Tape Op Podcast

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ song-writer Sadie Dupuis about Aimiee Mann’s 2002 release "Lost in Space". Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ drummer Mark Guiliana about LCD Soundsystem’s 2017 release American Dream. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ Sarah Jarosz about James McMurtry’s 1989 release Too Long in the Wasteland. Enjoy!

We first interviewed producer/engineer Robbie Lackritz back in 2013 and since then he has continued his work with Feist, Bahamas and Jack Johnson as well as made a move to California. Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Robbie to get up to speed on Robbie's latest work, talk drum sounds and how parenting makes you a better producer. Enjoy! Sponsored by Cloud Microphones http://cloudmicrophones.com

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ producer Thom Monahan about Charli XCX’s 2020 release How I’m Feeling Now. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ producer Maryam Qudus about Stereolab’s 2001 release Sound-Dust. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ M.Ward about Lee Hazelwood’s 1970 release Cowboy in Sweden. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ Danny Barnes about Joseph Spence's album Happy All The Time. Enjoy!

Michael Kiwanuka’s music has made it around the world, showcasing his passionate voice and guitar playing. His debut album, Home Again, was produced by Paul Butler of The Bees, and his second album, Love & Hate – produced with Danger Mouse, Inflo, and Paul – featured the track "Cold Little Heart," which gave his career a major boost when it was picked as the theme song for HBO’s Big Little Lies. The follow-up, last-year’s Kiwanuka, carried on with some powerful themes and arrangements. It was a treat to chat with Michael and examine his studio path and thoughts. Enjoy! Sponsored by Retro Instruments www.retroinstruments.com

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. Synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani discusses Glenn Gould's The Goldberg Variations. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. Electronic music master King Britt discusses Speaker Music's Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry. Enjoy! www.kingbritt.com https://speakermusic.bandcamp.com

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ Joey Burns about Gaby Moreno's 2014 release, Posada and Calexico’s new collection of holiday songs, Seasonal Shift. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ mastering engineer Heba Kadry about Manuel Göttsching's 1984 release, E2-E4. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ Bill Frisell about Wes Montgomery's 1966 release, Tequila. Enjoy!

Signed to her first record deal at age 16, Sarah Jarosz has been continuously putting out critically acclaimed records and touring ever since, nevermind she did a large part of that while attending college at the New England Conservatory. Over a decade since her first release and numerous Grammy and Americana awards nominations and wins Sarah's latest record World on the Ground is yet another document of her prodigious songwriting, playing and singing. Online publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Sarah from her home in Nashville, Tennessee. Enjoy! Sponsored by Rupert Neve Designs http://rupertneve.com

After working on My Morning Jacket's Circuital and Jim James' Regions of Light and Sound of God, Tucker Martine once again joined the band to helm sessions that would become 2005's The Waterfall and 2020's The Waterfall II. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Jim and Tucker on a pandemic appropriate three-way call from Seattle, Louisville and Portland to talk about their history, the influence of a location and the recording of this epic collection of songs. Enjoy! Sponsored by Overstayer http://overstayeraudio.com

What started as a solo endeavor from band founder and frontman Ryan Lott, Son Lux has blossomed into a collaborative effort with the addition of band members Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia. Their new release Tomorrows seeks to defy the confines of the traditional album release, instead choosing to put out the music in three collections over a span of time. Ryan caught up with online publisher Geoff Stanfield to discuss his process, collaboration, film scoring and making music during a global pandemic. Enjoy! Sponsored by Distrokid http://distrokid.com

Hailing from Edmonton, Canadian Electronic Pop Duo Purity Ring made a splash with their debut album Shrines. The release was a document of Corin Roddick and singer Megan James’ long distance collaboration and Corin’s electronic music experimentation and exploration. Made entirely at home, the band’s latest and third release, Womb, debuted at number one on the electronic music charts. We sat down with Corin to discuss the making of both Shrines and Womb, distance recording and happy accidents. Sponsored by Reverb reverb.com

For this episode, we have something different for you. This is a round table discussion with Tony Visconti, Chris Kimsey, Martin Terefe, George Murphy, and Andy Cook recorded in England at Kingston University's Visconti Studios. They discuss the recording and production practices that shaped the iconic records of the past, the abuse of tape, and the slow process of recording and editing analog media. Talking us through some of their experiences in the studio with David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, Tony and Chris reveal some of their own creative approaches to tape-based production. This interview was conducted by Isabella van Elferen and Leah Kardos for Kingston University and Visconti Studios. Enjoy! https://www.visconti-studio.co.uk/research/ Sponsored by Burl Audio https://burlaudio.com

