February 2012

 

   On the left is Nino Cocaine (who resembles Ice Tea) along with his friend and fellow rapper Mickey Cartel. Both have graced the studio before. Nino came to the studio prepared to lay down some smokin' tracks. Once I had imported the beats Nino stepped into the booth and began a five song session that hit some fever tempos. His rhythm were infectious and he had Mickey and me bopping our heads to the rhythm of the music and rap. Nino was pleased with both his performance and the production value that I added to his songs. He gave me fair warning that he'd be back next month with more songs to record. 2-1-12

 

January 2012

    I received an email from Mark Butterworth wanting me to help him co-produce a vocal session at Paradise studio. We had done this about two years ago. That last session went fairly quickly. We met at the studio yesterday, Sunday at 1pm.  We quickly got things rolling and were finished with the vocal tracking by 2pm. The singer was Tammy Brock. She is going for her PHD and will soon transfer from Sac State to another college back east to finish. I had gotten together with Mark the night before and we spent a good 5 hours talking about our experiences with music and as writers and guitar players. We found we have a lot in common. The session went well and I was back home in less than three hours.  Our engineer was Scott Reams and I found him to be both efficient and speedy. It was a good day in the studio.  1-30-12

  I have been working on a jingle for a railroad company contest with my old friend Lynda Draper. First I wrote the song and recorded it. Then she and I went to another friend of my who owns Royce Video Productions. His name is Robert Ansell. He shot me performing in front of a green screen so we could key out the background and drop in some footage of trains behind my playing and singing. You see this done every day when you see the weather people giving a weather report. After Robert did a rough mix he emailed it to me and I watch it. Now he and I will get back together to tweak the edits and finish it up. 1-26-12

 

  I got a call from Jerry Cook who needed help getting his Bose PA system wired correctly for performing his single act. Jerry is quite the singer. I was able to get his system wired and set up so he can get back to being in the public eye once again. It really helps to be diversified, being able to work out of the box keeps the $$$ rolling in when things slow down in our slower than normal economy. I always taught my students to wear many hats and they could work many jobs. 1-23-12 

 

     I was paid a visit by my old friend and client Stu Goldberg.  Stu always has an idea up his sleeve. This time he wanted to have me edit and transfer some recording that I had made for him last year of Janis Joplin when she was a young and struggling blues singer trying to make her way up the ladder of success. These live recordings of Janis singing in a small night club in San Francisco date back in 1963 and are some of the her earliest recordings. Stu wants to make these recordings available to Janice lovers everywhere. 1-18-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   This was a very up lifting session that was recorded in the church where this group regularly attends. Most of the members are from Africa. So naturally I assumed that the music would be sounding like African music. Oh no,, it was more like Caribbean music. The pastor could not stand still. He was in motion for the entire session which lasted from 3-10pm. The musicians and singers were filled with the passionate music and it was reflected in their joyful noise. I was put in touch with this group be my old friend Rick Smith who played guitar on the session. I began speaking with Pastor Mc Donald Jas some five months ago about this project. Finally the initial steps have been taken to produce an album of very energetic music that will inspire many people around the world. This group was very committed to giving their all to each song. I will now begin the post production of this project in the studio. I took some pictures of my mobile recording rig. Not shown was a splitter to connect my stuff with the churches system and miles of microphone cables.  1-17-12

 

  Here's Drew Rosen back for his weekly visit to the studio to record more original material. We have been repeating this scenario for seven months and he still has a new song nearly every week. Both Drew and I have worked out a nice method for recording and arranging his many songs. we have found that between the two of us, we can always arrive at a place where the song is well served and he can get a better grip on the music when he gets stuck on some part that slows him down. At last count we were over twenty songs. Still he'll get an idea in the studio and pull out his phone to make a quick on the spot recording of his new idea that will be worked out when he gets home.  1-5-12

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 
       Happy New Year, the holidays have passed the new year is here and now it's time to dig in and make those New Years resolutions come to pass. I'm not referring to the standard normal ones like loose all the weight you put on just getting through the holidays. I am referring to the ones that feed your artistic soul, you know the ones that help to keep you grounded. It's the music that makes the people of the world jump up and down. To that end I resolve to make more time to have my guitar in my hands writing songs that I feel will make my life and hopefully someone else's life richer. Music is a non tangible item that can pick you up and make you feel good or it can remind you of some one or something that was in your past. Either way, playing and writing music feeds the emotional body and soul. Thinking back to the prehistoric times when the our ancestors in caves first stretched a skin over a hollow log to make the first drums. Then they would beat out a rhythm with an animal bone or stick and sing along. It was primitive but it served the purpose to give them an outlet and to make them feel good. We have come a
long way but the way we all respond to the sound of music has changed little. It has merely become refined to keep up with our changing times. It is my hope that your New Year will bring you health and happiness and the joy that comes with making and listening to music. 1-9-12

