THE MUSICIAN’S RESOURCE
INTER VIEWS Caroline Smith Bad Rabbits Heatherlyn Kasino Will
Brown Bird
Crafts a Flawless Record in Spite of Their Day Jobs
PLUS Packaging Advice From Smay Design Inside United Record Pressing Create the Perfect One-Sheet Tips for Touring Abroad
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VOL.21, ISSUE 11
F E AT U R E S 20
24
Caroline Smith
Kasino Will
18
Heatherlyn -Andrew Fersch-
& The Good Night Sleeps
-Andrew FerschThe Minneapolis native has sacrificed a Fellow Minneapolis songstress Caroline lot to make music her full time job, where Smith has been compared to great female others would have given up and taken the vocalists like Billie Holiday. Performer safe road. Join us as we explore her musical recently chatted with her to discuss her journey and get an insight into the concept of influences, her band’s new record and how to translate studio effects on stage. “Storydwelling.”
-by Sara Brown -
This New York MC hasn’t had an easy life, but sometimes that makes for the best art. We recently spoke with the emerging rapper about his lyrical influences, his motivational speaking engagements and how his upbringing changed his flow.
28
Brown Bird
COVER STORY
-Will Cady The Providence duo is turning the folk world upside down, incorporating modern elements into a traditionally traditional genre. Our story focuses on the struggles to break free of day jobs to pursue a career in music. Oh yeah, they also just put out one of the best records of the decade.
32
Bad Rabbits
28
-Candace McDuffieBoston’s Bad Rabbits are a diverse group of musicians, but don’t judge a book by its cover. The band recently completed a leg of the Vans Warped Tour, and lived to tell the tale… to Performer.
Cover photo and this page by Timothy Renzi
D E PA R T M E N T S 6 Obituaries
35 Reviews
52 Put Together A Killer Stereo
7 Festival Tracker
46 Create the Perfect One-Sheet
54 Gear Reviews
8 Local News
47 Legal Pad: Touring The UK
56 Tour Stop: Somerville, MA
14 Spotlights Mr. Gnome, Bring The Knife,
48 Interview With Smay Design 50 Studio Diary: Gaba Gavi
Stereo Telescope, Illphonics
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 3
FROM THE TOP A lot of the music we receive here in the office is self-released. No labels, no glamorous studios. Just hard work, determination, and the belief that the music being created needs to be heard. Being a DIY artist in today’s industry is, let’s face it, easier than it’s ever been (that’s not to say there aren’t challenges). The explosion of home recording we’ve seen in the past 20 years can be traced back to a few renegade computer geeks, who decided to steal some ideas from Xerox back in the 1970s. Those geeks came from a little upstart called Apple.
Before the Mac, computers were hard to use. They required the knowledge of complicated command-line interfaces, they were ugly, and they didn’t really do a whole lot for the average consumer or creative professional. Enter the Macintosh, which featured the first GUI available to consumers (pretty much lifted from the research facility Jobs and crew visited while touring Xerox in 1979). Nothing was ever the same after that, and that Jobs was right; 1984 didn’t turn out like 1984.
Steve Jobs passed away about a week before we went into production, and while the media has done a good job covering his life and accomplishments, their assessment of his place in music history, while apt, is a bit misguided. Sure, iTunes and the iPod changed the way that people purchase and listen to music on the go (even if the iPod is a glorified Walkman), but the Jobs’ true legacy (at least as far as I’m concerned) will be the Macintosh and how it forever changed the creative fields.
With the advent of consumer-friendly computers, the software boom of the 1980s led directly to monumental advancements in the fields of audio recording, desktop publishing and graphic design. Skip ahead a few years, and bedroom studios equipped with a Mac can produce records, design album art, and distribute that music directly to the consumer. Who would have known that a few hippie pirates would have sparked such a revolution?
This month’s issue is dedicated to the dreamers who had the courage to think differently.
-Benjamin Ricci Editor P.S. – We’re excited to announce our partnership with Teenage Heart Records for a badass compilation called Still Beating, featuring more than 25 New England hardcore, punk and metal bands. The compilation is available for FREE on our website, and is full of killer cuts from awesome bands we’ve covered in the past, and some we need to! Big thanks to Joshua Bottomley for handling all the logistics, and basically doing all the work to make it happen. Head to www.performermag.com/stillbeating for more info.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. facebook.com/performermagazine twitter.com/performermag
ABOUT US 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.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We listen to everything that comes into the office. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, we are not able to review everything. If you do not see your record in the mag in the months following your submission, we were unable to feature it. We prefer physical CDs over downloads. If you do not have a CD, send download links to editorial@performermag.com. Send CDs to Performer Magazine, 24 Dane St., Somerville, MA 02143. 4 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Volume 21, Issue 11
PERFORMER MAGAZINE 24 Dane St., Suite 3 Somerville, MA 02143 Phone: 617-627-9200 Fax: 617-627-9930 PUBLISHER William House - bill@performermag.com EDITOR Benjamin Ricci - ben@performermag.com DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Joe LoVasco - scoutco1@gmail.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Ashley Amaru, Becky Woodford editorial@performermag.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Adam Barnosky, Amanda Macchia, Amelia Shackelford, Andrew Fersch, Arthur Orfanos, Ashley Amaru, Ben Marazzi, Benjamin Ricci, Beth Ann Downey, Brad Hardisty, Candace McDuffie, Chris Devine, Christina Dore, Christopher Petro, Dana Forsythe, Denise Lu, Ellen Eldridge, Gail Fountain, Garrett Frierson, Jason Peterson, Jillian Dennis-Skillings, Joshua Bottomley, Julia DeStefano, Katrina Nattress, M.C. Rhodes, Melanie Kowalski, Michelle McNickle, Miikka Skaffari, Pamela Ricci, Rich Coleman,Sara Brown, Shawn M Haney, Tara Lacey, Vanessa Bennett, Wilhelmina Hayward, Will Cady CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Adot Photo, Amanda Johnson, Brad Hardisty, Duncan Wilder Johnson, Gail Fountain, Heather Appleman, Hillary Berg, Jason R. HamiltonChronis, Julian Gilbert, Lady Flashback, Leah LaRiccia, Miikka Skaffari, Paige Cavazos, Philip Crawford, Ryan Howell, Sam Meister, Stacy Schwartz, Timothy Renzi, Volney Powell
ADVERTISING SALES Kathleen Mackay - kathleen@performermag.com Deborah Rice - deborah@performermag.com © 2011 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.
OBITUARIES
Wilma Lee Cooper, 90 SINGER Wilma Lee Cooper, a Grand Ole Opry favorite, passed away on Tuesday, September 13. Ms. Cooper and her husband Dale “Stoney” Cooper recorded several popular songs such as “There’s a Big Wheel” and “Big Midnight Special,” a rendition of Lead Belly’s song “Midnight Special.” Influenced by her Appalachian heritage, Wilma Lee was famous for her powerful vocals. She also released several solo albums, received the Award of Merit from International Bluegrass Music Association, and was inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America’s Preservation Hall of Greats.
Vesta Williams, 53 SINGER Vesta Williams, a soul singer known for her four-octave range, was found dead in a hotel room in El Segundo, CA on Thursday, September 22 from undetermined causes. Ms. William had several hits in the ’80s such as “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” and “Congratulations.” She was also featured on Sting’s song “We’ll Be Together” and performed with Chaka Khan as a backup singer. Ms. Williams appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show a number of times and cohosted programming on BET. She also performed in several jazz festivals, R&B jams and live clubs.
Jessy Dixon, 73 SINGER/SONGWRITER Jessy Dixon of the Jessy Dixon Singers passed away on Monday, September 26 in his home in Chicago. Mr. Dixon helped to popularize gospel music and performed with Paul Simon on tour as well as on Saturday Night Live. He also collaborated with Earth, Wind and Fire as well as Phil Upchurch. Dixon wrote over 200 songs including his most famous number, “I Am Redeemed.” He also wrote for famous artists such as Diana Ross, Cher and many more. Mr. Dixon released five gold albums during his lifetime and received several Grammy nominations.
Johnnie Wright, 97 SINGER/MANAGER Johnnie Wright, husband and manager of Kitty Wells, passed away on Tuesday, September 27 of natural causes in his home in Madison, TN. Wright and his brother-in-law Jack Anglin formed the famous duo Johnnie & Jack. Mr. Wright introduced Latin rhythms into his country songs and garnered much success with hits like “Ashes of Love” and “Poison Love.” Wright performed at the Grand Ole Opry and also managed the career of wife Kitty Wells. Wright later launched his solo career and composed the Number One hit “Hello Vietnam.” 6 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Leonard Dillon, 68 SINGER/SONGWRITER Leonard Dillon, founder of reggae group the Ethiopians, passed away on Wednesday, September 28 from cancer in Port Antonio, Jamaica. This Jamaican born singer/songwriter had a diverse career with fellow band mates Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris, creating music ranging from folk songs to ska to reggae. Mr. Dillon’s music featured Afro-centric themes and social commentary, a concept that was largely popularized by Bob Marley and the Wailers with whom he had collaborated on several recordings. Some of Leonard Dillon’s most notable hits include “Everything Crash,” “The Whip,” and “Train to Skaville.”
Sylvia Robinson, 75 SINGER/SONGWRITER/PRODUCER Sylvia Robinson, the “Mother of HipHop,” died on Thursday, September 29 from congestive heart failure in Edison, NJ. Though Ms. Robinson experienced personal success in the duo Mickey & Sylvia with the song “Love is Strange” and as a solo artist with “Pillow Talk,” she will be remembered for her intuitive understanding of the music industry. Best known for co-founding Sugar Hill Records, Ms. Robinson produced “Rapper’s Delight” with the Sugar Hill Gang and “The Message” with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, two of the most influential rap songs of the time.
Moray McMillin, 58 PRODUCER/ENGINEER Live sound engineer Moray McMillin passed away Friday, September 23 after a long battle with cancer. Getting his start with the UK sound rental company Tasco, Mr. McMillin went on to produce music with Saxon, Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne during his solo career. McMillin also worked with Motörhead on the Ace of Spades tour as well as with Whitesnake. Most notably, McMillin worked as Deep Purple’s engineer for nearly a decade. In 2005, McMillin settled down as a salesman for EAW loudspeaker systems, eventually becoming SAW Application Support Group representative for the EMEA region.
Wade Mainer, 104 SINGER/BANJOIST Wade Mainer, “the grandfather of bluegrass,” passed away on Monday, September 12 in his home in Flint, Michigan. Famous for his two-finger banjo picking style, Mainer and his band Sons of the Mountaineers married old-fashioned mountain and bluegrass, influencing future generations. Mainer also performed for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House as well as with Woody Guthrie on The Old Chisholm Trail, a radio play by the BBC. Mainer was inducted into Michigan’s Country Music Hall of Fame and performed at the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 95.
FESTIVAL
APPLICATION DEADLINE
LOCATION
EVENT DATE
WEBSITE
Bethany Music Series
November 3
Bethany, CT
Various
www.tinyurl.com/bethanymusic
SXSW 2012
November 4
Austin, TX
March 13-18
www.sxsw.com
Guitar Con
November 11
Daytona Beach, FL
December 10-11
www.guitarconvention.com
Waterfront Blues Festival
November 12
Portland, OR
June 22-July 1
www.waterfrontbluesfest.com
Millennium Music Conference 2012
November 18
Harrisburg, PA
Feb. 16-19
www.musicconference.net
Spring Music Festival
November 18
Hamilton, ON
May 10-12
www.springmusicfestival.com
Folk Alliance Conference
November 19
Memphis, TN
Feb. 22-26
www.folkalliance.org
Mayfair Festival of the Arts 2012
November 30
Allentown, PA
May 24-28
www.mayfairfestival.org
The Blue Ridge Bike Fest 2012
November 30
Roanoke, VA
April 13-15
www.blueridgebikefest.com
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2012
December 5
Austin, TX
April 19-22
www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org
NACA Northern Plains Regional Conference
December 13
St. Paul, MN
March 29-April 1
www.naca.org
FESTIVAL TRACKER
BOOK YOUR BAND AT ONE OF THESE EVENTS
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from home studio to stage, melody to mp3
By Roey Izhaki $54.95
By Mike Senior $39.95
By Alex Case $34.95
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Visit www.audioundone.com, Focal’s new blog for everything audio.
Creativity has an endless shelf life. Focal Press Books are available wherever fine books are sold or through your preferred online retailer.
focalpress.com
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 7
LOCAL NEWS
ATLANTA
BIG TROUBLE
in Little Five Points By Ellen Eldridge
Most music fans and those in the Little Five Points community have heard the news that Criminal Records is struggling to keep its doors open, and may well have to close before the end of the year. According to owner Eric Levin, this may be the eleventh hour, but saving the store is still possible. “It isn’t too late at all; the financial goal that we need to raise is a huge, unreal amount for an individual, but for an entire community? Things are looking very good. When we reach the fundraising goal of $150K, I’m giving the store to my long-time staff and I’ll continue in a more limited capacity. We’ve heard loud and clear from the Atlanta community that we aren’t going anywhere, and for that we’re all very grateful.”
Levin says the potential closing of Criminal Records speaks to the state of the Union, “Vinyl and CDs are exceptional, but all of our customers are broke. We’re broke. Music sales are down just like comics, toys, and DVD sales are down. The distressed economy has adversely affected every American, but small business has been horribly crippled.” When asked what the closing of Criminal Records says about Atlanta’s music scene and local support, Levin replies that he would much rather focus on what the rescue shows. “The answer is revolutionary, and I see this as a replicable phenomenon that will transfer to other cities and businesses. In four short years, I’ve seen how Record Store Day can work miracles on
CONTACT CRIMINAL RECORDS 1154-A Euclid Ave. Atlanta, GA 30307 (404) 215-9511 team@criminalatl.com www.criminalatl.com a worldwide level; it’s so exciting to see the same principles work on a micro-level. We can no longer wait around for our government to support and protect us; we have to rely on each other, and this experience is proving that out.” To learn how you can help, follow Criminal Records on Twitter for fundraising event updates @criminalrecords.
Sorry, Darlin’
It’s a Thursday night in don’t play nice, they might end mid-September. The air is up covered in glitter and unifinally catching just a hint of corn stickers [editor’s note: crispness. You might be able what’s so bad about that?]. to wear that adorable fitted September’s Hot and jacket you crammed in the Sticky event turned the therback of your closet… Well, mostat up with Parris Von you might be able to get away Broadus’ strip tease to “Why with it, if you’re not going to Don’t Ya Do Right?” (better Atlanta’s hottest disco dance known as “The Jessica Rabbit party, that is. Sorry, Darlin’ Song”). Then two local elecBy Amelia Shackelford – Atlanta’s all-girl blog and tropop divas - Love Megan T promotions group, headed up and NNXT - rocked partygoby the lovely Sarah Mincher ers’ socks, singing about how – has a Hot and Sticky night planned for you. good girls wanna throw down, too and the danLeave the long sleeves at home, ’cause it’s about gers of drunk texting. But that’s not all! Every to get sweaty. Hot and Sticky party features not only live musiMincher and her glittery gang of hustlers cians, but also a kickass DJ filling in the rest have been throwing a Hot and Sticky party once of the night. This time around it was the lovely a month since July of last year. Featuring bur- Taradactyl, bringin’ the disco down on the whole lesque performers, disco rappers, belly dancers, room’s heads. live electro bands, drag queens and DJs, the specHot and Sticky was born at Eastside Lounge. tacle celebrates the hell out of girls in the Atlanta From there it moved down the street to The music scene and represents Mincher’s commit- Basement, but, like its founder, this party is on the ment to bringing talented women together. Every move. For details on next month’s stickiness, keep Sorry, Darlin’ event is of, by and for the girls. Boys an eye on www.sorrydarlin.com. For booking, can play, too, but they need be warned: if they email Ms. Mincher at sorrydarlin@gmail.com.
GETS HOT & STICKY
PHOTO courtesy of Lady Flashback 8 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
OTHER AUSTIN FESTIVALS BOOKING INDIE MUSIC
PHOTO by Heather Appleman ARTIST Ratatat
LOCAL NEWS
AUSTIN
WHEN: Early
Fall
BOOKING: Through
C3 Presents. Online submissions preferred a few months before any C3 event. Send materials to info@c3presents.com. No phone calls. MORE INFO: www.aclfestival.com
Fun Fun Fun Fest
By Tara C Lacey
Tips For Getting Booked Next Year
BOOKING:
Apply online with Sonicbids. Submissions usually accepted through November for the following March.
