Sierra's album was just what she needed and at the right time. That doesn't happen by accident, but by careful design.
If you were a betting man, what are the odds we see a vinyl reissue of God Bless... on American Laundromat in the next two years? It's a favorite for many of us out here as well!
Exactly right! God Bless will be reissued. We’re getting all the Mammoth stuff out first. I’m looking forward to reissuing God Bless, it’s our best work.
I have no idea, but Paul is a great archivist so he’ll have whatever we did. We wrote for the album, partly in the studio, so I know there are no shelved songs.
Thinking back to when I was hustling as a freelance music journalist in the early-ought's bustling showbiz metropolis that was Pensacola Florida (haha), I still marvel at some of the shoulders I somewhat rubbed with. One was Larry Butler, the first Nashville producer in history (I was told) to win Grammy for Record Of The Year for his work with Kenny Rogers, in addition to having been in Johnny Cash's touring band back when Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and the Carters were part of his caravan. He had retired to nearby Gulf Shores AL, and I got to interview him once. I fully realized how heavy that was, and I tried to parlay that encounter into volunteering as an unpaid intern at his recording studio, but he didn't bite. When I wonder why I didn't politick harder to get my foot further in that door, I'm reminded that not long after that, Hurricane Ivan destroyed both my house and his (at least an hour's drive apart) in a dress rehearsal for what Katrina did to New Orleans the following year. Such crummy timing and widespread destruction.
The recording studio to me is the mythical utopia that "backstage" probably is for most music fans. There is a magic to getting the sounds someone hears in their head onto a medium that people can listen to in roughly the form envisioned, plus some happy accidents and random noisemakers raided from the proverbial Abbey Road closet of Sgt Pepper days. I could watch the "Classic Albums" tv show series for days, producers and artists telling war stories and playing back the isolated tracks and showing how the houses were built brick by brick. In the trenches, I'm sure it feels every bit as tedious as "backstage" becomes after a while, but I still like to cling to my naive ideals of it.
Are there any producers on your "dream list" that you wish you could have worked with? For me, Jeff Lynne of ELO would be the holy grail of that, even if it involved me just watching while he re-recorded all my parts himself.
P.S., that Sierra Ferrell album was epic, even if you'd have to try pretty hard to mess up that vocal. I still love the self-released "Washington By The Sea" a lot too..."Shiver" is a generational vocal performance!
I know the precise date of Hurricane Ivan (September 15 2004) because that’s the day my son Bennett was born in Birmingham. No mass destruction that far north but pretty hairy.
I like that I get to meet a lot of young producers these days through my work, to talk about what they do and how different the job is becoming. Great young producers tend to value the craft of old fashion record-making. It’s mostly about capturing great performances rather than creating the illusion of great performances. As for my own work, I’m content to work with people who bring a vibe and are excited about what I’m making.
That's a pretty crazy coincidence! I had evacuated to Dothan, where it still sent a tree into the neighbor's roof behind the friend I was staying with. I could not get away from that damn thing!
The hurricane, I guess the pressure, caused a lot of women to go into labor. They had women in labor out in the hallways. Ours was scheduled so we had a delivery room.
Great stories, John -- thanks for sharing. You nicely captured how producers and engineers can become colleagues and, with the right chemistry, friends, mentors, or siblings.
Last year, I finally made a record with no compromises, with nothing lost in the path from my brain to the final product, and it was all because of a terrific producer/engineer/drummer who cared as much about the songs as I did and encouraged me to push them further. Recording is such a beautiful process with folks like that on board.
Sierra's album was just what she needed and at the right time. That doesn't happen by accident, but by careful design.
If you were a betting man, what are the odds we see a vinyl reissue of God Bless... on American Laundromat in the next two years? It's a favorite for many of us out here as well!
Exactly right! God Bless will be reissued. We’re getting all the Mammoth stuff out first. I’m looking forward to reissuing God Bless, it’s our best work.
Great news! We're there any demos, outtakes or unused tracks from those sessions that could be added?
I have no idea, but Paul is a great archivist so he’ll have whatever we did. We wrote for the album, partly in the studio, so I know there are no shelved songs.
Thinking back to when I was hustling as a freelance music journalist in the early-ought's bustling showbiz metropolis that was Pensacola Florida (haha), I still marvel at some of the shoulders I somewhat rubbed with. One was Larry Butler, the first Nashville producer in history (I was told) to win Grammy for Record Of The Year for his work with Kenny Rogers, in addition to having been in Johnny Cash's touring band back when Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and the Carters were part of his caravan. He had retired to nearby Gulf Shores AL, and I got to interview him once. I fully realized how heavy that was, and I tried to parlay that encounter into volunteering as an unpaid intern at his recording studio, but he didn't bite. When I wonder why I didn't politick harder to get my foot further in that door, I'm reminded that not long after that, Hurricane Ivan destroyed both my house and his (at least an hour's drive apart) in a dress rehearsal for what Katrina did to New Orleans the following year. Such crummy timing and widespread destruction.
The recording studio to me is the mythical utopia that "backstage" probably is for most music fans. There is a magic to getting the sounds someone hears in their head onto a medium that people can listen to in roughly the form envisioned, plus some happy accidents and random noisemakers raided from the proverbial Abbey Road closet of Sgt Pepper days. I could watch the "Classic Albums" tv show series for days, producers and artists telling war stories and playing back the isolated tracks and showing how the houses were built brick by brick. In the trenches, I'm sure it feels every bit as tedious as "backstage" becomes after a while, but I still like to cling to my naive ideals of it.
Are there any producers on your "dream list" that you wish you could have worked with? For me, Jeff Lynne of ELO would be the holy grail of that, even if it involved me just watching while he re-recorded all my parts himself.
P.S., that Sierra Ferrell album was epic, even if you'd have to try pretty hard to mess up that vocal. I still love the self-released "Washington By The Sea" a lot too..."Shiver" is a generational vocal performance!
I know the precise date of Hurricane Ivan (September 15 2004) because that’s the day my son Bennett was born in Birmingham. No mass destruction that far north but pretty hairy.
I like that I get to meet a lot of young producers these days through my work, to talk about what they do and how different the job is becoming. Great young producers tend to value the craft of old fashion record-making. It’s mostly about capturing great performances rather than creating the illusion of great performances. As for my own work, I’m content to work with people who bring a vibe and are excited about what I’m making.
That's a pretty crazy coincidence! I had evacuated to Dothan, where it still sent a tree into the neighbor's roof behind the friend I was staying with. I could not get away from that damn thing!
The hurricane, I guess the pressure, caused a lot of women to go into labor. They had women in labor out in the hallways. Ours was scheduled so we had a delivery room.
Great stories, John -- thanks for sharing. You nicely captured how producers and engineers can become colleagues and, with the right chemistry, friends, mentors, or siblings.
Last year, I finally made a record with no compromises, with nothing lost in the path from my brain to the final product, and it was all because of a terrific producer/engineer/drummer who cared as much about the songs as I did and encouraged me to push them further. Recording is such a beautiful process with folks like that on board.
Love that