Artist Spotlight: Dick Hensold
Interview by Heather Askeland
Dick Hensold will play Empty Sea on Saturday, February 4th. He is one of the most sought-after Northumbrian smallpipers performing today, and a multi-instrumentalist specializing in myriad musical forms: early music; Nordic folk music; the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, and Northumberland; and Cambodian traditional music. We invited Dick to share a bit about the unique sounds he’ll bring to the Empty Sea stage.
Most newcomers to your music are likely familiar with Scottish bagpipes, also called Great Highland Bagpipes. What are some significant differences between that instrument and the Northumbrian smallpipes?
Northumbrian smallpipes are a lot quieter, about the same volume as a violin, and have a sweet sound that is sort of a cross between a clarinet and an oboe – but with drones! The Northumbrian smallpipes also have a wider range and have more notes available. They have a 2-octave chromatic range, compared to the 9 notes available on Highland pipes. So they are very versatile and can play many different types of music. On highland pipes, the sound coming from the chanter (melody pipe) is continuous, so repeating notes is accomplished with ornamentation. On Northumbrian smallpipes, you can separate notes with ornaments, but you can also make the chanter completely silent between notes, similar to “tonguing” on a wind instrument. The staccato style that results from this technique is the basis for traditional Northumbrian smallpiping. So you have many more choices on how to play.
Do you ever mix instruments and genres? For instance, have you experimented with combining Northumbrian smallpipes and Cambodian traditional music?
Oh yes, there is one Cambodian tune on my solo album, “Big Music for Northumbrian smallpipes,” and I have another CD, released in 2003, which is entirely Cambodian music, with several tracks played on the Northumbrian smallpipes. The 1987 release of my band The New International Trio combined Cambodian music, Irish music, early music and jazz. On that CD we did a cover of “In the Mood” arranged for Northumbrian smallpipes, Cambodian tro u (a traditional Cambodian fiddle), and harpsichord. It always went over very well!
Of the many instruments you play, which is your favorite, and why?
It depends what I’m in the mood for! I play seven instruments on this program, and I like the contrasts between the rich, raw, energetic sounds of the reel pipes and the pibgorn, the sweet reedy tones of the Swedish and Northumbrian bagpipes, the warm tone of the low whistle and the delicate, ethereal sound of the seljefløyte. For me it’s about using sound, melody and rhythm to convey everything the human soul is capable of — sometimes less is better, but sometimes you want the richest palette available!
What music do you most enjoy listening to? What are some of your foremost musical inspirations?
At this point, I think I’ve put the most energy into studying Cape Breton music, which is a very traditional form of Scottish highland music. The beat and the energy in this music just send chills up my spine. Also, it has a clear, punchy rhythm which I think translates very well to the Northumbrian smallpipes. I also studied early music (many years ago), and my playing and composition is still very influenced by 18th-century practice. In fact, the quickest way to describe my compositional style is: a cross between traditional Scottish and 18th-century baroque music. I love the melodies of the Scots, and the counterpoint of Bach!
From Studio To Stage — Molly Bauckham Explains It All
Over the past few months, Molly Bauckham put together a beautiful debut solo album at Empty Sea entitled Maid On The Shore. Featuring lever harp, cittern, guitar, percussion, flute, and a few other surprises, it’s a great disc, notable for having been done start-to-finish at Empty Sea (including tracking, mixing, mastering, and graphic design.)
Kirby Lindsay over at The Fremocentrist has written a great article on the recording process for Molly’s album! Click here to check it out.
New gear and tracking rooms!
Things have been quiet on the Empty Sea website this summer, but certainly not quiet at the studio itself! We’ve been in the process of improving our recording gear and facilities, so if you’re looking to record this fall, you’ll be interested in learning more.
New Tracking Rooms
Studio G (for Garage)
We’ve been making a lot of sawdust onsite — construction is currently underway to turn Empty Sea’s detached garage building into an additional tracking space and editing suite, also known as “Studio G.” The finished space will be approximately 10×17 feet with 9′ ceilings, hardwood floors, ample soundproofing, a quiet HVAC system and audio interconnects to the main control room. We’re currently targeting having the space operational by October 1st and fully equipped by November.
In the long run, Studio G will contain an upright piano, vocal tracking area, and standalone audio workstation, making it ideal for vocal overdubs, isolating a single player or group of players, or as an amp or drum room. Being detached from the main building, G will be available in conjunction with the main studio, or separably rentable for small projects at a reduced rate.
Studio H (for Hammond)
Usually closed to the public, the back bedroom in the main building has served as a woodworking and electronics shop to keep the studio gear functional and provide for the occasional crafts project! However, these functions are being relocated this fall, leaving room for a third tracking space. Approximately 11 x 13 feet, Studio H will feature the studio’s Hammond organ and provide another room to isolate a player or amp cab.
