Welcome to the "Virtual Bar and Grille"

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2001 5:36 pm

Whoo-hoo...I'm a 'moderator' here!! Damn, all the changes that have happened here in the last week...I need a drink.Bartender!! Double 'Bookers'; Bud bottle back (say that shit three times fast!!) for me. Ah hell, I got this round, whatever the house is having, throw it on my tab for the rest of the night.OK, I'm not gonna bullshit ya...the name is stolen from another group...they had it first, and I don't really give a fuck. This is the place to come to crack a joke, tell a story, razz a client, howl at the moon.Pony up to the bar, give us an introduction of who you are...what you like to do, the kind of stuff you do musicaly, whatever you feel like.The site has grown a whole lot of new members in the last couple weeks, we don't all know each other, so this is a great place to make an introduction.I'll go first...gimme a second here, lemme grab that drink...ahh, Kentucky's finest sippin' whiskey, now there's a treat...125 proof and smoother than a baby's ass...good lord I love Amerikkka.Any rate...I grew up in NY, used to play guitar in bands around NY, got into doing live sound, then recorded sound...tried to make a living being an independent recording engineer in New England (where I moved after I escaped from NY). Became a Red Sox fan [which is spelled L-O-S-E-R], and a gear pimp. So, now I pick and choose my recording gigs mostly by how much fun I think they'll be, and pimp gear by day. I mostly work on "alternative country" these days, which at one time was known as 'rock and roll', but now is considered 'country music with no autotuning'...you can see why I live just outside of Boston...it's a country music mecca to say the least.Yeah, it's the short version...but I'm kind of a boring guy. Besides (mmmmm...beer), I know my story, but I haven't heard most of yours yet....soooooooo, belly up to the bar, order a drink, tell us who you are, etc.Anybody gotta buck for the jukebox? I'm just gonna hang over here by the pool table, wait for my game to come up, and listen to y'all for a while...

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2001 7:34 pm

Heineken, please. ....thanks. got a light? ....oh, I didn't know you couldn't do that in here....I've always been a drummer - first and last. It's my true passion. It's what my whole career is working towards.I went to Full Sail in '88 - before they became so huge. I feel like I got a good start there (I know schools are way out of control now, but that's a whole other discussion). From there I went the normal route - coffee guy to assistant to engineer..... After moving around the East Coast quite a bit, I landed a gig at Omega Studios in Rockville, MD. How could I go wrong with a recording studio in ROCKVILLE, right? Anyway, it was an okay place, but the owner and I had different visions. Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because this is where I met my best client to date - a client that has enabled me to remain independent, therefore helping me to understand just how great a gift this is - the ability to make music. After leaving Omega, I lived in NYC for a few years. I got roughed-up at first, but I learned to deal. I grew more in those years not only professionally, but also personally than I had in my whole life before. I worked a couple staff gigs.....Clinton, Axis, Quad, The Hit Factory.... But really didn't get too far. With the exception of the occasional cool date, I really didn't dig most of the projects I was working on. I did make some great contacts as well as some super friends, but career-wise, things kinda sucked. Just when I was really goin' down, I got a call from this client whom I had worked with at Omega. They wanted me to work on a serious project we had demo'd a while before. They got the contract and were ready to start. This was huge for me. From this one client, I was able to sustain myself as an Independent. I'm not saying I hit the big-time or anything. This meant I could pay the bills while being a little more picky about what projects I worked on. I always wanted to do Production work, so I took the plunge. This was about 4 years ago and I have been Producing for about 2. I'm very happy with where I am as an Engineer, but Production chops are still very green. My best work is certainly yet to come. I have a couple favorite studios where I work most, and every now and then something really great happens. I despise anything fake. I capture inspired performances by great players playing incredible instruments. Hell..... there's nothing better........ I gotta go.... ya got that light......?Dave g <A HREF="http://www.groovestainproductions.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.groovestainproductions.com</A> 570-839-1019

RO Admin Joined: Mar 20, 2000 Posts: 4352 Location: Canada

I'm a 20 year vet of the road, toured 46 weeks a year for most of those years, stayed faithful to my wife, and loved every moment of playing live. I made a living with my passion, what more could anyone ask for. My lungs are sore from smokey bars now which forced me to get out of that part of the business.

