Listen to MFT#008 w/ Cowboy Angels while you read!!!

The studio has been incredibly busy this past week and I feel like I’ve been running around like a chicken with no head. Despite being slammed with sessions, I still managed to find time to record another session for all of you fine people to enjoy. This week I invited Dan Schepper to come in and perform a few Cowboy Angels tunes. I’ve known Dan for a number of years now and I consider him to be a pretty swell guy. Dan is probably known to most people as the drummer for Everything, NOW!, but over the past couple of years his solo project, Cowboy Angels, has been turning some heads. Unlike the psychedelic space folk music that he plays in E,N!, Cowboy Angels can be pretty diverse. At times it sounds like a crunchy old school rock and at others it borderlines some sort of back-country shoe-gaze. Regardless of the styles and genres being utilized, every element has some strange vintage feel to it. The timeless tones that remind me of countless old records.

Since Dan writes and plays EVERYTHING it was a bit of a challenge to record a multi-tracked session in such a way that it would sound like a live performance. To pull this off we opted for single takes. Essentially we froze a piece of time with our technology so that Dan could go back and rock out with his past selves. Is your mind blown yet? I bet you never thought of a recording engineer as manipulator of time! No big whoop.

Back to Dan… He recorded 5 songs. 3 of these 5 are NEW. I could tell you which songs are new but that would take all of the fun out of the hunt. Do yourself a favor and head CLICK HERE to listen to MFT#008 featuring a multi-tracked performance by Dan Schepper. Try not to tap your foot. I dare you.

Now if you’re longing for something to look at while your ears are being stimulated, take a gander at some of these amazing photographs taken by Lauren Bultman Photography. She always does an amazing job and I’m not just saying that because she’s my fiance.

Last but not least… You can find Cowboy Angels on the internet in the following places.
1. http://cowboyangels.bandcamp.com/
2. http://www.facebook.com/cowboyangels
3. http://www.myspace.com/wearecowboyangels

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)!

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.

The good boys in When, Not If have started a kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds to record a full-length album here at Reber Recording! With your help, this will be the third album that I have had the pleasure of recording thanks to kickstarter funding. Take a quick moment to MFT#001 featuring When, Not If to check out what some of the new songs sound like when performed live. Now… Imagine how much more awesome they will sound when we get to take our sweet time going over all the details!

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.

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.

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.

Listen to MFT#004 while you read!!!!

I never know where to start with these things so I’m just going to go with the beginning. My first encounter with Hotfox was a while back when The Bonesetters were recording their album “Savages” at my studio. Oliver and Duncan had come  up from Indianapolis to lend their voices to the group vocal session. Prior to that day, I had no idea who or what Hotfox was which is sad but also good in a way. I think our MFT session benefited from my lack of a prior experience with their material and sound… Now, this isn’t how I would normally approach a recording session. Typically there’s a good amount of pre-production involved with getting to know the ins and outs of songs and figuring out the best way to tell the story/paint the picture or what-have-you. Anyway, my point is this… The majority of the songs that Hotfox had come to record have not been released before. These are new and previously unheard. I was able to listen and mix objectively and unbiased (to the extent one can be). I just had fun with it and tried my best to make it sound just like the performance I was hearing in the studio.

So yeah, enough of the philosophical shit. You guys want to read about Hotfox. Well, what can I say…? They are all stand-up gentlemen and scholars. They really are a swell group of guys. I’m sure by this point they are sick of reading reviews about how good they are for how young they are. I feel that just by mentioning the term in a criticism or review adds prejudice. This band is just good and that transcends age. I had a killer time recording this session. Seriously… Stand up doods. Passionate and ambitious musicians with the talent to take them wherever they want to go. I expect we will be hearing a lot from this band in the coming years and I welcome it. But enough praise… Let’s move on to some of the studio conversation highlight! Oliver explained the science behind his manicure techniques. He carries a piece of sandpaper on him at all times to help sand his thumbnail into a an ideal guitar pick. Upon further investigation I uncovered that he has experimented with a number of different grits to find the perfect thumbnail smoothness. Furthermore, Oliver also enjoys sanding and smoothing out anything and everything. If he’s been to your house… it’s almost certain that he has sanded something.

Although the weather was not ideal (it was actually pretty shitty out), we opted for an outdoor photo shoot that involved the burning of wet cardboard that had been sitting outside for weeks. It was one hell of a challenge to light damp cardboard but we persevered with patience and diligence. This makes MFT#004 the first session with a bonfire. Anyway, you can check out the following images by Lauren Bultman Photography below.

Artist: Strand of Oaks
Song: Spacestation
Mixed by: Frank Reber

This song was provided by Shaking Through and Weathervane Music. This is my first Shaking Through mix and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the whole process. This company is providing an amazing resource for people that are interested in trying out their skills with properly recorded instruments… Oh, and the tracks sound good too.