 

December 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This was the scene of the annual Sister Swing Christmas concert. This year the event was held at the Access Cable headquarters located on T street near 48th St. It is a fine old venue with plenty of room, a nice stage with lots of good stage lighting and a camera crew ready to film and later broadcast the event on the cable access Channel #17. For me it represented a very long day. I showed up at 9am and began setting up the sound. I also had to factor in the fact that the camera crew wanted to get a live feed from me to use with the video images. This means I needed to mix the front of house for the audience and for the video. This sounds easy but the live video mix never sounds like what I am hearing in the room. Therefore I have to compensate for that live mix. The best way is to split the mix between two mixing boards and everyone is happy. That's not what I did but I could have by carrying a splitter and another board. for the show being taped, I always allow a lot of time for preparation before the show. This is because invariably there is some technical issue that needs to be resolved before the show begins. Yesterday was no exception.  However working closely with the camera crew we were able to get it all together and I am excited to see the show broadcast on television. 12-5-11 

 

November 2011

 

  I have been working in Sly Fox's promo. Here's the new band photo and audio demo. There is a lot involved getting a good promo package together. Taking band photos, arranging and recording the audio demo. Finally putting the whole thing together and sending it out. I was very happy when I sent out this promo and immediately got some responses. I even managed to book some dates. Onward and up ward. Here's the demo click to hear. Sly Fox Demo  11-11-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 2011

  Abdule Masood has had me work on his song for some time now and today he will be coming to record his vocal. The last missing link was to get the drum tracks to his liking. When we have the vocals recorded mixed and mastered he will give me another song. I found this Afghanistan music of his to be both a challenge to play and it has begun to get under my skin and I found myself liking it very much. This makes my association with Abdule all the better.    10-29-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Meet Marquis Gardner.  She called me to set up a last minute session to record a three song demo  for an up coming fund raiser to be help in Atlanta, GA next month. When she arrived at the studio for the session and she presented me with her back ground music. Once I had it imported in to Pro Tools, Marquis stepped into the booth and began to sing. I was immediately taken with her singing chops and she had learned almost verbatim the Christine Aguilera version of
"A song for you" by Leon Russell that is on the latest Herbie Hancock CD. After several tries she had the performance that she wanted and we proceeded to record the other two songs. She left with the demo she wanted and later contacted me to make her some Mp3's that she could email to her contact in Atlanta. marquis has talent and I am sure that she will do a fine performance at the event and will continue to share her gift with fans she will pick up along the way.

Here she sings "I didn't know my own strength"    10-27-11

 

 

 

  Drew Rosen continues his weekly sessions as we move ever closer to his goal of recording an unknown number of new songs. He is a prolific writer and each week he comes in with more new songs to record. Here, Drew is at the Roland Fantom keyboard recording a part for on of his latest creations.
 

  Abdule Masood gave me the go ahead and I scheduled a session with accordion player Steve Stizzo. As soon as that session was over I went to work recording  bass and guitar tracks for the same song. It seems like the accordions are alive and doing well on 2011.   10-10-11

 

 

 

  This is Dave Lang and Marge Hansen. They have teamed up and call themselves "The Squeezers".  They play a wide variety of music that has an old world feel. when listening to them I can close my eyes and imagine that I am sitting in a small outdoor cafe in Paris or Amsterdam. Dave and Marge came to record a demo. 10-6-11

 

 

 

 

September 2011  September was a very busy month for me. My band Sly Fox played every weekend. It was a lot of fun but took up a lot of time and energy. We had to prepare to gig at several different venues that required us to have to learn many new songs in order to fit in with the venues criteria. 9-22-11

 

  Drew Rosen and I continue to get together each week. His song roster continues to grow as we record new songs each week. Because we have been getting together so often, we have developed a system that gets the job done efficiently and in the shortest amount of time.  We are working on the arrangements and he takes a CD with him of the latest versions of each song. After a thorough listening to the new material, Drew can hear where he needs to make changes to improve the arrangements. We plan on continuing since we seem to be on a nice roll. So why stop now?  9-2-11

 

August 2011

 

    Abdule Masood is back in the studio. he has a new song that he wants to record. I sent him to Bonnie Otto
to get the charts written and I now have the charts so we can begin to assemble the necessary players to begin to record this project. Abdule was born in Afghanistan and sings in his native language. This song has a peculiar meter. It's written in 3/4 but is felt in 6/8. We will figure it out and move smartly ahead.  8-13-11

 

 

                     

     I met with and recorded Adrian Jasper last week to record a couple of her poems over a musical background. These will be used to advertise an event that is to be held in Chicago later this year. Adriane will be one of many artists to perform at this high profile event. After completing the recording, I up loaded it to a fellow musician/engineer in Las Vegas via Apple's Mobile Me.  It's a transfer protocol that allows the transfer of larger file types over the internet. Very handy.

