Performer Magazine: April 2015

THE MUSICIAN ’S RESO URCE

APRIL ‘15 FREE

Colleen

Green

On The Sonic Transition From Home Recordings To Pro Studios

INTERVIEWS HEEMS TWO GALLANTS THE LONE BELLOW

USE YOUR LYRICS TO OPEN NEW REVENUE STREAMS IN-STUDIO ADVICE FOR CAPTURING SYNTH & MIDI DIY TIPS FOR MULTI-ANGLE CONCERT VIDEOS

WE’VE TAKEN DIGITAL WIRELESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL . . .

THE FLOOR

SYSTEM

STOMPBOX

DIGITAL 2.4 GHz HIGH-F IDELITY WIRELESS Combining advanced 24-bit, field-proven performance, easy setup and clear, natural sound quality, our System 10 Stompbox delivers the ultimate wireless experience. With the tap of a foot on the rugged, metal Stompbox receiver, guitarists can toggle between dual ¼” balanced outputs or mute one output without affecting the other.

And, since the System operates in the 2.4 GHz range, it’s free from TV and DTV interference. You can also pair multiple UniPak® body-pack transmitters with a single receiver to easily change guitars. So go ahead, give it a try – we think you’ll be floored.

Heems

16

The Lone Bellow

20

Two Gallants

28

Treasure Fleet

32

by Candace McDuffie

by Ian Doreian

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4

24

cover story

Colleen Green

by Ethan Varian

by Jen Emmert

by Jaclyn Wing

4. Letter From the Editor

42. Recording: Track Synth & MIDI in the Studio

6. Quick Picks: The Best in New Music

44. Gear Reviews: Ear Trumpet Labs; Blue Microphones;

8. Live Reviews 36. Generate Revenue With Your Lyrics

VocoPro; Mackie

48. Flashback: 1964 Fender Jaguar

38. Shoot DIY Multi-Angle Concert Videos 40. Tour Test: Audio-Technica Camera-Mount Wireless Units PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Howdy, y’all!

Hopefully you’re all recovering from your SXSW hangovers – and as much as I love to play the cool guy and tell everyone I skipped SXSW (again), I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on at least one major story that seemed to captivate our community.

As you no doubt heard, the massively cash-rich Golden Arches decided to get in on the SXSW sponsorship fun this year – spending untold thousands of dollars on a McDonald’s-branded event that…well…for some reason…didn’t factor into its budget any money to compensate the bands they were booking!

I’m not lovin’ it (sorry, couldn’t resist).

For a brand that generates nearly $30 billion in revenue each year, this move was an appalling slap in the face to the music community as a whole, and a big FUCK YOU to art in general.

We’ve already seen the devaluation of recorded music. The only vestige of hope still left for artists to make money was through live performances. And yeah, I get that a lot of these conferences are “showcase opportunities”

(read: you play for free); I just call utter bullshit when a billion-dollar company steps up to the plate to engage their customers with music and wants to trade on the back of hard-working artists to do it.

I say: open your red and yellow checkbook, Ronald, and cough up some cash to the bands you’re using. And I do mean using.

At the end of the day, social media shaming caused the creepy clown-led head honchos at Mickey Dee’s to do an about-face and pay the bands on their bill. Yeah, how effing generous of you, Mayor McCheese.

Just remember this: we have the Grimace on our side, and nothing can kill the Grimace.

-Benjamin Ricci, editor

P.S. – Look for our very special analog tape issue to hit the streets next month – chock full o’ great info about recording to tape, the differences in tape formats, machine maintenance, vintage ads, cassette supply resources, modern-day tape plug-ins, home stereo integration, artists on why they love analog tape and a whole helluva lot more. See you then, my analog amigos!

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 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

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?”

Volume 25, Issue 4 PO BOX 348 Somerville, MA 02143 CONTACT Phone: 617-627-9200 Fax: 617-627-9930 PUBLISHER William House Phone: 617-627-9919 bill@performermag.com EDITOR Benjamin Ricci ben@performermag.com DESIGN & ART DIRECTION Cristian Iancu EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Bob Dobalina editorial@performermag.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Benjamin Ricci, Brent Godin, Candace McDuffie, Chris Devine, Chris M Junior, Don Miggs, Ethan Varian, Ian Doreian, Jaclyn Wing, Jen Emmert, Joe Rut, Kimberly Nieva, Matt Lambert, Michael J. Epstein, Michael St. James, Taylor Northern, Zac Cataldo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Casey Curry, Chris M Junior, Colleen Green, Eric Penna, Gabriel Burgos, Geon Tillinghast, Ian Doreian, Katie Hovland, Madeline Jackson, Matt Lambert, Michael J. Epstein, Misha Vladimirskiy, Patrick Houdak, Shivani Gupta, Steven Sebring ADVERTISING SALES William House Phone: 617-627-9919 bill@performermag.com © 2015 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.

PODCASTS...

...ARRIVING 2015 #PodOutWithYourRodOut

REVIEWS

Cut to snow-white vinyl, The Fireworks’ debut LP, Switch Me On, is a masterstroke of noise, feedback, reverb and 12-string jangle that’s basically the best Buzzcocks record the Buzzcocks never made. The band is an eclectic mix of UK vets (Pocketbooks, Big Pink Cake, The Popguns, etc) who’ve already released a couple of wellreceived 7-inche singles as well as a self-titled EP. But it’s their new full-length that should vault them to the next level.

The Fireworks Switch Me On Brighton & London, UK (Shelflife Records)

Follow on Twitter: @FireworksGoPop

The standout track is side one’s Runaround,” a full-on onslaught of buzzsaw guitars complemented beautifully by melodic vocals and vintage pop harmonies. The punk-meets-Motown style is absolutely smashing – the juxtaposition of abrasive guitars and harmonious vocals recalls the best of the Pixies with a hint of Belle and Sebastian cheekiness. The addition of R.E.M.style guitar lines for the last refrain is a nice touch of ’80s college rock that doesn’t go unappreciated.

Look - the record rules, the band rules and we’re excited for the follow up already. Buy it now, it’s that simple.

“Wall-o-Noisepop masterpiece…”

6 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

The lead single, “PPL MVR,” is an introduction to their aggressive brand of garage-rock, laced with growling guitars, and partnered with a sinister synth-effected vocal. Unlike their primal demeanor in “Mad,” which comes equipped with primordial grunts, and “Day of the Dead,” the psychedelic power ballad “Annie” shows a softer side of the monster-rock trio by leaning heavily on electronic elements and a more sophisticated use of melody.

It would be easy to rely solely on the mysterious PPL MVR story, but what the April-release EP proves is: the music holds up.

REVIEWS

The one and only PPL MVR delivers a sound as untamed as the “original species” themselves— and don’t dare call them Yetis. From whatever ancient world these unclassified creatures hail, they bring with them a very real breed of raw rock n’ roll.

the one and only PPL MVR EP

Hometown: Unknown (Elektra)

Follow on Twitter: @pplmvr

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 7

REVIEWS

A Place to Bury Strangers with Ed Schrader’s Music Beat & Bataille The Earl – Atlanta, GA February 22, 2015 8 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

REVIEWS

A

Place to Bury Strangers is notorious for their visceral and physical live performances; the band is confrontational with their stage presence and ingenious about how they frame their visual elements. On February 22, APTBS and support acts Ed Schrader’s Music Beat and Bataille rocked the stage at the Earl in East Atlanta Village. This is in support of the 21-day tour that A Place To Bury Strangers embarked on starting in Brooklyn earlier in the month.

I was not familiar with the opening act, hardcore noise rock band Bataille, but I was interested to hear them nonetheless.

They ripped into their set with a raucous and deafening sound that almost split my head open like a watermelon at a Gallagher show. The band’s kitschy, cute merchandise definitely did not fit their brutal and savage sound. I decided my ears needed a break from the noise so I quietly slipped away into the cozy restaurant section of the venue, there I made instant acquaintances with a Terrapin tap until Ed Schrader’s Music Beat took the stage.

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat consists of two members: Ed Schrader (vocals, percussion) and Devlin Rice (bass). Schrader was a superb showman; he worked the room like an experienced veteran and exuded the same intensity of seasoned thespian working the stage. Schrader utilized a bizarre pitch shifting unit on a few of the numbers and that added an even more dramatic flair, other songs such as “Pink Moons” and “Radio Eyes” sounded even fuller and more fleshed-out live than on the studio recordings.

A Place to Bury Strangers headlined the event. The three-piece consisted of front man and guitar player Oliver Ackermann, bass player Dion Lunadon, and drummer Robi Gonzalez, who all took the stage around 10pm. APTBS played their usual routine of doom and gloom post-punk and I noticed that these chaps are incredibly consistent from show to show. I’ve seen APTBS perform at the Masquerade in Atlanta and they exhibited incredible energy and stamina for a band playing in a club setting.

They perform like an arena act with the potential of sets over three hours - it really takes the audience back to the days of the legendary Goth acts, such as the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, who were able to sell out arenas in places like Germany and Denmark. Overall, I was highly satisfied by what I saw and I’d love to experience all these bands again in a larger venue.

