Leap Day seems like a good day to catch up on fun stuff like invoicing, accounting, responding to emails, backing up hard drives. What fun! Okay, how about highlighting some new releases?

Stupendously proud to have mastered Michael Daves‘ double album Orchids and Violence (Nonesuch). The first disc is a traditional take on mostly bluegrass standards, recorded live to tape in Old First Reformed Church (a block away from my former Brooklyn home!) and featuring heavy hitters Mike Bub on bass, Brittany Haas on violin, Sarah Jarosz on mandolin and Punch Brothers banjoist Noam Pikelny. The second disc takes those same songs and twists them through a raw and experimental lens with Daves on electric guitar, mandolin, keyboards and drums and Jessi Carter on electric bass. Both discs were mixed by Vance Powell at Sputnik Sound and mastered by me. If I were still in NYC, I would not miss the trio of release shows at The Rockwood, The Knitting Factory and The Bell House. (Seriously, I considered flying across the country to go to these shows).

Also newly released – this gorgeous project by Brad Loving aka You are Lightning, You Are Lovely; Elisa Peimer’s Inside The Glass, Original Salvation by 19 (+/-) piece New Orleans Orchestra / cabaret group Vaud & the Villains. (Those last two records were mixed by the marvelous Ted Young!)

Manufactured Recordings just put out this record of sexy soul-flavored jams, the California Playboys’ Trying To Become A Millionaire, which I restored and remastered from original vinyl and which was originally released on San Francisco’s Loadstone Records in 1976.

From the Awesome Tapes label, check out DJ Katapila’sTrotro, an intensely danceable mix from the Ghanian DJ known for his epic sets. This one got a nice write-up in the NY Times.

Happy Leap Day!