news
Congratulations to the top ten picks for the 2013 recording residency! Winner announced May 31.
March 2013
Thanks to everybody who applied to the residency! We are excited to listen to your music. How are we ever going to pick just one?
December 2012
Merry Christmas to us!
Santa came early this year. Sitting on the coffee table this morning were two Lucas CS-4 microphones. I will admit that I am unsavvy when it comes to the equipment, and the cases looked like something from a James Bond movie that might soon be detonated. So I walked right past them and made coffee.
But when Matt came in he knew what they were immediately and got quite excited. He carefuly opened one of the cases and lifted the microphone out like he was in a middle school game of OPERATION with stakes. I could see the wheels turning in his head--how soon could he get all of his other stuff done so he could set those girls up and give them a whirl?
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa and Happy Festivus to all!
--Cindy
November 2012
Youth Servies of Windham County hosted a Battle of the Bands on Friday, Novemebr 2nd at the River Garden in Brattleboro, VT. Competition was fierce and showcased the talented youth in this area. The grand prize, a day in the studio here at Guilford Sound, was snatched by The Snaz, a young group of teens (and one pre-teen!) from Brattleboro. Second place was another Brattleboro band, Brain Saw, and coming in third was the death metal band from Keene, Cherry Hill. I'd like to also give a shout out to Suffolk Punch. SHOUT OUT! Those 11-year-olds are super talented and I'm sure you'll hear more from them in the future. What a fun night and a great way to celebrate Youth Service's 40th anniversary.
October 2012
It was time for a road trip. Last week Dave, Matt and I piled in the minivan and headed down to NYC for this year's CMJ conference. We were on the lookout for some new talent and also wanted to attend the industry panels to see what's new.
In case you didn't hear, the industry is at a crossroad. I sort of felt like the chickens are so busy trying to cross the road, they forget they are all just food. Know what I mean? But there were some great panels that focused on the future instead of kvetching about the past, and over all we learned a lot and are excited about how we at Guilford Sound can best help new artists.
Matt got to late-night skateboard around central park and delivered one of the best one-liners I've ever heard. Seriously, he never needs to speak again. Dave loved the band Opossum so much he actually made a few movements that could have been construed as dancing in some countries. And he took us to Katz's. Best boss ever! I enjoyed $20 martini's and making up band names (email me if you want to hear the winner).
We found some great bands, though we all didn't agree. Despite the name (don't sound it out) I liked Duologue, but Dave and Matt not so much. I pointed out the fact that I wasn't alone, as there was a whole lineup of women that were "mesmerized." Mesmerized is code for something else--lets just say the singer has a voice made for married women. The boys liked Slam Donahue. I thought the band was amazing (especially the bass player--he was such a rock star), but despite how charming the singer was, his voice made me say something really inappropriate. We all loved Opossum, and wish they lived closer (New Zealand!). We were also impressed with Grape Soda, Daughter, Ghost Wave, Amy Bezunartea, Sydney Wayser (my favorite!) and Ava Luna. Now, to get them all here....
Matt at Katz's Deli
---Cindy
October 2012
Fall in Vermont! The glorious smell of decay. When is the last time you raked leaves? That simple act brings back so many childhood memories. We used to rake the leaves into a pile, and I mean REALLY rake the leaves, till we were sweating and there was a small mountain at our disposal. Then, when we all mentally agreed it was time, we'd dive in and roll around like dogs. That feeling of lying there in the bed you'd made, looking up at the sky, the world so full of possibilities.
I suggested to my daughters that we rake the lawn and jump in the leaf piles. They looked at me like I'd just birthed a jack-o-lantern. Maybe if I let them bring their laptops? But they don't know how determined I am that they enjoy their childhoods. Even if have to pull out all the stops and threaten to take away trick-or-treating. I'm going home right now, I'm raking a big pile of leaves, and I will FORCE THEM INTO IT.
As soon I have one more cup of coffee and finish up here on the computer.
