road soap opera, so the first stop is research around TV themes from the 1960s. Mostly these are very cheerful, but I want to capture a bit of grayness.

There was a lot of muted trumpet in that decade!

That’s all a bit too dramatic, so I settle on a harmonica - that seems to work.

As I worked on this, I also decided that Dave might need a sting in this style - the cut into a commercial break always has a little reprise, and I’ve decided that a commercial station would have broadcast Jubilee Road.

Most of my early sketches are piano with strings or solo piano, although I have thrown in some other arrangements just in case I misread the signs around Walton and Debussy. The string cues, where the guide was William Walton, are easier for me – the Walton arrangements are very beautiful in their simplicity, so I’ve used a chord sequence that we can re-use in other cues – I’m keen to hold all the cues together somehow.

I sit at the piano working on something else, and a little figure comes to me that might work for the bus scene. I record it and arrange some strings over it and send it to Dave, who likes it, but wants to use a section of it for C3, the closing scene. This is also a good sign that all the cues in a film feel related and fit together.

In the final mix, we used my strings and piano for the opening; my Jubilee Road theme and sting; my piano piece for the scene in the corridor; Debussy for the bus scene; and my strings and piano for the closing. I feel like the music holds together as being parts of a whole, and I’m happy that I gave the director what he wanted. You can listen to all of the music including the sketches at www.kimhalliday.com/lookingforvi and let me know what you think…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR KIM HALLIDAY is a composer and musician working in London. He began playing the violin at age 7, took up the guitar and dropped the violin (although he kept the bow) at 13, and spent his early teens trying to become Jimmy Page. Rescued from a life in prog rock by Dr Feelgood, and after several years of punk, new wave, psychobilly and ska, Kim decided that life in a sweaty van with three blokes he hated wasn’t a sensible career goal, and he signed up to the London International Film School to learn how to write music to picture. While there he scored several prize-winning shorts. He has written and played scores for feature films, (Credo, Pink Pumpkins at Dawn), documentaries (Freedom for Birth, Doulah!, Real Birth Stories), commercial video and theatre. His music is designed to comfort and disturb in equal measure, and his latest release, Birdsong In Mist, is available on Ravello Records.

or: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (For Indie Music)

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.

Bells, or say, Jingle Bell Rock, you’ll need a mechanical license.

RADIO Alternative and specialty radio is going to want a lot of new, quirky songs. Acoustic and vocals are fine on these, but a garage recording works too as long as the vocals are clear.

The local corporate station in your area that starts playing 24 hours of Christmas music way too early (you know the one) will be much more open to covers.

College radio and Americana is going to want original, authentic recordings. That does not mean mandolins as such, just a real band performance of an artful song.

Happy Hanukkah!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Kwanzaa!

I know, I know, it’s only November; so what’s with all the holiday brouhaha? Simple, these next few months could explode your musical career, if you follow just a few steps right now. First, this is an important reminder about timing. The actual music in the music industry is usually being produced 3-6 months prior to you hearing it. Sometimes even more [editor’s note – same lead time applies to print magazines, too].

You know that “song of the summer” “Blurred Lines”? It was actually recorded in August 2012. True.

It’s also true that holiday music is produced very early. Music publishers and licensors refer to it as “Christmas in July” because we see briefs for placements that early. But, here’s the trick: fresh holiday music is needed by the shit ton, every year, and it doesn’t matter how big of an artist you are to get played. Read that sentence again.

It does not matter how big your Twitter account is, whether you’ve sold 100,000 records, or even whether you’ve toured yet; your music has just as good a shot as anyone else’s. Specialty shows, local terrestrial radio, college stations, streamers, ad companies, brand agencies: they all need new holiday music. They need it in freaky indie form, as traditional covers, and cheeky originals; they need it all. And sometimes, they need it very quickly to replace older holiday music.

Bear in mind, at least two Christmas albums will be released on October 29th this year, one from Duck Dynasty featuring George Strait, and another from Restless Heart. They will be out as of this article’s publication! You’re already too late for a big release. But, you probably have gigs in November and December booked, right?

Surely you must know a few Christmas covers for those high paying gigs, right? So, record them in rehearsal, or at an early show this month. A studio recording would be nice, but not necessary here.

Here’s the plan and your mission, should you accept it. Three songs, everywhere online for stream and sale, and picked up on radio.

