We interviewed John Cale in issue #156 around the time of his previous release, Mercy. He has just released POPtical Illusion, a collection of synth and keyboard heavy tunes that carry a heavy, and at times angry message about the state of the world. That is not to say that that Cale has lost all hope and there is optimism that we can still bring about change. POPtical Illusion was produced by Cale along with longtime artistic collaborator Nita Scott.
Guitarist Michael Belfer passed away March 20, 2022 from a series of compounding health issues. He was a friend and my bandmate in Black Lab back in the late ’90s. His unique playing and sound was an influence on players such as Sonic...
We're thinking of printing some bumper stickers to help promote the Tape Op brand name. Our ideas have included:
"My Other Car is a Tape Op"
"My Child is an Honor Student at Tape Op"
"Honk if You're Tape Op"
"I'd rather be reading Tape...
Steve AlbiniRemembered by Larry Crane
On Jan 19, 1987, I clambered aboard a yacht in Emeryville, CA, to interview Steve Albini and the band Big Black for BravEar Magazine, a conversation that unfortunately was never published due to the mag folding...
Quantegy , despite the oddity of still being an active link, posted this announcement recently: "Plans are being formulated for the revival of Quantegy 499 Gold Studio Mastering and GP9 Platinum Studio Mastering audio products, as well as the Black...
Gurf Morlix (Tape Op # 76) recently released a 15 song collection of songs written by his longtime friend and runnin' buddy, Blaze Foley - Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream. The CD has been released in conjunction with the...
I dropped by Powell’s City of Books last night to say hello to Daniel Levitin and hear him talk about his new book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine. I interviewed him in Tape Op #74 way back in 2009. There’s a lot of...
I've pulled together a collection of recent thoughts I've had about the recording process. You can agree or not agree. The important thing is to use your ears, mind, and creativity to make great recordings.
Recording equipment...
I received several CDs recently, notably the Monsters of Folk (Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis) and Porcupine Tree's The Incident, that I really wanted to listen to but was unable to hear. Why? Because these promo discs were...