Follow on Twitter: @APTBS PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 9

REVIEWS

The Battery Electric Asbury Lanes – Asbury Park, NJ February 21, 2015

N

either heavy snow nor freezing rain prevented the rock ’n’ roll faithful from attending The Battery Electric’s album-release show for The Heart and the Thrill, the Asbury Park-based band’s second full-length effort on Little Dickman Records.

Those who braved the weather and saw the headliner at Asbury Lanes (where the motto is "Not your Mom and Dad’s bowling alley") received a copy of the album and witnessed an explosive set of originals and cover songs that reflected the bruising quartet’s influences, depth and diversity.

Standouts from the new album included "Snowed In" (a rocker inspired by NSA document leaker Edward Snowden, which is anchored by a Neil Young and Crazy Horse-style opening riff) and "Does He Love You?" (what The Faces might have sounded like if they mixed in some steroids with the booze).

Bouncing Souls guitarist Pete Steinkopf, who produced The Heart and the Thrill, joined The Battery Electric for ragged renditions of AC/DC’s "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"

10 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

and The Misfits’ "Where Eagles Dare." After Steinkopf left the stage, singer Ron Santee, guitarist Brent Ovar Bergholm, bassist Alex Rosen and drummer Kevin Troeller flashed some heavy soul, tackling James Brown’s "I Got You (I Feel Good)."

The occasional stage-diving and crowdsurfing peaked during The Battery Electric’s closer, the rowdy "Key Party." At one point, Rosen relinquished his bass to some fans in the front, then he jumped into the audience, which held him aloft. Rosen and his instrument were returned to the stage in good shape - exactly what you’d expect on a night when The Battery Electric really delivered the goods.

Follow on Twitter: @TheOfficialTBE

REVIEWS PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 11

REVIEWS

Follow on Twitter: @DOOMTREE

12 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

REVIEWS

Doomtree

with Open Mike Eagle

The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA February 16, 2015

M

innesota’s alternative hip-hop collective Doomtree stopped by historic Harvard Square to play an energetic set that celebrated the release of their newest full-length album All Hands [see our review in the March issue – ed.] For those who may not know the five emcees, P.O.S, Dessa, Mike Mictlan, Sims and Cecil Otter are all powerful on their own with numerous solo efforts between them, but when they all come together they blend perfectly.

Together with Paper Tiger behind the DJ tables handling the beats, to seal it all,

their 25-song set went by quickly. It largely featured songs from All Hands such as “Gray Duck,” “Cabin Killer” “The Bends,” but also some tunes from founding member P.O.S from his latest full-length album We Don’t Even Live Here – tracks like “Lock Picks, Knives, Bricks and Bats,” and “Get Down.” It was great to see him back in action after a successful kidney transplant last year that had kept him from actively touring.

Guest MC Ceschi Ramos from Connecticut came out and performed “Sell Out” with Mike Mictlan from Mictlan’s latest

solo effort HELLA FRREAL. Doomtree fully embraces the collective nature of their efforts, and the crowd was as into it as they were - quite the enjoyable night for everyone in the room. Even the person selling their merchandise was into their set. The group stuck around for an extensive meet-and-greet to sign autographs and hang out fans.

Opening the night was Open Mike Eagle, with a great sense of humor and fun stage banter. He performed a somewhat minimal set that complemented Doomtree well.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 13

REVIEWS 14 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

REVIEWS

Sleater-Kinney

House of Blues – Boston, MA February 22, 2015

P

ounding through over 20 songs, the punkish trio of Corin Tucker (vocals, guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar, vocals), and Janet Weiss (drums) proved that SleaterKinney must not be forgotten. Their return, almost a decade after disbanding, was a tour de force rather than a cash-grab trip down nostalgia lane.

Heavy on material from the recently released No Cites to Love, the set list spanned six albums worth of riotous rock. Relaxed, and with smiles between songs, Tucker belted lyrics punctuated

by Brownstein’s guitar, which alternated between subdued and flailing. Centering the band behind the drums, Weiss even added a joking rimshot as the band flubbed “The End of You,” highlighting their joy in returning to the stage.

Long sold-out, the House of Blues was awash in rapturous reverence for Sleater-Kinney. This band means so much to so many, and they received

it well with a nonchalant, yet put-together vibe.

A backdrop of greyish fabric panels, buffeted by fans for a feathered effect, provided visual texture to Weiss’s kick drum with its simple SK. Brownstein (mawkish shirt, neatly tucked) and Tucker (party dress, striped) took opposing sides of the stage, with opposing movements: whipped hair over guitar, pendulous hair over bass. And as everyone’s favorite break-up song, “One More Hour,” ended the night, both bands and fans were ready. For more.

Follow on Twitter: @Sleater_Kinney PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 15

SPOTLIGHT

HEEMS Exploring the Nature of America Through Socially-Conscious Hip-Hop

16 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 17

SPOTLIGHT

H

eems’ debut hip-hop album, Eat Pray Thug, serves as a powerful antidote to the vapid rap that has been dominating the airwaves, or perhaps more accurately, online streams as of late. The lexically intoxicated MC’s record is full-on insane in the most progressive way possible; Heems (born Himanshu Suri) can go from being fatalistically buoyant on the opening banger “Sometimes”

a defiant, dancey-track. But Heems’ aplomb is borderline dangerous (“I’ll dive into your bones/ And we’ll go swimming, love”), yet inexplicably irresistible.

He explains, “I’ve never really made a song like that. I’ve always liked pop and R&B - I grew up in the ’90s. Donell Jones is one of my favorite musicians.” He fleetingly sidetracks into a story about singing “Where I Wanna Be” for a

listen to it; those are the songs I skip. It’s always too much.”

Despite the lucidity and weight of the content that saturates the album, Heems’ incendiary approach to his craft is the perfect combination of urgency and sincerity that could be gruesome in the wrong hands. And as his lyrics demonstrate, this is one of the most explosive hip-hop albums of the year.

“Das Racist was known for experimental, fun, political rap. And when you’ve done experimental rap, how do you continue to push the envelope?” to a dark and apoplectic tenor for the sobering “Flag Shopping.”

Despite how candid and stark Eat Pray Thug is, the former Das Racist MC manages to keep his emotions intact when it comes to the world chiming in on his art. “I’m not nervous [about releasing] it. It feels good to finally put Eat Pray Thug out there. The comments have been positive, people are responding to the political songs. The Indian kids on Twitter are talking about how it resonates with them.” He briefly pauses, wholeheartedly grateful by this occurrence. “It’s different from Das Racist, but people keep fucking with it.”

Das Racist, Heems’ former Brooklyn-based rap outfit, launched him into the decadent hipster stratosphere. The magnetism of their sarcastic, politically driven lyricism made them ripe for quite the cult following. But as each member breaks away from the group, their inevitable musical evolution shines brightly in the limelight; Heems is no different. “If you listen to Shut Up, Dude (Das Racist’s first mixtape), it’s me basically figuring out how to rap. It was one of our earliest sessions. I was in my early 20s in Das Racist and now I’m getting older. I wanted to do things that I haven’t done before.” His tone changes from pensive to factual. “Das Racist was known for experimental, fun, political rap.

And when you’ve done experimental rap, how do you continue to push the envelope?”

Although Heems comes across as genuinely baffled by this notion, Eat Pray Thug is the rapper at his most confident and inventive. Not only does he reiterate his quick-spitting prowess on tracks like “Jawn Cage” and “So NY,” but he tries his hand at stadium-pop showmanship on “Pop Song (Games).” At a quick listen, it is 18 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

recent makeshift karaoke outing at an “awesome bar that hasn’t been gentrified yet” before tying all of this into his creative process. “You can experiment more being in a band, it’s really a creative process. They rub off on you and you on them. You’re bouncing ideas off of each other and making jokes, and the jokes find their way into the raps. But this is just…it’s much more me.

It’s been a cool process to work on stuff alone.”

During Eat Pray Thug’s labyrinthine journey, Heems’ sharp and elastic word proficiency scrutinizes the potency of racism and ignorance on a painfully personal level. “Flag Shopping” is a harrowing account of the price paid for assimilation in America (“I know why they mad/ But why call us A-rabs/We sad like they sad/But now we buy they flags”). “Patriot Act” blazes equally immense fury (“My name was too long to pronounce at work/ And raised too much attention/And I was labeled a troublemaker/ So I changed it/ And we struck words like bomb from our vocabulary”).

But for those who may not connect at all with Heems’ Indian heritage, he believes his words still hold a disturbing amount of weight.

“I just want people who listen to the album to catch a glimpse of fear or paranoia that [people of color] have in this country. Whether it was my mother saying to me after 9/11 that if I go out I’ll get beat or black families having discussions like these after Ferguson.

