Distributed in 94 countries, Mix is the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry. Mix covers a wide range of topics including: recording, live sound and production, broadcast production, audio for film and video, and music technology.
IT AIN’T EVERYDAY, BUT ONCE IN A WHILE I have the pleasure of talking to Fletcher, the founder/audio cult leader of Mercenary Audio, MercenaryAudio.com. And while we don’t always agree, I definitely respect this guy for his audio saavy–which is most impressive. He’s occasionally been the center of controversy, such as the time that the centerpiece of his AES booth was an Alesis ADAT and a Mackie 1604 mixer, held high for all to see–impaled on a huge metal spike. I think he referred to that as an art project, but later acquiesced to pressure from the AES to take it down as it offended certain showgoers.
Another time, some bozo was trying to sell replacement speaker cable kits with a pair of standard household AC plugs wired to 1/4-inch connectors. The idea was that if you needed a 100-foot speaker line for a live gig, you’d just attach these adapters to an orange AC extension cable and you’d be set. Well, set for electrocution–in case someone accidentally plugged one end into a 110-volt outlet while the other was in your amp/mixer etc. Great concept, perhaps, but a VERY BAD IDEA. Anyway, Fletcher offered his own protest by outlining a body silhouette (it might have been Eveanna Manley’s) on his booth floor in yellow tape, looking much like a crime scene right after CSI-AES arrives.
Anyway, we chatted for a while and somehow got on the subject of the weirdest calls we’d ever received. I recounted one I got from some guy who couldn’t find original Shure SM57 mics. He called a half dozen retailers, who only sold SM57-LC mics. What happened to the real thing–the classic that everyone uses on everything from snares to Fender Twins? I’m not sure if he was saddened or relieved when I simply told him that the “LC” designation simply meant “less cable,” meaning it didn’t come with a cord. The guy’s response was simply: “Oops. sorry…” [click].
Fletcher laughed, and then recounted a tale of some guy who called him a few years ago, looking for an original “blackfaced” ADAT. Given the Mercenary boy’s history with ADATs, he figured someone was putting him on, because even if someone did want an ADAT tape machine, they’d most certainly opt for one of the later versions with the improved electronics and transport. This guy went on to explain that he’d read about people printing rhythm tracks to tape as an effect, had tried it with an ADAT and really dug the way it “warmed” up the sound… This guy was certainly off his rocker, but had done the near-impossible, something that few have ever accomplished, leaving the quick witted–and highly opinionated–Fletcher himself speechless. The story is almost unbelieveable, yet Fletcher swears that it’s true. Ask him sometime.
When not working on MIX stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com/ariel.html and check ‘em out. ________________________ What do YOU think? CLICK ON THE COMMENTS LINK BELOW AND SPEAK OUT!
I FIRST GOT A REAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE back in the early ‘70s, when I spent a lot of time troubleshooting gear. I finally managed to destroy it (it essentially was worn out to the nubs) after it saved my butt about a thousand times, repairing hundreds of pieces of A/V gear, from simple P.A. rigs to elaborate 70mm projection systems with 6-channel Dolby playback. I even filed down the flat screwdriver that stuck out of the side of the knife body at a 90-degree angle so it would fit those reverse-threaded XLR set screws that holds the connector into place. That same attachment also made for a pretty formidable brass-knuckle effect, although that particular usage wasn’t mentioned in any of the official Victorinox literature.
Anyway, it’s too late for Christmas now, but I just heard about a slick new entry in the Swiss Army line—even cooler than the company’s Cyberknife of a couple years back, the one that even included mini Torx drivers for repairing PCs.
