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Sunbreak Music News |
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“LIVE in Love” by Shantala. ‘A powerful
experience of live Kirtan (sacred chanting) in a 2-CD set’. Benjy and Heather Wertheimer (Shantala)
brought their ‘labor of love’ into Sunbreak with a deadline of a 3 month U.S.
tour looming on the horizon. As always—we
delivered! The project features a 30
person choir and special guests
including Joe Jencks, Jamie Sieber, Gina Sala, Manose, and Talia Toni Marcus. Ranging from the sublime to the ecstatic,
we worked hard to achieve the same vibe that one would feel had they attended
the event, or to remind those that were in attendance of the impact it had on
them in that moment. “LIVE in Love”
also gave us the opportunity to work with classical engineer/producer Frank
Stearns—something we hope to do again soon! LIVE in Love @ CDbaby. Shantala’s site. Franks Stearns at Mars Mobile. Audio Media “The World’s Leading Professional Audio Technology Magazine”
interviews Cass on “Power”….. When Audio Media decided to do a
feature on all things ‘power’—conditioning, balancing, regulation, etc., they
spent time with Cass discussing the importance and the benefits of running a
properly designed power scheme in a professional mastering studio. While it may not be the most fascinating (or
even interesting) topic to many artists or recording engineers, it is an
integral part of the chain, and something we take very seriously. It makes a difference, as the author
concludes. Read the article in flash-based
format here. Audio Media Magazine on
the web. “Burn in My Mind” mastered for
single release! View the Sony trailer here. Pick up the full version at Twenty Four Flowers “Nagraan”, ‘a perfect blend of modern grooves and ancient Bollywood.’ Listen/watch
Nagraan. Paul
Russell’s site. |
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“Acoustica Funkus”, ‘an
imaginary group of bluegrass musicians who have gone sour…and decided to try
their hand at funk.’
Renowned
author/teacher and uber guitarist Don Latarski puts forth classic funk tunes in
a multi-layered acoustic setting! You’ll
hear songs from Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and Jose Feliciano (among others)
in brilliant arrangements that capture the feel of the originals, but manage to
breathe new life into them as well! It
is a fantastic sounding recording (a wonderful example of LCR mixes), and we
were thrilled to put the finishing touches on it.
Acoustica Funkus @
CDbaby.
Don’s
site.
Don
and Rue D’Acoustic play “Affirmation” live!
“What Tomorrow Brings”, the new recording from solo
guitarist Larry Pattis.
Fresh
from performing at the Montreal Jazz Festival, steel-string virtuoso Larry
Pattis spent a couple of days at Sunbreak working on his latest and ‘soon to be
released’ studio recording. Larry lives
for performing, and we assembled the music so that particular feeling is
conveyed throughout the recording. Big,
warm, and spacious--this record will grab your attention from the first note,
and hold you through the last. We just
wish there was an encore!
Larry’s
site.
“Pink Heels and Gold Guitars”, from Isabelle.
UK-based
Songwriter/Producer Tim Grover has his hands in so many projects it’s difficult
to keep up. The prolific Grover’s latest
project is the band “Isabelle”, fronted by vocalist Letty Griffiths, and is 13
tracks of infectious melodies and strong choruses. The CD is slated for release later in the
year, and we look forward to working with Tim on his future endeavors!
Tim
at MySpace.
“American Bliss”, from The Wobblies.
Northwest
Punk Icons “The Wobblies” took time out from their hectic touring schedule to
record their latest album, and Sunbreak was pleased to be asked to master the
record. Their 4th album,
“American Bliss” has received great reviews, and the band is now busier than
ever. It also marked an opportunity to
work with studio owner/engineer Tom Van Riper of Lost Studios in Gresham,
Oregon—something we’ve been looking forward to doing for a long time!
Tom
Van Riper/Lost Studios
“Nama Mala: Garland
of Divine Name”, Mark Choplin and Terra Tiffany
Taos,
NM artists Mark and Terra stopped into Sunbreak while on their tour of the
Northwest to put the final touches on their compilation of authentic bhajans
from North and South India. With wonderful
sounds of bamboo flutes, veena and violin, and traditional beats from the
tabla, mringdamgam, pakawaj, dolak, and balaram, we treated this recording as
we would any classical music—with a delicate touch.
