Posts tagged with "ISSUE NO29"
CARLY RITTER
CARLY RITTER
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, Calif.
INFLUENCES: Hank Williams, Jackie DeShannon, Nancy Sinatra
ALBUM: Carly Ritter, out now
WEBSITE: carlyritter.com
The daughter of actor John Ritter and granddaughter of country singer Tex Ritter, Carly Ritter has a rich entertainment pedigree. She grew up listening to the rock ’n’ roll in her parents’ record collection, and played classical piano and harp as a teen. But it wasn’t until Ritter began...
JENN BOSTIC
JENN BOSTIC
HOMETOWN: Waconia, Minn.
INFLUENCES: Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder
ALBUM: Missin’ a Man EP, out September
WEBSITE: jennbostic.com
At the age of 10, Jenn Bostic survived a horrific car accident that took the life of her father, a musician who taught her to play piano. To cope with the loss, she began writing songs. “The first time I sat at the piano after the accident, I shut my eyes and honestly felt my dad’s presence...
LEE DEWYZE
LEE DEWYZE
HOMETOWN: Chicago, Ill.
INFLUENCES: Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, Simon and Garfunkel
ALBUM: Frames, out now
WEBSITE: leedewyzeofficial.com
Lee DeWyze, winner of 2010’s American Idol, recorded his new album, Frames, with one goal in mind. “I wanted to take it back to what I’m really about, which is writing emotionally charged, meaningful songs,” he says. “It feels really good to get back to the grass roots of what I’m...
FRANZ FERDINAND
FRANZ FERDINAND
Setting their own pace in the studio pays off on their latest effort
Franz Ferdinand closed ranks for the recording of their fourth album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. The Scottish rock band began work on the album a year and a half ago with frontman Alex Kapranos and guitarist and backing vocalist Nick McCarthy meeting in each other’s homes to write songs. “The whole recording process was off and on,” says...
SARAH JAROSZ
SARAH JAROSZ
No creative avenue is left unexplored for this bluegrass prodigy
Americana singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz’s third album, Build Me Up From Bones, is her most ambitious project yet—an achievement the multi-instrumentalist largely credits to her education at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music. “School was crucial in pushing me out of my comfort zone,” says the Texas native. “It expanded my repertoire and opened my...
MOBY
MOBY
Old-school techno adds a touch of vulnerability to his latest project
“I’m an only child who lives alone and usually works alone,” declares Moby flatly. The techno pioneer isn’t bemoaning his lot in life— it’s just his explanation of why, after more than 20 years of producing his own records, he brought in Mark “Spike” Stent to co-produce his 11th album, Innocents.
“I like to work by myself,” he says, “but I lose objectivity....
YOKO ONO
YOKO ONO
At 80, the controversial artist is still full of passion—and surprises
To a younger generation, Yoko Ono isn’t the dragon lady who broke up the Beatles. She’s a multitasking, forward-thinking artist who’s scored 10 No. 1 dance hits, collaborated with stars including Lady Gaga, the Flaming Lips, and Iggy Pop, and staged cutting-edge art exhibitions—as well as an activist who works relentlessly to raise awareness on issues ranging...
MICHAEL FRANTI
MICHAEL FRANTI
Like his heroes, he’s on a mission to change the world through music
For more than 25 years, Michael Franti has channeled his spirited blend of R&B, folk, jazz, reggae and hip-hop to both entertain and raise awareness of social and political issues. On his new album, All People, Franti—who formed Michael Franti and Spearhead in the late 1990s—has been inspired by a host of musical icons who offered him reassurance and hope...
JOE BOYD
JOE BOYD
From Clapton to Kubrick, this creative giant has worked with them all
By Michael Gallant
“If you had told me 25 years ago I would be producing tribute concerts about Nick Drake’s music, it might have depressed me,” says Joe Boyd with a chuckle. Fortunately for Boyd the experience turned out to be “kind of wonderful.”
It’s a fitting project for the veteran producer. Having helped pioneer the British folk-rock movement, Boyd...
BUDDY GUY
BUDDY GUY
A guitar icon continues his five-decade mission to keep the blues alive
By Jeff Tamarkin
When blues guitar legend Buddy Guy performed at the White House last year, the significance of the event didn’t escape him. “I told President Obama that where I grew up, I didn’t even know what running water was until I was nearly 17,” Guy remembers. “I said, ‘Mr. President, picking a guitar in the White House is a long way from picking...
