Josephine County- Celtic/American fusion

Those who know me and my eclectic and far-ranging musical tastes know that there’s usually one bridge I rarely cross: the fusion of idioms and styles.  All of that conservatism is shattered with this new project from 4 of my absolute favorite musicians/singers: Hanz Araki, Colleen Raney, Matt Shipman and Erica Brown.  I must say that I’ve always found that …

Liz and Dan Faiella

These are two of the finest young New England Celtic musicians I know, and it’s been an absolute delight to work with them on what was essentially a ‘live in the studio’ project.  Liz’s fiddle tone posed absolutely no challenges to the microphone, Dan’s guitar is so good it almost makes this aging guitar player a little mad!     …

Cathy Wilson: Celtic-flavored folk/country from Tennessee

My latest trip to Nashville yielded some more beautiful tracks from Cookeville Tennessee singer-songwriter Cathy Wilson, with further overdubs and mixing back here in (cooler?-not so much, lately) Portsmouth.  Bill Verdier on fiddle, John Mock on mando/banjo/whistle/drum, Jeff Taylor this time back on his first instrument, piano.

Catching up, May 2017

Here’s a problem with a blog-type website: I get so busy making music with all the wonderful people who come through my studio doors that I have no time to chronicle it all.  I promise I’ll catch up soon with more formal postings with pics and clips, but here’s a brief look at what’s been happening: Carrigan and Blair are …

Lindsay Straw: Traditional Folk with fresh expertise!

Superb instrumental skills on guitar and bouzouki, a keen ear for repertoire selection, new takes on centuries-old stories and a clear, sparkling voice make this project everything a folk audience can hope for. Music from the past has a bright future! Lindsay‘s thoughtful preparation prior to the recording dates ensured an efficient use of time, keeping costs low and energy levels …

John Carew: Boston’s Celtic Folk troubador

John is one of the first musicians I met when I started exploring the idea of moving back to New England from Nashville.  I think it was in 2005, just after spending a wonderful week in upstate NY accompanying world-renowned fiddler Craig Duncan, a long-time colleague who was being inducted into the Northeast Fiddler’s Hall of Fame.  I stepped into a …

Mt. Philo: Young Folk-Rockers from Middlebury VT

It started with an urgent call from mandolinist/dobroist Eli Orland- his band Mt Philo’s fall break recording session at a studio in CT had fallen through at the last minute, and might I be able to accommodate them in a couple of days for a long-anticipated weekend of recording.  Eli had found me through a Nashville connection we share, and …

Fodhla- Fine Irish music trio

I’ve known Nicole Rabata for 5 years and had many a lovely Irish tune session in her company.  She’s a fine flute payer and true pro, and I‘m very grateful that she chose to bring in her companions in this lovely 6-tune project, Ellery Klein on fiddle and Bethany Waickman on DADGAD guitar to record here at MPM Studio.  Here’s a …

Fall update

Lots happening this past summer into fall:  new CDs by John Carew, Skip Gorman, Annie Eastman Young, Gus LaCasse, song demos by Abbi White, Greg Lull, Brandon Harris, Brin Banta,  Portland Irish flutist Nicole Rabata‘s trio, a recent production trip to Nashville, and more- I’ll try to post some music and photos soon. Nashville’s Studio 19, one of my favorite places …

Riptide: America’s Contra Dance Band!

Something about the unselfconsciousness of making music purely for dancing has brought out the best in this group of stellar Portland ME based traditional musicians: Alden Robinson, Owen Marshall and Glen Loper,  joined by the Contradance world’s leading percussionist Mark ‘Pokey’ Hellenberg. Contra dance aficionados will instantly recognize that this collection represents the apex of the genre’s musicianship.  Those who have …

Eric McDonald & Ryan McKasson- Scottish fiddle and guitar

Eric‘s brought several projects to the studio in the last few months.  This latest, with stellar West Coast Scottish/Cape Breton-style fiddler Ryan McKasson is just sweet.  Listen!

Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio: High-Energy Celtic

It’s here!  Jordan’s new trio CD release party packed the legendary Stone Church in Newmarket NH. I got there for the last few songs after a grueling run of St. Pat’s gigs and was knocked out by their larger-than-life sound.  I immediately started to wonder-did the CD manage to capture that energy in the recording process?  A quick reference to …

“…that’s an Irish Lullaby”

The challenge: to produce an instrumental CD without calling attention to the instruments, without distracting the listener from the beauty of the melody, to create an ambience of soothing relaxation for adults and children alike. I think that Bill Verdier, John Mock and I rose to the occasion in this collection of Irish melodies played as sparse, gentle lullabies we’ve …

New Mic!!

I try not to get too excited about new equipment.  While the search for the utmost transparency between the heart of the music maker and the heart of the listener is a constant here at MPM Studio, the focus is always on the music.  But this new mic!! The Neumann U 47 is the holy grail of microphones-every instrument and voice on …

Mudhook: ‘First Home’ CD

Just in time for the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, Dave Hallowell, Peter Hale, Mike Jenneau and Alan Eaton, collectively known as Mudhook, have completed the special ‘collector’s edition’ of their new CD, here at Mill Pond Music. With charming, mostly traditional material, ringing guitars and bouzoukis, sweet fiddles, haunting low whistle and vocals sometimes rowdy, sometimes plaintive, this project exactly …