“The Exile Collection: No Excuses”, Various Artists
The
third recording in the series, No Excuses is similar to the others in that it
is an international online collaboration resulting in world class music. With 17 tracks from 17 artists produced in 17
studios, the “EC” crowd had only one request-“make them sound as if they all
belong on the same album!”. So we did. One of the more refreshing things about this
project is that the artists all agreed to forgo competition in “the loudness
wars”, and instead retain the fidelity of the recordings they had worked so
hard to achieve during the year of production.
Check it out.
The
entire Exile collection.
“Center Stage….Music in Motion”, Various Artists
Conceived
by the talented artist/teacher Brandon Hixson (of Splendorleaf), the proceeds
from the sale go toward music scholarships for high school seniors who wish to
continue the path of music beyond primary education. Featuring artists such as Switchfoot, Rhonda
Gunn, Brad Reynolds, and the Southern Joy Quartet, the disc is not only a great
listen, but a great cause as well.
“Far From Home”, Toby Bresnahan
When
Toby isn’t entertaining people at the local pubs with his acoustic sets, he
spends time in his studio concentrating on contemporary compositions. This recording represents the last 10 years
of Toby’s serious side, and harkens back to the days of the early Windham Hill
sounds. When dealing with a
retrospective, it’s important to make everything sound cohesive and current,
but equally as important to respect the intentions of sounds at the time. We enjoyed walking that fine line with Toby.
Toby’s
site.
“Tuo”, John Stowell and Don Latarski
“A
laid-back acoustic guitar jazz CD filled with well known standards” is the description
given to this recording, and it’s just that.
John and Don wanted a very light touch on this album—as it is supposed
to sound as it did when they performed it in the room, and especially with the
dynamics intact. No room for
overproduction on this one—kid gloves were used the entire time. A purist’s recording, you get the sense you
are indeed in a comfortable space with the artists, and we enjoyed the
performance very much.
Tuo @ CDbaby
John’s
site.
Don’s
site.
“Innocence Lost”, self-titled EP
Utah
rock outfit “Innocence Lost” brought their tracks into Sunbreak for mastering
on a deadline. Once again, we were able
to accommodate the artists and help them make their replication deadline. The band will be back in the studio to
complete a full-length album this year.
Creative guitar work and great synth sounds put this band in a category
of their own--edgy stuff!
“Innocence
Lost” at MySpace.
“Sanctuary”, by Jenny Bird and Michael Mandrell
While
90% of our work at Sunbreak is Audio Mastering, when we were approached to mix tracks
for Jenny and Michael’s “Sanctuary”—their first studio album together--we
simply couldn’t refuse. Michael, (a
longtime friend/client of Sunbreak) and Cass sat in the studio and mixed 5
tracks for the album, and layered some great effected tracks w/ the acoustic
guitar in Michael’s signature style. If
they tour through your area, don’t miss them!
Jenny’s
site.
Michael’s
site.
“Dreamland”, ‘Beautiful
lullabies for harp, voice, and flute’…..
Pedal
and lever harpist Laura Zaerr brought her absolutely gorgeous recording in for
mastering at Sunbreak. Featuring 14 original
compositions from the accomplished harpist, the album features the talents of
Soprano Laura Berryhill and flutists Melanie Place and Diane Hawkins. Part of the proceeds of the sales of the CD
support the Chengde Social Welfare Institute in China, a home for children that
are not available for adoption.
Laura’s
site.
“Don Latarski & Rue D’ Acoustic”, ‘acoustic original music played by excellent improvisers highly skilled
in jazz, blues, and Americana.’
The
Eugene, OR power trio is back in full force with the release of “Rue D’
Acoustic”, an incredible blend of several styles played by some of the finest
musicians you’ll ever hear. The group
plays live on a regular basis, and they wanted that feel to the CD. It’s a lively, punchy sounding album and
we’re proud to have been a part.
Rue D’Acoustic @
Cdbaby.
Sunbreak and Home Depot
Cass
joined up with DHM Music Design to co-write the main theme for the upcoming
Home Depot “How-to” DVD series, due out later in the year. The track features many layers of Cass’
acoustic guitar work with an upbeat tempo and the signature “big sound” of DHM.
Always a pleasure to work with them!