What began as the solo project of frontman Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest initially released a series of lo-fi and experimental albums on Bandcamp. The band's name is a reference to Toledo's necessity of recording vocals in his car while still living at his parents’ home at the time. In 2015 Car Seat Headrest signed to Matador Records, and recently released Making a Door Less Open, a stylistically divergent record containing elements of Hip Hop, EDM and even Doo Wop. I caught up with Will to chat about self-producing and a tour-less summer. Enjoy! Sponsored by Adam Audio https://www.adam-audio.com

What do Björk, Beach House, Slowdive, Liturgy, !!!, The Mars Volta, Deerhunter, Explosions in the Sky, serpentwithfeet, and Ryuichi Sakamoto all have in common? Mastering Engineer Heba Kadry. Born and raised in Egypt and now residing in Brooklyn, New York, Heba has become a cornerstone of the mastering community. Online publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Heba from her home to get her thoughts on mastering, working with Björk and building a new mastering studio. Enjoy! Interview by Geoff Stanfield Sponsored by Fabfilter www.fabfilter.com

The husband and wife team of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley formed their band Tennis after a sailing trip down the eastern seaboard, an experience that made for the subject matter on their first album, Cape Dory. After several albums and a home studio build, the band has released Swimmer, a collection that documents personal loss and growth. Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield recently chatted with Tennis from their home in Denver, Colorado. Enjoy! Sponsored by Retro Instruments [https://www.retroinstruments.com]

I first interviewed producer, musician, and engineer Steve Fisk for Tape Op issue #3 in 1996. Steve has made a name for himself, recording iconic tracks for groups like Beat Happening, Nirvana, The Screaming Trees, Low, and Car Seat Headrest. He's also been a prolific solo musician and member of the fine groups, Pell Mell and Pigeonhed. I met up with Steve as he prepared to move from Seattle to Tacoma. Enjoy! Sponsored by Steinberg http://steinberg.net

Tony Visconti needs no introduction. His name is synonymous with the long career of David Bowie and his work with other important artists like T-Rex, Gentle Giant, The Moody Blues, Thin Lizzy, Adam Ant, Morrissey, The Alarm, Angelique Kido, Iggy Pop, The Damned and countless others. We interviewed Tony in 2002 for Tape Op issue #29, but it seemed like a great time to reconnect and that's exactly what Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield did at Tony's New York City studio in October of 2019. Enjoy! Sponsored by Eventide [eventideaudio.com]

From the early days of touring with indie luminaries The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, to releasing six albums as St. Vincent and recently wrapping up production on a record for Sleater-Kinney, Annie Clark is much more than a modern-day guitar hero. Her left-of-center approach to songcraft joined with a unique sonic aesthetic, has made her a reckoning figure in contemporary music. Cian Riordan met Annie last year while engineering Sleater-Kinney’s album The Center Won’t Hold, while Clark produced. The two of them ended up forging a great producer/engineer rapport and have been working on numerous recording projects since then – mostly at Annie's home studio in Los Angeles. They joked about the creative mind-meld they had developed from spending so much time working together, so it seemed like a natural fit for Cian to interview Annie for Tape Op. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription for our print interview. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Interview by Cian Riordan http://www.cianriordan.com Sponsored by Radial Engineering https://www.radialeng.com

Adrian Quesada first made a name for himself as a founding member and producer of the Grammy winning latin-rock bigband, Grupo Fantasma. Since then, he's been writing and working on several projects. Most recently, he partnered with songwriter Eric Burton and formed Black Pumas, an Austin Texas based band that has just released their debut album on ATO Records. It's a collection of classic soul-flavored tracks in great songwriting, but is not simply a retro retread. Taking queues from hip-hop and psychedelic genres and parring them with a mix of classic and modern recording techniques, and a live off-the-floor approach, The Black Pumas have created a future classic of their own. Larry interviewed Adrian back for Tape Op Issue #94, so having Geoff Stanfield, Tape Op online publisher catch up with him was long overdue. Enjoy! Sponsored by Yousician yousician.com

We interviewed producer/engineer Jonathan Schenke in November of 2017 for Tape Op issue #122, but since that time he has moved studios, formed new recording and performance projects and been part of a bunch of new records. Online publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Jonathan recently at his new Brooklyn based Studio Windows. Enjoy! Sponsored by Cloud Microphones www.cloudmicrophones.com

We interviewed Tycho's Scott Hansen after the release of his Epoch album for Tape Op #123. With the addition of vocalist Hannah Cottrell, aka Saint Sinner, his new release Weather introduces a new chapter in Tycho's music and gave online publisher Geoff Stanfield an opportunity to sit down with Scott in Seattle and have a song by song chat about the making of this fantastic record. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription for our print interview. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by Soundtoys www.soundtoys.com

