It’s been a busy summer here in Portland. Despite the abundant sunshine over the past few months, I’ve found myself spending a great deal of time inside the studio here at Badlands. Even when temperatures crept into the 90′s and the studio air grew thick with heat, it wasn’t enough to keep me (along with my musical partners in crime) from spending good portions of the day inside. Luckily we’re blessed with some natural light and a big door we can open to catch a breeze.
June began with a mixing project for LA-based singer/songwriter Andrew Webb. I recorded Andrew’s full-length at Bedrock Studios in March, just before I left for Portland. He patiently waited while we built out the studio here, and we were finally able to send off the mixes for mastering in June. Immediately I began working on mixing the latest Hip Hatchet record, title Joy and Better Days. Gravitation Records (Tallest Man on Earth) just re-released Philippe’s first full length (get it here or here or here), and details on the new album release will be available soon. I’m very excited for this release, and will definitely post about it here as the project progresses.
Recording The Early
July’s focus was all Badlands for me. We had two awesome shows and met a ton of new music friends that we’re planning future projects with. I also got to experiment with live recording in the studio quite a bit. As my involvement with The Early resumed and we began recording our rehearsals, I learned the best spots in the room for amps, drums, mics, and our moveable acoustic baffles. We even got to do a fun session with our friend Nick of Port St. Willow.
In August, there seemed to be no time for anything but music. We started it off with a trip to Pickathon, which may have been the most relaxed and enjoyable music festival I’ve ever been too. I got to see Califone, Wye Oak, Mavis Staples, Fruit Bats, Bill Callahan, and a slew of other artists in intimate settings. My favorite show of the festival was Black Mountain, which I was lucky enough to be in the front row for. They dropped one of the tightest and heaviest performances I’ve ever experienced. Immediately after Pickathon, we had Liz De Lise into the studio for recording a short EP. It was a pleasure recording her powerful voice and guitar playing live, with just two mics. The result is a natural, organic sound that suits her songs perfectly.
Youth taking a break in the yard
We’re just barely halfway through September, but it’s been a packed two weeks! Jake and I designed and built a burly isolation cabinet for the studio, so we can have loud amps blaring while recording drums at the same time. (Pictures and details here.) We put it through its paces during our recent session with Portland band Youth (read an interview here), and it passed with flying colors. Youth’s infectious guitar melodies shine right along side tight, punchy drums. What a fun session. We’re currently planning some more dates with these guys, and I can’t wait to work with them again.
It already feels like fall now, with the leaves changing color and some rain on the weather report. While I’ll miss summer , I won’t have much time to think about it with all of our plans for fall. We’ve got two Badlands residencies coming up, featuring The Shade in October and Ben Seretan in November. I’m also planning several exciting additions to the studio’s gear list, and we’re already working on an additional isolation cabinet for maximum flexibility.
To stay up to date with Badlands-related news, follow us on Tumblr or Twitter. For news pertaining to The Early, check out our Twitter. And of course, please share your thoughts, comments, or criticisms in the comments below!