A few years later I discovered the LM1, Roger Linns Drum Machine (the first digital drums). This thing sounded pretty cool for a beat box and was killer through a large stereo PA system. Put that kick through double 18's, man could you could move air. ahhhhh! A lot of the music coming out in the early 80's had that linn sound so that started me thinking about the two man band thing (...shshing!) and the tricks & techniques used in recording pop music. A very large percentage of POP music was going digital, top 40 hits had that linn sound so bringing that tool to the stage worked wonders for me.

The oil boom was happening at the time (Alberta Canada) so bars were packed with happy working people with money to burn. The nightclubs were starving for good entertainment, I've always moved with the times so this was my opportunity to cash in, have fun and go with the flow. I had a long term carreer ahead of me. Every town wanted music! I hooked up with an awesome singer, called some agents and started blazing new trails. High power dou's were the craze and New Wave was it.

We packed around a $25,000 PA system, keyboards, lights and pounded out the Top 40, Dance tunes. I learned how to play, sings, program, mix and promote myself. The 80's were the greatest! It no time at all we were filling our wallets. Clubs paid the two of us as much and more as five piece bands! Man those we're the days! Over the coarse of 15 years as a Duo, we became one of Western Canada's most popular Dance Duo's called "Jet"

So how did I get here? In my travels I found a place that still had trees, fishing and cheep land to buy. No polution that you can see at least. I bought a cabin, some more studio gear and began writing and dreaming of a new life. One side of my cabin had a wood stove and the other was full of high tech music gear. Talk about two worlds, chopping wood to keep warm in the winter time yet hooked up to the internet, if that isn't extreme!

I knew if I was to survive in this beautiful but remote area of the world, I was going to have to look for alternative ways of making money. A Pretty tough concept after working on my own for nearly two decades and now basically living in the middle of the forest.
Smile

I began learning how build web pages and promote myself online. Web design and marketing was my new journey. I bought myself a pro tools rig and started doing vinyl record restoration. My web site took off and I started making money in the forest lol. I'm very blessed.

In 2000 I produced and arranged some songs for Marcel Gagnon, a gifted aboriginal singer songwriter. The album climbed to number 7 in the Aboriginal Music Awards for Canada. I'm very proud of that and that's basically my story.

