The Next Generation

We were doing a dance workshop in Seattle, WA, and we had 3 little girls who played shaker with us. This little heart-melting darling in the pink skirt turned around to me at one point and asked:

"Do you think that I could be a drummer someday?"

I told her that she could be anything that she wanted... she just has to do it. Then I had her play the drums... She was a natural of course... I love opening doors... Here she is... probably her first time on the drums.

A total natural with a beautiful spirit. Her little sister came and gave me a hug when I knelt down to say goodbye. She is the percussionist in the middle... her little shirt says "Baby Got Barack"

Soundcraft GHOST mixing board gets fixed at Paradies Recording

The other day I was caught with my pants down (so to speak) when the mixing board in our studio wouldn't turn on. I was getting ready to "build the mix". I had turned down all the channels, and was going to get a kick drum sound, mixing together the two mics... the inside and outside mics, but it was like putting your foot on the gas pedal, with the car just staying put.

I checked the power, and yes, I had turned it on... I didn't know what to do... I sent the musicians home, and called Rich (he was still in Austin Texas). It took some time till he got back, and we pulled the board off the desk, flipped it over and took off the bottom:





I am not going to do this without rich... who is an electrical engineer. Someone once told me "in the old days, and engineer knew how to fix any problem that came up... not just someone who points mics at things and gets a decent sound..."

Rich is a real engineer in this case... I just point microphones. Anyhow, we were able to hook up some meters that had been previously unplugged, and fixed the problem so the board is rocking again. Here it is again last night: fully operational.


While the board was down, I had the unfortunate opportunity to record with headphones for two days... my ears were NOT happy after this... and after I pulled up the mixes into the speakers once the board was up again, I heard lots of things that I would have dealt with had we been listening through the speakers...

PRODUCTION:
This week, I finished an initial mix of "Mare Cheia" by the Brooklyn-based Brazilian American band "Nation Beat". I also made some mixes for the album "Fools Gold", by Jan (pronounced YAWN) Broek, the father of my best friend and first bass player Jericho. I feel that I am paying rent for the year I first started playing drums, and his office and living room were our rehearsal spaces...

Tonight I am going to start mixing vocals for the Banana Slug String Band album, "Only One Ocean" with Jonathan Arthur, who is arranging all the vocals. Jonathan Arthur produced the last 2 albums for the Slugs... it has been nothing but a pleasure to work with such an incredible vocalist. I never stop learning from the old pros around me all the time...

Johnny B. recording for "Chicky Wok" by Nicole Naomi

In another adventure into sound at Paradise Recording: The Rolling Bomber!


Johnny B. is what I call a classic cat. He came into the studio to record bass drum for the track I am producing for his girlfriend, Naomi (more about her later)... Johnny is laid back, and not in the studio to make a scene. Here is johnny in full swing in Paradise:

The drum is called the Rolling Bomber, from the 1940.s. Johhny B says that it's from the era of the WWII metal recall... so the lugs are made of hardwood (rosewood?). This was a BEAUTIFUL old drum. 28" by maybe 12" or so...

We used two D112s, one on front, one on back, and a Neuman U87 to get some of the resonance of the attack head. We got a great sound. The track will be released in a couple of months...

SambaDá has finished it's new album GENTE! :

www.sambada.com for track listening!

Paradise

I have been getting more and more comfortable in the studio. Things are starting to click. But then I find that my "huge realization" was actually just a small part of the beginning of understanding the studio I am working in.

Lately I have been redefining what I am doing in the recording studio. I am loving the beginners mind approach with every artist who comes in. I ask : what do you want to sound like? Sometimes they have NO IDEA and don't even want to start to have an opinion about what mic to use, mic placement, or what pre amp to use, etc.

We are DONE with SambaDá's newest album, Gente. We are playing this weekend in Santa Cruz at Moes Alley, for 2 nights. I can't wait.

I am in the final stretch for the Banana Slug String Band's next album "Only One Ocean". This has been an epic experience. Brett Dennen donated his voice for one of the songs, which is quickly becoming one of the best songs on the record. It's understated... Bass- (Doug Dirt) Drums-(Will Kahn) Piano (Zach Gill) and vocals (Brett Dennen). The track also has a group of about 9 fabulous local children from Santa Cruz.

Also, Naomi Wilder has been in the studio... she is totally fun to work with and has lots of crazy ideas. She is a nut. It has been a blast working with her. We had in Marcio from Bahia, Brazil to play percussion. Then we did a track with 6 people stomping on the ground and clapping their hands. It is RAW!

More soon...

Banana Slug String Band

SambaDá workshop in São Paulo Brasil, July 18 2009

SambaDá has landed in Brasil. We have been running around trying to get all the last minute details together for our big show in São Paulo that paid for our tickets to ge

t down here.... but we had time to teach a

couple of workshops

for kids in some of the outskirts of this INCREDIBLY huge city.