Although it’s a whopping $1,200 retail, Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knife™ V1.0 #16999 certainly tops anyone’s gift list—or for those companies looking for the ultimate in tradeshow swag—this one’s the ticket. At an actual size of 8.75×3.25-inches (WxL); and weighing in at 2 pounds, 11 ounces, it’s a bit large for the average pocket. However you get a lot here…
It touts 85 implements with 110 functions in all including a 2.5″ 60% serrated locking blade; nail file, nail cleaner; corkscrew; adjustable pliers with wire crimper and cutter; removable screwdriver bit adapter; 2.5″ blade for official world scout knife; spring-loaded, locking needle-nose pliers with wire cutter; removable screwdriver bit holder; phillips head screwdriver bit 0; phillips head screwdriver bit 1; phillips head screwdriver bit 2; flat head screwdriver bit 0.5mm x 3.5mm; flat head screwdriver bit 0.6mm x 4.0mm; flat head screwdriver bit 1.0mm x 6.5mm; magnetized recessed bit holder; double-cut wood saw with ruler (inch & cm); bike chain rivet setter, removable 5mm allen wrench, screwdriver for slotted and philips head screws; removable tool for adjusting bike spokes, 10mm hexagonal key for nuts; removable 4mm curved allen wrench with philips head screwdriver; removable 10mm hexagonal key; patented locking philips head screwdriver; universal wrench; 2.4″ springless scissors with serrated, self-sharpening design; 1.65″ clip point utility blade; philips head screwdriver; 2.5″ clip point blade; golf club face cleaner; 2.4″ round tip blade; patented locking screwdriver, cap lifter, can opener; golf shoe spike wrench; golf divot repair tool; 4mm allen wrench; 2.5″ blade; fine metal file with precision screwdriver; double-cut wood saw; cupped cigar cutter with double-honed edges; 12/20-gauge choke tube tool; watch caseback opening tool; snap shackle; mineral crystal magnifier with precision screwdriver; compass, straight edge, ruler (in./cm); telescopic pointer; fish scaler, hook disgorger, line guide; shortix laboratory key; micro tool holder; micro tool adapter; micro scraper–straight; micro scraper–curved; laser pointer with 300 ft. range; metal saw, metal file; flashlight; micro tool holder; philips head screwdriver 1.5mm; screwdriver 1.2mm; screwdriver .8mm; fine fork for watch spring bars; reamer; pin punch 1.2mm; pin punch .8mm; round needle file; removable tool holder with expandable receptacle; removable tool holder; special self-centering screwdriver for gunsights; flat philips head screwdriver; chisel-point reamer; mineral crystal magnifier, fork for watch spring bars, small ruler; extension tool; spring-loaded, locking flat nose-nose pliers with wire cutter; removable screwdriver bit holder; phillips head screwdriver bit 0; phillips head screwdriver bit 1; phillips head screwdriver bit 2; flat head screwdriver bit 0.5mm x 3.5mm; flat head screwdriver bit 0.6mm x 4.0mm; flat head screwdriver bit 1.0mm x 6.5mm; magnetized recessed bit holder; tire tread gauge; fiber optic tool holder; can opener; patented locking screwdriver, cap lifter, wire stripper; reamer/awl; toothpick; tweezers; and of course, a key ring—you won’t lose your keys if this sucker is attached—guaranteed.
Of all these functions, my fave would have to be the “12/20-gauge choke tube tool” (some of use work some pretty tough gigs), but the “shortix laboratory key” sounds intriguing as well…
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
AFTER WAY TOO MANY YEARS, APPLE FINALLY did a real makeover on Logic, its flagship music/audio production software, now offered as the “Logic Studio” bundle of production tools. It’s sort of the Final Cut Studio approach, which includes FCP, Soundtrack Pro 2, Compressor, DVD Studio Pro, Motion and more–pretty much a script to screen package.
And there’s a lot of good news here. Gone is Logic’s clunky look, instead Logic 8 uses a single-screen interface that’s streamlined and fast. The surround mixing is elegant and there’s a vocal comping feature that’s just amazing. Also in the bundle is Soundtrack Pro 2 (the same version from the FCP Studio bundle), Studio Instruments, Studio Effects (with some 80 plug-ins) and Studio Sound Library, with 18,000 Apple Loops and 1,300 sampled instruments. At $499 it’s almost stupid NOT to buy this package—whether you own a Mac or not.
But what really floored me was the not-so-lowly MainStage. Intended to simplify using software instruments onstage, this standalone app provides a live performance rig for guitar/keys/bass. Virtual keys instruments and guitar/amp/effects modeling is nothing new, but what’s the big deal?
First of all, ya gotta wonder why this is in a studio production bundle anyway. Someday, Apple might wise up and include this with its iLife software, but that’s not the point. I was absolutely amazed by the keyboard setups and their ability to do splits. Again, no biggie—I even have left/right-hand organ/bass splits on my vintage ’60s Farfisa organs. Custom splits are nothing new and nearly any decent keyboard controller can store/recall different split presets for different songs. Yet the real trick with MainStage’s split keyboard mode is its ability to do intelligent splits.
