I’m a music producer, engineer and songwriter with a recording studio in Times Square, the heart of New York City.. I specialize in working with solo recording artists in many genres.
Here, at different times, I will shed light on the recording and creative process as well as write some personal articles, reviews, etc… The relationship between an artist and their producer is an extremely personal one, so perhaps here you may get to know me a little better and decide if I might be a good match for you as an artist.
Radio in America has been given a free ride for over 80 years. Songwriters get paid when their songs are played on the radio, but the Performing Artists, Musicians and Producers ARE NOT COMPENSATED from Radio in any way.
While the industry has lobbied for this MANY times over the 80 years, Radio has never been willing to negotiate, and used their tremendous lobbying power to prevent this from happening. I had my doubts about it actually happening this time as well, but then the Obama Administration actually came out in support of this yesterday. If you don’t know how rare it is for politicians to take interest in artistic areas, read Mark Twain’s autobiography to see how “the more things change, the more things just stay the same.”
I’ve been getting emails, and lots of search hits for the BMI No More Revivals CD, so I thought I’d give a quick update.
The CD was finished on Dec. 1st. With the holidays right around the bend, it has taken BMI a little while to get the artwork and liner notes together. They really want to make sure that the CD is a great package, with a great booklet to enhance the experience… it just has been taking them a little longer than expected to get it completed. I am under the impression they will be done with this soon. From that point it will be about 5-6 weeks before it is commercially released.
I assure you it is worth the wait! I am incredibly proud of how it sounds. The writers have fantastic material, the musicians are great, and with performers such as David Hyde Pierce, Kelli O’Hara, Karen Olivo, Alice Ripley, Gergory Jbara, Will Swensen, Stephanie Block, Nancy Opel and many other wonderfully talented performers, I am sure it will be a CD musical Theatre lovers will treasure.
I will update here as more information comes available!
Many bands face this question when recording… Record an album that accurately reflects the band’s live show, or do a bunch of stuff that can’t be replicated on stage?
One plus in your column as a solo artist… you don’t really need to worry about this one. Why? Because if you announce your performances as “solo performances”, no one is going to expect the performance to sound like the recording! In fact, they are probably looking for that intimate, stripped down feeling.
So as a solo artist, your only concern should be if you can play the songs live so that the song still comes across as something special. Making sure your songs are great goes a long way towards this!
For the studio, you should be thinking about other things. Namely, what are your goals with the recording? Maybe a simple, acoustic album is the right thing for you. Maybe you want to keep that overall vibe, but go for adding more dimension with more instruments and arrangement depth. Maybe you are looking for something more slick and polished…
My suggestion is, where budget allows, make a recording for the artist you *want to be*! Read more of this article »
Perhaps the biggest challenge solo artists face when recording is the expense and time of finding musicians. Here, bands have it easy. They can rehearse together, work out all their parts and arrangements. Then they can lay down everything faster… saving money… and they have multiple people to split the costs as well.
Solo performers need to find everyone, pay the musicians, and have less (if any) of an idea as to what the final product will sound like.
What’s the advantage? You can sound like anything you want without being limited to the skills of your bandmates. That band that has it so “easy”… maybe their drummer really doesn’t keep solid time, the guitarist has a certain “style” to playing everything, the bass player really doesn’t hit the notes solid, they keyboardist is stuck in a certain “era” for his sounds and playing… everyone feels like they must be used at all times and when it comes to mixing, everyone feels they must be *louder*
I am very proud to have produced James Barbour’s (Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, Assassins) new single. The song is called “Walk With Me” and was written by Gary Burton. Proceeds will go to benefit Haiti disaster relief.
We did this up in my studio a couple of weeks ago. I also provided piano, bass and drum programming. I also want to give a shout to all the other people who contributed to this recording!
Why do you need to hire people to work on your recording? I couldn’t have said it any better than this thoughtful article from Music Think Tank… a GREAT site for information on Music… promoting, building a career, etc…
Why are people always complaining that music isn’t as good as it used to be. I think this decade featured some very fine music. I’ve seen a lot of lists that are so indie it hurts, and a lot of albums hailed not so much because they are *enjoyable* and more because, well, they AREN’T.