Fun Fun Fun Fest may not be Austin’s biggest music event of the year, but it has the wittiest marketing strategies, and it definitely guarantees more fun than any other festival - the name speaks for itself. The folks at Transmission Entertainment interject a little bit of sarcasm and snark into their social media and e-mails in a throwback to the festival’s punk rock roots. Even as the Fun Fun Fun Fest celebrates its sixth year, Transmission still offers up the best in underground punk combined with the hottest acts in indie rock, and they’re always years ahead of the curve. The Fun Fun Fun climate of music discovery combined with Transmission’s appeal to the choosiest of musical palates makes it a breeding ground of opportunities for an indie band. The lineup leaks start in the early spring. This year Transmission began leaking band names in April via nautical symbols - an interesting avenue for a festival that is headlining Slayer. Getting to play at Fun Fun Fun Festival means getting the intellectual hipster types at Transmission to like you, and that means playing their venues year round, not simply carpet-bombing them with
WHEN:
Each March
music at their info e-mail address. Transmission Entertainment books some of Austin’s favorite music venues including Mohawk, Red 7, ND, Beauty Bar, and almost any other place that is popular along Red River Street. Getting your band’s name on the bill at any one of these venues very early in the year could warrant you worthy of consideration - not to mention the exposure that the New Year offers with “Red River Free Week.” Transmission books plenty of Fun Fun Fun Fest pre-parties around town, too. This year Fun Fun Fun Festival has outgrown its original location in Austin’s Waterloo Park and will make the move to Auditorium Shores, November 4-6. The festival mixes it up with Austin natives Okkervil River and Spoon on the Orange Stage along with Lykke Li, Passion Pit, tUnE-yArDs, and Ra Ra Riot. The Blue Stage features Flying Lotus, Neon Indian, and Diplo. The Black Stage keeps it real Fun Fun Fun style with Slayer, Danzig Legacy, The Damned, and Cannibal Corpse. As always, the Yellow Stage boasts a mix of comedy acts and other random performer. www.funfunfunfest.com
MORE INFO: www.sxsw.com
WHEN:
Early Fall BOOKING:
Contact Travis Sutherland at utopiafest@gmail.com, preferably 3-6 months before the event. MORE INFO: www.utopiafest.com
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 9
BOSTON
LOCAL NEWS
STORE PROFILE
Celebrates 30 Years By Dana Forsythe
Bob Mahoney, owner of Rockin Bob’s Guitars in Davis Square, can recall a time when you couldn’t find a guitar in his store if you wanted to. Back in 1981, when Mahoney took over the store, he was still selling mostly TVs, stereo equipment and even record players. “The store was called Used Sound and there were a few in the Boston area,” Mahoney says. “When they opened the outlet in Davis Square the owner kind of gave up on it and said I should take it over.” Mahoney had been, up to that point, working out of the Newbury Street location, which is now gone. In 1981, Mahoney bought the Davis Square store, which until 2004 was the only Used Sound remaining in the Boston area. After taking over the store, Mahoney continued with his former boss’s
plans of selling and repairing TVs and stereo systems. “Being a guitar player, I started looking at used guitars and started stocking them in the store in the mid to late 1980s,” Mahoney says. From there, the tide slowly turned until most of the items in the store were guitar related. To this day, Mahoney still sells some electronic equipment and does repairs, but he says that the focus is now on the guitars. In 2003, Rockin Bob’s Guitars made their debut as Mahoney made the switch from an electronics store to a place where local musicians could find great prices on used guitars. Making repairs and restoring guitars, Mahoney says, has been one of the best parts of owning the shop. “I still love doing work on guitars and equipment,” he says. “One of my favorite things to do is to find an old guitar and do restoration work.” After all, Mahoney has over 25 years of experience fixing everything from amps and guitars, to speakers and pedals. Currently, according to his website, usedsound. com, Mahoney has a list of used gear that any guitarhead would die to own, including a 1960 Gretsch Clipper, 1996 Japanese Fender Jaguar, and a 2011 Gibson Explorer. That’s not to say everything in the shop is expensive and rare. Many of the guitars Mahoney stocks are entry level and very reasonably priced.
OTHER BOSTON AREA GUITAR SHOPS MR. MUSIC 128 Harvard Avenue - Allston, MA 02134 (617) 783-1609 www.coolguitars.com info@mrmusicguitars.com Mr. Music deals in new and used electric and acoustic guitars, basses, vintage and collectible instruments and amps. They have one of the largest selections of guitars in New England.
PERFORMANCE MUSIC CENTER 405 Main Street - Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 938-6411 www.performancemusiccenter.com Performance Music Center is a locally owned and operated music store with over 30 years of experience. It has received many outstanding achievement awards for its excellence in customer service, and is easy to get to off I-95.
BAY STATE VINTAGE GUITARS 295 Huntington Avenue - Boston, MA 02115 (617) 267-6077 Located right in the heart of the city, Bay State Vintage caters to those seeking a unique guitar buying experience. As their name implies, the store specializes in vintage guitars, as well as tube amp repair. 10 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
“I think one of my favorite parts about running a guitar shop is that moment when you can give a kid his or her first guitar,” he says. “That’s something they’ll always remember.” In the 30 years Mahoney has been working in Davis Square, things have changed for the better. “When I was moving into the shop, the Davis Square T Station was still being built,” he says. “Around that time the malls were new and had taken a lot of the customers away from the area. There were a few rowdy bars in the area and it used to be a bit crazy here.” In the last two decades, Mahoney says that new businesses, restaurants and nightclubs have transformed the area into a new destination for Bostonians. So, will Rockin Bob’s be around in the next 30 years? Mahoney said although he’s unsure what the future will bring, he’s looking to stay right here for as long as possible. “I’ve got two kids, so who knows?” he says. “I’ll be here as long as it works.”
CONTACT 31 Holland Street Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 625-7707 www.usedsound.com bob@usedsound.com
There are few other places in the country than Portland, OR, where one man can successfully create a record label with an “early CD burner and a prehistoric Mac,” showcasing only local acoustic artists. Chad Crouch is that man for Portland, and the success of his HUSH Records is due largely to Portland’s support of local talent. Beginning in 1998, initially as an effort to promote his own music, singer/songwriter Crouch began recording his own debut solo album “on a whim, with less than $100 and an Apple computer.” Crouch and some of his “talented friends” began the venture: “We just recorded ourselves as best we could, burned CDs and sold them at local shops. Later, when we could barely keep up with the hand manufacturing of a title or two, we entered the realm of replication and distribution. So it was very grassroots and born of the digital revolution.” His debut album, entitled Portland, Oregon, kicked off the label’s present success of defining
LABEL PROFILE Grassroots Label Shapes “Portland Sound”
and embodying the new Portland sound. Some of the label’s current up-and-coming “folk and roots artists” include singer/songwriters Laura Gibson, Kele Goodwin and Run on Sentence. Portland’s well-known band The Decemberists recorded their debut album, Castaways and Cutouts with HUSH. According to Crouch, HUSH Records releases a “swath of music, from folk to indie-rock to electro-acoustic. We tend to be identified with a base of singer/songwriters.” Though the label has a mailing address, they strongly discourage mailed-in demos.
LOCAL NEWS
PORTLAND
DEMO POLICY: “With regard to demos, we totally strongly discourage unsolicited mailings. Please, please save
By Wilhelmina Hayward www.hushrecords.com
your money and time and product. If you’d like us to listen to your music, we prefer a link to some mp3s online or a MySpace page (mp3 files sent as attachments will be regarded as spam). Send submissions to chad@hushrecords.com.”
OTHER PORTLAND RECORD LABELS
TENDER LOVING EMPIRE 412 SW 10th Ave. Portland, OR 97205 (503) 243-5859 www.tenderlovingempire.com jared@tenderlovingempire.com Tender Loving Empire is a record label, retail consignment shop, and screen-printing studio focused on supporting handmade art and music. Artists Include: Typhoon, Radiation City, And And And, Jared Mees & The Grown Children
MADE IN CHINA RECORDS P.O. BOX 10608 Portland, OR 97296 www.madeinchinarecords.com info@madeinchinarecords.com
KILL ROCK STARS 107 SE Washington St. Suite 155 Portland, OR 97214 www.killrockstars.com krs@killrockstars.com
Made In China Records provides limited run, high quality vinyl and other mediums for people to gawk at and be liberated by.
KRS’s mission is to continue putting out exceptional records by important artists, and their tradition of being queer-positive, feminist, and artist-friendly continues as well.
Artists Include: White Orange, Black Pussy, The Ro Sham Bo’s, Empty Space, Orchestra
Artists Include: The Decemberists, Deerhoof, Boats, Horse Feathers NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 11
LOCAL NEWS
ASHEVILLE
Pierce Recording A Hidden Gem Deep in the Woods Pierce Recording is located four hours from Atlanta in a wooded mountain setting, just a short drive from downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The studio prides itself on carefully selected gear that provides the analog warmth and character often found only in big budget studios, while offering prices geared toward independent artists. This is a true hybrid studio, relying mainly on the analog domain for sound quality while taking advantage of the flexibility afforded by modern technology. Laine Pierce, head engineer and owner, elaborates, “A few years ago I really got into Daniel Lanois [U2, Brian Eno]. I adopted his open room, off-the-floor style of recording using Neve preamps, transformer-balanced outboard gear, vintage sidecar mixers, and ribbon mics.” This approach means that most of the final quality is captured during tracking. Pierce says his best sounds often come from real people in a room together, simply playing a good song. Plugins, if used at all, are mainly from the Waves SSL 4000 bundle. “They’re very reactive and great for
12 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
tightening up a mix,” he explains. “Of course, we offer over-dubbing and editing, but absolutely no Auto-Tune, and punches are kept to a minimum.” The rooms in the studio play a major role in the character of the sound produced at Pierce Recording. The main live room has a 22’ cathedral ceiling, perfect for tracking drums and plenty of space for a full band to lay down live tracks. Other options include a 14’ ceiling loft area and a tile hallway. Vocals and instruments can be made to sound large and expansive, or tight and controlled with the right mic selection and baffling system. Some of the projects Pierce Recording has been involved in include those of Sidney Barnes (former Motown writer, Rotary Connection), Ahleuchatistas (John Zorn’s Tzadik label), The Sweet Meat Love and Holy Cult (featuring Jarboe of Swans), and Asheville’s own up-and-coming electronica group Sonmi (Skew Records). The studio has also garnered endorsements for API/ JDK outboard equipment and Accusound cables.
KEY GEAR -Neve 1073 and Avedis MA5 preamps -Vintage Yamaha M916 summing mixer with transformer warmth -Mastering grade Prism Orpheus AD/DA converters and clocking -JDK/API outboard compression and EQ -Otari MX-5050B Series II 2-track tape machine -Vintage JBL 4412 3-way monitors with 12” woofers -AEA ribbon microphones -Telefunken AK-47 multi-pattern tube microphone with NOS tube
CONTACT Laine Pierce (828) 515-0500 www.piercerecording.com info@piercerecording.com
MASTERDISK 545 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-541-5022 www.masterdisk.com info@masterdisk.com
LOCAL NEWS
OTHER VINYL PRESSING/ MASTERING RESOURCES
NASHVILLE
One of the top Vinyl Pressing and Mastering Plants in the USA is the well-known Masterdisk of New York. Big artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, White Stripes, Elvis Costello and more have trusted the many talented engineers of Masterdisk to devote their full attention and 40+ years of experience to their projects.
An Inside Look at United Record Pressing Putting it on Wax Since 1949 United Record Pressing, LLC (URP) began in Nashville, Tennessee in 1949, when it was known by the name Southern Plastics. The first Beatles seven-inch records in America (prior to their Capitol releases) on Vee Jay Records were pressed at the current location. Southern Plastics changed the name to United Record Pressing in 1971. Vinyl is now seeing a huge resurgence, not only among indie bands, but with major label artists, as well. There is nothing that can compare to carved music frequencies vibrating a needle, amplified through a pair of good speakers. It is the most natural translation of music. United was not only was responsible for much of the country records during the past vinyl era, but also had a Motown Suite, now viewable by guests touring the plant, which still has the same 1960s furnishings that Motown executives were offered back in the day. United still uses the kitchen as a meeting room, with staff sitting at the same ’60s dinette set that Motown, Vee Jay and other label executives and artists used. The party room has hosted record label signing parties for artists including Wayne Newton, The Cowsills and a then sixteen-year -old Hank Williams, Jr. Currently, the party room functions as a museum of Southern Plastics/United, along with a brief history of recorded music.
Photo and Story By Brad Hardisty
The video for Wanda Jackson’s “Thunder on the Mountain,” featuring Jack White and the Third Man Records House Band, was shot on location at United in the party room. The Third Man Records vinyl releases, including the tricolored vinyl limited editions, are manufactured at United. United has special rates for artists on recycled vinyl, which can also help with targeting certain markets where green means something. Bi-colored, tri-colored (very selective on tri-color runs) and even vinyl that is a different color on each side is possible with their handmade techniques. United pressings are in demand, from indie bands ordering hundred copy short runs to the last Lady Gaga double twelve inch, pressed in the thousands. Whatever your needs are as an artist, United has the right package to suit your budget, plus the equipment and knowledgeable staff to help you achieve your goals. United offers a free “test pressing” copy to those who donate $50 towards a Kickstarter funded vinyl release manufactured at United. This is a great promo opportunity for artists looking for funding. They also link their website as well as Facebook page to help the band promote and track their progress. United also offers digital download hosting services. www.urpressing.com
ERIKA RECORDS 6300 Caballero Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620 Phone: 714-228-5420 www.erikarecords.com office@erikarecords.com Operating for over 30 years, Erika Records has recently moved to a larger workspace in beautiful Buena Park, California and the change of environment has allowed them to increase the volume of their pressings and bring you the highest quality product available.
AARDVARK RECORD MASTERING 4485 Utica Street - Denver, CO 80212 Phone: 303-455-1908 www.aardvarkmastering.com Aardvark Record Mastering has been in the vinyl business for 25 years. With an electronic order form and quote calculator, sticking to a budget without sacrificing quality is easy. Aardvark operates out of the owner’s home, allowing the company to offer low fixed costs and make the fist step in the record making process a fun one.
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 13
Duncan Wilder Johnson
SPOTLIGHTS
BRING THE KNIFE
By Sara Brown
Weaving Viking Tales Into Hardcore Lyrics Boston hardcore band Bring The Knife rose from the ashes of Destruct-A-Thon nine years ago, and the metal band just released their self-titled debut EP. They credit the New England city for giving their sound that infamous and beloved attitude. “There are a lot of real old hardcore bands in Boston,” Duncan Wilder Johnson says. “We have the same bite they do. We certainly don’t sound like we are from San Diego.” Most bands feel tremendously excited with the release of their first EP, but Bring The Knife feels like a weight has been lifted. “We are really relieved,” Johnson says. “It took a while to release. There were a lot of trials and tribulations to get it out.” Trials and tribulations aside, their EP is stacked with lyrics you don’t normally hear metal bands singing. For one, Johnson has taken an interest in meditation. “I read a few books about mediation and Buddhism,” he explains. “I practice it from time to time but not religiously.” The Boston group has become political, as well. “I recently wrote a song about the national 14 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
debt crisis,” Johnson says. However, Bring The Knife can laugh at themselves, too. They have a song on their album about Vikings - yes, Vikings. “It is slightly silly,” Johnson laughs. “They are probably our most metal sounding lyrics and we are talking about Vikings.” The band has dreams of eventually performing in Europe, as they pride themselves on having a killer live show. “It is our job to keep the audience interested,” Johnson says. “Why would anyone watch if I am not going crazy?” Whatever happens over the years, Bring The Knife just wants to keep rocking. “We want to rock as hard as possible and play a lot,” Johnson continues. “We want to take ourselves seriously but not so seriously that we have our heads up our asses.”
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN Aggressive New England hardcore at its finest.
GENRE: Metal / Hardcore HOMETOWN: Boston, MA www.bringtheknife.com
“Why would anyone watch if I am not going crazy?” -Duncan Wilder Johnson
By Melanie T. Kowalski
Kids From Cleveland Really CAN Win WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN Because they’re from Cleveland, and it will blow your mind. Really. It will.
GENRE:
Psychedelic experimental indie rock
HOMETOWN: Cleveland, OH www.mrgnome.com
Cleveland is a city of tough love. It’s a town of low expectations. The people are hardy and no frills. One would expect the musical output of the region to be comparable. But Mr. Gnome defies all expectations. This Cleveland-based duo takes all the humility of the Midwestern sensibility and mixes it with a depth of sound that will surely rock one’s face off. And what is their biggest inspiration? Why, the changes of seasons in the barren Ohio climate of course! The sound of the new record, Madness in Miniature, is big - bigger than expected from just two people: Nicole Barille, lead singer and keeper of sound pedals, and Sam Meister on drums, piano and vocals. Barille describes the
recording process as “all about toying around with stuff and experimenting.” And it shows. The intricacy of layers present on the track “Vampires” is the best representation of a Midwestern snowstorm that a girl could ask for. And don’t just take Performer’s word for it Mr. Gnome is gearing up for a very big and very long national tour, so go check it out for yourself. Barille promises the live show, although different from the studio experience, will have the same depth of sound and melodic intricacy as the record delivers. The complex set-up of pedals and live looping is sure to present a musical adventure each and every night. “It creates a lot more pressure during the performance, but it also keeps it fun and exciting because it’s all right there in the moment,” Barille says. She contends that they’re ready for the challenge on this upcoming tour. Watching two people re-create a wall of sound this dynamic in a live environment is worth the cost of admission. And perhaps a cocktail or two.
