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| VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 4 Portugal the Man and Death Cab for Cutie. A major project recently wrapped at Pacific Beat. “I just finished mixing and mastering a new album with producer Vernon Porter, “Heroes & Legends,” which aims to raise funds for youth addiction recovery,” Sanderson said. Listeners will recognize the voices on the album, which features new music by Mr. Mister’s Richard Page, and performances by Bill Medley (Righteous Brothers), Bill Champlin (formerly of Chicago), and Michael McDonald
Owned by Grammy award winning producer / engineer Alan Sanderson (The Rolling Stones, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Weezer, Switchfoot etc) the studio is ramping up activity as it prepares to head into its fifth decade of making great music. The music community is only now beginning to return to ‘normal’ and Sanderson admits things were looking dicey for a bit. “It was Deepak Chopra the started the studio up again in May 2020,” he said. “I thought for sure we were done for and didn’t know when to reopen. When Deepak’s people called I started ‘live’ sessions again and people just started coming back in after that.“ Because of the lock downs a lot of artists from around the world also sent tracks to Sanderson to mix. “A lot of folks used the studio during the lockdowns because they needed a place to be expressive and get out of the house. It became an oasis during that time period.” With so many sessions tracked at the studio, does Sanderson have a favorite? “There’s been a lot of great recordings at the Beat and I can’t pick out a favorite, but one that comes to mind is when Mike Halloran brought The Cult to the studio and we cut a version of “She Sells Sanctuary” live for the 91X Sessions. It was total chaos, but very rewarding.” Amongst other notable combos to record sessions at Pacific Beat are Chris Cornell, The Violent Femmes, Kula Shaker, Silver Sun Pickups, Ride,
(The Doobie Brothers). “Proceeds of the album benefit the non-profit, Demand Impact, founded by TJ George, who also produced the album. Demand Impact’s tagline is “recovering lives through music,” and album sales provide funding and drug rehabilitation and recovery programs at a time when need is high.” While music is the bulk of what he works on, Sanderson notes that the studio activity varies daily. “It seems these days with budgets being the way they are, I get hired as the engineer and kind up end of being the ‘go to’ guy for production, project coordination, mixing and mastering engineer. Owning the studio here I wear a lot of hats including janitor, booking agent, accountant and runner.” Some recordings have nothing to do with music. “I
have been doing more corporate work as the years go on, such as voiceovers for production companies worldwide and producing audio books with a few New York Times bestsellers. Surprisingly there are a lot of well-known authors living here in San Diego and I do about 4-5 books a year.” Also ongoing is work with Karl Soukup for the San Diego Zoo. “It’s always a lot of fun as we get the best musicians in town coming in to record over a few weeks in May, mostly folks from the Mighty Untouchables, one of my favorite cover bands in town. They seem to be the go to session players for the corporate stuff.” He notes Pacific Beat has a great house band that’s “developed organically over the years with James East on bass, Gregg Montante or Dean Cote on guitars, Josh Thompson on drums and Bobby Cressey on keys.” Current projects include Yacht Stars recordings with Tris Imboden (Chicago, Kenny Loggins) and work with Steve Churchyard (Adele, Katy Perry, INXS) on a solo album from Electric Mud guitarist Marc Hansen, with a busy summer ahead. Sanderson is looking forward to decades of making new music in Pacific Beach. “My favorite thing about PBR is the location, the intimacy of the space,” he said. “It sort of feels like a home studio atmosphere in a professional working environment, the 70’s feel makes it very attractive. So far everybody is digging the Beat.” www.pacificbeatrecording.com
Shauna Aguirre / Humphrey’s Backstage Live! Is there a more scenic music venue in San Diego than Humphrey’s Backstage Live? Located right on the water on Shelter Island, the nightspot has long been considered one of the area’s premier spots for jazz, blues and rock. Recently, one of the area’s most beloved music promoters, Shauna Aguirre, has returned to HBL, bringing both a lifetimes knowledge and boundless enthusiasm to the venue. “I returned for the third time to Humphreys last August, at the start of the concert season,” Aguirre said. “The season would usually start in April but due to Covid delays it started late and ran for an abbreviated 42 shows as compared to the 80+ shows that we will see in 2022.” It was working at Humphrey’s that inspired and set Aguirre on the path to promoting music. “One of my first jobs was as the ticket seller at Humphreys in 1984, when the concerts were just getting started,” she said. “I was immediately exposed to every variety of music and quickly gained an appreciation for and love of live music. From there I went to La Casa Del Zorro during the time of the legendary and still talked about Jazz and Blues weekends. My initial career path was as a hotelier and restaurateur and fortunately those properties early in my career had an extensive music program and I was able to cultivate my passion for music and entertainment.” Aguirre was previously the Entertainment Director for a national hotel chain and managed the bookings for four of their hotels, booking over 700 shows a year. “Most recently I was booking for the Kona Kai and La Jolla Beach and Tennis club. Currently my role is Venue manager for Humphreys Concerts by the Bay and Talent Buyer for Humphreys Backstage Live.” Aguirre takes Humphrey’s reputation for being one of the best live music venues in San Diego seriously. “My goal is to honor that distinction and ensure that whatever night you decide to come to the club, you don’t need to look at the calendar to know there will be a great band. I look for bands that have a good following and actively work on their craft.” LOCAL NEWS | LocalUmbrellaNews.com
She points out that although she doesn’t pick opening acts for the hotels outdoor stage, “artists that play in the Backstage Lounge have occasionally been selected for those slots.” She considers that “the outdoor concerts offer a unique opportunity for local bands to play the after show in HBL and I always strive to book bands that pair well with the outdoor genre.” While many national acts play in HBL, Aguirre is happy to book local performers. “The San Diego /LocalUmbrellaMedia
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music community has always had a collection of amazing talent, but I would venture to say that the artists that currently make up the local scene are some of the best in the Country. Being able to book local acts that can sell out the venue is a testament to that. As a talent buyer, I work hard to provide a monthly calendar that is well balanced thru different genres while featuring the best talent SD has to offer.” A new ticketing system and the return of a favorite themed night have helped with HBL’s continued popularity. “In January when we resumed booking national acts we added an interactive seat map that allows guests to reserve specific seats in the club so nationally touring acts can sell tickets in advance. It’s been a great success. We also recently brought back our Sunday Night Smooth Jazz nights, featuring local and National acts and they are consistently selling out.” Music occupies most evenings at Humphrey’s Backstage Live, but recently the venue has added a comedy night. “We recently started a once-a-month event for the first time in Humphrey’s history,” Aguirre said. “We feature touring and local comedians and they have been incredibly popular. Last month’s show was a complete sell out.” She notes that this month HBL will host their first ever DJ Night to pair with one of the outdoor shows. “We will continue to think out of the box to provide great entertainment,” Aguirre remarked. There are many fun events to plan ahead, but in the meantime Aguirre is happy to back at Humphrey’s Backstage Live. “When I was very young Humphreys was one of my dad’s favorite restaurants and we dined there regularly,” she recalled. “This is my third time working here and it feels like home. My history here drives my passion to ensure the success of the venue and my emotional connection motivates me to strive for excellence,” Aguirre said. www.humphreysbackstagelive.com ADVERTISE | Press@LocalUmbrella.com