SONGS Lyrics are the game. There are orchestras and plenty of Kenny G-types taking care of the instrumental music. Focus on words. People listen to words during the holidays. Perhaps more importantly, Program Directors and Producers will be hearing thousands of these, so the lyrics you write (or the covers you choose) will make you stand out, for better or worse.

COVERS These popular holiday songs are verified Public Domain, you do not need a license to record, release, and sell them: Deck The Halls; The First Noel; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Jingle Bells; Joy To The World; O, Come All Ye Faithful; Silent Night; The Twelve Days of Christmas; We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

If you really want to do a cover of Silver

HOLIDAY PROMO

Make Money Selling HolidayThemed Music

THE PLAN: 9 STEP UNDER $50 1. Pick two holiday covers, and write one original song. Rehearse them.

3. Get a Dropbox. License any cover you need to at Harry Fox, or let Limelight do it for you (http://songclearance.com).

2. Record them (live, at rehearsal, at home).

Take a few photos of ornaments, band in Santa hats, ugly sweaters, etc.

4. Rip the songs down and tag them: Christmas, (subgenre like “Rock”), holiday, seasonal, etc.

Have a high quality .wav, a 128 and 256 (kbps) Mp3 or AAC version ready to go.

6. Go to http://distrokid.com - pay $19.99/ year, and put all of your new holiday recordings on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, etc. (use those photos) 7. Make a simple YouTube lyric or photo video (or real video if you have more time and money).

8. Get some CD-Rs with thin cases for $9.99.

Do not use sticky labels. No need to get them printed if you’re not releasing them commercially. Some radio stations will still want you to actually send a disc. Don’t go crazy; send what you have if they ask. Mostly send .wav links.

9. Local specialty shows usually are on Sunday nights, so submit to them first. Get your links (or mailers) to the other stations next. Hit the assistant PDs. Happy holidays! Go get ’em!

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 45

ARTIST MGMT

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.

Ben Kweller on Labels & Artist Representation Indie Icon Makes Some New Beautiful Noise… Company

Ben Kweller is the real deal. Authentic.

You probably already know all about the “indie darling” legend. This piece is not about Ben’s music, which is fantastic. It’s about the process that has allowed him to do it for 20 years (and counting). It’s also about a musician taking control of his artistic and business future with the intention of doing great work, purely from the soul. That’s what we all really want, isn’t it?

46 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Ben is one of us, and more. He’s been there, done that. He’s played to only a bartender and his girlfriend, and he’s also toured the world many times. He’s been signed as a teen, gone solo before he could buy a drink, became an indie star before it was cool, did Brooklyn before it was cool, got signed again, had music in movies, got dropped from a label, built a studio, produced other artists, and is now acting in movies - all while maintaining a relationship that now includes two children.

Seriously, no matter where you are in your career, he’s been there, and knows the struggle you are going through as an artist making their way through this business - because he still is, too.

And now, add to his resume: Music Mogul.

Ben Kweller has fully launched his very own label, The Noise Company. He tapped fellow Austinite, Kevin Wommack (Playing in Traffic Records) to run the label, and expanded the staff to include the terrific Emmy Black (formerly of Bar None Records) and Mary Jurey (formerly of New West Records). This is no vanity label though; with distribution through Warner’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) and an eye for publishing revenue, they are ready for

success. In addition to Ben’s latest release, Go Fly A Kite, the label recently signed indie band Wild Child, which recently won two Austin Music Awards. Wild Child’s first release for the label, The Runaround, is out now and was produced

by Kweller.

I had a chance to chat with Ben over a few days about the new label, life off the road, artistry in general, and what advice he would give to artists in the game today. We laughed a lot, and even sang some Hall and Oates together! He provides some great insight into what’s working…

So, you’re off the road, in Austin with the family now; how’s life going?

Great, we’re getting the kids back into school, and there’s swimming lessons going on.

Weekends are like holidays! It’s really a cool time.

But, as always, you are actually really busy, right? Fully launching the label, adding management. Plus: signing, producing, and now releasing the Wild Child’s new release. That’s a lot. How is the transition going?

I' V E B EEN M A NAGI NG M Y OW N A F FA I R S : PU B L ICI T Y, B O OK I NG , TOU R PL A N N I NG E V EN CAT ER I NG . H A ! ”

ARTIST MGMT

“ FOR T H E L A ST F I V E Y E A R S ,

photo by Kevin Baldes NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 47

ARTIST MGMT

“MAKE MUSIC YOU BELIEVE IN, AND

DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT IT.”

photo by Anton Yelchin

It’s a really cool and exciting time for me.

