In a joint announcement with AMD (NYSE: AMD), Dangerous Music released details of Dweezil Zappa’s road recording rig using 48-channels of Dangerous 2-Bus LT analog summing and Dangerous Monitor ST speaker controller, allowing immediate mixing of the ‘Zappa Plays Zappa’ live shows — even in a hotel room. The “Room Service Rig” consists of a PC Audio Labs computer powered by dual AMD Opteron™ quad-core processors, running Steinberg’s NUENDO DAW software along with three 2-Bus LT summing amps and Monitor ST, providing large-format analog console mixing quality on the road.
“The pairing of AMD and Dangerous Music equipment has made a tremendous difference to the overall sonic detail of the final mixed music,” says Dweezil. “It’s hard to believe that I’m able to get these kinds of results from a portable mixing rig. It’s truly inspiring. Simply put, I have achieved my best mixes ever with the help of the Dangerous Music gear.”
Charlie Boswell, AMD Director of Digital Media & Entertainment, noted: “Dweezil Zappa has utilized Digital Audio Workstations based on AMD Opteron processors for the past six years both in the production of his own music and most recently in the recording of live ZPZ concerts. Gail Zappa depends upon AMD powered workstations to handle the mission critical role of archiving, producing and building the catalog from the historical Frank Zappa Vault at UMRK* - with releases on Zappa Records and Vaulternative Records. This newest AMD addition to the Zappa workflow is called the ‘Room Service Rig’ because it’s sometimes operated from a hotel room after a show, or possibly on the bus in between shows. AMD collaborated with our friends over at Dangerous Music and PC Audio Labs to make the ‘Room Service Rig’ happen. Its main purpose is to provide the highest studio sonic and mobile production capability to an international touring unit like ZPZ.”
Boswell also explained why the ‘The Room Service Rig’ was aptly named. “Dweezil was not interested in simply hacking together typical ‘board mixes’ of Frank Zappa classics. He chose Dangerous Music and AMD in order to deliver studio quality mixes and mastering for the fan base. He feels the technology should not only fulfill the Zappa quality requirement but it should also adapt to spontaneity of life on the road.” Visit Charlie Boswell’s blog at: http://globalnerding.blogspot.com.
Pioneered by the folks at Dangerous Music in 2001, the Dangerous 2-Bus analog-summing mixer was created to bring back the analog sound quality engineers have been craving in their digital audio environment, while maintaining the fast workflow and recall capabilities they have come to depend on. The Dangerous 2-Bus is a 16-by-2 summing device designed to help DAW users achieve better mix performance through the use of cutting-edge analog audio circuit design. As engineers and musicians themselves, the Dangerous Music team has noted that “in-the-box” mixes from DAW systems don’t equal mixes performed on high-end large-format analog recording consoles. The solution is the 2-Bus’ pristine audio path that delivers nuance, depth and clarity to a mix without any added coloration or distortion. The Dangerous 2-Bus allows the full potential of any digital audio workstation to be realized – audibly, in terms of sound quality, spatial detail and headroom, and ergonomically, through the preservation of DAW recall and automation capabilities and by the non-destructive integration of outboard analog equipment. The transparent sound of the 2-Bus allows engineers to enjoy the true colors of any chosen outboard gear without clouding the issue with the summing path. The 2-Bus is offered in two models, the original 2-rack space Dangerous 2-Bus with XLR inputs and the 1-rack space Dangerous 2-Bus LT with D-Sub inputs.
The Dangerous Monitor ST is the centerpiece of the most flexible monitor control platform available. ST is a fully expandable remote control-based monitor controller and source switcher with four inputs and speaker switcher for 3-pairs of speakers and subwoofer, and includes integrated cue and talkback systems, with an onboard headphone power amplifier, all in one rack space. With the cat-5 connected remote control unit, included with the Monitor ST, engineers can configure and control an entire system from the comfort of the studio’s sweet spot. Studios working in stereo can start with the Monitor ST and later expand to surround sound control for film and TV work by adding the SR expansion unit with no equipment redundancy or obsolescence.
About Dangerous Music, Inc.