New Gear!
In the past few months, we’ve substantially added to the studio’s gear selection. We’re proud to announce new mics, a new preamp and new hardware reverb units!
Here’s what’s new at the studio:
Microphones and Preamps
Lauten Oceanus
Lauten Oceanus
- Lauten Oceanus – “Clear the air for big revealing sound. Built to give you classic sound under modern low-noise circumstances, the LT-381 Oceanus is a fantastic vocal mic. It’s an original high-performance transformer-less tube condenser microphone that produces full and detailed recordings.”
- Peluso 22 47 SE – a modern day reproduction of the Neumann U47 tube microphone, this mic is ideal for many male vocalists, guitars, and other acoustic instruments which benefit from a strong, beefy midrange.
- Peluso 22 251 – A great choice for many female vocalists, this tube mic is extremely detailed, with beautiful highs and understated mids.
- Beyerdynamic MC 930 Stereo Set – This matched pair of small diaphragm condensers is ideal for micing a variety of acoustic instruments. In the past few months, I’ve used these on lever harp, guitar, mandolin, cittern, and percussion with great success.
- A Designs Pacifica Microphone Preamp – a stereo, solid-state microphone preamp with hefty transformers for substantial, authoritative tones when paired with a variety of microphones.
Reverb Processors
Used at mix time to create realistic-sounding spaces, these high-end reverb processors complement the existing studio gear!
Bricasti M7
- Bricasti M7 Reverb Processor – considered by many to be the most realistic and natural reverb device ever built! It is truly stunning for putting your tracks into realistic-sounding ambiences.
- Lexicon PCM92 – With 4 decades of experience, Lexicon is regarded as the gold standard in digital audio processing. Building on the legendary design of the venerable PCM81 and PCM91, and the breakthrough technology of the PCM96, the PCM92 represents the most advanced reverb and effects processor in its class.
And that’s not all…
There’s plenty of other gear at the studio already – and more importantly, Michael Connolly’s more than 10 years experience in recording acoustic projects can help your next project sound great!
A voyage between chaos and order: Kora kana comes to Empty Sea Studios
Interview with Elaina Ellis, Empty Sea Studios.
Click here to purchase advance tickets for Kora kana.
Kora kana will play at Empty Sea Studios on Saturday. We invited band leader Tyler Richart to describe Kora kana’s original blend, and along the way, he told us more about the path he’s taken to a life in uncharted musical territory — including church roots and all-time favorite songs.
Kora kana brings a blend of musical traditions and genres to its sound. What are the primary ingredients, and how did this mix come about?
The primary ingredients are mostly defined by the musicians in the band. Sean Divine brings his background of playing urban blues on the harmonica, while Cort Armstrong is more fluent in rural blues from the Piedmont, and his extensive studies of Reverend Gary Davis’ style on the guitar. I’ve spent a lot of years studying West African music on the kora and percussion music, but am also comfortable playing bluegrass music, funk music, country music, and singing in those various styles. This mix came about by us experimenting with the kora, usually after I put away the mandolin for the evening. It’s a late night sort of music, a bit more meditative and laid back than the blues and bluegrass we were playing.
What kind of experience can first-time Kora kana listeners expect from a concert?
I think most listeners who aren’t familiar with the sound of the kora, a 21 string West African harp, will be surprised to hear how sophisticated the sound is, in spite of its primitive look. I think that people who are familiar with the kora may be surprised at how well it blends with resophonic guitar, upright bass, and harmonica. The vocal arrangements are also a bit different than most standard kora music. I’ve really taken care to try and make interesting harmony arrangements and song forms that move these traditional songs away from the standard versions African music aficionados may be familiar with.
Listeners can expect to really take a voyage between chaos and order. Our music is sometimes soft and soothing and moves into emotional and passionate phrases with complex polyrhythmic shifts. People regularly tell me after shows that they felt like they traveled somewhere in their mind as the songs unfold. Listeners can also expect to hear stories about the songs, and learn about the culture of the Mandingue people of West Africa.
It sounds like you’ve been interested in playing music since an early age – is there anything or anyone who sparked/encouraged that interest for you?
My mom recently told me that I was singing as soon as I learned to talk. I vividly recall being in church when I was very young, and understanding that when the “amen” part at the end of hymns came up, there were two chords, and that there were three notes in each chord. I’m very grateful for that early exposure to harmony, and hearing the alto and tenor parts being practiced at home surely helped me. My parents also pushed me to start taking piano lessons early on. My grandpa George was in a brother harmony singing group when he was a young man as well, and he used to pay me good money to learn a song and perform it for him, so I guess I got a bit of it from all sides. I’ve had some amazing music teachers along the way as well, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my drumming teacher, Famoudou Konate. His attention to beautiful tone is unparalleled.
