A lot more is coming in this section, but we’re currently concentrating on
The Demo Barn. Once I've decided exactly what I want to accomplish
in this area, or how best to advertise what we can do, I'm sure this will expand greatly.
For now, it stands as a vague resume.
Zen
In April, 2001 we recorded one song, with the possibility of others later.
StoneBlue
Starting in December, 2000 and still ongoing. From January - June we've tracked and mixed four songs.
Starting with drums in July, we're working on seven other songs, plus one from the Foresight session.
The Huxlian Reduction Valve
Taking the Tea sessions and expanding upon them, Devin Haas worked with two
new drummers and various incidental musicians, as well as the other members of Tea,
to record a full length CD of 17 songs, which Rowland mixed in March-June, 2000.
Devin went on to master it and burn CDs to sell online.
Foresight
In August, 1999 we recorded Dave and Sam of Premonition on drums and guitars for two newly composed tunes,
one song written by Rowland, as well as attempting (poorly) a Lost Souls cover.
These layed around unused until the birth of StoneBlue a year later.
Tea
In July-August, 1999 we recorded and mixed seven songs, tossing the least practiced one because the drummer played it too fast.
They play psychadelic rock along the lines of early Grateful Dead, with some folk-pop ideas in the slower songs reminiscent of Bob Dylan.
Eviscerate
In April-June, 1999 we recorded and mixed seven songs with this death-metal band.
Disentary
One of Mike's bands, he and Rowland worked on a four song demo in 1996, that was later expanded upon
by Curt Mitchell at his home studio. Previously, Patrick had worked with them on two songs as well.
(the punk band)
They never had a name, but Rowland's friend Sean Ramirez had a band for a while and they did a quick
handful of songs in 1995, including a horrible rendition of Stand By Me.
They singer went to jail before they finished it.
DFR
These guys play progressive death-metal, with lots of changes that make it interesting. DFRences is a CD we did in the Summer of 1995 as a follow-up to their first demo, Transistionary Forms,
which is the name of a three-song epic, but it doesn't contain any of it. Part 1 is an instrumental that's never been recorded (although the fade-in intro to Dream Thoughts is actually the end of it).
Parts 2 and 3 are the songs Dream Thoughts and Duality on DFRences.
They were open to all kinds of experimental ideas when doing this, so some of the guitars were
recorded in odd little padded boxes or with mics picking up reflections off the wall rather than directly from the amp.
One of the vocal tracks on Tied Up is sung through a distortion pedal, and one of the three on Soulhold
was digitally distorted by sending it to the ADAT at a ridiculous volume. This song also featured
a brief moment of back-masked reverb, which is fun effect easily done on analog tape, but a difficult trick on an ADAT.
The newly recorded intro to Blood Of Authority, amid all the feedback, also features a timpani.
This demo got them signed to indy label Hollywood Records, but their debut album has yet to see the light of day.
(the church choir)
Patrick worked with a choir on some songs in 1995, including piano, guitar and flute.
Texas Tunnel
Rowland recorded three songs for these guys, an instrumental trio spun-off from
Joker Pickle's Reaction, back in 1995.
(the zydeco band)
In the Fall of 1994, a local zydeco band had flown in from New Orleans the oldest
living zydeco musician in the world. He was a 73 year-old black Creole Indian who sang and
played accordian, which was an interesting task for Rowland to mic, along with washboard and
12-string guitar. The intent was to bring in a drummer on the second session a week later,
but Rowland and the drummer waited for several hours before the band (who had the master tape,
so we had to wait for them) called to cancel and we never got in contact again.
(the sax player)
Rowland recorded a quick demo for a jazz saxophonist one afternoon in the Fall of 1994.
Upgrade
We recorded this in the Spring of 1994, but even before it was finished, the drummer
had joined another (signed and touring) band. They sounded like a garage band to me when I heard
them live, so I decided to record them to sound just like that, so that when you put your
headphones on, it was as if you were in a garage with a band right in front of you.
The songs had dynamic shifts from soft to heavy in many places, so in the softer parts, the guitar was
panned hard-left and bass hard-right, but in the heavy parts we doubled the guitar and bass, an odd
concept, to say the least. In two songs, this was done on the chorus, one it was done on the verses, and in
Unsure, the second bass just hit open notes while the other pedalled eighth notes. In the intro to
Redeem, the second bass was played an octave higher.
Three of the songs featured moving pans on the guitar solos and feedback parts, and this was also done on the
vocals to Carousel. The result was a very dynamic production, rather than a static and generic approach.
In a different vein of experimentation, the vocals to Unsure were tracked three different times.
Ryan was uncomfortable, to say the least, and not very fixed on how the melody should go. The
result is a vocal track that's in sync in most places, while sometimes drifting into unexpected
harmonies and self-backing call-and-response.
And finally, since Jesse pedalled a lot, and used a pick, I decided that instead of making a clear and
melodic bass sound, we would make it as muffled and muddy as possible, just a bunch of throbbing low-end noise.
