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.

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

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.

Prairie Prince at Prairie Sun

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

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!

    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!

    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.