What are the top five songs on your iPod?
I tend to listen to albums the whole way through, from start to finish. When I know just about every note on an album, I tend to move on to another album. I’ll give a shot at my five favorite songs all time, without necessarily trotting out my iPod.
The Anchor Song by Bjork – This has such beautiful saxophone harmonies and voice. Sparse and beautiful and with some challenging dissonance and resolution.
I Dreamed a Highway by Gillian Welch – This is about as pretty as anything I’ve ever heard. Beautiful and soft and slow, through and through.
Tubaka by Toumani Diabate – A stunning version of this traditional song. I can’t make it through this solo instrumental piece without crying. Toumani is the world’s greatest kora player, and one of the world’s most passionate musicians.
Moanin’ by Charles Mingus – What a hot mess this is! The horn ensemble playing on this makes my brain explode.
Wildflower Soul by Sonic Youth – A great example of chaos and order in music. This song by the legendary punk/experimental noise band ravels and unravels, twists you up and spins you around, but gives you reprieve with an occasional reassuring hug before sending back up that tall roller coaster hill again.
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To experience Kora kana — to listen for all of the influences that Tyler names above — grab a ticket and come to Empty Sea Studios for the May 21st, 8.00pm show. Click here to purchase advance tickets for Kora kana.
Typewriters and tubas and bird whistles, Oh my! The Scarring Party makes some noise at the Studio
Interview by Elaina Ellis, Empty Sea Studios
The Scarring Party, all the way from Milwaukee, will make their west-coast debut at Empty Sea Studios on April 22nd. We corresponded with tuba and trumpet player Isabella Carini, about the sounds The Scarring Party will be making in Seattle next week.
How do you describe your sound/style, for folks who are new to The Scarring Party?
End-timey seems to be the term we’ve adopted over the past 5 or 6 years. We perform tuba, accordion, and banjo driven music drawing on the influence of 20’s and 30’s music hall, Lomax folkways recordings, as well as 70’s punk. We tend to use unorthodox percussion, such as 40 pound cast-iron bells, vibraphone, and tongue drum. Dan croons through a hand-built copper microphone. People can expect to hear songs about zombies, the apocalypse, and dog boys. You know, the usual. We’re also looking forward to playing this show with Erin Jorgensen, a local vocalist and marimba player.
How would you describe the music scene in Milwaukee, and (how) does your band fit that picture?
The Midwest is finally starting to get a little attention, whether it’s because of 
bands that are actually getting some national exposure, recording studios, or great venue spaces. We’re lucky to be a part of that and to have found like-minded people to be in a creative community with. New things are popping up around Milwaukee all the time, but a lot of bands that we kind of “grew up” with in our city are calling it quits. I think each of our records (as different as they are) still represent us now as well as where we’re hoping to continue moving in the future. We’ve always been kind of odd in Milwaukee, but I think people are starting to realize that a band format outside of “drums, bass, guitar” can be interesting, too. It’s great knowing that we can throw orchestral chimes, an array of brass, and some bird whistles on a record, and people might actually like it.
What brings you to Seattle and/or to Empty Sea in particular?
This is our first trek out West (which we’re extremely excited about). Seattle seemed like a great place to start. It’s a city with a rich history of unconventional music. Empty Sea was recommended to us as a space that supports all kinds of traditional and non-traditional acoustic music, so we’re hoping to enjoy the intimate setting for our first night out.
Is it true that typewriters sometimes make an appearance amongst your other instruments? Do tell…
This is true! We have one song in particular that it makes a special appearance in, however, due to our situation on this tour with air travel, we weren’t able to bring one along this time. We are actively encouraging people to bring a typewriter to our shows on this tour. No joke, we’ll use it!
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Get your tickets to see The Scarring Party, with Erin Jorgensen, here!
Hometown to Hometown
Chris Coole and Ivan Rosenberg talk folk-geography, collaboration, and road snacks at Empty Sea Studios Interview by Elaina Ellis
Chris Coole and Ivan Rosenberg are unlikely bandmates, given that they live thousands of miles apart, on opposite sides of our northern national border. Coole, from Toronto, and Rosenberg, from Portland, Oregon, sat down with me between sound check and a sold-out show, to talk about the
ir distance-defying musical collaboration.
It’s great to have you here at Empty Sea Studios. Can you tell me about the tour that you’re on?
Chris: We’re touring from Portland back to Toronto, in just under two weeks. This is our second night of the tour, and we’re heading back across the Northern states. We’ll go through Montana, and “Minnesotio,” which is what they call Minnesota in folk songs.
Wow, I didn’t know that. Minnesotio?
Chris: Yeah, so if you’re ever in a folk song, and you’re trying to find Minnesota, they’ll just look at you like you’re from Mars. You’ve gotta ask for “Minnesotio.”