Many of us have experienced the frustration of playing a bass line that as it moves up the scale, will eventually start playing piano notes. But playing left-hand bass/right hand melody parts on a keyboard that can move the split as you play, keeping you in range is pure magic. Evidently MainStage runs some algorithm that tracks your hand movements and moves the split point accordingly. It’s awesome and is probably worth the program’s $499 bundle price. Of course, once your include all the other apps—Logic 8, Soundtrack Pro 2, etc.—this is one amazing bargain.
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
WITH THE AUDIO EDUCATION FOCUS IN THIS MONTH’S MIX, I figured I rant about the learning process. When I was a high school kid back in the Paleolithic 1960s era, I wanted to learn electronics. I experimented a lot (destroying a few radios along the way), assembled Heath and Knight kits, and regularly built DIY projects featured in Radio-Electronics and Popular Electronics magazines. In-between splattering solder on my thumb and digging into these articles to figure out how to adapt the circuits to 220V/50 Hz operation (I was living in Europe at the time), I couldn’t help but notice some ads featuring a stern-faced guy who said, “Get more education or get out of electronics!”
The pitch was to promote a correspondence school’s learn-at-home electronics course. These days I can’t even recall which school it was from, but that man’s message was clear and very relevant. Today’s systems—live or recorded, analog or digital, virtual or actual— are more complex than ever, and keeping up with changing technologies requires continuing education.
However, textbook and in-class training alone aren’t enough — actual hands-on experience can make all the difference in the world. For example, changing a diaphragm on a high-frequency compression driver isn’t exactly rocket science. All you have to do is select the right replacement part (with the proper impedance), remove a few screws, match the polarity of the wires, plop the new one into place, and tighten things down.
However, there’s one detail that shouldn’t be overlooked: the procedure should be done with a nonferrous screwdriver. Unless you’re using a brass or an aluminum screwdriver, the powerful gauss field of the driver’s magnetic structure will yank the tool out of your grasp, attracting it into the center of the driver, instantly shredding the fragile, and very expensive, diaphragm. When it happens in the real-life, non-textbook world, it’s not a pretty sight and hardly a lesson that’s soon forgotten.
Other lessons aren’t so technical. Once, while walking through an audio school, I noticed a leather couch in the back of one of the facility’s control rooms. I asked the instructor if he felt the material was the right choice for a school, where students—carrying a pencil (or even a screwdriver) in their back pockets could damage the upholstery. The instructor replied that if this scenario did occur, it would be better for a student to learn the lesson at school rather than on the job. His reply was simple, but spot-on.
For me, that decades-old message from the mean-looking guy in that electronics magazine still holds true.
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
WALKING AROUND THE AES SHOW LAST WEEK, ya couldn’t miss it. Right out in the middle of the exhibit floor at New York City’s Javits convention center was a huge 30×30-foot pad of astroturf, with a rustic-looking cabin sitting right in the middle of it.
What is it? It’s a copy of Peter Gabriel’s backyard songwriting sanctum, equipped with a Solid State Logic AWS 900+ console /workstation controller, SSL XLogic outboard gear and additional Gear provided by Guitar Center Pro, including a Pto Tools HD rig, Auralex acoustic treatment, Argosy studio furniture and Henick-Lane air conditioning. Mix editor Sarah Jones and I sat down with Gabriel during the show and got his take on this. (Click here to check out the video interview.) Bringing “turnkey” to a whole new level, this “Shed of your Dreams” studio costs under $250K, depending on exact finish, specifications, the exact gear you choose and location—the user only need provide a concrete pad and electrical service.
Evidently the reaction at the show was overwhelmingly positive and from what I hear, several orders were placed. But $$$ aside, the concept of having a cool, prefab studio laid down at your location over a matter of days has a lot of merit.
The building itself is a 240-square-foot Summerwood Cheyenne cabin and it had a great vibe of its own. Gabriel’s own shed is decorated with some amazing (and quite valuable) artwork that’s NOT part of the purchase price. But as an avid art collector myself, I’d have no problem finding stuff from my own to spruce the joint up.