SPOTLIGHTS
MR. GNOME
PHOTO by Sam Meister
“CLEVELAND is a city of ‘better luck next year’” -Nicole Barille, Mr. Gnome
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 15
Philip Crawford
SPOTLIGHTS
ILLPHONICS
Using the Stage to Craft Studio Material By Ben Nine-K According to Illphonics’ MC and frontman Fallout, the band is more than just a group of musicians, but “a sum of all its parts.” After cutting his teeth as a solo MC with two mix tapes, Fallout joined up with his long time friends in Illphonics and began crafting soulful hip-hop music based on a “live band vibe.” Hailing from a suburb of St. Louis, Illphonics gained early notoriety with their last EP, Illusion, and are looking to move forward with their upcoming EP, Reality Check. Although the band is excited about their upcoming release, Fallout explains that the 16 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
process for the new record has been decidedly different from their previous effort. Having toured consistently before going into the studio to record Illusion, the band was able to craft most of the material onstage. With their newest EP, however, the band decided to start from scratch, and entered into the studio with only a small smattering of ideas in hopes of building the songs from the ground up. As Fallout describes it, “Usually one of the guys will have an idea they’ll bring in. Everybody comes to the table and we pick what we like the most from the individuals.” As the group works, Fallout will often jot down ideas “and let [them] evolve into a song. The whole EP can be described as very ‘create as we go.’” The EP is set to drop on November 22 and fans of the group can look for them on the road throughout 2011 and 2012, with dates already lined up in the Midwest as well as at South By Southwest in Austin.
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN Hip-hop with soul and an MC with style to spare.
GENRE: Hip-Hop HOMETOWN: St. Louis www.illphonics.net
“The whole EP can be described as very ‘create as we go.’” -MC Fallout
STEREO TELESCOPE Injecting Human Soul Into Electronic Soundscapes By Candace McDuffie
Sitting across from the pair that refers to itself as Stereo Telescope on a crisp evening at Boston’s Great Scott, only minutes into this interview, something becomes painfully clear: Kurt Schneider is nervous. The cloak of a passionate musician is unveiled to reveal a facet of his personality that is somewhat refreshing to Telescope fans - he’s just a regular dude who has worked the Boston circuit like the rest of the local musicians out there. One project he was in, This Car Up, struck a chord with cohort Nikki Dessingue. “I still freak out that I’m in a band with Kurt Schneider from This Car Up I used to stalk his band.” Stalk in this context is left to interpretation, but the respect the members share for one another is undeniable. After years of being on their respective grinds, Stereo Telescope is finally picking up steam. Just this year alone, they rocked out South By Southwest, opened for Marina and
the Diamonds at the Paradise in Boston, and just finished up a collaborative remix EP with Bodega Girls entitled Spank Bank. A huge part of this success, Dessingue claims, is due to the luck they’ve had playing within the scene. “We’ve had experiences in different bands, with different types of receptions, and different types of crowds. We’re a dance band, but we’re not talking about candycoated fun all the time, and the people who review [our music] and come to our shows always seem to get it.” And for that reason, Spank Bank came at the perfect time. Just as Stereo’s synthy sound had been described as indie electronica with complex pop values, Bodega Girls came in; they turned everything on its head, as did Stereo Telescope when they remixed the funky BG track “Ain’t That Cold.” Schneider explains his industrial inclinations on the tune quite blatantly, “I thought the content of the lyrics for that song was a dark kind of thing, so I wanted to make [the remix] dark as well.” With an unstoppable creative drive and quite the knack for collaboration, Stereo Telescope might hold the key for what it takes to make it big. When this prospect is presented to both of them, Dessingue laughs and remarks, “If you find that out, will you let us know?”
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN Rich, layered melodies mixed with dynamic textures
GENRE: Synth Pop HOMETOWN: Boston, MA www.stereotelescope.com PHOTO by Leah LaRiccia
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 17
Heatherlyn ON LEAVING WORK BEHIND, FINDING HER SOUL AND CREATING HER OWN AMERICAN DREAM
by Andrew Lapham Fersch photos by Jason R. Hamilton-Chronis 18 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Where did you start with music, where are you now, and where do you hope your music might bring you? I have memories of singing from every season of my life. I recall singing publicly in front of others in church when I was a small girl, and then I sang in school, too. I have a vivid memory from when I was pretty young - a lady came up to me after I sang somewhere and she asked if I’d ever recorded a tape. [laughs]. A tape. Recording was something I always wanted to do - recording, performing, and traveling. It was always inside of me, a dream to simply BE a singer. Though I had other ideas cross my mind, singing is all I ever wanted to do - really, truly, deeply. I never stopped making music, but there were things in my life and in my thinking that made me wonder if I was just, perhaps,
like anyone else who wanted to be famous. It seemed selfish and impossible. I gave up my dream at some point in college. It was a couple years later when I realized that making music had been a significant part of me and had been calling to me my entire life. I had a good gig, working with youth, doing music and arts. Pretty fun. But I couldn’t shake this deep, deep desire, a sense that this would never leave me alone if I didn’t at least give it my very best shot. I was 25, had been married a couple years, lived in a suburb where it seemed like everyone my age was either buying a house or having a baby - beautiful, wonderful things - but I had an epiphany, incredible clarity that if I went down that road, without seeing what could happen with music and this unquenchable thirst to share music with people beyond my own work, even my
own city or country...I just KNEW that if I went ahead and had babies and got tied down by a mortgage, I would most certainly regret not listening to this constant voice in my own heart. I had to make a change. My husband supported me. So the first big risk we took was for me to work part time, using the other time in my life to discover what it meant for me to be an artist, a songwriter, a performer. What would this look like for my life? I began to sing in coffee shops and house concerts, small gatherings of friends inviting friends and neighbors to enjoy music in their living rooms. I gradually got some freelance gigs, and worked on and released the first album with a very low budget and the help of friends. After three years of discovering, learning, creating and growing, we took our second big risk. I had no supplemental job at all. Eventually my husband, who has shared this dream with me, came on board with Heatherlyn Music full time as well. “Full time” is a silly term here. Really, it’s our full-life vocation. We live, eat, sleep, breathe this stuff and all that we need to do is simply share the gift we believe we’re meant to share. Can you talk about your new album, Storydwelling? Where the idea came from, what it was all about? The word itself came to me during a walk along the Columbia River in Portland, OR when I was thinking about the various people we’d been encountering in different parts of the country, stories we heard and times when we felt we were entering and experiencing people’s stories with them while we shared time with them. Though our minds never changed and our own truth never changed, our hearts were more open to love as we could begin to see how their experiences shaped the way they saw the world around them. I define “Storydwelling” as cultivating a compassionate and courageous curiosity for one another, deeply listening and authentically sharing our stories of life. It’s saying “no” to fear and isolation from “those people” and recognizing that we are indeed in this together. I like to say that “Storydwelling” is music and its movement. It’s an album and it’s action, a way to groove and a way to be. The album is a collection of songs that share some of my story, reflect some of our shared human stories and songs that hopefully inspire imagination for the new chapters in history that we are writing together, here and now and into tomorrow. I hope it might have the honor of being a soundtrack for personal, relational and communal reconciliation.
“I just KNEW that if I went ahead and had babies and got tied down by a mortgage, I would most certainly regret not listening to this constant VOICE IN MY HEART.” Do you have any favorite instruments? Or gear for recording/performing? My faithful Taylor 312ce acoustic guitar is with me at every gig. Sometimes for writing, I also enjoy my Baby Taylor as its smaller size fits me perfectly. It actually has incredibly warm resonance for its small body. I’m madly in love with my sunburst Telecaster. It’s so sweet with custom humbucker pickups and an F hole, which adds nice warmth. I’ve just barely begun to perform with an electric guitar, but the new album is leading me more and more in that direction. As we involve the band more, I’d like to grow into playing more electric rhythm guitar live. We used a lot of earthy, vibey instruments and some vintage effects on the Storydwelling album. You hear a lot of wood on it.
Your voice is definitely the most powerful instrument in your music. What sort of training have you had? I started out as a vocal performance major in college, but I just found the approach too confining for my style. A couple years of vocal training truly helped me learn how to sing for the long haul, making the most of what I’ve got without overdoing it. But a lot of the formal training made me too tense, so I ended up studying Theology, something more philosophical. It wasn’t until I realized I needed to find my own voice that I discovered I’ve got a more soulful thing going on. Soul is not something that can be taught. It’s more caught or it evolves out of struggle and wonder. www.heatherlynmusic.com NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 19
CA ROLINE SMITH by Andrew Lapham Fersch photos by Amanda Johnson & Stacy Schwartz
& the Good Night Sleeps
Amanda Johnson
“Transforming Studio Sounds into an Engaging Live Show” Caroline Smith is having a really good time and she wants to make sure that everyone else is as well. With the release of her newest album, Little Wind, the Midwestern woman with the golden voice is as likely to evoke thoughts of Regina Spektor as she is Billie Holiday, while keeping her music meaningful to what currently inspires her. Whether that is her new amp, her teenage musical heroes, her boyfriend, or the next album (which is already being worked on), it’s clear that inspiration is finding her and leaving her with no shortage of creativity. 20 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Stacy Schwartz
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 21
How long did you work on your new album, Little Wind? I’ll tell you what, Facebook has this new feature where it tells you what you posted exactly a year ago that day; a couple days ago it said we were just going into the studio that day to record. What are your expectations and hopes for it? I guess we initially put too many expectations into it. There are two major ways to make a record - well there’s a lot of ways to make a record - but people can be extremely perfectionist about it or just go in there and create it and let it be what it is. We went in there with plans to do the former but it takes you away from the record at the end. None of us can objectively look at it anymore. We’re just looking to take what we did while recording Little Wind and improve next time. Is ‘next time’ already in the works? I would say we almost have a full album written. We might release an EP, we’re [always]
Minneapolis’ Terrarium Recording Studios like? It was all tracked at Terrarium, except for some overdub guitar parts tracked a little later at a place called Creation Audio by Tom Herbers; he does Andrew Bird and Low and Dark Dark Dark. We tracked them all at the Terrarium and brought it to Tom Herbers and he did a lot of post-production work on it. He saw all the raw tracks in front of him and brought them together to make them sound awesome. He’s a miracle worker. Who was the producer for the album? What sort of role did they play? The Good Night Sleeps produced everything. The engineer Rob, from Terrarium, just tracked everything. He didn’t generate any ideas really; it was Tom from Creation who helped with that. He did a lot of overdubbing to make a part pop out, or added more reverb on this or that part. What were your days like?
“Your voice is an instrument to be manipulated; otherwise anybody could be up here.” working on new stuff. We’re hoping to get into the studio by winter. What are you most proud of about the album? I’m really proud of…what am I really proud of? How we felt really mixed up going into the recording process - we had a lot of openended ideas for what the songs would be. We were writing songs that we didn’t know how to produce because it’s very different from the [previous] record. In the studio, we were at each other’s throats a little bit. At the end of the recording and mixing process we got to make something we all like; we came a long way in the ten days it took to record it. And I’m proud we made something we’re proud of, and I’m proud of our guitar tones, vocal sounds, and drums. Now that it’s complete, what are you least happy with? What would you change? I think we definitely over-thought some of the songs. I would say for our next record that we just record the thing; I want to just let the songs be what they’re supposed to be. I think that’s it. Maybe just have more of an idea going into the studio. What was the recording process at 22 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
We’d get there at ten in the morning and leave at one or two in the morning. They were pretty jam-packed. I wasn’t recording vocal parts the whole day, you switch on and off. We were all taking shifts, but you’re there all day. It was seven days tracking and three day mixing. The last couple days were especially long; I’m an anal perfectionist and I had a list of everything I was trying to do, and trying to get everything off the list. Does the post-production show up in live shows? The thing that we’ve been challenged with these days is trying to recreate out record in our live show. It’s really fun, we really enjoy working with the sounds; we can’t do everything that is on the record but it’s fun to choose which sounds and effects are important from the record and then trying to make it happen live. Our live show doesn’t sound exactly like our record, but it’s a live version. You write the melody and the words for your songs, but how much are you involved in the music? Do the other members involve themselves in the lyric writing? I come to the band with complete songs, playing them on guitar or banjo, with lyrics and
chorus structures, and the boys will be like, ‘That’s a really great song, but how about you go to a B here instead of a G,’ or ‘You need a break there.’ I write the words and the music and the Good Night Sleeps produce it, chop it up and put it back together. Clearly you don’t talk like you sing - how did you find your voice? I mean, how did you end up figuring out that what you wanted to sound like? I evolved organically, I never said I wanted to sound like this; it just plays off the music I’m listening to, the music I’m obsessed with. At 15 I was listening to a lot of Death Cab For Cutie and my voice was a lot different growing up; all the music that comes and goes through your brain, it just sort of forms your voice. It wasn’t intentional. It’s bothersome for people sometimes when [artists] don’t sing like they talk, or
Stacy Schwartz
talk like they sing. But your voice is an instrument to be manipulated; otherwise anybody could be up here. Do you just play guitar? And do you have a favorite guitar? I play guitar and banjo and that’s pretty much it. I play a little piano but not at shows. I have a really sweet electric, a ’66 hollow body Gibson. What makes it so special is that I bought it really cheap and it was kinda crappy and we were on tour in Lawrence, KS, and we played a show with a guy with a coke addiction. He also happened to be Eric Clapton’s guitar luthier, and he fixed it for me. Guitar is my main thing but I definitely like singing more than playing guitar. I just play guitar to accompany my songwriting and singing. I’m not the best guitar player; I think our drummer even plays guitar better than I do. I
just got a new guitar amp and I love it. It’s not a vintage amp, not something super cool, it’s just a Fender Deluxe. It’s not that expensive, but I love the way it sounds. It’s got great reverb and headroom. I also love my Ibanez tube pedal. You’ve been compared to Billie Holiday and some other serious singers. Is that something intentional? Do you listen to her? I can definitely see that. I think that Billie Holiday definitely has an influence, but she’s an influence to a lot of artists that I listen to, as well. She’s influenced artists who have influenced me. And yeah, if people think I sing like Billie Holiday, that’s great. What makes for an exceptional live show? How do you try to make your show excellent? I think when I see a live show I really like it’s
because everybody is having so much fun and you can tell that they’re loving what they’re doing. Playing the songs in a cool way with great effects is cool, but if they just look like they’re doing a job then you don’t feel like a part of it. My boyfriend just took me to a Death Cab For Cutie show; they’ve been doing that shit for years, touring forever, but when Ben Gibbard gets on stage, and he’s been doing it for years, he’s still having a blast. He loves what he’s doing, and when he’s happy to be there, then you’re happy to be there. I saw Broken Social Scene and they were awesome; happy, enthusiastic, and they had the best tones. Their show was amazing. They did everything they do on their records live, and they were having a blast. If we were having a shitty day, we stop and meet by Alan’s drum kit, and I’d say, ‘What’s up? Let’s communicate, let’s be happy.’ It’s important having a really good vibe. www.thegoodnightsleeps.com NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 23
K
ASINO WILL On New Lyrical
Some people go their entire lives wondering and
Per spec tives
from job to job hoping something strikes their fancy.
& Motivational
age why they were placed on this Earth. New York
Speaking
questioning what they are destined to do. They jump
Some people are luckier. They know from a young
rapper Kasino Will is one of those people.
by Sara Brown photos by Volney Powell
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 25
“I write about the EMOTIONS you go through in life.” Kasino Will has been rapping since he was 12 years old. His beloved
cousin, who happened to be a rapper, introduced him to the genre. He would go into the recording studio and be enchanted by what he heard. It was there, at that age, Kasino Will knew what he was destined to do. “Ever since then, I knew I wanted to rap,” he says. And a rapper he became. The New York native has just released his solo debut Time II Cash In, an album filled with deeply personal rhymes dealing with his rough childhood and
26 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
up-bringing. During his youth, hip-hop became a solace for him. Childhood wasn’t the easiest of times for Will. “I had a rough time as a kid,” he remembers. “There was no dad in my house. There was no one to talk to. Music was there though and gave me the opportunity to express whatever it was I was feeling.” When Will was 10, his older brother and role model was sent to prison. Life didn’t get any easier for the young rapper when he reached adolescence. His good friend, Jarrell, died when he was just 13 years old. “I use writing to say things I otherwise would keep buried inside,” Kasino Will says. Music was a constant in his household. He fondly remembers the music his mother would having playing during his childhood. She was a big fan of Al Green and Gladys Knight, while Will was heavily influenced and inspired by Tupac. “Keep Ya Head Up,” was one record that had an especially important influence on the young rapper’s life. “It was saying you can still get through it,” he says. “It changed everything for me.” Soon, Kasino Will started writing his own raps. He would use his life experiences as the catalyst for his lyrics. “I think about the kids in the neighborhood outside having fun. When I am writing, I think about that and try to bring that to life. I write about the emotions you go through
in life without any outside influence. There is nobody in the room with me [when I write],” he says. He would also learn how to engineer and produce his own records at the age of 15. Kasino was determined to become successful even at a young age. The meaning behind Kasino Will’s lyrics are a huge deal for the rapper. In a genre that’s notorious for being materialistic and onedimensional, Will writes socially conscious and emotionally provocative raps. “I write music for the neighborhood,” he says. “I write what means something to me.” Being so emotionally candid worked, as Kasino Will has garnered a rapidly growing fan base. Because of this, things are beginning to happen to him he never thought would. “I feel like my whole life I have been looking through a peephole,” he says. “The peephole has gotten bigger.” He also says that going off to college helped him evolve as a lyricist. “My sound evolved because of the experiences I went through. It was only two hours away from home but I witnessed so many different things. My perspective expanded. Who knew that by driving two hours away I would have gone through that?” His experiences in college would later help him write his first album. It took the rapper three years to write the debut, as he explains, “I didn’t even know I was writing it.” While it took years to finish, the final product is something Kasino Will is very proud of. “It is the greatest feeling in the world,” he says. “To create something is amazing. I didn’t realize how much work it would be. I can listen to it 100 times.” Along with building an impressive rap career, Kasino wants to start his own record label. “I want to work with different artists and give them more promotion,” he says. “Put them on a bigger stage, if you will.” In between creating his album, he has been speaking at high schools and colleges. He is encouraging kids to stay in school and continue with their education. “It is all about teaching them what it means to pursue their dreams and how school goes with that,” he says. Currently, the MC is on an independent record label, and he plans on staying indie for a while. He believes it gives him more artistic freedom. “I want the freedom to be able to say what I want to say,” he comments. Along with staying indie, Kasino also wants to see his music in films someday. “I really love movies,” he says. “So seeing [my music] in a movie would be great.” An inspiring list of goals aside, Kasino Will just wants to continue rapping. “I want to keep making music people can relate to and enjoy,” he says. He also has an important message to his fans. He believes that everyone should go after their dreams no matter how impossible they may seem. “Everyone should do what they want to do in the truest form,” he concludes. www.kasinowill.net
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by Will Cady photos by Timothy Renzi
Brown Bird Breaking The Shackles & Making Music Their Day Job It’s a hard path we walk as musicians today. Maybe it’s a measure of the current times that we have to carve our creative place out of a world full of labor that has no interest in the songs we want to sing. Or maybe that’s the way it’s always been. The challenge is to beat the labyrinth of obstacles placed in front of us year after year and earn our right to be heard, our right to fully and completely identify ourselves and be known as musicians.