Dangerous Music, Inc. designs and builds products that are indispensable to any DAW-based recording environment. Dangerous Music electronics designer Chris Muth has spent over 20 years working in and designing custom equipment for top recording and mastering studios. Muth and company founder Bob Muller pioneered the concept of the dedicated analog summing buss for digital audio workstations with the Dangerous 2-Bus in 2001. Today the company offers a wide range of products for recording, mastering, mixing and post-production facilities, all designed and built with mastering-quality standards and a practical aesthetic. Key products include the Dangerous 2-Bus and 2-Bus LT, Dangerous Monitor ST-SR and its Additional Switching System expansion units, Dangerous D-Box, Dangerous Master, Dangerous S&M, Dangerous Monitor and Dangerous MQ. For more information visit http://www.dangerousmusic.com.
All trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
*Utility Muffin Research Kitchen - Zappa Studio
Hotel Carolina, the two-day singer-songwriter event of the year will be held at the Windjammer in Isle of Palms, South Carolina from September 25th through 26th.
The festival will kick off Friday night with performances by Sara Kelley, Keaton Simons, Andrew Hoover, Josh Hoge, Curtis Peoples and Ernie Halter.
The concert will continue Saturday afternoon with an All-Star Jam Session featuring all of the Hotel Carolina performers as well as special guests JT Spangler, Chardy McEwan (of Pat McGee Band) and Roy Jay. Hotel Carolina will end Saturday night with performances by Matt Duke, Jay Nash, Sara Haze, Gareth Asher, Tony Lucca, Benjy Davis Project and Tyrone Wells.
For more information on Hotel Carolina and Tickets, visit http://www.welcometothehotelcarolina.com
Noah and the Whale is a band made up of four London folk rockers who love to create music. In this video WatchMojo.com sits down with two members from the band, Doug Fink and Tom Hobden to discuss their music, their dance moves and their experiences with love. For more information click Here
Pat McGee’s most recent release is These Days (The Virginia Sessions) is a heartfelt album with an inspiring story behind it. “Come Back Home” is a mesmerizing song that instantly connects you to Pat McGee and the words he is sharing. Of the song, Pat says,
“Come Back Home” was written in the wake of me losing my longtime drummer and former Army soldier John C. Williams. But the song started off as a reflection of how a military couple deals with separation. After the release of “Come Back Home”, John’s little brother was killed by an IED in Iraq. His name was Blake Williams. His platoon used this track as the audio to a memorial slide show presentation they did in March of 2008. It was for all the courageous men and women they had lost in the month of March. I am humbled by their service to our great country and I hope this song brings them some peace. My father served in Vietnam and I truly appreciate their dedication and bravery.
Thanks, Pat”
Click here to watch the equally powerful video for “Come Back Home”.
http://www.patmcgee.net
Check out the new video for Aaron Barnhart’s single “Day In Day Out” off his album Missing Pieces available now from Bonded Records/Fontana/Universal Music Group.
“Day In Day Out” video stream on Daily Motion:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x963bm_aaron-barnhart-day-in-day-out_music
“Day In Day Out” audio stream:
http://h1.ripway.com/Dielawn/Aaron%20Barnhart%20-%20Day%20In%20Day%20Out.mov
Bonded Records/Fontana/Universal Music Group, has officially announced the street date of the Aaron Barnhart debut album, MISSING PIECES, which will be released on May 26, 2009 and his single, DAY IN DAY OUT, which will be released nationwide USA, March 23rd, 2009.
The irresistible new single, DAY IN DAY OUT is released in the USA on March 23rd, 2009 through Bonded Records/Fontana/Universal Music Group. DAY IN DAY OUT is one of those rare pop songs that rounds-the-corner every once in a while and is instantly memorable. The debut album, MISSING PIECES, was as Aaron says, “a collection of songs that are a deep part of me and very close to my heart….”
In between shows and throughout the past twelve months, Aaron Barnhart set out to make an album that captured his sexy and powerful live sound. Being a purveyor of soulful music, he wrote MISSING PIECES to express his unique vision while maintaining a sound and feel that is universally appealing.
The album was recorded in Los Angeles over a 12-month period with renowned producer Stuart Brawley [who has over 32 million records sold worldwide, with such artists’ as Michael Jackson, Don Henley, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Brandy, Avion, Lenka, and nominated for “Producer of the Year” at the Juno Awards]. The 10 tracks on the album showcase Aaron’s incredible musical range. Most of the songs on MISSING PIECES came to life with Aaron writing melodies and lyrics while performing for local Los Angeles crowds.