For the last five years, I’ve been managing my own affairs: publicity, booking, tour planning, catering, etc. Ha! It’s been a great experience and education. I’ve met a bunch of cool people and built a ton of personal relationships. But there’s a lot I want to do. I want to see The Noise Company grow, and I wanted to produce more.

I like being creative, but I can’t run a record label AND produce, and record, play shows, and whatever else. I want a record label, but I don’t want to run it. I shouldn’t.

her own career. You can’t just be a slacker artist anymore. The bands coming up in the ’90s were the last generation to not care about ‘points’ or publishing, and just let it be ‘taken care of.’ There’s not as much money to go around these days, so you can’t rely on a bunch of people to do everything for you, but you do need a team. That’s what we’re trying to do with The Noise Company.

You’re producing a lot more; will that continue with acts that your label signs?

This (The Runaround) is my fourth. I have to say that Roger Greenwald, my first producer, Enter Kevin Wommack (new head of The taught me everything I know about the art of Noise Company and manager). It seems recording and production. I am so lucky to have like he is the glue that is going to hold this worked with him. Of course, as a label, I have that all together. romantic idea of a Berry Gordy operation - obviYeah, Kevin is the man. He was just the right ously that’s the shit! But I am busy as an artist, too, fit. He’s been around longer than I have and gets and that’s got to be the priority. When it comes up it. To trust my career and business to someone is and the stars align, I will put everything on hold a big deal. There’s something about working with for the right one, but my fans are the priority. people who have toured and are songwriters, like Kevin. You know that they know, without having How did working with Wild Child come to go into why. That’s cool. about?

Candice Digby is really the one responsible Why start your own and not just take a for us working together. She turned me on to new deal with an established label? their first self-released record. I liked it and then In 2013, every musician is the C.E.O. of his or I saw them live, and loved it. Then they started 48 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

sending me demos and the songs were almost done. I pushed them to change a little here and there, and we just decided to do the full producing thing. I’m a diplomatic producer. It sucks if a producer walks in and says, ‘This chorus sucks, go rewrite it!’ It’s their album and they have to live with it. Make music you believe in, and don’t give a fuck what others think about it. They seemed to agree with that.

Sounds like it was a good match. How was it different than recording and producing yourself?

It was special because not every album has a definite first single, and ‘Crazy Bird’ is the first single on this record. Hands-down, everybody knows it. That is totally different than my records.

How should independent bands approach live shows now?

I am still a true believer in one fan at a time; but there’s a trick to it. I don’t recommend just touring for touring’s sake. I think even better results come from opening for people as much as possible to get in front of their fans. When I was in NYC and went solo, I made Freak Out, It’s Ben Kweller. I got pretty lucky because Jeff Tweedy, Juliana Hatfield, and others heard it. I

MUCH MONEY TO GO AROUND THESE DAYS, SO YOU CAN’T RELY ON

ARTIST MGMT

“THERE’S NOT AS

A BUNCH OF PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU, BUT YOU DO NEED A TEAM. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE NOISE COMPANY.” photo by Kevin Baldes

didn’t headline for two years. I just kept opening up for people and tried to win their fans over. Once you’re in, become friends with booker at the venue. Also, have a mailing list, it is still so important.

What do you think about musicians on social media?

Again, it’s all about authenticity. I have good friends, like Conor Oberst, and he doesn’t do Twitter or Facebook at all; he won’t touch the stuff. And that’s cool. And then there are some people that tweet about everything like John Mayer used to. Both are fine as long as you are being yourself. I talk about politics sometimes.

There’s a time and place for everything, but if you believe in it, share it - even if it’s cookies you made, you know? Part of being an artist is how you perceive the world around you.

Are you on the YouTube bandwagon? Have you seen that songs with videos do better at shows, or on radio?

Yes, I love video. I think everyone loves video.

I’ve always loved home movies. YouTube is fun as hell. As far as reactions, there are certain videos that really stick with the fans. I have a song called ‘Fight’ - in the video the kids are pumping their

fist to the beat, and now the kids do that to the song when I’m playing it live. That’s pretty cool.

