Thursday, January 20, 2011

Anadel at Prairie Sun



Technically speaking, Napa based “Anadel” has only been a group for the last 6 months. However, this family band has been jamming out tunes for much longer. Elements of this home schooling family of 9 descended on Prairie Sun last week with one goal in mind: make an album – a good album. Focused around singer/ songwriter JT Baily, the group also features his father Tom Baily on drums, brother Steven on keys, and sister Keri on violin. Although not technically family, the group added close friends Andrew Arcadi on electric guitar and David Parker on bass. Frustrated with never being able to record those ever-so-epic living room jam sessions, they decided to take the next big step. 
Anadel has put in a lot of hard work over the last week, recording their first full-length album “Ver Le Sud” or flying south.  They plan on releasing the record in March followed by a small collage tour this summer. The group is looking into touring with local songwriter Justin Dai, who has used daughter Keri’s undeniable mastery of the violin on nearly all his recordings. In fact, Bravo Max’s manager Scott Herbert was so impressed with her abilities that he asked her to record the violin part on the track “Hey Jane” on Dogs Light. In return, Anadel recorded some nifty accordion parts courtesy of Bravo Max’s own Ellie Stevens.
We all know how difficult it can be to work with family and friends, but in the case of Anadel we see that it is their greatest asset. Talented nonetheless, their unrivaled level of community shines through in their music. Prairie Sun head engineer Matt Wright took a very active role producing this project. He worked with the band from start to finish, imparting his own unmistakable level of professionalism. The album has turned out better then anyone ever expected, and we’re sure that “Anadel” will forever change the way you think about family bands.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Bravo, Max!


Dallas based folk rock band “Bravo, Max!” is spending the week here at Prairie Sun recording and mixing their first full length album titled “Dogs Light”. The band originally formed in 2006 as the brain child of singer/songwriter Johnny Beauford and bassist Ben Gastright. In 2007 they added guitarist Steve Vanderheide, followed by Bob Loshelder on rhythm guitar, Eli Staford on drums, and Ellie Stevens on accordion in 2009. The now 6 piece ensemble has firmly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Dallas music scene.
With Dallas buzzing, the group decided it was time to make the cross country trek to Prairie Sun, recruiting highly sought after band manager/ executive producer, Scott Herbert. Scott has worked with a number of incredible acts over the last 30 years, including Ben Harper, Nels Klien, Norton Wisdom, Pat McDonald, Blues Traveler, Eric Mcfadden, Pearl Jam, and Wally Ingram on Alektorophobia. He was mentored by Tex Schram, owner and GM of the Dallas Cowboys and Bill Graham of legendary production company Bill Graham Presents. Also in tow is co-producer Jonathan Jackson, who produced the bands latest EP “German Chocolate Cake” at his home studio in Dallas.
This album was recorded live to 24 track tape with none other than Grammy award winning engineer and producer Oz Fritz. Recent projects include names like Elvis Costello, Les Claypool, Buckethead, and many, many more. Bravo, Max! has the complete package- stellar songwriting, loads of talent, and an entourage of the highest caliber. We’re all very excited to hear the final product. For more on Bravo Max, visit their website at www.bravomax.net

Thursday, January 6, 2011

From Pakistan to Prairie Sun

We are excited to announce that the legendary Pakistani tabla player Dildar Hussain was just in the studio with his son, Abrar, mixing their newest album. A student of tabla legend Ustad Alla Rakha (Ravi Shankar), Dildar is regarded as one of the top tabla players in the world. He has been a member of Nusrat Ali Khan’s Qawwali party since its formation nearly 30 years ago, and played side by side with Nusrat until his death in 1997. Qawwali, the devotional music of Sufis, had little international exposure before they recorded several albums on the Real World label, including the soundtrack of Hollywood blockbuster “Dead Man Walking”. Today you might see him accompanying renowned Qawwali singer Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Dildar does not play the traditional tabla, which is most commonly associated with Hindustani classical music. His non-traditional tabla configuration has the jori as the treble and the dhamma as the bass. Although rare, they are used primarily in North and West Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Kashmir. This combination creates a sound that is far deeper and warmer than the traditional bayan.

This project was coordinated and produced by Aja Salvatore, who is primarily known for his work with the top musicians of Mali on his label, Kanaga System Krush. Dedicated to showcasing the finest musical talent from all over the world, Aja operates KSK Records under fair trade principals. This means that, as opposed to traditional labels, a large portion (40%) of sales go directly to the artist. To learn more about KSK Records, visit their website here: http://www.systemkrush.com/.

World-class talent needs a world-class engineer. Oz Fritz (Primus, Buckethead, Tom Waits just to name a few) fit the bill for this project. With such a star-studded roster, expect great things to come.