Lots of activity these past few months: Concord NH’s Lynda Nelson, whose first CD Forever in a Song we produced in Nashville, has completed the recording of a second Nashville-style CD right here at MPM Studio New England! We enlisted two excellent Boston-based musicians, Jesse Williams on bass and Grant Smith on drums to join me on acoustic guitar for …
What a Year!!
It’s been almost a year since my last Studio Notes update, but there’s been a lot happening at MPM Studio. I’ll skip the expected commentary on the effects of the virus on the music scene, suffice it to say that I think we’re seeing a way forward. A bunch of musicians, songwriters and podcasters have taken advantage of the live …
NH’s Lynda Nelson ‘Forever in a Song’: New England to Nashville and back!
What a blast making this music was! When Lynda Nelson of Concord NH came to my studio to start working on recordings of her songs, it became immediately apparent that putting her music in the hands of the legendary ‘Nashville Cats’ would be the way to go. I knew Lynda’s exuberant positivity would bring out the best in Music City’s …
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 …
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.
Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio w. Dave Surette & Joe Deleault
Jordan and his gang spent a memorable Sunday in December cooking up the new theme song for a major New Hampshire TV show (not sure if I can reveal more details), composed and arranged by JTW. Great work, lads, with modern sounding high-energy tracks including everything I love about traditional New England tune-playing. Looking forward to the video, release time …
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 …
Carrigan & Blair
Full disclosure: I know Mike Blair and Steve Carrigan well, having played many a gig and concert with them as a part of Portsmouth’s Maritime/Celtic Folk ensemble Great Bay Sailor. Great fun it was to blast through some of the songs we love on this new collection entitled O Chroi. Thanks, Mike for giving me free rein to do all the instrumental …
‘Celtic Tribute’ Series on CMH
“You look like you could play Irish music” said the agent, who had known me for many years, “there’s a new Irish Pub opening at the Opryland Hotel, and we’d like you to put together an acoustic trio to play there.” Thus, in 2003, was born ‘The Boys of County Nashville‘. Jeff Taylor and I became totally besotted with …
Mill Pond Music Studio
Mill Pond Music is a recording studio located in Portsmouth NH, a minute’s drive from picturesque and bustling Market Square, and situated on the banks of the North Mill Pond in a vintage factory building. The studio is equipped with a carefully selected array of microphones of exquisite quality, the finest of microphone pre-amps and compressors, an MCI/Sony 24-track 2″ …