While recording MISSING PIECES, Brett Tuggle, Musician/Fleetwood Mac shared “I recently had the opportunity to hear a new artist named Aaron Barnhart. I was impressed by his talents as a singer/songwriter and musician. Aaron has that unique gift to be able to write a good song and deliver a vocal performance that is real and exciting to listen to. I believe Aaron has “the goods” to be a lasting force in music. Put on his new CD Missing Pieces, sit back and enjoy the ride…” Aaron recently helped Fleetwood Mac prepare for their upcoming tour and played auxiliary keyboards with the band.
With the announcement of the release date for Aaron Barnhart also comes confirmation of something that had been rumored in recent weeks: Aaron Barnhart is preparing for a series of live performances, coast to coast in the States, to accompany his new album.
Bonded Records CEO David McKenna in a recent interview, discussed MISSING PIECES, “This record is a true developing artist story. I am confident in its ability to stand out from the thousands of other new releases this year. From an incredible human being, we have an album here that has hits, and production unlike most independent label releases.”
Aaron Barnhart Tour Dates:
5/29 San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
5/31 Solana Beach, CA – The Belly-Up Tavern
6/02 Sacramento, CA – Marilyns on K
6/03 San Francisco, CA – Red Devil Lounge
6/19 Ventura, CA – The Lodge
7/03 Ventura, CA – Zoey’s Café
Aaron Barnhart Official Site:
http://www.aaronbarnhart.com
and MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/aaronbarnhart
The California-based band Wonderlick is back with their second album “Topless at the Arco Arena”. We spoke with Wonderlick about the album and what is going on in their lives.
SM: Where did the name “Wonderlick” come from?
W: It’s a deliberate misspelling of Bucky Wunderlich’s last name. Bucky was the rock star protagonist in Don DeLillo’s Great Jones Street. One of our favorite authors, though not one of his best books. But we liked the sound of it, and the way it hints vaguely at magic and intimacy. Also, it gives us a better answer to questions like this one than our last band did, because our old answer was “mushrooms.”
SM: What exactly is “Topless at the Arco Arena”?
W: It’s essentially the story of a girl named Jenny who strips at a concert, her stoner boyfriend, and the businessmen who turn their dreams against them.
SM: What motivated you to create this album?
W: It’s literally about the time I watched a woman yank off her shirt at an AC/DC concert at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. It bothered me for days afterward – I couldn’t figure out if it was a glorious moment of abandon, or if she and the rest of the audience were being manipulated by forces beyond their control. It happened right at the end of the dotcom boom and bust, so my angst felt connected to larger regrets about how crazy capitalism can make us. I had a straight job for the first time in my life, and was suddenly responsible for figuring out who got to stay and who got laid off, so I didn’t have the luxury of just railing against the evil corporation, because I *was* the evil corporation. So the album grew out of all that. Jay and I have pretty much been that girl, her boyfriend, and the businessman at various points in our lives, which made it possible to look at the event and its aftermath from each perspective.
SM: What message are you hoping to send to your fans?
W: If we had a simple answer to that we probably wouldn’t have spent the last seven years writing song after song about the same moment. In retrospect, a lot of the album seems to be groping for uncompromised ways to share private moments of joy, or maybe to acknowledge how compromised they can be without giving up what’s real and powerful and good about them. That’s kind of an obtuse message, I guess. Hopefully the songs themselves are more articulate – the last one is about making the devil horns un-ironically, and is shorter than this answer.
SM: What was the biggest challenge making this album?
W: Physics! Jay and I live 500 miles apart, but need to be in the same room for Wonderlick to work. But if we’re in the same room for too long, it stops working, So it took a while.
SM: What artist or artists influence you and your music the most?
W: I’m not sure you can hear them in the music itself, but I’d say anyone who grapples with the world without standing apart from that world. David Foster Wallace and Jonathan Franzen are both pretty inspiring that way – writing unsentimentally about sentimental things, and trying to get back to the deeper feelings the sentiment gradually became a substitute for. Musically, of course, neither Jay nor I would be doing this if it weren’t for the Clash, but in my dotage I’ve been more impressed with Joe Strummer’s later, more humble, solo records.