I even know it’s coming, so I can kind of control how they respond.

Is radio dead? Should bands focus on streamers like Spotify etc., or does a traditional college radio campaign still make sense?

Definitely get on all the digital stuff you can.

You do still have to spend a bunch of money to get in front of program directors. That’s just the deal.

But, I am also still a big believer in radio. I never had a ton of it, but enough of it to see it can make a big difference over time. It can still be a place for the more alternative, ‘left of center’ stuff. It’s also about priorities. If I only had $2,000, I’d bypass the radio stuff, print some t-shirts for fans and make sure to have van that’s ready to go. Live performances are the quickest way to get your music to people. It’s amazing how radio follows that.

So now as a big label ‘suit…’ (Ha! Ha!) How does a band get your attention?

Should they do a demo, wait until they can finish a recording to license, or just send a live video?

to a finished product is a good thing. I like more of a collaborative A&R approach. Wild Child did a self-released thing, and they developed a great following here in town [Austin]. Then they played me some demos of new songs, and I knew I wanted to help produce. It’s a process. What’s the vision? Do people dig it? Can I see where it can go? As a producer, I love a demo so I can have input on the final output. But a finished release is cool, too. The best way to get my attention is to make compelling art, and always have new stuff being worked on. We’re always looking, and if a record comes along that we love, we’ll get into it. We get submissions from fans and we have music meetings and listen to stuff. I’m looking for people where music is your only option in life.

If that’s the case, you are probably already building a following, writing, and recording. Those are the people I want to hear.

In other words, “authentic.”

Damn right.

Hit them up if you got the goods, at thenoisecompany.com.

Every step of the way that you move closer

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 49

MY FAVORITE

my FAVORITE AXE

SARAH KENYON, GRANDEVOLUTION photo by Chris Norton

BACKGROUND

Sarah Kenyon plays guitar in GrandEvolution, a rock band from Boston. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and ReverbNation for the latest updates.

MAKE & MODEL

A 2010 Custom made guitar by Noll Guitars in Rhode Island. Body by Tony DeLacugo.

WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU

It’s exactly what I wanted, and no manufacturer makes them that way.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE

It sounds huge! Look and plays like a Telecaster, but sounds like a Les Paul; it has two humbuckers and good string locks.

ANY CUSTOM MODS?

None needed. Noll made it perfect!

CAN BE HEARD ON

Collide EP by GrandEvolution, and on the new album we’re working on for release in 2014!

LISTEN NOW

www.GrandEvolution.com Got a favorite instrument you’d like to share?

Email us at editorial@performermag.com

50 NOVEMBER 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.

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

The Art of Stereo Panning

Part 2 of 2

[editor’s note – see last month’s issue or head to performermag.com for Part One in our series on stereo panning and mixing.]

BOUNCING ’ROUND THE ROOM It’s quite easy now with modern DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) to automate panning so that a track can “move” around as the song progresses. Depending on the style of music, bouncing an instrument from one side of the mix to the other can add excitement or grab a listener’s attention. It can also be used subtly, by slowly shifting an instrument’s location, to signal either a new direction in the song or to create an almost imperceptible uneasiness.

THE MID-SIDE PAN I won’t go into how to set this up, as it’s a bit complicated for the beginner, but if you already know how to do it, or are willing to put a few minutes into watching YouTube videos on the subject, we highly recommend you try using the Mid-Side miking technique the next time you are tracking acoustic guitars in a mix. The Mid-Side miking technique allows you to change the amount of “stereo-ness” in the mix after you have recorded, instead of being stuck with what you recorded using an X-Y setup. With the acoustic recorded in Mid-Side, you could have the intro playback in stereo and then narrow the field as the vocals come in to give them more presence. Or you could try the opposite by having the guitar start in mono and then slowly broaden to stereo to make the mix more interesting as the listener gets used to the progression.

PANNING REVERB Another great way to utilize panning in your mix is to pan your reverb. By mixing in different patterns of delays in the left and right channels, some reverbs can recreate the feeling of sound bouncing around in a real space. This will help create width and depth for your tracks in the stereo mix. This should be done sparingly, though, because when overdone it can create muddiness in the mix. If time is available to you, experimenting with the panning of reverb can lead to some pretty creative sounds.

But for the rest of us who have budgets to consider, we find it best to keep our reverbs nice and centered and used conservatively.

