No, I’m not talking about the “commercial music” we all said we hated in the 90′s until we realized they had marketed “underground” to us so well. I mean music that’s in TV commercials. Director Benjamin Harrison invited me to do the sound design and music for some UNICEF commercials he created earlier this year. I love cartoons, so this was a fun project. Obviously, these PSAs are geared for kids, but there’s a message some of you adult Facebook users can glean here.
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Making an album is such a mysterious process sometimes. I don’t know if I’ve ever worked on a project that I flipped back and forth so many times thinking, “this is the greatest sounding stuff I’ve recorded!” and then “what the fuck is this supposed to sound like?”. Fortunately the ever-cool-tempered band leader of Leland Sundries, Nick Loss-Eaton, trusted me and patiently we carved away at this record until it really felt right. Each song on the album has a unique musical character, from rag time to sea shanty. Finding the right elements to exaggerate and where to create musical continuity was such an interesting challenge. By the time I was finished, my head was spinning wondering if we’d done the right thing. Nick’s narrative songwriting and voice tie it all together and after I stopped working on it and listened again months later, I was able to appreciate all the hard work we did and the great stories he paints. “Apparition” is one of my favorites. Melodica and midi keyboard orchestra at the end? I would normally cringe but I love how this came out! http://www.lelandsundries.com or buy it! If one of your best friend’s was also a talented director and asked you to go to France for two weeks to help make a movie about the best bread in the world, would you say Non? Either did I. In addition to recording sound, making music with kitchen appliances, and eating unlimited amounts of amazing bread and pastries, I also got to interview the biggest names in the world of bread-making. The trip was an all out adventure following international baking teams on their quest to win the Coup du Monde de la Boulangerie (Bread World Cup) held in Paris once every 4 years. Here’s a small teaser cut together about Mike Zakowski, chief bread-maker for the American team. More to come…
Baker Movie: The Art of Baking and the Coupe du Monde from Colin Blackshear on Vimeo. This was hopefully not a once in a lifetime opportunity. Recording cuban classics to tape. Took it into the Creamery kitchen just for that home cooked sound. Bueno! Some of my strongest musical roots come from the California coast. I’m not talking about the Beach Boys or Sublime. Being raised out there, I literally learned music from the people of the West. As most people know, Californians tend to be … a special group of people. But if you can get past their flakiness and crazy righteous attitudes- there’s a lot to love! (Can I rep a little?) One such group of Dudes are the High Noon Sons- an underground band from San Fran who have created a mixture of the things done best in the Bay- Punk, Surf, Pop, and Rockabilly blended in a Psychedelic chowder that reeks of the Pacific Northwest. I came out to their wood shop and spent a few days screwing together accoustic panels and getting mics setup. Six months later they delivered an awesome collection of tracks to me to mix and melange. check em out: http://www.myspace.com/highnoonsons Remember staying up all night before your friend’s birthday with your boombox and a blank 90 minute Maxell tape- trying to pause it to get that Busta Rhymes track to line up just right with De La Soul’s “Stakes Is High”? Remember hearing the name, Jay Dee/ J Dilla years later being credited as the master-mind-beat-maker who created half of the crookedest hip hop jams you ever blazed to in the high-school parking lot?…. Well I do anyhow. So what are cellist, Topu Lyo and drummer Mike Thies, aka LIVE FOOTAGE doing covering these hip hop classics? With no MC? Not to mention the total absence of a cassette tape. Let me rewind and explain. This very talented and creative Brooklyn-based duo have been tuning their amazing live set for years and are poised to release their second full length recording. What an opportune time to crank out a 3rd album, this time in three days- from start to finish! Doing this project was an extreme undertaking. Mike and Topu drafted some wonderfully creative interpretations of J Dilla’s music which we tracked all live into the computer. Now quick- mix it all and rush it out! A true rough draft mix tape with enough grit and vibe to earn the name. Creative visionary and long-time collaborator, Colin Blackshear, approached me last summer about contributing some music to a “skateboard movie” he was working on. The resulting Sector 9 film, “Second Nature” became something more than I ever imagined. It’s creative approach has already earned awards X-Dance (Sundance), Mammoth Film Festival, and Sonoma film festivals. Available at your local skate hookup. Second Nature (Sector 9) Full Film from Colin Blackshear on Vimeo. A session with Tim Pourbaix usually consists of two key ingredients: morning tall boys and restraint. This is not a usual pairing, but for me, there has been nothing usual about the production for Mr. Pourbaix’s EP. He has me listening deeply to lyrics and searching for the simplest and most subtile arrangements.With powerful conviction as a solo performer, Tim has me asking myself the question, “What shouldn’t I add to this?” Another New EP out soon. Take a listen to the video of “Taking Forms” of a record I produced with Tim. Check out the last video for sure. I happened to have my phone camera in the studio while these guys laid down the keeper take for this cover of a modern classic. This is the first Spanish speaking project to come to the creamery. Thank God for google translate and their Hebrew interpreter. Fun video too. Baby it’s hot in here- that is, when the Powers That Be roll through for a session. This was the first album to be born and raised here at the Creamery. And a mighty fine one I might add. Cut in a day. I spent a few days adding the special sauce. Love for all those involved- wish it hadn’t died prematurely. Check out Quad’s great website for details. The first time Beck came to visit the studio he unknowingly pushed through our unfinished front door, knocking over and nearly demolishing 5 instruments, 6 mic stands, and a guitarist. And you can hear it in the music! This dynamic group performing compositions by Mr. Burger bring together elements of jazz, prog-rock, and American roots. That’s a description that would normally trigger a gag reflex in me. And yet, musically this is my favorite project that has come through our doors so far. The recording process pushed my limits as an engineer as the session was recorded entirely live in two days.
The Recording Of Beck Burger’s album Strong Medicine from john grigsby on Vimeo. Right before a friend of mine disappeared to Thailand, he bestowed on to me a mysterious bag of chocolates and an interesting demo of someone looking for a recording studio. Long after I bloated myself on the coco-treats, I got an email from that someone (Nick of Leland Sundries) asking if he could come by and see the place. We talked music and I realized it would be an opportunity to record a type of music that I love, but rarely rub shoulders with. The project ended up taking a handful of sessions and delivered some of my favorite recorded creamery materiel to date. Steve Cohen came through the studio over a year ago to start piecing together his album. We tracked him live with his band and then Steve disappeared for 4 months. He resurfaced with a nearly complete album made of overdubs and amazing home recordings. When we started mixing, the songs began to come together in an exciting way I hadn’t imagined. The songs took on a personal and intimate character I had somehow overlooked that first day of tracking. This is an amazing album. Check him out here http://www.tyromarks.com/. Josh was one of the first people to come record at the studio. We barely had the walls up. He had already tracked most of his record but needed a place to cut some vocals. It was a great experience working with such a gifted songwriter and vocalist. Can’t take much credit for the genius of this record, but sure am proud to have helped with a piece or two. Check out his record, you won’t regret it. Awesome video! |
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