A young intern fresh out of Full Sail University gets a big break (and a nickname) from Missy Elliott, works alongside producers and engineers like Timbaland, Jimmy Douglass [Tape Op #130], Demacio Castellon, and Polow da Don, and ends up mixing hits for Keri Hilson, Britney Spears, Keyshia Cole, Meek Mill, M.I.A., Usher, Wiz Khalifa, and Madonna. There must be a story behind this path! In 2014, she and producer Nate "Danja" Hills opened Dream Asylum Studios and N.A.R.S. Records in the Miami area, with studios for each of them to create and mix in. That's where I met up with Marcella Araica on a typically warm Florida day to talk about her incredible career and life. Enjoy! Sponsored by DistroKid distrokid.com

Heavy music wouldn't sound like it does today without the help of producer and engineer Nick Raskulinecz. We interviewed Nick back in 2005 for Tape Op #50 and so it seemed like a good time to check back in with him to chat about his move to Nashville, his new studio and his work with bands like Rush, Alice in Chains, Mastadon, Foo Fighters and more. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription for our print interview. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by Steinberg www.steinberg.net

I’ve been in studios and rooms all over the world. I’ve seen where The Beatles spent hours creating masterpieces. I’ve been in the room where Buddy Holly’s hits were made. I’ve stood at the mics that Al Green used on so many songs. Many of these places have something special going on – maybe those creative vibes soaked into the walls – but almost all of them require the musicians to cart their instruments and gear in, as well as to spend some time sorting out and setting it up. And, by virtue of the typical layout, many professional studios leave the musicians and engineers in isolation from each other, especially during overdub sessions. In contrast Wilco’s studio, The Loft, is a third-floor warehouse practice space turned studio, where Jeff Tweedy and his band have created a musician’s dream. Racks of drums and other instruments fill the space, with the control room area taking up the front part of the building. There’s even a kitchen/dining spot, a tech bench for repairs, and various little hideaways scattered all around the 5000 square foot space. I recently had the chance to sit down and chat with Jeff about his new memoir, Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc., and his new solo album, Warm. Enjoy! Sponsored by Rupert Neve Designs www.rupertneve.com

Dan Auerbach, along with drummer Patrick Carney, started The Black Keys in 2001 as a writing and recording project, releasing their first album in 2002. Dan also began recording and producing other artists along the way, initially with musicians like Jessica Lea Mayfield, Patrick Sweany, and others. Big changes arrived for The Black Keys in 2010, when the album Brothers and the single "Tighten Up" sold millions of copies and garnered three Grammy Awards. Dan moved to Nashville around then and opened up his Easy Eye Sound studio, a place filled with the best vintage and new recording equipment and is also home to many fun instruments. Sessions for The Pretenders, Dr. John, Shannon & The Clams, Lana Del Rey, and many more have gone on here, so I dropped in to hang with Dan, and his engineer Allen Parker, in June of 2018 to learn more about his career and thoughts on producing records. Check out the new Black Keys album, Let's Rock, and look for a Tape Op interview with Patrick Carney of the band soon. Enjoy! Sponsored by Soundtoys www.soundtoys.com

We first met esteemed mix engineer Michael Brauer in Tape Op #37 in 2003, when Mike Caffrey interviewed him about his multi-bus mixing technique. Some 16 years later Michael and Larry Crane sat down at his new space, BrauerSound Studios, to discuss his career path and unique mixing techniques. He's crossed genres frequently, working as a mixer on projects by artists as varied as Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Tony Bennett, Coldplay, John Mayer, Calle 13, Angelique Kidjo, Phoenix, Bon Jovi, M. Ward, Grandaddy [Tape Op #7], Caveman, James Bay, and Grizzly Bear. Enjoy! Sponsored by Eventide Audio www.eventide.com

Neko Case released her first album The Virginian in 1997 and since has released six records, documents of her growth as a singer, songwriter and producer. Her latest release, Hell On, still has whispers of her Americana past, but leans more towards an art rock record, with theatrical arrangements that highlight her vivid and evocative lyrics. Neko's recent interview in Tape Op was fantastic but there is just so much to talk about, so Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with her at a recent tour stop in Seattle. Enjoy! Sponsored by Audio-Technica www.audio-technica.com