DAVE KOZ
DAVE KOZ
His new project sets out to prove that when it comes to sax, more is better
By Jeff Tamarkin
“There was a big sigh of relief that first day in the studio when we made a sound together and it was really good,” saxophone giant Dave Koz is saying. He’s referring to the first recording session for his new album Summer Horns. Until that moment, the record was nothing more than a high-minded concept—get four smooth-jazz sax players together...
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
For these Grammy-winning blues rockers, the bar is always set high
The Tedeschi Trucks Band is only three years old, but its namesakes, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, have been married more than a decade, and they’re about to take their best collaborations—their two children—to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates’ batting practice before tonight’s concert. “The kids are a balancing influence on the road,” Tedeschi...
COURT YARD HOUNDS
COURT YARD HOUNDS
Two former Chicks find a new confidence on their second set
Martie Maguire and Emily Robison were still forging an identity beyond the Dixie Chicks when they released a self-titled album as Court Yard Hounds in 2010. Now the sisters are back with a second effort, Amelita—and with it comes a deeper confidence about their musical direction. Their first album was personal, but Maguire and Robison turned their focus outward on Amelita,...
BOOKER T. JONES
BOOKER T. JONES
An architect of the Memphis sound takes his B3 on a new adventure
In the ’60s, Stax Records house band Booker T. & the MG’s backed a host of Memphis soul stars, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Albert King. But beginning with 1962’s classic “Green Onions,” the quartet scored several chart-topping instrumental hits of their own. Since the group disbanded, frontman Booker T. Jones, 68, has lent his signature...
GLORIA ESTEFAN
GLORIA ESTEFAN
Realizing a longtime dream with her take on timeless tunes
Since her 1985 breakthrough with the Miami Sound Machine, Gloria Estefan’s hits like “Anything for You,” “1-2-3” and “Live for Loving You” have added a Cuban flavor to pop success that’s made the Havana-born songstress a household name.
After more than 20 albums, Estefan’s latest is a far cry from her early kinetic dance grooves. On the aptly titled...
ARCTIC MONKEYS
ARCTIC MONKEYS
The English indie rockers dive into an R&B groove on their new set
Four albums—and seven years—after releasing their debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the Arctic Monkeys’ latest record, AM, finds the band tapping into R&B melodies to shake up their guitar-driven sound. “We started with, ‘What if you go with Aaliyah melodies and riffs from Black Sabbath?’” says frontman Alex Turner. “Some...
FLEETWOOD MAC
FLEETWOOD MAC
These days the road has never been smoother for the Hall of Fame rockers
Fleetwood Mac has been virtually synonymous with two things—classic songs and internal drama. Both aspects were epitomized on the group’s 1977 multiplatinum album Rumours, but only recently has their legendary volatility been stripped away.
“If you go back to 2003, when we were coming off the making of Say You Will, there was still a bit of tension between...
BLONDIE
WRITTEN BY: Debbie Harry, Chris Stein
RECORDED: RECORD PLANT, NEW YORK
PRODUCED BY: MIKE CHAPMAN
DEBBIE HARRY: VOCALS
NIGEL HARRISON: BASS
CLEM BURKE: DRUMS, DRUM MACHINE
CHRIS STEIN: ELECTRIC GUITAR
JIMMY DESTRI: KEYBOARDS
FRANK INFANTE: GUITAR
FROM THE ALBUM: PARALLEL LINES (1978)
“Heart of Glass”
BLONDIE
“Everyone was like, ‘Blondie’s gone disco!’” drummer Clem Burke recalled of the group’s first No. 1 hit.
It was spring...
LIVE LESSONS
LIVE LESSONS
Our experts reveal their strategies for achieving pristine live sound
Sounding great live is every act’s goal—and it’s a challenge nearly all musicians face, from coffeehouse singer-songwriters to touring arena bands. Achieving perfect live sound can be complex, taking into account everything from room acoustics to microphone selection and placement, as well as the limitations of the house PA system. But with so many variables...
KIM LENZ AND THE JAGUARS
KIM LENZ AND THE JAGUARS
Follow Me
kimlenz.com
It’s easy enough to make a passable rockabilly record. Every city has a few guys and gals who slap doghouse fiddles and set fire to Gretsch fretboards, and let’s face it, penning neo-go-cat-go rave-ups is more pompadour sculpting than it is brain surgery. One way to stand out is to prop a pretty girl behind the vintage chrome microphone, but to go from Joanie B. Goode to Joanie B. Great, even the...
