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Prairie Sun News
- Autumn in the Prairie Sun -
December 2007 - Vol 2, Issue 4
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Greetings!

We've had an exciting fall at Prairie Sun, so we'll get straight to the session news in a moment. But first, I am happy to announce that by popular demand the incredible savings of the 2007 Summer Special are back, this time as the 2007 Winter Special! Check out the website for all the details.

As the summer ended we were visited once again by our friends The Mountain Goats, who spent two weeks lodging and working on the farm to track their next release for label 4AD. The record, entitled Heretic Pride, is due for a February release.

Having already tracked their last two records in Prairie Sun's Studio B, singer/songwriter John Darnielle and crew opted this time to explore the sonic possibilities offered by Studio C's unique live chambers. For the production team Darnielle brought back in producer/engineer Scott Solter and producer John Vanderslice. The tracks were recorded to 2" tape and involved extensive use of the Prairie Sun instrument collection, including all of our Pearl, DW, and Sonor drums, and many of our vintage guitars, basses, and amplifiers.

Another return visitor this fall was our old friend Ramblin' Jack Elliott, who recorded stories and songs in Studio B with producer Roy Rogers and staff engineer Jason D'Ottavio. The greater purpose behind this and other sessions to come is a recorded oral history of Ramblin' Jack's life, travels, and music. Say tuned for more news on this project as it develops.
On November 13th Pandora Radio hosted a concert at the Regency Center in San Francisco to celebrate the addition of classical music to Pandora's groundbreaking internet radio service, and our sister company Eugene Productions was on hand to record the event. Conducted by Pandora's chief musicologist, our friend Dr. Nolan Gasser, the concert took the form of a living Pandora radio station. Engineered by Mark "Mooka" Rennick, Eric Leavell, and Matt Wright, the recording took a multi-track split to Pro Tools HD via a collection of Millennia, Lavry, Wunder, and Avalon mic pres.
Back on the farm, sessions in Studio A this fall included Bloomsday Rising mixing their new release with master engineer Oz Fritz manning the SSL with assistant Timin Murray. Check out the band's testimonial to see how they feel a traditional analog studio like Prairie Sun can be integrated into the indie production aesthetic. The resulting album, mastered by Tim Gennert for Eugene Productions, was released this November. Oz was also in recently to track (in B) and mix (in A) a single for rising Country/Pop artist Kristen McNamara, who gained serious name-recognition this year as a contestant on the Nashville Star television program.

After a long absence, we had the pleasure this fall of welcoming back to Prairie Sun Shrapnel Records guitarist Greg Howe. Well respected for instrumental albums featuring his own blend of jazz, rock, fusion, and funk, Howe has also spent time backing such pop stars as Michael Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, NSYNC, and Justin Timberlake on domestic and international tours. This time around, Howe brought in his all-new band to the place where he recorded his debut. The session was engineered by Jason D'Ottavio and Mark "Mooka" Rennick in Studio B.
For a week in October, both Studios B and C were occupied by the tracking for the RJ Fox reunion album. Making use of our audio and video tie-lines, the band tracked the drums in the Prairie Room in C while the rest of the band tracked live in Studio B. The members of RJ Fox were joined by session pros Cliff Hugo on bass, Zeke Zirngiebel on guitar, and Terry Lesperance on drums. The session was engineered by Karl Rigas and Oz Fritz.

The other session news in brief:
  • Returning to Studio A this fall was the band Lick for more mix work with engineer/co-producer Adam Munoz. Adam also spent time in A this fall mixing for artist David Lichtenstein, for a project produced by Geoffrey Woods.
  • Our friends in the Volker Strifler Band stopped by Studio C this fall, to track some new tunes with staff engineer Timin Murray for an eventual acoustic EP release.
  • Prairie Sun alumnus engineer John Anaya was a regular visitor in recent months, recording and mixing the Bag Lady Quartet playing some serious jazz in Studio B, engineering sessions for banda group Sangre Azteca in Studio C, and producing and engineering sessions for artist Michael Sanchez.
  • Bay Area hard-rockers Sensory Motor went to work mixing their next release in Studio A with the versatile Jason D'Ottavio manning the board.
  • Prairie Sun staff engineer Matt Wright kept busy with various projects this season, including tracking the new album for acoustic/folk-rockers The Cannery to 2" tape in Studio C, recording upcoming artist Kate Van Horn and her deft trio for their debut album in Studio B, and tracking a new song with indie pop-rockers Acute in Studio C.
  • Producer Paul Lamb returned to Studio A in recent weeks, this time to work with local artist Shauna Miller and engineer Dan Fajans.

Prairie Sun Staff Profile: Timin Murray, Staff Engineer

Staff Engineer Timin Murray entered the internship program at Prairie Sun in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry and Technology (Recording Arts) from CSU Chico. Timin moved rather directly from interning to assistant engineering for various sessions, from the Mountain Goats' first record at Prairie Sun to sessions for Bay Area legends Journey. As an assistant, Timin learned his craft from such engineers as Jerry Finn, Oz Fritz, John Hiler, Kevin Elson, Allen Sudduth and the infamous Mooka Rennick.

As a first engineer, Timin's sensitive ear and keen musical sense have served him well as he's amassed credits with the Volker Strifler Band, David Jacobs-Strain, Till Willis, and Schenker/Pattison Summit, among others. In particular, I think that with the Volker Strifler Band's 2006 release, The Dance Goes On, Timin was able to stretch his legs and take full advantage of the skills and knowledge he has acquired to help Volker craft a truly great-sounding record.

Mooka's Notes:

I know this edition of the newsletter is already quite long, but I wanted to borrow a little of this space to expound on some of the issues that face all of us in the audio industry. As a studio owner, in particular, I have often been confronted in recent years with such questions as "You're still in business?! What about all of the project/home studios? What about the big studios closing their doors? How do you do it?" Read on and I'll tell you.

The truth is, we're doing well. Over the nearly 30 years I've owned and operated Prairie Sun, business has been on a steady, satisfying uphill climb. We don't buy that "everybody" is recording at home & project studios. In actual fact, much of our business in recent years consists of hybrid projects that combine the best that project studios and studios like Prairie Sun have to offer. We've diversified, and looked into the audio needs of genres we may otherwise have been ignoring. What kind of services do classical clients need? Indie artists? Faith-music clients? You need to look at all of the opportunities.

I truly believe in the power of positive thinking. Why did I get into this crazy business in the first place? Why do I stay in it? As cliched as it sounds, it's all for the love of music. Prairie Sun is an inspiring place to work, if I may say so myself, because this attitude permeates the place and the staff. If we didn't have that love, I don't think any of us would continue to do this work, and I don't think the studio would be successful.

You may ask, what about the state of the industry? I don't think we can waste our time worrying about it. The incredible thing about our industry is that the marketplace tends to even itself out. We just have to be slightly ahead of the curve in adjusting to the new realities. I'm not just going to sit here and live in fear. I don't think that any of us can. Our strategy must be to take leadership positions.

I sure would like to wish you all a safe and happy Holiday Season! Let's ROCK! ...or as they say in the classical world, let's read.

Cheers to all the dreamers,
Mooka
phone: (707) 795-7011

  

P.O. Box 7084 
Cotati, CA  94931
tel: 707-795-7011
fax: 707-795-1259
email: info@prairiesun.com