From there we’re gonna go to Wisconsin, and then Illinois, and then Toronto, where we’re going to play a date. Then Ivan and me and some friends are going to record an album there.
So you’re going hometown to hometown?
Chris: Yes. We could actually call it “The Hometown to Hometown Tour.”
Ivan: That’s now what it’s called. It’s not too late.
Chris: From now on, that’s what we’re calling it.
What was the tour
called before?
Ivan: It’s been called the Farewell Trion CD Tour.
How long ago did that CD come out?
Ivan: It came out last year –
Chris: — but we really didn’t tell anyone about it.
Ivan: It’s hard for us to put these tours together since we do live a few thousand miles away.
How is it that you ended up being collaborators, living so far apart?
Ivan: We met at the British Columbia Bluegrass workshop… I was teaching there during Week One, and he was there for Week Two. I was the only clawhammer banjo player there the first week, and he was the only clawhammer banjo player there the second week. We traded CDs, and I don’t think either of us listened to the other for a year or two –
As happens —
Ivan: Right. Then we finally did, and we had a lot in common, it turns out. I don’t really remember how we decided to start playing as a duet.
Chris: Money.
There’s a lot of money in clawhammer duets?
Chris: Sweet, sweet money.
Ivan: Oh yeah, it’s a big deal… so, somehow it morphed into something that we took on the road a little bit.
What are you traveling by?
Chris: Subaru station wagon.
Ivan: It’s going to hit 220,000 miles on this this trip. We’ll see how it’s doing by the end of the tour.
What’s your favorite road snack?
Chris: Well, my favorite readily available road snack, for snack food, is the bean burrito from Taco Bell. I think it’s the healthiest widely available sh*tty food you can get. I also like to stop at those gigantic all-you-can-eat places, and just hit the salad bar — that’s a tricky way not to kill yourself. And the third is pork’s feet.
Ivan: He’s kidding. [Although] that would be a really old-timey snack.
Personally, I’ve been reminiscing about one snack food I’ll never have again, which I discovered on our last trip through British Columbia. I’m still recovering from that trip. In Canada, you can get a thing — thing is the right word — called Hawkins Cheezies, and they’re the equivalent of Cheetos, but they’re good — really good — they’re made with what they call real Canadian cheddar cheese. Forget about partially hydrogenated oils, this stuff is fully hydrogenated.
I know you’re saying this is disgusting, but I’m drooling a little bit.
Ivan: Exactly. So I couldn’t stop eating them, once I discovered these things. But there’s so many calories — they’re so dense — it’s like eating a piece of Jupiter. Full of stuff that’s killing you slowly. Your whole skin starts to take on this orangeish hue.
Chris: A lot of people don’t know that next to next to lumber and gasoline, Hawkins Cheezies are our third largest export.
Ivan: I’m still trying to lose weight from that tour.
What lands you here at Empty Sea Studios?
Ivan: I got a hold of Devon from Hearth Music, who is one of those people who…puts in the time because he believes in what he’s doing… it just so happened that he was starting a new concert series — the Next Gen Folk series — and he suggested this venue. I’ve always preferred doing smaller shows to people who are actually listening, rather than big shows, rather than it’s just espresso machines, or beer-drinking and –
Chris: Yelling.
Ivan: A little yelling is okay… but I looked at the website for this venue, and it looked nice. The curtains looked nice. I thought, “I’d like to perform in front of those curtains…”
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Keep track of Chris and Ivan here: http://www.ivanrosenberg.com/
Read about Hearth Music Next Gen Folk Series here: http://www.hearthmusic.com/
Learn more about Ivan’s dreaded road snack here: http://www.cheezies.com/static.html
Joe McKinstry: Capturing “a sense of place” at the studio
A Story of South Jersey hope, Philly soul sound, and Seattle fresh starts
Interview by Elaina Ellis – Empty Sea Communications Coordinator
Session drummer Matt Berger (left) and songwriter Joe McKinstry (right)
During a short break in recording, Joe McKinstry, Matt Berger, and Michael Connolly joined me over pizza, to talk about place and sound.
McKinstry was hard at work on his first solo recording, a rock album called Route 70. Berger — who has played with Portland Cello Project, Laura Gibson, and Musee Mecanique — came to Empty Sea Studios to lay percussion tracks for the album. Connolly, of course, runs Empty Sea. I asked this talented crew to tell me more about the project at hand.
So, what are you doing here at Empty Sea Studios?
Joe: I’m recording my solo record, with Michael producing, and engineering, and — well (laughs) — doing everything.
Tell me about Route 70. What are you working on?