Some people will never understand it, but if I can put them in that space for a second…I felt like that is what I wanted to do with this art.” Even Heems admits getting choked up on the album’s residual sentimentality. “’Patriot Act’ and ‘Flag Shopping’ are definitely really heavy and difficult to listen to. I can’t even

Follow on Twitter: @himanshu

HEEMS EAT PRAY THUG STANDOUT TRACK: “SOMETIMES”

SPOTLIGHT

“I just want people who listen to the album to catch a glimpse of fear or paranoia that [people of color] have in this country.”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 19

SPOTLIGHT

The Lone

BELL

20 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

LOW

On Family, Musical Bonds & Recording with Aaron Dessner

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 21

SPOTLIGHT

A

band’s mythology can bring quick acclaim, but can also threaten with weighty expectations. For The Lone Bellow, the improbable tale of southerners transplanted to Park Slope, Brooklyn, banding together in the wake of a horse riding accident and a wedding duet threatened by an asthmatic reaction, then courting Charlie Peacock to produce their eponymous opening album in the Rockwood Music Hall, there’s a weight indeed.

Yet, as singer and guitarist Zach Williams notes, “I’m proud of the work we’ve done, and never expected anything like this. We’re ready to get our hands dirty.”

The Lone Bellow’s transition from NPR buzz into a fully-fledged, full-time band has resulted in a stirringly ambitious second record, Then Came the Morning. It is an album that announces with in medias res intentions how the band has managed their evolution as musicians and as friends. On a snow-bound afternoon in Boston, Williams, Kanene Donehey Pipkin (mandolin, vocals) and Brian Elmquist (guitar, vocals) shared their recording process and what binds The Lone Bellow as one voice.

There’s a way your music feels comfortable on Then Came the Morning, a “looseness” about the songs.

Zach: We had a lot of fun making this record. And in starting the tour, the songs take on another form. That’s both from live instruments, and a live audience. Jason [Pipkin - bass, keyboards and Kanene’s husband] and Kanene have been learning other instruments. They swap them back and forth during the show.

so he asked if I wanted to join Homebrew- what they were called. But, I had never played in a show and I was quite nervous. Playing bass in our shows now harkens back to that time.

On your Late Night performance, you showcased a horn section and gospel backup singers. Will the tour have any of these touches?

Zach: Well, we will bring as many people as will fit in our van! We’re a five-piece, but love to swell the stage.

Brian: We played a full-set at Rockwood for

“There are so many times when you lean on the usual, but this process forced me to find new sounds.”

The family that plays together…

Kanene: We have our little ‘married people’ corner. It’s not intentional, but it’s how it is. We share the keyboard. And enjoy standing next to each other.

Zach: I try to stand between them as much as I can.

Kanene: Between songs, Jason and I throw instruments at each other. Well, trade ’em back and forth. Actually, the first time I ever played bass was for a coffee house in college. It was when Jason was trying to date me, and he knew I had a bass. His band didn’t have a bass player 22 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

WFUV (NYC radio station), and we’re now just seeing how the songs take shape.

After having worked with Charlie Peacock on The Lone Bellow, were you nervous having Aaron Dessner (The National) oversee the new album?

Brian: I was really nervous at the beginning. We met with him and saw the spirit he brings to the room. Aaron tries to service a song, not serve some idea or concept he has. That was true in the studio upstate, and finishing up the record in his backyard.

While we recording The Lone Bellow, we all had day jobs. We didn’t have the chance to dig in. It did its job, but for this album we had the chance to spend a month with the music.

I set myself up with wanting to learn as much as I could from Aaron, put myself in a teacherstudent situation. For three weeks, we sat in a room together just trying out everything. And then we went back through recordings to find the sections that were actually needed for the songs.

Was there a specific technique that Aaron encouraged you to try?

Brian: One day, we turned a Fender Twin all the way up, and I bowed my guitar for an hour. The goal was to make all these awesomely weird sounds, then sift through to hear what was most awesome.

Kanene: And that solo section on ‘Diners.’ Talk about that.

Brian: Yeah, on ‘Diners’ I fought really hard to have a two-stanza lead. And Aaron made me earn it. I came in with an idea of what I wanted to play, and worked it for over two hours but became frustrated; I started hating the song. Right when I was at that point, I reverbed everything up and I played it real trashy. Aaron just looked over, and said, ‘That’s it. We’re done.’

He was able to get something special. There are so many times when you lean on the usual, but this process forced me to find new sounds. That takes a real intention, and it takes more time. It’s been a good partnership.

And was Aaron pulling for you to play Justin Vernon’s Eaux Claires festival?

Zach: Apparently, Justin heard about us and asked if we’d be interested in playing. Aaron sent

me a picture of him listening to the record on his computer. That was a big day! I haven’t been this excited for a new festival in a long time. The line up is something else. I just want to see Spooky Black; I even want to dress like him.

How did you handle the process of songwriting; was it a group collaboration?

Kanene: Some songs came simply and we worked on arrangements together. For the song, ‘Take My Love,’ Zach had an idea for a melody, and together we wrote out lyrics for a couple hours.

Each line comes with specific people and times in mind, that we then streamlined into the final song.

Zach: When you’re spending so much time in a van, it comes together. It’s about being aware of one another, and taking care of one another.

Friendship is more important than this music.

That’s what we do.

Brian: In the moment it was frustrating, but we went through every lyric to make sure it was right. That is one aspect of songwriting that I’m very proud of.

Kanene: The lyrics needed to really be as strong as they possibly could be. We made a record that we’re really proud of.

Still some of the references are opaque; can you share some light on the story in ‘Telluride’?

Zach: It’s a song about a man riding his horse, Hickory, to Telluride in Colorado. That’s a rough place: 14,000 feet above sea level, Butch Cassidy lived there and Jessie James robbed a bank there as well. It’s symbolic of a person making a decision to kill the only thing he ever trusted.

Thematically it’s a sister song to ‘Fire Red Horse’ on the first album, but that would make a lot more sense if you know the horse’s name.

The idea of ‘Then Came The Morning’ is a throwing off of what happened in the past, and so much of the album leans that way.

Zach: There are a lot of lyrics about midnight, and how there can be a celebration of the mundane while you’re awake. It’s powerful, the idea of mundane as being weighty, beautiful. The stories people tell us when we are on the road, their struggles and how our songs connect, we want to honor them.

Kanene: I cherish any moment to speak with people impacted by the music. It’s a rare gift that is so outside of my control; you can’t force what songs mean things to people. The other day, a young woman shared with me how at a previous show in Brooklyn, it was the first time she had been able to forgive herself for all the wrongs she had done in her life. Since that moment, she said, she felt free and wanted to thank us for providing the soundtrack for that to happen.

Those moments, more than hype or accolade, those quiet, truthful moments, are what keep me going when touring is hard and lonely. These

“In starting the tour, the songs take on another form. That’s both from live instruments, and a live audience.” unsolicited gifts are the fuel for us to keep up with each other, to keep up with our friendship.

Zach: That’s the only thing that can keep us going. Your work, no mater what you do, won’t sustain your heart. It weighs too much.

Brian: Regardless of what you do, it can’t be who you are. It needs to be rooted in something heavier.

It’s hard and difficult, but we take care of each other. If we can’t do that, and find some beauty, then being away from our families is in vain.

Zach: We love the interaction between audience and band, creating something night after night, airing it out, but when you boil it down, our friendships are most important. And that’s the only way that we can be honest with ourselves.

RADIO PROMOTION (terrestrial, satellite, internet)

Dresden Dolls Bad Plus Girls Guns & Glory String Cheese Incident Esperanza Spalding Medeski Martin & Wood Steve Winwood Gov't Mule 311 Janis Ian Jim's Big Ego Stanley Clarke Umphrey's McGee Gretchen Parlato Miss Tess Mike Stern Soulive Maceo Parker PUBLICITY AND TOUR SUPPORT (print press and viral)

call: 800-356-1155 www: powderfingerpromo.com

Follow on Twitter: @TheLoneBellow

THE LONE BELLOW THEN CAME THE MORNING STANDOUT TRACK: “COLD AS IT IS”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 23

SPOTLIGHT 24 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

Colleen

Green Transitioning to a Studio Environment and Addressing Creativity at the End of Your Twenties

F

ollowing and listening to Colleen Green can often feel like an interpretive dance, a gateway for your conscience and imagination to undulate aimlessly; translate emotions, experiences and/or conditions into a more coherent understanding and expression, escape the inevitable hardships presented on a daily basis and establish newfound ways to feel stimulated and inspired. However, Green’s latest album, I Want to Grow Up, shifts in a way that still sweetly glazes over the aforementioned, but sets a more mature tone and assertion with higher-powered melodies while also maintaining her sharp wit and punk-pop roots. Green’s growth is exceptionally apparent here, but she sustains a commendable amount of humbleness

and seeming stream-of-conscious rumination for her efforts.

“About five years ago, I was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease, and it is still probably the most significant event that’s taken place in my life to date,” Green confesses. “I couldn’t work, was alone and didn’t have any friends around me, so I had a lot of time to think. I thought mostly about myself and my place in this wild universe, and the record is kind of the result of me just trying to make some sense of it all.”

Green’s discernment - despite being assumedly puzzling and entrenching - ultimately delivers a seamless compilation of genuine

confessions and acknowledgements, proving that while she may be getting older, she’s only getting stronger. Recorded in about two weeks at Nashville’s Sputnik Sound Studios with a small assembly of collaborators, I Want To Grow Up embodies discovery and taking chances, and conclusively feeling confident about them.