Cheers! Very Happy

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2001 9:30 pm

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2001 1:58 am

Wooo Hooo! Mixerman reporting in to Fletcher's house!Mixerman

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2001 2:48 am

Naw, he lives down the block. Gimme a barrel of Gentleman Jack and an IV....TB

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2001 10:01 am

Just a Coke with lotsa ice, please. (I'm the "desoignated driver" for all these other bozos in here tonight.) What? Yeah, I'm with them. Weird? I guess you could say that, but we're all in the music business, so that would account for some of it. My story? Geez, how many lifetimes do you want me to go back? Lemme see:We moved from Chicago to Los Angeles when I was 10. That was 1947. We lived right near First and Vermont, right near the KFI radio broadcast studios. They later added KHJ-TV Channel 9 in there as well. It was all owned by Earl C. Anthony, the biggest Packard automobile dealer in Los Angeles. I had to walk by the place every day on my way to school, and one day, I noticed an open side door, so I just walked in. They were doing a live radio show called "Ladies Day", and I just stood there and watched the whole show. Bill Stulla was the announcer, Bob Mitchell on Hammond organ, and Buddy Jobe on guitar. Bob Mitchell went on to create the Mitchell Boy's Choir. Anyway I started hanging out there every day after school, and after a while, everybody thought I belonged there (or I was somebody's kid), and I became a regular. Buddy Jobe used to talk to me during the breaks and he was really cool, so I bought a uke, and learned to play. As I got more interested in music, my best friend's mother (who played guitar) got me interested in moving up to guitar. I traded an old car to a guy for an electric guitar (with a Charlie Christian pickup), bought an amp, and my friend's mother would show me chords.I hung out at their house more than mine and she introduced me to a lot of her old friends like Bob Nolan from the Sons Of The Pioneers (who wrote "Cool Water" and Tumbling Tumbleweeds"), Les Paul and Mary Ford (my friend's mom was in a band with Mary when she was still known as Coleen Summers), Merle Travis, and a whole bunch of other pretty impressive people, at least they impressed the hell outa this high school kid.After high school, I got a job at JBL, got into folk music, and wound up doing sound at the Ash Grove, and playing at all the Southern California clubs, where I became friends with people just starting out, like Hoyt Axton, Frank Zappa, John Denver, and stars like Albert King, Flatt and Scruggs, Brownie and Sonny, Lightning Hopkins, and a whole lot more. If they were playing in L.A., I probably knew them. I'd go to work at JBL in the day, then hit all the clubs till around 2 or 3 in the morning, go to a coffee house and jam till daybreak, get a couple of hours of sleep, and head for JBL again. I played as a single, or sometimes I'd back people on guitar or bass, and it was probably one of the happiest periods in my life.Fender had just gotten pretty big and they were a huge customer for JBL speakers, but they were snding back a lot of fried speaker. As a guitar player, I thought I knew the problem, so I wrote up a proposal to the President of JBL, suggesting we develop a separate line of musical instrument speakers. He liked the idea, and the next thing I knew, I was in charge of the whole thing. Still just a kid, still playing music all night, but the extra status brought me into contact with even more big name musicians. Talk about "lucking out"!!After a couple of years, I took a break from JBL and started a folk group and we got signed to RCA and did a few month long tours. Dave Hassinger was our engineer, and Al Schmitt was assigned the unhappy job of producing us. For some strange reason, Al took a liking to me, and I'd often wander in to RCA in the wee hours to see what was going on that night. Since most of the people recording knew me either as another artist or from my JBL days, I could pretty much walk into any studio, club, or show in L.A.. And I did!!After RCA, I started a group called the Men (which became The Association), wrote some songs with Jim McGuinn, and the next thing I know, I'm living off of Byrd's royalties. Around this time, I ran into an old folky from a former band and he told me about Acoustic Control, an amp company. I went to work there and designed their whole line and hooked up with all the people I knew from the old days, and we suddenly became really well known. I took about a year off and played with Sweetwater, which again gave me some musical credibility, and introduced me to even more well known musicians. Between Sweetwater as a player, Byrds as a songwriter, and Acoustic as a designer, it didn't take to long to make friends with tons of new rock musicians. Paul Kantnor of Jefferson Airplane used our amps, and Al Schmitt was their producer, so I was pretty well known when I'd walk into a studio. I'd hang out in the control room and drive Al crazy with questions. Same with Doc Seigal and a whole bunch of engineers I'd made friends with. I'd drive them crazy till finally they'd get up and say, "Here, you run the damn board" and let me sit there moving knobs till I'd screw up bad enough for them to take over.I got married and started raising a family, but in the late 70s, a lot of people I knew started dying and I decided that my lifestyle (still working a day job designing amps, and going to clubs, studios, and concerts at night) was a ticket to an early grave. So in 1978, I moved to Texas, got a job at Tandy writing manuals for the Radio Shack TRS-80 computer, and didn't turn on the radio for the next nine years. In 1987, I ran into Jerry Freed (the President of International Music, who made Jackson, Charvel, Ross and distributed Akai in the US) in downtown Fort Worth, and suddenly, I'm "Director of Electronics", and I'm back in the music business again.Worked there till late 88, picked up an Akai 12 track, and basically started a little songwriting studio for myself, which somehow got outta hand, and the next thing I know, I'm doing this shit for a living. And that's about it. Hey, looks like everybody's ready to leave. Mixerman, grab Fletcher's left arm and help me get him up. I know, Fletcher, you "don't need any fuckin help", but it's helping me stay steady so hang on. No, I have the keys. I'll drive. Like hell you will, Mixerman - I remember the last time you drove. Nite, Greg, Dave, Rick, Chris. Cya'll tomorrow.

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2001 12:52 pm

Well this want take long. I'm absolutely nobody. No gold records, no contacts in LA or NY city, Just a songwriter from Ft. Worth, TX I released a couple of albums back in the 80's, vinly of course. Played allot of gig's and supported the records. back then I guess I was a pretty big fish in a small pond. In 1986 I decided to put together a small demo studio for myself, someplace to get my thoughts on tape. Never satisfied, I ended up builging this place, with all the joy and headache that comes with it. Thats about it, Still writing songs, so if anybody need a song or two give me a ping. And if you need another DD I'll be glade to help out. btw, we're the damn spell check?

