Prairie Sun Recording

The "Smile" Project

2011-10-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

If Prairie Sun's studio B walls could talk they would tell a tale of a jazz project called "Smile" that took place this past week. Steve Puleo (vocals) has decided to honor to his mother Jean Puleo through songs that inspired him from his childhood. Jean Puleo was a successful jazz singer in New York who sang into her 70s. Our condolences go out to Steve for the loss of his mother the past year. To pay homage to her not only are they doing songs that she was familiar with but the band will be featuring a clip of her singing on one of the tracks. To bring three generations of family together through song Steve's daughter will also be singing.

The band is comprised of fantastic players. On drums is long time mentor of Steve's and a bay area legend James Levi who played with Herbie Hancock for many years. Composer Jerome Gilmer (piano) was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. Terry Miller (bass) was introduced to Steve through Jerome and really helped round out the ensemble. Randy Vincent (guitar) completed the core of the group, Randy has played with Dizzy Gillespie and Steve Smith just to name a few. The musicianship and emotion of the players was something to behold.

The group will be returning later this week for Sax overdubs with Rob Roth and some fugal horn work by Peter Welker. The performances captured the classic vibe of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra and still maintained a humble down to earth atmosphere. The project is set to go out for duplication in mid November and there are talks of heading to Japan for a short tour. We will be sure to keep you posted on all the updates on the project simply titled "Smile"

Orbo & The Long Shots

2011-09-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

This past year we had the pleasure of working with Orbo & The Longshots. Orbo and his crew traveled to Prairie Sun with grammy engineer/producer Erick Jaskowiak (Alison Krauss, Crooked Still) to track there 5th full length album. Last summer Orbo & The Longshots made the long trek from Norway to hold up in studio C for about two weeks . Over the course of there stay, the band had a camera crew in tow capturing all of the behind the scenes gold.

The upcoming album is slated to be titled "Prairie Sun" we are honored to have such a fantastic album bare our namesake. While we anxiously await the release of the full length album the band has been kind enough to put out a small EP of bonus tracks before the full album is released. The EP of bonus tracks is aptly titled "Prairie Moon" here is a quote from Orbo about the itunes release. "It was burning hot so we decided to work mostly during the night. We cut these four tracks beneath a big, fat and yellow harvest moon." The Prairie Moon EP is only available as a digital purchase through itunes you can get your copy here.

Eric Gales With Dunlop TV

2011-08-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

Released this Tuesday on Blues Bureau International, Transformation is the next logical step in Eric Gales’ prolific career, deeply centered in the blues but played with the edge and aggression of a young guitar hero. His masterful guitar and vocal performances on the record are sure to please loyal fans of blues/rock, as guitarists/singers of this quality and intensity are few and far between.

With Blues Bureau International’s legacy as a label that publishes superior blues rock recordings, Gales adds his name to a list of legends that includes Rick Derringer, Pat Travers, Chris Duarte, and Leslie West among others.

Gales took a break from recording at Prairie Sun Recording Studios this past May to chat with Dunlop TV about his influences and the Dunlop gear he uses. Check it out below.

Radio Moscow

2011-08-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

It may not shock some of our regular readers, but we're going to confess it anyway - we love vintage gear at Prairie Sun! Mics, boards, guitars, amps, drums, you name it - there's no denying these old toys are fun. So anytime someone offers us the chance to put some of this tech to use in seeking out new takes on retro sounds, we're chomping at the bit. The new record from Radio Moscow offered Prairie Sun and engineer Jason D'Ottavio just such an opportunity - record analog, mix analog, master analog (the record was not digitized until mastering) and explore the sound of new/old rock under the direction of band founder Parker Griggs. Radio Moscow is now apart of the Alive Natural Sound record label. The new record will be the band's second self-produced release (Radio Moscow's debut self-titled was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys), and features Parker on guitars, drums, and vocals and Zach Anderson on bass (drummer Cory Berry rounds out the touring trio). Mastered by resident engineer Tim Gennert, the record is due for release in the near future - keep tabs at radiomoscow.net

Radio Moscow's sound has evolved over the past few years into a raw, `60s-style, psychedelic-aggressive blues with a modern take on break-downs and tempo changes. We cannot speak highly enough about the artistic integrity of this band, from the recording process to there stunning instrument collection. Parker tracked the drums on a vintage Ludwig kit. Zach's bass rig was comprised of a monster vintage Ampeg, a Gibson Atlas and a short scale Electro style bass.

