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The Exuberant Engineer

Sep 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Diane Gershuny

What's your recording philosophy as a producer?

The initial process is the raw-material process. I try to get great performances and enough takes so I have it covered. Then I can fine-tune it as necessary. And that doesn't mean using Beat Detective or slicing it up and making it “perfect.” It means selecting the best performances. I'm currently producing the Big Provider, a band from San Diego [see Fig. 3]. I love what they do. In four days, we cut 11 songs, did a bunch of guitar overdubs, and sang half the lead vocals and background vocals. The band was thrilled with the rough tracks, despite their initial apprehension to record while playing together (their previous experience involved each member recording their parts separately). As the producer, I felt their energy and interaction would translate better when they played together.

I did the same last year with a band called Lustra, and they've repeatedly told me it was the best recording experience they've ever had. Currently, I'm finishing up mixing a second record for Jackshit [see Fig. 4], which has drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello's Imposters, along with guitarist Val McCallum. Same basic approach, although usually it's just one take with those guys.

You seem to be chameleon-like in your approach to making records.

I'm truly attracted to all kinds of music. It doesn't matter what the genre is. I love the philosophical aspect of making records. I like finding ways to enable artists to get to their “truth.” Sometimes it's being more hands-off, or sometimes it's helping them figure out chords, arrangements, and things like that. I guess that's what I mean by the philosophy of it: I want to make records that are unique to the artist.

What are some of the highlights?

There have been quite a few, but here's one with a cool thread to it. Through Vonda I met Michael Landau, who was one of my guitar heroes when I was in college. He played on a ton of records. But I'd lived in Los Angeles for ten years and never came across him on a session. It was great when we met, because he was a big fan of stuff that I'd worked on, like the Los Lobos records, and I was a fan of his. I got to record a little song called “The Blue Horn” that he did at his house, and it's still one of my favorites. Mike, in turn, recommended me to a producer in Nashville named Byron Gallimore, who has produced Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, among others. When Byron came here to record Tim, Mike recommended me, and that turned into a bunch of extra things.

It's funny how one little thing runs you off into another. Mitchell Froom put out a solo-piano record last year and asked me to coproduce it. He's shown a lot of trust in me and has been an amazing supporter. I love working for him and always learn something. His focus, his sense of music, his sense of harmony is great. And Tchad is the same way. We're still good friends. I learned a lot about making records from them. When you spend five years with people, their philosophies and ways of working definitely rub off on you.

How did you start working with Robbie Williams?

One of my best friends, Jeremy Stacey, who I met in '95 when he was looking for an engineer, is a drummer and producer from England. Jeremy was playing on Robbie's Escapology [Virgin, 2003] at Conway in 2002, so I went down to hang out. Due to looming deadlines, I was asked to record one song. Two years later I got a call from the A&R guy, Chris Briggs, asking about my availability to help finish the new Robbie record with new producer and cowriter Stephen Duffy. It was an interesting project; we were sorting through two and a half years of Pro Tools sessions recorded all over the world. We overdubbed, edited, and molded the songs into shape. Stephen gave me a lot of room creatively to try things, and I really appreciated that. It was one of the most challenging things I've done.

Do you make your own music?

When I moved to L.A., I had the foolish idea that I'd actually be able to play guitar and work in a studio at the same time. After my first 100-hour workweek, there was no way. I've always wanted to produce, and I decided that working in a studio was what I needed to do. I have occasionally played guitar or piano on a record, and it's been a blast.

It's funny — I learned more about music by watching guys like David Hidalgo [from Los Lobos], Mike Landau, Jeremy Stacey, Mitchell, Davey, Pete, Val, and a lot of other great players than I did from my years at school. I always learn something from everyone I come across.

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Diane Gershuny is a freelance writer and publicist who has written about music and musicians, instruments, and pro audio for more than 20 years. She's worked for companies such as Fender, Mackie, and Tascam.

John Paterno: A Selected Discography

Roger Joseph Manning Jr., The Land of Pure Imagination (Cordless Records, 2006); M, Ma

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Marco Benevento, Best Reason to Buy the Sun (Rope-a-Dope, 2005); E, M

Mitchell Froom, A Thousand Days (Inner Knot, 2005); P, E, M, Ma

The Stands, Horse Fabulous (Liberation Music, 2005); E, M

The Warlocks, Surgery (Mute, 2005); E

Robbie Williams, Intensive Care (EMI, 2005); E, G, M (B-sides only)

The Black Mollys, Overnight Disgrace (Vital, 2004); P, E, M

Particle, Launchpad (OR, 2004); P, E, M

Soraya, Soraya (EMI Int'l., 2003); E, M

The Thrills, So Much for the City (Virgin, 2003); E

Badly Drawn Boy, Have You Fed the Fish? (Artist Direct BMG, 2002); E

Jackshit, Jackshit (Evangeline, 2002); E, M

Mia Doi Todd, Golden State (Sony, 2002); E, M

Tim McGraw, Set This Circus Down (Curb, 2001); E

Joan Osborne, Righteous Love (Interscope, 2000); E

Los Lobos, Colossal Head (Warner Bros., 1996); E

Ted Hawkins, The Next Hundred Years (Geffen, 1994); E, M

P = producer, E = engineer, M = mixer, Ma = mastering engineer, G = guitar