klickitat band camp

Control Room Makeover

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:00:05 -0700

After waiting for months, the new producer racks finally arrived, and I spent a grueling 35 hours rewiring all of the outboard gear. They're beautiful, low profile birch, and they really open up the control room. The room feels twice as big now that the 6 foot machine racks are gone. Along with the new clouds, diffusers, wedges, gobos and bass traps, the control room is sonically tuned and dialed in. New custom Mogami snakes are also being built, and Tim Hochstedler of Synapse Systems will soon rewire everything clean and tight. Brad Brooks just finished a five day recording trip from San Francisco along with Todd Roper and Paul Hoaglin. We also finished the first album for Keep Your Fork, There's Pie, and you can hear Paris, TX. Paper Brain just finished several tunes for its second record, and here is Up and Down [mp3]. Pockeknife also finished an EP, and you can check out Cotton Candy [mp3]. And here is a new one by The Red Octopuses called Save Yourself [mp3]. Yellow Bells, another tune by The Red Octopuses, is featured as the program music for Nike's "Help for Haiti" campaign, and you can peek at that here.

Sunshine

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:34:39 -0700

The past two days have brought a wee bit of it, and I miss the sun sooooooo much. I can feel that more of it is just around the corner. In KBC Records news, the '74 Fender Musicmaster bass is getting a rebuild. Thank you Mr. Bill Limbocker for that. What a cool 3/4 scale bass. And I keep saying this, but the Control Room is just about done. I went to see the producer racks being built at the carpenter, and they are really cool. They're being stained right now, and the install is just around the corner. The new bass traps were just installed, and the mix balance is now totally dialed in and balanced. If you can't mix your record properly here, you suck! Okay, new tunes. Here is a mix of Good Love Grows - Part 1 [mp3] by The Red Octopuses. You can also listen to Arms Length [mp3] by Paper Brain, and check out Understory [mp3] by the ever-entertaining Keep Your Fork, There's Pie. Lately I've been ridiculously into Prokofiev's ballet, Cinderella, Op. 87, so much so that I've been listening to it non-stop and bought the orchestral score and piano transcription so I can read along. What an amazing piece, finished in 1944. Check it out if you can.

Sergei Prokofiev's Cinderella, Op. 87

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:31:31 -0700

For my birthday my parents gave me a stack of Sergei Prokofiev's ballets and operas, and I gotta say, when I started listening to Cinderella, Op. 87, I was immediately blown away. I can't say enough about the orchestration. You just must get a copy of it a hear for yourself. Finished in 1944, it's in three Acts comprised of 50 different pieces. My immediate feeling was that as a young lad, Danny Elfman locked himself in a room with this (and only this) recording and listened repeatedly for 20 years - and then emerged to form Oingo Boingo and write program music for things such as The Simpson's, Batman, and Nightmare Before Christmas - except that Prokofiev beat him by about 60 years. I loved it so much I bought both the orchestral score and the piano transcription, and I plan on stealing from it as soon as possible myself!

Here Comes 2010

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:39:31 -0700

Happy New Year and all that! I've had to scribble out the '09 I've written by mistake on several checks I tried to write, but I'll get used to it. There has been a bit of a delay, but the carpenter is just about finished with all the new producer racks for the control room. Just as soon everything is installed, I'll post a slew of new studio pics, because the ones that are up just don't capture the vibe with all the new clouds and soundproofing. I'm making a resolution, too, to update this main page more often with more mixes and tid bits. So check back more often. Here are a couple of new mixes. Mister Fisk just put its record out, and this is one of my favorites, Weathered Dream [mp3]. And studio wiz Tanner Cundy just finished mixing and mastering his own EP of extremely tight and groovy songs that make you feel good! You can take a listen to Radio [mp3]. More soon! Oh yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my awesome sister Stacy Goodman who turns 50 tomorrow! She's a marathon runner, a lawyer, super ass funny and smart as a whip, an amazing cook with an even more amazing family, and I love her very much! Woo hoo!

Happy Holidays!

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:36:29 -0700

Thanks to everyone for such a great year! Band Camp really upped its game this year with the Neve console install last year, so many cool new gear purchases, and the addition of more great house engineers to round us out. The place has been a bunnyhop. I'm thrilled that so many great records are being made here. Over the New Year, the custom producer racks should be finished, and then the custom wiring and "new look" for the control room will be in full swing. I'm dying to post new pics of the control room, but she's not finished yet! Here are some new unmastered mixes for you to hear. Check out unfinished Hot Girls [mp3] by the Devil Dollmen. Also take a listen to Don't Hold Your Breath [mp3] by New Century Schoolbook, and Paris TX [mp3] by Keep Your Fork There's Pie. As usual, the studio is booking farther and farther out in advance, now with sessions into May 2010. We've got open spots for sure, but if you're thinking about booking, do it sooner than later. I hope to have some killer new mixes by The Red Octopuses up by New Years or shortly after. Keep checking back! Now go kiss someone under the mistletoe!