There are more than 20 million people living in São Paulo. It is HUGE. To the right i

s the group of children we did our first workshop with. It is in the city called GUARULHOS. This group of kids played very well already, so we brought them some new rhythms from a song that Dandha sang with them. Here are some more memorable pics from this workshop:

This girl had a great time playing... she is 18 and has been playing with this group for a number of months. She was always making great eye contact with us as we all played together with a huge smile. Absolutely radiant.

Behind this little girl is a man who has composed many songs for two very famous bands in brazil, Olodum and Ile Aiye. He heard the kids drumming and came to the workshop. One of the leaders of the group invited him in and he started playing and singing,

and he was so into it... which surprised me, in a very touching way.

We spoke after the class, and he greeted me with open arms. People were amazed to see a band from the US coming to their little neighborhood, a band of different races, ages and genders coming together to share music and a message of cultural identity through music. It fills me with the feeling that I am part of a global community.

Bon Voyage

JULY 13, 2009

We leave for Brazil tomorrow morning!

I just bought a brand new MacBook for some friends down there, along with a new version of Pro Tools 8. They are going to be on the extreme cutting edge, cause down there, there was only one store in all of bahia that sold or worked on Mac computers (my h

ands down favorite).

We played a wonderful show last Saturday night, hosted by Bill from

Moes Alley. He gave us all the

door, and we raised an extra $2500 for the trip!

Bill also has donated a 3 microphones and this guitar... signed by Buddy Guy among other blues legends:

JULY 6, 2009

This is a whirlwind! I turn 30 years old, now off to brazil. We come home august 1 and then I get married, and honeymoon in Europe for a month. Here is my mama and I sitting right

where I was born 30 years to the minute... july 6, 12:27 pm 1979... Love you mama!

My folks still live in the house they built starting

over 30 years ago in Bolinas, California. I was born there, and lived there for 18 years till I moved to Santa Cruz. My parents got it going in the golden age: I think my dad payed $6,000 for 1/2 an acre in the 60's.

What will I say in 45 years?

JULY 4 GYPSY PARTY IN MENDOCINO.

This party was more than fun. Every aspect was amazing. Aine and I had a blast dressing up, I got to wear EYE LINER!!!! What a treat! There were lanterns everywhere, and everyone was so dressed up it was too good. SambaDá played an awesome set... the music felt good. It was as if we were all living off the land for real, drinking wine out of the barrel, and eating wild boar off of the fire.

They had this great Gypsy Wagon:

What a way to spend the 4th! No fireworks or drunken fights, or cars, just a bunch of gypsies out in an orchard. We believed that we were living the life!

SambaDá and Ile Aiye Bahia 2009!

What a dream! Today I was on the phone with the founder of Ile Aiye, Vovô... who is helping put this show together, and also getting our whole band to get from São Paulo to Bahia. It is a total dream come true.

We are leaving Tuesday, and today I made a couple of mixes of songs that I never really finished, which I started in Bahia, February 2008. I have been working quite hard since then in the studio on many projects, so never had a real chance to turn one of these songs out.

My good bro Ramnes (ham-e-seis) from Ile Aiye recorded a couple of raps with me...

I am trying to repair a hard drive recorder to bring down to dandha's brother... we will see what happens! SambaDá is going to play a benefit on Saturday night at Moes Alley in Santa Cruz to raise money for the trip.

SambaDá is going to Brazil

After more than 12 years of playing music in santa cruz and around the country... SambaDá is heading for it's first international dates in Brail! We land in Sao Paulo July 15 or 16 and play for a festival in Sao Paulo on July 19. Then we go to Bahia to play for Ile Aiye, the first carnival group in Brazil consisting of African decendants.




This group was ground breaking for the civil rights movement in Brazil. It is amazing to think that just 35 years ago, segregation and racisim were so strong in Brazil, that black people couldn't parade in the streets. Now it is impossible to think about carnival without thinking of afro-brazilian culture.

Ile Aiye is throwing a welcoming party/show for us! This is one of the highest honors we have ever recieved. What a dream!

Aine, my fiance and I, went and stayed with Graca, the first female singer from the group in Januaray and February of 2008.
We went to the house of Ile Aiye 4 or 5 times. Saw them rehearse, and saw where they make all their drums... The group is more than a band... they are a cultural institution, a school and the heart beat of Afro Brazilian music and culture.

Here is a picture of the group from europe...

I think that the drummer in the middle is Marcio, a percussioninst who has played with SambaDá regularly over the years... another man born half way around the world that is like a brother to me. He was also in brazil when we went, and showed us around... Marcio just came and visited for a month (from New Orleans) and I recorded him for 4 days for the new SambaDá album...

Here is a link to Ile Aiye's website:
http://www.ileaiye.org.br/index2.htm