Forgotten Genre Productions

My friends in the Faux Minx are doing a show at the Whitaker Center this Friday. This is definately a show worth seeing. Not only do you have the Faux Minx but you also get The Reese Project. All this for just $10. Now I know this sounds like a cheesy advertisement, obligitory in nature, but don’t be fooled. Both of these bands are worth seeing and the musicianship on display is excellent. In a world where we are constantly being force fed music like Rhiannan and Lady GAGa, going to see 2 bands with this level of knowledge of there instruments are a breath of fresh air. The other factor that is worth mentioning is going to a show at the Whitaker Center. I went to see Jerry Douglas a few years back and the sound was superb. That is a great room. All you engineers need to be reminded to get out and see/hear live music being played by an excellent band in an excellent room on an excellent PA to hear what music should sound like. This will be a great night to renew your passion for music and what it can do for your soul. Tickets are still available so contact the Faux Minx to get them..

To get you pumped up and ready I am including an MP3 of a song I recorded for the Faux Minx at Building Character in Lancaster. This is a magical version of Maiden Voyage that the guys played last year. We set up in a wharehouse with doors all around that we used for some baffling. At the end of the night we tore down and the guys went their seperate ways not feeling to confident about there performance. I loaded all the gear up moved it back to the studio and loaded it back in to the studio and decided to do a quick mix just to make sure I got everything. I started with Maiden Voyage and was drawn into it. As I brought up all the virtual faders and started to add this and filter that the song really grabbed me. I quick ftp’ed a copy to David Green, the bass player to assure him it wasn’t a waste. To this day it is one of my favorite mixes I’ve done. It is not perfect by any means but the excitement of going with your first instincts and letting it be as opposed to reworking and second guessing yourself was refreshing.

I hope the guys don’t mind me posting this to get you pumped up for the show. Let’s keep it on the down low people. Go see this show you will not regret it.

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On December 5th I had the privaledge of hooking up again with my friends in The Waiting. The Waiting was the first band I toured with. They hired me as a monitor engineer and stage manager. I started off making $700 a month and just couldn’t imagine life getting any better.( Of course this was way before I met my wife). Out of all the bands I toured with, which I love very much, (with 1 exception who shall remain nameless) the Waiting was the band that was most like family. We had an incredible time together touring through wins and losses. For much of our time together we traveled in a 24 foot Isuzu box truck that we bunked out. Half of the truck was equipment and the front half was our living space. we built 2 bench seats and 5 bunks and had a dorm fridge and a TV and VCR for entertainment. We laughed a lot and tried to figure out how to survive in the music business. The one thing I loved about the Waiting was that they never played a bad show. They worked the hardest out of any band that I toured with to entertain the fans. I never saw a Waiting show where people were not on their feet dancing or pogo’ing. They were not the most naturally talented band I toured with but that never stopped them from working hard for their fans. They were also the most engaged with their fans. It was great to reunite with them. This was the first show they played in maybe 6 or 7 years and it was a lot of fun.

WJTL was very kind to ask these guys to get together for one more gig for their 20 year anniversary. When we were touring the band always looked forward to playing in Lancaster and had many friends from the Lancaster area. It was fun to see so many of them out that night. Of course The Rainchildren opened up for the Waiting and if you have followed this site you know my love for those guys too. I will try to refrain from fawning over them even though they played another amazing set. Seeing them play is like going to school. I just take notes. Steve Bridgeman was even better than the last time I saw them.  The whole band was so good together. I honestly cannot get enough of them. I hope they can overcome the challenges and bless us with new material some time soon.

Do yourself a favor and look up some of the Waiting’s music and see for yourselves what a gifted band they were.

Here is some footage from the show at Javacasa that I raved about a few months ago. Enjoy this song then go to Rainchildren facebook and beg for more.

