Performer Magazine: March 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3

Wolfmother

cover story

by Taylor Northern

Cover

Piper Ferguson

4. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 5.

VINYL OF THE MONTH: Antlered Aunt Lord

6.

RECORDS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: Aloud

28. DIY: How to be a Better Front Person 30. DIY: Showslinger: The Killer Booking &

Vandaveer

by Jaclyn Wing

9

Touring App

32. TOUR TEST: Audio-Technica Wireless

Gilles

16

Michael Nau

20

by T. Ali Eubank

Stompboxes

34. RECORDING: Prep Your Tracks for Mixing

36: SPECIAL REPORT: The Best of NAMM 2016

38. GEAR REVIEWS: PreSonus; BeatBuddy; Yamaha; Mixcraft; Steinberg; TASCAM; KHDK; Blue Microphones

The Shrine

by Taylor Northern

12

47. MY FAVORITE AXE: Shannon Hayden 48. FLASHBACK: Vintage Shure SM57

by Benjamin Ricci

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Howdy, y’all!

Just back from NAMM, and still can’t believe all the cool new gear we got to play with. Seems like amps are getting smaller, synths are getting bigger (and more complex) and just about everyone is cashing in on the 500 series trend on the recording side of things.

We’ve been bombarded with post-NAMM new gear showing up at the office almost daily, as manufacturers try to get reviews booked for all their latest goodies. Which means two things: a) we get to test out all the new shit before everyone else, nanna nanna boo boo, and b) we’re gonna need more people to review the aforementioned new shit.

So…if you reside in the metro Boston area, know your gear inside and out, have the ability to shoot video and aren’t a complete asshat, drop a line to ben@performermag.com.

PO BOX 348 Somerville, MA 02143

Remember, our readers are fellow musicians and audio pros, so they don’t have time for bullshit – we want you to be honest, concise, and able to speak musicese (yes, I’m sure that’s a word). And hell, you might even get free gear out of it. Not bad, huh?

PUBLISHER William House Phone: 617-627-9919 bill@performermag.com

To see what we dug the most at NAMM, you can dig through the obnoxiously large number of photos we posted on Instagram during the convention, or just flip ahead a few pages to our annual NAMM roundup.

Benjamin Ricci, editor

P.S. – now, if you ARE an asshat, we still might want to hear from you, but only if you score correctly on the following pop quiz.

A) Who was the original bass player for REO Speedwagon?

B) Which song did C.C. DeVille fuck up live on MTV to get booted from Poison in 1991?

C) Who was still listening to Poison in 1991?

D) Was C.C. DeVille aware that he was still in Poison in 1991?

E) Have you, at any point, played guitar for Poison?

performermag.com

performermagazine

performermag

ABOUT US

CORRECTIONS

Performer Magazine, a nationally distributed musician’s trade publication, focuses on independent musicians, those unsigned and on small labels, and their success in a DIY environment. We’re dedicated to promoting lesser-known talent and being the first to introduce you to artists you should know about.

Did we make a heinous blunder, factual error or just spell your name wrong? Contact editorial@performermag.com and let us know, cuz we’re big enough to say, “Baby, I was wrong.”

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS We listen to everything that comes into the office. We prefer physical CDs, cassettes and vinyl over downloads. If you do not have a physical copy, send download links to editorial@performermag.com.No attachments, please. Send CDs to: Performer Magazine Attn: Reviews PO BOX 348 Somerville, MA 02143

4 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Volume 26, Issue 3

Aside from that, the prerequisites are simple: be able to write coherently, be able to get to the point, and most importantly, be able to extract the value and benefits that a piece of gear possesses.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS In the words of our esteemed forefathers at CREEM: “NOBODY WHO WRITES FOR THIS RAG’S GOT ANYTHING YOU AIN’T GOT, at least in the way of credentials. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be sending us your stuff: reviews, features, photos, recording tips, DIY advice or whatever else you have in mind that might be interesting to our readers: independent and DIY musicians. Who else do ya know who’ll publish you? We really will... ask any of our dozens of satisfied customers.

Just bop it along to us to editorial@performermag.com and see what comes back your way. If you have eyes to be in print, this just might be the place. Whaddya got to lose?

Whaddya got?”

CONTACT Phone: 617-627-9200 Fax: 617-627-9930

EDITOR Benjamin Ricci ben@performermag.com DESIGN & ART DIRECTION Cristian Iancu EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Bob Dobalina editorial@performermag.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Benjamin Ricci, Chris Devine, Don Miggs, Enon David Gaines, Henry Beguiristain, Jaclyn Wing, Jordan Tishler, Michael St James, Shannon Hayden, Taylor Northern, Tony Eubank, Zach Blumenfeld CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ben Rains, Benjamin Ricci, Brigette Adair Herron, Cendino Teme, Julia Robbs, Kurt Godhe, Olivia Jaffe, Piper Ferguson, Whitney McGraw ADVERTISING SALES William House Phone: 617-627-9919 bill@performermag.com © 2016 by Performer Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any method whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher. The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited recordings, manuscripts, artwork or photographs and will not return such materials unless requested and accompanied by a SASE. Annual Subscription Rate is $30 in the U.S.; $45 outside the U.S.

REVIEWS

Brigette Adair Herron

A mysteriously melodic collection YEARS IN THE MAKING…”

I

f the reports are to be believed, then AAL’s Jesse Stinnard is either a bizarre genius that Athens has been hiding for the past decade, or an equally bizarre manifestation of said genius’s cosmic brain waves. Er, where was I? Oh yes, the new vinyl release by this “band” from Athens. Well, let’s not bury the lead any further: it’s a friggin’ winner.

Melodic, oddly dark and inviting, and at times invitingly grating (yep, that makes sense), the record is an amalgam of tracks culled from (if we believe what we’re told) hundreds of songs in Stinnard’s crazy backlog. There are so many damn songs it’s hard to tell where you are at any given time in the tracklist, but that’s kinda what’s bat-shit awesomesauce about the journey. Records aren’t typically made that way (usually for good reason), but the experimentation is oddly enveloping in a fuzzed-out acid-trip sorta way.

Nominally, it’s a shoegaze-meets-noisepopmeets-punk album. Well, sorta. If inexplicable Pavement-esque stabbings at warbling rock n roll float your boat, this is gonna give you an instant pants-tent.

It’s hard to say too much more about the record. It’s weird. It’s fun. It’s catchy (seriously) and it doesn’t seem to take much for granted when it comes to standard songwriting formats.

We dig eccentric shit like this. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the backlog, Jesse.

Antlered Aunt Lord Ostensibly Formerly Stunted (and on fire) Athens, GA (HHBTM Records)

Benjamin Ricci

Follow on Twitter: @HHBTMrecs PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 5

REVIEWS

I

f nothing else, I am creature forever on the run from boredom, so I listen to as much as I can get my insatiable, slowly decaying earholes on. Allegedly, I’ve been listening to music since the day I was born, beginning with McCartney’s Tug of War -- and it’s been downhill ever since. It was difficult to whittle 33 years of consumption down to a more potable number, but in the interest of time and space constraints, here are few of the cornerstones which comprise the vessel known as Henry Beguiristain: frontperson/songwriter/guitarist of Aloud not named Jen de la Osa:

The Strokes Is This It (2001) Jen and I were 19 and just three months past our move from Miami to Boston when this album dropped. Is This It was the unexpected and necessary breath of fresh air which forever altered the way we think about and approach our guitar parts to this day.

Fiona Apple Tidal (1996) Fiona’s debut provided me with a vital lesson on the power of writing solid lyrics, rhymes be damned. Her lyrics are fearlessly meaningful. The musical component to Tidal is nothing to scoff at, either. “Carrion” is among the best album closers I’ve ever heard.

The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Where would any list be without the background radiation of all popular western music? I obsessed over this album during my early teens, particularly focusing on Paul’s bass parts. The album’s spirit of experimentation and screwing with people’s expectations of your work has been a guiding force all these years.

RECORDS CHANGED

6 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

REVIEWS

Oasis Definitely Maybe (1994) True fact: without Oasis, there’d be no Aloud. My cousin Max hipped me to this album when I was 12. Noel Gallagher’s songwriting’s been woven into my DNA ever since. It was the rock n’ roll album I’d been longing to hear. Definitely Maybe’s loud and doesn’t give a fuck.

Feist The Reminder (2007) I fell hard for this album’s use of quiet moments and alternative instrumentation. The Reminder was a very important sonic influence on Exile.

Worth it alone for “1234”. Such a joyful, beautiful song. We played this after shows on a particularly stressful tour and it would immediately pick everyone up.

Follow on Twitter: @Henry_Be

Which records inspired you to become a musician? Let us know and you can be featured in a future column. Email ben@performermag.com for more info.

S THAT D MY LIFE Henry Beguiristain of Aloud

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 7

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SPOTLIGHT

VANDAVEER How Sparse Demos Can Blossom Into a Rich Sonic Tapestry

Jaclyn Wing Kurt Gohde

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 9

SPOTLIGHT

H

aving children, traveling and making music is certainly a balancing act.

It’s essential to not let life get in the way but to incorporate all of its elements to showcase your story. Vandaveer’s newest album, The Wild Mercury, is a collection of songs that were created over a long period of time. Mark Charles Heidinger draws on experiences that define his life, yet is able to construct songs that have a universal element. This album is far more autobiographical than Heidinger’s past work, but it makes it all the better.

Emotionally and mentally, writing the songs was a more solitary journey but was a collaborative effort in the studio. “I wrote exactly what my heart compelled me to and I was liberated by that aspect. It came from a genuine place,” says

10 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Heidinger. Whether the album is deemed a success or failure, Heidinger feels so connected to it and he embraces all aspects of his music.

This is Vandaveer’s fifth album and Heidinger

and creativeness.”

With The Wild Mercury, Heidinger was able to achieve new sonic textures, more focused on the

“Recording is an artifact. If you don’t feel like it’s your best record, then maybe you shouldn’t put it out.” deems them all career-defining. He says, “I don’t think the point is to make the same record over and over again; there is always room for growth

temperature of things, metaphorically speaking.

The Wild Mercury is the album title and the title track; the meaning behind it is profound.

The songs are part of an organic experience that Heidinger wanted to share. He didn’t set out to write an album that was thematically connected from song to song. The context was far more direct; it is a byproduct of watching himself, and the band, age. Heidinger notes the importance of staying engaged with what you are creating.

Perspectives, time, anonymity, sense of place and the people that walk in and out of our lives all change. The world around us is complex and making sense of it all can seem complicated.

Heidinger uses music as an outlet to convey his sense of self. He notes that the content itself made him write and that it is part of the natural progression to gravitate towards a specific subject matter, and in this case it’s life.