Joe: Well, it’s semi auto-biographical. It’s got a sense of place. I come from the Pine Barrens in South Jersey…. the landscape is not something people think about when they think of New Jersey — they think about an industrial corridor – but the land is very well-conserved there. Of course there aren’t a lot of jobs, so there’s not a lot of money. There’s less hope there, I think…which made its way into our lives, and the lives of our parents, and their parents. As a result, it was hard to grow up there, and grow up there gay, which I am. It made it difficult, in a lot of ways. This [album] is kind of my story, but it’s also the story of people who were growing up there in our time, and in our parents’ time. It ends up on a hopeful note, because it’s not all bad.
So that story, about South Jersey and that particular struggle, shows up lyrically. Does it show up in the sound as well?
Joe: I think so. As a singer, you’re a product of all your influences, and I’d be lying to you if I said that Bruce Springsteen wasn’t a big influence. But we were also [near to] Philadelphia, so that Philly soul sound was very important growing up. That’s probably the most marked effect on my voice – I’m very East coast in that way.
Sharing a mutual love of Springsteen, Joe and Matt pose with the newly released "Darkness On The Edge of Town" box set.
And how’d you end up in Seattle?
Joe: I was in the military and I came up here to visit people who were stationed in Fort Lewis. I came up to Seattle, and it was a revelation. I knew I need to make big changes in my life, come out of my closet, all of that. I felt like a physical difference would make a big impact, and it did, but now it’s time to go back and explore those things that made me run in the first place. That’s what this record is about.
Matt, what are you doing on this album?
Joe: Matt is helping to lay a backbone, filling out the rhythm sections on the record.
Matt works out a part for Joe's album. During recording sessions, Empty Sea's chairs are stacked to form additional sound-absorbing baffles.
Matt: I came up to Seattle last spring to play on another album. I’m from Portland. It went well… I got invited back!
Michael: Matt is what you really want from a session drummer, because you can throw a whole album of stylistically different songs one after another that he hasn’t heard before, and just have him deliver really consistently — all I can do myself is say, “this should reference a certain style, or something should change here,” but I don’t really speak drum.
Which is – maybe – the only language you don’t speak, musically.
Matt: Right, I’m just a translator.
Michael: When you find someone who does that well, you want to keep that phone number.
Why choose Empty Sea as a recording studio?
Joe: In today’s music world, there’s a lot of electronic stuff going on, and it can kind of lose its soul. This stuff was all written on acoustic guitar. To have someone listen to the real soulfulness of acoustic music is very, very important.
The Chart-Topping Blackberry Bushes
Earlier this year, stringband The Blackberry Bushes recorded a full album project, Little Bit of Grace here at Empty Sea. I engineered the album and co-produced the album with Matt Sirceley. Since then, the album is in its second pressing and climbing the roots and bluegrass charts due to extensive radio play.
I had brunch with Jes Raymond and Jakob Breitbach from the Bushes to see what they’re up to, and over some delicious green chile eggs at the Four Spoons Cafe, they told me what they were up to.
Jes Raymond (Blackberry Bushes)
So, in March of this year, you guys recorded an album with me called Little Bit of Grace . That album is now released to the world and doing pretty well – tell me what’s going on with it.
JES: Well, we’ve been touring that album and doing pretty well with it at shows, and we also did a radio promotional campaign with Hearth Music which has caused us to move up the charts in the last three weeks. We started out at #54 on the FolkDJ-List chart, and then we appeared on the Roots Music Report chart the next week at #36 on the bluegrass chart – pretty exciting because that’s an international chart. And then this past week we moved up to #19 on that chart – we beat out Rhonda Vincent, that’s our claim to fame. We’re also #1 on that chart in the state of Washington.
That’s really awesome. Where have you been traveling on tour?
JES: This spring we went down to Telluride, Colorado, then we did a loop back and around up the coast. We’ve been out to the Midwest, the Mississippi River Valley, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Now we’re about to leave for the East Coast – we’re going to tour our through the Midwest again, then take ourselves from New England down to the Southeast and back.
So from your most recent tour, what were your most favorite and least favorite gigs?
JAKOB: Oof! That’s easy. (laughs)
JES: On our last tour, we did a really wonderful small festival called the Boats and Bluegrass Festival that was right on the Mississppi River in Winona, Minnesota. There were some really great bands – I was really impressed with them. The people that put on the festival did a really good job for a startup festival of making it have the right energy!
JAKOB: You know a festival organizer spends time at the festival when he makes sure that the porta-potties are lit at night – and there was an exciting undercurrent to the whole festival because the river was rising one inch per hour – so two days after the festival finished the entire campgrounds were under about two feet of water.
Jes Raymond & Jakob Breitbach looking dapper
JES: So there was kind of a feeling of commitment for the people who were there.
JAKOB: Impending doom.
JES: Many of the artists camped, and we stayed up all night and created some memories we’ll keep, which was really great.
