Band In Boston

No one’s going to accuse Pretty and Nice of being long-winded. Here they fit 6 songs into 12 and a half minutes. And no one’s going to accuse them of being quiet either. They singlehandedly inspired me to build the drum baffle system we now have, as well as implementing the “no vocal monitors” rule.

And no one’s going to accuse them of sucking either. Because if you do, guess what? YOU suck.

Their latest album, Get Young, came out in October.

Song List:

* Up in a Balloon

* Lazy Lazy Bumblebee

* Fortress

* Tokyo

* Grab Your Nets

Pretty and Nice on the interwebs

Them Janovitz boys are a talented bunch. We’ve had his brother Tom in a few times, now Paul stops by with Mike Leavey on electric guitar. Let’s listen.

Song List:

* My Shoes Falling

* Freedom Fighter

* So Lonesome (by Hank Williams)

* Get Off the Rope

* Wrong Road

* Why Do I Swirl?

* There’s a Fight (by Christie Turlington)

* Independence Line

Paul’s MySpace Page

Mix a bit of the Apples in Stereo, a dash of Elvis Costello, maybe a little Kinks for good measure, and you’ve got yourself the Emeen Z band. Emeen and company came in in the midst of our last residency. Being a tough crew to wrangle into one place, it’s a real treat to have documentation.

Song List:

* Wait a Minute

* You Lit Up For Me

* My Imagination

* Not my Servant

* Our Party Host

* Pleasant Street Beat

* On Your Calendar

* Flytrap

* The World Doesn’t Stop

* Assumed By You

Ghosty’s from Kansas. They make… indie-lounge-rock? I have no idea. All I know is we LOVE it.

Song List:

* World’s Strongest Man (by Scott Walker)

* Rose Colored Glass

* Draining a Pool for You (by The Go-Betweens)

* Make it Easier

* Let Me In

* I Won’t Be Stopped

We have been holding on to this one forEVER. I felt like I never could do it justice, mix-wise…  At this point, I am not totally ashamed to put it out, but it doesn’t do them credit. Mako has long since changed their name to The Red Royal, but this is an interesting look into their early days a couple of years ago. All credit goes to them, all blame, me. 🙂

In one of those “small world” moments, Clif from In Endeavors came in with Dickie Haydon the same day that we booked the rest of the band. Which wouldn’t be so strange if they weren’t from Kentucky. It’s good to see that they’ve got a lot of great music down there.

Song List:

* So Much Better

* One Life

* Flames

* You’ve Got Your Friends I’ve Got Mine

* Private Eye

* I Can’t Run

From Santa Monica, Hello Echo has some familial and musical relations here in Boston. Self Righteous Brothers? Apollo Sunshine? Baker? We’re starting to think they’re all a one big family/cult. Here’s what they sounded like when they stopped by in September.

God we love this session. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve mixed, remixed, restarted, and mastered this one. Every time I read about some new mixing technique, I find myself trying it out on The Press. I’ve completely ruined it a few times, but I think I’ve dialed back the insanity and ended up with a nice recording of an incredible band. Can’t wait to see them next time they’re in town.

Song List:

* The Kindly Woodcutter

* I Still Make

* Fist Face

* Pineapple Rabbits

* End of the World

* Twang A Lang

* Sotesso

* Milgram’s Pilgrims

* Krab Teeth

Dickie is from Kentucky originally, but lives in Ontario. He’s in Petticoat, Petticoat, The Scourge of the Sea, and The Vicious Guns. Yet he finds time to tour solo. I have no idea how. He stopped in with fellow Kentuckian Clif Meyers (from In Endeavors – stay tuned for their session!) and made pretty noise.

Song List:

* Eiffel Tower

* The Girl with the Leather Teeth

* Olympia, MA (Rancid cover)

* Do You Really Believe in Us?

* Tabitha

* Love is Money

* 100 Creatures (Fanged Robot cover)

* Miles

* Little Read Canteen

Low Red Land is from San Francisco, but a San Francisco from about a hundred years ago. Their songs take you on a journey through the sprawling west of gunfighters, tumbleweeds, and fields of grain. Or at least that’s where I found myself.

Song List:

* Wovoka

* Weight of Nations

* Hogstyle

* Gunfighter’s Afternoon/The Duke