Wally Seck records vocal arrangements in the Mezzanine

Producer Iqram Ismail conducting the chorus for Wally Seck in our Mezzanine live room.

Senegalese rising star Wally Seck brought a top-notch crew of musicians and personnel through our Mezzanine studio this month for a spirited vocal session with studio engineer Violette Furton. We had an absolute blast having Seck and his vocalists in our space, as they made the most of our Mezzanine’s live room’s high ceilings and professionally engineered acoustics.

Seck is the son of famed Dakar musician Thione Seck, part of the West African griot oral tradition and founder of the influential mbalax group Raam Daan. Wally is continuing and broadening the family tradition out–after an early career that found him pursuing an entirely different road from his family’s history–while also blowing up globally as the afrobeats movement, derailed in its international takeover by the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to expand its reach and influence around the world.

Check out some photos of the session above, and listen to Seck’s single “Natural Love” below.

#TBT: Q Lazzarus transfers archive of reel-to-reel tapes

This week, a fun piece of #TBT news we’ve been waiting to share for over a year–we were honored to host enigmatic NYC artist Q Lazzarus at our Manhattan facility in August of last year to transfer some of the band’s reel-to-reel 1/4” tapes to digital.

After being the subject of a small media frenzy in 2019 when a cryptic Twitter post resurfaced the long-quiet artist, Dazed reporters were able to confirm that she is still alive and well, but beyond that, weren’t able to initiate further contact with her, seemingly at her request for privacy.

As with all things Q Lazzarus, there was an air of mystery to the session, and we don’t know if the transfers are destined for a future re-release, for archival purposes, or for some other ends, but we do know that it was very special to have Q in studio. Dubway staff engineer Caleb Addy assisted with the transfer, ensuring no technical or physical issues with the tapes during the transfer process.

Check out Goodbye Horses below, and the rest of the (limited) Q Lazzarus discography here.

Dubway West records Adian Cota for GRLSWIRL

This summer, Dubway West provided sound reinforcement, mixing, and recording for an event at Venice’s Firestone Walker Brewing Company hosted by skate company GRLSWIRL. The event played host to LA-based percussionist Adrian Cota and his band, who played a spirited set of heavily jazz-inflected pop. Cota has had a long career for such a young musician, playing with greats including Herbie Hancock and at legendary performing arts venues all over the world such as ZOZO Marine Stadium in Japan, The Kennedy Center, and The Hollywood Bowl.

Adrian Cota, left, leads the band at Firestone Walker Brewing.

Dubway West engineer Luke Webb ran sound for the show, with Dubway West engineers Maja Sazdic and Dashael Nadler assisting.

Winston House Jazz Band, with sound by Dubway West

We’ve been enjoying (from the opposite coast) the partnership between Winston House and Dubway West – you can find a previous post about our work with the venue here – who have done a ton of shows together since the lifting of pandemic restrictions this summer.

Today, we want to highlight the Winston House Jazz Band, who regularly perform at the venue, and our engineering crew who mix their shows.

The Winston House Jazz Band consists of members Adrian Cota (vocals), Quinn Carson (trombone), Ray Marshal (drums), Zuri Appleby (bass), Taylor Mackall (keys), Alex Sill (guitar), Aaron Janik (trumpet), and Jacob Scesney (saxophone). While the specific instrumentation often changes song to song, the overall lineup remains consistent, as does the energy they bring to their performances.

Dubway West has been thrilled to provide on-site engineering, including FOH engineers Luke Webb and Mike Sassano, and assistant engineers Maja Sazdik, Patrick Pak, Dashael Nadler, and Alex Acosta.

"The Wayward Strangers" mix with Violette Furton

Photo of The Wayward Strangers’ rehearsal studio space, courtesy the band’s website.

Staten Island’s rock outfit The Wayward Strangers took over our Blue Room facility this month for a series of mix sessions with the group’s keyboard player Brian Raleigh, guitarist Anthony Aquino, and Dubway engineer Violette Furton. The group is prepping an upcoming release that is as-of-yet not publicly named–you’ll have to stay tuned for more info!

The Wayward Strangers have played venues in the greater tri-state area including The Studio at Webster Hall, The Delancey, The Westchester Preforming Arts Center, Hunter College and The Mermaid.

Scott Alan's "nothing more" set for release, opens presale

Songwriter Scott Alan has been hard at work at Dubway for the past few months with engineer Violette Furton, finalizing tracking and mixing on his newest album. Now that a release is scheduled, we’re thrilled to share that the project, titled nothing more, is up for presale!

From the artist’s website:

Acclaimed songwriter Scott Alan & musical director Ben Cohn (Dear Evan Hansen; Wicked) team up for a new album celebrating the first two years of Scott’s daughter, Alex Vivian’s, life. Filled with soaring orchestrations and harmonies arrangements by Cohn, “Nothing More” celebrates the unconditional relationship between parent and child. Featuring celebrated gay and trans dads from the entertainment industry, “Nothing More” marks a monumental collaboration between Alan and Cohn. The package also contains a second CD of all 11 song instrumentals not available on digital or streaming platforms.

