Category Archives: Uncategorized
Palms tour dates and new song streaming
I’m very happy to announce that the Palms website is now live! There you will find all kinds of stuff including a link to where you can hear an exclusive stream of our song “Patagonia” from our debut record out June 25 on Ipecac Recordings. We also have some debut shows booked for July 2013. Please have a look around and enjoy the beautiful artwork by Chuck Anderson and site design by Black Day Creative.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
Some kind words from Sleep Lady
I wanted to share a recent interview that Ech(((o)))es and Dust did with Mike Hayden of the San Diego band Sleep Lady. I co-produced and mixed their new record “So Long Lonely Ghost.”
The post-production phase was pretty great because we got to work with Aaron (Harris). We’ve never brought in outside ears on a project before and I was a bit nervous but it was a really easy process and he was really great to work with. I found it really interesting what he would focus on in the creative process.
Thanks for the kind words guys.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
The Art Of Mastering
I often get asked if I do mastering. I don’t, although it’s a skill I am really interested in learning.
Mastering is much more than just making your mixes loud. It’s an art, one that requires a special ear. I like to think of mastering like a coat of lacquer on a finished project. Mastering adds that last touch that makes all of your work a little more appealing. Things pop out, there’s a sense of completion, and yes, it’s louder. (Of course, louder does not always mean better, but I’m not going to rant about how I feel we’ve forgotten what a volume knob is, and the “volume wars.” We all hear differently.)
For anyone looking for mastering I recommend, James Plotkin, who I use for a lot of my mixes. He does great work, and his rates are unbelievably artist friendly.
Also:
Tracks I’ve mixed and/or produced from my audio archive
On tour with Melvins and Deftones
I’m always looking for new records to work on. Feel free to contact me for producing, recording, or mixing rates. Aaron[@]aaronharris-audio[dot]com
ISIS’ “Temporal” and more
Just a quick update and two dates I wanted to put on your radar.
I recently finished mixing two records I’m really excited about. The first record is by the Russian band Weary Eyes, which is a bit reminiscent of Sonic Youth. The second is from San Diego’s Sleep Lady; their music reminds me of Hum and Portishead (among other things). If you’re in L.A. on October 29, Sleep Lady is playing a show at the Silverlake Lounge. You should come hear a few of the new tracks live. They’re pretty great.
Great combo. API 5500 and 2500. (Thanks Cliff and Mario.)
This week, I’m in the studio with Chino working on vocals for our debut Palms record. It’s sounding really great and we’re all psycehd. I’m just going to leave it at that and stay focused. Sorry to tease.
U47 FET (Thanks Chris Common.)
My talk back mic. Love this little thing.
On November 6 — yes, voting day — ISIS will release “Temporal.” It contains some unreleased tracks, hard-to-find songs, demos, and even an unreleased video for “Pliable Foe” from the “Wavering Radiant” sessions. I have multiple recording and mixing credits on “Temporal” and am looking forward to it coming out. Here’s a peek at the cover art by Aaron Turner.
Also, on a side note: I was sad to learn yesterday that Hydra Head Records would be closing shop in December. I watched as Hydra Head evolved from a small operation in Aaron Turner’s Boston apartment in 1997 to an internationally-recognized indie label. Aaron and his partner Mark Thompson built something special to a lot of people. ISIS, of course, was a big supporter of Hydra Head and we must have listened to the label’s entire catalog on our tours throughout the years. I wish all the bands and employees at Hydra Head the best.
That’s all for now. If you’d like to work together, or inquire about my mixing/producing rates, here’s my contact info. Thanks!
My new band, Palms
Here’s the press release:
Los Angeles, Apr. 25, 2012 — Meet Palms, a newly formed Los Angeles based quartet featuring three former members of ISIS (Aaron Harris, Clifford Meyer and Jeff Caxide) with Deftones’ vocalist Chino Moreno.
“Clifford, Jeff and I started Palms a little over a year ago out of a desire to continue making music together after ISIS ended,” explained Harris. “Chino joined shortly after and our sound took shape from there. We’ve worked really hard on this first release and are excited for people to hear it. It’s nice to be back behind the drum kit, and with this line up.”“Being a huge ISIS fan I’ve always dug the moods these dudes convey with their sound,” added Moreno. “I am excited to combine my sense of creativity with theirs, and to have fun doing so.”
Palms’ debut album will be issued by ISIS’ former label, Ipecac Recordings, and is slated for a 2012 release with a release date to be announced soon. The album was recorded and mixed by Harris, and produced by Palms.
Palms is Jeff Caxide (bass/keyboards), Aaron Harris (drums), Clifford Meyer (guitar/keyboards) and Chino Moreno (vocals).
Follow us on Twitter: @PalmsBand
New Music, Mixing, and Live Sound.
A shot from mixing The Jezables in Vancouver.
I’m back from tour through the U.S. and Canada with The Jezabels, who are a quartet from Australia. I had a great time doing live sound for them. It’s such a different world from the studio. Every night is a new environment, with a different console, and new challenges. But it’s fun to have so much power at you fingertips. It was also fun to see some snow, which living in Los Angeles I don’t see very often anymore. That wore off pretty quickly though I must admit.
A mountain pass between Revelstoke and Calgary, BC.
Mixing for the new Jakob record is almost complete. They’ve decided to add some tracks, and tweak a couple songs, so things are on pause while they do that. To say that they are perfectionists would be an understatement. It will be worth the wait for sure.
In the meantime I’ve starting mixing a band from New Zealand called Mothra. Fans of the heavy Godflesh-esq sound will enjoy these guys. Here’s a link to their website http://mothraband.com/
Also the Mental Architects record that I mixed/produced has been sent to mastering. I’ve been using my friend James Plotkin to master my mixes. I’m really excited to hear what James does with them.
In the past I’ve mentioned my new band with Cliff Meyer and Jeff Caxide from ISIS. We have yet to find a name for it. (It seems they’ve all been taken.) I can say we plan to record in February 2012, and that we have a 4th member providing vocals who we’re excited about. I don’t want to reveal too much about it at this point, but we appreciate the enthusiasm and look forward to releasing some new music!
A shot from writing with Cliff and Jeff.
Lastly — and not at all related to work — check out this Hidden Radio & Bluetooth Speaker on Kickstarter. Can’t wait for these to become a reality.
Q&A with ALARM press.
I had a nice chat with ALARM press this week about future ISIS releases, the Live series re-issue, and my new projects.
Vater drumsticks studio report.
Vater drumsticks asked me to write a studio report for their website while I was tracking drums for Wavering Radiant. I write about what it was like to write WR, work with Joe Baressi, and to have a drum tech for the first time.
*If you’re having trouble reading the post below, you can go to Vater’s website and read it there.
Aaron Harris Audio 