KARNIVOOL
KARNIVOOL
Asymmetry
karnivool.com
Proggy hard rock is alive and well in the Land of Oz. On their third album, this Aussie quintet makes a fussy, fidgety racket, fashioning epic jams from disparate parts. Like Tool before them, Karnivool shift from slashing to serene with remarkable ease, and in a neat bit of, well, symmetry, Asymmetry works best when the band is at its most asymmetrical and disjointed. Whereas seven-minute-plus steady-burners “Sky...
SARAH BLACKER
SARAH BLACKER
Precious Little Things
sarahblacker.com
Plenty of songwriters spin melodies as effortlessly as Sarah Blacker does, and some even have similar ways with words, though it’s rare to hear phrases like “dirty dancing with the revelry of the heart” delivered with such a lack of pretension. What sets Blacker apart—and what explains her recent win for Female Performer of the Year at the New England Music Awards—is her willingness to...
STAR & DAGGER
STAR & DAGGER
Tomorrowland Blues
facebook.com/staranddagger
This sleaze-rock supergroup boasts members of Eagles of Death Metal, Cycle Sluts From Hell, and Queens of the Stone Age, and as if that weren’t badass enough, frontwoman Von Hesseling anchors the project with bruising soulfulness, holding it down like a female Danzig. As might be expected, S&D deal in blues-infused hard rock and chunky proto-punk, driving their “Freak Train”—one...
CUTTOOTH
CUTTOOTH
Cuttooth
facebook.com/CuttoothUK
There’s a reason no one raps over self-styled “weird hip-hop” producer Nick Cooke’s beats. The barbiturate pacing and blissed-out synths on this, the U.K. artist’s sophomore record, are simply too delicate, and propping rhymes atop music this gauzily gorgeous would be like putting buildings on clouds. That said, singing suits the tunes just fine, and on “Old Tape Machine” and “Peace”—featuring...
DAWN OF MIDI
DAWN OF MIDI
Dysomnia
dawnofmidi.com
Where but Brooklyn might a Moroccan pianist, an Indian-born upright bassist, and a first generation Pakistani American percussionist set up shop and seek to filter dance music through a prism of avant-garde jazz (or maybe the other way around)? Actually, Dawn of Midi formed at the California Institute of the Arts and released their debut in 2010, but it’s with this second effort that the now-East Coast-based...
JARED JAMES NICHOLS
JARED JAMES NICHOLS
Old Glory & the Wild Revival
facebook.com/jaredjamesnichols
This 22-year-old will fit right in at this summer’s Buffalo Chip Festival in Sturgis, S.D., and Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary shindig in Milwaukee, Wis., where bikers well schooled in gnarly blues rock will hear in his stinging riffs echoes of all the greats. Nichols has been honing his Clapton/SRV guitar heroics since his early teens, and he’s jammed with...
THE ICARUS LINE
THE ICARUS LINE
Slave Vows
theicarusline.com
From Raymond Chandler to the Gun Club and X, L.A. artists have long written love-hate letters to their gunky, glitzy, hellhole of a paradise. “The rats are collecting underneath our floor,” Joe Cardamone sings on “City Job,” one of eight thrillingly bleak, burnt-black rock ’n’ roll bruisers on Icarus Line’s sixth album. As always, the band plunders from the finest drone- and stoner-rock sources,...
AJ JANSEN
AJ JANSEN
A Country Girl Can Survive
ajjansenmusic.com
It’d be a drag to live through most of this New England country singer’s tunes—lots of small-town boys and girls breaking each other’s hearts—but they make for fun listening. Jansen clearly has a hoot writing them, too. While she seldom strays from genre tropes, she does tough-chick anthems (“Can’t Tame Me,” “A Country Girl Can Survive”), wounded ballads (“Darlin’”),...
Orbé Orbé
Orbé Orbé
Invisible Kingdoms
orbe-orbe.com
Midway through “Circus Star,” Cristina Orbé cuts to the chase: “I’m done waiting.” It’s a straightforward sentiment plenty of singers have spun into straightforward songs, but Orbé knows life is much more complicated—and colorful. So does Jahon Mikal, the producer she’s partnered with for this, the latest bullet point on an artistic resume that already includes soul-folk singer and spoken-word...
ROB NANCE
ROB NANCE
Lost Souls and Locked Doors
robnance.com
The title sounds defeatist, and most of the songs center on heartbreak and disappointment, but this North Carolina country-folk crooner is an optimist at his core. Titles like “Light in the Dark” and “Ain’t Losing Yet” tell the story, and if Nance knows he can’t whip the world into spinning his way, he’ll kill fate with kindness. Even when he’s plugged in and rocking, as on the Band-like...
