Overdubbing with Drew Young Band at Dubway

New Orleans and Nashville (and all over) musician Drew Young settled in with Dubway engineer Burgess Carleton earlier this month for a dubbing session in our Sand Suite, managing to dub piano, acoustic guitar, and vocals in a single session – no easy feat. Drew worked on new material with a crew of top-notch studio talent, including Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary), guitarist Kevin Kuhn, songwriter Caroline Kuhn, and multi-instrumentalist Amy Lott.

Drew Young has been a performing and recording solo artist for decades and is the frontman of the aptly named Drew Young Band, who have toured extensively for twenty-odd years, in addition to his work as a songwriter, producer, and A&R professional for labels in Nashville and New Orleans.

You can check out some on Drew’s solo works here, his recordings with the band at his website above, and you can find him (with and without the band) in a city near you!

Left to right: Amy Lott, Peter Yarrow, Burgess Carleton, Drew Young, Kevin Kuhn, and Caroline Kuhn in the Dubway lobby after wrapping the session.

Dubway in the time of COVID-19

As we’ve all felt in New York and elsewhere, the novel COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus has rocketed through our communities, and despite containment efforts, the virus is still spreading.

Dubway is taking every precaution to make sure our staff and clients stay healthy and safe during this trying time. Part of the effort to address the spread of the virus includes assessing various remote (home) recording options. There are many varieties of remote connection, and we’re happy to collaborate in finding options that work for your production. Should you have any questions about precautionary measures we've taken and continue to take, send us an email or give us a call and we’d be happy to answer!

We know the creative community is hurting, so please reach out if you have questions or thoughts you need to share while social distancing. The office may be empty during the stay-at-home order, but we’re always reachable via email.

Stay safe, be well, be kind to each other, and we’ll see you all on the other side!

Mark Howell Singers take the Mezz

We’ve been delighted to work with Mark Howell and his amazing Mark Howell Singers, who have been in and out of our Mezzanine studio in recent weeks. Howell and his singers, all lifelong musicians involved in various spiritual music traditions, are amazing guests and equally amazing vocalists.

The session was recorded by Dubway engineer Russell Castiglione, with Howell both conducting the group in the live room and producing the recording in the control room.

Check out some photos of our most recent session below, and keep eyes on the group’s website, linked above, to hear the finished thing!

Mark Howell and his singers in action in the Mezzanine’s live room, taking advantage of the high ceilings and professional-designed acoustics.

Russell Castiglione sits back and watches the celebration from the control room after a successful take.

Evan Lurie begins new project at Dubway

Friend-of-the-studio and noted lounge lizard Evan Lurie has been hard at work on a new, secret scoring project in our studios for the past month, and will be continuing to work alongside staff engineer Zach Grappone as the project takes progressively fuller shape. Lurie has been coming in and out of Dubway for years – we worked together on one of our all-time favorite projects, Nick Jr’s long-running hit Backyardigans, in providing sound and music for the show – and has been turning out consistently impressive music for the length of his career.

While we can’t say much about the specifics of the project now, we’ll be sure to follow up with more details once we’re able to. Stay tuned!

MAX, Keke Palmer, AM!R record in the Mezzanine

The inimitable Keke Palmer and MAX stopped by the studios with fellow artist and engineer AM!R this week to record vocals for a new MAX track. The session was held over an afternoon in our Mezzanine studio and recorded by Dubway engineer Zac Suskevich, and from the sounds of things was a very productive and fun time.

MAX is an up-and-coming pop star, hailed by iHeartRadio, Billboard, and GQ as one to watch –click here to watch & listen. Keke Palmer is a singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer known for Akeelah and the Bee, True Jackson, VP, and releases on the Atlantic, Interscope, and Columbia record labels. In addition to his own solo material, AM!R has produced for artists including Sia and Panic! At The Disco.

Stay tuned for new music coming from Keke soon, and in the meantime, check out one of our favorite Keke Palmer moments of the past year.

Violinist Susan Keser records for new CD

Susan Keser, courtesy of the artist.

Local concert violinist and performer Susan Keser has been recording tracks for her next CD at Dubway! Susan has been recording at Dubway for years and we always love having her in the studios. These sessions have primarily been violin covers of popular and classical musics, with Dubway engineer Keenan DuBois recording and Susan and her business partner (and husband!) producing.

