Archive for the ‘Musical Family Tree’ Category

MFT#007: THUNDERS

(Michael Preuschl, Ryan Reidy, Duncan Kissinger)

Listen to MFT#007 w/ THUNDERS while you read!!!

This week I am bringing you the lo-fi psychedelic garage stoner rock explosion that goes by the name of  THUNDERS! They are currently on tour supporting the release of their new album “BEAUTIFUL BABY IN THE BUMMER OF LOVE.” Despite their hectic tour schedule, they managed to make time to stop into REBER RECORDING to record five songs to be consumed by the masses via Musical Family Tree. This performance was stellar and the recording process resulted in a sonically thick product that really captured the intensity of their live shows. A thick wall of distortion driven bass lines and shrill guitar tones combine to create an impervious wall of sound that will animate your entire being into tapping your feet and nodding your head. You will become intoxicated by these audio drugs. Did I mention that two of the songs they performed are NEW?!? It’s true. Two of the five songs are new and you can only get them here! The new tracks are titled “NORTH COAST TIDAL WAVE” and “DIAMONDS.”

THUNDERS revolves around guitarist/vocalist/front-man Ryan Reidy; whose primary musical influences are comprised of The Stooges, Nirvana, and Guided By Voices. When I say that the band revolves around Ryan, I mean that he is the songwriter. However, he’s not a one-man-band. He still requires other musicians to help bring his musical visions to the stage. For this particular tour he is playing with Duncan Kissinger on the bass and Michael Preuschl on drums. You may have heard these names before being that they are both members of HOTFOX (featured in MFT Session #004)!


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The stunning images that you see above are provided by Lauren Bultman Photography! She helps document every MFT session that comes through the studio and without her we would have a whole lot less to look at. She does a killer job and deserves a round of applause for putting up with a bunch of rowdy and smelly musicians, not to mention myself. ha! But seriously… her pictures are awesome and her work is appreciated by everyone involved in these projects.

Last but not least, I was able to sit down with THUNDERS and ask them about the new record and talk a little bit about their current tour.

MFT#006: Raafiq Alim

Listen to MFT#006 w/ Raafiq Alim while you read!!!

This week I am mixing things up a little bit. Until this point I have only featured bands and acoustic artists… This week I had the opportunity to work with Raafiq Alim (formerly known as Merc Versus), a 10-plus year veteran of the local/regional underground hip-hop scene. He has been compared to such diverse artists as Mobb Deep, Outkast, Wyclef Jean, Wu-Tang Clan, and A Tribe Called Quest. His inspirations include Kool G Rap, Sam Cooke, Bad Brains, Peter Tosh, and The D.O.C. Being from a unique geographical location in terms of hip hop (Indiana), Raafiq represents a rare perspective of the culture. He is currently Vice President of the Indiana chapter of the Universal Zulu Nation and is managed by former Def Jux artist and underground hip hop legend C-Rayz Walz.

The first three songs featured in this session are a collaborative effort between East Harlem, New York native Udi the Erratic Assassin, Indiana native Raafiq Alim aka Merc Versus to form BEDLAM BRETHREN. I took my time to fine-tune these tracks and add subtle changes to make the listening experience unique. The final 2 tracks are previews of a second collaborative effort titled, Mystery School. The Mystery School tracks are not complete. They are merely previews featuring Raafiq Alim’s contributions. The finished versions of these songs will be made available on an upcoming album titled, “Class Envy.” There is no set release date as of this time.


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
If you’ve been following the MFT sessions that I have been releasing you may notice that this particular session is a bit different; and not just in terms of genre. The whole performance is a different creature. There are no amplifiers or drums for me to capture… the music is essentially pre-recorded and ready to go. This makes it rather difficult to capture the feel of a live performance and so I have opted to approach the hip-hop genre a bit differently. Although there are still elements of the live performance in terms of vocals, I have opted to create a unique mix of the music in addition to the vocals so that there are subtleties in the music that you wouldn’t be able to hear anywhere else. But that’s enough shop talk… I was fortunate enough to sit down with Raafiq Alim and ask him a few questions regarding his transition from Merc Versus to Raafiq Alim, his affiliations with the Zulu Nation, and his outlook on current hip hop trends.

MFT#005: The Bashville Boys

(Ryan Lash, Jim Flatford, Kyle Beaty, Ryan Cochrane)

Listen to MFT#005 w/ The Bashville Boys while you read!!!

It’s always a pleasure to work with The Bashville Boys and this session was no exception. They are a fun group of guys that have a real passion for the music they play. I have been looking forward to finalizing this session from the moment the guys had expressed an interest in being feature for MFT#005. The recording process went fairly smoothly with the small exception of trying to figure out how to record Jim’s vocals while simultaneously recording his Mandolin without excessive microphone bleeding. It proved to be a challenge but after a quick bout of trial and error we managed to get good results. Problem solving is a big part of any recording session so this is nothing out of the ordinary. These MFT sessions are all recorded live so it’s not only a challenge for the bands to exert the best performance that they can, it is also a challenge for me as a recording engineer to make sure that everything sounds as close to perfect as possible.

Lauren Bultman Photography was there to document the session in its entirety. As always, she did a wonderful job capturing the digital likenesses of everyone in the band. Please take a moment to check out the photo gallery below and get your giggle on. There are some boy band poses that should not be overlooked.


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
The weather was PHENOMENAL! This was the first session that the basketball court was used since I started this Musical Family Tree collaboration. That’s not to say that things got serious enough for an actual game… But Ryan Lash got pretty excited about the basketball goal having an adjustable height. He was the slam dunk master. He almost wore himself out before the session had started but was able to regain his energy by eating nearly 5,000 calories worth of cookies and cheese puffs. This session could have easily picked up a three-way sponsorship of cookies, beer, and cheese puffs. Delicious.

Now it’s time to address a new addition to the original MFT format… In the past I have been including video interviews of the bands but starting with MFT#005 I have decided to switch over to a podcast instead. I have my reasons. I am a recording studio… My strengths are in audio and when it came to setting up lights and video cameras I was beginning to get a little overwhelmed. I feel that I am better equipped to deliver a podcast than I am a video. Furthermore, I feel that it’s easier for bands to participate in a podcast. There’s a lot less pressure and stress when you don’t have to worry so much about whether or not you’re making a dumb face and etc. Besides, the photo shoot already covers the visual aspect of the show. Duh! So give the podcast interview a listen and if you are in the mood to leave any feedback, send it to reberrecording@gmail.com.

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