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 29
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he story of Brown Bird and the story of their album Salt For Salt is about earning that passage. It’s akin to the story of a seedling pushing through the concrete to greet the Sun it’s been chasing as the tree it was always meant to be. In the case of songwriter David Lamb, the seedling was the collection of lyrics and melodies that swirled around his head while he passed the long hours at the shipyard where he worked. Day by day, week by week, he’d trudge home at night to sit with his partner MorganEve Swain and try to make something grow. MorganEve, still with the dust of her own hard day’s work at a coffee roasting plant, watered each and every idea with her enchanting upright bass, fiddle or cello. The rhythm and thoughts that weave themselves through the working week, weave themselves equally through Brown Bird’s music. With the rigors of day jobs, teaching music lessons and finding the time to rest in between, Brown Bird somehow managed to add in three to four performances a weekend, all while developing and recording a great record. Hard work. It must have been worth it, because here they are. They’re free. They did it. They’ve managed to shake off the shackles of the working world and lift themselves into the life of full-time music. But how? The most immediate answer is that they have remarkable talent. Listening to the new album is a transportive experience. In songs like “Ebb and Flow” and “Fingers to the Bone” you can hear the grease and dirt in David Lamb’s banjo as he fingerpicks away underneath the smokey hum of his voice. MorganEve’s vocal harmonies lend a warm, feminine quality to his words of the workingman’s existence. Her rich bass playing adds an authority that goes even deeper. MorganEve was introduced to music at a young age through a private instructor who taught her the ways of the violin through the Suzuki method, an approach to teaching that seeks to create generations of students capable of a high level of musical achievement while maintaining a ‘noble heart.’ One of the core values of this method is the importance of saturating a young student with experiences in a musical community. As a result, MorganEve found herself venturing beyond her home state of Connecticut at an early age to play fiddle amidst the vibrant folk scene in Nova Scotia. It wasn’t until convening with David Lamb in Rhode Island that she added the cello and double bass to her arsenal, providing the bottom end to Brown Bird. As new to the larger stringed instruments as she may be, her sense of melody and rhythm are so strong that her thumping notes become the very thunder in the beat of the up-tempo ‘whistle while you work’ tunes that permeate Salt For Salt.
It’s natural to listen to Salt For Salt and ask MorganEve and David how many overdubs or musicians they needed to capture the sound of the record. This is where the most remarkable side of Brown Bird comes in. Those flawless takes of soulfully picked guitar and banjo, perfectly cracked vocals, smooth string playing and surly percussion? That’s all recorded live and it’s just the two of them playing it. As it turns out, David Lamb started his journey into music through the drum kit, living in Rhode Island and taking lessons from family friend and Berklee professor, Joe Galeota. Through the years of living and working in Boston and Seattle, David nurtured a collection of songs that eventually became Brown Bird, a band that at one point boasted five members. At first sight, he offers a lot to study and wonder about. His beard adds age to a youthful and exuberant face, but it feels like it belongs underneath his dark, pondering eyes, permanently fixed in a slight squint. A sleeve tattoo on his right arm leads down to his hands where he has the letters to the words ‘Come Home’ tattooed on his fingers. It’s hard not to wonder what home he thinks of when he looks down at those hands each day. The imagery of his lyrics evokes the poetry of the Biblical writings that have inspired him. That sentiment, combined with his exhausted experience of working at a shipyard, makes for timeless verses that are as pained as they are proud. In “Fingers to the Bone” he writes,
Festival, they were seasoned enough and ready to capture the audience in front of them. Through the sales of their EP at the festival and the support system they garnered through their tireless gigging, they were able to scrap together the money that eventually funded Salt For Salt and their ticket out of the working world. They’ll spend the next few months hitting venues in northern Vermont, upstate New York, Massachusetts and Maine. There’s no set CD release party and they’re not too concerned about that. This whole leg of a potentially endless tour is their personal release party, and they’ll keep on doing it until, well, until it stops. There’s not a clear end to the next chapter in the history of Brown Bird. They’re running from something more than running to anything. They’re leaving the struggling balancing act of work and music behind and hitting the road with a record so brilliantly simple and authentic that it bypasses any and all cynicism and heads straight to the heart. After all, how many readers of this very magazine greet every morning as a new day in an endless fight to claw their way through the concrete of the working world? David and MorganEve have been there and they’ve gotten to the other side. In a way, perhaps they are the Lord of Labor and the Goddess of Love, setting out to spread the Gospel that you too can actually make it happen. www.brownbird.net
“I work my fingers to the bone Not a pretty little penny have I got to show I ain’t lookin’ for much, just a little bit of rest by the side of the road I lift my voice to the forces above To the Lords of Labor and the Goddess of Love Ain’t I been a good, hard-working, faithful, serving son?” So it was that Brown Bird marched across the country, armed with a catalog of songs that tied the conditions of our present times to the great American Folk tradition. They hit the stage almost every weekend night channeling songs from the Anthology of American Folk Music, Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters. When they earned a spot at the Newport Folk NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 31
BAD RABB Their musical prowess makes them one of Boston’s most respected bands - their ability to remain versatile allows them to hold tight to that title. For years,
Bad Rabbits have been building quite the fan base since their soulful debut EP Stick Up Kids, featuring notable heart-racers like “Can’t Back Down” and “She’s Bad.” They’ve toured with artists such as Mike Posner, Passion Pit, and Travie McCoy. Currently, they are gearing up for a fall tour with the emo likes of Taking Back Sunday and The Maine. But in this particular instance, heavy on guitarist Salim Akram’s mind is the aftermath of the newly completed Warped Tour - a first for the band. He is laid back in his demeanor, but is
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also clearly relieved for it to be over. “It is everything you’ve heard about,” he divulges. “It’s the most grueling tour you could ever be on. But at the same time, it’s the best time you could ever have for an entire summer.” Drummer Sheel Dave chimes in on this stance. “It was a tour that we grew up admiring and attending, so it was a bit surreal to even be asked to perform,” he explains. “But it was the hardest time we’ve ever had hustling as a band. We have a lot of work to do in order to reach further [listeners] outside of the Warped Tour world.” Sharing the stage alongside Bad Rabbits (which also includes Fredua Boakye on vocals, Santiago Araujo on guitar, and Graham Masser on bass) during the festival’s run were acts like A Day To Remember, Of Mice and Men, and Enter Shikari. And they, like Bad Rabbits, were pushed to their breaking points, underlined by
“It has been a challenge to maintain certain elements of our sound while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what has worked for us in the past.”
BITS scorching temperatures, back-to-back performances, and scores of prepubescent groupies. Akram is adamant, though, that what didn’t kill them made them stronger. “We definitely earned our stripes [by completing Warped]. I remember hearing about a lot of bands who quit afterwards, just completely broke up. But for us, it made a huge impact on the band.” And this revitalization is sure to carry over when the boys hit the road with Taking Back Sunday this month. “We’re excited for it because A) who knows who Taking Back Sunday is? Everybody. And B) on paper it’s one of those things where I wouldn’t expect to be on tour with them.” But please don’t misconstrue this statement - Akram is not selling his group short by any means. He carefully explains some of the observations made regarding other bands during their stint on Warped and how it indirectly affected them. “A lot of the bands on Warped sounded the same, looked the same - they even had the same kind of guitars. And then you see a band like us.” He breaks from complete seriousness to show a more jovial nature. “We just look completely different.” And of course, a band that has considerable diversity gets pigeonholed with virtually no hesitation. “We’d go to the merch table to hand out CDs, and people would walk by and go, ‘No thanks, man. I don’t like hip-hop’ or ‘I don’t like rap.’ We just made a joke out of it after a while.” But on the f lipside of that, they also managed to pick up fans who didn’t even know Bad Rabbits existed. “It was amazing for growing our fan base with predominantly young music listeners who will hopefully stick around,” Dave reveals. For Akram, there was a much more poignant memory. “After one of our sets, some fans who picked up our CD said they were literally walking by, liked what they heard, and just stopped to watch. That’s one of the most gratifying things about Warped that you can hear,
OUT OF THE COMBAT ZONE: A Culturally Diverse Band Survives the Warped Tour
by Candace McDuffie photos by Julian Gilbert
as a musician.” Although they stay busy with their off-thewall live shows, Bad Rabbits are still finding the time to work on new tunes. And although any other artist would predictably declare that it’s about process and not product, the Rabbits knows those two are inextricably linked, and therefore cannot be bothered with the frivolity of release dates - as Akram confirms, “We’re working on two albums right now. One should be coming out the beginning of next year,” he says. “The other one that we’re working on with [producer] Teddy Riley should be coming out
as a group, we’ve become very conscious of it.” Dave is just as, if not more, candid. “It has been a challenge to maintain certain elements of our sound while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what has worked for us in the past.” Despite other acts they may collaborate with in the future or what pressures they may receive from critics and fans alike, he remains certain of one thing: “We definitely don’t want to put the same album out twice. I think even if we tried, we wouldn’t be able to do that.” blog.badrabbits.com
between now and the end of 2012.” For those who loved Stick Up Kids, you don’t have anything to worry about. Bad Rabbits have no plans of abandoning their signature sound in search of something slightly more experimental. “We created a brand - a kind of style with Stick Up Kids,” Akram says. “I think a lot of bands make the mistake of having that first record that people latch onto, and straying too far away from that sound on their follow up.” He has no problem backing up this statement. “Mutemath is a band that did exactly that. And
“We definitely don’t want to put the same album out twice. I think even if we tried, we wouldn’t be able to do that.” NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 33
Life Is Good Festival
By Vanessa Bennett Photos by Ryan Howell Artists (Clockwise) Scott Avett, Ingrid Michaelson, Avett Brothers
HIGHLIGHT
Picturesque surroundings and explosive live sets, all for a good cause WHEN: September 23-24 WHERE: Canton, MA The Life Is Good Festival took the idyllic ponds and scenic views of Great Blue Hill at Prowse Farm in Canton, MA and ignited them with music and energy. The company brought an impressive line up of musicians to the small Massachusetts town and delivered a wallop of a festival. This two-day feel good music session was part of Life Is Good’s efforts to raise money for children; their goal was $1 million and they far surpassed that. With the overarching theme of helping kids, the festival had a heavy family friendly vibe. LIG did an excellent job supplying a well-rounded line up; playing alongside children’s
artists like Keller Williams were The Hold Steady, Ingrid Michaelson, The Avett Brothers, and Ray LaMontagne, among others. Day One kicked off with performances by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Tristan Prettyman, and Martin Sexton. The Hold Steady took the Good Vibes Stage at 4:15 and sent an invigorating jolt across the farm. The no-holds-barred, in-your-face enthusiasm of Craig Finn gripped the audience. His voice, at times screeching, at times softly serene, echoed across the fields as he passionately shared his emotions with the crowd. There was a sense of urgency – to share as much as possible - as the band spewed forth songs like
REVIEWS
LIVE REVIEW
“Sequestered in Memphis,” “Stay Positive” and “Hurricane J.” Ingrid Michaelson closed out the Good Vibes Stage with an impressive stage presence; engaging in all sorts of banter with fans including her love for Paula Deen. She jumped into her set, ukulele in hand, with “Solider.” The crowed swelled against the barrier fence, reaching out as if to touch the music. “Die Alone” had fans reeling as she spun an uncommon tale of love. Michaelson’s sweet vocals were the perfect follow up to the raw crooning of Finn. Closing out the day’s festivities were North Carolina natives The Avett Brothers, who once again gave an impeccable performance. From the moment the first chord of “Go To Sleep” was struck, an overwhelming sense of passion washed over the crowd. Their otherworldly energy was intoxicating and fans screamed every lyric to favorites like “Will You Return,” “Talk On Indolence” and “Head Full of Doubt.” They swooned over their newest track, “The Once and Future Carpenter,” and swayed with each gently plucked guitar chord of Seth Avett’s solo performance on “Ballad of Love and Hate.” As the show came to an end with a heartwarming version of “I And Love And You,” the hillside reverberated with the cries of fans for an encore. As always, the band happily obliged. They wrapped up with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman” and lovingly met the request of the audience with a beautiful rendition of their own “Laundry Room.” The second year of the Life Is Good Festival proved to be better than expected. Not only did the company manage to exceed their fundraising goal, but with something for everyone, they supplied fans from all walks of life with a weekend of excellent music, fun, and inspiration. The LIG Festival seems like the music fest New England has been waiting for. www.lifeisgood.com/festivals NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 35
REVIEWS
RECORD REVIEWS
Beauty Feast Soft Spot Brooklyn, NY
Do” is a fun dive in a math-rock rhythm that’ll get the hipsters to put down their PBRs for a hoedown. “This House” is a minute and half story of disintegration and acceptance. Soft Spot ends with “Welcome Back,” where the title pays homage to the circle of life, and gives Beauty Feast’s audience a song to dance and celebrate to. This sophomore release is perfect for the next camping trip, but rest assured; it would be perfect for any day or setting. (Self-released) Recorded, Mixed and Produced by Shane O’Connell,
“Electrified campfire music”
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Next time there’s chilled beer bottles in the cooler, marshmallows melting over a fire and crickets chirping outside the tent, consider taking Soft Spot as the campout soundtrack. The Bushwick ensemble presently features seven members, with two female songwriters who possess tantalizing vocals that pull listeners in like thick, green tendrils from the deep woods. Beauty Feast could easily be lumped into a New Age genre, but there is far more depth in this group than drunken bonfire numbers and instrumental songs consisting only of Buddhist chants and wind chimes. The acoustic folk in “It Grows It Grows” and “Soon We’ll Know” is soothing coffeehouse music with vivid imagery of the human heart and nature’s flora and fauna. “The River” has jingles of gospel and good ol’ Americana, particularly the vocals that paint country landscapes. “Things to
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Marty Sulkow and Ezra Tenenbaum Mastered by Paul Gold
-Christina Dore ww.beautyfeast4ever.com
Big Troubles Romantic Comedy Ridgewood, NJ
“Innovative instrumental arrangement balanced with smooth vocals”
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Big Troubles’ recent full length, Romantic Comedy, takes a creative step out of the box and propels the band forward into a new, and somewhat different, sound from their last album,
Worry. Listeners can take note of the smooth, pop-indie sound on each track and sing along to catchy lyrics from lead singer/songwriters, Alex Craig and Ian Drennan. Whereas the songs on last year’s release seemed to focus more on experimental sounds rather than distinguishable lyrics, this recent album signifies the creative growth of the band. Tracks off the album aren’t overly experimental and are aided by vocals that beg to be sung. The tracks aren’t overwhelming and don’t leave listeners straining to hear lyrics. The opener, “She Smiles for Pictures,” exemplifies the pop-inspired sound that is a prominent theme throughout the album. The band’s first single, “Sad Girls,” has a bright sound that contrasts the dark message of doomed relationships. Guilty pleasure courses through the veins while singing this one with a smile. One of the strongest tracks on the album is “Never Mine,” which features guitar riffs and synth sections that are ridiculously creative and add a perfect balance to breezy vocals. If one song off the album perfectly depicted the band’s new sound, this would be it. (Slumberland) Produced by Mitch Easter Mastered by Tim Stollenwerk at Stereophonic Mastering
-Jillian Dennis-Skillings bigtroubles.bandcamp.com
Boston, MA
“Boston hardcore fights werewolves and Vikings”
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Boston is a breeding ground for rock, metal and hardcore bands. The groups that blur those lines often rise above the stock. Bring the Knife is an act to add to that short list, as they feature the thrashiness of Sam Black Church, the belly bellows of Honkeyball, and F-you attitude of TREE. Those names don’t stretch far beyond the Bean, but here, they’re local legends. Versatile vocalist Duncan Wilder Johnson switches his delivery from tuneful shouts to guttural growls, sometimes in the same line. Some dudes might say that guitarist Pattie The Gimp is pretty good for a girl, but they’re just jealous that she can shred circles around them. Hard to pronounce number “Ftftftftftftftft…” best encapsulates Bring the Knife. Midtempo thrash melded with groove metal breaks. While drummer Eman Pacheco punishes his kit, Johnson cycles through his multiple vocal personalities, as Pattie melts faces. Power metal imagery from Vikings to werewolves mix with street themes such as complacence and personal sacrifices, the latter most notably on “I Walk Through Flames Every Hour to Feel Free.” This closer, while not the tightest instrumentally, sees the band putting up with the daily 9-5 grind to facilitate their love for metal. Lyrically autobiographical and musically applicable. (Thrashachusetts) Recorded and Mixed by Ethan Dussault at New Alliance, Cambridge MA Mastered by Nick Zampiello and Rob Gonnella at New Alliance East, Cambridge, MA
-Joshua Bottomley www.bringtheknife.com
The Contortionist Exoplanet Indianapolis, IN
“Progressive metal from America’s heartland. With aliens.”