Some people shy away from admitting that life is complicated, but Heidinger embraces it and enhances its beauty. In the studio, Heidinger tends to do more with less, less time that is, because of life, a great balancing act. Unlike his previous albums, The Wild Mercury does not have character study or theatrical elements.

Interestingly enough, the album started with a minimalist approach but that idea was quickly scratched and turn into a full sounding record.

Heidinger says it’s all about “stargazing, wanting and yearning; wanting to get back to where you think you once belonged even though you haven’t been there yet. We seek out ideals even though they don’t really exist.”

The album embodies an old soul stuck in a contemporary time, yearning for something more low key. “I feel like in my life, the pace is quick and the chaos is increased and that the crazy has become the norm. And all of that very much is the wild mercury, the quickening of the pace.”

The songs are narrative in nature and it is evident that there is an underlying storytelling aspect to the album. When writing the lyrics, there was intent behind each word choice. Every single phrase was honest and direct and that really

Heidinger was originally attracted to the minimalist approach because the material is so inherently personal; he felt the obvious choice was to strip things down to the elements. He did not want to cloud the story with flourishes and extra instrumentation. The demos were simply Heidinger and an acoustic guitar, but after a few pre-production sessions that idea was abandoned. “Making an album is the album you make,” says Heidinger. Moving to a fuller sound raised the stakes and juxtaposed the content. The album is balanced with personal lyrics and a full spectrum of timbres. Some songs were recorded live, some had minimal overdubs, but all were crafted from the ground up.

Heidinger finds the whole concept of consuming music, paying for what you want, quite liberating.

As the music industry continues to develop, Heidinger does not feel like it’s feast or famine.

On the new album: “I wrote exactly what my heart compelled me to and I was liberated by that aspect. It came from a genuine place.”

SPOTLIGHT

drove the bulk of the material. “I felt compelled, required, to write a batch of songs like this, to make sense out of things for myself,” says Heidinger.

There is a universal connection in aging, growing, starting a family and incorporating that into your ever-changing life. The Wild Mercury represents all aspects of life and how we react to and handle things as they evolve. While one person’s story may be different than another’s, there is a fundamental element of empathy. Heidinger notes that while “a specific experience may be unique, if you zoom out…things look pretty similar.” Rather than masking his songs with flowery words, he was more direct and prudent.

His writing is deliberate and well-crafted.

Vandaveer has been a band for about ten years and continues to evolve. Heidinger feels honored that he gets to make another record, but he admits that it’s not an easy thing to do; it is difficult and emotionally draining but an overall fun process.

For Heidinger, making music used to be a compulsion but now it is ingrained in him. He notes that every album feels like it is career defining. He profoundly states, “Recording is an artifact. If you don’t feel like it’s your best record, then maybe you shouldn’t put it out.”

Heidinger poured his soul into this album and has exposed himself in a way he hasn’t before.

The Wild Mercury takes us on a journey through Heidinger’s life, something that is more familiar than we think.

Follow on Twitter: @vandaveer

VANDAVEER THE WILD MERCURY STANDOUT TRACK: “A LITTLE TIME OFF AHEAD”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 11

SPOTLIGHT

Taylor Northern Olivia Jaffe

THESH

12 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT Venice Skate Punks on Black Flag’s Gear, Accidentally Scoring a Producer & The Worst Acid Trips Ever

HRINE

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 13

SPOTLIGHT

I

f skinned knees made music, they’d wail like The Shrine. Venice skate-punks and all-around acid-dropping metalismos, The Shrine have cultivated a sound that’s one part Black Flag (which’ll make sense in a moment), one part Motörhead and one part psychotic whiskey freak-out. After two years of relentless touring, the band found an (accidental) kindred spirit in producer Dave Jerden, who helmed the console on the group’s latest collection of abrasive tracks, Rare Breed. We caught up with the trio’s guitarist/vocalist Josh Landau to chat about the kick-ass new record, inheriting Black Flag’s PA system and how skate culture has influenced their creative process.

Where did the band originally form?

Court [Murphy, bass] and I met at a house party in Venice. We both went to Santa Monica High School, but he was a few years older and a metal head, I was young and a punk kid. We met somewhere in the middle on Thin Lizzy. After that, I placed an ad for a hitman to take care of some trouble I got into and Jeff [Murray] showed up with drumsticks.

You guys are well connected in the L.A. skate scene. Did you all grow up skating Venice Blvd, the Santa Monica court house, and the Venice Beach ledges?

I didn’t realize it much growing up, but yeah, the real skate stuff was all around me. I surfed the Venice Breakwater all middle school and high school, surfed with Jim Muir and his son Teague who went to school with me. I went to city hall meetings at like 13-years-old to get Venice Park built. Bought my first skateboard at Rip City and hung out at the West L.A. Courthouse when I was 10-years-old and could barely ride. My brother 14 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Jason and I would dig through the dumpster behind Hot Rod and take people’s broken boards just because we were so obsessed.

Eyewear. The skater Blake Johnson and Dogtown Skateboards. That’s some of our Venice family, we frequent a lot of East Hollywood places, too.

Who are some of your favorite skaters?

Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Gonz, Jason Jesse, Eric Dressen, Lance Mountain. Today, it’s newer dudes like Grant Taylor, Greyson Fletcher, the Nuge and the Vol. 4 crew. My brother Jason, all the dudes we skate pools with like Buddy Nichols and Rick Charnoski. Dudes I learned to skate pools with like Pat Rat and Blake from Hawaii, that crew.

Are you into any bands from the Cali desert scene like Queens of the Stone Age and Fu Manchu?

We’re really into our friends’ stuff now like Dirty Fences, Hot Lunch, Earthless, Royal Headache and Graveyard. Kadavar, Zig Zags, Isaac Rother and Death Alley, too.

So coming from Venice, do you identify with what’s going on in the local music scene there? Who are your favorite local Venetians?

Chuck Dukowski and his family. Timewarp Music, Jeff Ho, Juice Magazine and Crap

Did you originally want to be pro skaters or were you always enamored with the idea of being touring musicians?

I just wanted to surf forever until we started looking for backyard pools. Trespassing is really fun (laughs). Driving through alleys in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills, seek-and-destroy style looking for the ruins of a mansion. Crawling through

David Bowie recently died. Were you all influenced by his music?

Chuck Dukowski is actually the one that got me listening to The Man Who Sold the World.

I tripped out on how much it was a hard rock album because until then I had perceived Bowie based on the hits you hear on the radio... man, I fuckin’ love him! I play the “Width of a Circle” riff all the time, I also like the fact that he failed

What about the song “Space Stepping” off your new album Rare Breed?

It came out of my mouth while skating the Gonzales Pool in Mar Vista. Someone flew off the hip of the pool and was floating for a second, I just said it and then wrote it down. I wrote some words that had nothing to do with skateboarding and then two years later, we recorded it.

What are the best places to drop acid in California? Describe your best trip.

We had to get to a show in L.A. and were tripping

On mentor Chuck Dukowski: “He’s incredible still an inspiration to us to put everything you can into whatever it is that you do.” for like eight years and had three different personas before something finally stuck.

Didn’t you guys start out playing DIY shows opening for Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag?

Yeah, we jammed with Chuck a lot when we first started. He’s incredible - still an inspiration to us to put everything you can into whatever it is that you do. When you see him play bass, you’re absolutely stoked.

You have a song called “Tripping Corpse” that’s pretty popular in the skateboard scene. Do you all enjoy tripping acid?What inspired the tripping corpse?

A friend who missed our gig because he donated blood to the Red Cross to get Further tickets.

What a bummer! (laughs)

and had to drive the van downtown. We were playing this ghetto warehouse and our friend, this chick Malie, was dancing on the PA speakers the whole time. It turned into a mess, we started arguing with bands over who’s gonna play next and where to put gear. Total bust!

I really like the guitar solo “Pull the Trigger.”

What rig were you using when you recorded that bit?

A $150 Japanese Univox Les Paul rip-off. Now Gibson gave me a real one (laughs).

What gear did you use for the rest of the album sessions?

Greg Ginn from Black Flag’s solid state Peavey PA that Chuck Dukowski gave me, also my 1971 Marshall Super Lead.

SPOTLIGHT

construction sites to find an empty swimming pool that was built sixty years ago.

How did you end up working with producer Dave Jerden on the record?

He went into the guitar shop near my house called Timewarp Music, that’s where we played our first show in 2009. Dave heard our last record Bless Off playing and asked what it was and got my contact info. After that, he came over and started practicing with us and talking about Blue Cheer and Captain Beyond. [editor’s note – dear readers, shame on you if you don’t own the first Captain Beyond LP – it’s an amazing trip.]

Any last words about the album?

It’s the first album we didn’t record ourselves.

Check out the ballad “Dusted & Busted.”

You guys have some really cool merchandise.

I dig your raglan tees and the signature skateboard. Who comes up with the ideas for your merch?

Most of our art is done by a friend by the name of Kris Kirk; he designed the wolf on his own.

What are some of the lyrical themes on your new album?

Hitting the nail on the head, walking the razor.

Dance, boogie and boogaloo...standing up for yourself and freaking out.

Follow on Instagram: @theshrine

THE SHRINE RARE BREED STANDOUT TRACK: “DEATH TO INVADERS”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 15

SPOTLIGHT

THE STORY OF TURNED RAPP

16 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

OF ATTORNEYPPER GILLES

SPOTLIGHT

From Gavel to Hoodie:

T. Ali Eubank

Cendino Teme

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 17

SPOTLIGHT

G

illes, the rapper/lawyer who was born in New York and raised in Atlanta, is a man and an artist who embraces duality.

From the young, black, and successful swag of “Righteous Ratchets” to the smooth and lostin-thought finesse of tracks like “Future 4 Wii” and “Queens and Castles” off of his most recent release Super, Gilles paints a picture of a bluecollar guy navigating and coming-of-age in the white-collar world.

He also discusses his influences and studio process, citing a wide range of rappers and styles including Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Project Pat, Jay-Z, and Outkast as inspirations. “I try to go to other art forms, because if you named a musical artist, I’m probably going to say, ‘Yeah they’re good,’ because there are very few people that I don’t like.”

Gilles is currently wrapping up work on his next album, due out this July, and explains the balancing act of being a working professional and a creative individual: “One necessitates the other, because I fund my art from work. So, that’s the practicality of it.”

So, with visual art, there’s the guy who designed the cover art for my album Super, his name is Jermaine Clark, he’s dope. There’s a guy Fahamu Pecou, he’s a local artist and he’s dope.

There’s so much out there, I went to Art Basel last year and that was a real dope experience, just being around art [for] five days. I like to create and I like to be around creators,” he adds.