The guitars and amps used were too many to list but included vintage Supro, Gibson, Alamo and other off-beat gems. Parker used a few different microphones for the vocals, at times running through a tape echo, often through a Leslie cabinet or an old Gibson reverb tank. Everything was recorded to our Studer 2" - 24 tracks at 15 ips via the BBC Neve in Studio C. The mix on the SSL in Studio A was printed to our 1/2" ATR with flux-dynamic heads running at 15 ips. The last stop on this period accurate project was the mastering. All of the mastering was done real time running through Sontec eqs and API and Shadow Hills mastering compressors. All crossfades and transitions between song where performed manually with a tape echo and distortion pedals. At the end of the mastering chain the project made it's one and only conversion to digital in the Seqouia mastering program, without the use of any digital plugins. There are plans to release the album on vinyl, paying respect to the audiophile who can hear all the vintage love!

Beats Antique at Prairie Sun

2011-07-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Forged from the dwindling remains of antiquated culture and revitalized by the surge of a digital era comes Beats Antique. Their music is rock-solid, but the journey to where they are today was not always as concrete. The group, David, Tommy, and Zoe, first began collaborating during a production project and sound design for a belly dance company. They produced one album for the company, then another, and before long they were DJing shows and playing live. Most recently, they played the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, TN.

David began his music career at California Institute of the Arts studying world music and composition. His passion is for creative music, specifically fusing groups of instruments together that might otherwise remain separate. Tommy studied everything from drums and film scoring/arranging to songwriting and producing at Berklee College of Music. He brings his background of rock drums, jazz and marching band ambience into their eclectic works.

Their sound fuses authentic drums with punchy brass, string quartets, and heavy synths. They hope to release their upcoming album at the beginning of October. Their work is completely self-produced by David, Tommy, and Zoe; however, they recently had the opportunity to both record live instruments and mix a few songs right here at Prairie Sun with engineer Isha Erskine. While Tommy and David play much of the record, they also proudly feature horn and string players from the San Francisco Bay Area on a number of their tracks. Tommy’s extensive drum background coupled with David’s ear for unique sound makes for quite an interesting recording session. The day started with a drum set; but by the end of the session they had procured a set of conga drums, frying pans, baking trays, and plastic jugs filled with rocks. It was an eye-opening experience: music is everywhere.

From this point onward, the band moves on to touring. After finishing their summer on the east coast in West Virginia and Vancouver, they’ll be playing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL and Earthdance Music Festival in Solano County, CA. They plan to finish their full record in between shows while they are on the road. Beats Antique is a triple threat that truly enjoys their work and squeezes every bit of their life force into the music.

Jason Bodlovich Group

2011-06-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend of May 28&29, Prairie Sun had the pleasure of working with North Bay Guitarist Jason Bodlovich. The Jason Bodlovich group set up shop in both the live room of studio C and the adjoining Waits room to track drums, bass, and guitar over the span of two sessions during the weekend.

Behind the drum kit was James Stafford, a former Jazz student with a wealth of Bay Area notoriety through fifteen some-odd years of gigging. James brought in a great set up with a neon Ludwig Vista Lite drum kit and Zildjian K-custom series cymbals. Steve Froberg completes the rhythm section on bass guitar, playing a custom blue-green Mike Lull jazz model that sounded warm and milky while playing clean, fat and round when he stomped on the distorted fuzz. Jason has been playing with James on drums for a while now; they’ve been gigging together for about 5 years now and Steve was added to the bill around a year ago.

The chemistry of the group was undeniable. The trio set up and quickly found the tones they were looking for. James managed to lay back in the pocket while simultaneously driving the backbeat of the groove, which is not always an easy task in the studio. Dynamic drumming combined with Steve’s bass line embellishments on the melody of Bodlovich’s guitar progressions made for an extremely full-sounding trio.

Bodlovich brought along friend and colleague Robin Livingston to engineer and later mix the weekend’s session. Watching Livingston simultaneously capture the sound that the guys created while coaching them on what takes brought out the purest form of their musical voices was a great model of what we like to see from audio engineering at PSR. No tentative date has been set for this release: Bodlovich eluded to the fact that it would be more left up to his mastering engineer as to when it would be finished. For further information on Livingston’s audio and visual media work, go to www.robinlivingston.com.