New Mexico and a childhood spent moving from oilfield to oilfield for his father's jobs, Ryan Bingham rode bulls and eventually learned to play a guitar given to him by his mother for his 16th birthday. From a first gig at a biker party, to every roadhouse in the nowhere South, he honed his songwriting and playing eventually landing a deal with Lost Highway records. His big break came appearing in the film Crazy Heart alongside Jeff Bridges and his song from the film, "The Weary Kind" earned Bingham an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics' Choice Award for "Best Song" in 2010, as well as a Grammy in 2011. The Americana Music Association Also named Bingham 2010's Artist of the Year. Almost a decade on, Ryan is still writing, acting (most recently in the Netflix series Yellowstone) and making great records. Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Ryan in Seattle to chat about recording his latest release American Love Song. Enjoy! Sponsored by Burl Audio www.burlaudio.com

Perfume Genius, Laura Marling, Alabama Shakes, John Legend, Vulfpeck, Randy Newman, Jesca Hoop, Norah Jones, Andrew Bird, Jim James, and a long list of others all have a common thread, Blake Mills. Originally the leader of the band Simon Dawes, Blake caught the studio bug and never looked back. His songwriting, inventive guitar playing and production are all unmistakeable. His third solo release "Look" was born out of his exploring of vintage Roland guitar synthesizers. Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Blake to discuss. Enjoy! Sponsored byAdam Audio www.adam-audio.com/en/

We interviewed Ryan Hewitt back in 2007 for Tape Op Issue 61. A lot can happen in ten plus years, so we thought it'd be a good idea to check in. Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Ryan to talk about his mobile recording pioneer dad David Hewitt, Rick Rubin, Phil Ramone, his recent move to Nashville and to just generally chew the fat. Enjoy! Sponsored by DPA Microphones www.dpamicrophones.com

Julie Kathryn, AKA I Am Snow Angel is a producer, artist, sound designer, and advocate for female empowerment in the music industry. Her latest release Mothership was recorded in a cabin in New York's Adirondacks. I sat down with Julie in her studio in New York City for this chat. Enjoy! Sponsored by Antelope http://en.antelopeaudio.com

Michael Beinhorn's name has graced some of popular music's seminal recordings including Herbie Hancock's Future Shock and Soundgarden's Superunknown. He is a musician and producer, author of Unlocking Creativity: A Producer's Guide to Making Music & Art, and most recently has launched a service for artists and bands that focuses solely on pre-production. Online publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Michael from his home in Los Angeles to learn more. Enjoy! Sponsored by Yamaha/Steinberg www.steinberg.net

First interviewed in Tape Op some 20 years ago, Jack Endino has been a staple of the Northwest music and recording scene for over 30 years. He describes himself as "the guy in the engine room" during the early voyages of the battleship "Grunge" in the late 80s - and many of the early releases that put Seattle label Sub Pop on the map have his name on them. Artists like Mudhoney, Nirvana, TAD, Soundgarden, L7, Mark Lanegan, and Hot Hot Heat, are just a few of the many bands that Jack has guided through their recordings. I caught up with Jack at Seattle's Soundhouse Studio, and we carried on as only two old friends can. Enjoy! Sponsored by Audeze www.audeze.com

When we prep for Tape Op interviews it is typical to print out discographies, but in the case of our next guest, it was 48 pages long! Bob Clearmountain needs no introduction. He has worked with a who's who of music's biggest artists including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Morrissey, Sheryl Crow, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, Crowded House, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oats, Travis Tritt, Elton John, David Bowie and 47 more pages of music's makers and shakers. He is still considered the mixer's mixer and works closely with Apogee Electronics on the development of recording studio essentials. Tape Op publisher John Baccigaluppi sat down recently to chat with Bob at his Los Angeles studio. Enjoy! Sponsored by Apogee https://www.apogeedigital.com

In 2002 we interviewed Tucker Martine, then a resident of Seattle and making some cool records with people like Bill Frisell and Danny Barnes. A few years later he moved down to Portland, Oregon, working initially out of my Jackpot! Recording Studio, but soon moving his home studio Flora Recording And Playback into commercial digs. He's worked with The Decemberists, REM, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Mudhoney, Grandaddy, Mavis Staples, K.D. Lang, She and Him, and also his songwriting wife Laura Veirs. Tucker was preparing to move into a new studio building so I thought we should check in and see what was up with him. Enjoy! Sponsored by Neumann Berlin https://en-de.neumann.com

Born in the UK, and now currently residing in Nashville, Jamie Lidell sings, beatboxes, records, produces, engineers, writes songs, writes code, and actually functions as a husband and father. He has collaborated with Beck, Feist, Gonzales, Mocky and Simian Mobile Disco just to name a few. His songs have been used in Grey's Anatomy and Target commercials and he has won global accolades for his work. I sat down with Jamie at his studio in Nashville to catch up. Enjoy! Sponsored by Universal Audio www.uaudio.com