He continues, “And particularly with this project, there are so many things that I would not

On recording Gilles explains, “It’s not the same every time, but it’s definitely a beat or

“I might enjoy performing more than I enjoy recording. There’s nothing that brings me joy like rapping in front of a bunch of strangers.” have been able to do if I was not an attorney. One, being an attorney has allowed me to have a skill set that I can barter. One of my frat brothers is an engineer, so he records music. But he’s a really good one that works all the time and is expensive.

Because I’m his attorney, when he needs work done I can do work for him and when I need work done, he does the work for me.”

Gilles explains further, “I’ve also been able to secure some features for this next project, based on legal relationships. Also, often, at least half of the time, I’m doing entertainment work.

I see production agreements, feature artists’ agreements, and publishing agreements. So, I see all these things and it also helps me to be informed about the industry that I’m in.”

When discussing his music and his speciallyhoned (for an independent artist) image, Gilles explains that he remains conscious of what he puts in the out in to the ether: “If I think its dope, I’ll put it out there. But that’s not just with the music; it’s how we plan events, it’s Instagram, it’s Facebook or whatever. It’s about always presenting a quality product. It’s about presenting something, that is to me, dope.”

He goes on to say, “But as far as the music that I put out, it’s all based on my likes and what I’m feeling at the time.”

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record first; I hear the music then say, ‘What to do, what should I say,’ then I start writing. I usually write on my phone or computer. Once I figure out what the song might be about, I’ll try figuring out how to piece it together, like how I should sound on it. Every now and then I just feel like I have something to say. I’ll have this energy and I’ll go through some beats until I find the right one it just kind of comes out.”

He adds, “I might enjoy performing more than I enjoy recording. There’s nothing that brings me joy like rapping in front of a bunch of strangers. I don’t know why it does, but it does.

I love making people believe. Like they come in skeptical and leave like, ‘Okay, that was okay.’ I’m just comfortable and like being on stage.”

He then proceeds to describe his upcoming project, “This project is based on me just turning 30, so I want to [do] thirty minutes of music for my thirtieth year on earth. With the music that’s on this project, there’s an underlying feeling of frustration. You know, frustration shows itself in a lot of different ways and comes from a lot of different things.

There’s civil unrest and if you’re Black you’re seeing all these things that have been going on forever, but it’s popping again. Like its cool to kill Black kids in the street, so that’s one thing right?”

He goes on, “Then I look at how people perceive me and this goes for both professions.

As a rapper, people perceive me as a lawyer trying to be a rapper, which is not what it is.

I’m just both. People will say that’s dumb, why would you want to do this? If I was a chef that could play the piano, they’d be like, ‘That’s a talented guy,’ but since I’m a lawyer that makes rap music, it has to be more confusing; it’s like I have to pick one, this doesn’t go.”

Ultimately Gilles refuses to be characterized in narrow terms, instead choosing to identify himself in a much more dynamic fashion. “I don’t want to subscribe to that. I don’t need to look like this in order to be what you want me to be. As a rapper I’m

SPOTLIGHT supposed to embrace the struggle, supposed to work at Jimmy John’s or Macy’s; I can’t have a job with an office.”

But his law career is what affords him the artistic freedom other may not have. “When in reality, that’s the reason why I can kind of be free. I’ve seen it so many times, artists that are down on their luck are more inclined to take whatever is offered to them, because they don’t have an option. I’m not dependent on a rinkydink record label to maintain my livelihood. So if I don’t feel like the deal is right, then I can say no,” he explains.

Casually dressed in a hoodie, rocking a long beard, Gilles details further: “I get it from both

angles because I’m a lawyer that looks like this.

This is what I wore to work, a hoodie and some sneakers. I actually met with a client today.

I make a conscious effort to actively break stereotypes or preconceived notions.”

He continues, “There is a time to be in suit, but you don’t have to wear a costume to get credit for what you actually have. This week has been an awesome one for me as an attorney, we filed a motion to stop a bank from foreclosing on a woman’s home in federal court and they granted our motion. So one, the lady’s home is safe for now. Then today in the federal court of appeals, they ruled in our favor on a brief. So, basically we get to try our case now and there was a lot of defendants and some big firms that

we were fighting against, but we won. I say all that to say, the same guy who makes rap music did that. The same guy who wears hoodies to work, did that.”

Gilles’ new album A.L.O.T. (A Lot Of Things) will be released this July.

Follow on Twitter: @supergilles PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 19

SPOTLIGHT 20 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

MICHAEL

NAU

On Making the Leap From Frontman to Solo Artist

Julia Robbs and Whitney McGraw

Benjamin Ricci

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 21

SPOTLIGHT

I

first met Michael Nau in Indianapolis, of all places. It was 2006 and his band, Page France, was performing at the Midwest Music Summit, a new showcase for all things indie (which ultimately fizzled out the following summer). Page France was, for me at least, one of the best bands of the 2000s. And Nau was, at the time, one of the humblest, most soft-spoken musicians I’d ever met. Their songs, a mixture of acoustic twee and lo-fi-inspired indie pop, still stand among the best of their generation. Think of Page France as a stripped-down American answer to Belle and Sebastian.

After a few years and a few out-of-print releases, Nau and fellow Page France member Whitney McGraw (who also happens to be Nau’s wife) split to form a new group, Cotton Jones.

Signed to the same label as Page France (Suicide Squeeze), Nau again continued his songwriting path towards a personal, yet identifiable grab-bag of Americana, dream-pop and psychedelic folk.

Fast-forward to 2016, and we’re getting the first (official, anyway) solo release from the enigmatic singer/songwriter. Although, truth be told, Nau’s personal stamp is so definitive on his bands’ works that they all seem to be solo projects.

Mowing is a compilation, of sorts. It’s a collection of “lost recordings” that Nau didn’t set out to craft for any particular album. He just makes music for the sake of making music, and frankly we’re better off for it. The result of a rotating cast of guests and varied recording locales, Mowing is, at times, a somber work that sees the artist enter his 30s, into family life, and into the future that waits beyond.

We recently caught up with Nau to chat about the record and his creative process.

“Once I stopped trying to control that process of putting out an album, it just came together.”

Do you approach the writing or performing process differently for solo material than band material?

I guess I haven’t really had to think too much about it. A lot of the songs on the new record could have easily been Cotton Jones songs or Page France songs. I think a lot of the reason this wasn’t a Cotton Jones record is because that’s become a little more difficult to do with my wife, now that we have a family. I’m trying to keep busy, so this [process] makes the most sense to me.

The songwriting process is always different, though. A lot of the Cotton Jones stuff started with a groove, a landscape of sorts. There was pretty much an instrumental written before any words.

So that’s one way to do it. More recently, I’ve been writing more with just an acoustic guitar. I don’t really have a setup to record a bunch of stuff in my home. So it allows me to spend more time actually writing the songs, with just a simple guitar or piano.

The recording for this record was scattered over time and place. Was there a conscious

22 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

There are some songs as recent as last October, and some of it goes back to the last Cotton Jones record. Five years, maybe? Friends of mine run this record label called Yellow K out of Baltimore.

They helped me…how do I put it?

Curate the record?

Yeah, nothing was making sense for the record. So they had the idea of putting together a collection, not trying to be too cohesive about it. They were helping me out; we were just going to do a small run of them, but Suicide Squeeze ended up wanting to put it out.

Do you gravitate more towards working with a producer when it comes time to record, or are you more of a DIY kind of guy?

Well, recently is the first time I really worked super collaboratively in the studio. A couple songs were recorded live; all I did as played guitar and sang. That was really great. I don’t know, I’d prefer to do it that way. I took a stab at producing in the past, and it didn’t work out for whatever reason.

This time…I found myself liking the songs more, when there’s not as much as myself all through it.

I also enjoy the process of recording a bunch of instruments myself, as well. But I’ve done that long enough now that I’m anxious to do more live [recording].

The new record features a richer vocal timbre than we’re used to from you. Has your voice changed over time, or did you make an artistic choice to use a lower register for these songs?

I feel like sometimes you learn to write a song in a key that’s most comfortable for you. So I’m not too conscious of it, but it probably has evolved over time as I write more.

Lyrically, what I hear on the new record, especially in “Smooth Aisles,” is perhaps a feeling of uncertainty or a sense of leaving behind your carefree twenties. Can you touch upon that?

I don’t know how conscious that is, either. I just

entered my thirties, but I don’t know how much of that enters the work. I still try to feel like I’m in my carefree twenties! [laughs] I spent a lot of time on the road, all my life, but recently I’ve spent a lot of time at home. I guess I don’t feel like I’m on the move as much…

Do you have a desire to go back on the road?

Absolutely. With a family, we we were able to take our kid out a couple times, but it’s kind of tough. I plan on doing a tour, but maybe break it up a little so I’m not on the road for five weeks at a time. I’d probably take a band, but it wouldn’t be the whole family out on the road.

I’ve played solo a few times, and that’s kinda cool, but I definitely prefer to have a band at all times.

Taking our kid on the road made it a lot more expensive and tricky [laughs]. And he just started school, so we probably won’t be doing that as much.

It seems like a lot of your process is unconscious. Is there anything you consciously go back to as an influence, anything that has left an imprint on your sound? I hear a bit of early John Lennon solo records on things like “So, So Long.”

Yeah, recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Plastic Ono Band. Where a lot of these songs were written over such a long period of time, it’s hard to say what records actually influenced them. A lot of times I feel like I listen to the recording of a song, the sound quality of it, and gravitate towards that more than the actual song. But as far as records go, a couple years ago I really got into Astral Weeks.

Stuff like Curtis Mayfield…it’s kinda all over the place.

So the big question is, why release it now?

For me, I guess I’ve been trying to release an album for the past four years, and there isn’t a reason why I didn’t. I guess I just didn’t have anyone to put anything out. Or maybe I just didn’t get it together well enough. Once I stopped trying to control that process of putting out an album, it just came together. More so than anything, I want to get on the road and keep putting out music. I got to a point where it was like, now or never. If it went too much longer, I probably wouldn’t have put out a record at all.

an album and not have a label, a lot of people do that. And that probably would have been my next thing, if I didn’t have someone to put it out. It’s cool to have someone help with all the [business stuff ], though.

As someone who’s been able to maintain a career and longevity, is there anything you can convey to other musicians about having some staying power?

Don’t change your band name like 20 times [laughs]. That could be helpful!

SPOTLIGHT

effort to make a cohesive album out of the tracks, or was it just time to finally get all this music out there?

For me, I guess over the past four or five years I’ve been wanting to make a record. And in my mind, making a record all the time. I’d have these little sessions from time to time, whether it was just me or a group of people, and we’d go in and it would result in like three or four songs. When it’s all said and done, there were so many songs it was hard to make sense of. My buddy Kenny Tompkins dug through a bunch of the tunes for me and took songs from each session – somehow they’re different enough but they all work together. We weren’t trying to make it too cohesive, but somehow it works.

One thing that keeps me going, as generic as it sounds, it that this is something that I love to do.