Then, we fine-tune EQed the sound of the pick striking the strings, giving it a rhythmic clicking sound.
This created the desired beat, while the notes themselves were felt more than heard.
All around, this is my favorite brag tape, even though we've done better stuff since. This is the one band
I truly fully produced, rather than just engineered.
Crooked I
Rowland briefly worked for indy rap label Mussel Records in 1994, first recording a duo called The Seventh Letter Wickedness,
but they dropped the less talented one and reworked material with just Crooked I, one of the best rappers I've ever heard.
Lus Dus
Rowland recorded two songs with this rap duo in 1994, after abandoning a project with a different producer in 1993.
This demo got them signed to Mussel Records.
Punster Wag
We did a nine song, one take, 10 mics straight to cassette demo over the course of three hours with this really
lousy punk band, and couldn't even get them to pay us the forty bucks we'd agreed upon. Jerks!
Phobic
Mike worked on a four song demo with these guys in 1993, but it was never released. They changed
a few members (Chris the drummer joined Mike's band) and went on to record another demo in 1994.
For Diane
A piece we recorded in Summer, 1993 that consisted of nothing but test tones (400hz, 1Khz, 4Khz, 10Khz and 15Khz if I remember correctly)
running through various effects on an Alesis DSP 256 (reverb, delay, chorus and flange)
over which two very different readings were done by Rowland and Patrick of a poem Patrick had written in Winter 1990.
We later made a video for it.
(the harmonica player)
One of the instructors at LBCC would play harmonica at retirement homes in his spare time. He wanted to record a tape
of gospel and blues songs to give to the elderly people he visited. Rowland created the biggest harmonica you ever heard with a
pair of AKG 414 mics, picking up every nuance and breath. After a four hour session, mixing a 25 minute tape, Rowland accepted
lunch as adequate payment.
WASH
Rowland worked on a 4-track demo with these guys in Spring 1993, but it never went anywhere.
(the blues band)
Rowland worked on a 4-track project with a really lame blues band the same day he worked with Sister Moon.
Sister Moon
Rock en Espanol band with female lead vocalist that kicked ass! Rowland worked their drum session in 1992 that
required 18 mics to capture 6 toms, double-bass, timbale, octoban, congas and chimes.
Conniption
Rowland worked on six songs with these guys in 1992, doing a rough mix of three before they broke up.
(the R&B singer)
I forget his name, but that's because he wasn't that good. I did three songs for
him for fifty bucks at the recommendation of my recording instructor, with synth-piano and
drum machine. Easy gig, and my first official paid one.
El Afan
An acoustic guitar tune I recorded of a guy back in 1990, and I still have the 4-track master laying around here somewhere.
It's a sort of Mexican folk-gospel tune. Pretty cool riff, and his playing was amazing.
In April, 2001 we recorded one song, with the possibility of others later.StoneBlue
Starting in December, 2000 and still ongoing. From January - June we've tracked and mixed four songs. Starting with drums in July, we're working on seven other songs, plus one from the Foresight session.The Huxlian Reduction Valve
Taking the Tea sessions and expanding upon them, Devin Haas worked with two new drummers and various incidental musicians, as well as the other members of Tea, to record a full length CD of 17 songs, which Rowland mixed in March-June, 2000. Devin went on to master it and burn CDs to sell online.Foresight
In August, 1999 we recorded Dave and Sam of Premonition on drums and guitars for two newly composed tunes, one song written by Rowland, as well as attempting (poorly) a Lost Souls cover. These layed around unused until the birth of StoneBlue a year later.Tea
In July-August, 1999 we recorded and mixed seven songs, tossing the least practiced one because the drummer played it too fast.EviscerateThey play psychadelic rock along the lines of early Grateful Dead, with some folk-pop ideas in the slower songs reminiscent of Bob Dylan.
In April-June, 1999 we recorded and mixed seven songs with this death-metal band.Disentary
One of Mike's bands, he and Rowland worked on a four song demo in 1996, that was later expanded upon by Curt Mitchell at his home studio. Previously, Patrick had worked with them on two songs as well.(the punk band)
They never had a name, but Rowland's friend Sean Ramirez had a band for a while and they did a quick handful of songs in 1995, including a horrible rendition of Stand By Me. They singer went to jail before they finished it.DFR
These guys play progressive death-metal, with lots of changes that make it interesting. DFRences is a CD we did in the Summer of 1995 as a follow-up to their first demo, Transistionary Forms, which is the name of a three-song epic, but it doesn't contain any of it. Part 1 is an instrumental that's never been recorded (although the fade-in intro to Dream Thoughts is actually the end of it). Parts 2 and 3 are the songs Dream Thoughts and Duality on DFRences.(the church choir)They were open to all kinds of experimental ideas when doing this, so some of the guitars were recorded in odd little padded boxes or with mics picking up reflections off the wall rather than directly from the amp. One of the vocal tracks on Tied Up is sung through a distortion pedal, and one of the three on Soulhold was digitally distorted by sending it to the ADAT at a ridiculous volume. This song also featured a brief moment of back-masked reverb, which is fun effect easily done on analog tape, but a difficult trick on an ADAT. The newly recorded intro to Blood Of Authority, amid all the feedback, also features a timpani.
