So, ummmm, 2020…
Hello, Friends in Music!
Hope you are having the best “weirdest summer ever”, wherever you are, and that you are safe and reasonably happy, as we all navigate the many strange twists and turns of “whatever 2020 is” at any given moment.
I will say this…it felt really grand to reopen the studio doors to clients several weeks back. I was fortunate in that there were some projects already underway to keep me a little bit occupied while we were in Super Lockdown Mode from March to June. And since that time, things have ramped up steadily here at the ‘Mill, as the resilient folks in the arts world found new ways to connect with audiences in a time where audiences cannot truly congregate to share the great medicine of live music.
At the end of June, I began a very cool remote recording project, in tandem with the fine folks at Festival of Small Halls, Confound Films, and PEI Culture Action Plan. We went out to six different venues across the Island, from churches to theatres to pub-style settings, and filmed/recorded 30 different Island musical acts. These performances were then woven into 3 different, and gorgeous, films which are now being shown for FREE across PEI as The Island Drive-In Festival. Head to that website to book your tickets and check out our hard work!
From Tim Chaisson of East Pointers, to Irish Mythen, to Lennie Gallant, to some amazing multicultural performances, to some terrific young up-and-comers, there’s a bit of something for everyone. I really enjoyed the challenges that come with working in different environments than I’m used to…to use the unique sonic characteristics of each venue to really “place” the artist in that acoustic space for the film.
Another outstanding remote recording project I was involved with actually began BEFORE Covid-times (remember those innocent days?). At the end of February, the wonderful Andrew Waite and his mighty 10-pc turbo band performed a sold-out show at the legendary MacKenzie Theatre (‘The Mack’) at Confederation Centre of the Arts. My good pal Brendan Henry of Minotaur brought a camera crew, and I was in charge of live and recorded sound for what turned out to be a very special evening, as it would be one of the last concerts on PEI before the world hit pause.
We recently released the first video from this night…a searing cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” spotlighting up and coming phenom Joce Reyome on guest vocals. Audio captured, mixed and mastered by me. Have a gander!
The studio remains very steady right now, with albums or EPs underway for artists like Nolan Compton, Arsenal Mills, Defuser, Moment of Eclipse, The Darvel, and others. If you’ve got some new songs you’ve been crafting during lockdown (or whenever), please get in touch to book your project for fall 2020. Let’s make some cool things together!