WILD PONIES
WILD PONIES
Things That Used to Shine
wildponies.net
Formerly an acoustic duo, Doug and Telisha Williams plug in for these 12 country tunes, cut in three days with Ray Kennedy. The producer has worked with Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle, and like those artists, Wild Ponies swing emotional wrecking balls with great delicacy, sometimes waiting until the third verse to deliver devastating revelations about their characters—and themselves. On “Trigger,”...
TOMMY KEENE
TOMMY KEENE
Excitement at Your Feet
tommykeene.com
Talk about taste. After opening his first covers LP with a Flamin’ Groovies nugget, this power-pop lifer gives the jangle-punk treatment to classics by everyone from Echo & the Bunnymen to Guided by Voices. On the Donovan and Big Star ballads, he unplugs without switching off the electricity.
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BEACH
BEACH
In Us We Trust
bitchmusic.com
Karen Mould usually goes by Bitch, but here, she’s BEACH. Does that mean she’s all mellow and summery? Not exactly. The electric violinist and singer-songwriter reinvents herself as an alternately bluesy and poppy, gloomy and giddy electro-rock high priestess. Ideas abound—most of them terrific.
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RADKEY
RADKEY
Cat & Mouse
radkey.net
Matt Radke raised his kids right. The Missouri father home-schooled brothers Dee, Isaiah and Solomon, and judging by the sound of their band, he made vintage Misfits records a key part of his syllabus. Their debut EP is dramatic and ferocious—gold stars all around.
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JULIE KATHRYN
JULIE KATHRYN
Black Trees
juliekathryn.com
This pop-folk strummer has a master’s in social work from Columbia, so she knows a thing or two about human nature. That might explain the detailed character sketches “Johnny” and “In My Dreams,” as well as the electro-pop sugar shot “Nightingale,” the album’s most unexpected (and best) moment.
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ANDREW ST. JAMES
ANDREW ST. JAMES
Doldrums
facebook.com/andrewsaintjames
This 18-year-old San Fran riser has a lot on his mind—women, obviously, but also the pains of aging and the violence out in East Oakland. Luckily, he tackles his troubles with the freshness and energy of a precocious phenom. Think Bright Eyes meets Foster the People.
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Apogee One
Apogee One
RECORDING ON THE GO
The pocket-size Apogee One is a pro recording engineer’s Swiss army knife. Featuring Apogee’s world-class 24-bit/96 kHz digital converters and excellent input options, the redesigned Apogee One provides astonishing results to anyone recording on a laptop or iPad. A breakout cable provides inputs for mic and guitar, and the preamp provides up to 63 decibels of pristine gain. With two channels of simultaneous recording,...
Fender’s Pawn Shop Bass VI
Fender’s Pawn Shop Bass VI
VINTAGE LOWS
Fender’s Pawn Shop Bass VI is easily the most accessible recreation of the historic bass to hit the street. In its run from 1961 to 1975, the original Bass VI six-string, E-to-E baritone guitar found favor in the hands of Jack Bruce, George Harrison, and others looking to add exciting textures to their music. In that same spirit, Fender loaded the Pawn Shop Bass VI with a pair of Special Design Hot Jaguar...
Avid S3L System
Avid S3L System
SERIOUS LIVE SOUND
Avid VENUE systems have been at the heart of some of the largest live sound rigs anywhere. But they’ve been priced out of reach for small and midsize venue operators until now. The Avid S3L System marries a 16-fader console with an E3 VENUE DSP engine and up to four Stage 16 Remote I/O boxes. The result is an incredibly portable live sound mixing system with powerful routing flexibility and onboard processing....
Tom Oberheim SEM with MIDI to CV Converter
Tom Oberheim SEM with MIDI to CV Converter
OLD-SCHOOL MEETS NEW
When analog synthesis icon Tom Oberheim re-emerged on the scene with new SEM models, longtime synth lovers rejoiced. But the CV-only synth module was lost on modern MIDI-based rigs. Enter the updated Tom Oberheim SEM with MIDI to CV Converter. The two-oscillator synth module dishes out all of the old-school Oberheim tones, which can be triggered from any standard MIDI keyboard. What’s...
