We interviewed Mike Campbell for issue #150, right around the time he and his band, The Dirty Knobs released their second LP, External Combustion. A year on, the band has released a new collection of music, Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits. The Dirty Knobs consists of Campbell, guitarist Chris Holt, bassist Lance Morrison, and drummer Matt Laug. Much of the album was co-produced by longtime Tom Petty studio collaborator, George Drakoulias.
Check out the video for "Dare to Dream" (feat. Graham Nash)
Yup, we're finally back on track with clothing here at the US branch of Tape Op. Check it all out, plus back issues, at Good Mountain, our new supplier of direct mail order goodies for Tape Op.
Yup. From 1985 to 1993 I was in a band with the polite name of Vomit Launch. One of our songs, "Exit Lines" is in a movie called "The Wackness", in theaters now. A pretty damn good movie, and our song fits the scene too well! Most of our back catalog...
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...
Video Release: James Supercave "Burn"
What follows may be one of the best answers to the "So, how'd you guys meet?" question we have ever heard. Producer, engineer, and oft-recorded bassist (Black Keys, Ryan Adams, Norah Jones) Gus Seyffert was...
I'm in the middle of cataloging 1.5 TB of audio files. This is the work I do for the Estate of Elliott Smith. Two computers keep Pro Tools on the top one and FileMaker Pro and Excel for track sheets on the bottom one. Otherwise the MacBook Pro...
October is starting off with a bang and a long list of great new releases. Here are a few notables.
Hard Quartet - Heel HighwayThis new indie rock "supergroup" consists of Stephen Malkmus (Tape Op #15), Jim White, Emmett Kelly, and Matt Sweeney....
This may be the most indispensable tool in my studio. I hear people say that converters don't matter and that most cannot hear the difference. Bullsh*t!
If you cannot accurately hear what you are doing you are making uninformed choices. They call...
by Alex Maiolo
One of our patron saints of recording, Mitch Easter [Tape Op #21], turns 70 today. That's almost irrelevant, as this treasure of a human should be celebrated every day, but it prompted me to write about his impact.
Like anyone,...