SM: What is your favorite track on the album?
W: It changes. “Fuck Yeah!” is the most recent one, so that’s winning today.
SM: Why did you decide to run a name your own price album pre-sale?
W: We’d done something similar several years ago for the debut, where we pre-sold the record before it actually existed in order to raise the money we needed to create it in the first place. This time round, the record was finished, but I’d been reading Dave Allen’s pampelmoose blog, where he’d been listing all these examples of musicians who stopped setting prices at their merch table and said, “pay whatever you want,” and wound up earning more than they had when they set their own prices. So it seemed like an experiment worth trying. Worst case scenario was that anyone who already knew the band and had supported us in the past would be getting our new record for nothing, which I felt they’d earned and would have happily licked the envelopes myself, you know? But if you make the connection to the band personal in that way, people are incredibly generous. No one paid less than cost. Multiple people paid more than $100. And the average price was $29.13. I never would have had the chutzpah to charge anything close to that. At the same time, a bunch of people who couldn’t afford more than $5 also got the album. Joe the Plumber would call us all socialists, but I bet there are records he’d pay that much for if Jon Bon Jovi asked him directly or something.
SM: How do you feel technology has affected music distribution and how fans hear music?
W: That’s like a ten thousand word answer. Here’s the Headline News version: labels are now an option, not a necessity, as everyone and his or her grandmother has access to worldwide distribution. That’s on the musician side – it also means you suddenly have 100,000 other musicians competing for the audience’s attention, but nobody who’s egotistical enough to be a musician in the first place should worry about that. For listeners, we’ve traded fidelity for convenience, and that’s a hell of a bargain. I used to stress about which 24 cassettes I could fit in my carryon on cross-country plane rides. Now I take all my records and a thousand others I never would have bought otherwise with me just on a walk to the corner store. Shuffle play rules.
SM: What is something surprising about Wonderlick that the fans don’t know?
W: How convivial it is? There’s no drama at all when we’re recording. If someone wants to try something, it gets tried. If it doesn’t work, that fact is noted, and no one takes it personally. It’s surprisingly adult. But with lots of dick jokes.
http://www.wonderlick.com
http://www.rockridgefree.com
Canadian rock super group Hedley is proud to release their US debut CD, Never Too Late, on May 19th!
“Old School” Audio Stream:
http://fontana.edgeboss.net/wmedia/fontana/old_school.wax
and Video Stream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYx8dPFR588
Hedley Official Site:
http://www.hedleyonline.com
and MySpace Page:
http://www.myspace.com/hedley
Fontana International is poised to reveal Canada’s best kept music secret to fans stateside. On May 19th, Canadian Pop/Rock sensation, HEDLEY, will unleash their US exclusive masterpiece, NEVER TOO LATE. This US debut includes, among others, HEDLEY’s 7 consecutive #1 singles from their two double platinum Canadian releases: HEDLEY (2005) and FAMOUS LAST WORDS (2007).
The majority of the songs on NEVER TOO LATE were produced by Greig Nori (Sum 41); Brian Howes (Hinder, Daughtry) produced “321,” “On My Own,” and “Trip” and GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, Rise Against, Red Hot Chili Peppers) takes production credit for “Gunnin’.”
In three short years, HEDLEY has reached superstar status in Canada
• two double platinum albums, seven consecutive #1 singles, and seven #1 videos
• #2 on Nielsen’s 2008 year end BDS Top 10 Artist Airplay with 88,000 detections- just behind Rihanna with 91,000, and surpassing other Canadian superstars such as Nickelback and Avril Lavigne
• Swept 2009 Radio Music Awards: Song Of The Year, Chart Topper & Fan’s Choice Awards and are nominated nominated for 3 2009 JUNO Awards: Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Fan Choice Award. Won in all major categories at the Much Music Video Awards in 2008
• Supported BON JOVI, the 3rd highest grossing touring band (following Rolling Stones and U2) , on a 12-date fall 2007 stadium tour, putting them in front of 200,000 people. Extensive headline and support touring with Nickelback, Sum 41, Yellowcard, 3 Days Grace, Finger Eleven, and many others
• Nearly 1.5 million MySpace hits, more than 2.5 million song plays, and millions of YouTube hits and views
The HEDLEY story has ignited in the US virally and as a result of what started as unsolicited airplay at US stations along the Canadian border who recognized the demand for HEDLEY stateside.