WHERE YOU SIT Remember to keep checking your mix with a pair of trusted headphones. And before you finalize a mix, especially one with heavy panning, you should reference it on a couple of different systems, preferably in different spaces to make sure that your panning efforts aren’t hurting you. Many people listen in less-than-perfect situations; for instance, listening in most cars usually produces an unbalanced experience with the speaker that is closest to the listener delivering the most energy. This is where LCR can be a good method, because even though instruments are hard-panned, most of the information is the same through either the left or right channel.

PARTING THOUGHTS Panning has some general rules (and with all general rules, feel free to break them and experiment), which generally lead to good results as proven by decades of mixes. Acoustic pianos generally sound good hard panned in stereo unless the mix is too muddy, in which case try mono and finding a location in the mix somewhere around 10 or 2 o’clock. Lead vocals are almost always panned down the middle, as are bass and kick drums – although in jazz, the bass and kick can go slightly off-center. Percussion (think shakers, tambourines, hand claps, cabasas, snaps, cowbells, etc) all sound good panned fairly hard. Some percussion can go in the same location as other main rhythm instruments to give them added f lavor without standing out, while often a new percussion instrument that comes into the mix during a certain section, like the chorus, should be by itself, low in the mix, to change the energy level of that part.

Remember to maintain balance in your mix; if you pan a rhythm electric piano part fairly hard left, make sure you have something to help balance it out, like a rhythm guitar part, panned somewhere to the right. If you’ve been trying to get the mix right but it just isn’t working, then try breaking some panning rules. Do something crazy – want kick drum hard left? It might just be what the song needs or at the very least get you to hear the mix differently and create a needed breakthrough so that everything, wait for it…pans out.

NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 51

STUDIO DIARY

Utilizing Your Home Studio to Get Back to Basics

interview by Benjamin Ricci photo by Shawn Fogel

WITH GOLDEN BLOOM ablum info

Band: Golden Bloom Album: TBD Recording Studio(s) Used: Black Hat Music (Medford, MA) Record Label: TBD Release Date: TBD Co-Produced by: Shawn Fogel Mixed & Co-Produced by: Josh Cohen

unique gear Instruments -Gibson ES-335 electric guitar -Fender “James Burton” Telecaster -Morgan Monroe M-30 V acoustic guitar -Eastwood Airline 3P -Danelectro “Dead-On ’67” Hornet baritone guitar -Rickenbacker prototype 4000/4001 bass -Epiphone MB-250 banjo -Titano Ideal accordion Amps -Gibson Skylark -Fender Blues Junior -Vox AC4TV Drums/Percussion -Yamaha Maple Custom Set -CB glockenspiel

PRE-PRODUCTION What was your pre-production like on this project?

Josh: We went to a cabin in Southwest Harbor, ME with a couple of acoustic guitars, a banjo, a bass, a keyboard, and a stripped-down drum kit. We mapped out and roughly arranged ten songs. We did a simple room-mic demo recording of them. When we started working in the studio, we pulled up the demos and started recreating them as the base for the songs.

Why did you record at your home studio?

Josh: I have spent the past several years building and improving my personal studio (Black Hat Music in Medford, MA). Over that

52 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

time it went from a simple place for me to work on my own projects to a viable recording and production studio. I have been fortunate to record and produce some amazing artists over the past couple of years, learning how to best utilize my space and gear along the way. Deciding to record the album at my studio also had a lot to do with knowing the tools, rather than relying on a third party studio for instruments and mics.

We have many different guitars, basses, amps, keyboards and percussion instruments [here] to choose from, and a few different mics and preamps to capture them. We felt confident that we could undertake this project ourselves and would end up with an album that we felt represented us.

Software/Plug-Ins -Logic Pro 9 -iZotope Alloy, Ozone, Vinyl -Waves Renaissance Bundle, Classic Compressors, GTR, Q10 -Stillwell Audio Vibe EQ, Bombardier Buss Compressor -Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Monitors -KRK VXT6 monitors with KRK 10s sub Microphones -Cascade Fat Head -Advanced Audio CM12se -Oktava MK-012 -CAD E100 -Shure SM57 -Shure Beta 52 -Audix i5

PRODUCTION What kind of sound were you looking for and how did you achieve it?