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2001 12:43 am

Thanks for the beer Fletcher but I quit drinking, I know, wimp..I got interested in sound and recording when I was about seven or eight years old 65-66, I'd listen to the radio (the Beatles were my favorite) and all I could think was, how the heck did they make those sounds? I have done my best to figure it out for the last thirty five years or so. I never wanted to be anything in life, I never had any ambition, well at one point I wanted to be a drifter. Dose that count? And I was, and still am very shy. I was so dyslexic in school they always put me in the retarded classes. One day in 1996 I met George Martin and I could not think of one thing to say to him, he just sort of looked over at me, with a look like he did not know what to make of me... :confused: All I ever wanted to do with my life was record something that sounded like a record. And I think I have come close once or twice.

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2001 10:26 pm

Hey Guys, Gimmie what he's havin..... Double 'Bookers'; Bud bottle back. Nah..... Scarey, that WAS my favorite combo also, nothing like a little Kentucky Bourbon...mmmm. But it was never just a little for me and my drinking privelidges have been revoked. Trust me, the world is a much better place, for everyone, with me sober. I'll be the quiet guy.....sitting and listening, making everyone a little nervous. Prone to asking stupid questions a lot more than posting brilliant answers. My career? yikes, what career. Age 16 Bought Tele new in 78(still have it) Age 20 Got a Tascam 144 4 track(dont have it) Age 25 Quit stockbroker job moved to LA with Tele in hand, went to GIT. Played in a bunch of Alterna bands that went nowhere, recorded in some great studios,ended up in NYC, worked for a rental outfit there, got into touring as a guitar tech for many bands, had a lot of fun, too much fun. Retired from fun at age 32, got married, real job again. The dreaded real job has allowed me the time and money to indulge my one true passion RECORDING. Although I am far from what is considered a PRO, I can tell when it sounds good. My current signal chain is normally an AKG 414 or Nuemann TLM 103 into an API 3124 then Distressors. From there I record to.....don't laugh.... a Tascam TSR8 half inch 8 track. When those tracks are full it all goes into the computer via a 20 bit Layla card. More tracks and mixing are done with Cubase VST. I have all of the expected home recordist gear, NS10's stupid Mackie board, 57's 58's etc. I hesitate to call myself a hobbiest but that is what most of you would call me, I love it anyway. Currently I am completely enamored with Cubase and the Native or Virtual instruments,aka VSTi's. The B3 (B4 knockoff) is quite amazing. And I cant wait to buy a Virtual Sampler. I believe there is a HUGE future in this VSTi stuff. jeezus, enough about me already. I'll shut up and listen now..simonsez ps, my son sure is cute in his "daddy'll fix it in the mix" t-shirt. thx fletcher

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2001 1:25 am

shot of jager and a newcastle...i'll spare you most of my past if i could remember some of it. started recording early in life from some crappy mono reel2reel to a cassette deck to a cassette 4 track to ADATs to 2" to computers. ive run the gamut with recording from radioshack mixers to neve boards. musician as well, spent more than enough hours drunk, stoned, tripping thousands of hours of jams into whatever i had available to me sometimes as simple as a single omni to full on mic'd sessions.married now with a kid [and fairly sober... beer IS good], building up my own studio to do projects in. aquiring some decent lines in, working on some mix situation. moved down to "the land of the sky" in asheville, nc last year. a time warp of a town where mass amerika is only starting to spoil... they can come in if they get these biblebelt jesus freaks out of here, definately the lesser of two evils. there is a great music scene here and the town definately knows how to throw down. got some cool bands coming in over the next few months and got some cool toys to play with...i also do multimedia design if anybody cares [video, animation, sound design, web design, print design, blah blah blah] which supports my family and studio habits.i dont have any platinum albums or worked with superduper rockstars. i just record bands i like. my first major label contribution was video, not audio.... go figure.well thats about all from me.

