Face to Face – Big Choice reissue

My old pals face to face are celebrating 25+ years as a band with a ton of good stuff.  Their latest album Protection (released March 2016) marked their return to Fat Wreck Chords and has earned great reviews everywhere.  A new 7″ single from the album is coming out in May.  The band continues to tour all over, and in May and June of this year they will reprise their legendary 1996 “Econo Live” tour with a series of small club shows around the U.S.

The band’s classic first three albums have also received long-awaited vinyl and digital reissues through Fat Wreck, remastered by the outstanding Joe Gastwirt.  The second album Big Choice is a special case:  For the reissue, Trever and I remixed the entire album from the original multitrack master tapes.  The new mixes give the album a more honest sound, presenting the band’s performances straightforwardly and without the “studio polish” that adorned the original release.  (See below for more about this process.)

The Big Choice reissue is available on vinyl from the band’s official store, Fat Wreck, Amazon, and your local record shop.  It’s also on CD and digital from iTunes, Google Play, etc.

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The Short Term – Burn This Bright

Boston alt-rock trio The Short Term have just released their debut EP Burn This Bright, following their successful Indiegogo campaign.

In what has become a true 21st century convention, we recorded the drum tracks together in a “proper” studio, Q Division in Somerville, and the band recorded the other tracks in their own studio. I then mixed and mastered the record here at the Eye Socket.

The EP is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc.

The Eye Socket page updated

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

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.

Jesca Hoop – birnCORE Presents Five Songs Live

birnCORE – BIRN Cooperative Recordings, the independent record label of Berklee’s radio station the BIRN – has released an EP by the brilliant singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop entitled Five Songs Live.

The recordings were captured at Jesca’s solo performance at the Red Room at Café 939 in Boston in October 2013 and beautifully showcase her uniquely delicate style, stripped down to voice and electric guitar only.

I produced the record, which in this case simply meant overseeing the careful work of the Berklee students, alumni, staff and faculty who lent their skills to every aspect of this special collaboration.

You can listen and purchase the digital release at the birnCORE shop, iTunes and Amazon. A limited edition 10″ colored vinyl release is also available while supplies last.