Shawn: We tend to think about the sound of each song individually rather than the sound of the album as a whole. Our goal is to make an album where no two songs sound alike, yet they still flow as a collection of songs without feeling disjointed. Instead of tracking basics for ten songs at once, we decided to break them into smaller groups (four, four, and three). Since the songs vary in style and feel so much, we thought it would be easier to stay focused if we were only thinking about three or four songs at a time.

How does it compare to your last release in terms of style and the creative process?

Shawn: I almost feel like making our last EP was our warm-up for making this album. It was our first venture into collaboration and was more about arranging together than writing together.

This time around was a lot closer to starting from scratch. We started out just writing chord progressions and mapped out the songs before they even had melodies or lyrics. We’re doing all of the arrangement in the studio this time, whereas last time around we had played a few of the songs live before we started recording them.

Did you use any special miking techniques?

Josh: Drums were recorded using a seven mic setup. There was a Shure Beta52 inside the kick drum, aiming at the lower right quarter of the beater head, Shure SM57s close miking the snare and rack, an Audix i5 on the floor tom, two Oktava MK-012s in an X/Y configuration about four feet over the top of the kick drum, and a Cascade Fat Head about three feet in front of the kit, angled toward the void between the kick and snare.

Almost all of the acoustic guitars were recorded using an Oktava MK-012, positioned where the neck meets the guitar, angled in towards the body, through a Seventh Circle N72 preamp.

While there are many different guitars and amps used on the album, the recorded tone for all of them is a blend between a Cascade Fat Head through the Seventh Circle and a CAD E100 through an ART MPA II. They were positioned with their head baskets touching, roughly three to four feet in front of the amps.

Vocals were all recorded using an Advanced Audio CM12se through the Seventh Circle preamp.

What was your philosophy on live, fullband takes versus individual tracking?

recording, all of the tracking has been done individually. Drums were recorded while bass was playing along, but the bass was re-recorded later.

Everything else has been layered on.

Shawn: Using the studio as a writing tool is a defining characteristic of the way we work, though some day I would love to try making an album with everyone in a room playing together - maybe that’ll be our next one!

Any special guests?

Shawn: So far we’ve had some backing vocals contributed by members of Parks (Matthew Girard, Brian E. King, Liz McBride), Saraswathi Jones (Tanya Palit), and The Grownup Noise (Paul Hansen, Adam Sankowski).

What did you try to accomplish in the studio that you’re not able to do live?

Josh: While things in the studio inevitably get more complex, we have been conscious of the live show while arranging and recording. We’re trying to not let it get layered to the point that we will be unable to recreate it live.

What were the toughest challenges you faced?

Josh: Engineering and producing an album yourself is always a challenge. There’s a lot of factors at play and the mental switch from creative to technical (or vice versa) can take you out of the moment.

Shawn: We recorded and mixed our previous

EP very quickly…at times it has been tough adjusting to a slower pace.

Can you tell us about working with other Boston bands on background vocals?

STUDIO DIARY

Have a uni q u e st u di o sto r y to sh are? E m ail edito r i a l@ pe r fo r m e r m a g.co m

Shawn: We invited some of our friends who are in Boston bands to come over and sing backing vocals on one of the songs. I hadn’t yet finished writing all of the lyrics so we hadn’t tracked the lead vocals yet. Backing vocals were just “oh oh oh”s so we figured we could just get them out of the way. We sent a demo of the song around with just the backing vocal part so our guest singers could learn the melody. The next day we got this email back from Paul Hansen (lead singer/guitarist, The Grownup Noise): “Hey guys, so listening to the track today, I kinda wrote a melody and lyrics for it, since I was def feeling it. Which obviously you can punt on, but yeah, just got a little too into it. It felt really good to do either way, and I won’t be offended if you’re already set on lyrics/melody. We can def rock whatever backgrounds you need.”

How could we say no to that? We were dying with curiosity to hear what he came up with and how it stacked up against my lyrics/melody. Paul’s version of the song ended up being so cool we actually used his melody for the chorus, though with my own lyrics, making it our first “accidentally co-written” song. We’ve even been talking about The Grownup Noise recording Paul’s version of the song and releasing both of our versions as a split single.

POST-PRODUCTION How will you handle final mixing and mastering?

Shawn: We’ve kind of been mixing each song as we work on it, so we plan on doing the final mixing ourselves. As far as mastering, we plan on working with either TW Walsh (who mastered our last EP) or Steve Mazur (who has mastered several projects that Josh has produced for other artists).