JAKOB: And the low point of the last tour was a no-turnout show in Des Moines, Iowa at 11 on a Sunday night.
Zero turnout?
JES: Well, it would have been zero which we were thinking would be kind of cool, because we had a video camera. There was a nice stage, a good sound system, and we thought, “we’ll get a good video of this.” But then these four kids who’d seen the poster came in – they thought we looked cool, and they wanted to see the show. They stood right up front and we played to them! But then when we looked back at the video it made it very obvious that there were four people watching us.
Four people clapping in an empty room. (laughs)
JES: It was a low point without being a bummer.
JAKOB: We set ourselves up to have low expectations.
JES: There was a pool in the hotel.
So do you have future album plans? Are you going to ride this one for a while?
JES: Really, we’ve already got enough tunes for another album, and our plan right now is to start working the songs that we’d like on our next album into our live set, and start playing with those in performance and see what happens by next spring.
There’s always that debate between recording fresh songs versus songs that you’ve polished up on tour.
JAKOB: We definitely did the unproven route on this last record. It was good in a lot of ways.
JES: I like that in some ways. I like the process of discovering in the studio. But [the next record] is a different one and we’ll try it a different way this time.
Click here to purchase Little Bit of Grace on CDBaby.
JAKOB: I think everyone’s a little more ready to go in and lay it down this time – to be more polished and prepared from the get-go.
JES: Really, [Little Bit of Grace] is what’s brought us into this fulltime touring mode I feel like we grew so much in the studio creating this album, and then since then as we’ve taken it out, we’re really on a learning curve as a group of musicians still. I feel like we’re almost a new band in the way we approach things. The process of recording this last album really influenced the way we approach our stage show and rehearsal.
Thanks guys. Have fun out there on the road!
JES: Thanks Michael.
Recording Projects Update
It’s been quite a great year for recording at Empty Sea. If you’ve only attended shows, you may not be aware that the studio doesn’t stand idle all week between concerts! We record acoustic-oriented albums here – 8 projects so far this year in a number of different genres.
It’s a real pleasure to get to show off some of the work that’s been coming out of the studio! Two of our artists recently released full-length albums which I’m happy to share with you. Each has also agreed to offer a free downloadable MP3 from their album exclusively for Empty Sea fans. Both of these discs are getting airplay on KBCS 91.3FM – thanks guys!
Jeremy Serwer – Roads
Roads (June 2010)
Free download from the album: Nervous Energy (click to download)
Click here to purchase Roads on CDBaby.
Fueled by an inordinate number of pastrami sandwiches from the Phinney Market, I produced and engineered Jeremy’s album Roads earlier this year at Empty Sea.
I was thrilled to recently find out that Roads received a CDBaby Editor’s Pick award.
Editor Alex Woodward wrote, “There’s something immediately gripping about Jeremy Serwer’s voice; it’s got just the right amount of gravel to complement his soulful timbre, or the female vocals who accompany him on several tracks…Album highlights include the haunting soul of “Dirty Entity” and the lovely “Bare Witness” which recalls Elliott Smith’s gorgeous melancholy. It’s really compelling, heartfelt music.”
The Blackberry Bushes - Little Bit of Grace
Little Bit of Grace (July 2010)
Free Download: Mermaid (click to download)
Click here to purchase Little Bit of Grace on CDBaby.
We had a full house over here while recording this inaugural studio album for the rocking stringband The Blackberry Bushes: a four-piece band and mandolin wizard Matt Sircely (Hot Club Sandwich), who I co-produced this record with. We’re all thrilled with the result, and the Bushes hit the road to tour just after the discs were delivered – word is that they’ve already had to reorder.
What else are we up to?
Too many projects to list – or apparently, update this blog with any regularity. There are several more album projects nearing completion – and several more coming down the pike! Plus a number of exciting longer-term projects which I can’t spill the beans on just yet, but which are going to be pretty darn cool.
Interested in recording here? Check out our recording section for more information and then contact me to set something up.
Even kids love medieval music.
Local violin teacher Shula Kleinerman and Jacob Breedlove stopped by last weekend to a few medieval tunes featuring vielle, hurdy gurdy, and a chorus of young early music enthusiasts! It was a real treat to see the kids’ interest in singing this repertoire, even working hard to make sure they pronounced each Middle English syllable correctly. The recordings turned out really well. :)
Recording with Martha Scanlan & Dirk Powell…
So much has been happening at the studio in the past few months that I’ve been guilty of not keeping my blog up to date! I can only take solace knowing that I’m hardly the first would-be blogger who has found themselves falling behind.
There are a lot of stories to tell about the more than 20 shows we’ve hosted in the past few months, but I’ll start with the story of recording one of my favorite rootsy singers, Martha Scanlan. You may know Martha from her role as frontwoman for the Reeltime Travelers, where she first recorded her original tune, “Little Bird of Heaven.”