Jason’s technical abilities were amazing and still extremely soulful, effortlessly galloping over Stafford’s kick and snare with polyrhythmic solos. Different colorful landscapes of funk, jazz, and world music are rife throughout the recordings that were captured at Prairie Sun. Bodlovich said that it was his intention for the improvisational aspect of their music to be highlighted during the session; the mic techniques really grabbed the vibe of the room and the live tracking environment as well. And with such talented and practiced pieces, the Bodlovich session is a testament to the ‘rehearse more, edit less’ mantra of the studio. More of Bodlovich’s extensive collaborations can be seen at www.jasonbodlovich.com/index.php

Grateful Dead Mixing Europe 72' Tour at Prairie Sun!!

2011-03-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Prairie Sun is proud to announce a historic mixing project taking place on the farm. The Grateful Dead and Rhino Records have decided to mix the entire Europe 72' tour to be released as a box set this fall. This legendary group of recordings is being mixed by Jeffrey Norman who has been the primary mix engineer for the Grateful Dead for the past 15 years. Rhino Records has been kind enough to release a tease of some of the audio mixed here at Prairie Sun. An exclusive download of the previously unreleased performance of “Playing In The Band” from the April 14, 1972 show in Copenhagen, Denmark. Clocking in at over 11 minutes, the song was recorded at the Tivolis Koncertsal, which was the Dead’s first paying gig in front of foreign language crowd. Download it and stay tuned for more surprises!

Because you dared dream this might happen one day… Because you went down to the Gypsy Woman and offered up your first-born to try to make it happen… Because there are enough passionate Dead Heads at Rhino/GD who thought it might be cool for this to happen… It’s happening! Coming in September is a gargantuan EUROPE ’72 MEGA-BOX SET containing ALL 22 SHOWS of what is arguably the greatest tour the Grateful Dead ever played, on a whopping and clearly cosmic 72 DISCS (over 70 hours of music!). Bet you didn’t see that comin’!

Really, at this point we probably don’t need to lay on too much hype about how wonderful the music is: Chances are, if you’re even considering buying a copy of this enormous box, you already know how amazing the Dead’s tour of Europe in April and May of 1972 was. To review briefly, though, the Dead’s first tour outside of North America took them to all sorts of historic and unusual venues in England, Denmark, West Germany, France, Holland and even tiny Luxembourg. Many members of the Dead “family” came along on what was really an extended working vacation that was designed to both expose the Dead to new audiences and also reward the band for their unlikely conquest of America during the preceding two years. As a hedge against the costs of the nearly two-month trip, the Dead’s label, Warner Bros., paid for the band to lug around a 16-track recorder to capture the entire tour… and we’re glad they did!

This was a band at the top of its game, still ascending in the wake of three straight hit albums — Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty and the live Grateful Dead (“Skull & Roses”). It had been a year since the lineup had gone to its single-drummer configuration, six months since Keith Godchaux had been broken in as the group’s exceptional pianist, and this marked the first tour to feature Donna Godchaux as a member of the touring band. There was a ton on new, unreleased material that came into the repertoire in the fall of ’71 (after “Skull & Roses” was out) and during the spring of ’72, including “Tennessee Jed,” “Jack Straw,” “Mexicali Blues,” “He’s Gone,” “Comes A Time,” “Ramble on Rose,” “One More Saturday Night,” “Black-Throated Wind,” “Looks Like Rain” and Pigpen’s “Chinatown Shuffle,” “The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion)” and “Mr. Charlie.” (Sadly, this was Pigpen’s final tour.) All those future classics were interspersed with songs from the aforementioned “hit” albums—such as “Uncle John’s Band,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Cumberland Blues,” “Casey Jones,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Bertha,” “Not Fade Away,” et al — and then were topped off by loads of big jamming numbers — the Europe ’72 tour produced spectacular versions of “Dark Star,” “The Other One” “Playing in the Band,” “Truckin’,” “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider,” “Good Lovin’,” “Lovelight” and even the early Pig chestnut “Caution.” And that’s leaving out a truckload of other tunes, too! There wasn’t a clunker show in the bunch, and many are acknowledged today as classics. No doubt you already have some favorites.

