St. Louis Music Blog

Brian Scheffer

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

The Livers
Where: Firebrand Recording Studios
With Whom: Brian Scheffer
When: Says Scot Freeman: "We have been in and out for the last month and a half. Sneaking in like raccoons to record morsels of genius here and there around busy schedules."
What: "Six songs so far," he says. "After having some time to reflect, we may record a few more to make it not so much an EP but a short album."

courtesy of Hope and Therapy

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(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Where: Red Pill
With Whom: J. Christopher Hughes
When: Tracked October 16 to 18. Currently being mixed by JCH at his Post Historic Studio in Milwaukee.
What: The band's debut album.

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Caleb Travers sent over a little video update for his album, which is due in Spring 2010, as a follow-up to our July studio piece. Check it out!

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Toby Weiss

Kate Eddens and Anne Tkach recording "The Little Wrapped Gift."

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Who: Rough Shop (plus special guests)
Where: Sawhorse Recording Studios
With Whom: Engineers Jack Petracek & Jason McEntire at Sawhorse Recording Studios / Jack Petracek, Engineer & Mixing: Jack Petracek at Eagle Rare Studios
(The band's producing.)
When: Selected days Through October 23
What: Just Because It Was Christmas, a full-length Christmas CD featuring seven new original Christmas songs plus unexpected covers
When due out? December 12 (CD release party)

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Who: Jon Hardy & the Public
Where: Sawhorse Recording Studios
With Whom: Engineer Jason McEntire. (The band's producing.)
When: Saturday, September 26
What: Two new original songs
When due out? TBA
Sounds like... Fans of Jon Hardy & the Public rejoice: The band is back in the studio, following up both its well-received full-length Working in Love and the online-only Randy Newman covers EP. Hardy says the two songs the band recorded are a bit of a departure.

"It's a bit difficult to describe them in comparison to our older tunes," Hardy says. "They're both quite different from one another and our prior work. The best info I can think to give is to describe where they were written."

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Egan O'Keefe

Thom Donovan. Still more photos from last Thursday's show!

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Who: Thom Donovan
Where: His home studio, and the studio of Urge drummer John Pessoni
With Whom: He and his crack band (see below)
Sounds Like: Demos posted on Donovan's website reveal a mature, more realized verson of what Donovan is known for: dreamy, emotional pop music with hints of shoegaze, psych-pop and Britrock.

MP3: Thom Donovan, "Leave the Light On"

Although Donovan's former band, Lapush, dissolved, he's assembled another group of talented musicians around him: bassist Kevin Bachmann (Lapush), guitarist Andy Dwiggins (Greenwheel) and drummer John Pessoni (the Urge).

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

courtesy of Gentleman Auction House

Keyboardist Kiley Kozel

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Band: Gentleman Auction House
Album: LP 2, title TBA
Studio: The Robotica Room, St. Louis
When Recording: Throughout the rest of '09
Release Date: Somewhere in '10
With Whom: Doing it all ourselves, making gear stew
The Band Says: "After traveling to D.C. to record our last full-length, we are opting to get reactionary and record this one ourselves, mostly at my house," says vocalist/songwriter Eric Enger. "With that record we were looking track a batch of songs that we had already been touring on for a while. Now, we want to have time to build a record of new songs, with no disclaimers. We've already recorded the first batch and I'm still writing, so it's a more fluid process.

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

courtesy of Cameron Matthews

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Who: Singer-songwriter Cameron Matthews, who's now going by the name Bear Ceuse
Where: Multiple places, including Lexington, Kentucky
With Whom: Several people. The song "Marxist Marriage" was recorded with producer Duane Lundy (Ben Sollee, Chico Fellini) and the band These United States -- who happen to be at the Firebird tonight. (Grab this MP3 after the jump.)

"Within the song, we wanted to fight everything that a normal ballad consists of: the constant crescendo, big vocals, big sound," Matthews says. "We instead held back and created a more intimate aesthetic, which at times can feel almost uncomfortable and claustrophobic. But Duane worked his genius and turned the single into one of my most memorable and enjoyable recording sessions."

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

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Album: Style Like Mind
Release Date: September 11
What Studio: Suburban Pro Studios, St. Louis
Recorded with whom: Engineer, Matt Sawicki, Producer, Ben Bounce and DJ MAHF. Graphic Designer, Magic8
When: Recorded over four sessions -- one in late June, three in early August.

Steddy P says: "I really feel like this was the best situation I've been in while recording an album. Everyone covered their bases -- dope engineer, dope beats, dope DJ. I just had to come with concepts and rhymes. Mr. Bounce was even nice enough to let me touch some of the sequencing privileges on the beats; this allowed me to really make the music truly mine.

Everyone involved was very professional and hopped on the concept and vision of the album. We all were trying to make the best music possible and cover different avenues, stylistically and sonically. We had a lot of the graphic visuals for the album before we really began recording, so that helped for direction. Despite what the press will say, everyone involved feels the same way I do about the album and we are very proud of our work from Style Like Mind."

