Ask a music scene micro celebrity

[whale_hunter]

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Genius is a weird and inappropriate word, and hard work is underrated, but Kurt Cobain had a distinct and personal take on the world, and generally, when someone strikes a chord with his audience, that's what people respond to.

There were a lot of bands the "sounded like Nirvana" at the time Nirvana made it big, but none of them have had the same long-lasting influence. I have to admit that I wasn't particularly a fan of Nirvana when I was asked to work on In Utero, but during the course of making the record I came to appreciate that they were genuine about their band and their music, that Kurt was capable of sophisticated thinking, and that they and their music were unique.

If you think of the other bajillion-sellers of the Nineties, not very many of them have survived as significant influences today. I think there's a reason beyond luck for that to be the case.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the response. I hope it didn't come off like I was knocking him for "just being hard working". I have read a few Biography's on Nirvana (with you included) and I find him to be fascinating.
Just wondered what you thought having actually met the man.

Thanks again.

[doubLe a tom]

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in utero, one of my favorite albums, and there are VERY few that compare, in my opinion.

[electrical]

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Any other avid card players among your contemporaries?

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There's a regular game here in Chicago that has several musicians and engineers in it. Guys who have worked with Sonic Youth, Pavement, Tortoise, Wilco, Smashing Pumpkins, and members of various rock bands. I once had to pay-off a straight flush held by the bass player of High on Fire (a Five-card draw hand no less), and I played a bit with Ed Cherny (a first-call engineer for hit records) but that's about it. The card player and music worlds don't overlap that much.

[KickerNotch]

A friend of mine has been slowly releasing some tracks he made with McNeilly from their Atlanta days together around the mid 80s, if you are interested in hearing something you might not have come across before let me know.

[electrical]

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My ladyfriend tells me that your original mix of In Utero was not green lighted by their label, and they went with a different mix/track list. She claims that your version is floating somewhere (she says a coworker has it on his iPod) and she's wondering how she could get a hold of it?

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There were only a couple of different mixes used on the final album. Ultimately, the band made the decision about what versions they would use, though they had to suffer a combination of their own insecurity and a bunch of people at their label freaking out, which probably influenced their decision. The version of the album in the stores is the version the band wanted people to hear, and I respect that. Any "alternate version" floating around out there is either totally bogus or a generations-removed copy of a cassette dub, and not worth your attention.

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EDIT: She also would like to know the rate you charge to record at your studio? Whether you or someone else is the engineer.

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Pricing is kinda complicated, depending on which studio is being used, which engineer, whether there is an assistant required, lodgings, etc. There is a session cost calculator on the rates page of the studio website. For location recording at an outside studio, I charge my normal daily rate, $650 a day. I don't charge a royalty on any record I work on, something that has caused some controversy within engineering circles.

I try to make myself as inexpensive as possible for the underground and independent bands that are my closest peers and regular clientele. For big label stuff that will require an open-ended schedule and a lot of bureaucratic nonsense to get paid, I get paid a lot more.

[press.gang]

satanic verses by milemarker was awesome.

i thought you'd done stuff with "your enemies friends" and "this moment in black history" but wikipedia doesn't have either of them listed.

question: if there was a mixer you could watch work who would it be?

[electrical]

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Who were the worst musicians? Any guys that could barely play their instruments?

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Well, very few people who can't play at all find themselves in the studio making a record. More common is a band whose expectations outstrip their abilities, even if only by a little bit. If the band's aesthetic allows their record to reflect their limitations, then it isn't much of a problem. Many great records have gaffes and clinker notes on them -- listen closely to Led Zeppelin or Crazy Horse records and you'll hear a bunch of clams. If a band wants an album with no imperfections on it, but is unable to play impeccably, then the meticulous process of piecing-together a record can be exhausting. I am grateful that the bands I work with usually don't have budgets at their disposal to make records like that, because it is torture.

[electrical]

[ QUOTE ]
A friend of mine has been slowly releasing some tracks he made with McNeilly from their Atlanta days together around the mid 80s, if you are interested in hearing something you might not have come across before let me know.

[/ QUOTE ]
Is this 86 material? Phantom 309?

[Number27]

What is your biggest consideration when deciding which bands to work for? If you had one "do over" on either a single track or an album, which would it be and why?

[electrical]

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i thought you'd done stuff with "your enemies friends"

[/ QUOTE ]
nope

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and "this moment in black history"

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They did an album here last year. Cleveland represent.

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question: if there was a mixer you could watch work who would it be?

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Honestly, not too interested in mixing as distinct from recording. I have always been impressed by Al Schmitt's engineering, and some Motown sessions sound impeccable. I would have loved to watch Stevie Wonder play a whole album by himself.