This year I spent my spring break building bass traps for the studio with my good friend, Ian. While most of my friends were tanning on sunny beaches, my week was comprised of whiskey, meat, and power tools; albeit not at the same time. When all is said and done expensive tans that will fade but my new bass traps will last for a long, long time. The project is still not 100% finished. I am still waiting on my fabric to arrive so that I can stretch it over the front of these traps to make them more visually appealing. I purchased 25 yards of barn-red burlap to use as a finishing material so that it would match the current color scheme in the studio. They are going to look AMAZING!

Bass traps can be expensive due to their size and weight… Shipping costs can be pretty extreme. I decided that it was in my best interest to build my own based on my needs. I enjoy working with my hands and saving money so it seemed like a good fit. Also, by building them myself, I can be sure of the quality of my traps and will be able to make future adjustments if need be without having to contact a manufacturer. All in all I am building 9 bass traps for the studio but I was only able to finish 7 of them in a single week.

I’m still rather sore from the 7 continuous days of the physical labor that went into creating these things but it’s a good kind of sore. I mean, it wasn’t like I was working at a balls-to-the-wall pace for the entire week. I made sure to schedule some rest and relaxation as well. Ian and I made it a point to have a cookout every night of the week. We ate exceptionally well… Oh, and I made sure to document the feasting with my iPod so that I could share it with all of my friends that were busy posting pictures of beaches in a future post.

Chad Serhal @ Reber Recording 02.26.2012

 Listen to MFT#003 w/ Chad Serhal while you read!

This week I am bringing you an acoustic performance by Chad Serhal. Chad was rad enough to drive up from Bloomington, Indiana so that I could sit him on a chair and point microphones at him for an extended period of time. Now, for those of you that aren’t familiar with the name Chad Serhal, he plays in the band “She Does Is Magic.” However, this session is not about that… No, this session is about Chad’s solo material.

We kicked things off around 2PM. We were aiming to wrap things up early so that Chad could get back to Bloomington in time to watch the Oscars. He’s into films and seemed to be pretty pumped about watching them. So, once we established our time frame I handed him over to the lovely Lauren Bultman (Lauren Bultman Photography) so that she could capture his soul with a series of photographs. The weather was spectacular. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Since the lighting outside was so exceptional, they opted for a few outdoor pictures in addition to in the studio.

Once the photography portion of the session had concluded, we moved back into the studio to start recording. I had not heard any of these songs prior to the session so I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard his band play a few times in the past but I wasn’t sure how similar his solo work would be. From the moment he opened with the first notes of “Take Good Care” I knew I was in for a treat. The guitar was so soft and pretty. His playing style is full of dynamic subtleties so I refrained from using much compression so that listeners could experience the full dynamic range of his performance. I hope you enjoy what you hear. Oh, and before you go, be sure to check out the video interview w/ Chad!

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Chad’s Musical Influences:

• Bob Dylan
• Jonathan Richman
• Bruce Springsteen
• Paul Simon

Upcoming Shows:

• 03/23/2012 @ Indy CD & Vinyl [Indianapolis, IN]

Find Chad on the Internets:

• http://chadserhal.bandcamp.com
• http://shedoesismagic.bandcamp.com

[Gavin, Brian, Maggie, Justin]

Listen to MFT#002 w/ The Bears of Blue River while you read!

This week we were fortunate enough to hook up with The Bears of Blue River on the last leg of their Dastardly Tour. Our session took place on a Tuesday morning before they were scheduled to drive up to Michigan for their last two shows. We were scheduled to start at 10AM but The Bears had played a show the night before so I had expected them to be a little late. It was a good thing I did because they didn’t end up arriving until 10:30. The band loaded in around 10:45AM while I made up a big pot of coffee. Early morning sessions are usually pretty rough. It just isn’t natural to make music early in the morning unless you stayed up all night and haven’t gone to bed yet. Nonetheless, we marched on in the hopes that the morning bummers would pass (and they did). We hashed out a few early takes to get everyone warmed up and feeling good as the fatigue fled our bodies. I can hear the early morning hour retreating throughout the session.

The weather was exceptionally warm for February which made the outdoor photo shoot nice and comfortable. The Bears picked a few hats, glasses, and props from around the studio and trudged out into the forest to have their likenesses captured by Lauren of Lauren Bultman Photography. The photo session was pretty fun. The Bears made sure to include my dog Cleo in the shoot… oh, and a grill. Yeah, it was one of those mornings.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

We didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend on the interview process because the band needed to hit the road if they were going to make it to Michigan in time for their load-in. Despite our limited amount of time, we were able to get a quick interview with The Bears of Blue River. Hopefully it will make you crack a smile.

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