It’s also the first time Green has ventured into a professional studio to record her music. Previous releases were decidedly lo-fi in texture and authentically home-recorded. For the new LP, she enlisted the aid of fellow musicians Jake Orrall [JEFF The Brotherhood] and Casey Weissbuch [Diarrhea Planet] to form the in-studio band, and to collaborate on her first true studio project.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 25

SPOTLIGHT 26 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

younger, and I just have to remind myself that I’m good, I’m my own person, and I am doing interesting things with my life, and usually I feel better pretty quickly. It also really helps to have a friend.”

me that you can’t please everyone, so there’s no point in getting discouraged when it doesn’t happen. All I can do is be me and try to make the most of my life. Be chill and bring your pillow.”

SPOTLIGHT

“The process of creating it was a slightly new one in that I was sharing ideas with other musicians and a llowing myself to be receptive to their ideas, as well,” Green says. “I’ve had a guard up in the

“I have to tell myself that fears are unfounded and I have to ‘just do it’ if I want to be fulfilled.” past, but I wanted to be more f lexible this time because I knew that any thing Jake or Casey would have to say would be worth considering.”

Green has previously emphasized her need and desire to be personal and honest, but admitted the difficulty in doing it easily.

Even with her most exposed work out in the open, that dilemma still stands true.

“In order to be honest, you just have to know that nothing is weird and nothing is normal, and it gets easier,” she states. “It is still very scary, but I have to just tell myself that those fears are unfounded and that I have to ‘just do it’ if I want to be fulfilled. I can only be me.”

And even with a readily apparent grasp on that, it’s even easier to fall into surrounding traps that can sneakily invade one’s personal space and put progression and growth on halt. Green, however, has become a sort of life coach for herself.

“It is always challenging to combat what I see as negative forces, such as jealousy and insecurity,” Green says. “I am definitely more rational than I used to be when I was

Green’s reassuring outlook and mentality deviates from her role as a musician, however; instead of feeling inclusive in the business with her well-received albums and raw talent, she feels almost blasé about where she stands in it.

“I don’t see any kind of purpose for myself in the music industry,” she confides. “I’m just a lady who writes songs sometimes.”

Follow on Twitter: @ColleenGreen420

Similarly, Green’s concept of achievement mirrors the intention of breeding happiness before acclaimed fame.

“I don’t quite have a definition of success worked out in my mind,” she claims. “I just know that I want to be happy, and I’m not sure how I will achieve that, but I hope to stay positive and kind, and hopefully the universe will reciprocate.”

It’s a fair assessment that the universe will, indeed, as well as continue to embrace Green’s music while she continues to evolve and f lourish. In the meantime, she has already learned a vital lesson in cultivating her mojo.

COLLEEN GREEN I WANT TO GROW UP STANDOUT TRACK: “PAY ATTENTION”

“Being a musician has helped in teaching PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 27

SPOTLIGHT

Two G

At The Crossroads of American Roots & Punk Energy

28 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

Gallants PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 29

SPOTLIGHT

O “I’ve always considered the limitation of being a two-piece to be the most innovative force of our band.”

30 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

ver past few years, there has been something of a revival of so-called “Americana” music. Bands like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers have inserted themselves into the pop-music consciousness thanks to their folksy, sing-along anthems. But while these groups are undoubtedly terrific musicians adept at crafting catchy, radio-ready songs, they fail to grasp that the true soul of American music is weird.

Folk music’s forefathers were drifters, vagabonds, convicts and swindlers, and the songs they sang reflected it. Leadbelly, for example, learned his haunting rendition of “The Midnight Special” while serving time for murder at the Imperial State Prison Farm in Sugar Land, Texas, while Jimmie Rodgers fashioned his famous blue yodel after the field hollers and work chants of the hobos and rail workers he met as a brakeman for the Southern Pacific. And we all know what went down with Robert Johnson at the crossroads.

Two Gallants have a deep understanding of this history. The drum-and-guitar duo of Adam

Stephens and Tyson Vogel combines folk music’s rougher edges with all of the energy and intensity of punk rock. Lyrical, their songs find inspiration in the rich tradition of murder ballads, train songs and prison laments; while musically, look to the melodies and guitar styles of Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt, as well as the distorted sonic palette of bands like the Meat Puppets and early Nirvana.

The group formed San Francisco in 2002, and after a few years touring the country playing house shows and street corners, broke into the indie music circuit with their 2006 release, What The Toll Tells. After a five-year hiatus, the band reunited in 2012, releasing their fourth album and getting back on the road. In February of this year, they released We Are Undone, an album that is at once nostalgic yet firmly grounded in the present, attempting to make sense of a culture increasingly consumed with material success.

I caught up with the band to discuss their love of old-timey music, the changing music scene in their home city and their process for recording We Are Undone.

Adam, you’re really proficient with that country-blues finger-style playing; and Tyson, you bring this frantic punk rock energy to your drumming. Who are

one of the first. I was really into Bob Dylan, and that Leadbelly record with the iconic portrait on the cover, as well as a handful of records scattered around on the cover photo of Dylan’s Bringing it All Back Home. A few very influential adults in my life at the time noticed where my interests were heading and urged me on by turning me on to folks like Sleepy John Estes and Texas Alexander.

You guys have mentioned the changing social dynamics of San Francisco as an inspiration for some of the songs on the album. A lot of local musicians like John Dwyer and Ty Segall have left for LA recently. Have you noticed a shift in the music scene in The Bay Area?

Adam: Absolutely. When we started playing

“Energy is based so much on visuals that it’s kind of a fool’s errand to put too much emphasis on replicating it in a recording.” some of the players that influenced the way you approach your instruments?

Tyson: I find drums to be a very flexible medium... sounds, emotions move, are created, extinguished, stoked, thrown, broken depending on intention, touch, and feel. I have been honored to find percussive sonic mentors in Elvin Jones, Zakir Hussain, Moondog, and Dave Grohl.

there was a really strong scene that mostly revolved around the Mission and Panhandle.

A lot of house shows with USF kids who were in bands and a lot of street and house shows in the more or less inveterate mission punk scene.

That’s pretty much all gone now. The city has become inaccessible for people who choose a less conventional lifestyle in more ways than one.

Not only is it prohibitively expensive, a lot of the recent arrivals like the idea of living in a city in theory more than in practice and don’t have any patience for house shows. In some ways it’s hard to blame them; when you’re paying San Francisco rents you probably wouldn’t think your neighbors would have bands playing in their living rooms.

Your music seems to tap into the early American folk tradition of musicians like Leadbelly or even The Carter Family. Did you guys grow up listening to that stuff?

Adam: I started listening to old-timey music when I was 15 and Leadbelly was definitely was

The producer of the new album, Karl Defler, has worked with a lot of great Northern Californian musicians. What did he bring to recording this album?

Adam: It’s hard to really pin it down. He brought so much that made this recording experience

Adam: John Fahey, Reverend Gary Davis, and Skip James have probably influenced my way of playing more than anyone else.

different from all the rest. I think of him as somewhat of a vintage individual. Not because of his age at all, he’s just simply an old soul from another era and that seeped into everything, from the sound of the record to the way Tyson and I interacted to the quality of the food we ate.

Your live shows have a ton of energy. Are you looking to translate that energy to your studio albums or is that not really the goal?

Adam: That’s definitely not a conscious goal.

Actually, we don’t really have any goals other than playing music for the rest of our lives. We try to make albums that sound as true to our live show as possible, but energy is based so much on visuals that it’s kind of a fool’s errand to put too much emphasis on replicating it in a recording.

SPOTLIGHT

People always talk about the limitations imposed by as playing a duo, but it can also be a really intimate experience. How does playing as a duo affect your sound?

Adam: I’ve always considered the limitation of being a two-piece to be the most innovative force of our band. The bass is a melodic instrument that is traditionally confined to the rhythm section, so it kind of bridges the gap between drums and guitar. Without that bridge, we are kind of forced to alter the way we play to meet one another in the middle.

You guys are in the middle of a huge tour across Europe. Do you think audiences react to your music any differently over there?

Adam: Yeah. That was pretty evident the first time we came here. There is with out a doubt far more respect for music and musicians in Europe than there is in America. I suppose America being the creative grounds of practically every relevant genre of music of the 20th Century might produce a bit of a jaded attitude in the general populace. All I know is that we are treated rather well in Europe - from nice stinky cheese to amazing venuecooked meals - and we are always extremely grateful to touch down over there. The States are just more rugged, for better or for worse.

Follow on Twitter: @twogallants

TWO GALLANTS WE ARE UNDONE STANDOUT TRACK: “INCIDENTAL”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 31

SPOTLIGHT 32 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

TREASURE FLEET Behind the Scenes of a Motion Album

I

want to know what I’m getting myself into before I commit to listening to an album; childish I know… but rea lly, who doesn’t judge an a lbum by the cover art, album name and, most importantly, song titles. When I placed a space station and The Sun Machine together I thought, “A ll right, this is going to be out-of-thisworld trippy,” and while perusing the tracks, I was totally sold when I saw “The Mushroom Hunt.” It’s a super rad mod/ psychedelic rock album, a novella, and a sci-fi film - but most importantly, it’s the opus of Treasure Fleet. The Sun Machine took me on the most epic adventure.

