Conference with Albini, Visconti, Endino, Mascis, Easter, O'Connor etc. (1 Viewer)

[mark amc]

Hi. Mark amc and tooth guy here. I'm going to a conference in sacramento california next friday. Check www.tapeop.com.

Lots of the conference will deal with home recording stuff.

Here's some of the names who'll be there and who they've recorded:
Steve Albini - Nirvana, Wedding present, pixies, owls
J Mascis - Dinosaur Jr
Joe Chiccarelli - American Music Club, Frank Zappa
David Barbe - ex-sugar, recorded The Glands
Mitch Easter - Early REM stuff, Weezer, Teenage Fanclub
Don Zientara - All dischord stuff, fugazi, minor threat
Jack Endino - Nirvana, Mudhoney, Sub pop stuff
J Robbins - Jawbox, Burning Airlines
Tony Visconti - Bowie, T-rex, Moody blues
Roger Moutenot - Yo La Tengo, John Prine

I've haven't checked this folder out before, so maybe ye're way ahead of me. But it's likely I'll learn lots of cool shit at the conference. I'm hoping to set up a website when I get back to post up all the funky shit I learn.

Just wondering if any of you have any ideas on this whole gig? Stuff to ask? Buttons to push?

I'm afraid I'll spend the whole weekend in the corner crying at all the amazing bastards that around me, and all the amazing tunes they helped bring into the world.

Please help me to not let that happen.

Or something.

Arts council funded me (about 60 % of cost). Folks with studios should look into checking them out. They're there to help us. I think.

OK.
Respondez si vous voulez...

Mark

 

[dudley]

that's very very cool about the arts council, wow.

 

[Pantone247]

give Mitch Easter a hug for me, and tell him I love him

 

[snakybus]

We applied to the Arts Council for a travel grant and they told us to get lost...AFTER we'd gone to the trouble of applying. If they had told us that four months before that when we first went in, we would have booked tickets in advance. They said that there was no point applying until the month that we were travelling, and that we'd be LIKELY to get the money. So after getting refused, we had to pay a much higher price for our tickets. We got tickets all right, but it was panic stations for a while because we had booked nearly two weeks of gigs.

So don't ever apply to the Arts Council as a band or any kind of tour. And don't believe anything they tell you informally. Actually this should be on the THiNGS boards shouldn't it.

But that conference thing sounds REALLY cool. Fair play Mark AMC. They do fund stuff like that. Anything business-y or academic-y or "respectable" like trad music they're up for. Not to say that what you're doing is fuddy duddy or anything.

 

[herv]

that sounds topper. grat stuff.

and let us never forget that Tony Visconti produced Rick Wakeman as well.

Rhapsodies is great fun.

 

[mark amc]

hey snakybus

Mr snakybus, (do we know each other?)

I heard about the arts funding flights. Arts flights they're called. I heard the frames got some and some punk band (possibly paranoid visions) got plane tickets to somewhere.

So I said fuck it, nothing to lose (except legitimising a state that allows american planes to land at shannon).

Sad to say, but part of the success of my application, aside of the fact that I'm completely fab in my own right, is to not sell yourself as ye know a 'rock and roller' and emphasise the 'I'm in it for the art' side of it.

But a lot of what I suggested to them, I meant. And it does hold water with them. I suggested that recording dudes in Ireland need to get to grips (as I'm sure everyone in this 'Home Recording' thread is already doing) with the fact that new technology is changing the face of how music is getting recorded.

Studios costing a gazzilion quid 20 years ago are going for $5,000 these days. A simple equation being:
1 weeks in a pricey studio(ish) = Price of buying your own studio (ish).

Artistically, the fact that more bands that are making 'honest' music, carving new directions, not giving a fuck about whether folks dig it, or buy it, not having Pete Waterman over your shoulder shouting 'Try singing it with a nice big smile this time luv, Alright!!", not having to worry about (if you've heard eminem's album) a+r corporate rock whores telling musicians "Change the fucking record or it's not coming out!"...

where was I. Yeah, the fact that all that righteous shit is happening should be supported, or if not humoured for a while. I mean all art is quite useless. So, "more sheckles towards the useless kids over here please!"

So hopefully I'll return from Sacramento with a nice tan (or red neck) and some new knowledge to fuck back into the mix back home...

It should be mad hearing Steve 'drive the needles into the red' Albini 'discussing' wow and flutter technobabble with (guy who's name I can't remember) Destiny's Child's producer...

You just know deep down Steve'll be singing to himself, "Kill him, Fucking kill him already!"

To which I'll be playing a souped up back beat on my triangle.

OK,
More chat

 

[snakybus]

Well, that's where you oughta kill 'em, in that particular place....(Sacramento) Killem just fuckin killem etc

No, I don't think we know each other Mark AMC, but hi.

arg arg arg to the Frames, although fair play to 'em. Honestly, we didn't sell ourselves as a band on tour. We said we were part of a non-profit experience as part of this music collective over in the US. We really dressed the whole thing in bullshit, although it's true we weren't making any money. The application was all about "building bridges" between the Chicago scene and the Irish scene. Which we kind of did in a way. But they just said no, I guess they could tell we were a band. bummer

Anyway, best of luck in Californ-i-A. Our good will goes with you.