Through the years, there have been a few releases of material from the Europe tour—starting with the 3-album Europe ’72 which knocked our socks off in the fall of that year, and followed many years later by material from a pair of German shows and the fantastic 4-CD Stepping Out, culled from the group’s eight shows in England. Incredibly, though, only one full show from the tour has come out previously: the excellent 4/24 concert in Dusseldorf, Germany, released as Rockin’ the Rhein in 2004.

Until now, that is. Jeffrey Norman, who has been the primary mixer of Dead archival multi-track material for the past 15 years (Fillmore West ’69, Ladies and Gentlemen…,Rockin’ the Rhein, Nightfall of Diamonds, etc.) has spent many months toiling over the 16-track masters from the tour, and will continue working on the mixes through the Winter and Spring, employing the high-tech Plangent Processes transfer and restoration tools, trying to get every show to sound “just exactly perfect” (as Bob Weir says) for this release. You might think you’ve heard that intense “Dark Star” > “Sugar Mag” > “Caution” from Copenhagen, but I guarantee you’ve never heard it sound this alive! Mastering to HDCD specs is two-time Grammy-winning engineer David Glasser of Airshow Mastering. Needless to say, all the songs that turned up on previous Europe compilations will be appear in their proper show contexts, and in the case of songs from the Europe ’72 album, without overdubs that were added later (where possible).

So dig deep, raid the penny jar, take a weekend job at Jack-in-the-Box, beg your kindly ol’ grandma for some of your inheritance early… Yes, it’s an extravagance, but jeez, you (or your loved one) deserve it! This is way cool.

This article was written and posted by Dead.net please visit the site for more info and news updates on the project.

Guitar Player Magazine Featuring Johnny Hiland at Prairie Sun

2011-03-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

This article was written by Matt Blackett for Guitar Player Magazine. We recently had Johnny Hiland out to the farm for what has turned out to be a fantastic multi genre guitar virtuoso album that is sure to amaze. We will keep you posted with a release date and some great footage of Johnny in the studio.

I was psyched to get an email from legendary talent scout, producer, and shred historian Mike Varney informing me that Johnny Hiland is making a record for Shrapnel. Not only that, but he’s cutting tracks in the Bay Area and I was cordially invited to swing by Prairie Sun studios, chat with Mike and Johnny, and listen to some tracks. So that’s what I did yesterday, one of those days that reminds me that I have a cool job. I drove up to Prairie Sun, pulled into the driveway that is bordered by a big lawn full of chickens scampering about, and walked into the studio to hear some chicken pickin’.
Varney said that they were mixing one of the album’s heavier tunes, but that the record contained a wide variety of countrified playing. I settled in and they rolled the track, which started with a spooky, Sonny Landreth-style quivering slide chord. Just as I was getting used to that, a monstrous low-string gliss heralded the arrival of the full band, with Hiland, bassist Stu Hamm, and drummer Jeremy Colson absolutely crushing the dropped-D main riff. Over the course of the next few minutes I was treated to Hiland’s slippery slide work, spot-on bends, clangy open strings, and insane chops. The tune itself was full of memorable and hummable hooks and the two solos—one with slide one without—were super tasty, even with the mind-blowing technique. At one point Varney, the guy who discovered Yngwie Freaking Malmsteen, said, “Can this guy play, or what?”
A real treat was when they called up another mix, muted the lead guitar, and had Johnny play over the tracks. I don’t want to shock anyone, but it was really, really good. They not only allowed but encouraged me to shoot video of it all, so stay tuned for that. After, Hiland was cool enough to demonstrate some of his picking, double-stops, and what might have been the most impressive playing of the day: his multi-string bends. Once again, I got it on video but I don’t know if I have the wherewithal to transcribe these licks and get them into the print mag so no promises there. When I post the video I’ll invite any fearless guitar teacher to take a stab at them.
Varney says the record should hit in August, with a tour to follow. My prediction is this album will turn your head around. This blog is just a tease. Look for video and a full interview as we get closer to release time. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the question I asked Johnny Hiland: “Damn. Why don’t you try playing something good?”

The Eric McFadden Experience

2011-03-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Guitar sensation Eric McFadden recently graced the grounds here at Prairie Sun with his signature blend of both old school and contemporary rock n' roll. Gearing up for a tour of Europe this spring, the Eric McFadden Trio laid down some killer tracks for their latest untitled release - a rock blues album with plenty of ear-shredding guitar.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Eric McFadden is a fiery virtuoso of the electric guitar. A native of Albuquerque, he has taken on many side projects throughout his illustrious career including George Clinton, the P-Funk All Stars and more. Today he can be found touring with Stockholm Syndrome and the Faraway brothers. While his last release was a mellow, acoustic joint (with violin, cello etc) this record promises to turn up the heat and rock hard. Louder, heavier, and absolutely saturated with talented musicians ready to blow the roof off Prairie Sun.