So as it turns out, prolific novelist Joyce Carol Oates liked Martha’s song so much that she decided to name a book after it. That seemed like an apt time to re-record the song, and so, together with her good friend Dirk Powell, Martha visited Empty Sea to lay down a new version.
Now as it happens, “Little Bird” is my favorite song from the Reeltime Travelers’ album Living Reeltime, Thinking Old-Time. So I will admit to being a bit star struck by seeing one of my favorite singers walk through the studio door to record one my favorite songs of hers! The recording took place the night before Dirk’s show with John Doyle (the first in our Folklife Masters concert series), so I was meeting Dirk for the first time as well.
To make a long story short, it took longer to set up mics and check levels than it did for these consummate musicians to record a killer version of the tune — in one take! The result was a new version of “Little Bird of Heaven” that is a bit older and wiser than the zeal and youth of the Reeltime Travelers recording. First-take serendipity was the name of the game here.
It was a real pleasure to work with Dirk and Martha to put this together. You can download “Little Bird of Heaven” here to enjoy it yourself!
Lots of bookings!
Seems like word is getting out that Empty Sea is a great place to play! In the past few weeks we’ve been finalizing a number of seriously exciting performances…stay tuned for more details.
And we’re off!
Hi all,
Our first two shows (Coyote Grace and the Cantrells) were amazing! Check out some pictures (thank you, Carolyn Waters for the top-notch photography.)
I’m in the process of booking shows for the rest of the summer, so stay tuned – we have quite a lineup on the way.
How to succeed at stage construction (while really trying)
Pam and Karl finish framing the stage
As it turns out, building a stage is difficult.
But it’s awfully nice to play music on one. Pam and Karl took this challenge head-on, spending a good chunk of last weekend framing out a generously proportioned stage for the studio. The frame is a large, basically trapezoidal shape made from screwed-together 2×6′s, all of which rest directly on the floor. The joists are on 16 inch centers, an echo of typical floor construction techniques despite the fact that the structure will simply rest on the existing floor.
See the holes in the joists? The stage will sit directly atop the room’s main heating vent, and the holes help allow air to flow under the stage and out the 5 rectangular openings on the stage’s front edge. Clever, huh?
I returned from a weekend out of town to find the frame in a basically complete state. I have some amazing friends :)
The great flooring debate
While the framing design was fairly straightforward, I had a few more headaches about what to put on top of the frame! Initially, I had intended to just use plain plywood sheeting on top, probably painted black. But as time went on, this sounded less appealing as I considered the possibility of using hardwood flooring instead. I love the look and feel underfoot of hardwood floors, and I love playing music in a room with one – so why not treat the stage as if it were a room under construction and floor it with real hardwood?
I thought this might mean being able to skip having a plywood layer altogether, but my coworkers quickly disavowed me of that idea – the plywood subfloor makes it much easier to nail down hardwood, as well as providing a stiffer, more robust floor surface.
So the current plan is:
- Install plywood subfloor
- Install ‘stairnose’ trim around the edge of the stage to give a reasonable looking transition
- Install tongue-and-groove hardwood!
Now, I’ve done some instrument building projects and know my way around hand tools, but actual carpentry and construction is something I’ve never really done. How thick should the plywood subfloor be? Should I use nails or screws to attach it to the frame? What’s the best way to choose flooring and trim? Guess what? I still don’t know the best answers to these questions – but one by one, I’m taking a reasonable guess :)
The Subfloor Show with Karl and Michael
Rest on his laurels? Not Karl. Not content with having spent his entire weekend framing with Pam, Karl clocked in for Round 2 to help me install the subfloor on top of the frame.
This actually went surprisingly quickly – in stark contrast to the large amounts of geometry and paper calculations that went into framing the stage, sheeting it with plywood was mostly a matter of directly marking cut lines and circular-sawing a few sheets of plywood into submission.
Karl marks another piece to cut
There’s a bit of puzzle-piece action in figuring out how to most efficiently use the 4′x8′ sheets of plywood to cover this odd shape. But basically this was a matter of drill, screw in a screw, saw off the overhang (after carefully marking a saw line and setting up a 2′x4′ as a guide) and repeat until exhausted.
Plywood subfloor complete, stage lighting for dramatic effect. Ready for the hardwood layer!
It took about 4 hours to buy all the material and complete the project. Not exactly blazingly fast, but not too bad either. Now the stage is ready ti be covered in hardwood!
Stay tuned for more exciting updates. A lot has got to happen in the next 9 days :)
Going public
How many Seattleites does it take to screw a sign on?
What’s new since my last post?
Well, one big thing happened: It was finally time to hang up the Empty Sea Studios sign outside the studio on Phinney Avenue. The sun was getting low in the sky and was simply amazing to watch this dreamed-about place suddenly seem “real.”