Each song on The Sun Machine serves a purpose in telling the story. The song titles give an overview and set everything up, kind of like your best friend simplifying a complicated math equation to you: here is how everything fits together. While they may be “bone-headed and ambiguous, the songs are named like paintings, hoping they capture the essence of what it all means”.

With Treasure Fleet, I don’t know whether their album or their enthusiasm surrounding the album is more awesome. So I spoke with bandleader Isaac Thotz to discuss it.

In 2012, the band (Isaac Thotz, Neil Hennessy, Mike Oberlin, Jon Olson;

additional players: Dave Merriman, Preston Bryant, Eli Caterer, Todd Congelliere) planned on releasing two full-length albums within six months, but they also wanted to expand their live band. “For a band like ours its crucial [to keep positive relationships with other musicians]… we do it out of the love for doing it… we all like being creative together,” says Thotz. The band used to tour with Preston Bryant, who then joined Treasure Fleet for live performances, which morphed into making experimental recordings together: “We found it extremely rewarding working together and decided to take on a bigger recording project.” And so, the adventure began.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 33

SPOTLIGHT

In terms of his songwriting process, Isaac doesn’t have a specific, or typical one; there isn’t one right way to harness creativity. “Sometimes I have an idea of a theme or sometimes lyrics lead to the theme.” Going for a walk can turn into a melody.

On recording their new LP: “It was sorta like having sex for the first time…‘We don’t know what we are doing and it’s fucking awesome!’”

34 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Recorded in Isaac’s attic, they produced five songs first as EPs, but then they kept recording and decided they had an album. The first five songs were recorded in typical Treasure Fleet form; they laid basic tracks and then utilized their computer system to work vocals, dubs, and synths. They fleshed the songs out, stripped out the beat and introduced new synth tones.

Experimenting with a tape machine created “Sirens of Titan,” and “A Soft Landing” was built by “totally synth-ing out elements of the track combined with a rock band recorded on the tape machine, bridging the gap tonally.”

The sound of an analogue tape is still admired, and owning a tape machine presents a unique recording experience. With that being said, Treasure Fleet fully enjoys experimenting with their tape machine, but surprisingly, that isn’t Isaac’s favorite piece of recording gear. For a brain like his, recording on computers is his favorite thing. “It puts an audio into an abstract realm. Computers allow you to look at sound waves, put them together, and listen to them.”

Put simply: you get to look and think about audio in terms of visual elements.

While the tracks were recorded in a similar way, “they all sound very different…we were worried about them being an album. We knew we had the sounds to make it, so we introduced the cohesiveness after to say, ‘Here’s a story to make all these places we went one cohesive idea.’” That’s where the narrative came in. As a way to convey the narrative in Isaac’s brain, they figured the best way to get it out there as what they were intending it to be, was to make a film…a sci-fi film.

As a songwriter, Isaac was not intimated by the process of writing, in fact, he was “insanely motivated” to write a fifty page novella. “Neil [Hennessy] said, ‘You need to write a script so that our story is inside someone else’s brain other than yours.” The novella is entitled “TF3 and The Sun Machine” and was written in one shot over the course of three days. Well crafted, the story is intricate and includes a prologue and epilogue, email transactions, “satellite transfers,” “initiative proposal summaries” and a note to “children of Earth” with a great moral.

It is evident that Treasure Fleet dreams big.

The Sun Machine, the sci-fi film, frontto-back, took about a year of learning tricks,

SPOTLIGHT and giving the movie a look and cohesiveness.

Band involvement in the film was high, which made the members of Treasure Fleet closer than ever.

“Songs are named like paintings, hoping they capture the essence of what it all means…”

“It was a totally amazing experience. It was sorta like having sex for the first time. We had no idea what we were doing; there were all these techniques. While filming, I felt like ‘We don’t know what we are doing and it’s fucking awesome!’” Thotz exclaims. The pure bliss the band experienced while making the film is palpable while viewing it, and he hopes that making movie albums becomes a more common thing. “I really hope that other artists watch the movie and say, ‘Goddamn, that looks like it was a lot of fun to make!’”

Producing an album, novella and film concurrently was quite the undertaking, but Treasure Fleet persevered and the results were brilliant. To tie everything up in a nice little package, of course there is an overarching moral to the story. “From the time I started playing music, I ran into people who had one specific way that they completed a piece of the puzzle and that’s wrong; you can invent your own way to do it. Do it your way,” Thotz encourages. Find something you care about and do it however you want to do it. Ask around for advice but ultimately, “find your own way.”

Follow on Twitter: @Treasure_Fleet

TREASURE FLEET THE SUN MACHINE: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK STANDOUT TRACK: “THE VIEW FROM MT. OLYMPUS”

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 35

MUSIC BUSINESS

TURN YOUR LYRICS INTO A

L

A Conversation with LyricFind on the G yrics are often overlooked by a music industry that runs on flash and sizzle.

I mean, how can you make a stanza go viral?

There’s no bigmoney label involvement with lyrics, just songwriters and their publisher(s). What used to be a booming part of the business in sheet music has disappeared, but people’s love for lyrics hasn’t.

Lyrics are one of the highest-rated searches online, which of course led to thousands of spammy, porn ad-riddled, clickbait pages to catch that traffic.

These sites would throw up lyrics from multiple sources, unlicensed, often poorly translated, and then infest you with malware or bombard you with suspicious ads to make money for views and clicks.

“Through its anti-piracy program, NMPA has sent takedown notices to over 300 unlicensed lyrics sites and licensed over three dozen,” says David Israelite, President and CEO of NMPA. “LyricFind has been instrumental in helping infringing sites obtain licenses and continue operating [legally].”

That’s a pretty big deal, and a new source of revenue for rights holders. It’s also big for the sites - the one I mentioned above, with the financing, tripled their traffic. So, I spoke with the co-founder and CEO of LyricFind, Darryl Ballantyne, to get some insight into where LyricFind is headed.

That, my friends, is a fairly good definition of copyright infringement.

PM: So, how did lyrics - of all things - drive your passion to start LyricFind?

DB: I’m the guy that friends would come to and say, ‘Who sings this song?’ and then they’d tell me the lyric, and I would always know. That’s actually what led me into starting this company. One of the co-founders needed to know a particular song, and gave me a few lines, but I didn’t know it. He searched online, and couldn’t find any usable lyric sites. Voilà!

The thing is, it worked. It worked very well, in fact. While a lyric site with just words on it may sound fairly innocuous, keep in mind that one of these sites had 10 million unique monthly visitors and received a $15 million investment from the

PM: How would you define LyricFind? Is it a platform or a licensing clearance house?

DB: I’d say it is more of a licensing clearance house in the music tech space. As you know, music licensing is so foreign and complex to many

prestigious venture firm Andreessen Horowitz.

startups. We knew that tons of companies are trying to use entertainment assets, and we wanted to provide a simple way to operate legally.

But that all changed in 2014. In concert with the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), LyricFind helped license or shut down every lyric site in English as of the end of the calendar year.

36 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

PM: Where are some places LyricFind is being used right now?

DB: We license and send lyric feeds to several music services, including Amazon, Bing, Deezer,

iHeartRadio, Shazam, SoundHound, and many, many more. In addition, many of the most popular sites and apps for song searches already use our services to provide accurate lyrics for fans, including LyricsFreak, MetroLyrics, Lyrics Mania, LyricsMode, SongMeanings, and hundreds of others.

PM: A site like MetroLyrics using your API

he Golden Age of Legal Music Lyric Search

is a no-brainer. What are some LyricFind licenses we wouldn’t necessarily think about?

DB: Well, we have a deal with HTC handsets at the hardware level, where any song played from the music player on the device also includes lyric display. That’s pretty cool. We were approached by a jail operator company that wanted to have access to the lyrics database of the songs played on the TVs so they could screen out objectionable lyrics. We ended up not doing that project, but it was interesting. Lyrics are truly everywhere.

PM: Is language localization or translation something LyricFind is involved in?

DB: Yes, it is very important to us to have quality control, and part of that is making sure the language any given lyric is being written or read in, is represented correctly. We are now supporting six languages, with more being added this year.

PM: You’re growing quickly - can you share

MUSIC BUSINESS

O A REVENUE STREAM

some quick stats?

DB: We work with over 3,000 publishers (including all four majors) in 30 countries, resulting in millions of titles in our catalog. No matter how large we grow, we are dedicated to fixing the problem of bad content. One of the big components of our company is that we have a team of people in Toronto typing out all of the lyrics in our catalog.

It’s just part of a dedication to good lyrics; they must be right.

PM: How can independent artists make sure their lyrics are part of LyricFind?

DB: The easiest way is to opt-in to our program with the Harry Fox Agency. In some cases, we do direct deals with publishers, and you can find that info on our website at lyricfind.com.