The Beatles project sparked a renewed interest in me to collect all of the Beatles material. I have been all over the internet researching and gaining information to complete the collection. Those guys were a song writing machine. They recorded so many songs in such a short period of time that it's mind boggling to me. Anyway the search continues and the collection is getting larger by the day. Interestingly, the albums we got over here were different versions of albums sold in the UK. The same songs in different orders and with different album titles until about the time of the Rubber Soul album. By then they were a world wide phenomenon. 8-12-11 .

 

 

 

 Here's Drew Rosen listening to the playback of a track we had just recorded. I'd say he's in chill mode. We have been meeting twice a week for the last couple of weeks. The sessions have been very productive and his songs are coming together quickly. 8-11-11

 

 

  

 

        Sister Swings new CD "Triple Wide" ,is in the hands of the duplicators and will soon be available to appreciative fans. 8-4-11

 

 An old friend of mine named Jerry Wymore, called to say that he had all of the Beatles songs recorded in chronological order on three 1/4 "tapes. He had recorded these tapes back in1981. The speed was 3 3/4    Inches Per  Second. I did not have a machine capable of playing that slow so I borrowed a machine. It took me sixteen hours to transfer the songs to a digital format (Logic) edit the songs and burn four CD's. Three of which were a full eighty minutes long. This was a large task that required four days but was extremely satisfying. To hear all of the Beatles music from the first album thru the double white album was a thrill for me. As a song writer I can appreciate the skill that they had to write that many songs and to sing and play them as  well as they did. It was and still is a lesson in true artistry by skilled musicians. 8-4-11 

 

July 2011

  Lloyd Banks is back in the mix with yet another new paretic song titles Spangle Banner.  When he began singing the song I quickly picked up my guitar and found some changes that worked. Then I worked the melody a little and soon we had the song worked out enough to begin recording a scratch version with guitar chords as well as a melody line for Lloyd to practice with.  This was a week ago. Tomorrow he will return and we will continue. we will record his vocal and what ever I feel we need to fill out the songs arrangement.
7-29-11

 

 

   On July 27th Sister Swing preformed at a backyard concert. They had done this gig a year ago. These intimate concerts are becoming very popular and the Sisters as well as the band were on their game that night. I have been mixing their sound for nearly twenty years and these parties bring out the best in the singers and the band. This year sixty seven people were on hand to enjoy a summer concert on a  lovely evening. if I do say so myself, "the sound was perfect". 7-28-11

 

 

 

  Tressa Gaye has joined the ranks of Sly Fox as the bands lead singer. I worked with Tressa last year recording her depute CD project. She has a powerful voice and a wonderful personality. She will perform for the first time with the band later this month at the Brick House in Elk Grove July 15-16. It is my hope that with the addition of Tressa's talents, Sly Fox will gain more notoriety and become a more potent band. 7-5-11

 

 

 

 

     Drew Rosen is a songwriter/musician who first came to me last year to have me teach him how to use Pro Tools. Drew has a lot of songs that he wanted to record. Fast forward to this year when he once again approached me to give him some more Pro Tools instruction but this time in my studio utilizing better microphones and a more sophisticated interface. Drew felt that with some hands on lessons in the studio he could get a better picture of the recording process. We met this week and began by me showing him how to use the studio beginning with how to turn everything on and get ready to record. Once he had written down the steps we began to record.  Drew is an accomplished guitar player having taught guitar for ten years. Once we had recorded several tracks we went over the cut and paste procedure improving the arrangement of the song. Drew left the studio with a CD to work out the guitar solo and some small arrangement parts for the song and we plan on meeting again this week. 7-4-11

 

June 2011 

 Meet Adrienne Williams. She is a vocalist who writes her own lyrics. Adrienne first came to me early last year with a song that she had first recorded at another studio. Adrienne was not happy with the results. She told me that the music lacked soul and feel and that she was un-happy with her vocal performance. I recorded a rhythm guitar that added some life to the song, then I added some drum and string parts. I gave her a reference CD to practice with and now we are going to get back into the studio to re-record her vocals. Some times it can be a longer road to getting what an artist wants than can be predicted at the outset of a project.  6-25-11