“Old School,” HEDLEY’s 1st single from NEVER TOO LATE impacts at US POP & HOT AC radio 3/30. “Old School” has over 1 million views on YouTube, not of a music video, but simply scrolling lyrics to the song fast becoming the American prom and graduation soundtrack for 2009: youtube.com/watch?v=UYx8dPFR588.
Scofield is proud to release his 36th solo album, Piety Street, which will be available March 31 on Emarcy. It’s a blues inflected album with an adapted gospel repertoire.
“I’ve always wanted to record and tour a blues project,” says Scofield. “That’s where I started as a guitarist and I’m feeling that music more than ever of late. I launched a personal search for musical inspiration beyond the standard 12 bar blues and found it in “old time gospel” music - the closest relative to and inspiration for the R&B that we all love. I’ve always treasured Gospel but never really dug deep into it. My search led to countless songs that really move me. It’s really powerful stuff. Of course, it will be Gospel done my way - all the arrangements are mine.”
Joining Scofield on Piety Street are the spectacular musicians, Jon Cleary (piano, keyboards and vocals), George Porter Jr. (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums), John Bouttè (vocals) and Shannon Powell (percussion).
Track highlights include Dorothy Love Coates’ “That’s Enough”, the Thomas A. Dorsey classics, “Never Turn Back” and “Old Ship Of Zion”, Rev. James Cleveland’s “Something’s Got A Hold On Me”, and the traditional “Sometimes I feel Like A Motherless Child.”
Today marks the digital release of ”Who Do We Care For?,” the new single from Sebastien Grainger and second official single from his 2008 debut full-length Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains. ”Who Do We Care For” is backed with ”It’s a Living,” a new track recently recorded for this release. Both tracks are available through the Saddle Creek Online Store, iTunes, emusic and other digital outlets.
Videos for both songs are also available for purchase via iTunes (individually or as a video/mp3 bundle) and for viewing at the youtube links below. ”Who Do We Care For” was directed by Graydon Sheppard and features everything you could ever want in a big rock video - excellent cinematography, the band performing in the cold of Canada, and of course smoke and fire! The video for ”It’s a Living” provides a nice contrast by showing some of the studio recording for the song. The clip was shot and directed by Sebastien.
”Who Do We Care For?”
”It’s a Living”
The band recently hit SXSW and continues a tour of US and Canada now through May 7. The following are remaining tour dates:
Wed-Apr-01, Seattle, WA, Sonic Boom (Free in-store at 6pm)
Thu-Apr-02, Seattle, WA, The Crocodile Cafe
Fri-Apr-03, Victoria, BC, Lucky Bar
Sat-Apr-04, Nanaimo, BC, The Spice Lounge
Sun-Apr-05, Vancouver, BC, Zulu Records (Free in-store at 3:30pm)
Sun-Apr-05, Vancouver, BC, Richards on Richards
Tue-Apr-07, Edmonton, AB, The Pawn Shop
Wed-Apr-08, Calgary, AB, The Marquee Club
Thu-Apr-09, Saskatoon, SK, Amigos
Fri-Apr-10, Winnipeg, MB, Pyramid Cabaret
Sun-Apr-12, Minneapolis, MN, 400 Bar
Mon-Apr-13, Mankato, MN, What’s Up Lounge
Tue-Apr-14, Chicago, IL, Subterranean
Wed-Apr-15, Toledo, OH, Frankie’s
Thu-Apr-16, Pontiac, MI, Pike Room
Sat-Apr-18, Kitchener, ON, Go Festival
Sun-Apr-19, Hamilton, ON, Casbah
Fri-May-01, Brantford, ON, The Ford Plant
Sat-May-02, Peterborough, ON, Montreal House
Wed-May-06, Ottawa, ON, Zaphods
Thu-May-07, Montreal, QC, Il Motore
Fri-May-08, Quebec City, PQ, La Casbah
3/30-31 and 4/2 with New Villager
4/3-8 with Flash Lightnin
PLAY