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The Contortionist is a group of young guys from Indianapolis who have created an album that musicians with years more experience could be proud of. This group takes progressive
Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Ken Susi
-Miikka Skaffari www.facebook.com/thecontortionist
Greensky Bluegrass Handguns Kalamazoo, MI
“Where songwriting and bluegrass come together”
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The studio work of Greensky Bluegrass is far more laid back than their live sound. Their latest release, Handguns, rambles to a slow start. An abundance of the album sits downtempo, creating jam grass, essentially, that is neither progressive nor normal. Steadied by its pace and the added texture of a unique voice, Greensky pulls their sound poetically over the bluegrass brand. Part of the charm of Handguns is that the analog equipment used to record the album, including the console and the reel-to-reel tape machine, is the same equipment that laid the tape for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. The sound is aged. The record vibrates. “Bring Out Your Dead” is sung over a steady instrumental backdrop, and the words sound as though they’ve been filtered through a tin can. Digressive monotone vocals and coarsely knitted harmonies feather Handguns’ edges like well-loved jeans. Curious, thoughtful songwriting peppers the album with quaint little surprises (like “Jaywalking,” a song about getting busted by the police). These moments isolate the record from other bluegrass projects. Replete with multiple horn sections, Handguns sets Greensky Bluegrass
apart, and with further innovation a band like this could very well lead the next generation of bluegrass. (Big Blue Zoo Records) Produced by Greensky Bluegrass Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Glenn Brown at GBP Studios in East Lansing, MI
-Amanda Macchia www.greenskybluegrass.com
REVIEWS
Bring the Knife Bring the Knife
metal, turns it inside out and hands you a tightly wrapped package of awesome. There are many adjectives you could associate with the music; complex, heavy, fast, gentle, subtle, thoughtful. The most important are expressive and inventive. The lyrics talk about sentinel beings looking over a world and the organisms in it, first contact and escape from a destruction of the world. It’s like listening to a sci-fi story mixed with old beliefs, religion and bedtime stories. The crawllike singing is occasionally replaced by robotic sounds, which only emphasize the message. The Contortionist has fabricated its own sound and is not afraid to mix in soft and quiet sections to emphasize the complexity of the polyrhythmic and heavy staccato riffs and fluid solos. The band creates a sense of space with winding instrumental passages that allow you to settle into the song, just as they are about to yank you the other way. The album is full of small nuances that are performed with exceptional precision. (Good Fight Music)
Hannah Miller O Black River Nashville, TN
“Soft, sweet and seductive”
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Move over Nashville, there is more than just mainstream country in your midst. Step aside and make way for Hannah Miller, as she brings a genuine adaptation of true blues styles with a hint of gospel to the table. O Black River, the latest release from this Nashville songstress, delivers a nice package, with style that seems to come easily, displaying Miller’s elegance and musicianship. Impeccably produced, the length and mix of tacks are perfect - the way it should be - from songs like “Foolish Pride,” a subtle and sweet lullaby, to “To the Swift,” a sexy, seductive blues swing. Miller’s vocals are genuine and deliver emotion, taking you by the hand and guiding you through the entire recording. “Refuge,” a somber song, is woven together with other tracks, putting your mood in a quiet, melancholy state. Rootsy and gritty guitars nicely complement Miller’s airy, breathy, deep and sultry vocals. O Black River should be added to the top of your list. For a modern and sweet taste of a “true blue” collection, no doubt Hannah Miller’s renditions and sweet, subtle style are brought to light and hopefully, soon to your ears. (Self-released) Produced by Neilson Hubbard Recorded at Mr. Lemons Studio in Nashville Mastered by Alex McCollough at Yes Master
-Arthur Orfanos www.hannahmillermusic.com
Heatherlyn Storydwelling Minneapolis, MN “Haunting and serene, made perfect with stunning vocals and simplistic melodies”
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Nothing would describe Heatherlyn’s NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 37
REVIEWS
LIVE REVIEW
The Le monheads
Photos and Story By Gail Fountain
WHERE: Rhythm and Brews - Chattanooga, TN WHEN: October 1 Evan Dando opened the show solo with his tuneful, low voice and a Les Paul instead of his standard SG with “Love Somebody” by The Bee Gees. Immediately afterward, the wide stage filled with Josh Lattanzi (The Candles) on bass and Brian Nolan (American Hi-Fi) on drums, making up the current version of The Lemonheads.
After a short break, Dando again took the The band launched into the tour’s focus, the entire It’s A Shame About Ray album, playing stage solo. He sang a set of nine songs that at the same breakneck tempo as the original included the excellently penned, tongue-inrecording. Dando was in a particularly good cheek Lemonheads classics “Being Around” and “The Outdoor Type.” mood, breaking between Other songs included HIGHLIGHT songs to ask the audithe introspective solo ence for the name of the number “Why Do You Do next song, waiting just a This To Yourself?” and moment for the answer many of his favorite covbefore announcing the ers, something Dando title himself. The midtwenties to mid-forties crowd was enthralled has made a live show staple in recent years. The full band regrouped and another and sang nearly every note. Dando’s voice was in perfect pitch and his guitar playing was in Lemonheads set followed, including “Down About It,” “The Great Big No,” and the equally good form. After the Ray set, Dando asked if the audi- requested “Big Gay Heart.” After getting frusence wanted to hear “Mrs. Robinson.” The trated on the last song’s ending guitar solo, answer was a resounding “Yes.” Dando sang Dando played drums for about three minutes, none of it except the beginning of one verse that then thanked the audience and left the stage.
Evan Dando in top form, owning the stage
the crowd forgot. Once he got them started, they finished just fine. 38 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
www.thelemonheads.net
REVIEWS
Heatherlyn (cont’d) Storydwelling more fittingly than the singer’s own mantra of “authentic, available, and audacious.” The Maine native turned Minneapolis singer/songwriter perfectly captures a sense of simplicity, serenity, and experience in her new 12-track album. Bluesy undertones and crooning vocals add a dash of melancholy, while religious, societal, and historical influences make the record unique and smart. “When I Dream,” “Wayfaring Stranger,” and “You’ve Gotta Move” showcase Heatherlyn’s voice perfectly with pure chords and provocative lyrics. “You’ve gotta dance when the spirit says dance//cause when the spirit says dance, you’ve gotta dance, oh Lord//you’ve gotta dance when the spirit says dance,” the singer matterof-factly chants in the album’s sixth track. “We Have a Dream” is a decree of sorts, proclaiming “This is not about idealism and illusions//the dream is about holding on to both wisdom and wonder//it’s about getting real, keeping it real// having the humility to acknowledge we’ve all been part of the problem, and we can all be part of the solution,” the singer adds through a verse of spoken prose. “You’ll Never Know,” the album’s closer, opens with dancing piano melodies and is a story-like ballad of loss, hope, and regret. The lyrics are poignant and personal, as if the listener is given a glimpse of the singer’s secret thoughts. It ends the album brilliantly, with swelling melodies and a vulnerable sense of contentment. (Self-released) Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Matt Patrick Mastered by Greg Reierson
-Michelle McNickle www.heatherlynmusic.com
Hurricane Bells Tides and Tales New York, NY
“An expert mix of angst and hope, with a dash of cheer”
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Hurricane Bells’ Steve Schiltz masters the art of simplistic cynicism in his sophomore album Tides and Tales. But when moving from track to track, Schiltz never fails to maintain a slight sense of hope through effortless melodies, poppy undertones, and unexpected twists. The album perfectly captures feelings of frustration, aloofness, and a need to let go, all while offering listeners a little bit of everything. “House on Fire” and “The Ghost of Her” are riddled with bright melodies and optimism. Fuzzy guitar riffs and light-hearted chimes create the album’s sense of power pop, while “Blue Blue Moon,” 40 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
“Before I’m Gone,” and “Flowers in the Dirt” showcase a gentler, calmer side of Schiltz. A sense of vulnerability is apparent and welcomed in all three tracks, which are laced with honesty and self-awareness. Arguably, the album’s sound can be summed up with “Possibilities” - lyrics express feelings of memories and remorse, while melodies are soaring and elevated. Schiltz’s voice is chant-like but is offset by escalating solos and cheerful chords. (Invisible Brigades) Produced and Mixed by Steve Schiltz
-Michelle McNickle www.hurricanebells.com
Kae Sun Outside the Barcode EP Ghana/Toronto
“Weh-Weh outside of your everyday acoustic album”
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If your idea of a good acoustic album is something by Jack Johnson, Outside the Barcode may be a little over your head. The range of emotion hit on Kae Sun’s newest five-song EP is more than the guitar-slinging beach bum has mustered in five full-lengths. Recorded on 2-inch tape on a farm in Ontario, what Kae Sun intended to sound raw and authentic still provides the warmth and depth needed for easy listening. The EP was inspired by a trip back to his African homeland after nine years living in Canada. As Kae Sun starts with “Firefly Dance,” a beautiful ode to his “old home,” he draws up images of his grandmother’s hands and this “far, far away” land. A nostalgic melody turns to a somber warning with “When the Pot,” where Kae Sun briefly chronicles Ghana’s political unrest. The description of “legislators who fake the change, freedom fighters only in it for glory” provides a nice wakeup call for middle class Americans whining about their 401(k) funds. “Burden of Love” is a unique ballad we won’t, but should, hear on the radio, and “Interlude” is short, slow and sad with eerie distortion. For a country he loves so much, “WehWeh” is the anthem Kae Sun leaves it with. The handclap percussion and resonating chorus puts Shakira’s “Waka Waka” to shame. (Self-released) Produced by Joshua Sadlier-Brown and Marc Koecher
-Beth Ann Downey www.kaesunmusic.com
Kimya Dawson Thunder Thighs Brooklyn, NY
“Life lessons delivered with oddball charm”
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Moldy Peaches front woman Kimya Dawson is back with her seventh self-released LP. Thunder Thighs is another hit with her quiet and introspective vocals and unconventional compositions. The album has a star-studded guest list, including appearances by Aesop Rock, John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats), and Nikolai Fraiture (The Strokes). Dawson has wrangled together all of her friends to create an album of blunt honesty and determination. The topics and themes are wide ranging and there isn’t much, if anything, that she’s afraid to share. Thoughts on suicide, abuse, and alcoholism are set to a background of light guitar strings and piano notes on “All I Could Do.” This is Dawson’s anthem to letting go of the past, embracing the start of new life and being a better person for the people around you. Things take a drastic but intentional turn with “The Mare and the Bear,” a carnival-like tune complete with children’s vocals. A song about friends, love and acceptance, it is the light retort to the darker moments on the album. Thunder Thighs marks a new level of maturity in Dawson’s career. Perhaps with the birth of her child she has allowed for a new level of growth in her music. She continues to share with fans the lessons she has learned in life and makes music that can be best described as quirky, satisfying and innovative. (Burnside Distribution) -Vanessa Bennett www.kimyadawson.com
Laura Veirs Tumble Bee Portland, OR
“Sweet musings with folksy flare”
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Laura Veirs is a sweet and prolific musician spinning image-rich folk songs. Her latest release, Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children, is a further demonstration of her creativity. She has taken many of the beloved children’s stories of the past and brought them into the 21st Century in a way that anyone, regardless of age, can enjoy With collaborators like Basia Bulat, The
LIVE REVIEW
REVIEWS
Textures & The Contortionist Story and Photos By Miikka Skaffari
WHERE: The New Parish in Oakland, CA WHEN: September 20 It was a night of progressive metal and surely the majority of the audience had come to The New Parish to see Periphery, the powerhouse of the genre. What was most noteworthy about the night, though, were the two opening bands who warmed up the crowd. The Contortionist, whose debut album Exoplanet has received praise from both critics and fans, kicked off the evening. The music was performed with the precision that was expected from this group, but the stage presence left the audience a bit cold. The band was very stiff and lacked interaction with the crowd. Some of this can be attributed to the young age of the guys. Keep an eye on this band, though. You’ll certainly be hearing more about them in the months and years to come. Musically, the act was excellent. The biggest surprise for the night was provided by Textures. The six man group from Tilburg, Netherlands proved to be awesome performers and the music was even more impressive live than on their albums. Stef Broks was every bit
Decemberists, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, the interpretations are impressive. Raw guitar chords can be heard faintly in the background of the fiddle-heavy “Jack Can I Ride?” and “Tumblebee” is driven by snare drums and cheery piano notes. The bluegrass fiddle of “Soldier’s Joy” is a trip back in time. Veirs’ latest release brings back the childlike innocence that somehow gets lost in life. It is in many ways a folk album and in many ways so much more. With fiddles, banjos, pianos, group vocals, and a plethora of talented friends, Tumble Bee is an album you’ll want to have stuck in your head. (Raven Marching Band Records) Produced by Tucker Martine
-Vanessa Bennett www.lauraveirs.com
Letters All The Adventures To See Them I Will Olympia, WA
“Atmospheric folk from the Pacific Northwest”
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On their website, Letters insists they
Artist: Textures
HIGHLIGHT
Complex, high-energy sets of progressive metal
as awesome a drummer as he’s talked up to be. The rest of the band did not fall short in their performances, either. The group’s music was complex with abrupt stops, as well as changes in pace and rhythms. What was impressive about the band was the obvious joy of performing, interacting with the audience and with each other. Their high energy was contagious and very soon the crowd
are not a band, but a musical project that is constantly evolving and changing styles. Hailing from Olympia, Washington, their latest release All The Adventures To See Them I Will, captures that gray, atmospheric folk feel that the Northwest tends to emit. The one minute opener, “Simple Fact,” is a prime example, which then leads into “Hideaway,” which resembles an early Eels track, but with a fresh blend of vocals from Joshua James and Alexis Wolf. What’s clear and fruitful from this album is the band’s ability to master a variety of arrangements and sounds. The lo-fi folk suits Letters well, but songs like “Holiday” and “Musk of This Ink” share touches of electro-acoustic and gentle experimental noise, bringing out James’ and Wolf’s singing, brewing a storm you get caught in, but can’t help to sway and dance to. Letters are lyrically influenced by poetry: the track “Rachel” is a beautiful, sea shanty song of paralysis and worship. “Rare Beast” closes the record with an electronica beat and muffled lyrics that form a docile ocean of dream-pop ambiance. Like a telegram or that rare personal letter in the mailbox, this band is something to take in, digest and treasure. (Self-released) Produced by Evan Hashi Design by Eric Sarai
-Christina Dore www.lettersmusic.com
was jumping around, singing along to the songs. Even the small stage didn’t hinder the band. The combination of complex music and comfort level in their performance should be an inspiration for all live bands. www.facebook.com/thecontortionist www.texturesband.com
Nappy Riddem One World Sovereignty Washington, D.C.