Saturday night I was up to see my old friends The Rainchildren at the Onstage Theater in Lebanon PA. This was a legendary venue from back in the day whose history deserves a post of it’s own. However, the real star was the Rainchildren. The Rainchildren were a band that played locally in the Lancaster area and beyond back in mid 90’s. Back then there was actually a “scene” attached to the music that was being played and it was exciting times. When I say scene what I mean was there were people, ordinary people that loved music and would actually leave the confines of their house, apartment, etc to venture out into the unknown to attend what we liked to call a concert. Not only was there people who actually cared about music there were many local bands that were excellent and as they continued to play these “concerts” they became more excellent and there was a camaraderie between the various bands and friendly competition ensued which allowed them to hone there craft. There were bands like The Rainchildren, Jawbone Hill, Mack the Coffeeman, Reveal, Scarlett Thread, and many others that use to roam these parts playing music and having fun.

The most polished and musically fit out of these was a band called the Rainchildren. Last night when these guys played. I felt like a kid again. My face muscles were hurting because all I could do the whole show was smile. There were points in the show where I who hooed in falsetto. It was so enjoyable that I actually forgot you could have so much fun at a concert or musical event. The chemistry of the rainkids was overpowering. The five of them playing together equals 200%. I have seen all these guys play with other bands and acts that are great but not as magical as these guys together in the rainkids.

On of my favorite parts of the Rainchildren is the guitar player Steve Bridgeman. Steve is an amazing guitar player and I was reminded that he was one of my favorite guitar players back then and now he has solidified that position. First off Steve is a humble guy. Anyone that knows him or has seen the band live can attest to this. Second, he can play. The great thing about Steve is his playing is diverse and he doesn’t walk on his musical partners. Even more important he doesn’t tramp over the song. All musicians take note here. In my opinion this is the key to good music. Steve has the chops, but in verses he stays out of the way of the lyrics. The focus is on the words and what is being communicated. During verses you have Marty(vocals) clearly sending the message as the rhythm section holds it down, and let me tell you, these guys are tight. Kevin(drummer) locks in tight with Dennis(bass) with my buddy Aaron (percussion) putting the special sauce on the top. Then the chorus comes. Steve stays out of the way of the hook. Let me say that again. Steve does not try to upstage the hook of the song. And then the moment you have been waiting for; Marty shouts “Come On Steve” and Steve is off on an interlude. Again I don’t even call it a solo because Steve doesn’t just whip out some exercise he has been practicing or some scale he just has to force into the song. He plays fast, he plays slow, he bends notes, he picks with his fingers, he plays slide, he plays double stops, triads, arpeggiates, jazz chords, blues licks, switches pick ups on his guitar. It is a guitar players delight and then just like that you are back to the hook.

Honestly this is one of the greatest bands to play this area. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is the best band in the world or even in this local area, but when you see these guys live they will completely capture you and mesmerize you for that hour and half. You will feel like you are experiencing something unique. If they play again do not miss the opportunity to see them. I have never been disappointed.

This Past Friday, July 4th I was out at Freedom Fest at Marion Court in Downtown Lancaster. What A great night. I spent some time volunteering for XPN who hosted the event. There was many local bands including friends The Mint and Kheris both who played excellent sets, along with Slimfit, Darcie Miner and a few others. The headliner was Jason Isbell from Drive-By-Truckers. Even though it rained it was a great turnout and a fun night. The production was fantastic and the bands sounded great. I have been critical of local bands in the past but that night gave a lot of hope to the Lancaster local music scene. Jason Isbell was excellent. It is hard to explain what happens when you hear an artist that has thousands of gigs under his belt. The band was tight and when Jason dropped that heavy hand on his strat with the amp turned up something Electric just happened. Jason is also a great storyteller although many of the details are a little too vivid for my taste. For all those that were not able to make it, I encourage you to get out and support live music. If you do not show up and let the people working hard to bring  you these shows know you care, it will go away. That certainly is not to intimidate you it is to encourage you. It was great to spend time with XPN and the volunteers. These guys are working hard to keep music alive in central PA and they are a joy to work with  I was able to make a few new friends that I look forward to hanging with in the future.

