news
William Tyler’s ‘Impossible Truth’
William Tyler’s breathtaking instrumental album Impossible Truth takes inspiration from the American landscape. But it’s how the landscape sounds in Tyler’s mind: darkly shimmering...
Live Sound
Lindsey Stirling Live
Lindsey Stirling almost never stops moving. Uniquely combining her own virtuosa violin playing with live keys and drums, and prerecorded tracks, the America’s Got...
news
The Flaming Lips: Found Sounds Become Musical Foundation for ‘The Terror’
When The Flaming Lips need a little jolt, they simply turn things upside down, or inside out. It not always easy for an already...
news
Nick Drake Honored Live on ‘Way to Blue’
“People have suggested I do a tribute album for years, but I didn’t want to do the usual kind of tribute, where all the...
Facilities
Shifting Sands at Stepbridge
A studio of choice for Oscar-winners and up-and-comers, Stepbridge (Santa Fe, N.M., stepbridge.com) has been providing music/audio services since 1989. In 2006, the studio...
news
Classic Track: Elvis Presley, ‘Burning Love’
By the 1970s, the deal had been sealed on many aspects of Elvis Presley’s brilliant career. His formative Sun years were behind him, as...
news
Beth Hart’s ‘Bang Bang Boom Boom’
Kevin Shirley handpicked a band for roots singer/songwriter Beth Hart before tracking her new solo album Bang Bang Boom Boom in Revolver Recordings (Thousand...
news
Review: The Mavericks In Time (Valory/Big Machine)
The Mavericks' first studio album in a decade, In Time, is as euphoric as any of the alt-country group's early albums, and exhibits many...
news
Willie Nelson: New Album, Big Changes for Country Legend
Since 1995, engineer Steve Chadie has been working on Willie Nelson’s (and other) projects at Pedernales Studio, 30 miles outside of Austin. Nelson’s latest,...
news
Milk Carton Kids, ‘The Ash & Clay’
The latest release from the Milk Carton Kids, The Ash & Clay (Anti) evokes nothing so much as stripped-down Simon and Garfunkel: the sweetness...
news
They Might Be Giants, ‘Nanobots’
You can count on They Might Be Giants; for more than a quarter century, they’ve been making smart and quirky albums.
Live Sound
Graveyard: Sweden Rocks
Following the success of their Number 23 album Lights Out, Swedish metal band Graveyard is bringing its act to the U.S., playing clubs across...
news
Review: Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite Get Up (Stax)
Ben Harper is a modern champion of American roots and soul, and blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite is one of Harper’s heros. These two...
news
Graham Parker Reunites With The Rumour
In Judd Apatow’s latest comedy, This Is 40, British new wave survivor Graham Parker plays himself: a 60-something singer/songwriter who had a few...
news
Recording ‘Three Chords Good’
Engineer/producer/mixer Dave Cook has been working on and off with Graham Parker since the artist made Struck by Lightning in 1991. “The last couple...
2012
Classic Tracks: Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine”
Bill Withers said that “Ain’t No Sunshine,” was inspired the toxic relationship of an alcoholic couple—an unlikely source for such a loving song, but...
news
Review: Aimee Mann Charmer (SuperEgo)
When a brilliant songwriter and singer like Aimee Mann decides to make sort of a pop record, you know it’s going to be cool....
news
Q&A With Dwight Yoakam
Mix’s September issue includes a feature on recording Dwight Yoakam’s 3 Pears (Warner Bros.), the country star’s first studio album of (mostly) new material...
news
Review: The Blasters ‘Fun on a Saturday Night’ (Rip Cat Records)
Till now, The Blasters had only cut one studio album since co-founder Dave Alvin went solo more than 25 years ago. But Dave’s brother,...
news
Classic Tracks: The B-52s, “Love Shack”
“Love Shack,” The B-52s’ campy, happy dance song from their 1989 album Cosmic Thing has become the alternative, tongue-in-cheek equivalent of Kool & The...
Live Gear
Lucero: Bigger Sound in Bigger Clubs
Justin Hess has been mixing Lucero’s live sound for three years, and he’s seen the group go from a four-piece roots rock group to...
news
Theresa Andersson’s ‘Street Parade’
The YouTube video for Theresa Andersson’s song, “Na, Na, Na,” has been viewed more than 1.4 million times. It shows the Swedish-born artist—who’s now...
news
Hargo’s Radical Sounds
Hargo’s eclectic new disc Out of Mankind is alt-rock with a gamut of found sounds, “ethnic” instruments and horns. But as engineer/producer Joel Hamilton...
news
Julia Nunes: Heavenly Voice and a Rockin’ Uke
Engineer/producer Zach McNees recorded most of the 18 tracks on singer/songwriter Julia Nunes’ beautiful and sometimes whimsical album, Settle Down, at The Buddy Project...
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Review: Etta James ‘Heart & Soul: A Retrospective’ (Universal)
When this four-disc box came out, just before the holidays, Etta James was still with us. Now the feeling you get listening to these...
news
Grammys 2011 | Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Of the five works that were nominated for Grammys this year in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, category, three could be filed under “Americana,”...
news
Elvis Presley ‘Young Man With the Big Beat’ Box Set
Open this treasure chest and feast your ears and eyes: RCA Legacy’s Young Man With the Big Beat contains five CDs of remastered classics,...
news
Review: Miranda Lambert ‘Four the Record’ (Sony Music)
Gotta admit, I like Miranda Lambert’s side project, the Pistol Annies—the old-school, bad-girl country trio she put together with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley—a...