And it doesn’t really matter to me if someone listens to it; I’ve kinda found ways to make a living out of what it is. If we play shows to a few people, we find ways to make it work. All because you love to do it; that’s what really keeps me going.

What do you have planned for the future, creatively?

I’d like to do more solo work, but do it with a band, you know? It would kind of be an ever-changing band, with whoever’s available. Do more stuff recorded live. With this project being a solo thing, there’s still more people involved with it than any other record I’ve ever done [laughs]. I kinda like that element of it. And I’d like to do that a lot more, and just keep the cycle going.

Follow on Twitter: @naumichael

Really, it was just more or less someone putting it out that made me do it.

That someone being Suicide Squeeze. How is your relationship with the label? Is it even necessary for indie bands to have a label anymore?

I’m comfortable working with Suicide Squeeze; they’ve put out all my full-lengths. David [Dickenson], who runs the label, is a friend. I trust him, trust his input. I don’t know a lot about that aspect of [the business]. I guess you could release

MICHAEL NAU MOWING STANDOUT TRACK: “MARALOU”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 23

SPOTLIGHT

Wolfmother

On New LP, The Joke of Record Royalties & Why Indies Need to Control Their Publishing Piper Ferguson

24 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Taylor Northern

SPOTLIGHT PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 25

SPOTLIGHT

W olfmother is an Australian hard rock band that first made waves in 2005 with their smash single “Woman” off the self-titled LP Wolfmother. This album garnered the band a Grammy in 2006 and since then they’ve released Cosmic Egg and New Crown. Now in 2016, eleven years after their first album dropped, the band is celebrating the release of their new record Victorious. It’s an album about fighting to the bitter end in order to glorify one’s small triumphs and victories. I had the great opportunity to speak to Andrew Stockdale, lead singer, guitarist and overall mastermind behind Wolfmother about the new album and the industry in general.

You guys are from Sydney. Australia and New Zealand have come back into the spotlight again with acts like Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett and Unknown Mortal Orchestra gaining popularity. Do you dig any of the younger bands coming out of the area? If so, which ones?

Any of the good ones (laughs). I just produced this dude called Bob Harrow. I produced four songs for him, he actually co-wrote some songs for Courtney Barnett. He’s an indie/pop rock artist from Melbourne and the tracks turned out really great.

Do you think Modular Recordings has anything to do with the growing popularity of Australian rock bands?

Let me think about that – when we were signed to Modular, the highest royalty we could receive was 7% and we sold 1.6 million records and counting. The success we had was totally unexpected, but I would put more of that success on the band and not the record label. We blazed a path worldwide so that other Australian bands could get up to the next level. ’Cause no other band had done that, we helped build their business infrastructure so they could have the

26 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

capacity to handle platinum selling artists.

Tame Impala was on Modular for a bit and I recall hearing Kevin Parker say something about not receiving many royalties from early Tame Impala releases. However, he did mention that he was paid a considerable amount whenever his songs were used in TV commercials or ads. Has Wolfmother experienced a similar situation ie receiving greater financial compensation from commercial ad placements as opposed to selling album?

Yeah, haha, selling records...I’ll basically put it down to you like this, you don’t see a cent from selling records. Your primary source of income is publishing and licensing; when you control your publishing and get your songs in movies and video games, that nets you lots more money. After that, it’s touring and merchandise sales, stuff like that are your next big sources of income.

Is it common for international acts to get ripped off by overseas record labels on their royalties?

When you’re Australian, its harder. If you get signed to an Australian label, the royalties system is tougher and then they’re always trying to sign you to an American or UK distributor anyway. If you sign directly to an American label, you bypass a lot of those overseas issues with the money.

But overall, you do the best you can with what you got. So you have to do business with people that present themselves well. To me, it was never about money, I just did it because I love to play music - it sounds very altruistic and dreamy, but its true (laughs). When you’re younger, you’re usually in it for the right reasons, but if you want to make money and that’s your primary goal,

Advice for indies: “You don’t see a cent from selling records. Your primary source of income is publishing and licensing.”

that’s fine. But if you’re doing what you love, the money will follow. The money is not primary, it’s secondary. I know people who are so focused on the money...but it all boils down to a balancing act -- you have to focus on the creativity and the writing aspect at the end of the day.

Frank Frazetta did the artwork for your first album. He also did the artwork for a few Molly Hatchet LPs, Herman’s Hermits and Nazareth. Are you guys fans of those bands? Is that why you chose to use Frazetta’s artwork?

Frazetta was actually suggested by the producer on that album. He suggested him and then we met with Frazetta and that was it.

Upon arrival in the United States, did you have any grand notions of what the L.A. music scene would be like?

I was in the car and remember riding through downtown L.A. for the first time and seeing it all.

The first thing I thought of was Jim Morrison and the Doors, just like picturing Morrison at the bar with some dudes drinking. I loved the trashy side of L.A. mixed in with the glitzy glamorous side; it’s an eccentric place. You gotta be crazy enough to appreciate it, haha! The way I think is the way L.A. is, I feel very comfortable there. We just stayed in Los Angeles to make the record, but I live in Byron Bay, Australia. There are no street lights there -- it’s coastal town right on the beach and it’s completely dark and quiet.

Is that what inspired the song “City Lights” on your new album?

When I drive into any big city and see [it] at night time, that’s what inspired the song, not specifically L.A. The night time is a completely different experience and energy. For example, we just played in Bali and that place has a busy, busy city vibe - it’s very stimulating. Asia in general is blowing up and the cities there are mesmerizing. Like, when we went to Mumbai we were on the cover of the Mumbai Times and that has a circulation of 20 million people, so I guess we were the “it band” for about a month (laughs).

On the other hand, we played in this place called Heidelberg and it was out in the middle of nowhere on a makeshift stage and when we got offstage we saw the main transportation was donkeys pulling carts.

Let’s talk about your new album Victorious.

What inspired the title?

I was gonna call it Gypsy Caravan for a little while, but I thought Victorious sounded a little

more inspirational. I see the album title as celebrating any small victory, like if you found a drummer for your band and started booking gigs or if you reach a personal goal - it signifies movement and traction, building up to a good feeling. The word wasn’t meant to be used like a sports thing, like competitive, ya know? But there’s nothing wrong with competition and sports - I played everything when I was a kid, I was obsessed with sports. I played golf, soccer, cricket, squash...sports got me used to getting yelled at.

SPOTLIGHT

On touring internationally: “Asia in general is blowing up and the cities there are mesmerizing.”

Any last words about the new album and tour?

I think there are three songs out now and the new record is a lot more proper. I think it will gradually grow on people. I recommend people listen to the whole thing and make a fair judgment, not just listen to a couple tracks, but digest all of it. There’s more than a couple tracks; it’s a whole experience.

Follow on Twitter: @wolfmother

WOLFMOTHER VICTORIOUS STANDOUT TRACK: “VICTORIOUS”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 27

MUSIC BUSINESS

How to Be a Bette

I

t’s hard to imagine two more different front people than Michael Lessard (seen above) and Alex Luciano (see photo, opposite page).

The Late Late Show’s James Corden has said that only two kinds of actors exist: aliens and humans. If we apply that dichotomy to singers, Lessard comes from a faraway galaxy. His performances with prog-metal up-and-comers The Contortionist verge on the theatrical; he captivates the audience with subtle movements, a thousand-yard stare, and stunning vocals that seem to emanate from some ethereal plane.

Luciano, on the other hand, bursts with the most human of energy, jumping around like the craziest of fangirls as the vocalist and guitarist of two-piece garage punk darlings Diet Cig. Both, however, are outstanding at their jobs. So we spoke to each to unearth the secrets behind their success and try to find some universal keys to fronting a band.

For Michael Lessard, one key to a captivating performance is to create contrast. That’s come naturally to him since his teenage years, when he first discovered 28 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

his fascination with mixing clean and growled vocals.

“I played with a band called Haste the Day, and they had this mixture, they had a frontman who’s a screamer, and then they had a bass player and guitar player who both sang, and both sang beautifully,” he says. “That was a turning point for me, because I’d only sang up until then, and the contrast was what really drew me in. I just fell in love with heavier music and the challenge of having to balance screaming and singing and trying to get good at both.”

Lessard brought the ideal of contrast with him when he joined The Contortionist in 2014, and it defines the band’s performances—not just in terms of the mixture of vocals, but in terms of the tone Lessard and his bandmates set. “Our album, Language [released in 2014], is a pretty uplifting album,” he explains. “To me, to play with the contrast of a darker stage and a darker vibe, I feel like it takes some people off-guard at times when they see us, and I like the idea of that contrast…the lighter makes the darker darker.”

Language tells an abstract story about human connection and perception. To Lessard, performing it live feels more like a play than a concert, which perfectly suits his taste for the visual aspect of music. He spearheaded the set design for the Language tour (a massive, circular, wooden piece called the Mother Sun), he’s produced all of the music videos accompanying the album, and he’s fallen into a frontman character predicated on slight motion and commanding eyes.

“I try to make my movements with the music, not necessarily just rhythmically,” he says.

“When somebody sees me, I want them to go, ‘Oh yeah, that’s what I’m hearing, it’s what I’m visualizing.’ A lot of the time, when I’m writing music or working on it with other people, I have a very visual sense of what I’m hearing. I try to envision something and then make the sound look like what I see.”

The result: a mesmerizing set in which Lessard hardly interacts with the audience or his bandmates. He gets in his zone, easily slides into his starring role upon taking the stage, and

Michael Lessard & Alex Luciano Offer Indies Some Insight

becomes the embodiment of a Darren Aronofsky thriller for an hour.

MUSIC BUSINESS

tter Front Person Lessard isn’t always this eerie on stage; in his side project, Last Chance to Reason, he takes on a looser feel that suits the music better, and when he filled in on vocals for metalcore band Volumes last fall, he had to shift entirely to fit the crowd’s rabid energy. In each case, his goal is to find the perfect persona to front the band.

“It’s like when you go see a movie, and you see an actor, and that actor acts exactly the same in every single movie you see him in. You’re not gonna go see every movie he does,” he says. “You have to fill the role that you’re there to fill… it’s just about me channeling whichever [emotions] work for that specific role and, I guess, amplifying those things.”

While Lessard’s persona for The Contortionist evolved out of visualization, Diet Cig’s Alex Luciano grew into her role out of nervous energy. “There was one show that was our first big show, that everyone was coming to— it was Noah’s birthday so his whole family, all his friends, everyone we knew was coming to this show,” she says.

“I was so nervous! We were practicing that day and I just started dancing around because I was like, ‘Okay, I just gotta get my nerves out, start dancing around.’ And I realized that was pretty fun, and I could still play the songs when I did that.

So at the show, I just let it rip and danced around, and I was so nervous and I was just trying to shake out my nerves, and it ended up being really fun and the easiest way to get rid of my anxiety onstage.”