This demo got them signed to indy label Hollywood Records, but their debut album has yet to see the light of day.
Patrick worked with a choir on some songs in 1995, including piano, guitar and flute.Texas Tunnel
Rowland recorded three songs for these guys, an instrumental trio spun-off from Joker Pickle's Reaction, back in 1995.(the zydeco band)
In the Fall of 1994, a local zydeco band had flown in from New Orleans the oldest living zydeco musician in the world. He was a 73 year-old black Creole Indian who sang and played accordian, which was an interesting task for Rowland to mic, along with washboard and 12-string guitar. The intent was to bring in a drummer on the second session a week later, but Rowland and the drummer waited for several hours before the band (who had the master tape, so we had to wait for them) called to cancel and we never got in contact again.(the sax player)
Rowland recorded a quick demo for a jazz saxophonist one afternoon in the Fall of 1994.Upgrade
We recorded this in the Spring of 1994, but even before it was finished, the drummer had joined another (signed and touring) band. They sounded like a garage band to me when I heard them live, so I decided to record them to sound just like that, so that when you put your headphones on, it was as if you were in a garage with a band right in front of you.Crooked IThe songs had dynamic shifts from soft to heavy in many places, so in the softer parts, the guitar was panned hard-left and bass hard-right, but in the heavy parts we doubled the guitar and bass, an odd concept, to say the least. In two songs, this was done on the chorus, one it was done on the verses, and in Unsure, the second bass just hit open notes while the other pedalled eighth notes. In the intro to Redeem, the second bass was played an octave higher.
Three of the songs featured moving pans on the guitar solos and feedback parts, and this was also done on the vocals to Carousel. The result was a very dynamic production, rather than a static and generic approach.
In a different vein of experimentation, the vocals to Unsure were tracked three different times. Ryan was uncomfortable, to say the least, and not very fixed on how the melody should go. The result is a vocal track that's in sync in most places, while sometimes drifting into unexpected harmonies and self-backing call-and-response.
And finally, since Jesse pedalled a lot, and used a pick, I decided that instead of making a clear and melodic bass sound, we would make it as muffled and muddy as possible, just a bunch of throbbing low-end noise. Then, we fine-tune EQed the sound of the pick striking the strings, giving it a rhythmic clicking sound. This created the desired beat, while the notes themselves were felt more than heard.
All around, this is my favorite brag tape, even though we've done better stuff since. This is the one band I truly fully produced, rather than just engineered.
Rowland briefly worked for indy rap label Mussel Records in 1994, first recording a duo called The Seventh Letter Wickedness, but they dropped the less talented one and reworked material with just Crooked I, one of the best rappers I've ever heard.Lus Dus
Rowland recorded two songs with this rap duo in 1994, after abandoning a project with a different producer in 1993. This demo got them signed to Mussel Records.Punster Wag
We did a nine song, one take, 10 mics straight to cassette demo over the course of three hours with this really lousy punk band, and couldn't even get them to pay us the forty bucks we'd agreed upon. Jerks!Phobic
Mike worked on a four song demo with these guys in 1993, but it was never released. They changed a few members (Chris the drummer joined Mike's band) and went on to record another demo in 1994.For Diane
A piece we recorded in Summer, 1993 that consisted of nothing but test tones (400hz, 1Khz, 4Khz, 10Khz and 15Khz if I remember correctly) running through various effects on an Alesis DSP 256 (reverb, delay, chorus and flange) over which two very different readings were done by Rowland and Patrick of a poem Patrick had written in Winter 1990. We later made a video for it.(the harmonica player)
One of the instructors at LBCC would play harmonica at retirement homes in his spare time. He wanted to record a tape of gospel and blues songs to give to the elderly people he visited. Rowland created the biggest harmonica you ever heard with a pair of AKG 414 mics, picking up every nuance and breath. After a four hour session, mixing a 25 minute tape, Rowland accepted lunch as adequate payment.WASH
Rowland worked on a 4-track demo with these guys in Spring 1993, but it never went anywhere.(the blues band)
Rowland worked on a 4-track project with a really lame blues band the same day he worked with Sister Moon.Sister Moon
Rock en Espanol band with female lead vocalist that kicked ass! Rowland worked their drum session in 1992 that required 18 mics to capture 6 toms, double-bass, timbale, octoban, congas and chimes.Conniption
Rowland worked on six songs with these guys in 1992, doing a rough mix of three before they broke up.(the R&B singer)
I forget his name, but that's because he wasn't that good. I did three songs for him for fifty bucks at the recommendation of my recording instructor, with synth-piano and drum machine. Easy gig, and my first official paid one.El Afan
An acoustic guitar tune I recorded of a guy back in 1990, and I still have the 4-track master laying around here somewhere. It's a sort of Mexican folk-gospel tune. Pretty cool riff, and his playing was amazing.