The Jazz quintet I have been recording has just settled on a name and it is Faux Minx. I love this name and it was fun to be with them as they chose it. Look for some great jazz from these guys and some great live jazz in Lancaster and beyond from Faux Minx. If you are a promoter and want to book a phenomenal jazz band contact us at bookings@forgottengenre.com.

They just announced the results of the Music for Everyone local artists compilation and it is good news. Out of over 70 submissions they chose 14 songs 4 of those artists are connected with Forgotten Genre Productions. and 2 of those selections were songs that I mixed. Cliff b Lewis and Hiram Ring both had songs selected that were recorded and produced by FGP. Katie Becker and Brock Lawley had songs that were selected and although FGP did not record or produce they are still friends that we have worked with and will certainly work with in the future. Katie Beckers song was recorded by Hiram Ring and John Haughery had some playing time on it. We are naturally very proud of all our artists and it says a lot about our standards and the Artists we work with. We also had a song by Emily Long that just missed the selection process but was a close runner up. There will be a concert to kick the project off and more details will follow. Please support Music for Everyone and the local artists involved.

Website is www.musicforeveryone.net

I spent this past weekend mixing Front of House at the Great Green Festival at the Pennsylvania Rennaissance Faire. It was a fun event unfortunately there was not a great turn out. Sunday was a beautiful day, perfect temperature, and a little breeze. I was at the Boarshead Inn Stage and got to mix Zydeco-A-Go-Go and Elatfa. Zydeco-A-Go-Go was a cajun rock & roll and rhythm & blues band fronted by Pete Gumbo. These guys hail from the Philly area but were a great band a few of the members play together in a blues band and a couple others moonlight with other bands. They kind of reminded me of  Los Lobos with a cajun feel they also played some 60’s soul songs too. They were pros. At these festival gigs there is always a limited amount of time to get things going. These guys showed up, had there gear ready, and flew through a sound check. There was little to no drama and when they played they just had fun. I got some great tones from the guitar player with a sennheiser e609 mic. Truthfully I think anything I put in front of the guy would have worked. He was playing through a Boogie combo with a 3 Humbuckered Les Paul Custom and his tone was great.

Eletfa was a Hungarian Folk and Dance troupe. They were all direct descendants of Hungarian immigrants and had a passion for keeping there culture alive. The vocals were challenging to mix because in Hungarian Folk Music there is not a lot of harmony (until you get into some northern Hungarian areas) So the frequencies of the ladies were in the same zone and I had to carve a little with the EQ to  get it to work.They also had dancers with them and the contra, (viola) player did some dancing and he tore it up. I appreciated the education. I ended up using the Sennheiser e604’s for the Violin and Viola’s and they worked pretty good. They were small and easy to position and with the exception of the Violin mic which doubled as the second female vocalist I used very little EQ on them.

All in all it was a great 2 days and it looks like they may have me back for the Celtic Fling. We will see.

The 300 block of Queen street has been hot lately. This past week My wife and I walked down Friday evening to Building Character which is a cool shop that is housed in a warehouse behind the 300 block. Building Character has a full assortment of odds and ends and artwork to add character to your city home. They take supplies that are being thrown out or demolished and give them a second chance. Recycling and redemption shaking hands, I like it. My friends in the jazz quintet that I have been recording were tearing it up in there. Building Character is an art and music friendly company and we love to support them. The Quintet plays every third Friday come see them.

Sunday afternoon was the artwalk in Downtown Lancaster and my wife and I were out again for some exercise. Matt Monticchio, David Green, and Aaron Walker were playing some jazz out in front of Mommalicious on the 300 block. Great music 2 days in one weekend. Stay tuned for more details of how the 300 block of N Queen Street in Lancaster will fit into the FGP game plan.

I took my wife to the Moon Dancer Winery in Wrightsville. It is a hidden Gem. We went after they closed and sat on the patio overlooking the vineyards and the Susquhanna River. We had a picnic meal and then sat and talked until the sun started going down. It was beautiful. Moon Dancer Winery also has outdoor concerts in the summer and through the fall. If you live in the Central PA area you should check them out. Stay tuned maybe we will have a Forgotten Genre Music in the Vineyards event . Who knows.