And thus, Diet Cig’s frenetic performances were unleashed upon the world. Luciano, unlike Lessard, spends much of the band’s live set dancing around, bantering with the crowd, and making herself as big on stage as possible (crucial in a two-piece band). It’s not so much a selection of personality traits she’s choosing to amplify as a distillation of her purest, goofiest form. “When I go out with my friends, I’m constantly trying to get them to dance with me and be loud and goofy,” she explains. “And I feel like when I’m doing that on stage, I feel like that’s the one place where people want to see me be goofy, they’re like, ‘Yeah, do it!’ Whereas my friends are like, ‘Oh my God, Alex, what are you doing?’”

That energy is infectious, and it’s far more important to Luciano than getting every note correct. “A live show is supposed to be different than the record, it’s supposed to be a whole experience that you can take away instead of just listening to the songs,” she says.

To that effect, she’ll yell parts of songs that she’d normally sing, never even attempting to contain the emotion that comes out when she’s performing. She’ll also get into the audience and make sure they’re having fun by dancing with them. Treating them like individual people, and not as a faceless collective, is key. “And once you realize the audience is pretty much the most important part of any performance, you start to feel more connected with them,” Luciano says.

And of course, there are her guitar antics.

Luciano constantly jumps around while playing, sometimes leaping from the bass drum midchord. She admits that she practiced her kinetic performance in her bedroom, without her guitar even plugged in, much to the bemusement of her roommates. “It was like total Lindsay Lohan teen movie style, like Freaky Friday, jump on the bed playing guitar,” she laughs. “Now our bed is in a loft, which is unfortunate because I can’t jump on the bed anymore.”

So what commonalities can we take away from two such different performers?

First, practice is vital to their success.

Lessard watches film of his performances like an athlete. Luciano had to put a lot of work in before she could unleash her energy while passably playing guitar. The goal for each has been to get to the point where they don’t even have to think when they’re on stage.

Second, both Lessard and Luciano know the type of performance their music demands and build their personae around that. Switch their personalities, and both The Contortionist and Diet Cig would suffer immeasurably.

Finally, the ultimate purpose of the front person is to elicit emotion from the audience.

“It’s a matter of getting the whole room to feel some sort of way, whether it’s happy and jumping around, whether it’s still and frightened,” says Lessard. “It’s about setting a tone, and a strong tone.” Adds Luciano: “If you’re having fun, the audience will have fun.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Zach Blumenfeld is a freelance music journalist from Chicago. He will vigorously defend his city’s music scene against any coastal detractors, though that’s probably just his Midwestern inferiority complex acting up. He’s an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he hosted a live performance/interview radio show for three years, and now he spends his nights reviewing concerts for Chicago publication Gapers Block. You can follow him on Twitter @zachblumy.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 29

MUSIC BUSINESS

THE NEXT KIL FOR BOOKING

T

here are plenty of apps that notify fans when their favorite artist is playing a show in town, and ones that display favorite venues and live music calendars, and even some cool apps just for artists to manage booking and crowdfunding. I’ve written about some of the best of them in this very space.

But I believe that all of these elements have to work together to transform the live music experience and bring it into the future.

So, I’ve been hunting for one app that encapsulated them all.

I spent a lovely afternoon speaking with Paul Nikolas, founder and CEO of ShowSlinger, about how technology can improve the live music experience for fans, venues, and most especially, independent artists.

What is your experience with being a musician and touring?

I started classical piano lessons when I was 4.

Later in life, I took up percussion and became a drummer. I joined a band in high school and even did the whole drumline thing. After college, I toured with Foxtrot November. We did well and went pretty far. I’m still writing and performing as a solo act and Foxtrot November. ShowSlinger works perfectly for me to continue playing live; I never lose touch with the process.

What’s the ShowSlinger elevator pitch?

ShowSlinger is a powerful and simple software solution that connects artists, venues, and fans for a better live music experience.

Another app! (laughs) Right? (laughs) But what’s potent about what we do is the way we are building real-world connections. We are trying to go beyond just notifications, and adding valuable experiences.

Everyone is trying to create a whiz-bang product for artist organization, but what musicians need is better gigs and above all, more money. That’s where we come in.

What are some problems that ShowSlinger solves?

30 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Booking venues still sucks. Too many calls, packages, and emails, and it still gets screwed up. It’s a mess for everyone. We help venues do their job better and easier, so they attract better acts and more patrons. We give fans opportunities to connect with artists, so they are more engaged. We give artists new tools to promote, build fan bases, book better gigs, fund campaigns, receive tips, and carve out a better living playing live. It all works together.

Do you help bands get more gigs?

I’d say we help them get better gigs. ShowSlinger is not a booking agency. It’s a platform. But we are making it easier to break into new venues with gig submissions, networking, and mobile promo. Connecting vetted venues and bands with engaged fans will lead to more gigs, but more importantly, the right kind of gigs at the right venues.

Tell me about DigiTip Jar. Anyone who has the ShowSlinger app in the vicinity of a show gets pinged. They see the artist’s profile pop up. They can check in to the venue, request a song, send a tip and even a message. Done. This obviously works well

for cover and touring acts, and we are seeing some artists double their money. That’s what ShowSlinger is really trying to do: make artists more money. We know that 50% of the people in crowd do not carry cash, so the app can take a picture of their credit card for payment. We made it idiot (or drunk guy in a bar) proof.

Do you have numbers to share?

We have roughly 27,000 artists and well over 100 venues so far.

Let’s get to the fan funding story - how is this different from so many others?

Well, unlike other crowdfunding services, we allow the artists to extend experiences instantly. Yes, you can do a campaign to fund a record, but also things like new equipment, or new van tires, t-shirt runs, and so on. Often, it’s microfunding, a few hundred bucks. On ShowSlinger, you can run a campaign while you’re playing out, instead of in-between records. Things like offering $50 to pick the last 3 songs of the night, $25 signed t-shirt, or $100 to hang in the hotel and burn the place down with the band! You can really make cool connections with fans. We like to say, ‘Don’t

ShowSlinger Takes Aim at a Better Live Music Experience

MUSIC BUSINESS

LLER APP G & TOURING?

just watch the show, be a part of it.’

Any special offers to mention?

Yes. Artists have favorite venues that we don’t know about yet. So, we’re offering a promotion that any venue can join our Platinum subscription plan ($300/month value) free, forever. And we’re rewarding anyone with $50 cash for the hookup. Just check the website for details.

Artist can sign up for a free account here: https://www.showslinger.com/act_ subscription/new ShowSlinger is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael St. James is the founder and creative director of St. James Media, specializing in music licensing, publishing, production and artist development.

We give artists new tools to…carve out a better living playing live.”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 31

TOUR TEST

Unlikely With Aud 10 Wirele

[Editor’s note – recently we put out a call for submissions from bands all over the country, inviting them to enter to win some awesome new wireless stompboxes from our friends at Audio-Technica. The winners were Unlikely Heroes (not a description, that’s the band’s name), a super-cool hip-hop/punk band from San Francisco. They put the units through their paces, documenting their experiences going wireless on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Vine – ultimately ending up here in print. Want YOUR band to grace these pages and win cool gear? Gotta follow us on social media; we’ll let you know when the next Tour Test opportunity comes around!]

Free at last...free at last! Audio-Technica’s System 10 Stompbox has not only eliminated onstage cord clutter for us, but has also offered 32 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

a new wave of engagement with fans at our live performances.

The amazing people at Performer Magazine sent us our Audio-Technica System 10 Stompboxes, and we shredded through the UPS packaging like a bunch of six-year-olds on Christmas morning! Upon opening the contents, we were honored with high-quality digital receiver pedals and lightweight transmitters that we were easily set up within minutes. Our band consists of two guitars and one bass, all of whom utilized the System 10 units with clean, tenable wireless signals even through walls and pillars.

Even at an extreme distance away from the receiver, the audio quality remained brilliant with crisp 2.4 GHz high-fidelity. This is very important to us and our instruments, knowing that we have reliable equipment without fear

of dropping out of songs, throwing off critical moments in a performance. We could kick out of live amps and tune guitars between songs seamlessly, as well. And the belt pack transmitter fits discreetly on belt loops, or on the small of my back while I strut in my stilettos and walked right into the crowd.

to new highs in a true “the sky’s the limit” fashion.

Being gifted this high-performance gear from Performer Magazine and Audio-Technica is a great honor and truly cherished investment in our band. Unlikely Heroes is humbled and sends great thanks and love to all those who made it happen.

As an emerging band, we know what it’s like to play a variety of shows from small-staged, intimate settings, to larger venues with space to roam. The System 10 units proved effective in all of our live scenarios. Obviously for larger venues, it allowed more freedom to take over the stage and engage with the crowd, and even each other.

For more modest settings, we were able to free up room on stage by playing right in the audience and jumping around entethered.

Let’s keep rockin’ and show the world the Hero in all of us.

This equipment has supercharged our shows

TOUR TEST

ly Heroes Hit the Stage Audio-Technica System eless Stompboxes

Thank you!

Unlikely Heroes (Enon Gaines, Andre Hill, Jeff Wilson, bassist Ruth Marin, and guitarists Atlix Martinez & Gennesis Gastilo) Follow on Twitter @UHeroesBand & @EnonThaPhenom and LEARN MORE about System 10 wireless at audio-technica.com

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 33

RECORDING

HOW TO PROPERLY P

FOR A SUCCESSFUL

[Before we get into the meat of this month’s article, I’d like to start responding to readers’ questions. Please email me your questions or topics to be discussed. Recording, editing, mixing, production, management and even music publishing are all fair game. Fire away! info@digitalbear.com] THE ART OF THE MIX So you’ve recorded or produced the killer demo/ album/track! Now you have to mix it so it’ll sound amazing and stand out in the crowd. You might be going to mix it yourself (not recommended) or have someone else do it. In either case, it pays to prepare the session and files before you start.

Mixing, like songwriting or recording, is an art.

It’s really a very right-brain thing. You want to get the best of your talented mix engineer, so providing them with properly prepared material is key. The last thing you want is for them to have to stop the mixing process, get out of right-brain mode into left-brain mode, to fix some problem with the tracks or files.

34 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

WHY EDITING MATTERS Everybody understands the recording part of the process (not to say it’s easy, just easier to understand the overview of what gets done). And everyone thinks they understand mixing (though, in fact, it’s quite a bit less obvious when you get past simply balancing levels). Everyone forgets about editing! Perhaps that’s an article itself.

When I produce, editing is often quite a large part of the process to achieve a modern sound. Of course, we’ve all heard of overproducing and over-editing, so even editing is a matter of taste and talent. Nonetheless, editing between takes (comping), tuning stacks of vocals, and even adjusting the timing and delivery of those vocals is an important part of the process. Not only is it very left-brained, it can take quite a bit of time.