“Riddem’s stellar rhythms are undeniable”
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Given the name Nappy Riddem, one might expect an album with a stereotypical roots take on reggae, but that’s far from what you’ll get on One World Sovereignty, the debut from the trio of Rex Riddem, Mustafa Akbar, and Ashish “Hash” Vyas. The album is a complete mash-up of different genres, each featured in their own songs. Sly and the Family Stone-style funk greets us on the opener “Nappy Riddem.” Loungy R&B is the base to showcase soulful sax on “Suspicious Love.” Of course, Rastafarian themes show up throughout the album, such as on “DTA,” with its echoing, soulful vocals about Jah, and the album’s title track, which calls for unity in the face of the world’s struggles. Many of the other songs would sit well on a dance album, like “Ease Up” with its reggaeton beat, sure to be spun in clubs across the nation’s capital. The best track by far is “Rastar,” NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 41
REVIEWS
VINYL OF THE MONTH
The Stone Foxes Psycho b/w Serious People San Francisco, CA
By Julia R. DeStefano www.thestonefoxes.com
FORMAT: 7-inch (45 RPM) PRESSING: 500 Units COLOR: Orange Vinyl VINYL MASTERING: John Greenham RECORDED & MIXED BY: Scott McDowell PRODUCED BY: The Stone Foxes SLEEVE ART & LETTERING: Aaron Mort Distorted vocals, commanding chords, a communal celebration of rollicking, raunchy rock ‘n’ roll, coupled with the brilliant repetition of “I’m everything she wants, but she don’t know. She’s a psycho!” are a few of the many things to love about The Stone Foxes’ latest effort. With bluesy undertones reminiscent of The Black Keys, there is a refreshing authenticity that shines through in an often-repetitive industry. Although the Foxes’ influences of The Band, Led Zeppelin, and even Kings of Leon come through in a substantial way, the end result is a distinctive sound that is undoubtedly their own. The style is energetic, a representation of diverse moods - from the head-banging, foot-stomping “Psycho,” with its sharp lyricism, to the uninhibited, psychedelic elements of “Serious People,” a track that could comfortably fit within the Grateful Dead’s expansive catalogue of hits. It is evident that the band is no stranger to experimentation. Cast aside your preconceived notions about garage bands. This is unlike anything you have ever heard, and it’s downright awesome. (Self-released)
42 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
REVIEWS
AUSTI N CIT Y LI M IT S By Tara C Lacey Photos By Paige Cavazos
Artist Patrice Pike
HIGHLIGHT
Rain clouds parting for an a cappella performance by Ha Ha Tonka This September, one of Austin’s most popular institutions celebrated a decade of music and memories. Austin City Limits kicked off its 10th year in customary fashion with an annual appearance by the legendary local western swing band Asleep at The Wheel. What began as an event celebrating local music (dotted by a few nationals for good measure), food vendors and artists has seen exponential growth in recent years. Asleep at The Wheel’s Ray Benson has watched ACL go from a local institution to an American institution as Zilker Park continues to draw in tens of thousands of music lovers every year. Given that this year was a milestone for the production team at C3 Presents and various creatives that brought the area ACL, Performer Magazine made a point to stay true to the festival’s origins in our coverage of this year’s event - there’s no better place for that than at the BMI Stage for Southern rock, soul, bluegrass and Americana. Early Friday afternoon Performer met up with Ha Ha Tonka, who managed to bring a light sprinkle down on the parched Texas ground during their early afternoon set, playing songs from their latest album Death of a
Decade - an ironic parallel to the ten year anniversary of ACL. The tragic decay brought on by Texas’ record setting drought made their set a memorable event when the Southern skies finally opened up on the Midwestern band as they crooned an a cappella version of “Hangman.” Signs dotted the park instructing festival goers not to smoke, but even as Texas wildfires continued to rage near the festivities, so too raged the ACL crowd. Beardyman provided a most unusual brand of electro to the BMI stage later on Friday. He beat-boxed and synth-looped his way through an improvised set - quite impressive for a Brit who got his break via YouTube. Skrillex took to the stage on Saturday, drawing an impressive crowd, all waving hands and grinding down to the beat of his glitchy, bass-heavy dub. It’s interesting to see how far the genre has come and how past Austin City Limits Festivals have helped shape trends in mainstream music now. On Saturday, Patrice Pike delivered a heartfelt performance as the sun set over her own two tiny dancers, her lyrics sending a pointed message. On Sunday, Pernikoff Brothers made a splash with
their up-tempo folk-pop meets indie rock and a batch of ice water drenched bandanas that were doled out to help cool the crowd. The bandanas were definitely necessary after the duo threw in a few smoking hot Led Zeppelin covers, while staying true to their unique indie folk sound. The years have been good to Austin City Limits. C3 Presents brings Austin the finest in cutting edge acts mixed with music legends. This equation has made it difficult for smaller acts to get a foot in the door, though. Ha Ha Tonka played Austin for years on end, boasting consecutive SXSW showcases before gracing the stages of ACL. There are plenty of un-official showcases surrounding the main festival, too. Social media is a good way to keep your ear to the ground as a musician looking to take advantage of the festivities that saturate Austin during ACL each fall - try the marketing agency BMF, or search local venues a few months before hand. If the venues are not booked through an agency then you may find a break during ACL week. If they are booked through an agency you may catch the attention of the powers that be at C3 and end up opening for a festival headliner at an official pre/ post showcase. www.aclfestival.com Artist Pernikoff Bros
WHERE: Zilker Park in Austin, TX WHEN: September 16-18
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 43
REVIEWS
Nappy Riddem which showcases chanting, staccato vocals and funkified horns over choppy beats and reggae undertones. There’s no escaping its energy. If someone’s listening to “Rastar” and not shaking their hips, they might just need their vitals checked. (Fort Knox Recordings) Mastered by Holmes Ives
vocal layering that entrances its listeners. With yet another solid release by Nurses, one can only hope the threesome will finally receive the recognition they deserve. (Dead Oceans) Recorded by Nurses Mixed by Scott Colburn and Julian Martlew Mastered by Paul Gold
-Katrina Nattress www.myspace.com/nurses
Recorded at Riddem Nation Studios, Washington, D.C.
-M.C. Rhodes www.nappyriddem.com
Peter Wolf Crier Garden of Arms Minneapolis, MN
Nurses Dracula Portland, OR
“Fanged avant-pop”
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In 2009, the Portland-based trio Nurses released Apple’s Acre. Though the LP’s release did not create much buzz in the blogosphere, it did help the three-piece create a solid fan base. Two years later, Nurses is back with Dracula. Where much of Acre’s lure was in its lo-fi, DIY sound, Dracula is quite the opposite. The aptly titled album has a denser, darker sound that begs to be listened to through a sound system rather than headphones. And though the band members retreated to the Oregon Coast to selftrack the album, they handed the audio off to production guru Scott Colburn (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, Sun City Girls) and Julian Martlew at Seattle’s Gravelvoice Studios, officially making the transition from a bedroom recording experiment to a three-dimensional, dynamic avant-pop outfit. Aside from a more polished production technique, the boys of Nurses also decided to tweak their collaboration process. Instead of merely the traditional roles of guitarist, percussionist, bassist, they acted as producers, building ideas on top of each other until each song was born. But no matter how many changes Nurses make, the band’s core is pop. Strip the songs of their unconventional, experimental structures, and they possess infectious melodies and catchy harmonies. This peculiar paradigm is evident in the opening track, and first single off the album, “Fever Dreams.” The song emits eerie, almost unworldly vibes through the use of wavering, psychedelic guitar riffs, pounding, rhythmic percussion, and Aaron Chapman’s distinctly shrill, screeching falsetto-baritone vocals - yet the song incites humming and singing along. The same can be said of the record’s second single, “Trying to Reach You,” a groovy, funk-inspired number that features “whoa-ohs,” “ooh oohs,” and interesting 44 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
“Tightly-woven mix of electronic beats, soulful guitar, and searching lyrics”
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With Garden of Arms, Peter Wolf Crier’s second album, the band has built on the foundation of their debut, Inter-Be, to create a tightly-woven mix of electronic beats, soulful guitar, and searching lyrics that sounds more fully formed than their initial offering. Inter-Be was initially a solo effort from former Wars of 1812 member Peter Pisano, with Brian Moen coming in later to hone and shape what Pisano had started. On Garden of Arms, the two collaborated from the beginning, drawing on their experiences playing live together, something that had not happened prior to their debut. Those experiences are ref lected in Garden of Arms’ confidence, both musically and lyrically. Catchy rhythms and interesting loops saturate the album, especially on songs like “Right Away,” and on “Loud Enough to Know,” while the lyrics in songs like “Krishnamurti,” and “Cut a Hand” are vague without being opaque. When the two elements come together, like on the album’s standout, “Setting it Off,” the outcome shows that Peter Wolf Crier’s collaborative efforts have paid off. (Jagjaguwar) -Jason Peterson www.peterwolfcrier.com
Pterodactyl Spills Out Brooklyn, NY
“Angular guitars, blistering rhythms, paranoid vocals”
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Offering one of the finest, most triumphant
albums of the year, Brooklyn’s intricate trio Pterodactyl is keeping traditional indie rock alive while inching further into avant-garde, exploring the edges of listenability. Spills Out is driven by three indomitable prongs: jutting, abusive electric guitars, math rock-nearly-punk percussion and the sublime layering of vocal harmonies. When the momentum slows on “Allergy Shots” and “White Water,” the effect is haunting and intrepidly bleary. The former undulates with an unforgettable bass line and trademark harmonies indefinitely reciting, “The grass isn’t greener.” Spills Out is a culmination of an era. Songs build like an Explosions in the Sky crescendo (“Nerds”) and boast a punkish vigor (think Male Bonding) that is blistering, while achieving a high degree of hook - thanks to an incredible textural interlacing of vocals. “These days are feeling numbered/and my arms are barely strong enough/but I’ll ride the break” sings Joe Kremer on the infectious and strong anthem, “The Break.” It features an ode-to-surf guitar-driven melody, abusive piccolo snare drumming and a Beach Boys-style stratum of vocals. A dark moodiness underscores their third release, but not in an offputting way; the gripping result is an awakening. (Brah Records) Engineered and Mastered by Jonny Schenke Recorded at the Wallet and 52 S11th St by Jonny Schenke and Pterodactyl Mixed by Frank Musarra Produced by Pterodactyl
-Christopher Petro www.pterodactyl.info
Topshelf Records 2011 Label Sampler Boston, MA
“68 bands for the price of validation”
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It’s essentially impossible to review this sampler. To start, it’s free. For the price of clicking “like” on Facebook, Topshelf Records is rewarding its fans with a compilation mix featuring 68 bands. The track listing, consisting of mostly what I like to consider post-pop-punk (bands that at one point in their childhood really liked Brand New and opted to either take it in the direction of angry dissonance or elementary folk-pop), is hard to beat. I mean, there are 68 bands here; chances are you’ll probably like at least one of the tracks…and it’s free, so you really can’t complain about the price tag. Stand out tracks include cuts from You Me & Everyone We Know, The Guru, Caravels and Boris Smile. If you have the time to sort through the entire compilation, then definitely give this mix a chance. Topshelf Records is jangly guitars, minor chords, and a large helping
Tyler Ramsey The Valley Wind Asheville, NC
“Guitars on top of a mountain…in the middle of the ocean”
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Tyler Ramsey might have felt like a lucky guy when Band of Horses recruited the North Carolinanative to play in their band, but The Valley Wind proves it should be the other way around.While Band of Horses has hit its stride on mainstream radio and has released albums that make us say, “Yep, that’s Band of Horses, alright,” Tyler Ramsey is doing something vastly more interesting as a solo artist; his endeavor proves to be much more deserving of our time. Band of Horses bassist and producer Bill Reynolds (Avett Brothers, Lissie) really does a number with this album, providing an acoustic feel to a record that isn’t necessarily just filed with acoustic instruments. The electric guitar melodies dance with the acoustic rhythms on songs like “The Nightbird” in a way that’s entirely complementary of one another. Ramsey’s vocals will remind one more of Robin Pecknold, but to ignore the obvious Neil Young influence in the room would be dim. That being said, there is no forgery going on here: Ramsey is earnest with his songwriting and the reverb in the mix never gets gratuitous. Ben Bridwell should be counting his lucky stars he’s got Ramsey in his mix. (Fat Possum Records) -Rich Coleman www.tylerramsey.com
Wing and Hollow Frozen Trees Los Angeles, CA
“For that intimate club feeling at home”
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Frozen Trees, a self-released album from husband-and-wife duo Haven and Jill Lamoureux, is a melancholy yet empowering tribute to love and loss. With Haven on guitar and Jill on lead vocals, Wing and Hollow delivers track after track of instrumental artistry and lyrical insight. The first track, “Frozen Trees,” opens with
simple yet catchy fingerpicking guitar work that soon becomes characteristic of Wing and Hollow’s sound. Jill’s soulful voice complements the passion of the guitar strings, lamenting, “Nothing’s different, nothing’s the same.” The quality of her haunting voice is showcased in the songs “Shadowman” and “Martyr,” demonstrating her range and harmonizing abilities. Haven demonstrates his guitar dexterity in “So It Seems,” in which he first leads the listener in with light fingerpicking before transitioning into heavier strums. “Lock it Away,” one of the most attention-grabbing tracks, opens with an interesting use of percussion that draws the listener in and then gradually incorporates a harmonica, which adds another layer to the sound. The standout track of the album, however, is the closer “Evil Needs.” Powerful slides up and down the frets, a seductive and passionate voice – this song deviates from the folk feel of the album to a more dangerous and bluesy vibe. If the listener had any doubts about Wing and Hollow as a band, this one completely erases them, solidifying Haven and Jill Lamoureux as the next up-and-coming artists in LA’s burgeoning acoustic scene. (Self-released)
REVIEWS
of “average white guy” angst, a worthy snapshot of a music scene bubbling just under the surface of pop culture. (Topshelf Records) -Ben Nine-K www.topshelfrecords.org
Produced by Dorian Heartsong Mixed and Mastered by Jose Alcantar Recorded at Studio D in West Hollywood
-Ashley Amaru www.wingandhollow.com
Youth Lagoon The Year of Hibernation
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Boise, ID
“An ambient look back at childhood”
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Only in his early twenties, Trevor Powers of Youth Lagoon already reminisces about childhood innocence in his debut LP. With a yearning, breaking voice, Powers sings above dreamy layers of whimsical melodies that recall light-hearted children’s rhymes. With highly personal lyrics, Powers evokes past memories through the process of growing up, as the album moves through troughs and peaks from calming lullabies to more lively tracks. Contrasting the seemingly simplistic melodic lines are the massive layers of supporting harmonies, powered by subtle synth loops and various effects pedals. Powers’ vocals are also manipulated with an airy echo to add to the starry lo-fi feel. Such techniques allow him to venture from psych to bedroom pop while landing (at times) in ambient drone, setting camp in both tranquility and a forward drive, a sensation not unlike childhood itself. A standout in not only heartwarming (and heart-aching) compositions, The Year of Hibernation takes a bittersweet look at memories relatable to all who have passed the golden ages of youth. (Fat Possum Records) -Denise Lu www.facebook.com/youthlagoon
Rob Crow He Thinks He’s People San Diego, CA
Grey Valley Ghost Bad Malady Boston, MA
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 45
PROMOTION
Create The Perfect One-Sheet We all know that the days of bulky press kits have passed – no longer do musicians need to send 8.5”x11” glossy headshots and multi-page biographies in order to book a gig or get press. Still, there are occasions where musicians need to use good ol’ snail mail for promotion. In today’s landscape of social media pages and electronic press kits, what information do you really need to be sending in your physical press kits? KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE It’s important first to understand who is receiving the information, and what their workflow may look like. If you are sending a press kit to a publication or radio, you need to consider that these people are likely receiving (literally) hundreds of packages each week. Your job is to communicate clearly and concisely the information that they need to make a decision about your music. You may be in the greatest band ever, but you are still only going to get a minute or so of this person’s time. Start by giving yourself a quick reality check and remembering that you are not entitled to anything. Nobody is under any obligation to listen to your music, play you on the radio or review your new record. [editor’s note: Performer listens to each record we receive, but the honest truth is most publications DON’T.] If you want someone’s attention, get it by being respectful and considerate – having a great story to tell doesn’t hurt, either. Once you have accepted that, then begin 46 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
ONE-SHEET CHECK LIST Band/Artist Name Headline Brief Press Release Genre Description Band Photo Management, Booking and Press Contact Information
(company name, contact name, email and phone) If a CD release: Image of the CD cover Release title Release date Track listing (with run times) Optional additions: “For fans of” or “RIYL” If this is going to retail, it may be helpful to include the UPC bar code from your CD.
thinking about what you should be sending. There may have been a time when filling your envelope with confetti was quirky and cute, but those days are gone. In many instances, that is now a sure-fire way to get your music thrown in the trash. In today’s post-recession workplace, people are doing more than ever. Tell people what they need to know, and make it easy for them. You can throw in some personality, but the most effective thing you can do while promoting your music is be considerate of other people’s time and needs. Publications need to tell a compelling story, think hard about yours when putting together your one-sheet. In addition to being busy, the people receiving your package likely care to some extent about the environment and the amount of paper being used (or wasted) for your press kit. A good, clear one-sheet and a copy of your CD is all you really need in a physical package today. A magazine isn’t going to use your glossy printed photo, so don’t bother sending it. If they choose to cover your music, they are going to ask for a hi-res digital photo (remember, the days of “camera-ready” artwork are long gone). Save yourself the ink and go ahead and skip the “press clippings” page as well. Any influential quotes can be worked into your press release. LAYOUT AND NECESSARY INFORMATION When putting together your one-sheet, it is important to present your information in a clear, digestible format. You should include information about your event (CD release, important licensing deal, or other press-worthy story), a bit of info about your band, a photo, and contact information. A good press release will combine your news and band info together, so make sure that you work with a publicist who is able to craft an effective press release for you. The purpose of the one-sheet is to serve the person reading it, and give them a quick snapshot of all the information they need. The one-sheet shouldn’t be so short that they have to chase you down for information, and it shouldn’t be so long that it has to be in a 6pt font in order to fit everything on one page (yes, one page, hence the term “one-sheet”). When in doubt, always keep it simple. Your one-sheet should be designed to convey the overall character of your band, but the primary goal is to keep this piece readable and convey your story to the recipient. Stay away from overly embellished fonts, and make sure that the overall layout of the piece is easy to follow. The better your piece serves the reader, the greater your return will be. You are an artist, but your creative outlet is your music. An effective, if somewhat utilitarian, onesheet will do more for your music than a highly personalized, flashy, hard-to-read one will. Visit www.performermag.com for an easy template you can use to build your own one-sheet. Pamela Ricci is an artist manager and consumer marketing manager in the Boston area.