Rupert Neve Designs 511
Rupert Neve Designs 511
PREAMP WITH LEGACY
Lots of gear claim to have some connection to the Neve legacy, but the 511 mic pre is one of the few 500 Series modules designed by Rupert Neve himself. Naturally clear and transparent, the Rupert Neve Designs 511 is an excellent match for any sound source. There’s the Portico 5012’s sweepable high-pass filter onboard, and when it’s time to kick in that timeless Neve mojo, just turn up the Silk/Texture...
Lewitt MTP 340 CM
Lewitt MTP 340 CM
LIVE STUDIO-CLARITY
The Lewitt MTP 340 CM condenser microphone offers live singers studio-style vocal clarity. Its contoured frequency response focuses on the midrange that brings out the best in most vocal styles, while rolling off unwanted bass. In addition to its impressive SPL handling, there’s an internal pop filter that smoothes out harsh transients for an extra polished sound. And with its die-cast all-metal body and hardened...
SOFTTUBE CONSULE 1
Softube’s Console 1
MIX WITH FEELING
Softube’s Console 1 hybrid virtual mixing console system offers the flexibility of a plug-in with amazing tactile control—and provides powerful channel-strip processing with the analog workflow that only a hardware controller can. It’s a simple two-part system consisting of a channel strip plug-in and a dedicated hardware controller. With the plug-in activated on every track, the Console 1 hardware provides...
ESP LTD MH-1000 EVERTUNE
ESP LTD MH-1000 EVERTUNE
SET IT & FORGET IT
ESP’s EverTune equipped instruments virtually eliminate the need for retuning. A partnership between ESP and EverTune has led to guitars—such as the ESP LTD MH-1000 EVERTUNE and LTD EC-1000 EVERTUNE—that feature the EverTune Bridge. It’s an all-mechanical, highly adjustable system that keeps string tension constant and intonation perfect across extended playing sessions—no matter how hard you...
TASCAM DA-3000 – STUNNING RECORDING
TASCAM DA-3000
STUNNING RECORDING
When absolute fidelity is vital, the TASCAM DA-3000 stereo DSD recorder is the last stop in any pro recording rig. The DA-3000 brings the stunning detail of Direct Stream Digital recording to down-to-earth recording setups. Built around the phenomenal digital converters from TASCAM’s acclaimed DA-RA1000HD recorder, the DA-3000 is capable of capturing 24-bit/192 kHz PCM or 1-bit/5.6 MHz DSD audio to inexpensive...
SONY SOUND FORGE PRO 11
SONY SOUND FORGE PRO 11
Next generation of editing and mastering
Sound Forge Pro 11—Sony’s latest version of their flagship recording application—offers a full step up for those who create, edit or mix in Windows. The workflow is nothing short of phenomenal. In-application tutorials do a sensational job of walking you through frequently used menus and windows. The massive time display and input meters allows tracking without having to sit...
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT2020USB+
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT2020USB+
Pristine performance and USB connectivity
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone combines the crystalline sound of the award-winning AT2020 with a host of features that make USB-based recording a treat. Perfect for tracking music and podcasts alike, the powered headphone circuit delivers crisp audio and features an external volume wheel. The Mix wheel makes it a snap to dial in the perfect blend between...
STRING SWING FLAT-FOLDING GUITAR STAND
STRING SWING FLAT-FOLDING GUITAR STAND
Bridging security and portability
String Swing has kept guitars safe for 25 years with an array of guitar hangers, and the Flat-Folding Guitar Stand is the latest addition to the company’s line. In the stowed position, both the acoustic and electric versions compress to a mere 1 1/2 inches in height. Unlike most stands on the market, they also sport a solid frame that folds into place, making it virtually roadie-proof....
KYSER RED BANDANA QUICK-CHANGE LIMITED EDITION CAPO
KYSER RED BANDANA QUICK-CHANGE LIMITED EDITION CAPO
Reliability with flair
Designed to make transposing instruments a one-handed, tuning-free affair, Kyser capos have been used for decades by players like Bruce Springsteen and Dwight Yoakam who have come to depend on their quality and design. Originally crafted as a custom piece, the limited edition Red Bandana Capo is guaranteed to dress up any guitar. Like all the capos in the Kyser line, the...
TELEFUNKEN M80
TELEFUNKEN M80
Superior performance with dynamic convenience
Featuring a wide frequency response, the M80 serves up condenser-like performance in a thin, rugged design. The head and capsule were designed to reduce proximity effect, resulting in a more consistent production experience regardless of venue. This was especially apparent in the studio when we miked our Fender Deluxe Reverb. Because of the broad range of frequencies this amp produces it’s...