For this visit to Prairie Sun, the trio consisted of Eric McFadden, Dave Schools(Widespread Panic, Jerry Joseph, The Stockholm Syndrome, Gov't Mule.) on bass and Paulo Baldi (Cake, Les Claypools Fancy Band, Deadweight and the Faraway Brothers) rockin the drums. If thats not enough, the album features numerous guest appearances by some of the best in the industry. Holding down a propulsive slap-funk bass line was none other than Norwood Fisher (Fishbone, Mr. Green All-Stars). Wally Ingram (Eric Burdon, Stockholm Syndrome, Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman, Jackson Browne) stepped in and played drums on a number of songs, while additional guitar was provided by Dave Catching (Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Tex and the Horseheads). And what's a rock blues album without a little B3? Northern California legend Chip Roland can be heard conquering festivals across the country with his notable jam-rock band, Zero.

We're all really excited about this project and we hope you are too. This much talent under one roof is either going to result in magic or a structure fire - and we haven't seen any smoke.

Look for more on this release by visiting Eric McFaddens website at www.ericmcfadden.com.

Anadel at Prairie Sun

2011-01-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

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.

Bravo, Max!

2011-01-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

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

From Pakistan to Prairie Sun

2011-01-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

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.

Prairie Prince at Prairie Sun

2010-12-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that Prairie Prince was in the studio recently recording drums on Billy Savoca’s newest project. Originally from North Carolina, Prairie has been a founding member of art-rock band The Tubes since 1969. Since then he has racked up quite a resume, working with the likes of Brian Eno, Jefferson Airplane, George Harrison, Richard Marx, Todd Rundgren, and he even played an instrumental role in getting Journey off the ground. His credits, impressive as they may be, are nothing compared to his sheer brilliance on the drums. But don’t take our word for it, see for yourself as Billy destroys a 1970’s era Ludwig Vista lite (with a cameo appearance from studio owner Mooka Rennick). An artist at heart, Prairie has embraced his creative brilliance far beyond the studio, designing stage sets, album art, and drum finishes. In fact, the “prairie room” is studio C features as wall to wall mural painted by the man himself. His extensive portfolio of photography, graphic art, and paintings can be viewed on his website<http://www.prairieprince.com/>

Look for Prairie touring with his current band The New Cars (featuring old friend Todd Rundgren, and original Cars members Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes) and on Billy Savoca’s newest album. Look for more news as it nears completion.

Mark Vigil Project

2010-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Mark Vigil is back at Prairie Sun recording some new tunes with his merry band of musicians. This will be his second release, after his first release "Is That Really You?" His second album has a new modern sound to it while staying true to his unique style and wonderful musicianship.

After completing basic tracks in Studio C, Mark and Producer Steve Fontano (Santana, Marty Friedman) headed up to Studio B to track overdubs. Along with Mark singing lead vocals, he is joined by Tommy Miller (Gregg Allman, Eddie Money) on bass, Mark McGee (Gregg Allman, Vicious Rumors) and Josh Ramos (The Storm, Two Fires, Menuto) on guitar, T Moran (Starship, Pacific Brass & Electric, Danny Castro) on drums and Mike Mani (Cypress Hill, Michael Bolton, Backstreet Boys) on keys.

His new 11 song album is a modern work stretching from country tunes (“Fooled Again”) to Latin influenced “border rock” (“Donʼt”). Also included is
a song written for his daughter which shares her name, “Chelsea”. One song recorded during these sessions, “I Believe In You”, was written for Mark Vigilʼs cardiologist at UCSF. It will not make it onto
the new record, unfortunately... but maybe even better, it will be released on a re-release of "Is it Really You?"
When asked about whatʼs next after recording, he responded, “I just want to go play!”.

So keep one eye on the road and one eye on the record shelves for the Mark Vigil Project, coming soon to a town (or store) near you!

Doolin Run at Prairie Sun!

