SnowGhost Music

It’s an honor to be considered in the company of producers like John Vanderslice, Efrim Menuck, and Chris Coady. This month in XLR8R magazine (http://www.xlr8r.com/magazine/122) I was featured along with indie rock’s finest, showcasing the producers, the techniques, and the studios from which they work.

John Vanderslice has been an inspiration for me with his pop-sensibility and attention to detail with not only his own work, but with others’ as well, in his role as a producer. His versatility shows in wearing many hats in the studio. I have been aware of John’s studio Tiny Telephone since I saw him at a Tape Op conference in Nawlins. At Tiny Telephone, John and Scott Solter pushed analog recording with their Neve 5316 and Studer 827 for up and coming artists in San Francisco while Digidesign, conveniently located just down the street, was taking the studio world by storm with their digital editing suite called Pro Tools. Word eventually got out and they ended up hosting the likes of Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Beulah, and Okkervil River.

I was actually more familiar with Efrim Menuck’s work in the band Godspeed You Black Emperor than I was with his work as a producer and studio owner. But you have to believe that with a band as sonically rich as Godspeed is, there had to be some ‘heads’ at work. I was given their album ‘Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven’ by a friend of mine back in college and was blown away by the assaulting wall of sound, which at the time was revolutionary. Efrim went on to start Thee Silver Mt Zion, in contrast to Godspeed, including vocals. Efrim’s studio Hotel 2 Tango, started as a living space, then turned into a performance space, and finally with the addition of 24 track Studer A820 tape machine and Neotek Series II console, turned into the recording studio that exists today. Bands of note that have visited are Arcade Fire, The Dears, Handsome Furs, and Wolf Parade.

Chris Coady’s work on Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House, being one of my favorites of 2006, gave me immediate respect for his treatment of layers and space. But Chris also knew how to get those punchy rock and roll sounds working with bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. He has been on the rise in Brooklyn for the past 6 years, collaborating with elder statesmen Blonde Redhead, who I have listened to since college as well; and now a newly furnished studio of his own called DNA. We share something in common: our love for the SSL sound. Chris and I both seem to agree that everything that comes out of the console pops. With lots of great outboard gear and a good vibe, Chris has built himself a home that many bands will feel good about.

We have been working hard here in Montana to get our name out there and looks like it’s working with write-ups like this. I guess we should stay the course. A note: There were a few misquotes in my interview as I talked via the phone with XLR8r and my responses apparently got lost in translation. First I would clarify that the bleed in the analog world not an obvious artifact (like from copper wires being close to each other) but more of an ethereal one. In fact, I would emphasize that the difference has more to do with the digital side of the things being so discreet. Second, the basic principals of acoustics are ABSORPTION, REFECTION, and DIFFUSION.