ISSUE ARCHIVE
NO. 171 | Nov 2025
NO. 170 | Sep 2025
NO. 169 | Sep 2025
NO. 168 | Jul 2025
NO. 167 | May 2025
NO. 166 | Mar 2025
NO. 165 | Jan 2025
NO. 164 | Nov 2024
May/Jun 2006
As I was writing the review of Glass Eye's "new" CD for this issue, it struck me how "fan-boy" my writing sounded. I wondered at first if I should tame it down, sound more removed, professional and such. Screw that. I'm a fan of music. That's the reason I first ever wanted to buy albums, go see shows, start a band, record my friends and everything else that has happened along the way. Even Tape Op, in it's own way, is really an extension of fandom — my initial goal was to encourage people to record using whatever was at their disposal and to disseminate as much info about the process to artists as possible — hoping for more music to happen in the end. Being a fan of music should be the driving force for all of us, and if all we do is get hung up on recording gear, specs and sounds then we're missing the point. Then again, I've been recently excited about having 32 channels of Pro Tools I/O, and reading the interview with Danny McKinney, you can see his passion for that next level of great sound he's shooting for. I'm sure I'm mostly preaching to the converted here — I guess I just wanted to justify getting so excited about some music!
We're almost ready for TapeOpCon 2006, June 16- 18 in Tucson, Arizona. It looks to be as great an event as any year yet, so sign up and come on down! We'll be learning, meeting, eating and drinking at the Hilton El Conquistador — plus some rockin' out at night at Club Congress. Don't miss this event! www.tapeopcon.com
Okay, enjoy the summer. Don't leave your tapes (or CD-Rs) in the sun.
— LARRY CRANE,EDITOR & FOUNDER
Alex Newport first made a name for himself in the late eighties with the heavy, sludgy sound of Fudge Tunnel, an English band that was around from 1989 to 1995. He moved to the states in the early nin...
Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan have long been on the Tape Op radar — Kevin conducted the fantastic Emitt Rhodes interview in issue 33, and Brian recently set up and helped with the Ken Scott interview in...
Mike Patton keeps busy — that's for sure. Since his early days with rock band Faith No More (pioneering the rap-rock genre with their seminal hit "Epic"), through the schizophrenic compleit⁄ies of Mr. Bungle's three albums, to his more recent work with bands Tomahawk and Fantomas (a supergroup including Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne, Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo), Mr. Patton has built a solid reputation as a musical maverick based on the unexpected volume and breadth of his catalog. In 1999, along with his manager Greg Werckman, Mike founded Ipecac Recordings, which, in addition to putting out Mike's various projects, has since come to be known as a label specializing in musical misfits and very interesting albums which might not have found distribution otherwise. More recently, a non-singing role in director Steve Balderson's 2004 film, Firecracker, has added to Mr. Patton's resume of genre-breaking artistry. Photographer Brian T. Silak and I caught up with Mike backstage at New York City's Irving Plaza several hours before Fantomas' sold-out show at the same venue. Mike was kind enough to share with me his insights on creativity, the importance of believing in one's artistic vision and the role of home recording technology in his recent projects.
My love of Michael Penn's music so pre-dates my interest in recording that when I was preparing to interview him for Tape Op, I returned to his records — I felt I knew them by heart, to find that I kn...
Michael Gira, co-founder of the seminal, earth-moving band Swans, has developed his skills in the studio as an artist and producer. Searching for unexpected ways to create music while maintaining the...
Swing open the door to the little wooden shed behind Brian Beattie's house in south Austin and wonder how it all hangs together. The walls are stacked floor-to-ceiling with what looks like a yard sale...
Danny McKinney is a textbook case of a very busy man with a whole lot of irons in the fire. Requisite Audio is his boutique outboard gear company. Standel is his company that designs guitar amps. And...
