Monthly Archives: January 2010

Backyard Shark

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Backyard Shark at Bentley’s 7/25/09 Photo by Taylor Thornton

I play in a couple bands based in Champaign, IL.  One of them – definitely the most domestic-aquatic themed one – is called  Backyard Shark.  I love playing with Ed, Tony and Tommy B – we’ve been together for several years now, which not many bands that have members in 3 cities (4 from Aug. ’08-May’09) can say.  We’re kinda loud, and we play a lot of chuck-a-chuck-as.  We have a lot of fun, and we like to think our audiences do, too!  Check us out at:

  • Facebook! A book with pictures of our Shark-face
  • MySpace! OurSpace
  • Flickr! Awesome pics, mostly taken by the awesome Taylor “Hawkins, drummer from the Foo Fighters” Thornton
  • Purevolume! LOUD!
  • Twitter! Does this have something to do with texting?  I don’t text – I don’t have anything to do with this one…

SHARKIFY!

Faster Forward

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I play drums in a rock band called Faster Forward.

 

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Charlotte Mattax, Harpsichord – Suites of Pierre Fevrier

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Harpsichord Session, Follinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

John Phillips Harpsichord in Follinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

On 01.04.10 and 01.04.10, I had the wonderful opportunity to assist engineer Jon Schoenoff in recording harpsichordist Charlotte Mattax performing several suites of baroque comoser Pierre Fevrier for an upcoming release on Centaur Records.  The session took place in the Foellinger Great Hall of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, my favorite space (for sentimental reasons in addition to sonic ones).  Keyboardist/Choral Conductor Kerry Heimann was present as producer.  Added to all that, Mattax performed on a beautiful new instrument by John Phillips of Berkeley, CA, which belongs to the University of Illinois School of Music.  Phillips was present to assist with production and with keeping the instrument in tune – a challenge given the extremely cold and dry weather (the instrument had to be moved in on the first day of recording).

Mics used:

  • 3 Schoeps CMC6
  • 1 Neumann U87

Techniques:

Two CMC6s were placed L and R, on high (~12′) Atlas iron-based stands.  A single CMC6 (wide cardioid) and the U87 were placed next to each other (giving two options for “main” mics) about 4′ high and about 5′ or 6′ in front of the instrument.