I’m still shocked at the passing of Martin Phillips of The Chills. He made a number of songs and albums that truly inspired me and many others. Please check out the interview I did with him in 1997, and listen to his song “Pink Frost” if you’ve never heard his music. You’ll find the beauty and sadness of this song quite fitting. It’s one of many great songs from a great writer. -Larry Crane
Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.
Hard to believe that 2022 is already coming to a close. As was true in 2021, it was obvious that as the world was on lock down, artists were busy using their time to be creative and the result was an incredible amount of fantastic releases across...
Here I am at Powell's City of Books in Portland doing the book reading. Quite fun to get up and make an ass of myself in a book store. Thanks to Leigh Marble and Ben for playing sweet music, to Kevin Sampsell for arranging this for Powell's, and to...
Dear Tape Op reader:Some folks might not know how inextricably connected Tape Op editor Larry Crane's recording studios have been to the history of Tape Op Magazine. His first home studio, Laundry Rules, was in a Portland basement at 33rd and...
We got this letter from J. Robert Lennon, a sometimes contributor here at Tape Op. I figured I'd better answer it. -Larry Crane
"A thought struck me while I was reading Adam Kagan's very informative review of the Chandler Little Devil...
by Larry Crane
In 1996 my life changed. A few years earlier, I had been in a busy band (Vomit Launch, a precursor to what became indie rock) putting out albums and touring for almost eight years. In late 1992 we called it quits. I’d moved...
I thought I'd seen it all until I heard about collectors that pass around bootlegged copies of the test tones and bias pads from all genres of artists and albums. From an article in MOJO this month:
"Sorting their collections by "tones at head" or...
I often think about the relation of commerce and art. It's a convoluted one, but necessary. How could one continue to create the best art possible if they were destitute? They won't - they will be focused on survival instead. A recent...
Richard Kaplan, owner engineer of famed recording studio Indigo Ranch [Tape Op #103] is selling the remainder of his classic equipment collection. It includes vintage and rare pieces by API, Aengus, Fairchild, Teletronix, Neumann and...
Bassist, singer, and songwriter, esperanza spalding, (Tape Op #147) has just released new music, a collaboration with Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento.
Milton + esperanza is a delightful listen that has foundational roots in Brazilian...