This, That, and the Other Thing

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:40:33 -0700

John Silliman Dodge gave a nod to the studio in Margie Boule's Sunday column in The Oregonian. You can read it here. He's been bringing in top notch players, including principal chairs of The Oregon Symphony, and guitarist Eddie Martinez - yes, that Eddie Martinez (Meat Loaf, Robert Palmer, Blondie, Joe Cocker, Steve Winwood, Lou Reed, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger - get it?!). Thanks, John! The new Barefoot mm 27 monitors have so much low end information it's unbelievable. L.A. producer Beau Raymond has left (permanent loan, Beau?!) his Antelope external clock. The stereo imaging when recording digital to this external clock is very noticeable. Who woulda thunk? The studio has a new early '70s Fender Musicmaster bass. It's 3/4 scale and really cool. The Baldwin Electric Harpsichord is back from service and plunks as it should. And the calendar is now fairly busy even into March 2010. Oh yeah, for the first time ever in my life, I dropped a Neumann condensor mic from 6 feet. It bounced, broke, and I'll never do that again. Congrats to Fisk and The Winebirds. Their records are finally mastered and will be out soon. I about forgot, the house is featured in the December 2009 issue of Old House Interiors magazine, now out nationally in book and grocery stores. Check it out!

A Very Serious Question

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:33:42 -0700

Okay all you lyricists out there, I need to know the answer to an all-important question. Is it ever appropriate to use the phrase "sweet mama" in a song? -- I mean today, almost 2010, not in 1978. I have a song where "sweet mama" would indeed just be perfect - it's a hippy dippy sing-along, sort of The Partridge Family meets The Five Man Electrical Band tune. Oh yeah, "sweet mama" in passing would be the campy perfect lyric to pull the chorus together, maybe in counterpoint through some lo fi mic. But I need the approval from a peer, any peer -- that's you! I need the go ahead before I can track "sweet mama!" Boston used "pretty mama" and "sweet delight" in the same verse, and Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers got away with it. So how about it? I've asked two gurus, Paul Hoaglin and Brad Brooks, but neither one has answered. So I'm asking you - and I know you're reading 'cause I see the stats - Can I use "sweet mama" in some campy ass lyrical way, or should I avoid it like the plague? I'll post the best answer, and a snippet of the chorus once it's tracked. Thanks! I really need to know! Please send your answers to ShayScott7@comcast.net

Mark Olson, the c12, and Barefoot Monitors

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:52:42 -0700

The Jayhawk's vocalist, Mark Olson, has spent the last three weeks tracking his solo record. He's pulled out all the stops, flying his producer and manager in from So Cal, and session players from around the world - guitarist from L.A., vocalist from Finland, and string player and arranger from Italy. I even busted out some Hammond, Farfisa, and piano and tracked to some songs. Goodie for me! It's been quite the marathon. The AKG c12 also cleared U.S. customs, and Scott Hampton tweaked it with a new regulated power supply and pattern box. The mic is truly amazing - sounding smooth as the froth off a strawberry milkshake. Today we received the famous Barefoot mm27 studio monitors - speakers audiophiles drool over and weigh 80 pounds each. And they sound spectacular. They will replace the other four sets of nearfield studio monitors above the Neve. Now that new clouds, diffusers, and track lights are installed, with the addition of the new Barefoots, the Control Room is definitely a sight and sound to behold. You can literally get lost and pounded in front of the console. The Hugs! record is now out, and they're promoting it in London. Next week brings more Paper Brain and Fisk. The Red Octopuses also has a slew of new songs in progress. Come get your Band Camp on!

AKG c12

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:41:10 -0700

After two years of searching (and multiple rejects), mic guru, Klaus Heyne, finally approved of an early '50s AKG c12 mic system for sale in Liverpool as "historically accurate." So we bought it. The mic is clearing U.S. Customs and will be here next week. Big woo hoo! The c12 will round out having the trifecta of the world's most sought after, holy grail, vintage large-diaphram microphones ever manufactured - the Neumann u47, Telefunken 251 Elam, and now the AKG c12. I hate braggarts, but yeah, okay, I'm bragging for once. The control room is continuing to improve with new tuning, most recently with the installation of clouds. There are so many new mixes to post, but so little time. Here are two new songs by The Red Octopuses: Now I See How You Are [mp3], and an unfinished version of Lowlife [mp3]. Next week begins a three-week session with The Jayhawk's lead singer, Mark Olson, and his producer from L.A., Beau Raymond. I keep hearing amazing stories about these two. More soon!

Shoot the Room With Pink Noise

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:03:18 -0700

Tuning the control room has turned into a bit bigger project than I imagined, but in a good way. The bass wedges and diffusers have definitely tamed the low standing waves, but Justin and Jeremy recently shot the room with pink noise and analyzed what frequencies still need a whipping. And they're going to get it. We're also getting all new low profile producer racks, which will open things up. So many cool new projects have been here, including Jake Portrait, Foreign Orange, Curious Material, Beaten By Them, and Pedro Buford. We just finished records for The Winebirds and The Hugs, and we're about done mixing EPs for Mitch Gonzales and Fisk. John Stillmon Dodge brought along the principal chairs for The Oregon Symphony and tracked a string quartet arrangement of Jupiter from Gustav Holst's The Planets, arranged by KBPS's Robert McBride. Hockey is now on the radio and supporting a JC Penny advert. Good job! And the studio is booked solid into November. Literally, another band, and the calendar would explode into wee bits of pink noise. Oh yeah, The Hugs are in this issue of Interview magazine. Sweet.

