You got your start in recording by following the Grateful Dead on tour and taping shows. What was your rig like?
I was in bands when I was young and I had a [Tascam] Portastudio, so I had four inputs and four microphones. I recently listened to a recording I did in Ventura, California, in 1987, which was circulated a good deal. I had two condenser [mics] and two shotgun [mics] on the side. I really split the whole taper section! It was epic!
So you must've had a reputation amongst the other tapers...
Oh yeah! Because I was working in studios I would show up with crazy mics. I'd come with Neumann U 87 and the like. I also had a DAT [recorder] when they first came out — a Sony TCD-D10 in 1987. Because of all the session work I was doing in New York I knew which musicians were going to Japan. That connection enabled me to get my hands on the digital technology early. During that period of time so many people were asking me for patches [at the shows]. The tech at the studio I was working at built me a mult-box. It was 1988 and I had the patches filled every show! It was the geekiest of gigs.
You eventually came full circle and mixed TheDeadfortheBonnaroo'04 album, as well as the DVD. How did that feel?
I was a Deadhead. I went to summer school in California so I could be where the Dead were. I went to so many shows that my father had a t-shirt made that said, "Did Jerry Garcia ever drive across the country to see me?" It was a family joke. [laughs] So it was Bonnaroo '04 and The Dead were playing. Granted it wasn't with Jerry, but they were playing 100 yards from me, blowing my mind. I thought, "I have driven thousands of miles to see and record this band, and now I am mixing this?" But the true experience was being able to solo Bobby [Weir], the drums, and Phil [Lesh]. It was a trip. When you're a Deadhead, and the same goes for Phishheads too, it's an immersive culture. The Dead got me through the '80s! I remember doing the Bonnaroo show saying, "Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this." But having worked with Phish and Dave Matthews, I felt prepared to do it. I didn't feel out of place or afraid to touch it. That confidence makes me feel like I'm able to mix bands that I love, like the track I did for the Simon & Garfunkel album [2005's Old Friends: Live On Stage].
And now you're sort of a glorified version of a taper with Phish. Do you think you're putting the "hard-working hobbyist" tapers out of work?
I enjoy having tapers there [at the Phish shows]. I'm never going to ask a taper, "Why do you do this when I put out my mix every night?" I understand the experience of taping! But I've also done plenty of studio records, so I also understand that you need to hear the vocals. [laughs]
You've also done live records for the Foo Fighters, The Decemberists and Warren Haynes. Did you ever see that in the cards?
I love doing records, but I also love the art form of live. That comes from the Dead. I love live music and really feel fortunate to do what I do.
What are some of your favorite live albums that you didn't work on?
When I was in high school, the Talking Heads' [concert film] Stop Making Sense came out. It was playing at the 57th Street Playhouse and my dad had an apartment right there. I was over on Christmas break and paid to see it at least five times. I didn't know what I wanted to do yet with my life, but that experience viscerally excited me. I love [Little Feat's] Waiting For Columbus, which Phish actually covered for their Halloween 2010 show. And then the obvious ones for me would be [the Grateful Dead's] Europe '72 and Live/Dead...
And Live/Dead was the first live recording cut to 16-track...
That's right! Those guys were so ahead of the game...
All those records you mentioned are some of the most well- regarded in the canon of live albums, but some studio trickery went into the making of those records.
When you're in the studio people expect magicians. When I do a live record I treat it like it's the studio. I have the musicians' back. When you have the musicians' back you get the respect of the musicians, and then you get the next gig. It's not just about balancing stuff. It's about knowing what they're after. It is our job to present the artist in the best light that we can. With that said, I think it is best to do what the artist wishes to do. The truth is that there are some bands that you fix a lot of stuff for and some that you don't touch. I've had bands re-sing, replay and add parts. If you're lucky to put out ten album or DVD projects in your life, don't you want them to be as good as they can be for the ages? Stop Making Sense and Waiting For Columbus are overdubbed. That's known! But you put those on now and they hold up! I know when I put Stop Making Sense on I want it to be right, and it is. To me you have to do the fixes with integrity — and do as few as possible. I want to make a point that I've never done an overdub for a Phish release. I understand where the band wants to be. When I do Live Phish, it's live. Everything is there.
Can overdubs on a live record enhance the structure of what the band already put in place?
I guess I've sometimes taken the creative approach. I've added parts, but a lot of them were parts that were on the record and were missing from the show. I think it's also interesting to build off a live multitrack in the studio. There's an artist I'm working with now who said to me, "I go to the studio and everything sounds flat, but my show is rockin'. What can we do?" And I said, "We'll record a few shows, take it to the studio, choose the best takes, redo the vocals, and do all the overdubs." That can be a fun approach for a record, because it really pushes things along.
How did you fall into the world of Phish?
I was working with John Popper [Blues Traveler] in the early '90s, and I believe he introduced me to Trey [Anastasio, Phish's lead singer and guitarist].
Had you taped Phish shows before your introduction?
I had taped two or three shows before we met, but I was by no means a regular Phish taper.
The first album you did with them was A Picture Of Nectar. Then you worked with Muscle Shoals' keyboardist/producer Barry Beckett on their album, Rift. How was that?
I thought Barry was great. I mean, Muscle Shoals! He was a great musician and he focused Phish more. He would make the guys go through and underline the most important lyrics in each sentence, which was interesting because it was a concept album and the lyrics were so out! [laughs] But when everybody in the band is dissecting their lyrics you have democratic discussions as to what meanings of songs are, which usually leads to something better. I still put that to practice to this day. I was young, 23 or 24, during that recording. When they took the record to Nashville and finished it there it was one of the first experiences I had with letting go. It was a tough thing for me because I'd been in their camp for three years. But you have to understand that bands move on. Nothing is forever because everybody needs to grow. They moved on to Steve [Lillywhite] and I moved on as well. I met [John] Alagia and that got me into the Dave Matthews camp. From there it was [John] Mayer, [Jason] Mraz and a ton of other great experiences.