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2001 9:56 am

Shot of Jack and a Guiness, Nothing major league here. I grew up at ground zero in the Pentagon's shadow. Big Beatles fan as a kid. I remember recording myself beating a box & singing along with an album with a Lloyd's cassette thingy as a wee lad. Started playing guitar 'round 12. Outta high school I went to work at the local music store and played in bands. Worked my tunes on a cassette 4-trk. Moved to Boston for a year thinking I'd go to Berklee. Starved living on the corner of Brighton & Comm then went back to DC. Worked at a couple of other music stores. Took recording classes and interned at Omega in Rockville MD. Dave Goodermuth was there at the time (learned a lot assisting him on a couple sessions). Did live sound (FOH & monitors) for 10 years, mostly clubs and local festivals while also freelance recording/mixing at local studios and playing in a band. Worked as a PC tech for a bit. 4 years ago I was hired by a multi studio international broadcasting facilty as an audio tech. All digital, bleeding edge. Worked with some great people. One recently moved back to Boston (he's probably havin' a beeyah with Fletcher right now). Still in a band. Have a "project" studio, 1 in. 16 track, 32 X 8 Soundcraft I record (agonizingly but still fun) with. Hey, pass the peanuts.

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2001 1:14 pm

Cuervo and a Miller- hey, I'm from Chicago and that seems to be the beer of choice around these parts...I was in a moderately successful band regionally about 15 years ago. During that time I was able to work with a bloke by the name of Larry Sturm. Larry was doing some of the early Ministry stuff and then into house music and the Naked Raygun stuff as well. It was from him that I caught the recording bug. Finally took my little joint commercial in the last year or two. Sometimes I feel I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this, sometimes I feel they can't pay me enough...would never turn back even for a second though.need another round...Prost,

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2001 3:49 pm

Hey, this looks like a 5-star joint from all the member ratings I see. Tanqueray and Tonic, please!Me, I'm nobody famous, but I'm smart - or at least like to think I am (maybe its just smart-ass?). I put up with 5 years of music school to get a pigskin, and then spent another year for a 2nd one from M.I. in Hollyweird. Been playing in bands since my mother had to drive me to rehearsals and three of us played into a Silvertone amp using a Radio Shack 1/4" splitter in reverse. Remember Unidyne II high-Z mics?I've played everything from traditional jazz to American musicals (the pit band) to power rock trios, Top-40 show bands to Jazz fusion, R&B (a token whitey in an 8-piece band), country and classical.I did get very minorly famous at the end of the eighties touring with Maxine Nightingale as her guitarist...long time ago.Built the studio up from a Tascam 4-track cassette unit and a Fostex 8x4 mixer. I've kept it in the home so far. Got myself an ADAT, a big Mackie, and a Mac DAW with some decent equipment now - always the gear slut. I just can't help myself. Is there a GA around here (gear-aholics anonymous)?Been demoing stuff for self and others since the Tascam days; learned engineering in a "real 2 inch analog studio" working my way up from 2nd, to getting my own clients for a couple of years 'til the lease ran out and the studio went under; produced two albums, a film score, and a couple of TV Pilot's theme music - all of which are of absolutely no repute. Doing the songwriting and minor-league producing thang now and an occasional gig with someone of good repute (I won't drop any names). Still keep a day job in the computer industry to feed my gear habit. The wife only lets me spend so much on new gear - but she helps out with engineering duties in the studio (she commands a really mean mouse), so it's a bit of a trade-off.Well, I gotta go earn that subwoofer now...

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2001 4:07 pm

Morgan and Coke, please....um...we're not in Amsterdam are we?hey, i'm as somebody as the next body...doesn't mean nobody's heard of me though...born in Ohio, grew up south of Buffalo...sure, being the accident of the bunch i inherited the siblings' record collections, and basically, my big brother led me by my little willy thru the worlds of home hifi and hard and purty music...never did progress much on the tech side from the days of trying to make mixers out of old volume pots (and good thing his old Nikko had the breaker to handle all those speakers in parallel), but spent months in the attic with the big round black light (3rd eye). tried the original long hair route at Hoyteetoytee U, but it wasn't for me...percussionists are the foley dregs of the Classical world (even if my ear/brain combo could kick the concertmasters pucker'd little arrogant asshole in musicianship class, much to my Clarkecap wearin' delight) plus i sucked too hard for the big time...and then i ended up in the foothills of LA mixing for TV...you think the edge of this glass would break off very sharp? oh yeah, i love my wife, stepson and new baby...so you say you shoot pool? or how about a little cricket or 501? it just so happens...