What are your release plans?

Shawn: Our fans who contributed to the PledgeMusic campaign will be the first to hear the album via digital download. We also plan to release [it] on CD.

Any special packaging?

Shawn: We offered our fans the opportunity to have their name and even their photo included in the CD liner notes for contributing to the PledgeMusic campaign, so the packaging (as far as inserts, gate-fold, etc.) depends on how many names and photos we have to include. We’d like to keep the packaging as green as possible (recycled paper, soy ink). The environmental non-profit organization Reverb will also be assisting us in offsetting the carbon [footprint] from manufacturing and shipping CDs.

Josh: Since we’re arranging as we’re NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 53

PROS

Adjustable, with little room for user error.

CONS

FEATURES

None.

It’s hard to imagine integrating new technologies or ideas into something as simple as a microphone stand, but Hercules has added a new twist to theirs.

Their straight stand with the “H” base sports a cast metal bottom with two cutouts, just the right size for a vocalist who might be using a pedal. It also cuts down on material, meaning it’s lighter and easier to transport.

The boom stand, however, has a standard tripod configuration for adjustability, and with that in mind it’s a bit more adjustable for vocals and miking up instruments. In short, the boom stand just has great adjustability overall.

Here’s the aforementioned twist: the height adjustment on both is done via a simple twistable clutch, no threaded inserts to strip out, and no repeated tightening (or over tightening) to wear out parts. One quick twist to release, one to tighten. But it doesn’t stop there. Hercules now has a mic clip that works in the same way.

A simple cam lever at the end, no threaded connections needed. Just slide on over the end, flip the lever, and the mic clip is secured. Even better, it can be used on stands by other manufacturers. Both ideas fall into the “why hasn’t someone done this sooner” area.

Consider how many mic stands have met their demise via cross-threading parts, and it’s easy to see that when the next stand in your tour van bites the dust, it might be time to check a Hercules. -Chris Devine

Specially designed for backline companies & touring musicians Quick Turn makes height adjustment quick & easy HERCULES H Base is weighted for exceptional stability Lightweight and super durable

54 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

TC ELECTRONIC HOF Mini Reverb - $109

PROS

Small, simple, great sounds.

CONS

Takes some effort to edit tones.

FEATURES

GEAR REVIEWS

HERCULES STANDS MS202B Stage Series Mic Stand & MS432 Stage Series Boom Stand - $25-35 (each)

Reverb was probably the first “effect” for guitarists other than overdrive - originally found on amplifiers, and later in the digital realm, with complicated parameters. TC brings the simplicity of the old, with the sound quality of the 21st Century.

The HOF Mini is not much bigger than a business card, so due to the small size it can’t fit a 9v battery; power needs to come from a standard power adapter. With just one knob it gives the analog feel of a vintage amplifier’s reverb, but for those tone-tweaking freaks a USB port is included for uploading sounds from the web, and editing of sounds via TC’s TonePrint editor software. Sounds can also be loaded via a smartphone, using TC’s TonePrint app.

Our review unit came loaded with TC’s “Hall” reverb mode, but the reverbs on TC’s full-sized big brother (the original Hall of Fame pedal) are all available to be loaded, as well: Room, Hall, Spring, Plate, Church, Mod, Lo-Fi, Tile, Amb and Gate. Of course, TC pretty much perfected the digital reverb, so the sounds are fantastic, and while it may take a bit more to load or change a sound, once it’s done, they don’t disappoint.

Unlike digital reverbs of old, these have a musical quality that actually makes sense, sonically, for guitar. In front of an amp, or in an effects loop, it sounds great. Oh, and for the pedal tone purists, it’s true bypass. This is a nice small package to get a decent reverb, without taking up space on a pedalboard or taking a bite out of your bank account. -Chris Devine

Small enclosure Single knob controls wet/dry TonePrints available for sound editing Pre-set hall reverb for ease-of-use

Vermona

Quality Design for Quality Sounds www.vermona.com

PROS

Flexible tuning modes, easy to use, super bright display.

CONS

None.

Pedal tuners are nothing new, but TC’s PolyTune was a game changer, and their PolyTune 2 goes to the next level.

