Tape Op Podcast

For over four decades, David Lowery has been an innovator and thought leader in the music business. As musician, he’s the founder and leader of both indie rock legends Camper Van Beethoven and the successful band Cracker. He’s also a writer, producer, studio owner, educator, and as a champion of artists rights in the digital age he even led a successful $112 million dollar lawsuit against Spotify. His new album, *Fathers, Sons and Brothers*, is a sprawling 28 song release that he offers as an alternative to writing an autobiography. It is a beautiful collection of deeply personal and often quite funny stories that span his history from childhood and family, to the origin stories of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, to relationships and more. 

Geoff Stanfield caught up with David to chat about this new record, being a studio owner, producing, and his thoughts on record labels, digital technology and copyright, quantitative finance, and more!

Enjoy.

We interviewed producer, engineer, and mixer, Chris Coady, back in 2016 for Tape Op issue 113. He has worked with TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Future Islands, Beach House, DIIV, The Drums, Porches, Amen Dunes, Sasami, Hand Habits, and countless other artists. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Chris from his studio in Glendale, CA, to discuss a wide range of topics ranging from his formative years in Baltimore, his days at New York City's Quad Studios, and his approach to recording and mixing. Enjoy!

We interviewed Esperanza Spalding back in 2022 for Tape Op issue 147, around the time she had just finished her 8th album, Songwrights Apothecary Lab. Her latest release, Milton+Esperanza, is a Grammy-nominated collaboration with Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento. The album is a compelling body of work that includes re-imaginations of Nascimento originals, covers, and new collaborative songs.

Geoff Stanfield caught up with Esperanza from her home in Portland, Oregon, to discuss the new album and some of her favorite Milton tracks. Enjoy!

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Tape Op Podcast, I thought it appropriate to interview the two people responsible for Tape Op's existence; Founder and Editor Larry Crane, and Publisher John Baccigaluppi. 

We dive into the early days of the magazine, the evolution of the recording and publishing industries, things learned along this nearly thirty year journey, and more.

Enjoy!

We interviewed Black Pumas producer and guitarist, Adrian Quesada, for episode 77 of the Tape Op Podcast, so when the opportunity arose to chat with frontman, singer, and songwriter, Eric Burton, we jumped!

Geoff Stanfield caught up with Eric in this wide-ranging conversation to discuss the recording of the band’s latest release, Chronicles of a Diamond, staying connected to community, learning to record, his partnership with Adrian, and more. Enjoy!

"Bristol, England, based band, Idles, recently released their fifth album, Tangk. Produced by the band's guitarist, Mark Bowen, along with Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats, Tangk explores new sonic territory for the band – including the use of tape loops – making for a rich and nuanced landscape for singer Joe Talbot's deeply personal lyrics and raw delivery.

Geoff Stanfield caught up with Joe and Mark while the band was on tour, to discuss the making of Tangk, working with Nigel and more!

Enjoy!”

I first met Alan Parsons in 2004, when I interviewed him for Tape Op issue #42. We’ve been lucky enough to work together on Recording Academy presentations and meet up socially a few times after that, and I always thought we’d have fun doing a podcast, and as it was now 20 years later, it felt like a good time. Alan had also built his ParSonics Studio on his ranch in California, and a deluxe box set reissue of the Alan Parsons Project’s Pyramid album was coming out soon, so we had quite a lot to talk about.

Enjoy!

-Larry Crane

There is a long list of accolades for indie legend, producer, engineer, songwriter and musician John Vanderslice. In addition to being the owner of Oakland recording studio Tiny Telephone, he has released sixteen full length albums, five remix albums and EPs and worked with artists such as Spoon, St. Vincent, Deerhoof, the Mountain Goats, and Grandaddy. His new project, Google Earth, is a collaboration with James Riotto, and their debut album, Street View, leans heavily into the electronic realm. Geoff Stanfield caught up with John to discuss his career, this new release and more. Enjoy!

Athens, Georgia, born singer Madeleine Peyroux has just released her ninth album, Let's Walk, and it finds her in peak shape as a singer and songwriter. The album's songs and lyrics address a broad range of socially-conscious topics and events in the American landscape. The album is beautifully recorded, and was produced by the legendary Elliot Scheiner, along with Madeleine and band member, Jon Herington. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Madeleine on a Zoom call to discuss Let's Walk and more. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op's DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. For this episode, Geoff Stanfield chats with bassist and producer Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Whose Hat is This?, Tedeschi Trucks Band) about Fink's 2014 release, Hard Believer. Enjoy!