2010-11-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

    One of Northern California’s hottest bands, Doolin Run is an original California rock ‘n roll band that plays country songs like no one else. Known throughout California for their high energy, extremely danceable shows, Doolin Run is always going full speed ahead to bring you their own unique blend of soulful country/southern rock.
    Formed around lead vocalist, Wes Powell, Doolin Run takes it’s name from a road in New Martinsville, the town in West Virginia where Wes grew up. After high school, Wesley began traveling the country working as a traveling nurse. As Wes describes, “In my 12 years, as a nurse, I have been able to touch many lives... This overwhelming desire, to make a difference in this very unstable and at many times, cruel world, has lead me head first, into music.”

    Backing up Wes are the Doolin Run band, a group of hand picked musicians from some of the best bands Northern California, unmatched in their respective instruments. On lead guitar is Max Rich, with a rockin country tone. Sing backup vocals along with Max is Allan Villassan playing 5-string bass. In addition to these fine musicians are drummer Yo Yo Greve and keyboardist Hagana Kim.
    Doolin Run is already brimming with talent and constantly improving. With a steadily growing fan base, there’s no where for them to go but up. Go see them live for an unforgettable experience and keep an eye open for their new album when it is released.

Stoney Curtis Recording at Prairie Sun!

2010-11-09T18:12:00.001-08:00

    Continuing on for nearly two weeks after finishing with basic tracking, Stoney Curtis has perfected the licks for his upcoming record The Cosmic Connection. He has laid down some extremely blistering guitar over the top of already smashing tracks. In addition to that, Stoney’s vocals have been finished and polished to a brilliant sheen.

    Guiding the sessions is Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records fame. Mike has worked with insanely talented individuals such as Eric Gales, Tony MacAlpine, Greg Howe, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Michael Schenker. To add to that, Stoney Curtis certainly holds his own among these heavy hitters of the guitar world. Not to be overlooked is Jason D’Ottavio (Eric Gales, Chris Duarte) at the board bringing out the gold in every note, lick, and riff.

    Growing up on the South side of Chicago, Stoney grew up listening to the sounds of Black Sabbath, Robin Trower, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton. He combines all these influences. Drawing on his background of psychedelic rock, traditional blues, and hard rock, Stoney Curtis has found a very comfortable niche in the blues community. His world class sound is like no other and for good reason. There are very few people that can play guitar as well as he can, and even fewer that have his charisma and none have his unique technique and flavor.

Condemned Records New Album!!

2010-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00


Keith, Slade and Billy in Studio A

Condemned recently stayed with us while recording their new album scheduled for US release on February 22 of 2011. Rocking out after a hefty hiatus for a release on Nuclear Blast Records, Condemned is proving that although the years may have past, they can still thrash with the best of them. Among various BBQing sessions and copious joking around, they produced some of the most brutal old-school crossover metal/punk to hit the public since its inception in the 1980’s.
Condemned originally started out as Condemned2Death (C2D) in the spring of 1983. Keith Chatham got a hot tip about a band that was practicing in the old abandoned Hamms Brewery (aka “The Vats”) in San Francisco needed a bassist. Consequently, Condemned2Death was born and soon recorded their demo tape. Later that year, they recorded and release a self titled 7” on R Radical Records. They followed that up in August of the next year with the Diary of a Love Monster LP (Landmine/R Radical Records). After Diary of a Love Monster, the band encountered a few lineup changes until Keith left for Australia to play in Death Sentence and Vicious Circle.

Billy and Slade mixing the new material

After a few incarnations (Condemned Attitude, Condemned?) and many side projects for all musicians involved (Attitude Adjustment, Black Mackerel, Mercenary), Condemned was reborn sporting a great lineup of musicians. Keith Chatham returns to Condemned on bass. Joining him are fellow past Condemned Attitude member Rick Strahl and B. Scott Clayton of Black Mackerel on guitars. Also from Black Mackerel is “Rotten” Scotty Gardner on lead vocals. Slade Anderson returns on drums from the days when they were known as Condemned Attitude.

Slade and Billy "discussing" changes

Joining the band in the studio was producer/”engine-ear” Billy Anderson. Billy has worked with quite an impressive number of bands, including: Neurosis, Mr. Bungle, The Melvins, Jawbreaker, 7 Year Bitch, Sick Of It All, Eyehategod, Buzzov’en, and Cathedral (just to name a few). Bringing 20 years of “engine-earing” to the table, Billy kept the vibe alive and the tunes pouring out.
Condemned and Billy Anderson are a killer combo in the studio. This record is set to tear the face off of anyone brave enough to listen. We hope Condemned will be back again, with more bone melting guitars, throat crushing bass, head pounding drums and ripping vocals. Until that day, we wait with baited breath for this February 2011 release from these veteran thrashers.