You can find her CDs on her website, linked above, and if you live in New York, you can find her in Central Park busking, performing in venues, and at private events.

Liddy Clark continues work at Dubway West

We’ve written previously about singer Liddy Clark’s sessions at Dubway West, where she’s been hard at work with head engineer Chris Montgomery on the followup to her breakout EP and singles. The singer/songwriter has continued work at our LA studios in the new year – but this time she’s got the band in tow.

Liddy’s studio crew includes Devon Eisenbarger on guitar (Katy Perry), Kyle Whalum on bass (Katy Perry), and Eman Cervantes on drums (Gwen Stefani). Producer Mark Siegel helped assemble the band, and kept things running smooth during the session.

You can find more about Liddy and the sessions in our earlier post or on Liddy’s website (above). Great sessions so far!

Cellist Ben Larson records with composer Kevin Dolan at Dubway

We recently had the joy of recording new music by composer Kevin Dolan, with cellist Ben Larson performing and coordinating strings, and Kevin conducting. Dubway recording engineer Zach Grappone sat behind the boards for this session, and the group, together with a full string quartet of players, had what sounded like a very fruitful session, managing to record a tenor vocal track in addition to the planned material for the day.

Both Kevin and Ben are extremely active figures in the New York new music and contemporary chamber music worlds, known for writing and performing (respectively) challenging and diverse new works by living composers (Kevin included!). You can find them at the regular chamber series, Concerts on the Slope or at the website linked above, and keep your eyes out for this recording, among others, coming soon!

Ben Larson, courtesy of the artist.

Liddy Clark, Mark Siegel record at Dubway West

Liddy on the mic.

Singer/songwriter Liddy Clark and producer/songwriter Mark Siegel have been keeping the Dubway West staff – and particularly lead engineer Chris Montgomery – busy over the last few weeks. Both artists are working on new music after strong years in 2019. Liddy is coming off her well-reviewed EP in 2018 and a recent single this year, and is back in the studio tracking vocals with Mark, who has been hard at work on recent releases by Megan Davies, Seaforth, and Jackie Castro, producing the recordings.

Keep your eyes out for these songs at the links above, and give Chris and the Dubway West team a call for your next project!

Mark Siegel in the control room at Dubway West.

David Snyder records cast album in the Mezzanine

Composer Charles Bloom and director David Snyder recorded vocalists for a cast album – Pablo, a musical biopic of the life of Pablo Picasso – in our Mezzanine studios this past month. Dubway engineer Violette Furton oversaw the recording process from behind the console, spending several days working on this music alongside Charlie and David in the control room and the talented musicians in the live rooms.

Pablo is written by Charles Bloom – both music and lyrics – and produced and directed by David Snyder. This team has worked together on many other projects, including Insomnia in 2004.

Look for Pablo soon as CD release, or listen to the previous recording at the top link above.

Ben Arthur hosts "Songwriter" podcast session at Buunni Cafe

Singer, songwriter, and podcast host Ben Arthur hosted a live taping of his podcast, Songwriter, at Buunni Cafe last week, featuring a number of local acts and recorded by Dubway’s Zach Grappone. The podcast is produced in collaboration with Acoustic Cafe, a nationally syndicated show with a similar focus. Our recording team captured a high-quality board feed for use in the released show, taking care to maintain quality in the live music environment, where things can often become very dynamic very quickly.

You can head to either of the above links to hear examples from previous shows. Looking forward to the next one!

Life In A Blender in the Mezzanine

Dubway-superstar band and longtime NYC scene locals Life In A Blender recorded a few tracks recently in the Mezzanine studio, with Dubway’s Russell Castiglione engineering. Life In A Blender counts our very own Al Houghton among the players – guitar, bottom right – and had a smooth, fun session from the sounds of it. Check out their myriad albums or see them live if you’re in Manhattan by following the link above for album purchase links and upcoming dates.

John Luther Adams' "Become Desert" selected as NPR's top 25 albums of 2019

We’re pleased to announce that composer John Luther Adams’ most recent album, Become Desert, has been selected as one of NPR’s best albums of the year. The engineering on this project was helmed by Dubway chief engineer Nathaniel Reichman, including the recording (a surround-style classical recording) and the immersive audio mix. Some of the Dubway staff had the opportunity to listen to this work in Dolby’s Manhattan show-studios on their immersive 30 channel theater system and can confirm that it’s certainly worth your listen – in stereo, surround, or an immersive format.

