I was recently interviewed by Darryl Gregory for his podcast, Unsigned Underground. He wanted to talk to me about my role as a producer on the much of the music I’ve recorded over the last year, including albums with Lauren Zettler and Erika Lloyd.

This is the first recorded interview I’ve done, and listening back I found myself taking mental notes on how to better answer interview questions. That’s the kind of habit you develop when you record yourself doing anything repeatedly. So, uh, have a listen, um, over at Unsigned Underground.

Inspired by my recent recording session, a panel discussion at the Dewey Beach Music Conference, and a few conversations with producers, engineers, and musicians at this year’s AES convention, I decided to write an article about getting the most out of a professional recording studio:

Preparing for the Recording Studio – MusicianWages.com

It’s geared towards somebody that’s never recorded this way.  Chances are, you’ve spent a great deal of effort writing songs that you really believe in and getting your band to sound really good.  Now you’re ready to invest in some bonafide studio time and record your seminal debut album.  But where do you start?  The first time I did it, I admit that I was a little distracted by the amount of money I was spending.  My playing probably suffered.  I learned from that experience, I’ve done a lot of recording since then, and my latest experience was incredible.  We got the most out of our time in the studio, had a great time, and the music is better for it.

If you’re interested in other articles I’ve written, there’s a short list here on my site on the Articles page (under the About menu).  Enjoy!

The biggest news that I haven’t posted here just yet is that I’ve just finished a new album with Lauren Zettler.  It’s a Christmas album called Sounds Like Snow, and consists of nine classics and one original.  It should be available on iTunes by the time you want to start listening to holiday music, but check back here soon to be able to preview the whole thing a little early.

And in equally important news, I recently joined the band Little Grey Girlfriend.  Several of the band members should be familiar to you already–Erika Lloyd, who I recorded Pour A Little Everything Else with earlier this year is the front-woman, and she’s backed by both Brad Whiteley and Kenneth Salters, best known at this URL as the other 2/3 of my trio. Check out their music on iTunes!  My first show with them will probably be in early December.

I had my point and shoot camera on hand at rehearsal and the recording session, and captured some of Brad’s antics. As we’re packing up at the end of rehearsal, he always plays around with the synth sounds on that Korg X5.

The clips at the beginning and end are from the rough mixes of our recording session–just to give you an idea of what’s to come!

I’m lounging on my couch today after two long days at Seaside Lounge recording studios in Brooklyn.  The days should have been tiring–the live room was pretty hot and very humid, we did a lot of takes on a lot of songs–but we were having so much fun the time just kind of flew by.  We recorded 10 songs for the new album, plus some extra improvisations, all in all probably enough music for a box set.  The next few weeks I’ll be working with Brad and Kenneth choosing the best takes, and then we’ll have some more recording to do.

My friend Josh Penchina, a documentary film producer, joined us both days in the studio and did a lot of filming.  He might have about as many hours of film to go through as we have music.  He’ll be using this footage and more to make a short video about the project.  Needless to say, I’m very excited about this!

Many thanks to Eric, our engineer, for working so hard with us.  I had a pretty aggressive schedule in mind, but he worked fast and the whole session felt very relaxed.  I think that will come across in the music, not to mention the great sounds he captured.

And of course, I couldn’t do any of this without the guys in the band.  Their playing was incredible.  We’d finish a take on a difficult tune, look around the room at each other, know what we needed to do on the next take and just count it off.

I feel great about what we recorded and can’t wait to start the next step of the process.

At the end of the week, we’ll be in the studio doing the live tracking for the entire album.  After the dust settles next week I’ll have more updates, hopefully with some previews of what’s to come, and shed some light on some more exciting news!

Last Spring, vocalist Erika Lloyd (of Little Grey Girlfriend) and I spent several weeks working on a collection of cover songs for an album called Pour A Little Everything Else. Finally, that album is available on iTunes! The entire project was self produced. Erika arranged all the vocals (be sure to check out the amazing vocal rendition of The Beatles “Fool On The Hill”) and I played all the instruments. It was a true labor of love which I hope you will enjoy. Please tell your friends!

Track listing:

1. Everything Means Nothing To Me (Elliott Smith)
2. All I Want (Joni Mitchell)
3. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) (The Doors)
4. One Caress (Depeche Mode)
5. Creep (Radiohead)
6. Soul Love (David Bowie)
7. Faith (George Michael)
8. Hey (The Pixies)
9. Fool On The Hill (The Beatles)
10. Don’t Your Worry ‘Bout A Thing (Stevie Wonder)
11. Nobody Home (Pink Floyd)
12. Heart Of Glass (Blondie)
13. Cherry Coloured Funk (Cocteau Twins)

Available on iTunes and CD Baby.

Noah And The Whale’s Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down was part of the soundtrack to the Midwest Tour I did with Lauren Zettler. It was one of the CDs she brought along, and it became the default album when we couldn’t decide what to listen to during our 3,300 miles of driving. The arrangements and textures in this music are outstanding, the songwriting is clever, and the production is very musical. If you haven’t heard of this band, do check them out.

I first started listening to Ram by Paul McCartney while hanging out with Russell and Drew, a couple guys I work with on a few musical side projects. When we need ideas for writing and recording music, McCartney records are chock full of inspiration. I go here especially when I’m in a jam working on an arrangement. This is a great place to start if you want to explore McCartney’s solo stuff, though his recent albums are also high on my list.

One of my favorite Meters‘ albums, much thanks to the tracks “People Say,” “Jungle Man,” and “Just Kissed My Baby,” Rejuvination is one of my go-to funk albums. I’ve been listening a lot recently to get myself in the groove for recording my next trio album, but also because I’ve been working on so much music that isn’t funk, it’s refreshing to put this on and just kick back from time to time.

Curious about my other favorite albums? Check out my last Broken Records post or visit my Last.fm profile.

Are people supposed to know how to listen to your music if you don’t tell them?

Whenever I’ve tried a new wine, the decision was easier when somebody explained the nuances of it’s region or how to pair it with food. I always avoided trying something new if the person selling it to me was snobbish. In fact, John Cleese’s Wine For The Confused is a great documentary on talking about and discovering wine. The way he asks people to find words to describe the flavors is brilliant (English accent on brilliant).

Music is no different, really. If you’re stuck up about it, people don’t think your music is better, they just think you’re an asshole. Jazz has a terrible reputation because of a small number of purists who use lingo confusing to the lay person. Classical styles of music have worse reps for the same reason.

On the other hand, if you give people some perspective on your music before they try it, they’ll be more open to what they’re hearing and have a fuller experience. Don’t always act like they have to sit there and concentrate on every note or lyric. That’s not how we drink wine. Instead suggest some activities that are enhanced by your music. It’s a great starting place.

Think of all the music from your life that is tied to happy memories. Whenever I listen to Rage Against the Machine or Jack-o-Pearce I’m reminded of a particular road trip where we only had two cassette tapes in the car. The trip was a blast, and I’ll always remember that music.

We get so wrapped up in our own music that we forget others see it differently. They might not notice it at all without an invitation.

Come to think of it, free tasting is a pretty good idea, too.

My immediate thought was, “I need to trim that grey out of my beard,” but I think he was referring to the fact I looked professional (whatever that means). Anyway, I don’t think I did a good job accepting that compliment, so wherever you are, thanks dude. I appreciate it!