LEGAL
A LEGAL GUIDE TO TOURING THE UK HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN BANDS WILL TREK ACROSS THE POND THIS YEAR to tour the United Kingdom. Breaking through in the UK has become a tried and true method for bands in the States to expand their audience and create a buzz overseas. However, touring abroad is a much different beast than traveling abroad. To do it right, a band needs ample time to prepare the necessary paperwork, not to mention booking gigs, preparing gear accommodations, and determining insurance needs, to name a few. If you’re considering your first tour overseas, here are some things to keep in mind: Getting There (Passports): If you are a U.S. citizen and have decided to tour in the UK, you must have a valid U.S. passport. All forms, for a new passport or a renewal, can be obtained online through the U.S. Department of State’s website: http://travel.state.gov. The cost varies between $55 and $165 depending on if you’re a first time applicant, renewing, or obtaining a passport book or card. Check out http://iafdb.travel.state.gov to view the passport facilities nearest you and apply at least two months in advance of your trip. If you need to obtain a passport sooner than that, you may opt for the expedited service (which takes two weeks, with an additional $60 fee). Passports are valid for ten years. After receiving your passport, be sure to sign it in ink; otherwise it will not be valid. Use a pencil to fill in the emergency contact information so that it can be readily updated. Performing (Permits and Visas): In order for your group to perform in the UK, you need the requisite permits or visas. Essentially you have three options*: Work Permit, Entertainment Visa, or Business Visa. Work Permit: If you are planning a traditional tour (i.e. performing for money) you’ll need a work permit, regardless of the duration of your stay or how many gigs you’ve lined up. Your work permit will be applied for by your employer – most likely your promoter or, in rarer circumstances, the club/booking agent. You’ll need a strict itinerary locked in prior to your employer applying for permits. If your band is less than 19 people, you’ll need a work permit for each member. Your
UK-based employer can find applications for work permits for musicians specifically under the Sportspeople and Entertainers work permit category. There is a fairly short turnaround for the work permit application process, generally around two weeks. Entertainment Visa: An entertainment visa is the way to go if your band is (a) heading to the UK to perform in a music competition; (b) taking part in a cultural event sponsored by the government, or (c) taking part in a charity concert. These are generally good for six months and afford you the luxury of staying abroad without the same restrictions you’ll encounter with a work permit. Of course, an entertainment visa is essentially predicated on the basis that you (i) are not paid for performing; and (ii) can include proof that you can support yourself during your time in the country. Business Visa: In rare instances, a business visa may be the appropriate ticket to performing in the UK. If your band plans to perform at unpaid auditions and/or make personal appearances and promotions (radio interviews, talk shows, etc.) then a work permit is not required and you can get by on a business visa.
* Some bands have created a fourth option: traveling under the guise of tourists. This plan, which includes foregoing permits and visas, borrowing gear, bouncing from gig to gig and seeing what happens is neither airtight nor legal. If you take this route, be prepared for setbacks, tour cancellations and possible legal
action. All in all, if you’re serious about your career and your tour, get serious about taking the correct steps to do it right. Staying Out of Trouble: From accidents to arrests to theft, there is no shortage of ways to get into trouble overseas. To get started on the right foot, once you’re ready to head out, consider registering your trip with the U.S. embassy or consulate in your destination country. There is pretty much no downside to this: registration is free and ensures that you can gain assistance from the Department of State in the case of an emergency. To register, go to: travelregistration.state. gov/ibrs. As an added safeguard, visit the U.S. embassy or consulate upon arrival. If you get into trouble along the way, the American Citizens Service (ACS) is the agency within each U.S. Embassy that will serve as your life preserver. ACS can assist you in many ways: passport replacements (you can have your passport replaced usually within 24 hours), financial assistance (transferring funds), medical information (local doctors, dentists, mental health specialists, etc.), informing your family if you are injured, and assisting you and your band in case of natural disaster or evacuation. In case of theft, your best bet is to prepare backups of your most important information. Consider investing in an encrypted thumb drive prior to your departure and upload records of your work permits, visa, credit cards, passport information and social security card, credit card cancellation information, insurance contact information (health and travel) and anything else you might need in a bind. Adam Barnosky is a practicing attorney and writer specializing in entertainment law and business development. He has worked with musicians, actors, and playwrights in Boston and New York City. Find him on Twitter @adambarnosky. DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this column is general legal information only. Any use of this column does not create or constitute an attorney-client privilege. Consult your attorney for all specific considerations.
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 47
PACKAGING
Album Art, Packaging & Design CONSULTING WITH PHIL YARNALL OF SMAY DESIGN By Benjamin Ricci / Photos courtesy of Phil Yarnall
As president of SMAY DESIGN, Phil Yarnall has been creating unique, intelligent design and packaging for the music and entertainment industry for over 20 years. Performer recently had the chance to pick Phil’s brain about his career, designing for album packaging, and consulting for independent musicians on their various project needs. How did you get your start in the design field? Well, basically it’s what I always wanted to do. Once I started getting into music in high school, cool stuff like The Replacements and The Clash, it all clicked and I knew I wanted to do album packaging, or album covers as they were called back then. I don’t think many people refer to them as that anymore. Well, vinyl’s making a come-back…sort of. Yeah, oh definitely! I actually get to do quite a bit of vinyl these days. I work with the Hendrix family and every time they do a release I get to do big deluxe 180-gram vinyl versions of things for them. 48 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
That’s awesome. Now, do you approach working on a CD differently than you would an LP, with a full 12 inches of space and gatefold covers? Sometimes. I know that there’s been a lot of talk about the scale of stuff moving down and some designers are even designing for icons on iPads and iTunes, and that’s pretty sad. Pretty soon I’m just going to be designing little graphics for a pill that you take, where you swallow the music and it just stays in your gut somehow. The approach is generally the same, I just think when you see it large, and when you see that 12-inch vinyl, it’s just so much more impressive. It brings it all so much more to life.
The smaller everything gets in your hand and the closer your eyes get together, I just find it harder to enjoy. When you started, were you working with local bands or were you actually able to get more recognized work right away? When I got out of school I poked around for a while in New York, showing my work around and trying to find something. My first job was not really for bands or anything. It was just for record industry ads in magazines, but the guy who I began to work for was a hero of mine. He designed the Some Girls LP by the Rolling Stones. Oh wow, the pull out sleeve with all the faces on it? Yes, that was him. He did that, he designed [Led Zeppelin’s] Physical Graffiti. He was a very inspiring guy. He encouraged me to stay in New York because that’s where a lot of this work is. Not long after that, I ended up at PolyGram Records, which no longer exists, but that’s where I got my start for three and a half years.
What were some of your favorite projects during that time? Back then I worked on all kinds of stuff. I did work for Bon Jovi; I actually had my handwriting on the side of their tour jet, which I thought was cool. I did a lot of weird little projects too, I did a lot of work for Philip Glass, and I designed a logo for his label. I didn’t have any computer skills back then - I learned it all on the job. You had to deal with the classic ‘office politics’ and that’s where I learned my hatred for living in a cubicle. Did you move on to more freelance stuff? Actually, I started doing a couple of projects for one of the big guys at the company. He’s basically the guy who invented the box set with the big Allman Brothers Dreams. It worked great for both of us, so we were doing stuff for a lot of people like Rod Stewart, Tim Hardin, and Roy Buchanan - these ’60s folkrock guys. Then eventually we started talking about the Velvet Underground and shortly after I had started my first company. It was called Smay Vision; I started it with an old roommate and we had bands together in college, and we had always talked about starting a company. So we basically worked out of our apartment, shared one computer, and eventually every time we got more money we re-invested it and bought more equipment. We finally got two computers and some chairs. Those early days, it’s really slow building. You go out in the morning, you sell a bunch of your old CDs that you had got from the record company to get money for lunch, and you go back and work for a little bit, then you go out drinking. That was the lay of the land back then. How long would the typical project take from conception to execution? It depends on the scale of the project. I worked on an AC/DC project that was a pretty involved set and that took two years. But that was the one where the box was an actual amplifier that you could plug into a guitar. But a lot of times I get stuff and it varies so much on how much people have their act together. I just did a project for Morris Day and the Time and basically I talked to the guy on Friday, I directed the photo shoot over the phone on the following Wednesday, and then turned in the mechanicals the following Monday. I prefer it not to go like that because it just eats up all my time and it’s crazy. A lot of times there’s this three point system where you can get it done really fast, really cheap, or really well. But you can only pick two of those. I try to do as much of it as well as I can because when you’re running your own business, everything speaks about what you do and you don’t want to represent yourself in a bad light. I’d like to focus on our audience, which is made up largely of musicians. Is there a typical faux pas that you see a lot in graphic design
or packaging that bands should try to avoid? Whether it’s awful fonts, or some sort of bad composition in a photo? Honestly, the biggest advice I have is to make sure you have someone who knows what they’re doing. In the early days, one of the things that helped me get a really good reputation was doing things right. You wouldn’t go out and have to come back and get things fixed. I did that a lot for people who kept screwing up jobs. These clients would call me and ask me to just fix these files and make them the way they’re supposed to be. When you have an understanding of how things are printed and how all that is done, it really helps the process. Are there any basic technical considerations that artists doing it on their own should be aware of, like color spaces or things such as that? Yeah, a lot of times people don’t realize. They say, “Oh, I have an image I pulled off the Internet or I shot with my phone,” and the resolution of the image is way too small and it’s not going to reproduce well, or it’s going to look very amateur. I think people want to represent themselves as professional as possible. Some people get a thing for a weird typeface and they want to do it and it’s like, ‘Alright. I’ll do it. I’m not going to like it, but I’ll do it.’ Right now I’m designing some Janice Joplin single covers and I just used one of the forbidden typefaces. Well, not really forbidden but… Please tell me you didn’t go with Comic Sans… No no no, that’s like cardinal sin right there. I went with Cooper Black, which can actually be used well if you know what you’re doing. The Black Keys used it on their last album cover. It’s one of those homely, puffy typefaces; it doesn’t get much respect. It’s weird, I was just reading a whole thing about the horrors of Comic Sans, about how someone actually saw it on a tombstone one time. It’s just really horrifying. It’s good to have some sort of direction.
When I talk to people a lot of times I’ll ask, ‘What are some of your favorite album covers? Which ones speak to you? What words would you associate with your band or your music?’ It can be tricky working with independent artists and smaller bands. I’ve worked with the full range from small bands to AC/DC. I just worked on a project recently with a band and I think the guy went off his meds or something; he tried to cancel the project halfway through it and the band was falling apart. Band politics are always fun, huh? This one has a whole system of politics and medication, and bi-polar disorders and all kinds of elements. It ended up coming out okay, and he ended up getting the main cover art [tattooed] really big on his chest. So I was like, ‘Damn! All right, go for it, man!’ So you do still offer design services for independent musicians? Oh yeah! I’ve been thinking that I’d like to try and get more into that, to work with people who are willing to do stuff that’s a little more than a nice photo of them sitting on stage, and a nice clean, clear type-face that they can show to get gigs. I understand it; right now performance and playing gigs is where most of the money is, but I’m hoping to keep the whole album cover thing alive a little bit longer. It’s still important to me and it’s a great way to merge music and art.
CONTACT: Phil Yarnall SMAY DESIGN phil@smaydesign.com www.smaydesign.com
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 49
STUDIO DIARY
I N
T H E
S T U D I O
W I T H
G A B A G AV I
GETTING LOST IN NEW ORLEANS TO FIND HIS SOUND Interview by Benjamin Ricci
--IMPORTANT GEAR USED-RHODES PIANO HAMMOND B3 & LESLIE SPEAKERS PRO TOOLS HD VINTECH X73 PRE AMP API 512C PRE AMP VINTAGE NEUMANN U-47 VOCAL MIC SONY C37A VOCAL MIC OTARI MTR-90 MKII 2” TAPE MACHINE GAKKEN ANALOG SYNTHESIZER SX150
50 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
What was your pre-production like on this project? On the flight down to NOLA I had my Macbook and a notepad open. I started off with a list of about 30 songs that I was determined to at least halve by the time I got down there. After I arrived, Tom [Drummond] and I spent a week narrowing down the song choices and then working on arrangements. We ended up with 13 songs. We created scratch tracks and then over the following month or so, e-mailed tweaks back and forth to arrangements until we really felt we hit it. But even then, last minute changes happened right before tracking began when Travis [McNabb] came in to session drums.What was really great about this project was just a new found creativity. The studio had so many toys that I don’t have access to on a regular basis or have even messed with. Like a Rhodes Piano, I’d never messed with one before. I ended up writing a new song in the
middle of the week of pre-production that we only got as far as a verse/chorus with no real lyrics, but we knew it was special. That happened a couple of times, and it was that creative and organic flow that really made the project special. The other thing that was great was that it really let us find out what wasn’t working. There was a song called “High.” It was on the list, and we did a scratch and everything, and after we tracked all the instruments, it just wasn’t there. If we hadn’t spent the time on pre-production making sure we had enough, we might’ve forced it through because we didn’t have anything to replace it. How does this compare to your last release, in terms of style and the creative process? The best way to describe it is really like being called up from the minors. I had never been in a studio at that point. This was a totally different
Why did you go with Tom Drummond to produce this record? I’ve known him for a while; we were friends prior to working together on the album. I had always been a huge fan of his band Better Than Ezra, along with the intelligence and breadth of pop sensibility they put out. After going through a dark year with some personal issues, I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue to pursue music, and I had to make a decision. Was I was gonna put out another record or not? If so, it would be done right. Real time in a studio, working with a producer, real instruments, and everything that came as a result. I wanted Tommy D to produce it. I wanted that influence, the experience, and the candor from someone who knew how to do it and what it took. BTE (as they’re often referred to) owned Fudge Recording Studios in New Orleans and up until the point when we recorded it had been their private studio. Just before that, Tom and a partner, Jack Miele, bought the studio out with plans to turn it into a public recording studio. I happened to be one of the first projects to work there during that transitional period. What kind of sound were you looking for on this record? Big. Polished. Real. We wanted something that was pop as much as it was singer/songwriter, with some rock thrown in there. My first record was done in three days. I’m not saying it was rushed, but it was a different approach and a different sound. I wanted this record to come out sounding like it belonged. I wanted the songs to feel like if you didn’t know better, you’d think you were listening to something on the radio, or in a movie, or on a TV show. We wanted to have this big and vibrant sound, but we wanted every instrument to be heard. I didn’t want just all these tracks and MIDI files and instruments that all took up the same register and you couldn’t distinguish one from the next. Sticking amps in tiled and mirrored bathrooms, tossing omni (room) mics in all sorts of places that pick up slight delays in sound two, and three times over. It made the tracks have so much more depth and added layers to them. For
instance, you pick up those phantom snare drum notes that resonate out and aren’t picked up by the directional mic. Besides being a phenomenal musician, Tommy D is heavy into the technical aspect of the process and it really gave the project a versatile and broad perspective. Not enough can be said regarding mastering. It was something that I really didn’t understand or think could make such a difference. Props to Bruce [Barielle] for making the songs shine without taking away their integrity. Mastering is sort of this magical place where a shot of steroids is injected into a song, and it breathes a new life, but it’s being able to understand that point of not taking it too far just because you can, or because that’s what everyone is doing. I think we found a pretty good balance. Can you tell us why you recorded to tape and digitally at the same time? We recorded everything to 2” tape as well as digitally. It gave us the ability to really capture the sounds that were coming through. When you record straight to digital, it’s all 1s and 0s. If your instrument peaks, it’s instantly compressed. That doesn’t happen with tape. Tape captures every ring, no compression. What’s nice is sometimes you’re wanting that sound that’s getting some distortion, or that happens by accident, that would be lost if it was done just digitally. But going parallel really allows transfers to be accurate, as well as the obvious benefits of editing. It was pretty great seeing two sets of technologies working together. What were the toughest challenges you faced? Timing and confidence. We had two weeks slated for recording all the instruments. It was a pretty dynamic schedule of people flying into town, organizing the order of recording, and making sure it would work. The day before I was ready to head down (which was right at Thanksgiving) I was in a pretty significant car accident. It was a tough call whether or not to go forward with the
Otari 2” Tape Machine
ARTIST: Gaba Gavi ALBUM: Temporary Hero RECORDING STUDIO: Fudge Recording Studio in New Orleans RECORD LABEL: Self-Released RELEASE DATE: November 2011 ENGINEERED, MIXED & PRODUCED BY: Tom Drummond CO-PRODUCED BY: Gaba Gavi ASSISTANT ENGINEER: Jacques DeLatour MASTERED BY: Bruce Barielle Mastering
STUDIO DIARY
approach, and that’s what I wanted. I wanted to come in and really work with someone else, be able to bounce ideas off of someone, and really be open to hearing, ‘You know what, that sorta sucks.’ Not that that happened, but you know, being open to changing what I might’ve had in tunnel vision, which is easy to fall into when you do everything on your own. The whole process was really organic, and never pressured. We knew that we had time in between sessions, because of financial obligations and other work. It was a week here, two weeks there, every few months. It turned out to be a great process, for me at least, because it gave a lot of perspective to the songs.
session, but I knew it would’ve been next to impossible to get all these people around a short window like that. It was tough on me, though. I would get fatigued really fast, random headaches, wasn’t sleeping, and just sorta had a feeling of irritation and depression that I wasn’t able to perform like I needed. I would have trouble with timing on both the guitar and the movements involved with playing the piano. Vocally, I just wasn’t there. Normally, I would be happy to track vocals all day and night, but I was a mixture of frustration and pain that ended up coming through in the session. We were able to get all the instrumentation down because of the scratch tracks we created, but it was clear the vocals would need to have a second pass along with some of my acoustic tracks. They weren’t strong. It was clear that I wasn’t fully there, emotionally, vibe-wise, and performance-wise. This ended up pushing the whole project pretty far back because of schedules with Tom, myself, and the studio, as well as putting me in some pretty serious financial stress. The result is what caused us to shift the direction of the project from a full length into a two part EP series, which will eventually combine as an LP called Something’s Wrong With Everything. The first part of that is what is coming out now, called Temporary Hero.
