Here’s some photos from The Pierces recent session with Christian Langdon producing, Tomek Miernowski engineering, and Jonny Cragg (Spacehog) on drums:
Singer-songwriter Amy Lennard has been working on an EP with Andy Stack producing and Ken engineering. Mixing is now underway!
GSR favorites, The Madison Square Gardeners, just wrapped up tracking for their newest EP with Tomek. This one will be released around the time of SXSW… it’ll be a rocker! Keep up to date with the Madison Square Gardeners through their website http://themadisonsquaregardeners.com/
Just wrapped up the last session of 2010 with the Dirty Birds… here’s to a 2011 filled with great musicians, albums, and sounds!
The Dirty Birds, a band hailing from Michigan, came in to record an EP with Tomek. Check out their myspace at http://www.myspace.com/dirtydirtybirds.
Lucinda Black Bear’s Alum release is tonight at 92Y Tribeca at 9pm. They mixed their new album, Knives, here at Grand Street Recording. Check them out at http://www.lucindablackbear.com/
Lucinda Black Bear - Knives
Reviewed by: Gregory Robson (11/23/10)
Lucinda Black Bear - KnivesRecord Label: Eastern Spurs
Release Date: Nov. 2, 2010Who?Lucinda Black Bear is a New York chamber pop quintet fonted by Christian Gibbs. How is it? Terrific. If the world were truly utopian, there woud be far more bands making music like Lucinda Black Bear. Moreover, if this New York City collective does not turn heads in the next few months, there is something criminally wrong with the status of popular music in America. Boasting an uncanny resemblance to Arcade Fire, Knives kicks and spits with coiled rage, poetic prose and enough strings to make Phillip Glass blush. Dark, piano-laden and incredibly magnetic, the title track features lines like, “Shut me down, shut me out, I don’t care which way. I just want to be with you. Hey man there’s a Jesus freak coming my way. My knives are out in December.” Bolstered by saturnine guitars, and fractious vocals the cut is tempered by the sturdy veneer of a cello, while “Percival,” features circular guitar work, gorgeous vocals and forlorn crooning. The entire sentiment is tepid and moody and pretty much sets the course for the duration of the disc. “Hand Bible” features a palette of strings, gentle strains of an acoustic guitar and a meditative tempo. After three minutes of placidity, the pace quickens and the song finds its way into your heart. The final four minutes are nothing short of pure unadulterated chamer pop bliss. And so goes the epic and often ebullient journey of Lucinda Black Bear. With a sonic landscape that is highly nuanced, luxuriant, nocturnal and undeniably haunting. Jaunty cuts like “Laugh At My Tears,” and “Buried In The Ivy,” feature fractious energy, while ruminative cuts “She’s a Killer,” and “Thundering Revolt,” point to 1970s folk pop a la The Band. On the understated simplicity of “Suffocation Blues,” the collective finds their footing though. Rather than employ sonic histrionics, the group lets Gibbs’ inherent magnetism do all the work. And yet for all the charming moments on Knives, few are as impressive as the album’s closing triumvirate. “Up on the Mend,” calls to mind Ryan Adams circa 29, while “Antiquity’s Ash,” does its best Mumford and Sons impression. And then as if fully cognizant of just how important a stirring conclusion truly is, the wistful and deeply melancholic “For a Thimbelful,” channels the Fab Four. When it’s all said and done, the urge to hit repeat is far too hard to pass up.
Morley recording a song for the TED Youth conference to be held in Amsterdam later this month! The song was written by Bas Kennis and Jim Stolze.
Eli “Paperboy” Reed came by with his band recently to record a track for a Target Christmas compilation album with Tomek. Always striving to achieve the best sounds possible, we had no other choice but to crack some cold ones open for our “cheering and partying” sound effects.
We have some instrumental funk in the studio today! The Jig, here all the way from Amsterdam, is recording with Ken. Check them out at http://www.thejig.nl/
Our friend Charlene Kaye (Charlene Kaye and The Brilliant Eyes) just released a music video for a track off her most recent EP which Tomek recorded and mixed here at GSR. Check it out!
Our friends Charlene Kaye and Darren Criss (who will be on the TV show GLEE) will be playing at Public Assembly Sunday October 16th. Tomek, one of our engineers who has been working with Charlene in the studio, will be playing keys and guitar for her!
About Me
Grand Street Recording is based in Williamsburg Brooklyn, NYC and was founded by Ken Rich in 2006. As we see it, our job is to bring out the best in whomever walks through its doors, and then to capture the moment. While the racks are filled with Class-A pre-amps and classic vintage compressors, the mic closet stocked with a great collection of old and new microphones, and the control room fueled by the latest computer-based recording, the preeminent essence of Grand Street is its freedom, inspiration and trust. We are equipped to provide the most accurate hi-fi recording, but are not too precious to adventure into experimental sonic territory. If the artist gets the urge to record a vocal through the pickups of a Clavinet plugged into a mysterious purple pedal, we'll give it a shot without hesitance. Or, if the song calls for a full orchestra and a children's choir, we can arrange the music, book the flights and make it a reality.
We give the artist flexibility and an environment that inspires creativity and confidence. Whether recording acoustic demos or a major label release, every sound and song goes down as if it's a classic – we value the moment above all else. We play many instruments, but also have a team of great musicians we can recommend. We have connections with larger studios if we need to take the project to a larger facility. If desired, we can manage budgets, contracts and bookings with the goal of making the process pleasant for the artist. All in all, Grand Street Recording is one part living room, one part big budget studio and all parts artistic empowerment. Come by and check us out!