2010-10-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

mixing in Studio C w/ ORBO

ORBO tracking acoustic guitar

Prairie Sun Recording is proud to welcome some great artists from abroad... Norwegian rockers ORBO and the Longshots have occupied all of our lodging here with their video crew for their 10 day stop to record a new album. This follows closely behind their latest release “LIVE 10”, a live album celebrating 10 years on the road. Quite a ways from their native Bergen, Norway, ORBO and the Longshots seem to have found a haven for creativity here on the farm.


Erick at the helm

They have stopped in at Prairie Sun in the midst of their US tour to spend some quality time in Studio C with their engineer/co producer Erick Jaskowiak who is based out of Nashville and has worked with the likes of (the Gibson Brothers, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss). This will be Erick’s third album with Orbo and the Longshots, including “High Roller” which won the 2009 Spellemann award (Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy) for Best Blues Album.


Paul laying down some bass


Reidar recording backup vocals

Generous and funny, this group of rockers are as much of a joy to hang out with as they are to listen to. Any fan of rock and roll should be sure to keep an ear to the ground for ORBO and the Longshots. From the bare roots of rock to slow blues the Longshots along with ORBO will be sure to warm any musical palette.

Curtis shreds again

Blues guitar master Stoney Curtis has gone into the studio for what promises to be another amazing album. The blues have been shaking the walls of our Studio B for a couple days while tracking the basics for his new release. This recording session marks the beginning of Stoney’s third album here at Prairie Sun Studios. When asked, Curtis replied that he has continued to choose Prairie Sun because here he can get “the best sounds, the best equipment and the best staff” at one place, “I just love it up here...it’s so peaceful”.

low end provided by Steve Evan

The Stoney Curtis Band spent two days tracking the basics in Studio B’s live room with Aaron Haggerty on drums (The Al McKay All Stars, Eric Gales) and Steve Evans on bass (Etta James, Bo Diddley, Coco Montoya, Roy Rogers) Stoney will be doing overdubs and mixing in the upcoming weeks, we will keep you posted.

Aaron Haggerty on drums

Working alongside Stoney, Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records gave helpful insight to bring out the absolute best performance from Curtis, Aaron and Steve. Their sound is huge. Simple as that, this is really shaping up to be a monstrous sounding record.

The Stoney Curtis Band hard at work

Kate Van Horn Goes To China

2010-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Local Sonoma County artist Kate Van Horn was born in San Francisco and has music flowing through her veins. From the age of six, she has been on a steady diet of singing, playing piano, and transforming her musical talents using influences from singer/songwriter Tori Amos as core inspiration. As of late Kate has been residing in beautiful wine country where there is certainly no shortage of creative inspiration.

Having recorded at Prairie Sun and been a part of the burgeoning North Bay scene, Kate will be lending here talents overseas as she recently flew the coop to film a travel documentary covering the illustrious folk music of the Xinjiang Province and the Uyghur people. It will be featured on PBS when production is complete.

Kate's music and voice has been described and lauded by many as powerfully delicate, complex, real, providing themes in her songs that people can actually relate to. The independent North Bay spirit carries on in her transcendent voice and lush piano is a testament to her schooling at the Blue Bear College in San Francisco.

For more on Kate and her adventures in China, check out her myspace blog here!

Here is a youtube video featuring the folk music of the Uygher people of the Xinjiang Province

Week of Aug 29

2010-09-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Shadi Shamsavari

This week we were pleased to welcome Shadi Shamsavari into Studio A on Tuesday to mix some of her new material with engineer Oz Fritz. Her music is inspirational. Whether she’s sending goosebumps down your spine with her haunting melodies, smoothing out a rough day with a jazz influenced jam or letting it all out with soulful blues inspired tune, she draws from nearly every genre of music to dial in on pure emotion.

A true talent also in on Tuesday, was established guitarist, pianist, and songwriter David Wailin. David spent some quality time in our Studio B with Matt Wright mixing songs for an upcoming album. With credentials to back him up, David is a true artist, creating catchy riffs and explosive melodies that draw you in. Then he keeps you there with classic styling with a fresh view and sound that no one else has.