Congratulations to Alan and the entire crew of these sessions!

Bi-coastal Dubway team records, mixes Cautious Clay for "Live From The Artists Den"

Dubway and Dubway West personnel recently completed work on a live performance of Cautious Clay for the regular live music show, Live From The Artists Den. We’ve been fortunate enough to partner with LFTAD on a number of their recordings in NYC, but rarely have we had the opportunity to loop our west coast outpost into the process.

The show was recorded at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan by Dubway engineers Chad Henderson and Charley Shealy, with Dubway West engineer Jones Jalhey mixing the final recordings for the show. Recording and mixing involves becoming a part of a large process with multiple other teams–the A/V install team for the live show, the production team for the stream, the LFTAD producers, and many more–and having one studio manage both the recording and mixing can be a helpful way for the producers to streamline part of the process.

Check out the show, which aired earlier this week, at the Variety stream above, and a few photos from behind the scenes below.

LA venue Winston House, with audio wiring & install by Dubway West, named “best new venue”

Winston House, the Venice venue at which Dubway West has set up a near-permanent shop as the audio production team, was just voted LA’s best new restaurant/venue by noted ranking site Eater. Dubway’s west coast team not only runs sound for much of the venue’s concerts, but also installed the wiring and sound system, mixes post-production recordings from the location, and tags in on collaborations like this summer’s Master of None special streaming concert. Artists performing at the venue run the gamut but as the article notes, are more than likely to be rising stars or early-career breakouts, making the venue a great place to catch intimate performances from artists on the rise.

Congratulations to the entire Dubway West and Winston House crews! Check out the blurb from Eater on the right, and read the entire list (although why would you when Winston House is #1?) here.

Jennifer Hall workshops new material with engineer Zach Grappone

Singer/songwriter Jennifer Hall is currently in the midst of a series of sessions at Dubway, working on new material for songs with staff engineer (and producer) Zach Grappone. Hall is both a solo artist and a songwriter for other artists.

The three originals Hall has been workshopping have so far involved piano, bass, vocals, and a variety of guitar parts. There’s no release date on these pieces, which are in the process of being developed, but with sessions ongoing, we’ll have updates when we know more!

Hall and Grappone working through guitar parts for one of her new songs, pictured in our Red Room recording suite.

Paul Rolnick and Karen Mason return to Dubway's Mezzanine

Paul Rolnick and Karen Mason (2017).

Emmy and CLIO award-winning producer Paul Rolnick and multipe-award-winning Broadway and cabaret singer Karen Mason made a return trip to Dubway’s Mezzanine Studio this month, following previous sessions together in 2015, and separate sessions from Rolnick and other artists as recently as a few months ago. The duo–who are also married– tracked a full band and vocals, returning for separate string sessions. Recordings were done by Dubway studio engineers Violette Furton and Chad Henderson, with Rolnick producing from the control room.

Find out more about Karen Mason’s work here, and Rolnick's here.

Ramsay Burgess's musical "Heartbreak County" records in the Mezzanine

Writer and director Ramsay Burgess brought the cast of his musical Heartbreak County into our Mezzanine Studio space last month to track the cast album with Dubway engineer Marc Frongillo.  The session was a careful process of tracking both instruments and ensemble vocals, with some additional MIDI recording at the end to round out the project, and made judicious use of the Mezzanine’s airy live room and multiple isolation booths.

Take a look at some photos from the session below, and follow the show at their Instagram.

BTS from "The Sounds of the Chi" streamed concert, presented by SHOWTIME

Season 4 of the coming-of-age drama The Chi, is out now on SHOWTIME, and to honor the occasion the network pulled together an amazing lineup of Chicago talent to perform some of the show’s soundtrack. Dubway West was on-set to record audio for the project. Engineering was led by Lucas Webb, with Maja Sazdic assistant engineering and All Worthy People overseeing the production.

Check out the complete show in it’s finished state above, and a few pics from set below! The Chi’s season finale aired in early August, but you can stream this season, and previous seasons, at the link above (with a SHOWTIME subscription).

Gorgeous, lush set production for Jai’len Josey’s set, from production house All Worthy People.

D.C. Anderson tracks trio with Violette Furton

Anderson, center, in the control room with the band post-session.

Actor and singer/songwriter D.C. Anderson (Norman, Miles) performed new material in the Mezzanine earlier this month, in a session with studio engineer Violette Furton. The artist recorded guitar, vocals, and piano over the course of an evening session–a perfect time of day for a folk music session! Furton tracked the trio as they took it, through the studio‘s SSL 4064 G+ console.

Check out Anderson’s previous releases or more about his career, on the stage (in multiple capacities) and off.

Christine Ebersole records in the Mezzanine with Al Houghton

Dubway owner and engineer Al Houghton recorded two-time Tony Award-winning singer and actor Christine Ebersole (42nd Street, Grey Gardens, Tootsie) in our Mezzanine Studio earlier this month.

Alongside Charley Shealy, who co-engineered the recordings along with Houghton, Ebersole tracked piano, acoustic guitar, and vocals, before heading downstairs into the Blue Room to mix. The session included musicians Larry Saltzman and Lawrence Yurman (on guitar and piano, respectively), pictured above with Ebersole in the control room.