These are the things you do not want to have left over when it comes time to mix! Put another way: if all those edits aren’t completely finished, it’s isn’t time to mix.

TUNING & TIMING So, practically speaking, what does this mean?

It means being super organized. Every track needs to be comped together to get the best of each take.

If any areas still aren’t good enough, either you fly in a section from elsewhere in the song (if possible) or you must re-record that section or whole track.

When the comp is done, the MOST important thing is to create cross-fades between the clips. This prevents pops and clicks that will ruin your song.

I can’t tell you how often I encounter this problem.

As you move forward, applying tuning and/or timing corrections, you are going to create new clips that will have any pops embedded and are then nearly impossible to fix.

As you go through the tuning and timing process, be sure you are firm about which track is the lead (guide) and which others get changed to match it. Cross-fade all of these clips when you are done. Though it takes a lot of time, listen to each finalized track in solo mode to detect any garbage.

Listen to each group of tracks (all lead vocals, all high harmonies, etc.) in solo to be sure they’re well

UL MIXING SESSION software, as it lessens the chance that something moves or disappears in the process. We all know that computers are voodoo.

Each track needs to be bounced to an uninterrupted, linear file, that starts at time zero (the very beginning of the session). This way there are no clips to lose, no cross-fades to come undone, and all audio (even silence) starts at the same time and will line up properly in any software. This also has to be the full length of the song. I’ve had people who produce using samples send me one hit of the sample, rather than the track of hits as they fall in time along the song. Don’t do that. Bounce your MIDI tracks to audio.

Be careful too that you don’t submix any tracks (get backing vocals on the lead track, or double leads on the main lead, or bass on the guitar track). Each instrument should have its own track. Also, many software programs will bounce to stereo even if the source is mono. Avoid this if your program has the option, so you send mono files for mono instruments. Perhaps the most important bit of organization: makes sure you name all these files with names that actually describe the instrument or sound! Organizing the session for mixing can be a nightmare of a time waster if you don’t.

tuned and timed. The song should sound pretty good at this point!

BACKUP & ARCHIVAL VERSIONS Be sure you’re not only backing up your work throughout this process, but archiving as you go as well. More on this subject in an upcoming column.

Take it from a guy who once nearly lost several decades of professional work to an exploding hard drive, you really want your work in many places.

FX: YAY OR NAY? While you’re doing all these bounces, a crucial artistic decision comes up. Sometimes when you are recording or producing you add effects as you are going. Some of these are placeholders, like a

RECORDING

Y PREP YOUR TRACKS

little reverb on the lead vocals. Others, however, are fundamentally part of the sound, like a side-chain compressor on an EDM bassline. Embedding the placeholder effect in the bounced track will tie the hands of the mixer because it won’t be good enough by itself, and very hard to work around. OTOH, removing a fundamental element will leave the poor mixer trying to re-create the sound without really knowing how you did it, or that you really meant for it to stay. When in doubt, this is worth a conversation with your engineer.

ALMOST DONE Now that you’ve done all the edits, carefully prevented pops/clicks using cross-fades, and bounced each track to its own linear file, you are nearly there. Build a fresh session in your software and drop all these new files into it to see that it works properly. It should play back just as it did in the old session, before the bounces. If that’s all fine, send those files to your mixer and prepare to be wowed!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Award winning mix engineer and producer Jordan Tishler runs Digital Bear Entertainment in Boston MA. A large Augsburger designed mix/ overdub room with SSL console and racks upon racks of analogue outboard gear, tape machine, and gazillions of instruments, Tishler has credits including B Spears, JLo, Iggy A, MOTi, Justin Prime, SIA, and London Grammar. Contact me about producing your next record, or mixing the one you’re working on now! For more visit www. digitalbear.com

BOUNCING TO THE MIXER Next comes the task of getting the song(s) to the mix engineer. In some cases, this can be simple. If you recorded in Logic or Pro Tools, and your mixer uses the same, you can conceivably just transfer the session file. However, if you produced or recorded in FL Studio or Reaper (both very common), likely your mixer won’t have those and they probably won’t do their best mixing in software with which they’re unfamiliar.

So, the name of the game becomes consolidating each track. I would argue that you should do this with all sessions, even if your mixer has the same PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 35

NAMM SPECIAL REPORT Cloud Microphones Every studio should have a Cloudlifter from @ cloudmics to make their dynamic mics sound great!

Allen & Heath New ZEDi8 mixer from @allenandheath – we’re really impressed by these new compact additions to their already stellar mixer lineup.

Audio-Technica For the first time ever, new in-ears from @ audiotechnicausa debut at NAMM. Can’t wait to test these out on stage!

The Best o from the ’ Performer was in full force at NAMM this January, checking out all the newest, freshest, coolest gear we could get our grubby little hands on. And trust us, our hands were plenty grubby. We went, we saw, we conquered. Well, we documented it all on Instagram, at least. Sifting through hundreds of photos and a ludicrous amount of new products, here are a dozen rad things we saw at NAMM 2016. Be sure to check back in the months ahead, as all these products get released and we start reviewing them online and in print. Enjoy!

Electro-Voice “Here we see Tom Drum, about to field questions from the press,” says Instagram user @ themadcowboy. But seriously, we’re excited about the new ND series mics.

36 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Mackie That’s us touching the new, amazeballs @ mackiegear Axis system after their big NAMM press conference. For live sound, this is gonna be a game changer.

Nord The familiar red-cased boards were back, this time debuting the exciting @nordkeyboards Piano 3.

NAMM SPECIAL REPORT BAE New @baeaudio gear at very affordable prices.

500 series units are quickly becoming the rage in the recording world. Small form factor and great sound, what more could you want?

BOSS New badass high gain Waza amp head and cabs from @bossfx_us at NAMM. Super-stoked and ready to get our metal on!

D’Angelico Guitars Beautiful @dangelicony instruments were on display upstairs at NAMM. This is just one of the stunners we were able to play.

of NAMM ’Gram To see our complete (exhaustive) NAMM journey, follow our Instagram feed @performermagazine

Shure KSM8 Dualdyne: New dual diaphragm cardioid dynamic mics from @shureinc - available now for $499. This shot was from the grand unveiling, which was quite impressive. These are gonna be the next industry standard. Trust us.

Victory Amps Awe-inspiring tones in a tiny little package. @ victoryamps from the UK were absolutely killing it at NAMM, sharing booth space with their friends (and ours) Chapman Guitars.

Yamaha For the first time in a decade, @yamahacorpus debuted a new electric guitar line at NAMM. The Revstar series was part of a huge Yamaha bash and we can say from hands-on experience that these guitars are an awesome mix of retro and modern design, feel and tone.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 37

GEAR REVIEWS

PRESONUS HP2 Personal Headphone Amplifier - $129

H

earing yourself is a must in live situations. Relying on a sound guy for this need can be stressful, and sometimes a difficult proposition. PreSonus has unveiled their HP2 Personal Headphone Amplifier to give the player more control over their live monitoring situation.

Housed in a neat metal enclosure that’s not much bigger than a wireless belt pack, the controls are simple: Volume & Pan Knobs, Stereo/Mono switch, and a standard headphone input. The rear panel has on/off, 9v power adapter, and mini XLR connector. A belt clip is attached, along with a threaded insert for mounting it on a mic stand, if you so desire. › Input Channels: 2 (Left, Right) › Output Channels: 1 (Stereo)

FEATURES

› Analog Inputs: Mini XLR › Analog Outputs: 1 x 1/8” TRS Headphone › Controls per Channel: 1 x volume, 1 x pan › Height: 1.25” › Depth: 2.87” › Width: 5.25” › Weight: 1 lb.

38 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

So let’s get to it. Simply plug in a set of headphones or your fave in-ears, and then the monitor feed into the HP2, and setup is done.

Really, it’s simple. Battery life is over seven hours, and if someone forgets to pop in a new one before a set (that NEVER happens, right?) it can run off of the power adapter. Size-wise it’s unobtrusive, and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb on a belt or guitar strap. Plus, it’s easy to throw in a guitar case or road bag on tour.

There’s plenty of volume for headphones or in-ear monitors, and most importantly it’s CLEAN volume. The pan control has plenty of sweep, as well as an interesting application: using a stereo signal, it can act more as a blend,

getting more of the individual performer’s signal (guitar for example) vs. getting the rest of the band mix. In the studio it’s a great idea for drummer; mount it on a mic stand, and use the pan control to blend in the backing tracks or click track, and they can control their own volume level.

The HP is fairly inexpensive, and if a set of headphones or in-ear monitors is part of your live rig, this is worth the investment for the ability to control what you hear on stage, without much FOH assistance.

Chris Devine PROS

Great battery life, plenty of volume, useful for studio and stage use.

CONS

None.

T

he original BeatBuddy (reviewed in Dec 2014) was a great, practical musical tool. Now there is the BeatBuddy Mini, which brings the same concept in a more streamlined package.

GEAR REVIEWS

BEATBUDDY Mini Drum Machine - $149

Size-wise, it’s not much bigger than an MXR Phase 90, and the controls are simple: a volume knob, and a push knob selector switch that selects the Genre, Song, and Tempo. The connections are simple, too: an instrument input, and output, (meaning it can share the same output with an instrument) and a footswitch connection. Press the button, an LED is lit to indicate the mode, and the knob now runs that function; press it again, it goes to the next one, and so on. A bright blue display screen displays the functions and details. A single footswitch runs the stop/start functions. Tapping it once engages fills, tap it twice and it stops. At the top of the pedal are three mini-LED indicators showing what’s being played; intro, drum fill, or transition.

PROS

Simple to use.

CONS

Drum sounds might be a bit generic for some users.

There are 21 genres to choose from, including rock, funk, reggae, and more. With 100 “songs” pre-loaded, it can also cover odd time signatures like 5/4 & 7/8. The actual drum sounds are good, the samples are 16-bit, and while some may find it a bit canned, they work well across various musical styles and are great for practicing new musical ideas when a real-life drummer isn’t available. But with only one option for fills per song it may seem a bit generic, selection-wise.

The blue display also has a cursor scrolling across, giving a visual cue to the beat. For live use, it’s not that hard to run, with just a few buttons it can give the illusion of a drummer. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but its limitations keep things from getting too complicated.

Overall, it’s a lot simpler than its big brother, which was larger, had an SD card slot to load drum patterns, as well as a USB port, and a bigger multi-color display and selection of multi-function buttons. That said, it’s not lacking the features for someone to use it as a rhythm machine right out of the box, with just a little practice, and not a lot of deep editing.

It clocks in at a $149 street price, and while the additional remote footswitch is not included, it really gives the unit a lot more functionality, allowing accent hits to be triggered, as well as stopping the beat. For players looking to set a rhythm, run it, add a fill here and there and stop it, without going down the rabbit hole of parameters, editing or other distractions that keep them from actually playing, this is an absolutely perfect solution.

