Three hours up the road from Athens, in the ever-loving town of Asheville NC is the music store that every town needs: Sherwoods Music. If it’s not the reason for your visit, then it should at least be a major part of it.  Bring your money. Bring your broken gear. And bring all your questions.

Matthew Sherwood, owner & electrical guru, maintains Echo Mountain‘s gargantuan back line of vintage sound crafting gear.  When we met, Matthew was always found inside Echo Mountain: stuffed in a room between instruments, dissected amps, recording gear and prototypes.  He worked from within the studio and while he usually had something for you to help with he always had the calming murmur of NPR in the background. Since then he has gained momentum and expanded his footprint. In October 2011 he moved into a standalone location and opened the doors of a quaint storefront at 180 Patton Avenue. While he still maintains all of Echo’s gear, he now offers his services to everyone.

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It was good to be back in Asheville. During Moogfest I worked with David Bragg & his charming accomplice, Sabrina Hilario – both of Flying Pig Studios.  I was thrilled to be shooting interviews for the Bob Moog Foundation with a crew of such genuine folk.  This year we worked out of the top floor of the vintage-gear-castle known as Echo Mountain, complete with a beta Moogseum that included a Crumar Spirit synth, serial#001.  We interviewed Passion Pit’s Ayad Al Adhamy & Nate Donmoyer, Moby, Martin Rev, Wayne Coyne, Bryan Bell, Torley Wong and a slew of others.  Most of them ranked high on the humble-o-meter and actually seemed interested in & supportive of the Bob Moog Foundation.  Above the excitement of the work was reuniting with the strong community of thinkers  & do-ers in Asheville: the Echo Mountain crew, Flying Pig crew & the fascinating people that Moog attracted that weekend.

I was honored and excited when Yazan – of Brooklyn based New Beard – decided to spend a week in Athens to record material for his upcoming release from Shouldertap Music.  We originally met in Georgia a few years ago and his return to this state was much like a reunion of fraternity brothers.

Yazan sought raw & truthful recordings; inspired by the field recordings of George Mitchell.  At night we traveled to record at the mystical Pound Pad, located 20 minutes from Athens in Jefferson, where a rundown, one-room building with a sagging porch awaited Yazan.  The acres of calmness balanced his wide open vocal capacity and the porch reiterated his boot stomping heart beat.  This place ensured the focus of these recordings would be, above all, Yazan’s comfort.  I could not have asked for a better friend or musician to hallow the building in Jefferson and since moving to Athens about a month prior, I’d been waiting to record in this place… (generously borrowed to me by my girlfriend’s amazing family)

The recordings of Yazan are a clear window into the depths of this kind & jolly man’s tragedy-stricken soul.  His expressions are marked by instrumental mastery, vocal dynamics & body moving: when combined with his clearly stated & insightful lyrics, contagious & chilling performances are created.  It’s the type of music you could listen to on a shitty automobile cassette deck (or i-equivalent) and it’d still make you move – because it has a soul.  Inspired by his own experiences and the Hill Country Blues, Yazan defines his own style.

This won’t be the last you hear from Yazan, and you will also never see this man wear shorts. Ever.

Here’s a take from the session…

The R-14 Ribbon Microphone from John Peluso at Peluso Microphone Lab recently made its way into the Village Recordist’s mic locker, or…my small blue vintage box purse.  The R-14′s design is inspired by classic ribbon microphones, which Peluso has certainly crossed paths with in his 27 years of working with microphones.  Appropriately timed, I had the pleasure of spending a week with Yazan, a good friend & country blues musician (who was born/raised in New York City)  It was only right that a player of true integrity christen this microphone.

Usually I futz around with mic placement to hear my options, but this time the mic stayed where I first placed it.  The Peluso R-14 sounded just right, right there – three feet in front of Yazan’s head, aimed at his throat.  Why I hadn’t purchased the microphone earlier was the only question I asked myself.  Continue reading →

Recent music from Philadelphia artist Hilary White,  Archer Sounds unites visual and audio from the beginning, letting one galvanize the other during creation.  Electric soul laced with found sounds describes only a component of White’s new music.  Up and coming album, Mess Sing is a collaborative effort, choreographed, and is proving to have no borders and will not fit in a particular box. Looking to release in Spring 2012. More listening at Archer Sounds. Village Recordist welcomes Archer Sounds with open arms.

Upcoming music from Taylor Strickland.

“Taylor and his music revolves around the southeastern United States, but his experience runs deeper. He’s traveled extensively, absorbing influences from each cultural tradition, but tends to return to his roots of acoustic music. Currently, he resides in Edinburgh, Scotland, having attended the writing program at the University of St. Andrews. He vaguely knows a lot, and is unusually routine.”

Taylor came in wanting to record a demo before he left for Scotland and we were able to track guitar, drums & vocals. That’s when he abruptly  left the United States: recording unfinished and raw. With bass-wizardry and celestial leads by James Cockcroft and straight up rock & rolling by Kelly Chavers, the recordings are practically finished. Bother Taylor on Facebook for his demo.

This is what we’ve all been waiting for- something we can touch, hold and listen to. The packaging is beautifully & laboriously hand finished. These songs will send chills down your spine – haunting and sweet. Recorded in the heat of the Philadelphia summer 2010, with the hum of streets behind the walls. Preview a few songs – and then order your’s here!

Available April 16, 2011.