Plymale Scream

Between his new book and this podcast, record producer and dB's cofounder Chris Stamey reveals more things to me about himself than I had previously learned in the 20 plus years of our working relationship.  Our conversation explores aspects of Chris' early interests and career in ways that uncovered parallels I never knew existed between us.    A Spy In The House Of Loud (University Of Texas Press) released earlier this year, is a great pathway in to understand more about this unique musician, songwriter, and record producer.  

Tift Merritt has has earned her stripes over the better part of the last 2 decades, largely using her heart as her compass.  But the only thing certain about the career track for a musician is that their career track is anything but certain.  Next moves can be unclear in the new world order that recording artists are finding themselves in these days.     In this episode, hear the grammy nominated musician discuss her approach to songwriting, as well as how she's learning to navigate not only the record industry's new paradigm, but also her new life as a mother.

One of my favorite things is to be a fly on the wall in the recording studio and watch how other people make records.  I've had the opportunity to do that with a ton of artists/producers over the years, but few of them bring the level of commitment and ownership to a project the way Brad Cook does. ​ Since moving to North Carolina over 10 years ago with his brother Phil and future Bon Iver founder Justin Vernon, Brad has become an integral part of an ever increasing number of essential recordings being made here in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.

Highly respected as a Peabody award winning veteran broadcaster and TV news anchor, Bill Leslie is also a critically acclaimed musician and composer.  His 2013 album "Scotland - Grace of the Wild" was voted a ZMR album of the year. ​ In this podcast, Bill discusses his parallel avocations, sheds light on the things that motivate him to succeed, and goes behind the scenes of the making of a TV newscast.

I first became aware of Greg Calbi in 1983 when he mastered the first Pressure Boys album for us by recommendation from Mitch Easter and Don Dixon. At the time I remember distinctly not understanding exactly what the mastering process even entailed.  Of course over the years as formats have changed, that process has evolved considerably... but Greg is still considered one of the preeminent mastering engineers in the field.     My conversation with Greg discusses his early days with artists like John Lennon and David Byrne, as well as detailing some of his approaches when working with clients.

Crisscrossing the country from North Carolina to Los Angeles, Jason has been a part of recording sessions with some of the biggest names in the rock and rap world.  His experience with a wide array of musical styles and his personable attitude in the studio have made him popular with musical groups and singer-songwriters as well. Being a songwriter and performer himself, he has a unique insight into what the artists he is working with are looking for.  ​ In this podcast, Jason discusses a fateful choice he had to make early in his career.

Co-founding not only Superchunk, but also the stalwart Merge Records, Mac has become one of the most respected people in the biz.   I've known Mac since our high school bands (The Pressure Boys and The Pneumatic Underground) crossed paths on stage at my alma mater (Chapel Hill High School) way back in the mid 1980's. Eventually, the tables were turned and we met again, this time at his alma mater when Superchunk and The Sex Police played a double bill on his home turf of Jordan High in Durham, NC.