Daniel Lanois' career reads like an enviable work of fantasy. From his early work with Brian Eno and Harold Budd on their genre defining "ambient" works, pivotable roles in U2 classics The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Actung Baby!, to his work with Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, and of course his body of work as a band leader and solo artist, Daniel Lanois has continued to look forward and stay inspired by being at once a master and student of his craft. His latest release Venetian Snares X Daniel Lanois(a collaboration with Aaron Funk) keeps the tradition of not just pushing, but ignoring boundaries. Online editor Geoff Stanfield caught up with Daniel to discuss this latest release and what's happened since we last interviewed Daniel back in Tape Op issue #37. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription for our print interview. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by AMS-Neve www.ams-neve.com

In 2011 an artist by the name of Gotye rose to international prominence on the back of his song, "Somebody That I Used to Know," from his third album, Making Mirrors. Wouter "Wally" De Backer is Gotye, and it turns out he's far more than a global pop star. Belgian-born, and Australia-raised, he now resides in the New York City area, where he can work on his many passions. An interest in the French proto-synthesizer, the Ondioline - and it's most famous player, Jean-Jacques Perrey, led to meeting Jean-Jacques, archiving his music, releasing a record of rare works and restoring several vintage Ondiolines as well as performing live with the Ondioline Orchestra. Wally also continues to record and perform with The Basics, a rock trio he's had with friends since 2002, and is currently working on a new Gotye album. He's a busy man; one whose energy is positive and infectious. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription for our print interview. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by Eventide www.eventide.com

Not only is Susan Rogers a record producer, engineer, mixer, and audio electronics technician, she has a doctorate in psychology (having studied music cognition and psychoacoustics) from McGill University. As an engineer Susan really got her start working with Prince from 1983 to 1988, including albums like Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times, and The Black Album. Her other studio sessions have included artists like Barenaked Ladies, David Byrne, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Rusted Root, Tricky, Geggy Tah, and Michael Penn. She is currently the director of the Berklee College of Music's Perception and Cognition Laboratory, and is an associate professor at Berklee. Portions of this interview were conducted after a listen to a vinyl LP of Purple Rain in front of a live audience during the "Saturday Night Listening Party" at the Welcome to 1979 Recording Summit (held every November in Nashville), and the rest of the interview took place between Susan and me the following day. Enjoy Sponsored by Soundtoys soundtoys.com

What's the common thread between John Lennon, Cheap Trick, Slash, Aerosmith, Miles Davis, Patti Smith, Blue Oyster Cult, The Yardbirds, New York Dolls, Clutch and Local H? It's Jack Douglas. We interviewed Jack along with Jay Messina back in Tape Op #90, but my pal Luther Russell and I were able to catch up with Jack in Los Angeles in early 2018 to talk shop and dig into his history. Enjoy! Sponsored by Audio-Technica www.audio-technica.com

Ken Scott is an undisputed legend. We interviewed him way back in Tape Op issue #52. His work with The Beatles, Elton John, David Bowie, George Harrison, Supertramp and countless others has him firmly planted in the middle of some of music's greatest albums. We caught up with Ken at this year's NAMM show in Los Angeles and chatted about his amazing career. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by Artnovion https://www.artnovion.com

Producer John Congleton was first interviewed back in 2011 in Tape Op #81. He has made records with St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, The Walkmen, Blondie, and Alvvays. Tape Op Editor Larry Crane caught up with John when he was recently in Portland, Oregon working on the new Decemberists record. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by Joe Lambert Mastering http://www.JoeLambertMastering.com

Famed producer, musician, and arranger Willie Mitchell became involved with Royal Studios (and the associated Hi Records) in Memphis, Tennessee, in the early ‘60s. He took more control of the studio operations as time went on and, in the early ‘70s, his collaboration with singer Al Green led to millions of albums sold, all of which cemented Willie’s reputation as a producer of note. These days his son, Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, a musician, songwriter, engineer, and producer in his own right, runs Royal Studios and co-owns Royal Records. He keeps the legacy alive, while also looking to the future. Boo’s produced and/or engineered a wide range of acts including Melissa Etheridge, Solomon Burke, Al Green, Cody Chesnutt, Rod Stewart, John Mayer, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Rush, William Bell, Keb Mo, Terrence Howard, and Boz Scaggs. I met up with Boo one evening at Royal Studios (currently celebrating their 60th year) in the back control room to discuss his life in the studio. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription for our print interview (see issue #120). Please forgive any balance issues, background sounds, and lack of clarity. Sponsored by Burl Audio https://burlaudio.com