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.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 37

MUSIC BUSINESS

Ridiculously Easy DIY Tips fo Shooting Multi-Angle Concer

S

...or The Crappy Cell Phone YouTube Concert Moment Video and You

38 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

ince the launch of YouTube in 2005, music fans the world over have been witness to the online proliferation of what I like to call the “Crappy Cell Phone YouTube Concert Moment Video”

(CCYTCMV), that now ubiquitous shaky, pixilated blur with overblown, distorted sound that cries out to the world “I WAS THERE!”

and to create…or maybe people were just high…I dunno. Either way, the CCYTCMV is now a part of the sea in which the modern music fan swims.

People seem to love creating their own mini-memento of their concert experience, and after first being annoyed by the endless series of poor quality videos on YouTube, I have come to appreciate the folk-art that is the CCYTCMV. Something in the act of bothering to post that little grainy nugget with often indecipherable sound speaks of a desire to be a part of something larger, to be involved in a community, to share,

Think you can’t afford to shoot a music video? Trust your fans to be the authority on what is happening on stage and let them use the power of the CCYTCMV to co-create a video with you! As a performer today, you have access to technology that would have made The Beatles faint. I recently asked the attendees of a CD release show at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall to film a song with their

The space of this article does not allow for step-by-step instructions to create your video, but I would like to demystify the two steps of the process about which I have received the most questions, perhaps emboldening you to dive in yourself.

1. CONVERTING FOOTAGE Your amateur videographers will likely provide you with a range of file types (.avi, .mov, .mpg, etc.). You can convert almost any file to one that suits your purpose with a program called MPEG Streamclip. “Oh no! Another expensive program!!??” Nope. It’s available for free here: www.squared5.com. Thanks, Squared5!

I worked in Final Cut Express [now discontinued by Apple in favor of Final Cut Pro X, though still easily available if you know where

for cert Videos cell phones and send me the footage for editing into a video, effectively staging a 100-camera video shoot. What would that have cost you 10 years ago? If you are a performer seeking a wider audience, there is no excuse for you not to be creating video content.

Among the important benefits of this DIY approach are, obviously, low cost and a kaleidoscopic array of camera angles, shakiness, graininess, and poor color correction. Yes, that’s a benefit! Remember the old adage about life giving you lemons? But the most important

squarely on the sound you will use as your “sync point.” Mark this point.

Now drag a video file into the timeline. The audio that accompanies the video will appear above or below your baseline audio. Mute the baseline audio, and listen to the video’s audio, marking the same “sync point” in the same manner. Now drag the video so that its sync point is lined up with that of the baseline audio.

Listen to the left channel of one of the audio sources and the right channel of the other (headphones help for this). You should hear the audio playing in sync with no delays. If you hear a slight delay, drag one of files a hair earlier or later and listen again. Nudge until no delay can be heard. Voila! You just synced your video to your audio! Repeat for as many video files as you have.

MUSIC BUSINESS

benefit of this approach is involving your friends and fans in the act of creation. Isn’t your job as a performer to engage an audience and get people involved?

Having never used video editing software before, I edited and uploaded a multi-source video to YouTube shortly after obtaining the software, and so can you.

“If you are a performer seeking a wider audience, there is no excuse for you not to be creating video content.” to look], which prefers clips in the QuickTime Movie format. Drag files from your computer into the MPEG Streamclip window, select FILE, and from that drop down menu select “Export to QuickTime.” MPEG Streamclip can also convert files to other formats if you are using editing software that requires something different.

My video, “My MySpace Friends Don’t Love Me (In The Real World)” can be seen on YouTube. Let’s see yours!

2. SYNC AUDIO I used a live multi-track recording of the show for audio, but great results can be obtained by synching up to any audience recording. The audio from some of the newer smart phones is surprisingly good! Use the best you have access to, but don’t let lack of access to high-end gear stop you.

In Final Cut Express, audio and video files are dragged onto a “timeline.” Drag an MP3 of your audio there first. It will be your baseline for timing. Find a rhythmic beat in the audio to use as your “sync point,” perhaps the first snare drum hit after a count-in. Listen to the audio and count with the rhythm. Hit the space bar PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 39

TOUR TEST

above and below: capturing audio with Catherine Capozzi at a Bring Us Your Women rehearsal

Putting AUDIO-TECHNICA’s Wireless Camera-Mount Systems Through Their Paces

I

always lament how frustrating it is to get a quick setup for a basic video interview.

So when I was given the opportunity to take a test run of the Audio-Technica System 10 camera mount wireless mic setups, I was excited to see if it might be the solution to a simplified, dynamic rig.

I often “run-and-gun” to make brief band updates and behind-the-scenes videos for the web. For this purpose, I shoot on an entrylevel Canon Rebel T4i, which like virtually all DSLRs, lacks a usable audio system. When I need audio, I typically connect and mount a full recorder on top of the camera using a bootmount adapter. I then connect a cumbersome adapted microphone wire to it from a lav-mic receiver that I put in my pocket or tape to my body, or I run a wire from the recorder to the talker for a wired handheld mic. This always creates a wiry mess and requires adjusting levels on the mic, gain control on the recorder, and gain control on the camera.

As my first test, I recorded a series of 40 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

rehearsal-space and backstage interviews for the Bring Us Your Women multimedia show. To put the System 10 to work and see if it could serve to replace my usual setup easily, I just mounted the receiver on the camera, plugged it in, turned on the receiver and the transmitter, and hit the pair button so they would “talk” to each other. Once paired, I handed the ATW-1701/l lav to the talker, which they clipped to their collar.

The automatic gain control system on the camera kicked in, giving usable sound within just a few seconds. Even in a noisy practice space, I was able to interview my subjects with minimal background noise. Switching to the 1702 system took only a quick pairing, and then I could record from the handheld microphone just as easily.

In order to test everything in a more controlled environment, I also recorded interviews for The Lesbian Spider Cult Kickstarter campaign. This utilized the microphone in a more traditional filmic way, with hidden placement and higher

TOUR TEST

sound-quality demands. For comparison, I also had the talkers wear a second common, and more expensive, lav mic. The ATW1701/l microphone casing was very good for preventing clothing rustling noise, even with little effort to pad or isolate the microphone, and the frequency response, which I plotted after the fact to objectively assess, was quite f lat, and actually more responsive at high frequencies than the other microphone we used.

The recordings sounded full-bodied and clean, with a surprisingly nice low-frequency response that did not get muddy. The battery life seemed good, too, as neither component needed a charge or battery swap in the six hours of initial use. Both mics were easy to setup, sounded great, and did not have any issues with transmission or interference.

The System 10 receivers with camera mount outperform any other low-cost solution I’ve used for run-and-gun video, and they serve as a big improvement over just the in-camera sound.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael J. Epstein is a Boston-based musician, filmmaker, and university professor. He is also a member of several area bands including The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling and Darling Pet Munkee.

His most recent project is the independent film Magnetic, which is now screening. For more, visit michaeljepstein.com. above: Femme Bones at Lesbian Spider Cult Kickstarter Shoot / below: Sophia Cacciola backstage at Bring Us Your Women

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 41

RECORDING

Seamlessly Incorporate Synths & MIDI into Your Next Project

W

hen some musicians hear the words “synthesizers” and “MIDI,” images of dayglow t-shirts and frizzed out ’80s hairdos flash before their eyes. Most artist who do not regularly use these tools in their music have this antiquated idea of what synthesizers and MIDI are capable of and may be ignorant to the leaps that have been made in the respective technologies. Basically what we are trying to say is synthesizers and MIDI are no longer just for cheesy robot sounds and old 8-bit video games anymore. We can now utilize these tools to create ambience in our songs, realistically replicate instruments that we may otherwise not be able to record and create tracks that can be easily edited/manipulated to our needs. But let us break down the differences between synths and MIDI first, so we know what we’re dealing with here.

SYNTHS What is a synthesizer exactly? Well if you ask Wikipedia, it defines them as electronic musical instruments that generate electric signals converted to sound through loud speakers or headphones (gotta love the Wiki) - but what we are really concerned with is how we can use synths. Synthesizers are used to generate two different types of sound: imitation sounds, which is when the synth is actually trying to recreate the sounds of another instrument (like sampled acoustic Steinway pianos) or the synth can create completely unique sounds which are usually referred to as synth pads or leads.

When we think of synthesizers we usually 42 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a protocol that was developed in the 1980s that allows for electronic instruments and other tools, such as your computer’s Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), to communicate with one another. One of the major differences between MIDI and synthesizers to remember is that MIDI itself does not create any sound.

Basically MIDI provides the information (pitch and velocity) for how the sounds will be created once the MIDI data is applied through a synth. MIDI can either be recorded through a live performance of a MIDI instrument (keyboard, guitar, etc.) or can be written directly into your DAW by creating a MIDI track and opening the “piano roll” or “staff view” for that track.

HOW TO RECORD THEM Now that we have the two straight, we should go over the best ways to go about recording each. Synths can be recorded either by using a direct input (DI) unit to input the synthesizer directly into your mixing board (usually using the 1/4” output jacks on the back of the synth) or by going into an amplifier and miking the amp. If you are going to use the amplifier method, you usually can’t go wrong using the tried-and-true Shure SM57 to mic up your amp. But we usually prefer to go direct with synths in the studio for two reasons. The first is that we don’t usually want to color the sound coming out of the synth with amps and mics like we sometimes do with instruments like electric guitars. The second reason to go direct is that we usually want to record in stereo as many synth patches to have a strong stereo component.