David Wailin

On Wednesday and Thursday Matt Wright was back behind the console again (this time in Studio C) recording overdubs with Salty DeVito for an upcoming self-titled EP. This quintet knows how to have a good time and definitely knows how to lay down some seriously brilliant performances. Whether they’re smoothing it out or rocking it out Salty DeVito uses just enough pop to sweeten just about any musical palate. Salty DeVito kicks with a lot of rock ‘n roll and an emotional edge that’s hard to stop listening to.

Salty DeVito

Also on Wednesday and Thursday The Americans were up from Los Angeles mixing with veteran engineer Oz Fritz rollin’ in the tradition of true american rockabilly in Studio A. While finishing mixes here, they are taking some time to play an impromptu show at Kodiak Jack’s in Petaluma, Friday the 3rd at 9:00pm. Reminiscent of a bluesy Johnny Cash, The Americans are at the roots of what we know as rock and roll. A throwback to 50’s rock, it’s rare to see a band of such a high caliber in this genre. Driving rhythms and hypnotic guitars are only a small slice of what this group delivers.

The Americans

Omar Torrez

2010-08-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Dubbed by the Seattle Times as the “Latin Hendrix”, Omar Torrez is indeed a rare talent in today’s world. Born of Spanish, Native American, Russian, and Norwegian roots, Omar was raised in the musical hotbed of Seattle. After winning the Hendrix competition at the annual Bumbershoot festival, he left for a journey that took him around the world, studying gypsy music, Flamenco, and classical guitar. Learning from such greats as Carlos del Puerto, Jr. and Juan Serrano, he came back to the states and immersed his guitar talents back into the world of Rock and Roll.

Forming his own band shortly after, Omar Torrez toured the US and overseas in support of his two releases on Russian Label Soyuz Music. Tom Waits took notice of Omar’s gift and asked him to be on the “Glitter and Doom” tour in the summer of 2008. They embarked on a North American and European Tour to great success.

Recently, Omar has been working with Prairie Sun mainstay and sound wizard Oz Fritz on his new EP, where they spent a few days mixing in Studio A. We at Prairie Sun are excited to hear more new material from this talented young artist. Keep your ears close to the ground as we plan on releasing more tidbits of studio happenings in the near future!

Cheers!

Check out more on Omar Torrez here:

http://omartorrez.com

The new Raga Bop Trio album recorded at Prairie Sun set to release July 20th!

2010-06-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

The New Release from the Raga Bop Trio is set to release July 20th, 2010 on the Abstract Logix imprint. The Raga Bop Trio, consisting of Steve Smith (Drums, Konnakol), Prasanna (Guitar), and George Brooks (Saxophone). The trio's music is inspired by Indian classical rhythms and Western Harmonies giving their sound a unique blend of Jazz, rock, and Indian Classical music.

The Band started putting material together in May of 2009 and camped out at Prairie Sun Recording for a four day recording session that August. The chemistry between the band members is undeniable as their experimentation with drum and guitar sounds to fully explore sonic creativity. Each member contributed their unique flavors of style for the project and it has paid off handsomely.

After rehearsing and jamming diligently, the trio created all the music for the album in just 3 days which is a testament to their musical prowess, professionalism, and creative drive.

The Raga Bop Trio are touring this fall in support of the new album. Check the dates out for a time and place near you! It was definitely a pleasure having the band at Prairie Sun Recording and look forward to their success this year.

Check them out for more info at:

http://www.ragaboptrio.com

Mr. December Sessions

2010-06-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Prairie Sun Recording has seen some serious local talent grace our studios this week as Mr. December recorded new material in Studio C. Recorded by bay area local Matt Wright, the band is inspired by an eclectic brew of folk, bluegrass, and acoustic.

They call it “folk stomp” and we couldn’t agree more as they are set to do some amazing things with their music in the near future.

The dapper gents laid down some fine danceable and fun lovin’ tracks like “money disappears”. The track is sure to be a toe tappin’ hit with Andy Tester’s ultra catchy bass lines and Jimmy Horn’s smooth uke playing and sincere vocals.

It has definitely been an entertaining week so far at week at Prairie Sun Recording. Check them out at:

http://www.myspace.com/misterdecember

www.misterdecember.com