---Cindy
September 2012
This month Guilford Sound offered up its services to VPL lab artist Karen Sherman. Matt and Dave worked with Karen and her artists here at the studio to develop the sound score for her newest work, and helped out with show production at a local grange. I am thinking Karen should probably just move to Vermont and be handed that proverbial key to the city.
---Cindy
August 2012
Dave and Sara traveled to San Francisco to check out the bevy of talent at Outside Lands. Dave noted that though he got to see some big names he hadn't seen before (Stevie Wonder, Foo Fighters, Neil Young), what he most appreciated was the opportunity to see some great music in more intimate settings, like Alan Stone and Animal Kingdom. He also appreciated Chocolands, and supported the festival by stopping by every time he crossed the park. What a nice guy! Sara particularly liked Alabama Shakes and brought me home a t-shirt, which my daughters promptly claimed and fought over.
---Cindy
June, 2012
Produced by superstar Doug Perkins, Guilford Sound hosted 30 percussionists who gathered in the Vermont woods to perform John Luther Adam's environmental composition, Inuksuit, a flexible piece designed to be performed by 9-99 musicians in an outdoor venue where nature plays its own part. It was a huge undertaking, but the rain held off, the musicians were so nice and respectful, and I think we got a great recording. Stay tuned for sound and video....
Producer:Doug Perkins, Assistant Producer: Devin Maxwell, Production Assistants: Phil Hermans, Ryan Maguire, Performers: Thad Anderson, Noam Bierstone, Omar Camenartes, Mike Compitello, Nathan Davis, Chris Demitriou, Rob Elser, Diego Espinosa, Matt Evans, Tim Feeney, Ben Fraley, Amy Garapic, Russell Greenberg, Nathaniel Hartman, Phil Hermans, Ayano Kataoka, Ryan Maquire, Sharif Mamoun, Krystina Marcoux, Murray Mast, Carson Moody, Annie Laurie Mauhs-Pugh, Ben Reimerv, Bill Solomon, Jeff Stern, Chris Twist, Lisa Tolentino, Alessandro Valiante, Owen Weaver.
May, 2012
So Percussion returned to Guilford Sound in May to record Where (we) Live, featuring Grey McMurray on guitar and vocals.
The recording is a distillation of So's performance work, Where (we) Live, which uses artists from different mediums as outside inputs to the creative process. Where (we) Live was recorded at Guilford Sound as part of Vermont Performance Lab's residency program, and is destined for the Walker Arts Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival this fall.
Merriment was made, bacon-pizza slip and slides were seriously considered, and we didn't want them to leave.
January, 2012
Guilford Sound hosted a fabulous session with So Percussion, who was recently commisioned by composer Dan Trueman to record his composition, Neither Anvil nor Pulley. So Percussion was chosen as Princeton University's Ensemble-in-Residence for 2011-2012, and they recently played with Dave Douglas at the Jazz Standard. They will be returning to Vermont in May for a residency with Vermont Performance Lab.
After the session, Dan Trueman says: "I am SO impressed by what you have built and are building up there. It's truly a magical place, and I've never had a recording session feel so wonderful before, in every way. The only problem is that I just can't imagine recording anywhere else, ever again. You've ruined me!"
December, 2011
Stephen Katz has released a CD that was recorded here at Guilford Sound last winter, Flying Pizzicato. Check out his website to learn more about Stephen and to hear a sample of his innovative method of picking and strumming the cello.
February, 2010
Ghost Robot Ninja Bear (http://ghostrobotninjabear.wordpress.com/) just released their debut album recorded at GS in July. The band recently scored a show during SXSW on March 17th at Plush. If you're in Austin, go check them out.
March, 2011
We are pleased to announce that Guilford Sound is on the cover of Mix Magazine’s March 2011 issue. Check out the article on the Mix web site!
December, 2010
Guilford Sound opened its doors to our good friends, So Percussion (sopercussion.com), who camped out for three days to record a piece by Grammy nominated composer, Steven Mackey (stevenmackey.com). Considering this was the maiden voyage of the studio, the setup was ambitious. Three out of four of the isolation rooms were used, as well as the main space for the marimba to capture the resonant low end of that beautiful instrument. Lawson White produced and engineered the session and I assisted.