other news

Face to Face – Live / Trever Keith – Melancholics Anonymous vinyl reissues

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Two long-anticipated vinyl reissues (of records I worked on!) are now available from Antagonist Records.

The classic Face to Face album Live, originally released in 1998, has been repressed in a deluxe 20th anniversary double-LP edition, in three colors.  Visit the Antagonist Records site for details and ordering.

The live album was the first Face to Face record I worked on (following our anomalous remix collaboration for the Mortal Kombat: Annihilation soundtrack album), beginning a series of creative adventures with the band and its individual members that continues today (see Viva Death – Illuminate).

I mixed the tracks for Live, with Trever and Scott producing, at The Complex studios in West L.A.

For its 10th anniversary, Trever Keith’s 2008 solo album Melancholics Anonymous has been pressed on vinyl for the first time ever, in a limited orange vinyl edition with redesigned artwork.  Visit the Antagonist Records site for details and ordering.

Sonically and emotionally unrestrained, Melancholics Anonymous is considered by many Face to Face fans the successor to the band’s 1999 art rock masterpiece Ignorance is Bliss.  Trever’s distinctive melodic style and voice are in top form here, wrapped in rich layers of heavily effected guitars and drums, electric piano, vintage synths and drumboxes, and copious magnetic echo machines.

Trever and I co-produced the album, I did some drum programming, recorded in various studios in and around Los Angeles, and mixed at The Eye Socket.  Listen here:

The Eye Socket page updated

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In response to a surprising number of questions about the recent relocation and redesign of my personal studio, I have updated the studio page of my site with new photos, a short history, and basic technical information.

See it here: the-eye-socket.com

(Apologies for the slapdash photography.)

The studio (and I) are currently busy with new music from Real Space Noise and the much anticipated fourth Viva Death album – which should be completed this summer.

Faith and the Muse – Where the Land Meets the Sea

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My old pals, regular collaborators and erstwhile housemates Faith and the Muse have released a retrospective compilation called Where the Land Meets the Sea: The Best Loved Songs of Faith and the Muse on German record label Danse Macabre. In their usual style, Monica and William have prepared this double CD collection with the greatest care, from the choice and grouping of songs to the beautifully detailed packaging. Read more about the collection on Monica’s blog.

I co-produced, recorded and/or mixed about half of the songs in this collection at the Eye Socket, so the release invokes a lot of happy memories for me as well. The three of us spent many hours together in the studio, and many more on the road (I was their touring drummer in 1995-96). This is an utterly unique band who ambitiously combine elements of gothic and glam rock, ethereal ambient soundscapes, and exotic instrumentation from all over the world – and somehow make it all work. For those new to Faith and the Muse, this collection is a perfect introduction.

In the U.S., Canada and South America, the 2CD set can be ordered directly from Monica’s online store. In the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, order from Danse Macabre.

New (old) photos added

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I’ve added a bunch of new photos to the site, including some recently discovered “lost” pics taken with my Lomo LC-A+ nearly ten years ago.  In an age of ubiquitous digital photography, these grainy film artifacts — from sessions at the Village and the Eye Socket with Jackson United and members of Face to Face — are a rare treat.

I’ve also added some (digital) photos from sessions at the BIRN studio in 2011 and 2012, and a few from some sessions back in California in 2009.

Have a look on the photos page.

I have moved!

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my new home.

After 40 years in Southern California, I have left sunny Los Angeles and made a new home in Boston. In addition to installing The Eye Socket in its fifth (!) location, I am now a part time faculty member at the Berklee College of Music (my official title: Assistant Professor) in the Music Production and Engineering department. (My faculty bio page is here.) My classes this spring semester are on the subjects of multitrack recording, mixing, and MIDI systems.

I will of course continue my usual production and engineering work alongside teaching, even carrying on with my collaborative endeavors (like The Legion of Doom and Real Space Noise) transcontinentally. Watch this space for announcements of upcoming projects.