You can find more about Ebersole’s amazing life and career here, or find some of her many other recordings on her website.

Producer Billy Mann brings BLKBOK to the Mezzanine

Mann (center, seated), BLKBOK (center right), and Shealy (right, seated) in the control room.

Grammy Award-winning songwriter, record producer, and Green & Bloom/Topline founder/CEO Billy Mann brought Detroit piano prodigy BLKBOK through our Mezzanine Studio to record a collection of holiday piano music late last month. The session was overseen by studio engineer Charley Shealy and produced by Mann.

BLKBOK is an immensely talented pianist whose work has continually crossed genre and style boundaries in interesting blends, primarily in the idioms of classical, contemporary pop, and hip hop. He’s worked with other artists of all stripes over the course of his career (which began at the very young age of six!), including superstars like Rihanna and Justin Timberlake.

For a sample of BLKBOK shredding on a cover, listen to his short snipped of Cardi B’s “Up”, from the Atlantic Records Facebook page (at right). You can also catch a full set of his from Rockwood Music Hall on YouTube, for a taste of the moods his playing can evoke.

Once recording had wrapped, Mann, BLKBOK, and Shealy had time for some preliminary editing and mixing to put a cap on the day’s recordings. We look forward to hearing what these songs become!

Performing artist Ann Kittredge tracks new music in Dubway's Mezzanine

Singer and performing artist Ann Kittredge recently brought a group of talented musicians to our Mezzanine Studio to track songs and material for an upcoming project. The ensemble included drums, double bass, piano, additional percussion, and lots of vocals. Dubway staff engineer Violette Furton recording the session, using the Mezzanine’s SSL console. Paul Rolnick produced the session, in conjunction with Kittredge.

Kittredge has had a long career on stage, screen, and tape, and has gotten to perform in productions on Broadway, off Broadway, and at theaters throughout the Northeast. Her work spans traditional musicals, cabaret, and a variety of other vocal and performance styles.

Pro Tools Expert publishes a guide to Apple's Spatial Audio from Nathaniel Reichman

Lead Dubway engineer Nathaniel Reichman has been a vocal supporter of immersive formats for music for a long time, so it’s no surprise that when Pro Tools Expert needed an expert of their own for an article on Apple’s new Spatial Audio format/program, they turned to Reichman.

The article, which can be found here, describes in detail a set of best-practices and technical approaches for working in immersive music formats, specifically in mixing immersive music via Dolby Atmos and the Atmos renderer. Many of these practices have been honed and deployed on Reichman’s spatial music mixes for Dubway clients, including on a set of John Luther Adams albums, and on some of Pinna’s amazingly hi-fi children’s programming.

Reichman presenting at Dolby HQ in Manhattan in October 2019, at the premier and album release for the spatial mixes of John Luther Adams’ Become Desert.

For anyone who’s ever been curious about the nuts-and-bolts of translating immersive mixing techniques to the varied playback environments and formats often associated with music consumption, this article is excellent. And if the technical stuff is too in-the-weeds, but you’re curious about hearing your music in an immersive format, give us a call–that’s what we’re here for!

Scott Alan tracks vocals with Dubway engineer Violette Furton

Scott Alan at the piano; photo courtesy of the artist.

Multitalented artist and performer Scott Alan has been at Dubway the past month, working with engineer Violette Furton over a couple sessions to record vocals, string parts, saxaphone, and a woodwind section for Alan’s upcoming album.

Vocals were recorded on our Main Floor Studios, with instrumental groups tracked separately in our Mezzanine Studio to take advantage of the spacious live room, both for acoustics and for COVID-safe ensemble recording.

Alan is an acclaimed songwriter and coach who has worked with all sorts of top talent, including Grammy Award winning Pentatonix, Tony Award winning Sutton Foster, Grammy nominees Jane Monheit and Marc Broussard, and many, many more.

You can keep up to date with Alan’s work at his page, linked at top, and find his previous albums on all digital media platforms.

SOCAPA takes over Dubway's Main Floor

Guitar tracking in Sound Room 3.

As was yearly tradition before last year’s shutdown forced a pause, the talented kids of the School of Creative and Performing Arts–SOCAPA for short–took over our Main Floor studios for a couple summer weeks, churning out original tunes alongside Dubway engineers and their instructors. You can see previous years highlighted on the music section of their camp’s website; until the projects are finished and streamable, check out some photos from this year’s camp below!

Engineers included Darnell Burns, Violette Furton, Sydney Fuqua, and Chad Henderson, all of whom worked quickly and efficiently with students to produce finished pieces in a creative, team-effort-style race against the clock.

Congratulations to all the campers–see you next year!

Mayor's House releases video for "Dream Dancer" recording

A video for Mayor’s House’s song “Dream Dancer”–recorded in our Mezzanine studio last week–is now live on the band’s YouTube. The track was recorded and mixed by Dubway’s Violette Furton; the video was captured and edited by the band.

Mayor’s House recorded an EP’s worth of songs during their session, so stay tuned for more to come! You can read our write up of the session here.