Chris Devine PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 39

GEAR REVIEWS

YAMAHA Reface Series K

T

he new Reface synth series from Yamaha is a cool trip down memory lane, a series of 4 individual keyboards that each serve a specific function (and evoke a memory of a classic piece of hardware from yesteryear).

The throwback series has meet with two main criticisms from online loudmouths – notably the inclusion of mini-keys over full-sized keys, and the fact that the price is basically at the upper limit of what people would pay for such units. Let’s address both issues.

As far as mini-keys go, it’s a non-issue for us.

We didn’t feel they were all that uncomfortable to play, much like the transition from a Fender scale length to a Gibson scale length in the guitar world. If you’re really hung up on it, I suppose you could use a full-sized board to control your Reface via MIDI, but it seems like a lot of work that ultimately isn’t necessary. As for the pricing, at $499 we agree that it’s about the max we’d pay for these portable units. Don’t get us wrong, having classic sounds (and tactile controls) on the boards is great, and we really ended up digging each one’s personality, but at $399 or even $429 these would be KILLER APPS. Now, we don’t work for Yamaha, so who knows if those price points are even feasible, we just call ’em how we see ’em.

Let’s dig into each unit on its own…

REFACE CS The CS is a modern, portable take on the old CS-80, and this was probably our favorite of the bunch. We dug the vintage vibe, and the physical

40 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

faders that allows for ultimate tweakability. Like all the Reface units, it’s got two built in speakers that aren’t half bad for practicing, and it can even run on batteries. The CS in particular has a few handy on-board fx, which we enjoyed quite a bit.

But most of all, we envision the CS being used for cool pads, phunky bass lines and by manipulating the various oscillator types, you can really hone in on textures and spacy lead tones that can make this particular unit an indispensable tool in any producer’s arsenal.

REFACE DX OK, maybe we lied. Some days, this was our favorite. You’re dealing with the classic tones of a 4-operator FM synth (did someone say DX7?) and a touch surface where you can edit and store patches with ease. We dug the fact that Yamaha built a classic FM synth unit that stands alone in its field. By reimagining the old school DX into a modern form factor, you’ve got THE sound of the ’80s, sure, but with a modern twist. Tapping and sliding parameters with your fingertips on the screen is ultra-cool and intuitive, and provides instant feedback to the sound you’re shaping.

If your thing is bell-like tones, tinkly piano or spaced-out cosmic waves, this might be your new go-to board.

REFACE CP The CP is gonna be where traditional pianists and keyboard players find a home. Less emphasis on synth, waves, and sound shaping, the CP has shades of the old CP80 electric grand and features a number of cool keyboard/piano modes that sound incredible. Seriously, we were excited to just sit down and play – yeah, we know

tweaking is great, but sometimes you just want to play a piano and get a piano sound. So the CP’s on-board tones include clavinet, early and late ’70s tine electrics, toy piano and of course the CP80 electric grand (recreated here with surprising authenticity). Also very cool is the inclusion of stompbox-like fx, so you don’t have to run external guitar pedals (delay, drive, chorus, reverb). All very useable, all very easy to dial in with the on-board tactile knobs.

REFACE YC And finally we reach the organ lover’s dream, the YC. Decked out in a red casing, the YC is also the most visually stylish of the bunch.

Choose an organ type, adjust your drawbars and you’re basically off and running. Again, like the CP, you’ve got some useful fx built-in like distortion, reverb, vibrato, etc. and those are easily adjustable with simple physical sliders.

We keep mentioning the physical aspect of the Reface series with good reason. We enjoy the fact that you’re focused on one task (be it FM synthesis, a cool electric piano, an organ, etc) and you’re not banking through endless menus on tiny little screens that, let’s face it, are hard to read and often needlessly complex. Give me a knob to turn, a button to press or a fader to slide and I can figure out the effect of my manipulation in real-time just fine, thank you very much. Sorry, grumpy old man rant over. Back to the YC, what else is there to say? For the Leslie vibe alone, this might be worth the dough, but we also love the subtle percussive textures we can dial in, as well as the other realistic organ sounds contained in the tiny unit. Santana fans in the house? Yeah, you’re gonna dig this one, for sure.

GEAR REVIEWS

es Keyboards - $499/each

PROS

Fantastic design, functionality and sounds.

CONS

Mini keys may turn off some users, price is at the upper limit.

PARTING THOUGHTS As you can see, each model in the Reface lineup has its own purpose for being, and we really dig that. Instead of making one model that kinda, sorta does a few things just OK, Yamaha built separate units that each do one task phenomenally well. At the end of the day,

it’s the sound that matters (not the size of your keys), and these Reface units impressively nail classic tones from Yamaha’s past. For the traditionalist, the organ and electric piano models are great little units that are awesome for stage and studio, and for the synth junkies and knob-tweakers, you’ve got two boards

that will let you adjust and manipulate until the early hours of dawn. Just please spare us, and try not to search for the detuned Sawtooth sound of Van Halen’s “Jump.” It was our first instinct, too, but we quickly came to our senses.

You’re better than that.

Brandon Lieson PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 41

GEAR REVIEWS

ACOUSTICA Mixcraft DAW - $169

I

t’s come to our attention that Mixcraft is making huge strides in the education market, and it’s no wonder. Upon opening up the box (yep, an actual box!) we were overjoyed to see a phonebook-sized manual. Imagine that – a complex piece of software that actually comes with instructions on how to use it! I know, I was unprepared, as well. But now it makes sense that so many schools and teachers choose to arm budding engineers with this DAW, because there’s an immense amount of help and guidance provided in the excellent user manual. It’s written in a very conversational tone, so your eyes aren’t rolling around trying to make headsor-tails of endless techno-babble. No, it actually immerses you in the software and MAKES you want to use its features. Smart move, guys. We learned about a ton of useful features (and were able to easily load our 3rd-party VST fx) with a quick thumbing of the pages.

So, how’s the DAW? In a phrase, it may well be the best budget software any band or project studio can invest in. SONAR better make some impressive moves in 2016 if they hope to keep pace with the Windows market.

If you’re tired of the limitations of the freeware your computer came with (cough*GarageBand*cough), and want something more serious without laying down a fortune (or spreading that fortune out over the rest of your waking days due to the new ‘subscription’

42 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

phenomena sweeping the market), then Mixcraft was made for you.

Setup was a breeze, connecting our MIDI controllers and USB interfaces with external mic pre’s was a snap. In fact, we were waiting for problems, and couldn’t even force them to occur.

The piano roll layout was perfect for editing MIDI data from our keyboard controller, the mixing window is laid out in a familiar channelstrip config, so you can tweak until your mouse (or Mackie Control Surface) is content. MIDI and audio live comfortably together on-screen, so we could add trippy synth textures to a bass we recorded direct through a Hi-Z input on our interface, all on top of beats we made in the step sequencer. No latency, which is always a huge concern for us when tracking in a new environment.

The good folks at Acoustica hipped us to the Performance Panel, too, which we demo’d in a simulated live setting by triggering MIDI beats and then manipulating the settings using our controller. So you can use it as a ridiculously feature-heavy (but never intimidating) DAW, but also for stage use if you’re in the electronic world.

Very cool.

Lastly, it bears mentioning that Mixcraft 7 comes with an insane amount of extras for the price. We tracked for a few weeks and couldn’t even get into them all. But we did end up tapping

into the loops and drum samples (hundreds to choose from), virtual synths and organs, reverb, compressors, chorus, etc…Heck, it even comes with iZotope’s Mastering Essentials to complete your mix. For $160, are you serious?

In the end, we can’t recommend Mixcraft 7 enough. The only downside we can think of is it’s Windows-only, but for those in the PC World, it’s a no brainer. Mac users, time to fire up Boot Camp.

Benjamin Ricci and MC A. A. Ron

PROS

Excellent documentation, easy setup and usability, ultraaffordable, tons of extras and compatibility.

CONS

Windows-only.

Superportable, rugged enclosure, lightweight, affordable, easy to use.

GEAR REVIEWS

PROS

CONS

None.

STEINBERG UR22 USB Audio Interface - $149

T

racking with the UR22 is a snap and since it’s a 24-bit/192kHz interface, audio quality (assuming your rig can handle it) is pretty darn great for a unit so affordable. We popped it in front of simple DAW programs like GarageBand, as well as more pro-studio setups like Pro Tools and Mixcraft 7. Setup was simple: plug it into your USB port after installing the drivers (no additional power cable necessary) and then choose which input you want to arm your track with. We really dug the Hi-Z option on Input 2 (don’t forget to engage it on the front panel) for easy tracking of direct, dry guitar and bass signals (we then let our imaginations run wild after we captured raw tracks, by running through a ton of amp simulators and fx).

FEATURES

Controls are simple and intuitive, and for

project studios running a few mics, a direct line for guitars/basses, and maybe a MIDI controller for soft synths, it’s a perfect solution. But what we dug more was its ability to be a real road warrior. The rugged, all-metal enclosure means you can toss it in a backpack and take it out on tour. And since it’s powered by USB, all you need is a battery-powered laptop or tablet and you’ve got a mobile recording/practice studio right in your tour van. Perfect for on-the-go demos and scratch tracks, and we didn’t encounter any notable latency (which can an issue for units in this price range).

Got an expensive condenser mic? Well, we tested those out, as well. And that’s where most inexpensive interfaces fall apart. But, most surprisingly, the UR22 is quite capable when it

comes to vocals. You’ve got a handy switch for +48v phantom power, and the on-board D-PRE mic preamps from Yamaha are surprisingly good. No, seriously. Surprisingly good. We kept having to check the price to make sure it was right. Vocals were clean and crisp, and while you’re not gonna mistake your new little friend for a Neve console any time soon, you’re gonna be pretty happy with the results.

There’s really nothing negative to say about this particular interface. It’s rugged, it’s hella easy to use, it’s versatile and it’s perfect for mobile and studio applications. At $149, it’s basically ridiculously priced. It even comes with a version of Cubase if you don’t have a DAW already. How cool is that?