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

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Album: So Long Winter EP
What studio: Tone Cellar, St. Louis, Missouri
With whom: Producers Sam Wehrmeyer & Jon Eberts
When: Actively recording since February, continuing thru August; project finish in September.
The band says... "We've been in the studio for so long that our friends and family members think we have joined a cult," says bassist Kevin Kelly. "I guess this is what happens when everyone involved in the process is a super-anal perfectionist; all of us have been in many bands before and know the usual route. Our hope is to skip the whole wallowing in local music purgatory and create something original that we would be excited about hearing come from any other band in the world."

(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

This week we spotlight James Weber, who shared the following about a recent recording experience in his own words. Weber's leaving the Lou for a bit, and his farewell show is next Monday night, August 10, at CBGBs.

courtesy of James Weber

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What studio: Eric Hall's Apartment (for today, "Blocks That Melt Recording"), South St. Louis, MO
With whom: Sound WIZZRD and Sound GOURMAND Eric Hall
When: July 30th @ 5:11 p.m. and thereabouts.
Sounds Like: My brain-belly uncomfortably swelled with oodles of new tunes, I thought I'd knife out 4 or 5 and track 'em quick like, acoustic, one-take, and let Eric Hall slather his sound-goops on top or underneath or sideways before I skipped out of town for a bit. My work was finished in about as much time as it took to play each tune. Now begins his meticulous cuttin', scrapin', pastin' and bastin' of the bits and bytes. It'll be done when it's done. Here's a clip of an as-yet un-enhanced track, "Easy, Easy." Praise be to Sparks, Jellybean the Barkin' Tape Op, 10-string guitars and a month of eerie STL in July balm. Yes, I am about to wretch in the photo provided.

MP3: James Weber, "Easy Easy"

courtesy of James Weber

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(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

courtesy of Via Dove

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What studio: Smoking Gun, Nashville, Tennessee
With whom: Producer Dustin Burnett
When: Writing/preproduction, June through September. Recording, October 15 to Nov 30.
The band says... "We are excited to be dedicating these next several months to making our third album. Working with about twenty songs has given us the luxury of choosing a track list we feel will make a comprehensive release with no fill. The mantra for the process is to 'write songs you can't resist for an album you can't ignore.' " -- Reid Burnett

courtesy of Via Dove

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(Welcome to In the Studio, a section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Cassie Morgan (left), Beth Bombara (right)

Who:Cassie Morgan and the Lonely Pine(featuring Beth Bombara)
Sound: Bombara: "Maybe it's because her name comes right before Beth Orton's in my iPod, but Bombara's sweetly ragged, potently hollow voice recalls some of the British singer's more naked moments." (Christian Schaeffer, April 2, 2008). Morgan: "On this five-song EP, her vocals are pushed so far to the front of the mix that it's like she's whispering in your ear. And, like an earthier Hope Sandoval, this is exactly the right effect for a singer like this." (Christian Schaeffer, December 3, 2008)
Studio: A home studio in Chicago
Recording With: Joey Lemon of the band Berry. Lemon also recorded Samantha Crain and the Shivers' Confiscation EP
When Recording: July 2009
Release Date? Possibly by the end of the year
About the new music: Bombara and Morgan have been playing out together in various band configurations for almost a year now, so recording together was a natural next step. The pair tracked nine songs in a whirlwind weekend at Lemon's home studio, where Morgan has recorded before. Naturally, the fast pace influenced the sound of the finished music.

(Welcome to In the Studio, a new section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email Annie Zaleski, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

Humanoids' Ryan Zimmerman, left, and Greg Stinson, right, in the midst of a creative difference.

Who: The Humanoids
Sound: Melodic punk
Studio: Firebrand Recording
Recording With: Brian Scheffer
When Recording: June 19, 2009 to July 18, 2009.
Release Date? TBA
About the new music: For one, the Humanoids have moved beyond the guitar-drums-bass-vocals set-up for at least one song, incorporating a harmonica and tambourine on one track. The band is recording for an eleven or twelve-song album, totaling about 25 minutes. Guitarist Greg Stinson said he hopes it eventually is released on LP with a CD included.

"Before we got in (to Firebrand), I seriously had the thought that this was gonna be a disaster. About a day into it, though, it kept getting better and better," Stinson says. "At this point we are finishing up vocals. We will proabably resume with mixing/mastering after we get back from the east coast. We have no idea as to how this is gonna be released. And no, that is not a pun."

(Welcome to In the Studio, a new section on A to Z that spotlights -- what else? -- local artists in the studio. If you are also recording/recently recorded -- or are a studio engineer/producer and working with people -- email me, with the phrase "In the Studio" in the subject heading.)

courtesy of Caleb Travers

Who: Caleb Travers
Sound: "With heart-on-his-sleeve, real-world honesty, a slightly gritty baritone and the ability to paint believable portraits of love gone wrong, Caleb Travers' brand of twang-tinged Americana calls to mind Beck's breakup masterpiece Sea Change -- but with a fervor and style all his own." (The RFT's Best Songwriter, 2008)
Studio: RedPill
Recording With:Jacob Detering (producer), Joe Meyer (drums), Eric Grossman (bass); more players possible
When Recording: July 2009 until TBA
Release Date? Possibly the end of the year; more likely, spring 2010
About the new music, Travers says it's: "a love-letter to the pop. An attempt to echo what I heard on the radio when I was 5 and what I felt in my small town when I was 14. Some piano songs, some rock. Me--growing up."