Tape Op Magazine - Issue #165

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Mid-Fi: Cutting Plastic Records with Michael Dixon

Interviews

Interviews

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JULY 7, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Alessandro “Asso” Stefana

BY ROBERTO CAVALLI, GEOFF STANFIELD

We get a lot of email at Tape Op. It is typically from public relations firms, record labels, and gear manufacturers. I do my best to keep up with all of the interview pitches and requests for reviews. Earlier this year, I received an email from an artist directly. His name was Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, and he was sending along his new release, Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, for consideration. Being a fan of Mike Patton [Tape Op #53] and his label Ipecac Recordings, Alessandro's name was a familiar one I had seen on the label's website but had not yet checked out. With this gentle reminder of an email, detailing the album's origins, people involved, and Alessandro's history with his band Guano Padano, Patton's Mondo Cane project, and collaborations with Bill Frisell, Calexico, PJ Harvey, and more, I hit play and didn't move from the couch until I had listened top to bottom. I caught up with Alessandro to chat about his latest release, collaborations, and his love for creating the sound of a Western landscape.

JULY 7, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Emil Amos of Holy Sons: Not Left Behind

BY MARK PETTIT, JAKE NEWCOMB

Fresh off releasing his first solo record, Zone Black, for Drag City Records, Emil Amos takes a break to talk about his production philosophies, home recording in the '90s, and what still keeps him curious. Amos has made over 50 records and is launching into 50 more as we speak. Born of the lo-fi movement, but having traversed just about every genre there is, Emil is mostly known for his bands Grails, Om, Holy Sons, and Lilacs & Champagne. His podcast, Drifter's Sympathy, catalogs outsider music and explores the pitfalls of growing up.

JULY 7, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Joe Reineke and Karyn Gold-Reineke: In the Temple

BY LARRY CRANE, LARRY SHAPIRO

I first met Joe Reineke in early 1989, when he caught our band, Vomit Launch, on a middle slot between Nirvana and Mudhoney in San Jose, California. He had a band called The Mice (soon renamed The Meices), and we began playing shows together. When The Meices broke up, Joe's new band, Alien Crime Syndicate, carried on and he ended up in L.A. Soon, though, he found himself in Seattle, Washington, and in 2002 he opened Orbit Audio, a full service studio downtown. Orbit has hosted Platinum-selling sessions for Macklemore and Vance Joy, along with tracking and mixing for folks such as M. Ward, Pavement [Tape Op #15], Preston School of Industry, and Andre 3000. Not one to miss an opportunity, he and his wife, Karyn Gold-Reineke, also founded Seattle Recording Arts, teaching audio out of Orbit and online. They also recently opened the Temple of the Trees Studio behind their home near Seattle, and it's one of the coolest looking (and sounding) recording spaces I've ever been in. Recent sessions include The Fastbacks and Joe and Karyn's group, Society of the Silver Cross, a dreamy, gothic-inspired project. Check out their new album, Festival of Invocations, to hear some of their best work.

JULY 7, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Betty Bennett, Founder of Apogee Electronics: <i>Whenever you find your passion, it's not really work anymore.</i>

BY JOHN BACCIGALUPPI

I've been using Apogee converters in my studio since I bought my first AD 500 analog to digital converter in the early '90s. I've found all their gear to sound fantastic, work reliably, and inspire confidence in demanding studio clients. Via Tape Op I've come to know Betty Bennett, Apogee's founder; something I never expected to happen back when I bought that first AD 500. Betty is an incredibly smart and nice person, and I always enjoying chatting with her. As Apogee approaches a 40th anniversary in 2025, I thought it was a good time to learn more about Betty's journey into the audio industry, and how Apogee Electronics got started and evolved into the present day

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