klickitat band camp

This past weekend the Excellent Gentlemen shook the studio with the funkiest grooves I've ever heard this side of Stevie Wonder. With David Friedlander at the helm, I finally took a weekend off and sat in the sun. The new Teletronix La-2a leveling amps are sweet, and Carl Radavich dropped off the vintage Showman, now completely dialed in. Tracking is finished for Minus Pluto and Southern Belle, and it's nothing but mixing. Congratulations to Nick Caceres and Southern Belle for making the PDX Pop! comp CD. I'm sure there are other KBC artists on it, too, but I haven't seen the list yet. You can check out a video of The Hugs!! and my mix of Frozen Frogs for 1965 Columbia UK (scroll down). You can also see a Brad Brooks video Hit Me Like a Smile, as well as a live performance of the same song (with me on Wurlitzer) at the 12 Galaxies in San Francisco here. Aaron Prellwitz (Neil Young, Death Cab for Cutie) will be joining as a house engineer soon. He's a super guy, and his mixes make me want to jump off a bridge they're so good. Photographer Dan Kvitka just dropped off new shots of the studio and Neve console. Check 'em out under the photos link!

Posted by shay scott on May 6, 2008 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My new indie favorites, Southern Belle, are finishing up the second half of their record, and the tunes just keep getting better and better. Listen to Oh Tokyo [mp3] and a song with Nicole Perry singing lead, Oni [mp3]. They just did a great live set for PSU on the radio the other night, too. And here is another single for The Hugs!!, who are in London right now recording at The Libertine's studio. Check out Keep It [mp3]. This week we have The Hats, The Village Green, more Southern Belle, Minus Pluto, and The Excellent Gentlemen. New gear includes Brainstorm, Lynx, and Digi Sync units for the 2-inch to sync with sample accuracy to the Pro Tools HD3 rig, and two Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifiers.

Posted by shay scott on April 23, 2008 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm a sucker for the best compression in the world. After cancelling my order for two 80 series Neve 2264 limiters (due to odd mods that made them impossible to restore properly), Vintage King Audio just called to say they received a pristine pair yesterday. They'll be here installed in the Neve console in 30 days! Oh yeah. I also picked up an EMI/Abbey Road TG12413 Zener Stereo Limiter by Chandler. I was going to just pick up the EMI plug in, but honestly, buying anything but the real deal seems like reaching through a spray of mist into some digital black hole. The studio also just acquired a 1966 Fender Showman (blackface) and matching 1 x 15" cabinet. KBC Records has been hosting some marathon mix sessions by Elbo Finn, The Weather Machines, and Scott Hampton. The studio is booked solid into late July. Call soon to get your band camp on!

Posted by shay scott on April 17, 2008 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From what I've read, KBC Records has become this breeding ground of cool new up and coming bands and artists. I get e-mails from people in "the biz" all around the world saying as much. I'm proud to help bands produce their records, and for once I'm not going to list a bunch of new gear that has arrived! Increasingly, bands that record here are off on the next step of inking a deal, working with a famous management team or producer, touring, and taking the next step in their professional lives as musicians. If there is one piece of advice I could give it would be this: be happy - with who you are, what you are, and where you are - just be happy. If you're not happy now - today, that is - no amount of a record company advance, tour support, popularity, or generous terms of a record contract will make you happy. I see too many artists that seem to be floating in a suspended state of "we'll be happy when" - that is, when certain things happen in the future. But that list of contingencies is virtually endless. I can see the writing on the wall pretty clearly for these artists. For others who show up and have already made headway toward happiness, their future is much brighter. Musicially, they're where they should be - happy in the moment. And it shows in their music.

Posted by shay scott on April 8, 2008 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week was a marathon recording San Francisco artist Brad Brooks, who brought along the genius of Paul Hoaglin and Cake's drummer, Todd Roper. We tracked drums, bass, and piano live and I finally got a chance to get my groove back with some pros. The tracks sound amazing, particularly a couple of insane vari-speed drum loops Todd created for us to track to. Then Ross McLeron tracked some saw. I can't wait to post this stuff, but it will be months. More sessions are planned for July. Speaking of July, the studio is booked out until mid-July, so if you're planning anything, do it soon. Ever since the Neve and HD3 install, the phone has been ringing off the hook. The Echoplex is back, all refurbed and sounding as echoey as ever. The new Pro Ac Studio 100s are as clear as a bell - midrange magic. Looking at the calendar, we have another Hugs!! single before they depart to London, and Minus Pluto, The Winebirds, Jason Ward, Elbo Finn, The Village Green, and more Southern Belle. I can't wait for April 18 because I have tickets to go see Daniel Johnston sing his heart out - or something, who knows what!