Actually putting the sign in place was an extremely quick process – just four screws on each side, and you’re done. I would call the process anticlimactic except that the result looks so good that it actually was quite climactic!
Neighborhood reaction
Overall, the neighborhood reaction seems very positive. The sign generates a lot of traffic to the website, and definitely its fair share of double-takes for pedestrians on Phinney! I’ve been giving out a lot of business cards and having a lot of fun conversations with neighbors and community folks who are all excited to have a new music venue to get to know.
and the show approaches…
Now being just days away from the first concert, things are really starting to come together. There’s still so very much to do, but I think we’re actually going to make it to the finish line in relative style.
And now, I believe it's time to drill. Also, I'm straddling a couple of live wires that are currently loose in the grass! Awesome.
Nailed it!
Stage planning and other developments.
What’s new in the studio this week?
Trina, Pam (plus sister), and Karl came over today and helped finalize the layout for the stage. It looks like the stage layout will seat about four musicians comfortably – it’s an interesting exercise in figuring out how to fit the lighting, sound, stage curtains, and stage itself all in a small (whoops, I meant to say ‘intimate’) space without feeling crowded.
One exciting thing: Karl pointed out that we could use reclaimed flooring (from Ballard’s Re-store) to build the decking for the stage. I like this idea much better than using plywood! It’s going to look better, not require painting, and somehow have a better vibe than playing on plywood.
In other news: I’ve been talking this week with the Seattle Folklore Society – they are interested in producing shows at Empty Sea! This is exciting news, and I will actually have a show to announce shortly. Stay tuned…
The pipes, the pipes…
The pipes are calling.
3/4″ inch schedule 40 pipes, that is.
In order to showcase performers at the studios in dazzling incandescence and deep, passionate washes of color, we’re hanging some black iron pipe on the walls.
One pipe is up already, and it’s enough to clearly see that this is going to look very, very cool. There’s a few more left to do – basically, by covering a couple of walls, you can project light from a bunch of different angles, which yields the appropriate color sculpting and luminosity dancing that all real lighting designers understand. Stanley McCandless, here I come…
What else is new: Trina and I figured out a plan for finishing the light rigging, where to hang acoustic treatment, and how to hang a curtain behind the stage. It’s going to be beau-ti-ful.
It’s a sign of things to come…
So after much slaving back and forth with the focus group (also known as family and friends), I finalized a sign design for the front yard and had it fabricated by our local Fastsigns store. Here’s the design from Illustrator.
In the process of working on this, I learned a lot that I wish I’d already known about the CMYK color space and how it differs from graphic design for the web. Specifically – apparently basing my entire brand around a dark, intense blue is just about the worst thing I could have done from a color-matching perspective. It’s been pretty instructive to look at the color matching between an onscreen image, the business cards I recently had printed, and the sign itself.
So, without further ado, here’s what I got back from the printer last night:
I was very, VERY excited when I saw this peeping through the window at me from inside the sign shop. I knew that the spec’d size of 5×3 feet was going to be large, but I don’t think I was really prepared for just how large that is. I felt almost like I was going to fall into the f-hole!
I have a bit of pride about that part of the design, actually; the f-hole is traced from the fiddle I built last year. There are some irregularities to it and I went back and checked: yes, they’re really part of the instrument itself.
For some scale, that’s a 34-string harp next to the sign, which is itself close to 5 feet tall! The sign comes up to my chin or so. It looks huge inside, but it’s actually the perfect size to go over the existing lawn sign (which doesn’t look all that large in context.) Thanks, visual perception!
I hope to get the signs (one for each side of the stand in the front yard) mounted soon.
Mailing list now active!
Today’s IT project was installing and configuring PHPList, a cool mailing list program which integrates nicely with WordPress. If you’re interested in heaving about our progress as we get things set up here, just subscribe to the list using the new link in the sidebar!
First things first…
Opening this space has meant facing some steep learning curves: lighting and sound design, Seattle business licensing, and not the least of all, WordPress configuration. I think it’s really that last one that’s been the hardest. But the website is now up and running.
Since I moved into the space on February 1st, a lot has already taken place: Trina, Pam, Leslie and Khaled all helped me get the main floor painted and decluttered (thanks guys!), and the same crew plus Jeff and Shula helped move over piles of clothes, music gear, and woodworking tools last weekend.
First likely headache? I may have to take a look at how clean the AC power is in the main room – I’m getting a fair amount of 60 hertz hum that I need to track down. Oh, and if anyone has any drywall tape & mud skills, now would be a good time to pipe up…
There are boxes to unpack, lights and acoustic treatment to hang, and so much more!
February was all about getting moved from my old place in Shoreline, and March will be the Month of Studio Bringup. Stay tuned – it’s going to rock.