From NPR: “This is, simply put, one of the most stunning recordings of 2019.” Go listen!

On the “set” of the recording with the Seattle Symphony.

Reichman introducing the piece at Dolby.

Condensed production copy of the score.

Transport Group tracks large ensemble for musical

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Transport Group for a recording session in our Mezzanine suite. Transport Group is a not-for-profit off-Broadway theatre company that stages new works and re-imagines revivals by American writers, and that has had a number of hit shows (Renasence, Summer and Smoke) over its 18-season run.

This session is destined for an upcoming musical piece for the group, and was engineered by our very own Russell Castiglione. The live room in the Mezz sounded lush during the recording, in large part because the group featured an interesting ensemble of instruments including a mandocello, strings, keys, and woodwinds.

You can visit the Transport Group site above for more information about upcoming shows and programs – stay tuned!

Warm Audio, Foxtrails, featured at Dubway West

Warm Audio featured artist Foxtrails has been recording material for their second album, and recently came through Dubway West to track a collaborative video session with Dubway engineer Chris Montgomery, making judicious, creative use of Warm Audio’s line of microphones, preamps, and outboard effects units in the process.

We think this video turned out sounding and looking amazing. Check it out for yourself above, and if you’re in the LA area and would like to see the inside of the studio in person, head to Dubway West’s website.

In the Mezzanine with Nick Balaban's ensemble

Brooklyn-based musician and composer Nick Balaban (Blue’s Clues, Patti LaBelle, Ray Charles, and many more) brought his amazingly fun ensemble to our Mezzanine studio this past week for a session with Dubway engineer Sam Palumbo.

The session covered several songs and a varied roster of instruments including sitar, strings, piano, and more. Take a look at some pictures of the cast and crew below, and check out Nick’s site for links to upcoming shows, recordings and features, the works.

The band and Nick Balaban (right of center), plus engineer Sam Palumbo (right of Nick).

Notable sitar player Abhik Mukherjee set up in the booth in front of one of our C12 condensers.

Shawn Lucas, Mark Howell record choir section at Dubway

We had the excellent Mark Howell Singers in our Mezzanine studio recently to record their first album, with producer Shawn Lucas, who is producing the entire project, and Dubway engineer Russell Castiglione.

The Mark Howell Singers, under the direction of W. Mark Howell, is a multi-denominational vocal ensemble that was formed in 2005.  They have appeared at 5 solo-out concerts at Carnegie Hall with the lovely and dynamic vocalist Carla Ann Harris.  They have also appeared at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem in a Christmas Spectacular. 

You can find more about the Mark Howell Singers at this link.

Luanne Surace, Phil Carroll record strings

Musician Luanne Surace recorded strings for a series of Renaissance love songs, conducted by Phil Carroll, in our Mezzanine studios recently. With Dubway engineer Russell Castiglione in the control room and a four-piece string section in front of the mics, they worked through the majority of an album’s worth of songs over the course of a daylong session.

Eddy Echo records complete songs at Dubway

Eddy Echo and friends listening back as Sam Palumbo adjusts the rough mix of one of their tracks.

Local songwriter + band Eddy Echo dropped into our Mezzanine studio to track a couple songs recently. Echo worked with Dubway engineer Sam Palumbo, who set up and engineered the session, and who has shared bills with Eddy Echo on previous shows with his group Patch Kid.

The band tracked a couple songs to near-completion in a single session, recording a variety of instruments including guitar, voice, keyboards, synth, drums, and bass. The session featured all the crucial elements of the Dubway Mezzanine experience: an SSL console, racks full of gear, a pitcher of hot coffee, and an engineer who knows their way around all three.

You can find previous music from Eddy Echo and the band, as well as upcoming tour dates, at the link above.

Wayne Krantz returns with Keith Carlock

Wayne Krantz is back at Dubway, but this time with another Steely Dan alumni – famed jazz and session drummer Keith Carlock! We were honored to have both of these musicians in our Mezz studio as Krantz continued work on his upcoming album.

Dubway’s Russell Castiglione engineered the recording, and has been Krantz’s go-to guy for the sessions on this album. Take a look above and below for a peek at what the session looked like, and keep your eyes peeled for the album release to hear what it sounded like!

Carlock and Krantz, hard at work in the live room.