As an aside, my wife and I collect a variety of styles, but lately have been focusing on illustration art from science fiction. To get an idea of how cool some of this stuff is, you can check out one dealer we occasionally buy from—Worlds of Wonder at www.wow-art.com. Hey, just don’t complain to me next month because you spent all you money there, but even if you don’t, it’s a great source of eye candy—or a way of finding the right artist for your next album cover.
And while I was on the web, I checked out the Summerwood Products site www.summerwood.com (the guys who built the Gabriel shed) and was impressed by the array of designs and possibilities offered. More eye candy to be sure…
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
EVERYTHING SEEMS TO HAPPEN IN THREE’S. I’m not sure if it was my good or bad luck, but all three of the Fender tube amps in my studio have died in the past couple weeks. I’ve got a 1972 Deluxe Reverb, and two 1969 Bassmans—one with a stock 2×15 cab (we use that for bass) and the other set up for guitar with a Fender Showman Tone Ring single-15 cab, with the original JBL D130 woofer and the bizarre—yet cool-sounding—ported design.
The good luck part was that these things have run for decades (some, like the Deluxe—with the original tubes) and almost no maintenance. The bad luck part was that they all finally stopped working. Anyway, I figured it was time to go through these thoroughly, clean ‘em up inside and out and start from scratch—with all new tubes. I called Groove Tubes and they were very helpful with suggestions on exactly what tubes to use. They rate their power tubes with individual distortion ratings, so you can tailor the tunes to the spacific application/musical style/tone you’re looking for. So getting the tubes was the easy part.
I must be getting old, because I had nearly forgotten the weirdness one encounters when disecting old Fender amps, with their arcane (those four long screws) method of hanging the amps upside down—bat style—inside the cabinet. That itself isn’t so weird as trying to figure out who actually has hands with fingers skinny or long enough to hold the nut in place while reassembling the thing. But reassembly wasn’t the problem. The hang-up (pardon the pun) came from the amp assembly getting stuck on part of the sheet metal that shields the top of the amp (under the handle) from stray cosmic radiation from other galaxies. So on one of the Bassman heads, I had to completely remove the front grille and take the amp chassis out the front of the cab. Yuk!
From, there, things were a lot easier, especially when I saw that all the caps looked good. Somehow I was expecting to see sweatly blobs of goo and drippy caps, but these looked fine. But ALL of the pots exhibited noise, so each one got a shot of Caig DeoxIT and came out sweet—no static at all… And besides blowing a ton of dust out, I also hit the tip contact on each jack with a couple light file strokes—just to clear the light corrosion that can build up. Then came a cabinet wipedown and reassembly the retubing, which was all Groove tubes, except for a favorite Mullard 12AX7 that went onto one channel on the “guitar” Bassman. I did have some Groove Tube 12AX7M’s (these are the modern recreations of the vintage Mullards), but since I did have one nice NOS Mullard, it went in anyway.
After a quick bias check (highly recommended) and a couple hours burn-in—probably not necessary, but after spending an afternoon working on the amps, it was Miller time (actually Dos Equis time) at the local taqueria, which provided a nice respite before giving the amps the listening test. All were greatly improved, but the Deluxe Reverb was absolutely amazing, with exceptional tone and sustain. Morale: if an amp’s worth having, it’s worth retubing—definitely.
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
HERE WE ARE AND AES IS JUST A MONTH AWAY! It doesn’t seem so long ago when we were at AES (at least the San Francisco show) and now AES is upon us once again. If you haven’t done so already, now–or at least 21 days before the show to get those advance-purchase fares–is a good time to lock in those cheap plane tickets. Or if you’re really lucky to live within a manageable distance—train tickets.
Or to steal the lyrics from a song about another U.S. city, “GONNA TAKE A BUS. GONNA TAKE A TRAIN. EVEN IF I GOTTA WALK, GONNA GET THERE JUST THE SAME…
New York AES is the place to be if you’re an audio pro. By all indications, the show’s gonna be great, with hundreds of exhibitors hawking the latest hoo-hahs and a great selection of workshops, papers and events to keep you way busy on October 5, 6, 7 and 8th.
But the magic of AES isn’t necessarily the show itself, but a gathering of the tribes and often the best place to find the real action is late night, at the bar of the Marriott Marquis or any of the dozen other official AES hotels. In fact the number of products on the show floor that are directly attributed to sketches made on rum-soaked cocktail napkins from last year’s AES is just as staggering as the comical gait that many attendees have when exiting the bars at closing time.
