Interviews
By Steve Silverstein and Kevin Bourassa
As an engineer who mostly works on rock and experimental music, classical recording fascinates me. Seemingly accurate recordings of acoustic instruments feels like one of the more measurable skills in our field, with at least some safe detachment from recording trends. Jennifer Nulsen has quickly found...
Interviews
Interviews
Interviews
Ambrose Bye laughingly calls himself a “nepo baby with a laptop.” As the son of internationally-renowned poet Anne Waldman, Bye practically grew up at the Buddhist-inspired school in Boulder, Colorado – now known as Naropa University – where Waldman and Allen Ginsberg started the writing program. Bye originally recorded on campus in “Harry's House,” where the elderly Harry Smith – celebrated music compiler, filmmaker, and occultist – had previously lived during the last three years of his life. Bye has released three Harry's House compilations – featuring collaborations between writers and musicians – which appear on Waldman and Bye's expansive label, Fast Speaking Music.
On Temperance, a musical Reverb Formed in 1971, Eventide soon became one of the first companies to build digital delays and other future-shaping audio processers. Their H910 Harmonizer may have changed the sound of records forever. Their SP 2016 was the world’s first digital audio processor, introduced the concept of the plug-in, and its reverb algorithms remain popular to this day. I heard about Eventide's Temperance plug-in, an interesting new concept in reverbs, so Tony and I got on a call so I could learn more.
I have a lot of favorite rock bands, but one that always puts a smile on my face was the original lineup(s) of The Saints. This Australian band released the first non-US punk single, “(I’m) Stranded,” in September 1976, even preceding some well-known London combos. The core of the original band was Ed Kuepper on guitar, Chris Bailey on vocals, Ivor Hay on drums, and Kym Bradshaw on bass, and they recorded the awesome debut LP in 1976, also titled (I’m) Stranded. By 1978’s second album, Eternally Yours, Algy Ward joined on bass, and this lineup went on to record the third and final LP, Prehistoric Sounds, in ’78 as well before disbanding. Chris Bailey formed a new version of The Saints, making some great albums for sure, but this initial trio of LPs with Ed Kuepper is what diehard Saints fans adore. I was excited to meet Ed via Zoom, and pick his brain about how he had envisioned adding horn sections to these early records, and to discuss The Saints ’73-’78 – his touring Saints project with Ivor on drums, Mudhoney’s Mark Arm on vocals, and the legendary producer and Bad Seed Mick Harvey on guitar.
Possibly most recognized as the bassist for Lone Justice, the pioneering '80s country rock band, Marvin Etzioni had actually begun as their producer before joining the group and contributing his songs and expertise. He's since gone on to produce a number of artists, including Toad the Wet Sprocket, Peter Case, and Counting Crows. I caught up with Marvin when he dropped by my studio, Jackpot! Recording Studio, with his Thee Holy Brothers bandmate, Willie Aron, while in town for one of their gigs plus a rare performance by The Riflebirds of Portland, a band he had worked with nearly four decades ago who have a Marvin-produced record, Windmills on the Moon, out now.
