Tone Catcher

I vividly remember the first time I heard Good Old War's Come Back As Rain. It was March of 2012 and I had just quit my corporate job in Austin so that I could move back home to open my recording studio which would go on to become The Looking Glass. As Rach and I were packing up our tiny 668 square foot rental house, I casually opened Spotify to stream the album after reading several positive reviews. I wanted to know if the hype was real. It was one of those rare moments when the feeling of the music completely connected to the way I was feeling in my own life. Rach and I went on to spin the album continuously for an entire month as we spent time in Colorado to snowboard and plan for the year to come. I still can't listen to that album without thinking about that month in the mountains.

Fast forward to fall of 2019. I'm trying to get this podcast off the ground and somehow I knew that Good Old War's drummer/vocalist, Tim Arnold, lived in Atlanta. After several direct messages and a few weeks, Tim shows up for an in-depth interview and a Tone Zone session here at The Looking Glass. In this episode, we talk about Tim's origin story, what it was like to be signed to a label at an early age, the rise of Good Old War, being broke and finally making money on tour, living in Atlanta, his new project (Found Wild), playing with Anthony Green, and of course, gear.

The day after their Halloween Atlanta show at The Drunken Unicorn, New England's Weakened Friends stops in for the full blown Tone Catcher experience.  The performance, the discussion, the gear .. it's all here.  It's been a while since we've put out a live session, and because of Weakened Friends, we're coming back strong.  Three piece bands aren't supposed to sound this massive, yet somehow they do it with ease.  We talk about the usual subjects like recording, touring, and gear, but we also dig deep into what its like to be a minority in the music scene and how we can change that experience.  

In order to get into the triple threat position, you need to position your body and the ball so that you’re ready to pass, dribble, or shoot at any moment. Put the ball between your shoulder and your knee, keep your eyes up, back straight, and bend your legs. This athletic stance makes you difficult to defend. The only problem is that this principle applies only to basketball, and this podcast has nothing to do with that. Cameron Flaisch, however, brings us our first creative triple threat. Most people know him as a photographer, but he also plays drums and guitar in multiple bands. In this episode, Cam and I talk about his start in photography and music, touring, transitioning from drums to guitar, his new band (suitor), and finish with a multi-destination Tone Zone.

Sometimes, you gotta roll the dice. You gotta pack up all your stuff and move to a city where you know absolutely no one in hopes you'll land your dream job. That's what Phillip Odom did. After going to recording school and producing records on his own, Phil decided the best path to the next level was to work underneath Will Yip at Studio 4 in Philadelphia. I met Phil on a whim when my pals in Blis. lost their space for recording drums on a recent project they were working on in Atlanta. It just so happened that I was able to get them into my studio at the last minute. We instantly hit it off and recorded this episode a few days later. We talk about Phil's background, recording philosophies, studio dogs, moving across the country, gear, gear, and more gear.

Ben Cato of The Dangerous Summer drops in for an in-depth conversation that takes us all the way back to 2001.  I met Ben back in 2005 at small venue in Marietta, Georgia called Swayze’s and he was one of the first people I thought of when I first started developing the concept of this podcast.  Ben is unique in his passion for music.  In all my years of playing and recording music, I can’t say I’ve met many people that are as genuinely happy as Ben when he’s behind the kit.  While he’s best know for his role as the drummer for The Dangerous Summer, he has a long history of playing in bands in the Atlanta area.  We talk about his past and current projects, avoiding burn out, The Dangerous Summer, creativity, being prepared for recording sessions, and ultimately end up in our favorite place, the Tone Zone.   

Brooklyn-based Bad Luck takes an afternoon in the middle of their East Coast headlining run for a quick chat at The Looking Glass. After a late night of PBRs and vegan Thai green curry, we learn about the second coming of the band and where they are now.  While on the verge of hitting record for a live performance, we decide that it would be too risky for Dominick's voice. With a show later that night at The Masquerade, we play it and opt for the classic interview and tone zone combo.

Today, we're talking about touring. My good friend, Griffin Elliot, popped in for an informative chat about the life of a tour manager. I feel like I see Griff more than my own family because he's on the road so much. This time, he was fresh off of the Rockstar Disrupt Fest with Trophy Eyes and one day away from a much needed break in Cancun. An interesting topic has started to emerge on the podcast--if you want to work in the music industry in any capacity, the best way to start out is to work for free and do it because you love it.

Carolina based Beket stops in to perform 4 songs off their new record, Bad Form. Beket and I were on the brink of tracking this album together in late 2018, but we weren't quite able to make it happen. I'm glad we didn't, though. They ended up self producing and knocked the production out of the park. I was, however, lucky enough to mix the record and it's one of my all time favorite projects. We talk about self producing, strategies for playing the right shows, and of course, the tone zone.

They can't all be full band live sessions. Sometimes, we're going to drink coffee and/or beer and/or Kroger Brand seltzer water and have a good long chat while doing so.  I finally met C.J. in 2017 when our bands went on a full U.S. tour together.  It was a long time coming.  C.J. is one of those people that has what feels like 100+ mutual friends with you, but you've still never met.

Once a full time member of Big Jesus, he's now back in the studio which is where he originally started. As soon as I saw him posting about his new studio build on Instagram, I knew I had to have him as a guest.  He, too, has a gigantic goofy dog.  We talk about touring, recording, what it takes to get your band off the ground, and everything in between.  We also take a shot at making a few Kemper profiles with his Sovtek Mig 100h during the recording.