Recording at Fidelitorium - Part 1
I never would have expected when I first walked in to Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium in Kernersville, NC that the next year would bring such an education for me in the art of making records. A mutual friend, Jeffrey Dean Foster, made the introduction and Mitch agreed to do a marathon mix session for the Enrichment Center Percussion Ensemble’s album “Ten Songs” in March of 2007. Aaron Bachelder, Erich Hubner and myself worked on making the new ECPE record the best we could, but when it came time to mix it we knew it had to be given over to someone with more experience and better equipment. Mitch did a wonderful job with what we gave him, and he was great to work with. The album was released on the independent record label Microearth Records on June 24, 2008 and is available through iTunes, Amazon.com and CDBaby.
A couple of months later, I received an email from Mitch asking if I could work on a session for the blues artist Nappy Brown, produced by Scott Cable with the engineer Mark Williams. Of course I was eager to return to the Fidelitorium, and even though I was unfamiliar with most of the musicians playing on the record (except for Bob Margolin who I knew of because I had the Muddy Waters albums King Bee and Hard Again on vinyl), I quickly because friends with a few of them. I was comfortable (or naïve) enough to ask Sean Costello to play on a project I was working on for the publishing company ARC music. With Mark Williams’s encouragement, Mookie Brill and Bob Margolin also agreed to play on my recordings. I continued working on various sessions at the studio including the Sammies album “Sandwich” and Insanity Wave’s “Late Night Shift” and somewhere in-between Mitch mixed the recordings I had been making with my new blues friends and some old buddies from college, which became Lex Samu and the Kraft Quartet’s “Nervous Boogie”. It was released on April 1, 2008 and is also available through iTunes, Amazon.com and CDBaby. Tragically two weeks after it’s release, lead guitarist for the project Sean Costello passed away, one day before his 29th birthday. As with any unexpected death, it sent shock waves through the community. I had been working with Mitch the week before Sean’s death on mixes for a second album with the Kraft Quartet that once again featured Sean on guitar. Mitch spent most of the afternoon that Thursday working the flying faders on his prized Neve console to ensure that all of nuances of Sean’s guitar solo on “I’d Rather Go Blind” could be heard. The whole experience of Sean’s sudden departure is something I’m still trying to deal with, and I’m very thankful for the support of his family and musician friends who have helped me finish the album. It’s still waiting to be mastered and as of yet has no release date, but somehow it has been finished. Other than the quartet, it features guest appearances by Bob Margolin, Mookie Brill, Dave Gross, David Boatwright and John Ellis. On September 20, 2008 Nappy Brown passed away after a long and productive life at the age of 78. I feel nothing but blessed to have had the chance to see both Nappy and Sean at their best in the studio recording the album “Long Time Coming”, and then again at the CD release show in Charlotte (clips from the show are viewable on YouTube). I was able to attend the 2008 Blues Music Awards, where Nappy didn’t win the awards he was nominated for, but certainly stole the show with his performance later in the evening.
I’ve worked with Mark Williams as his assistant on a few records at the Fidelitorium. One was a gospel album. Another was the upcoming release by Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Water’s son) that once again included Bob Margolin and Mookie Brill as well as drummer Chuck Cotton and blues harp monster Steve Guyger, who I talked into selling me one of his vintage Gibson Skylark amps at the end of the session. It cost me every penny I earned that week to get the amp, but well worth it! It was such a heavy experience, and with Steady Rolling Bob Margolin co-producing the session, it will likely be the closest I ever come to being around authentic Chicago Blues.
(continued with Recording at Fidelitorium - Part 2)
A couple of months later, I received an email from Mitch asking if I could work on a session for the blues artist Nappy Brown, produced by Scott Cable with the engineer Mark Williams. Of course I was eager to return to the Fidelitorium, and even though I was unfamiliar with most of the musicians playing on the record (except for Bob Margolin who I knew of because I had the Muddy Waters albums King Bee and Hard Again on vinyl), I quickly because friends with a few of them. I was comfortable (or naïve) enough to ask Sean Costello to play on a project I was working on for the publishing company ARC music. With Mark Williams’s encouragement, Mookie Brill and Bob Margolin also agreed to play on my recordings. I continued working on various sessions at the studio including the Sammies album “Sandwich” and Insanity Wave’s “Late Night Shift” and somewhere in-between Mitch mixed the recordings I had been making with my new blues friends and some old buddies from college, which became Lex Samu and the Kraft Quartet’s “Nervous Boogie”. It was released on April 1, 2008 and is also available through iTunes, Amazon.com and CDBaby. Tragically two weeks after it’s release, lead guitarist for the project Sean Costello passed away, one day before his 29th birthday. As with any unexpected death, it sent shock waves through the community. I had been working with Mitch the week before Sean’s death on mixes for a second album with the Kraft Quartet that once again featured Sean on guitar. Mitch spent most of the afternoon that Thursday working the flying faders on his prized Neve console to ensure that all of nuances of Sean’s guitar solo on “I’d Rather Go Blind” could be heard. The whole experience of Sean’s sudden departure is something I’m still trying to deal with, and I’m very thankful for the support of his family and musician friends who have helped me finish the album. It’s still waiting to be mastered and as of yet has no release date, but somehow it has been finished. Other than the quartet, it features guest appearances by Bob Margolin, Mookie Brill, Dave Gross, David Boatwright and John Ellis. On September 20, 2008 Nappy Brown passed away after a long and productive life at the age of 78. I feel nothing but blessed to have had the chance to see both Nappy and Sean at their best in the studio recording the album “Long Time Coming”, and then again at the CD release show in Charlotte (clips from the show are viewable on YouTube). I was able to attend the 2008 Blues Music Awards, where Nappy didn’t win the awards he was nominated for, but certainly stole the show with his performance later in the evening.
I’ve worked with Mark Williams as his assistant on a few records at the Fidelitorium. One was a gospel album. Another was the upcoming release by Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Water’s son) that once again included Bob Margolin and Mookie Brill as well as drummer Chuck Cotton and blues harp monster Steve Guyger, who I talked into selling me one of his vintage Gibson Skylark amps at the end of the session. It cost me every penny I earned that week to get the amp, but well worth it! It was such a heavy experience, and with Steady Rolling Bob Margolin co-producing the session, it will likely be the closest I ever come to being around authentic Chicago Blues.
(continued with Recording at Fidelitorium - Part 2)