It’s important to mention that most synthesizers/keyboards also work as MIDI controllers, so you may want to also consider recording the MIDI data simultaneously while you are also recording the live synthesizer performance, just in case you end up wanting

to completely change the synth sounds without having to track a new performance.

Recording MIDI will require us to have a few things first: 1.) Some sort of MIDI instrument or controller (keyboard, guitar, etc.) 2.) A universal MIDI to USB/Firewire connector or hub. These don’t have to be expensive by the way – you can pick up a MIDI/ USB interface like the M-Audio Uno for $40 3.) 5-pin MIDI cables to connect your MIDI instrument to the hub. 4.) A USB or Firewire cable to connect the hub to your computer.

5) A computer running an audio program like Pro Tools, Logic or Sonar. Generally you just need to connect the MIDI Out from your keyboard to the MIDI In of your interface and then plug your interface’s USB or Firewire cable into your computer. Many keyboards now come with USB outputs so that you can go directly into your computer and skip the whole interface/MIDI cable mess. Once we have all these connections set up, you should now be able to track your MIDI data from your instrument into the computer. Remember, MIDI itself creates no sound – you’re capturing data that will be used later to create sounds.

Also, as mentioned earlier in this article, you can also draw/write a MIDI performance into the computer without needing a MIDI instrument, though we find it a little bit easier and more time efficient to have a physical controller/instrument to play, at least to get started.

BEHOLD, THE POWER OF MIDI The great thing about MIDI is that everything you record is completely editable.

Let’s say your performance is not quite on time, or you missed a couple notes here or there. With MIDI, you can see the performance you just recorded, represented by rectangular notes on a grid or traditional notes on a staff. From here, you can take any note and move it either forward or backwards in the timeline and you can move the notes up or down to change the pitch of the note. You can even manipulate the velocity at which the note was played after the fact. This allows us to really dive in and make a performance that is both pitch-perfect and in time. You can even change the tempo of the track without having to re-record the part.

Once you have your performance where you want it, the real fun begins.

Because MIDI does not actually play sound itself, we need to use software plug-ins to create the audio we want to hear. There are hundreds of different plug-ins out there that you can get, from Session Strings Pro by Native Instruments, which beautifully recreates the sound of real orchestra string sections to Massive, a beast of synth pad/leads/bass plugin that works great for electronic music. Using

most DAWs, you can even convert a standard audio track, for example a vocal track, into MIDI and trigger a synth with it – so now even vocalists can get in on the action! Or drummers can put drum triggers on their drumheads and use them to reproduce killer drum sounds or crazy industrial sounds while you play live!

You can get lost in hours of experimenting with the sounds you can create.

RECORDING

think of keyboards, but now even instruments like the guitar or drums can be outfitted with pickups to utilize synthesizers. We use a Roland GK-3 guitar pickup on one of our electric guitars in the studio and team it up with a Roland GR-20 synthesizer “pedal” which allows us to use our guitar as a synth.

When we show guitar players in our studio the possibility of adding a synth part to a song and they hear a piano chord the first time they strum, smiles usually follow. The ability for guitarists to add synths to their pedalboards is super fun and we urge you to check out this technology the next time you visit your local music store - just be prepared for some blank stares from sales staff who may not have heard much about this new-fangled wizardry.

UTILIZING SYNTH/MIDI IN THE MIX & ON THE ROAD It used to be that to get new synth sounds you had to buy a new hardware synth, hence the now famous bank of keyboards that bands used to haul around to shows. When we first opened our doors for business in 1997, software synths plug-ins were almost non-existent, but now practically every laptop comes with some type of synth built in. This portability means that you can now incorporate software synths into your live performances and even use software like Ableton Live during your performances.

We can already see everyone’s mouths watering, but let’s pump the breaks just a little bit. Unless your name is Skrillex or you are looking to make music that is heavily electronic/synth based, you probably do not need to go too overboard with the synths and MIDI in your mix. As is the case with many of the things we talk about here, less can be more. Adding a string section to a power ballad or soft, romantic song can really set your song a step above the rest.

Or you could use more electronic sounding synth pads/leads/basses in conjunction with live instruments. Synths today have become very specific and we recommend taking the time to research synth plug-ins to find ones that will enhance the music you are creating, not distract from it. If you are looking for killer piano sounds, for example, then you’ll probably do well to focus on piano samplers like Native Instruments “Alicia’s Keys” instead of using the more generic piano sounds that come bundled with many synths. The possibilities are numerous and we encourage everyone to experiment when time permits.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Zac Cataldo is a musician and owner/ producer at Night Train Studios, a recording studio in Westford, MA. He is also coowner of Black Cloud Productions, a music publishing company. Reach him at zac@ nighttrainstudios.com.

Brent Godin is a bassist/guitarist and engineer/producer at Night Train Studios. He is also a talent scout at Black Cloud Productions. Reach him at brent@ blackcloudproductions.com.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 43

GEAR REVIEWS

EAR TRUMPET LABS Louise Microphone - $499

E

ar Trumpet Labs blend the old school aesthetic with modern construction and electronics. Back in January 2013, we got to check out their Edwina condenser microphone (and loved it). Now they’re back at it with their Louise model.

Style-wise, it has a very unique (and vintage) look, somewhere between steampunk and retro-cool. A copper base, brass fittings, and chrome hardware complete the outfit. The mesh capsule contains a 26mm diaphragm capsule that is surrounded by a silk and foam pop filter, mounted in a chrome ring with four springs for shock mounting. An adjustment hinge offers up excellent positioning possibilities. Phantom power is required to bring this to life, while the internal electronics are of superb quality, with the components matched for maximum performance Sound-wise it’s flat out great, it has a nice, full clear sound that doesn’t color things.

The cardioid mic pattern, along with the chrome ring to make sure it’s pointed in the right direction, enables easy positioning, and helps eliminate feedback. Because of all these design features it works well both live and in the studio. Vocals and instruments react well to it, and we found it to be ideal for acoustic applications; positioning is key to really nail things down, and thankfully it can be adjusted easily to capture any sound source.

It has a street price of $499, which isn’t far off from other mics with these specifications. Sure, there might be other models out there with more traditional designs that can deliver similar sound quality at a slightly cheaper price point - but you’re really paying for the quality and hand-craftsmanship Ear Trumpet is known for.

Bottom line: what’s really being offered here is a handmade, well-constructed mic with attention to detail and components, all wrapped in a very unique casing. If the aesthetics of the mic intrigue you, the sound will make you a believer.

Chris Devine

PROS

Well made, consistently great sound quality.

CONS

Slightly expensive, retro design might that not be for everyone.

› Hand made microphone with unique appearance › Large (26mm) diaphragm condenser capsule with a cardioid pickup pattern

FEATURES

› Tea-ball head basket capsule assembly › Pivoting joint between ring and body › Internal multilayer silk and foam pop filter › Transformerless FET fully balanced electronics › Highest quality hand-wired electronic › Dimensions: 12” x 6” x 2 3/8” › Metal tool case with foam padding included, 15” x 10” x 4 1/2” › Requires 48V phantom power 44 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

GEAR REVIEWS

BLUE MICROPHONES Mo-Fi Powered Hi-Fidelity Headphones - $349

F

Excellent sound quality, unique design.

CONS

A tad weighty, long sessions may cause fatigue.

of which engages a well-designed (and nonmuddy) bass boost mode. The selector is built in to the connection point for the cables, making it easy to find and operate.

The passive mode works and sounds great, but the volume level is considerably lower than the other two modes. The on mode brings it into active mode, excellent for personal devices, and the on+ has more than enough bass for even Dr. Dre (sorry, Beats). The downside of the active modes is some slight noise or hiss, which is to be expected on active headphones. The overall sound quality is excellent, however, don’t get us wrong. We found the best application is using the passive mode for listening to mixes, and the active modes when listening to mp3s and the like.

It’s hard to find a set of headphones that work well in the studio, and on the subway. At a street price of $349, they’re on par (pricewise) with other models of similar quality.

The only downside is wearing them for a long time can be a bit tiring, no doubt owing to their hefty weight and bulk (although we must admit that given their weight, Blue did a commendable job minimizing this issue). But that weight shows the quality of components and design, which makes for a great set of cans.

Chris Devine

› Integrated audiophile amp and custom-matched drivers

FEATURES

PROS

or any serious musician or engineer, good headphones are a must. But finding a set that works for personal listening as well as in a professional setting can be difficult. Blue’s new Mo-Fi headphones are built with the same quality that they build their microphones with, and work at the personal and professional levels equally well.

These cans are super beefy, so know that going in. The over-the-ear design provides excellent isolation from the outside world.

The headband contains a nice, adjustable control for a snug fit, and the leather-like material feels comfortable and durable. With separate pivot points that provide plenty of adjustment, the ear cups have an excellent fit, as well. Connecting to a device is by a selection of cables, a 1/8” stereo jack with a control pod that has a play/pause and volume controls, best suited for iPods/iPads/iPhones, and a 1/4” stereo connection for most other applications.