The polytune functions enables the player to strum a chord, and the tuner displays what strings are out of tune. The idea is that even after tuning each individual string at perfect pitch, when played together they are not quite in tune with one another. This concept may be alien to guitarists, but after using it in this mode, hearing is believing. It can also be used as a standard tuner, with the LEDs acting like a strobe display, with super accurate tuning like the old school strobe tuners. There are two new modes: Drop D and Capo, enabling accurate tuning when using a capo, performing in Drop D, or any other alternate tuning. The true bypass switch enables silent tuning, and no tone loss.

The display has been turbocharged, as well, with a super bright readout. This makes the pedal easily readable in bright situations, like an outdoor daytime gig, and senses when it gets dark, providing a clearly visible display, regardless of the ambient light.

It can also power a series of other effects, with a 9v out option. A USB output is also there for any firmware updates that may become available, but it’s hard to think of what TC could do to make this better. With all these features, it’s pretty much a no-brainer: a hyper-accurate tuner with plenty of options and simple usability. -Chris Devine

Tuning Range: A0 (27.5Hz) to C8 (4186Hz)

FEATURES

Tuning Accuracy: plus/minus 0.1 cent Reference Pitch: A4 = 435 to 445Hz Input Impedance: 500 k ohms (pedal on) Power Input: Standard 9V DC Dimension: 72mm x 122mm x 50mm Weight: 300g / 10.6oz. (including battery)

Vermona is an analogue synthesizer and effect maker based out of Germany; they’ve been turning heads since their emergence in the early 2000s. Vermona was the East German brand that produced electronic music instruments during the GDR, but dissolved when the GDR fell. Bernd Haller, the designer of the GDR’s only analogue synthesizer, and two other former Vermona employees founded their own electronics company in the 1990s and began working on designs for new musical equipment. Their first product, MARS (Monophonic Analogue Rack Synthesizer) was acclaimed for its power, sound, and affordability, and set a precedent of quality and construction they’ve only improved upon in the years since. Vermona only deals in analogue circuits, providing a friendly physical interface and warmth the digital world is still trying to emulate. Their products are always innovative yet practical, never sacrificing usability while still finding new ways to interact with and be inspired by technology.

PerFourMer MKii

GEAR REVIEWS

TC ELECTRONIC PolyTune 2 - $99

Builder Profile

Review

$1350

The PerFourMer MKii is an expansion of Vermona’s popular but discontinued PERfourMER synthesizer. The MKii is a single rackmountable desktop unit that combines four discrete monophonic analogue synthesizers that each has a VCO, VCA, LFO, ADSR envelope generator, and resonant low pass filter. Having separate synth circuits built into one box opens up a wide range of sounds and makes the MKii incredibly expressive and useable, as you can choose to play it polyphonically, duophonically, or monophonically. Though separate, the oscillators can still interact through frequency and filter modulation as well being synced with each other. Each synthesizer channel has an input that can be used to replace the oscillator as the sound source, turning the MKii into a complex filter bank with four filter sections, four VCAs, four envelopes, and four LFOs. With so much power it may seem intimidating, the PerFourMer MKii was designed to be straightforward and easy-to-use by making all the parameters easily accessible and identifiable, leaving the path clear for experimentation and exploration into its deep palette of sound. -Garrett Frierson NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 55

FLASHBACK

1953 Fender Telecaster BACKGROUND I found this guitar where I find a lot of them, at Rudy’s in NYC. It was love at first sight.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE From Bruce Springsteen to Roy Orbison to Keith Urban to Andy Summers (the Police) to Joe Strummer to my own albums with miggs, the Tele is versatile enough for all musical styles.

INTERESTING FEATURES One of the pickup positions actually is quieter. I thought it was something to be fixed and found out it was a feature. It definitely comes in handy.

This guitar is all-original and deserves to remain that way. I even have the original case, which couldn’t hold a moth in it!

FUN FACT When you think of Led Zeppelin you typically thing the iconic 1959 Gibson Les Paul that Jimmy Page loved BUT the first Led Zeppelin album was almost all done with a Fender Telecaster (though it was a 1959 Tele, I believe).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Don Miggs is a singer/songwriter/producer and fronts the band miggs (Elm City/Capitol Records). His love affair with vintage instruments and gear only presents a problem when he’s awake. Find out more at miggsmusic.com. Don also hosts a radio show called The Fringe. Details at facebook.com/thefringeshow.

Photo by Gabriel Burgos

56 NOVEMBER 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

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