Benjamin Ricci

MIC INPUT 1/2 (Balanced):

LINE INPUT 1/2 (Balanced):

LINE OUTPUT 1/L 2/R

PHONES:

› Frequency Response: +0.1/-

› Maximum Input Level: +16dBu

(Impedance Balanced):

› Maximum Output Level:

0.3dB, 20Hz to 20kHz

› Input Impedance: 20k Ohm

› Frequency Response: +0.1/-

› Dynamic Range: 95dB,

› GAIN Range: -10dB - +34dB

A-Weighted › THD+N: 0.008%, 1kHz, -1dBFS, 20Hz/20kHz BPF

0.6dB, 20Hz to 20kHz › Dynamic Range: 101dB,

HI-Z INPUT 2 (Unbalanced): › Maximum Input Level: -4dBV

› Maximum Input Level: -10dBu

› Input Impedance: 470k Ohm

› Input Impedance: 4k Ohm

› GAIN Range: +8dB - +52dB

› GAIN Range: +16dB - +60dB

6mW+6mW, 40 Ohm

A-Weighted › THD+N: 0.006%, 1kHz, -1dBFS, 20Hz/20kHz BPF › Maximum Output Level: +10dBU › Output Impedance: 150 Ohm

PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 43

GEAR REVIEWS

PROS

Excellent selection of I/O, flexible applications, software is user friendly, multi-DAW compatible.

CONS

Might get overlooked for its live mixer capabilities, which would be a shame.

TASCAM US-20x20 Celesonic USB Audio Interface - $499

The new US-20x20 features 8 XLR/ TRS combo inputs (and excellent preamps) on the front, along with level controls and two headphone outs with level controls. The rear panel handles coaxial, SPDIF, USB 3.0, MIDI, 1/4” line-ins and line outs. It works with Windows and Mac systems, and with a variety of DAWs such as Logic, Sonar, Pro Tools and Studio One. It can also work as a standalone mixer for live use, as well.

With its own software suite boasting EQ , Compressors, Reverb, and Compression options, the new TASCAM unit easily transitions from a studio interface to a digital mixer with all the bells and whistles you could need. The unit works effectively as a digital patch bay, with the excellent input and output options. The software is easy to navigate, and even a novice should be able to unlock advanced options easily.

44 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

The mic preamps are nice and clear, which considering TASCAM’s background, isn’t surprising. And with a great selection of ins and outs, there are no limitations or special adapters needed to get things going.

It’s an excellent way for a band to expand from a starter home recording setup, to a full blown recording rig very easily (with a fairly small footprint, to boot). When not being used in the recording world, f lip a switch on the front and it can act as a mixer for practice and live applications. One more f lip of the switch and you’re now using it solely as a mic preamp.

It’s like having three units in one, really.

While it comes set up out-of-the-box for desktop use, rack ears and hardware are included. The street price is $499, and considering its multi-purpose design and functionality, it’s well worth checking out. While it may not tout “unobtainium-lined preamps” and other exotic features, it has the features of a workhorse that lives up to TASCAM’s reputation of quality. And honestly, 8 high quality preamps for under $500 should be enough for perk up the ears of any serious home recorder.

Chris Devine

› Computer Connectivity: USB 3.0 › Form Factor: Rackmount (1U Rack Space) › Simultaneous I/O: 20 x 20 › A/D Resolution: 24-bit/192kHz

FEATURES

N

ot all that long ago there was only one name in home recording: TASCAM. While cassette 4-tracks are waiting for hipsters to make them popular again, TASCAM has unleashed its latest pro-level interface to expand an existing DAW well beyond the porta studio.

› Built-In DSP/FX: EQ and Compression › Analog Inputs: 8 x XLR/TRS Combo (2 Mic/Instrument, 6 Mic/Line) & 2 x 1/4” TRS › Analog Outputs: 10 x 1/4” TRS, 2 x 1/4” headphone › Digital Inputs: 1 x S/PDIF, 1 x Optical S/MUX › Digital Outputs: 1 x S/PDIF, 1 x Optical S/MUX › Phantom Power: Yes › MIDI I/O: In/Out

GEAR REVIEWS

KHDH Ghoul Screamer Pedal - $229

PROS

Great sound, excellent gain selection.

CONS

Lower compression settings are a little confusing, and a little dark in the down position.

K

irk Hammett is a huge influence in modern metal, and his signature Ghoul Screamer pedal has now arrived from his own new brand, KHDH. A big part of his sound comes from a Tube Screamer-like pedal (various versions over the years) used not only as a boost, but to adjust his EQ and overall sound, augmenting his already monstrous “scooped” (cranked treble/bass, relieved mids) amp sound.

The three main knobs are are no surprise; drive, tone and volume. But five mini toggle switches offer up tonal enhancement for the bass, highs, body, as well as two variations of compression. Two mini green LEDs let you know that it’s engaged, and the switch is true bypass for clarity when it’s not on.

The drive control has plenty of range; it can do anything from soft clipping to plenty of aggression, far more than a typical Tube Screamer. The EQ is flexible enough to work

with single coils and humbucking pickups, as well.

With the mini switches in the up position, it acts like a hot-rodded TS, which in itself is great, but when the mini switches are flipped, it really comes alive. With the bass and high switches engaged, it can really add a lot of tonal color, enhancing the already-smooth EQ. The body switch works more in the mids and tightens up the overall sound, and can help low or darker sounding guitars poke through a band mix. As mentioned, there are two compression switches that range from soft and warm, to aggressive and intense.

In standard mode, it really screams, regardless of the amp. Some die-hard fans might be disappointed that it doesn’t just feature a bog-standard scooped tone (trust us, there are plenty of pedals for that). Rather, it works in a more toneful manner, and responds well to a guitar’s volume control. The mini

switches really add to the mix as well, and don’t overpower or over color what’s already going on, even at extreme settings. The compression switches in the up position bring out a bright articulated punch, but in other setting variations, things just tend to get a bit dark, and seem to take away all the other tonal goodness that’s going on.

Run it into an already high gain tube amp, and it can really carve up some excellent sonics, between the gain, and the on-board EQ options. With a cleaner amp, there’s still plenty of grit for rhythm or leads. For a Metallica fan/ tribute band member, it’ll make getting Kirk’s sound a bit easier. But even if any KH signature product isn’t a player’s first choice, this is worth checking out; there are comparisons to a “Tube Screamer on steroids,” but it’s more akin to a “Tube Screamer that’s actually a Skynet T-800 Terminator” -- considering the power and versatile tonal palette that hide inside it.

Chris Devine PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 45

GEAR REVIEWS

BLUE MICROPHONES Lola Headphones - $249

L

ast year Blue released their newest headphones, the Mo-Fi, that had active amp built-in. Now their latest release, Lola, delivers the same sound quality and form factor in an impressive passive package.

As mentioned, they have the same basic design of the Mo-Fi’s. There is plenty of adjustability, due to the multiple pivot points that echo the suspension of a super lifted 4x4, and feel as robust as one. The well-padded headband offers up excellent comfort, something we can’t live without on long mix sessions.

Noise isolation is provided by the ear cups, which are extremely comfortable, and fit well on most any size head.

With the trend of active circuits and noise cancellation systems, the Lola’s passive system doesn’t leave the listener wanting more. Even on a crowded noisy flight, the physical isolation blocks out screaming children.

In the studio, they offer up enough isolation in a live room with a screaming guitar cabinet, as well. There’s no loss on fidelity, and the sound quality is excellent; after listening for just a little bit, the Lolas may convert users of high-end noise cancelling/active cans.

Since there is no active system, these are considerably lighter than the Mo-Fi’s, which brings a big advantage: far less fatigue during recording sessions (or flights). It’s also a less “colored” listening experience. In some cases, long use with active headphones means listening at louder volume levels, resulting in ear fatigue. Lola’s passive system made long use a very comfortable experience overall, regardless of the application.

They street for $249, and considering the adjustability, overall comfort and excellent listening experience, it’s well positioned in that price range. They’re great for studio use, home listening, as well as mobile applications. If you’re going to go passive, this is the way to go!

Chris Devine

› Open/Closed: Closed › Fit Style: Circumaural (Around the Ear)

FEATURES

› Driver Size: 50mm › Frequency Response: 15Hz-20kHz › Impedance: 42 ohms ›C able Length: 9.8’ audio cable, 3.9’ cable with Apple iPhone/ iPad controls and microphone › Replaceable Cable: Yes › Plug Size: 1/8” or 1/4” › Weight : 14 oz.

46 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

PROS

Excellent comfort, isolation, and sound quality.

CONS

None.

with Shannon

HAYDEN BACKGROUND

I am a traditionally trained cellist, currently using the instrument in non-traditional ways, writing solo, amplified pieces. I play guitar and mandolin as well, providing studio session work for a number of artists and I tour with folk-pop duo Lily and Madeleine as a multi instrumentalist.

MY FAVORITE AXE

MY FAVORITE AXE

MAKE & MODEL

2013 Fishman Aura Spectrum DI Imaging Pedal WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU

I have two very different cellos I perform with regularly - one an 1800s acoustic instrument, the other a modern electric cello. Though each has a very different arrangement of onboard pickups, the Fishman Aura Spectrum is able provide the warmer full range tone you would expect from a microphone without the feedback issues a mic can create on stage.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE

It gives the pickup system on my acoustic instrument the tone of a studio recording microphone.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Though designed for guitar, it is perfectly at home with all of my various stringed instruments.

CUSTOM MODS

The simulator has a wide variety of presets, one or two at least of which are bound to work with about any type of pickup system, so I haven’t found any need for modifications.

OTHER NOTES

I use a number of digital and analog effects in my live show as well as looping multiple tracks, so the clean tone this pedal provides is important to keep things separated and clear.

CAN BE HEARD ON

Got a favorite instrument you’d like to share? Email us at editorial@performermag.com

Ben Rains

I make heavy use of the simulator throughout my upcoming album You See The World. It can also be heard on the most recent Lily and Madeleine record Fumes, Carrie Newcomer’s latest record A Permeable Life and also the latest album by world music artist, Simrit.

LISTEN NOW at www.shannonleehayden.com PERFORMER MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 47

FLASHBACK

Vintage Shure SM-57 YEARS MANUFACTURED

1965 – Present (Shure is still making them pretty perfect) BACKGROUND

The SM57 (SM stands for Studio Mic) was intended for orchestrated music but quickly became the go-to for amplified music because of its rugged and sturdy capsule. Being a cardioid mic meant it reduced unwanted background sound and generation of acoustic feedback.

HOW IT’S USED

Commonly used for amplified music, it is an essential component to live situations and most-commonly used on guitar amplifiers and drums.

INTERESTING FEATURES

The SM57 and the SM58 are essentially the same microphone with different aesthetics (the grill being the chief difference), since they both feature the same internal components. Every live situation uses an SM57 somewhere and I would bet 99.9% of all recordings made from 1965-2000 prominently utilized this mic.

LESSONS LEARNED

It doesn’t color a sound, but it tends to pick up the high end best. You can learn to EQ better by using it!

OTHER NOTES

It has been used by every US President since its introduction in 1965.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Don Miggs is a singer/songwriter/producer and fronts the band miggs (Elm City/Capitol Records). His love affair with vintage instruments and gear only presents a problem when he’s awake. Find out more at miggsmusic. com, lalamansion.com, or his FM radio show, @miggsandswig.

48 MARCH 2016 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

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