Posted by shay scott on April 1, 2008 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Pro Tools | HD3 Accel System system is now here and in service. I have to admit, the system just screams. The studio has been non-stop recording madness, even more so than usual. Here are some new mixes by those insanely talented hipsters, Southern Belle: Shit List [mp3], Gross Me Out (Sadasaurus v. Unfairadactyl) [mp3], Even Though My Body's Not Perfect [mp3], Soup Commercial [mp3], Mountain Lion Pillow Fight [mp3], and Black Death Kiss [mp3]. And here are reference mixes of a cool new Portland band, The Winebirds. Check out: Our Mutual Friend [mp3], The Solution [mp3], Lines [mp3], and Jerusalem Syndrome [mp3]. El-Con's record is mixed, and I'll post samples soon. Little Sue's record is being mastered. And Brad Brooks and Paul Hoaglin are flying up next week to record. Woo hoo! New gear includes firewire IOs for the Apogee converter and mix computer, active MixCubes, a pair of Pro Ac Studio 100 monitors, and a passive SwitchWitch for monitoring four sets of near fields with the flip of a switch. All is well in Band Camp land.

Posted by shay scott on March 17, 2008 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday KBC Records bought a new top-of-the-line Digidesign Pro Tools rig - the Pro Tools | HD3 Accel System along with a new screaming Mac Pro dual 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon computer. The system will come with 2 Digidesign 192 interfaces with extra DA and AD cards for 24 analog I/Os, all interfaced in the TT bays for easy access to the Neve console and outboard gear. David Friedlander and Jeremy Sherrer insisted on it, and who can resist them? We also purchased a ton of TDM plug-ins, including bundles from Sound Toys, Waves Platinum, Amp Farm, Sound Replacer, Antares Autotune, Sansamp, & Bomb Factory. The G5 will become the new mix computer. New Day Rates are now posted under the "about" link. I'm really digging new material by Southern Belle, Monkey Victim Unit, and El-Con. Summer is coming!

Posted by shay scott on February 28, 2008 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

David Friedlander (Prince, Stevie Wonder, The Shins) and Jeremy Sherrer (The Kooks, J. Mascis, The Dandy Warhols) will soon be given keys to KBC Records and available as house engineers. The studio is now booked almost completely until July during evenings and most weekends with my clients, so the transition will take several months. Over the next week I will revise the FAQ page to post Day Rates and contact information for these world class engineers so that you can contact them directly. The Steinway just had a humidity control system installed on her underbelly. And I have a secret new announcement arriving soon - and it rhymes with Pro Tools HD 3 Accel with top-of-the-line accoutrements and plug-ins. Move over, Rover. Band Camp is here to put you in your over-priced, high-falutin' place!

Posted by shay scott on February 22, 2008 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After years of foot dragging, I'm finally talking seriously with several local engineers about opening up the studio to a much broader array of bands and artists. KBC Records will post a list of House Engineers soon, who can round out the studio schedule with their clients. The list is impressive to say the least. Although I can't "name names" as of yet, let's just say that their collective discography list spans the globe and includes every major record label imagineable. Wow! House Engineer/Producers, Terms, and New Day Rates will be posted soon. The 1968 Vox AC30 is back from a 101-day wait in the shop for a vintage speaker re-cone, but boy was it worth it. The amp screams! New gear includes a second Royer 121 ribbon mic, two Sennheiser e609 dynamics, and a Neumann kms105.

Posted by shay scott on February 11, 2008 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, now that the Neve is settling in, I gotta say, I LOVE IT! Having access to all those pre amps and line amps, especially on the 2-inch tape and Pro Tools returns, just makes things sound, well, a bit more sparkling and sizzling. Also, just sitting in front of something so big and grey and metal and British just feels right! Band Camp is now booked solid into May. I'm buying a bunch of new Emtec 900 tape (the new formulation of Quantegy GP9 and 499) because everyone seems to like taking me up on my offer of free tape on loan, and my shelves are full! The Neve 2264 limiters for the console will be here next week. I'm excited for all the upcoming bands and artists, El-Con, Trucker Hat, Lew Jones, The Tavernacle Choir, more Brad Brooks (woo hoo!), The Newspapers, Sweet Juice, Southern Belle (more woo hoo!), Love Bullies, and Tim Roth. Little Sue is just about finished mixing her highly anticipated record, and it sounds great.

Posted by shay scott on February 1, 2008 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KBC Records will be shutting down for ten days beginning January 11, 2008 while the Neve Custom Broadcast Console is being commissioned. It's pictured above - with the installation in progress - and it is truly awesome. All new, custom-configured TT patchbays are being installed as well. Back to the present, over the holidays and in between recording a zillion bands, I finally got back to my piano project and third classical CD. You can hear me playing Bach's Goldberg Variations - the opening Aria through Variation 15 [mp3]. I'll finish the second half soon enough. You can also hear a theatrical arrangement and remix of Mannilown's Libertine [mp3]. The Hugs!! have finished more radio singles. Check out Frozen Frogs [mp3] and High School Lover [mp3]. One of my new indie favorites, Southern Belle, will be finishing up two singles this week. And take a listen to Trapped in a Maze [mp3] by Five Dollar Buddha. The studio is now booked through the middle of April, so hurry up and call if you want to get in. Happy New Year!

Posted by shay scott on January 7, 2008 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)