If you’re really smart, call the Iridium Jazz Club (212/582-2121) and snag a couple tickets for one of Les Paul’s shows, Monday night October 8th. Les is really an American icon and in a day when the word “living legend” is bandied around to apply to nearly anyone, Les is the genuine article. The shows start at either 8 or 10 pm, but it’s best to get there early to get good seats, as there are no reserved seats and it’s first come, first serve. Check it out at www.iridiumjazzclub.com.
If you’re really, really smart, bring something for Les to sign after the show. He’s usually pretty nice about such things, unless you walk in carrying a Strat. In that case, you’re on your own, and you certainly don’t want to mar your New York experience by needing to drag yourself into an emergency room to have a (Fender) guitar neck extricated from one of your body cavities. My advice? Leave the Strat at home, bring a CD, LP or your ‘58 gold top Les Paul guitar to get signed. And watch out, because Les sometimes “forgets” to return your pen after he autographs something. In any case, a performance by the Les Paul Trio is a wonderful and unforgettable experience that’s well worth the $45 ticket price. Don’t miss it!
And if you really need a great reason to attend NYC AES, just say the words “Ray’s Pizza” three times and you’ll be magically whisked to the doors of the Javits Center. But if that fails for some reason, just grab a cab… from anywhere. And for more info about the AES show, visit www.aes.org. You’ll be glad you did!
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A RECORDING STUDIO (small or large) and can write and produce a song—you have an amazing amount of power within your grasp. So what am I talking about? Power. Political clout. And it’s all yours for the taking.
Here’s how it works: With the presidential election just 16 months away, candidates are starting to line up for the process, both before and after the primary. And if you have the gumption, talent or wherewithall to write a campaign song—either espousing your views or slammin the opposition—there are plenty of outlets to get YOUR message out. These can range from podcasts to political websites, to conventional broadcast radio and TV stations. And hey, sending or uploading an MP3 of your work to people who can spread your creation out to the masses ain’t necessarily expensive either.
As a case in point, before the last presidential election, I wrote, recorded and produced a song that took a humorous poke at one of the candidates. [I won’t say which one, because Blair Jackson mentioned it in one of his blogs and it roused up a flurry of hate mail by some people who felt mixing politics and music was a bad idea—which it certainly is not.] But this particular song went on to rack up a startling 500,000 downloads and massive amounts of national airplay—not bad for a little ditty that took an hour to write and three hours to record/mix. So for a couple hours work, I could get my message out to a huge audience. And it isn’t hard at all…
Writing/producing the song is up to you, but it doesn’t have to be elaborate. In the spirit of simple = fun, mine only required nine tracks—three for drums (stereo+kick), one for bass, two for lead/backing vocals, acoustic guitar, flute and banjo. I will say that people (listeners and hosts) like humorous songs more than dirges, so a light-hearted approach is usually best. Once done, cut a couple MP3’s—I did a lower-res 128 kb version and a “broadcast-quality” 256 kb version—and host them and the words on your site/myspace page/whatever. Then start hitting up newsgroups, bloggers, podcasters, websites, broadcasters and others (particularly those allied to your cause), send them the link and watch the numbers grow. At last count, there were more than 500 links to my song and dozens of mirror sites hosting it. In fact, when you enter its fairly generic, 2-word title into Google, it comes up #1 out of 1.5-million results, so it’s definitely working.
Several people have told me that I should have charged for the downloads, because 500,000 downloads at $1/each is a decent return for a couple hours work. Great idea, but there’s something here called George’s 100,000-to-1 rule, where for each person that will pony up a buck, there are 100,000 who won’t. So given the choice of spreading my message with hundreds of thousands of downloads (and potentially millions of listeners) or making five smackeroos, I’ll take the big audience alternative, anytime.
YOU have the power. So get out, get involved, make some music and get YOUR message heard!
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
OK, I’LL ADMIT IT—I’M A SUCKER FOR A GOOD FLEA MARKET. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in Italy, where they have the concept of a “flea market” down to a science. The “flea” part of the name has European roots, back to the days when goods brought in for sale from distant lands–particularly rugs and textiles—needed a good shaking out before putting them in your house. Even now, whenever I’m in Europe, I‘ll check out a good “Floh Markt” or “Marche aux Puces”
But these days, in-between my cravings to seek real Eurotrash, I get my fix at locally, at the weekly flea market in the parking lot at Oakland’s Laney College. Now before anyone gets off on one of those “my flea market’s better than yours” trips, let me say there are certainly larger markets around here, but this one has a nice local feel and besides a goodly percentage of guys who week-to-week are hired by local estates and people who want stuff hauled out of a basement/garage/attic and then bring the leavings to sell every Sunday. So you’ll never know what you’ll find there.