Yesterday Now

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:35:47 -0700

We're in the middle of several cool projects - custom wiring the equipment racks, and tuning the control room with corner wedges, clouds, and diffusers to tame the swirly bass waves. We're only partially done, and it already sounds great. Yesterday we finished a new record for The Winebirds, putting the final touches on their mixes. I'll post a few of those soon. This past month we also recorded several songs for Keep Your Fork, There's Pie. You can hear Tap Water [mp3] and Rocks in My Pocket [mp3]. The Hugs second record is now mixed and off for mastering, with singles about to be released abroad. Take a listen to Dreams [mp3], Never Gonna Live [mp3], and She Was High [mp3]. The whole record is solid, upbeat, and exciting. The Mellotron is getting a tune up, and the 1965 Baldwin 2-12 solid state amp is finally out of the shop. It chimes like a bell with the quirkiest reverb. Willie Nelson used it on his acoustic back in the day. I got it for the Baldwin electric harpsichord, but it sounds great on just about everything.

Always Expect the Train

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:30:29 -0700

This month has been non-stop as usual. We just finished two more songs for Mitchell Sumner, who writes everything with Garageband, his old acoustic guitar, and a Casio SK1 sampling keyboard from 1986. Although these songs were re-recorded to 2-inch, 16-track tape. Check out The Second Section [mp3] and Always Expect the Train [mp3]. The Daveys just dropped off their EP, and it's great. Last week we recorded Jessica Stiles and her six-piece honky tonk, country band live. Her session players were top notch, and the songs tracked beautifully. Right now El Salvador is tracking their record and the studio is thumping. Next week brings sessions with The Winebirds, Pedro Bufurd, Fisk, more Mitchell Sumner and The Hugs. The control room is about to get tuned by Justin Phelps and Jeremy Sherrer to tame those pesky standing waves and reflections. Stay cool in this hot weather!

Fireworks

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:49:23 -0700

This year we went to see the fireworks from a high rise on the Portland Waterfront, and they kept falling from the sky. Spectacular! Here is a new song from The Red Octopuses second record, Flaming Arrows, due out later this year. The song is called Now I See How You Are [mp3], and I wore 3D glasses incorporating all of the crazy loops and effects. Hope you dig it. I do. We just finished Steve Rodin's second blues record, and we're getting near the end of new records for The Hugs!! and The Winebirds. I just received the 1968 Gibson es150d hollow body electric from a pal in San Francisco. He's had it for two years, and I'm so glad it's back. It plays like a dream. Soon we'll be posting killer engineer reels of mixes by Tanner Cundy and Justin Phelps, so check back! Please note the new "deposit" policy for bookings under the FAQ link.

New House Engineers!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:05:20 -0700

The studio is thrilled to introduce two new house engineers. Justin Phelps is a Portland native who spent the better part of the 90s and 2000s making records in San Francisco. After attending and then teaching at the California Recording Institute, Justin interned with legends John Cuniberti and Dan Alexander. He worked at the Bay Area's famous Coast Recorders, Sausalito’s The Plant studios, Hyde Street Studios, and then Tiny Telephone. Justin's list of artists is ridiculous, including Cake, Mr. Bungle, Dead Kennedys, and The Neville Brothers. And on top of everything, he's one of the nicest, most down to earth people ever! Tanner Cundy is no less impressive. Tanner has been the studio's intern for the past year, and he has surpassed me in knowledge and technical know how. He's been recording bands, setting up mixes, busting through To Do lists for overdub sessions, and mastering on his own for some time. Tanner has great ears and studio savvy, and he's a super talented multi-instrumentalist who has served as a session player for numerous bands. You can read more about Justin and Tanner under the "about" link.

These Are The Days

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:04:50 -0700

Last week I was interviewed by Willamette Week music editor, Arya Imig, at Portland State's radio station, KPSU. This was for Arya's local cut music Podcast. The interview is the last 20 minutes or so of an hour long program, but you get to hear some cool new local music waiting. Here is the link: These Are The Days with Arya Imig: A Whole Lot of New. Scroll to the bottom of the paragraph and click on the triangle "Play" icon. I was able to mention some of my favorite bands - The Hugs, Paper Brain, Southern Belle, The Winebirds, Mitch Sumner Gonzales, The Daveys, and more, and - most important to me - I don't sound like a complete dolt! So give it a listen and give me a shout! The studio is just about to announce two new house engineers to add to our roster. And after two years of mourning, my friend in San Francisco agreed to sell me back my old 1968 Gibson es150d hollow body electric. It plays like a dream, and I've regretted selling it ever since. It will be home soon. More later!