With an internal rechargeable battery that’s charged via a USB connection, the active mode has a life of about 12 hours. A neat power saving feature is that the headphones shut off when they’re in the closed position, and turn on when opened. There are three listening modes: passive, on, and on+, the latter

› Personalized fit for superior comfort and performance › Powered system improves performance of all your devices › 50mm titanium-reinforced ultra-responsive dynamic drivers › Comes with 1M cable with Mfi Mic, 3M cable, and 6.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 45

GEAR REVIEWS

VOCOPRO UHF-8900 Wireless Mic System - $1199

PROS

Easy setup, complete package.

CONS

Mic casings could be a bit more rugged.

W

ireless systems were once a luxury only high end artists could afford.

If multiple performers each needed a wireless mic, the price and complexity would go through the roof. VocoPro has brought the size and cost down to a fraction of what they used to be.

Included in the package is a 2-rack space receiver unit, with more than 150 wireless frequencies available. The front panel has 8 receiving units (color coded to connect with a matching microphone), each with an LCD display that can cover gain, channels and the associated frequency that it’s using.

It’s easy to connect and make adjustments, but having the manual handy to make sure of what’s being adjusted can speed things up

during initial setup. Four antennas sit on the edges, while the rear panel contains 8 XLR outputs, and (2) 1/4” outputs - one for receivers 1-4, and the other from 5-8. It transmits at 900 MHz for channels 1-4 and at 600MHz for 5-8. The 8 mics come with 8 mic clips, plenty of batteries and a foam-lined metal case (nice touch).

Setup is easy; the menus allow a simple setup to assign the microphones to their respective receivers. If 8 mics are too much, say 6 mics and 2 instruments are all that’s needed, the other channels can also be configured to work with separate body pack transmitters (not included).

The system provides a lot of flexibility with these kinds of options. The range is approximately 40 feet from the receiver, more than enough for a decent size stage.

› Eight UHF PLL wireless microphones

FEATURES

› Frequency Scan finds interference-free channels › More than 150 wireless frequencies available › LCD display shows frequency and other info › 19-inch rack mountable chassis, 2RU › Eight balanced XLR outputs › Two 1/4-inch unbalanced mixed outputs 46 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

It clocks in at $1199 (street), and while the sound quality is great the only bummer is the microphone casings are made out of a hard plastic. While they feel durable, mic drops are certainly not recommended. So who needs an 8-mic wireless microphone unit? For a boy/girl band this is can eliminate a lot of sound reinforcement issues at a decent price, without a lot of complexity. Of course, most of our readers aren’t future Backstreet Boys, so the other obvious recommendation is for vocal-heavy groups or bands with lots of vocal harmonies (or back-up singers) who want more stage flexibility – perhaps the next Polyphonic Spree? Another great application would be for a pro sound company for events such as conferences and the like.

Chris Devine

GEAR REVIEWS

PROS

Super flexible as a DAW or a Live Mixer, quality construction.

CONS

Only works with iOS, no Android compatibility.

MACKIE DL32R Rack-Mounted Digital Mixer - $1999

I

n most cases, mixers haven’t changed much – you know, the usual array of knobs and sliders, inputs and outputs. Mackie’s brought the mixer into the 21st Century with their new DL32R Rack-Mounted Digital Mixer.

It’s a 3-rack space unit with a front that’s loaded with 24 XLR Mic/line inputs, and 8 combo jacks (XLR & 1/4”), 14 XLR output jacks and (2) 1/4” outputs for monitoring, as well as a 1/4” headphone out. A XLR AES digital output also resides here. The rear panel looks more like a computer than a mixer with its USB connections: Mackie informs us that the direct-to-disk option is 24x24, upgrading to 32x32 soon. The USB interface option is currently 32x32. Connections to a router (more on this later) and an expansion slot are here as well.

To get it all up and running, an iPad and a wireless router are required for operation (not included). Installing Mackie’s Master Fader App, and connecting the unit to the router, brings things to life. The app mimics an actual mixer in both looks and application. There are presets for particular instruments in each channel: guitars, vocals, various drums, etc. They apply various EQs and processing suited best for their use. Presets are editable, and behave just like the hardware emulated. Reverb, Delay,

Compression, EQ, and Noise Gates are all at your fingertips - quite literally.

It’s also super easy to group channels into subgroups, just like a regular mixer. Settings can be stored and recalled for various songs with the swipe of a finger, and can be adjusted on the fly. With a connection to an external hard drive, the ability to record a practice, and then use the tracks to build off of can make pre-production for a recording process go quickly. Using the same unit as a recording platform is key, eliminating transfers and any exporting issues.

Setup is more like connecting a PC to a network, rather than hooking up a traditional mixer, but once up and running it’s very simple. You’ve now got (or your sound guy/gal now has) the ability to walk around a venue during a sound check (or even mid-performance), and really tailor the mix not only for the band, but how that band sounds in that particular room, save the settings, and recall them as needed. Mackie’s app also controls the monitors, enabling each performer to personalize their own monitor mixes on-the-fly.

The sound quality is digital, so there are no issues there. Mackie’s Onyx+ mic preamps are industry standard for a reason, and performed great with this unit (as we imagined they would).

The downside is that it only runs on Apple

products; Mackie has focused on delivering a system that works great on one platform, rather than adapting their software for several others (Android users, in particular). A router is also needed to connect everything together. One problem that could arise is if the wi-fi signal is compromised somehow, the router fails, or something goes wrong with the iPad. Currently the DL32R cannot be controlled via PC or Mac, only an iPad using Master Fader or iPhone/iPod touch using My Fader.

So who is this for? It’s semi complicated: for a small to mid-size touring band, this might be above and beyond. At a street price of $1999, it isn’t cheap, but it does deliver considering its flexibility and applications. For a band that wants a killer mixer that is super adaptable between varied live settings or recording applications, it can kill two birds with one stone. For a club/venue looking for a super adaptable platform to cover a lot of ground, it’s well worth the investment and installation into their existing setup. It may require a sound guy/gal who’s more comfortable with technology, but that’s not a bad thing. And it’ll provide the club with a greater level of flexibility and ease-of-use if artists wish to control their own mixes.

Chris Devine

FEATURES

› 32 Onyx+ recallable mic press with wireless control › 100% wireless control of all features from iPad › 32x32 USB 2.0 audio interface for Mac or PC or: › 24x24 recording/playback direct to USB 2.0 hard drive with wireless control › Fully loaded DSP with 36 input channels, 4-band PEQ + HPF, gate and compression › 28 output busses with 4-band PEQ + HPF/LPF, 31-band GEQ, comp/limiter and alignment delay PERFORMER MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 47

FLASHBACK

1964 Blonde Fender Jaguar Smells Like Teen Surfers BACKGROUND First released in 1962, the Jaguar was the ultimate surfer’s guitar. Just picture the Beach Boys cruising down the highway with these in hand.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. Need we say more?

NOTABLE PLAYERS Kurt Cobain brought it back but Marc Bolan (“Bang a gong, get it on”) played it and all the surf music of the early ’60s made the model a staple of the genre.

INTERESTING FEATURES Sunburst was the standard color, so all others were either custom or considered more desirable. The “jag,” as it is known, used the same color palette and paint as GM cars of the times. 1964 was the final year for the guitar’s original run before Fender handed the reins of the company over to CBS, and it is widely believed the quality suffered for years in the wake of the transition.

photo by Gabriel Burgos

48 APRIL 2015 PERFORMER MAGAZINE

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. Chat music & gear with him @donmiggs or miggsmusic.com, lalamansion.com, or his radio show, @thefringeAM820 (Saturdays 5-7PM EST).

Hey Marseilles. Nectar Lounge. Seattle, WA. 09.17.2014

EVERYTHING FROM ANYWHERE

Free yourself from the confines of FOH. With the DL32R, you get 32-channels of powerful digital mixing that’s completely controlled wirelessly — MIX FREE.

mackie.com/DL32R

Freedom from FOH – mix from anywhere!

01

Hardware: Flexible, professional I/O in an incredibly compact 3U rackmount design

02 03

Wireless: From mic pre gain to control over multi-track recording and playback

04 05

DSP: Powerful processing on all inputs and outputs that replaces racks of outboard gear

Recording/Playback: Complete wireless control over multi-track direct-to-drive recording and playback

Master Fader: Intuitive wireless control over everything, proven at more than 2 million live mixes

iPad is a registered trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ©2014 LOUD Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

Wireless router and iPad required for operation (not included).

L802 8-Channel Mixer

HarbingerProAudio.com

Harbinger...Message Received!

headroom and they’re loaded with features you need, like assignable AUX IN routing, 5-segment LED meters and more. The L1202FX even features top quality built-in effects. Now you can focus on your music… not your gear. Check out the Harbinger LvL Series, available in 12, 8 and 5-channel configurations, at your Harbinger dealer today.

Available At These Preferred Retailers

From the stage to the studio, from podcasts to rehearsals, your performance should always be the central focus…and with Harbinger LvL Series mixers, that’s exactly where you land. These rugged, versatile, no-nonsense mixers offer an affordable solution for a variety of applications. All of them offer premium mic preamps with plenty of

FRONT AND CENTER

L502 5-Channel Mixer

©2014 Harbinger