Flea marketing is a lot like fishing. You may hope to land that 110-pound sturgeon or 35-pound salmon when you go, but more often than not, there’s a lot of very small fish in between the big scores. And you never know what you’ll find there. I haven’t found that LA-2A or box of old Neumanns there yet, but I once scored a pile of Stratocaster neck plates with ‘70s-era serial numbers for a buck. Another time it was a pristine 1953 lowboy Leslie for $20 or $50 for an Ampeg 810 bass cab. The latter had some Tolex tears and as the seller said it was blown, so he musta been telling the truth.
YOU CAN’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING A SELLER TELLS YOU, BUT IF THEY SAY SOMETHING’S BLOWN, IT’S PROBABLY TRUE.
At that price, I figured I could patch it up and put new speakers in it, but later, we pulled a couple speakers, which were fine, except for the fact that all the push-on wiring was loose–meaning no sound. Some 90 seconds later, it worked fine. Still does.
Can you can find anything at a flea market? Sure. For the past few weeks, local musician/producer/performance artists Jon Brumit and Lisa Mezzacappa (helped out by a grant from the city of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program) are operating an open-air, free recording studio in a flea market stall to archive performances by passerbys. The program goes through May 20 and each participant gets an on-site acetate flexi-disk of their creation and a chance for their sounds to be on a compilation CD unveiled at Oakland’s 21 Grand Gallery (www.21grand.org) on July 6. Who needs “American Idol” with a deal like this???
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
PRE-PRODUCTION IS ONE OF THOSE ESSENTIAL PARTS of making the recording process more efficient. These days, that usually entails selecting the patches, samples and loops you’re planning to use and may be edit some MIDI sketchpad sequences to get them just right. But when you’re working with a solo singer/guitarist/songwriter, the “pre-production” stage is probably a little different.
Such was the case when my studio/label partner JJ Jenkins and I discovered RJ Hutchinson. Actually, we didn’t really “discover” him–any more than Christopher Columbus discovered America, as RJ existed well before we ever heard him. But heard him we did–in of all places, at one of those “open mic” nights at a local bar. There were a lot of people signed up to perform–some admittedly more talented than others–but RJ had something that was magic and writes amazing songs on the level of a James Taylor or Gordon Lightfoot. You don’t run across people like this everyday, so after hearing him perform at some other venues, we decided to do his album on my Jenpet Records label (www.jenpet.com).
RJ doesn’t have a band–no problem–in fact, sometimes that’s even better, because he has the flexibility to perform with other players or do amazing one-man shows. He can play solo to support the album, which is a lot easier than maintaining and touring four or five other players—and he sounds great either way. But before cutting any tracks, RJ brought in his friend and sometime songwriting collaborator, pianist David Kaff (probably best known as the keyboardist in SPINAL TAP) and we assembled a studio band, with RJ on guitar, myself on drums, Jenkins on organ and Walter Bush on bass.
So for the past few weeks, we’ve actually been REHEARSING (yeah, I know that’s something people rarely do before recording) and working out arrangements, carefully adding to the tunes without changing their character. The cool part of this is actually working the songs out in a collaborative environment with everybody contributing to the whole. I think too often, people go the “auteur” route in recording, but the whole process is a lot more fun when you’re on a team.
Besides working with RJ, one of the real delights is Kaff, who’s a brilliant player in his own right and keeps us entertained between tunes with a million stories about his life on the road with a zillion Brit bands during the late ’60s and ’70s. I’ll have to sit him down one of these days and get some of these (at least the printable ones) on tape for blog or podcast…
Rehearsing–what a concept!
SPEAKING OF SPINAL TAP…
It seems the boys are back together for a reunion set at London’s Wembley Stadium during the “Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis” 24-hour worldwide music event slated for 7/7/07. To help promote the event, Rob Reiner and the Tapsters put together a very funny 14-minute mockumentary clip, at www.liveearth.msn.com. Check it out!
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
