The beautiful “Homeland” album I worked on by the amazingly talented Laurie Anderson was nominated for a Grammy this year. Unfortunately we did not wind and Jeff Beck (whose guitar sound I had the pleasure to mix 5 years ago) got the Grammy instead.
My congratulations go to Beck for another win in his career and my best wishes go out to Laurie, one of the most ground breaking pioneers of new music, new technology and art out there!
To be clear, am NOT complaining, I am thankful I have work when a lot of talented colleagues are struggling…
Today I worked 9 hours with Lou Reed in the studio mixing a song at EastSide Sound… then I went to dinner with my lovely girl for her birthday and at 9pm I went to do live sound at a gig for a lively up and coming band called Pants Velour who rocked the house… Now I’m on my way home to do some more show advancing for a gig with the Swiss-American band Grand Pianoramax at SXSW festival in Austin… and finally tomorrow I have a 10am load in for a 10.30pm show with Bryan Ferry in the city so it’s gonna be an early and looooong day.
In the middle of everything I found out that Laurie Anderson is up for a Grammy Award for a her latest and amazing album on which I did engineering work, so I wish her all the best, not only cause it would bring my Grammies to four, but because she is one of the most amazing artists out there and deserves all the recognition and praise!
I just finished a late night recording session with Lou Reed that went really well. We did a cover of an old song for a tribute record and great musicians accompanied him. Now I’m walking home in the snow from the studio and I’m thinking: say what you want, complain about the puddles and the slow traffic, but I love NYC covered in snow: makes the city look even more special and unique, even more so at night.
A few nights ago when the snow was coming down heavy I was standing at a light looking at musicians carrying their instrumental through a blizzard going to or coming from a gig which probably didn’t pay much… Now that’s priceless passion and love for music!
Check out a few shots…
Got back from Zorn’s gig in Milan two nights ago and after just one day at home (which I spent working in the studio on a soundtrack for a film called “Addiction Incorporated”) I’m back on the road again heading to JFK airport to fly to Brazil with Lou Reed for two gigs in Sao Paulo.
Looking forward to the gig but less so to the 9 hour red-eye.
I just hope that this time Brazil will treat me better than last time I was there when I was robbed of everything and had to spend time and money to get emergency papers to be able to get back home.
My favorite place in Bologna. The picture’s lighting doesn’t do justice to the goodness of the food!
This family-owned place is small, run by a retired musician (as you can tell from amp in the bathroom), his sister and his mother.
Milan was a total blast!
Although it ain’t easy to mix 12 bands in one evening and deal with 11 stage changes and 60 channels of continuously changing audio with dynamics that range from classical strings solos to seven piece metal bands, but such is the incredible variety of Zorn’s body of work and honestly it is right up my alley. I love his music and all the variety so much that doing a show like this goes by very quickly and I enjoy every minute of it really!
Can’t wait for the next one.
Here’s two pics of the stage at its least mic-busy and least people-crowded moment.
In less than 5 hours I’ll be sitting in a big bird on my way to the old continent for a big John Zorn Masada Marathon festival. It’s going to be a phenomenal concert in Milan, with 12 bands in a row (Masada Quartet, Sylvie Curvosier & Mark Feldman duo, Cyro Baptista’s new band Banquet of the Spirits, the acappella quartet Mycale, Medeski Martin & Wood, Bar Kokhba, The Dreamers, Erik Friedlander solo, Bester Quartet, New Klezmer trio, Masada String Trio, Electric Masada).
Doing Front of House sound for such a gigantic concert is obviously no easy task (12 bands, 15 minutes each, 11 quick stage changes, 60 channels of audio on the board) but I am really looking forward to doing it and I have a blast every time. Except for MMW and Bester Quartet I have done sound for all of these cats before so I know it’s gonna be a killer show.
I love going on the road to do these shows but I love being in NYC as well and I love NYC with all my heart… If you love (or hate) NYC you should read this article I was just sent called “50 Reasons to Be Pretty Damn Euphoric You Live in New York City”. It’s pretty hilarious, let me know what you think: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2010/11/50_reasons_to_b.php
Fellow geeks, unite and cheer. Freedom at last!
…and I’m not talking about that hail that came down in Brooklyn a week or two ago… I’m talking about work! Studio life is such that sometimes you have a week with no sessions and then there are weeks like this one where EVERYONE wants to record!!! What is it about the third week of October??? I had to turn down SO MUCH work this week, I hate turning down work! This week I’ve worked with 6 different clients, sometimes two in a day! Crazy.
My friend Robbie Angelucci (a great italian guitar player who moved to LA 15 or so years ago) has a band called Amberside and they finally launched their website, which has a player featuring two mixes I did for them (“Broken Paradigm” and “Don’t Hold Me Back”)… unfortunately it’s just compressed web-ready mp3s, but I remember being happy with those (uncompressed WAV) mixes and the band is rocking (if you like stuff like Incubus, you’ll dig Amberside!). Check out the songs and their new website at http://www.ambersidemusic.com
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I’ve recently had the pleasure to record and mix the (I believe) 20th or 21st studio album by the popular Japanese avantgarde-rock band Hikashu, fronted by the great and eclectic Makigami “Maki” Koichi (vocals, theremin, jew’s harp, cornet), whom I had met while working on the latest DVD album by Ikue Mori (on Tzadik).
Hikashu’s new album is called “Uragoe” and the cover art work is by Tabaimo.
I recorded it at EastSide Sound Studios in NYC after their performance at Japan Society in NY last year. I just recently finished mixing it (also at EastSide Sound) and the famous mastering engineer Seigen Ono mastered it for CD and Super Audio CD at Saidera Mastering.
The album can be purchased online from HMV Japan.
I’ve been interviewed by their official blog’s curator Nori and you can read the interview at the following link: Hikashu Appreciation Society: An interview with Marc Urselli – the engineer of Hikashus “Uragoe”.
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