Autumn is my favorite season. I like cardigans and warm beverages, changing leaves, falling leaves, leaves that crunch under my feet. Even though I haven’t been in school in over a decade, I still love that back-to-school vibe. So, the teacher’s pet in me says it’s time for an update. On the mastering front:
We did the math, and it turns out I’ve been working with Ken Urban and his band Occurrence for over 8 years. Their most recent album I Have So Much Love To Give (produced by the band, mixed by Daniel Kluger) is smart, dark, weird, danceable, and so much more.
Matthew McNeal has a new album on the way, so for a preview of this hotness, check out the first two singles, “Texas Heat” and “The Spark.” These were recorded by Andre Black at Matte Black Sound and mixed by Ted Young.
I first heard of the Grassy Knoll when I played their records while DJ-ing at my college radio station. Many years later, I had the pleasure of revisiting and remastering Short Stories Redux.
I cannot get enough of multi-instrumentalist Pachyman’s The Return Of…, truly a joyous and genius record. For more on Pachy, check out this piece about his record on NPR.
I mastered all the music for Desert In, an astonishingly moving and rather racy eight episode opera mini-series, created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid, playwright christopher oscar peña, and director James Darrah, commissioned by the Boston Lyric Opera. Desert In is streaming exclusively on operabox.tv.
Awesome Tapes is releasing two records this fall that came through my studio: Ephat Mujuru & the Spirit of the People’s delicate yet electrifying mbira record Mbavaira and Native Soul’s Teenage Dreams. Listen and read more about both on their Bandcamp pages.
Aloha Got Soul dropped some total knockouts this summer, Eddie Suzuki’s blissful High Tide, Arthur Lyman’s last recorded album, the dreamy Island Vibes, and a record that really hit my soul, Mackey Fearey Band’s 1978 self-titled LP. All three of these records are worth diving into for repeated listens.
I’ve always got a backlog of tapes to digitize, including some deep cuts from the Lookout! Records catalog and live recordings from the Freight & Salvage. My new custom-made 1/4” / 1/4-track / 1/2-track / full track mono head assembly is serving me well.
This is a little taste of what I’ve been working on. I’m always grateful to collaborate on records both new and old. In fact, I’d better get to work on this next one. Until next time…!