Change

A lot has changed in my life recently. Change is inevitable. We all know this. What has made ALL the difference for me, though, is the interpretation of these changes. It's not the change that is good or bad, it's my perception of them. It's how I deal with them. It's the lessons I learn from them. It's the opportunities that I find. A lot of these changes were not my decisions. But how I've reacted to them is ALL my decision. I'm SO excited for what's coming up! I wish I could go into them all, but for now... suffice it to say that incredible music will be heading your way. :) Some amazing albums in the works...

Embrace the changes in your life and make them your own. I redesigned my website in tribute to my changes. And I LOVE it. I hope you do too. See you down the road...

Tribute to your mentor

I hope everyone reading this has had the honor of having a great mentor. That one person who is "in the know", can offer you the wisdom of years of experience, and point out the potholes and pitfalls to avoid on your path forward. A good mentor can easily establish the very direction of your entire career.

I was lucky and nearly fell into the Sound Emporium Studio family back in 2000, where I met Dave Sinko, chief engineer at the time. I'm not sure I realized what good fortune I had come upon. Not only a world class recording engineer, Dave is also a "sound" man in more ways than one can count. I of course followed him around the studios, constantly observing and asking questions, trying to figure out not only how he got those amazing sounds, but also how his brain processed what the room environment was doing to those sounds. But possibly even more importantly than that I met and befriended a lover of sound, a lover of acoustics, a lover of great music, and a lover of life. What a find!

I recently had the great priviledge of working on a project with Dave! I've been touring with the progressive acoustic band Crooked Still from Boston for a few years now, and have engineered and mixed two of their albums. When I couldn't record their most recent upcoming EP due to a prior commitment Dave Sinko stepped in. I was still brought on to mix the project, and when I opened the session the instrument tones practically jumped from the speakers! As a mix engineer you DREAM of getting sessions with beautiful tones and Dave delivers with incredible accuracy every time. The band loved working with him and he even came to my studio and we collaborated on some of the mixing. To be able to work together on a magnificent project and have the respect and trust of your mentor, is truly an honor.

So this blog post is a little tribute to my mentor, Dave Sinko, one of the greatest recording engineers I know, one of the greatest men I know, and a true gift to the music world. May all of you get an opportunity to work with this incredible man.

Thanks Dave.... for everything...

Creative Spaces

This blog is way overdue. I'm sorry. More to myself than others. I tell myself, "THIS TIME, you are going to keep up your blog!"    sigh

But I found something that is too cool to not share. There is a unique team of young audio engineers and musicians in NYC that are finding new life for old and abandoned buildings in the city - recording in them. Such a beautiful way to use these buildings to put a unique sonic imprint on these recordings. NPR just posted an article about them, which is where I read of them on Facebook. Please check them out...

Mason Jar Music

And their article on NPR

Enjoy, my friends