Gakken Analog Synth
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 51
STEREO GUIDE
PUT TOGETHER A
SYSTEM ON A BUDGET By Benjamin Ricci If you’re a musician, chances are you take great pride in carefully crafting your music, especially when you’re in the studio. So why are you still listening to your favorite tunes on tiny earbuds or the blown out computer speakers that came with your PC ten years ago? You want your music to be heard properly, so why not practice what you preach? It’s time for an upgrade, and time to listen to music as it was meant to be heard – on a good stereo system. Now that audio retailers are a fading memory, and specialized stereo stores have gone the way of the 8-track, your best bet on a budget is to piece together quality used components. The golden age of stereo systems was the 1970s, and snatching a great piece of gear from that era is affordable, and will provide you a top-of-the-line listening experience at a rock bottom price. Here’s a quick guide to help you get started on your way to true audiophile heaven.
RECEIVER The receiver is the heart of your system. It combines the switching capabilities and tone controls of a preamplifier, and adds a built in AM/ FM tuner and amplifier to drive your speakers. Vintage receivers can be had for under $100, and are typically built like tanks. They should be, considering that they originally went for upwards of $1000, when adjusted for inflation. Ignore misleadingly low power ratings, as receivers in the 1970s and 1980s were rated differently, meaning an older 15-30 watt receiver have plenty of power to drive most speakers and fill a room with clean, crisp audio. Look for receivers that have enough inputs for your components – typically this will be at least TAPE IN, AUX, and PHONO (needed for a turntable). Lighted dials and brushed metal knobs on these old units complete the package and add a great aesthetic touch. When buying used gear, a little DeoxIT will clean up any scratchy or noisy pots, switches and knobs. Recommended Brands: Harman/Kardon, Pioneer, Marantz, Yamaha, Kenwood, Realistic, Rotel, Sansui.
52 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
SPEAKERS The most important link in the chain, your speakers will obviously be what shapes the sound you’re hearing. With receivers, vintage is the best way to go as far as value is concerned. With speakers, you might want to go new, or at least more recent to avoid having to refoam old, crumbling woofers and blown tweeters. If you were going to splurge on any aspect of your system, this would be the place to do it. You’ll need to decide whether you have the room for floor standing speakers, or if bookshelf models are the way to go. A nice pair of high-efficiency bookshelf speakers can deliver surprisingly good sound, and tight bass, in a very small enclosure. Recommended Brands: Axiom Audio, Paradigm, Mirage, Polk Audio, JBL, Boston Acoustics.
HEADPHONES When the neighbors start complaining, it’s time to throw on the cans. Headphones are an often-overlooked part of a stereo setup, but can also provide the most rewarding and enveloping experience, allowing you to fully tune out the world and get lost in the music. Over the ear models are recommended for the best quality. Look for headphones that can reproduce the entire audible spectrum from 20Hz~20kHz, and that are terminated with a 1/4” plug. Recommended Brands: Grado, AudioTechnica, Sennheiser, AKG, Sony.
TURNTABLE Spinning vinyl is a time-honored audiophile tradition that’s made a huge comeback in recent years. Used records can be scored on the cheap, and a good turntable will only enhance your listening experience. Look for models with standard mount headshells or tonearms, and not P-mount arms, as these tend to be lower quality, bottom of the barrel decks. Also look for belt drive manual systems, as they tend to be geared more towards true listening, and not DJ applications, like direct drive turntables. They also have fewer parts to break or interfere with vibrations from the stylus. Going vintage can save you some bread, so be on the lookout for older tables in good working order. Just don’t keep the cartridge/stylus that’s on it – who knows how old or worn it may be. As mentioned earlier, since turntables output a lower signal than CD players or cassette decks, a dedicated PHONO input is needed on your receiver to properly hook it up to your stereo. Otherwise, you’ll need to factor in the added cost of a PHONO preamp, which can set you back a pretty penny. Recommended Brands: Technics, Dual, Rega, Denon, Yamaha, Music Hall, Project, Marantz, Realistic.
CD PLAYER Avoid first generation players, which have notoriously bad (shrill) digital-to-analog converters, and whose laser assemblies tend to fail more often than second gen units and beyond. A solid audiophile CD player from the late 1980s should still work perfectly, and provide huge value for your buck. High-end decks from this era typically go for less than $40 on Craigslist and auction sites, so you’re sure to score a bargain. Check out thrift stores, as well, for great deals on stereo gear. Stick to single disc players, and not multi-disc or carousel units, which typically feature cheaper transports and are more prone to breakage over the years. Recommended Brands: Denon, Sony, Technics, Marantz, Kyocera, Dual, NEC, Kenwood, Harman/Kardon, ADC, NAD, Nakamichi, Pioneer.
CASSETTE Tapes, remember tapes? Sure you do, and cassettes have never been cheaper. Just look for the dustiest part of your local used record store, and staring you in the face should be hundreds of great albums for next to nothing. In fact, many people are willing to give away their old tapes, most of which still play just fine, if you have a solid deck to play them on. Plus, there’s nothing like a hand-made mix tape…actually on tape. Dual well decks will allow you to dub one tape to another, and also offer relay play, allowing you to listen to two complete cassettes in order without getting up. Look for 3-head decks if you can find them. You should have no trouble scoring a killer cassette deck for about $30-40, even units that once cost in the neighborhood of $500 and up. Your tape deck will use one of the tape inputs on your receiver. Having a hard time getting any audio? You may just need to press the TAPE MONITOR button the front of your receiver to select that input. Nakamichi is the king of the tape deck, and scooping up even one of their lower end models will allow you listen to your tapes at a higher quality than you ever thought imaginable. While we aren’t covering reel-to-reel in this article, know that true audiophiles still claim it’s the purest format for true listening. That may be, but the investment required to maintain a good r2r machine, not to mention the insane price and rarity of pre-recorded tapes, can be a big turn off, even for big audiophiles. Recommended Brands: Nakamichi, Denon, Marantz, Technics, Akai, Kyocera, Pioneer.
EQUALIZER The redheaded stepchild of the stereo family, the EQ often gets a bad rep as being unnecessary or just something pretty to look at as the display bounces up and down. The truth is, in less-than-ideal room layouts, an EQ can help compensate for frequency problems due to odd walls, furniture or poor acoustics. Do so in moderation, though, as too much EQ can color the music in a way that was not intended by the artist. Lighting up your EQ with the old “rock and roll smile” pattern can be good for small rooms and low volume listening, but might not be ideal for all rooms; so tweak carefully. EQs will use up one of your receiver’s tape inputs, as you’ll be sending audio to it from the receiver after selecting the appropriate input you want to EQ (AUX, PHONO, FM, etc). You’ll then send the EQ’d audio back to the receiver through the tape return or TAPE IN input. Again, remember to engage the TAPE MONITOR button to hear the EQ’d audio. If you only have on tape input, and plan on using a cassette deck and EQ, most equalizers also include a tape in/out section that will allow you to daisy chain your tape deck and EQ. Recommended Brands: Pioneer, Teac, ADC, Technics.
STEREO GUIDE
CARTRIDGE The cartridge is what picks up the sound from the record grooves through the needle, or stylus, and sends that signal through your turntable’s tonearm, out to your receiver. Vintage is not an option here, as many manufacturers have stopped supporting older cartridges and replacement styli. The good news, though, is that new cartridges will last you decades, and you’ll only have to replace the stylus every 1,200 hours or so, as long as you keep it (and your records) clean. You can go nuts on $5,000 cartridges for your turntable, but for the budget-conscious, the Shure M97xe can be had for about $75, and is an absurd value. It offers amazing clarity and tracking ability for such a modest price. Again, look for standard mount cartridges, not P-mount. Recommended Brands: Shure, AudioTechnica, Grado, Goldring, Ortofon, Sumiko, Stanton.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AudiogoN: www.audiogon.com Music Direct: www.musicdirect.com Audio Karma Forums: www.audiokarma.org/forums Jerry Raskin’s Needle Doctor: www.needledoctor.com Oak Tree Vintage: www.oaktreevintage.com Vintage Cassette: www.vintagecassette.com
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 53
GEAR REVIEWS
PROS: Small, good audio quality, easy to setup CONS: Gold housing and crystal on volume knob (Signature model) is a little much NUFORCE uDAC-2 - $129 (standard) $399 (signature) SPECS: INPUT -USB (USB 1.1, 2.0 COMPATIBLE) -MAXIMUM SAMPLING RATE: 96KHZ -RESOLUTION: 24-BITS OUTPUT -ANALOG RCA OUTPUT = 2VRMS -DYNAMIC RANGE: 90DB -S/N RATIO: 98DB -THD+N 0.05% - DIGITAL OUTPUT: COAXIAL RCA 75-OHM -HEADPHONE OUTPUT JACK -POWER OUTPUT: 80MW X 2 @ 16-OHM -HEADPHONE IMPEDANCE 16-300 OHM FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20HZ-20KHZ
MP3s are the most convenient ways to listen to and share music, but the audio quality leaves something to be desired. NuForce has released a digital to audio converter to alleviate these issues. The uDAC-2 is very compact, and our test model was in a gold plated finish. The single volume knob on the front is the only control. A USB input on the back provides connectivity and power from a computer; outputs include a coaxial digital S/PDIF, as well as analog left and right outputs, both in the standard RCA format. The 1/8” headphone output is located on the front, right next to a LED that lets you know the unit is on. Connecting it is easy (a nicely braided USB cable
is included) as no drivers or third party software are required. It’s stated in the manual that it’s NOT calibrated for professional recording environments; it is designed as a digital to analog converter for home audio use. Without getting into techno speak, it warms up and gives sterile audio new life. Most PC soundcards don’t invest in high-end D/A converters, so this is a godsend for any budding audiophile. There is no EQ control, but it’s not missed. Listening with headphones, there is a noticeable amount of solid bass response, without muffling, but more of those good frequencies that give it the “thump” that is desirable when it comes to low end. High frequencies have a nice clarity without getting spiky. It feels like more “musical” frequencies are enhanced, as if something was in the way of the speakers before, and now is gone. The RCA jacks allow connectivity to an amplifier/speaker setup, and sounded great in this configuration as well. Overall, if you’re serious about your listening experience, and want to make an upgrade to your computer listening space, the uDAC is a good start. Not something to use for listening to your band’s mixes, but for personal enjoyment, this will be (pardon the pun) music to your ears. -Chris Devine
PROS: compact, crystal clear audio, multiple inputs CONS: some distortion at high volume levels
CERWIN-VEGA XD3 SPEAKERS - $99
Some clichés are true, and the Cerwin-Vega XD3 powered speakers prove one of them: good things come in small packages. You might not think it to look at them, but these tiny beauties pack a wallop. Surprising are the crystal clear highs, the wide midrange and the tight, but not boomy, bass. Most speakers of this size sacrifice audio quality for volume, which leads to muddy low ends and shrill highs. Not the case here, but would you expect anything less from a company with a heritage as rich as Cerwin-Vega’s? Set up is a breeze; just connect the included speaker wire, plug in the power cable and turn them on. There is an adjustable switch on the rear of the left speaker that controls bass boost, an illuminated volume control on the front and even multiple inputs, a big plus if you want to connect and switch between several sources on 54 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
the fly. When put though their paces, the XD3s performed exceptionally well with CD audio, BluRay audio tracks (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD), MP3 files as well as unmixed tracks from Pro Tools. While not specifically designed for audio production, a bedroom studio on a budget could easily incorporate the XD3s for low volume monitoring situations. The only downside, which is going to be true of most units this size, is that some distortion becomes present when the XD3s are fully cranked. With only a 3” woofer and 3/4” tweeter, that’s almost unavoidable. Thankfully, break up and clipping does not occur at normal listening volumes, only when you really push these bad boys beyond their limits. -Benjamin Ricci
SPECS: -MAGNETICALLY SHIELDED -3” WOOFER AND 3/4” TWEETER -15 WATTS PER CHANNEL WITH BUILT IN CROSSOVER -WEIGHT: 6.5 LB -DIMENSIONS: 8” X 5.5” X 6.5”
MANUFACTURER PROFILE
GEAR REVIEWS
SONIVOX LIBRARIES OF SOUND You don’t know SONiVOX, but you know their sounds. Their audioINSIDE technology powers the sound in every Android phone and their EAS technology has powered Motorola’s phones since 2005, and that’s just their side project. SONiVOX designs and develops music software that puts an orchestra at your fingertips, a drummer in your pocket and a studio in your laptop. Libraries like Symphonic and Broadway Big Band are commonly used to score TV and film while synthesizers like Twist are crushing dance floors around the world. Jennifer Hruska founded SONiVOX in 1993 in Somerville, MA. Her new company quickly earned a reputation for quality and innovation as they began to create an expansive set of libraries and instruments, available from the first on-line store for musician’s sounds. Artists and businesses took notice, and suddenly SONiVOX was making sounds for the world at large. Despite worldwide implementation of their software, SONiVOX is still just a ten-person team dedicated to developing new technologies that inspire us to make music for the future, no matter if it’s in a Hollywood score, or on your phone. www.sonivoxmi.com
REVIEW: SONIVOX WOBBLE: DUBSTEP GRIME GENERATOR - $149 Destined to shake clubs, bob heads, and destroy neighborly relations everywhere, Wobble rocks the party with more LFO synced madness than a college dorm at one in the morning. SONiVOX’s new spectral morphing synthesis engine powers a sleek design that makes managing Wobble’s endless possibilities easy and fun. The front-end interface puts the most important features up front to play with, while those willing
to go a little deeper will be able to modulate note values and synth parameters with the first-of-itskind tempo-locked pattern generator. This allows you to create sounds that twist and jump like their audiences. NEMESYNTH Audio Research Group developed Wobble’s new synthesis engine and tamed its 800 parameters into a bevy of infinitely tweakable presets. Ready, Set, Rage. -Garrett Frierson
emastering mastering your way sound soundmirror.com mirror 617.522.1412
NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE 55
TOUR STOP
SOMERVILLE, MA Planning a tour and looking for a Boston date? Well, you’ll quickly find that most of the good clubs in town…well, aren’t actually in town. Boston’s a tiny city, so many of the best venues, gear shops, record stores, recording studios and press outlets are located in
neighboring communities (of which there are many). That brings us to historic Somerville, which borders Cambridge, and sits about two and half miles outside of Boston proper. It’s also home base for Performer! -Benjamin Ricci
VENUES
PRESS
RECORD STORE
PA’s Lounge
Somerville Journal
Somerville Grooves
345 Somerville Ave. Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 776-1557 pabooking@gmail.com
80 Central Street Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 625-6300 jfennimore@wickedlocal.com
26 Union Square Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 666-1749 somervillegrooves@gmail.com
WWW.PASLOUNGE.COM
WWW.WICKEDLOCALSOMERVILLE.COM
WWW.SOMERVILLEGROOVES.COM
PA’s (technically the Portuguese-American club) is right down the street from Performer, and hosts our monthly “Performer Presents” show. They feature a diverse calendar of performers each month, and a welcoming atmosphere for out-of-town acts.
Radio 379 Somerville Ave. Somerville, MA 02143 playatradio@gmail.com WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/RADIOSOMERVILLE
The newest club on the block, Radio opened in October, and is booked in part by former Performer staffer and Boston Band Crush founder, Ashley Willard.
Precinct
Somerville News 699 Broadway Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 666-4010 news@thesomervillenews.com
Newly opened in Union Square, Somerville Grooves features an impressive stock of used vinyl at very reasonable prices. Best of all, they only sell records in good condition, which we can personally attest to here at Performer.
WWW.THESOMERVILLENEWS.COM
GEAR
Performer Magazine
Rockin Bob’s Guitars
24 Dane Street Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 627-9200 editorial@performermag.com
31 Holland Street Davis Square Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 625-7707
WWW.PERFORMERMAG.COM
WWW.USEDSOUND.COM
Hey, that’s us! Send us your latest release on the format of your choice – CD, cassette or vinyl - we listen to everything that’s sent our way.
Rockin Bob’s is celebrating 30 years of business, and currently stocks a nice selection of used guitars and amps for your gigging needs. Check out our article on page 10 of this month’s issue.
70 Union Square Somerville, MA 02143 (617) 623-9211 Robert@precinctbar.com WWW.PRECINCTBAR.COM
Precinct hosts a wide variety of bands, and along with PA’s Lounge, plays host to the Deep Heaven Now festival twice a year.
Johnny D’s 17 Holland Street Davis Square Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 776-2004 booking@johnnyds.com WWW.JOHNNYDS.COM
Johnny D’s hosts local, regional and national acts just about every night of the week, and is conveniently located right across the street from the Davis T stop on the Red Line. That’s our subway system, for you out-of-towners.
RECORDING STUDIO Q Division Studios 363 Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 623-3500 studiomanager@qdivision.com WWW.QDIVISION.COM
Legendary Q Division Studios has been in town for over 25 years, recording countless local and national albums on their worldclass gear. If you’re even thinking about recording in New England, the Q should be at the top of your list. photos by Arthur Orfanos
56 NOVEMBER 2011 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
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