Projects
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Notes from Jason Howard -- Engineer/Producer, Big H Productions
Steve Gardner -- The Blues from Mississippi to Tokyo
Recently I had the pleasure of working on a blues project for a wonderful musician Named Steve Gardner. Originally hailing from Mississippi, he is now based in Tokyo, Japan. I was introduced to him by the Jake Leg Stompers. Steve was going to record two tracks with the Stompers backing him up, then take the tracks and finish the album in Japan. Well, there was some real magic happening from the first note we recorded. Steve was so happy with the result that he decided to stay and finish the entire album. I have to say I'm thrilled to have been involved with such a magical project, and I'm really looking forward to the next one.
The Jake Leg Stompers
So the last type of music I thought I would ever be recording in Nashville was 20's and 30's pre-war string band music. I became accquainted with the Jake Leg Stompers in 2005 at a street gig outside a coffee shop in Murfreesboro, TN. I saw them all change instruments at least five times during the show, and it was the most fun, organic show I'd seen in a while. The band had just started work on their second album, but they were unsatisfied with the generally "separated" multi-track sound of it. It wasn't "live" enough. I invited them to come to Nashville and try out the studio, and said that we would record them around one or two mics, just as bands of that era were recorded. We really worked hard to preserve the authenticity of the music they were performing, and three albums later, we haven't looked back. I've also made some great friends in the process. We're now hard at work on their Next album.
You can check out their music here:
Check Out “Guaranteed Absolutely Pure” on CD Baby or iTunes
Check Out “Hot Feet” on CD Baby or iTunes
Jo Hikk -- “West Texas Crude”
Canadian songwriter Ron McNeill brought me a song to demo called "West Texas Crude." It was originally intended to be pitched for Montgomery Gentry. Off we went, making a really rockin' country demo, fit for Eddie & Troy. A couple of months later I got a call from Ron, saying the song has been cut by Canadian newcomers Joe Hikk on their debut album “Ride”. Well, you never know the path your songs are going to take...I'm glad to have been part of this one.
Check it out on the audio samples page.
Ellen Warshaw -- A Box Of Old Cassettes...
Ellen Warshaw hails from New York City, and cut her teeth as a musician and songwriter -- first as an artist on the legendary folk label Vanguard records in 1973, then jumping right into the heart of the post punk scene in the late 70's and early 80's. Also a bartender at the legendary club CBGB, she led a number of different musical projects, drawing on all that the buzzing music scene had to offer. When she decided to put all of her rock recordings on a compilation CD in 2005, all we had to work with was a shoe box of cassettes that had been sitting around since the early 80's. We were unable to obtain the original master tapes which are now somewhere between New York, California, and Paris, France. The cassettes were in pretty bad shape, and needless to say, I pulled out every trick I knew to re-master them and get them in shape for the CD. Definitely one of the more challenging mastering projects I've worked on, but we were able to safely usher Ellen’s music into the digital age.
Check Out “Old Skeletons” on CD Baby
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Ross Rogers -- Ventura Highway Runs Through Nashville Too...
Ross Rogers has been a good friend of mine and a demo client for years now. However, he’s also a performer who draws his muse from the music of the early 70’s. Being a lifelong fan of the band America, that silky acoustic guitar-driven sound has made it’s way into Ross’s own music over the years. In 2008, he set out to make his first official artist CD. We worked for nearly a year on the record, paying homage to his heroes, but also forging new ground for the 21st century, finally “committing to tape” the Ross Rogers sound. I’m proud to have been a part of such a unique project. Check it out here:
Check Out “The Good Life” on CD Baby
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