Tape Op Magazine - Issue #128

Interviews

Kevin Army

By Ian Brennan

Kevin Army was a secret force behind the East Bay punk explosion of the late '80s and early '90s. Being a generation older than the bands he worked with brought depth and wisdom on two-fronts that informed the music: his experience as an artist from the dawn of punk internationally and...

Interviews

Caught in a Mosh with Alex Perialas

By Scott Evans

Anthrax, Testament, Overkill, Stormtroopers of Death, Nuclear Assault, Vio-lence... Alex Perialas is responsible for dozens of classic metal records from the '80s and '90s, mostly made in his studio, Pyramid Sound, in his hometown of Ithaca, New York. These records are near and dear to my...

Interviews

SassyBlack: Cathartic and Spiritual

By Larry Crane

Her bio states, "SassyBlack is a space aged singer, songwriter & producer," and that is a great starting point in digging into her career, one that also includes the titles of freelance writer, entrepreneur, and actor. Catherine ("Cat") Harris-White came to many folk's...

Interviews

Then and Now: "Boogie" Bob Baldori of Lansing Sound (Bonus)

By Jason Hatfield

Musician, songwriter, producer, and entertainment lawyer "Boogie" Bob Baldori...

Interviews

Enrique Tena Padilla

By John Dwyer

I met Enrique Tena Padilla when he, along with Eric Bauer, engineered, produced, and mixed...

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Eric Bachmann: Can't be Faked (Bonus)

BY RYAN SOMMER, JEREMY LANGE

Eric Bachmann started recording in the late '80s and early '90s with the indie heroes, Archers of Loaf. The group had a unique sound that is still heavily cited today. However it was far from a clean or heavily "produced" feel, which is why listening to his latest LP, Eric Bachmann, on Merge Records might shock fans of his early material. A lush, intimate record (and on many critic's Top Ten lists by year's end) that was written on piano, Bachmann delivered nine songs that are undoubtedly at the top of his craft, echoing influences like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, as well as utilizing female backing vocals that recall a vintage R&B vibe. I chatted with Eric while he was in Athens, Georgia, working on a self-produced follow-up album. For those of us who have been lifelong fans throughout his various projects (Archers of Loaf, Barry Black, Crooked Fingers, and solo), Eric remains an anchor. Despite going through the wringer of the music industry, he remains unjaded and is a constant fan of music. As The National's Matt Berninger put it, in his wonderful liner notes for Merge's LP release of Crooked Fingers' Bring on the Snakes, Eric "understands how seriously people take rock music."

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Matt Wallace: Journey to Producer Island

BY GEOFF (PORTRAIT), GEOFF STANFIELD, LAURIE NELSON (PORTRAIT)

Roll up your sleeves, make a mess, get dirty, get fired, get re-hired, tear it down, and build it all back up again. Then make it better than it was before. That could be a synopsis of a typical day in the life of Matt Wallace. He turned his nerdy love of electronics and music into a long and storied career that includes being a studio owner, songwriter, and producer/engineer, as well as working with iconic bands like The Replacements to helping groups like Faith No More and Maroon 5 craft their multi-platinum breakthrough hits. I caught up with Matt at his Studio Deluxe in the Sound City complex in Van Nuys, California.

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COLUMNS

by Larry Crane

by Andy Hong

GEAR REVIEWS