My top albums of the decade are diverse, and there a couple lesser known titles, but many of those were a bit bigger across the pond. Some trends I like? A couple oldsters put out their best work in years, some new people broke innovative ground, and others bucked the system… and it made for some compelling music.
I’m actually quite anal about rating and ranking my albums. I have four categories that I rate 1-10, resulting in a possible 40 point total. The categories are: (S)ONGS – How good is the songwriting? (P)RODUCTION – How much detail, how much punch… did the producer/engineer succeed to the fullest? (M)USICIANSHIP – How is the vocal quality, instrumental players, arrangement, etc… (C)OHESIVENESS – The most subjective, does the album flow well, do the songs combine to form a whole that is greater than the sum of it’s parts?
If you like popular music, and you are unfamiliar with any of the albums I talk about, I urge you to run out right now and get it, because you’ll be in for a treat! So without any further ado, let me begin the countdown. Read more of this article »
This article is a must-read! But I have to state, just because we CAN make things *perfect* doesn’t mean we HAVE to. I believe I find a good balance in my recordings of cleaning up what needs to, but leaving in the imperfections that help make the heart of a recording! This goes for ALL genres, not JUST rock!
As a music producer, I tend to have two kinds of clients: Clients who want to record a fell album and Clients who work on one (or a few) songs at a time. There are aspects I enjoy about both approaches. After all sometimes I want a snack, and sometimes I want a good meal. However, in this post I won’t get into all the ridiculously bad-for-you food that I enjoy, and focus on the elements of a good meal.
Just like a perfect meal takes thought and preparation, so does a great album. I love the additional puzzle-work that comes with producing an album, and I’d like to share some of my insights into what I think makes a good album.
1. Not Every Song Should Be a Single: Okay, not all genres are chasing “radio hits” but there are still “hits” in all genres. But an album that does nothing but go after hit after hit is boring. There is a stigma to the words “album cut” and there shouldn’t be. A great album cut is song that appeals to the artists true fans, and perhaps not EVERYBODY in the world. Perhaps it is lyrically more sophisticated or musically adventurous, or a number of other things, but great album cuts are what makes a great album. How many “singles” did “Dark Side of the Moon” have? Read more of this article »
Site that lets you sell digital AND physical copies of your music with great control. Includes gatering emails for your mailing list. (Use in ADDITION to TUNECORE or other digital distributor)
The defacto online board for music techies to discuss their craft. If you want to record at home, or just know more when you enter the studio, this is the place.
Fantastic Photographer if you need professional shots to capture the industry's attention.
New York Session Musicians
Links to websites are listed when available. If there is no website, email me for contact info
David Acker - Acoustic and electric guitars. Fantastic in about any genre and great at coming up with creative, unique arrangements.
Anthony Lanni - Acoustic and Electric Guitar. Great with Jazz, latin and Brazillian Music.
Dennis Michael Keefe - Upright and Electric Bass for Rock, Pop, Jazz and Musical Theatre
Michael McInnis - Alto, Bari & Tenor Sax. Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute and multiple ethnic reeds. Also a great Brass/Horn Arranger. Good at improvising.
Rob Mosher - Oboe, English Horn, Soprano Sax. Great improviser and arranger.
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I’m a music producer, engineer and songwriter with a recording studio in Times Square, the heart of New York City.. I specialize in working with solo recording artists in many genres.
Radio in America has been given a free ride for over 80 years. Songwriters get paid when their songs are played on the radio, but the Performing Artists, Musicians and Producers ARE NOT COMPENSATED from Radio in any way.
Many bands face this question when 
Perhaps the biggest challenge solo artists face when 
I am very proud to have produced James Barbour’s (Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, Assassins) new single. The song is called “Walk With Me” and was written by Gary Burton. Proceeds will go to benefit Haiti disaster relief.
Why are people always complaining that music isn’t as good as it used to be. I think this decade featured some very fine music. I’ve seen a lot of lists that are so 
I’m actually quite anal about rating and ranking my albums. I have four categories that I rate 1-10, resulting in a possible 40 point total. The categories are: (S)ONGS – How good is the songwriting? (P)RODUCTION – How much detail, how much punch… did the 
As a music 