 

 

 

 

 

 Here's Sister Swing performing in Walnut Grove last Sunday. All together they are a ten piece band and  when they play people take notice. Did I mention that I run the sound and mix their shows to insure that they always sound as good as they can. I have been mixing them for the last eighteen years and I have a good handle on how their songs should be mixed. It helps that I have recorded all of their six CD projects. 6-20-11

 

 

 

  This is Lydia Mendoza, song writer, musician and singer of her own songs. Lydia has been getting together with me for a couple of months to further her talents as a multi dimensional performer. She has responded to the suggestions that I have been giving her and she practices. It's easy to see the improvement when those simple rules are followed. She is very interested in improving herself and I am just the guy that can see a path to helping her to accomplishing her goals. We work well together. 6-18-11

 

 

 

 Valerie Marston has been putting in some long hours in the studio as we continue to tweak the mixes. We are in the final leg of this Sister Swing project. Although they originally wanted to finish in time for the jazz Jubilee, they weren't completely satisfied with the project. They have a standard of excellence that they are not willing to compromise. To that I say, "right on sisters"! So during the festival they let their audiences know that a new CD was on the way and it is worth the wait. 6-15-11

 

 

 

         The annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee is in the history books once again. This year as in past years I worked with Sister Swing mixing all of their shows to capacity crowds and adoring fans. This year Skips Music equipped all the venues with modern state of the art sound systems which made my job much nicer. Not since 2005 when I supplied all of the largest venues with sound has there been really good equipment. The Sisters were on their game and the band has never sounded better. After the festival ended on Monday, we all (the band) and some other festival people went to an after festival party to relax and enjoy each others company. A good time was had by all.   6-3-11

 

May 2011

  I just realized that I did not post the newest Sly Fox CD on the studio news. Well here it is. There is more on this project if you go to the featured artist page from menu above and you can read about this CD and hear some cuts. 5-24-11

 

     Here is the cover for Sister Swings new album. As I mentioned below, the sister wanted to come back into the studio to re-record some of their vocals. Well last Sunday they were back in the booth and most of the tracks were fixed to their satisfaction. Now they will concentrate on the Jazz Jubilee this week end and then some small tweaks and the final mixing. 5-24-11

 

  Hello again. It's been a while since I have made an entry. So here is the scoop from Pudding Stone Recording.  Sister Swing has decided that they want to re-sing some of their vocal parts since this is the first album they have recorded in five years. They are very serious about having their music be done the very best they can muster. This can happen as an artist or group gets close to the end of a project. At that point you're wanting to get this thing finished and in doing so you can have tendency to compromise your musical values.  Don't do it! Step back and remember once you get your copies made, your project is out there forever. Lynda Mendoza has been taking some lessons from me for the last several weeks. I am coaching her on song writing, guitar playing and singing. Lynda has been putting my suggestion to work in her music and performance's. She has made some great gains in a short period of time. 5-19-11

 

  Valerie Marston and I have been putting in some major mixing time in an effort to get the new project ready for this years Jazz Jubilee. She has the other sisters working on other areas to complete this project. Meanwhile Val and I have been tweaking the mixes and tonight the sisters will return for a final vocal session to fix one last nagging problem. This will put us into the last round of mixing and fixing. Then it's off to mastering and duplication.  5-2-11

 

 

 

April 2011

 

 This is Gerry Pineda. In the middle of February, Gerry recorded upright bass along with Steve Wall on guitar and Ron Jones on drums. This was the rhythm section for Sister Swings latest album. We had some problems with some of the bass tracks and Gerry was called to replay seven tracks. We got back together on Saturday. Gerry is seen here with his Jazz Bass ready to record some up tempo boogie type tracks. After those were finished Gerry retired to the booth and recorded his up right bass on several ballads. All in all it took us three hours to complete. After Gerry left Valerie Marston and I mixed for five hours. Chances are we will be back mixing in the studio today, which is Easter Sunday after some family time. Steve Wall was in on Tuesday to record several solos. He was out in under an hour. Anyone who knows Steve knows he's fast. Both on the fret board and in the studio. 4-24-11

 

 Dave McAsey stopped by for a jam session and we wrote a couple of songs. It's always fun for me to get with Dave. We share a love of playing guitar together and we always have a lot of laughs along the way. Dave has number of videos on YouTube. Check him out. 4-19-11 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  Bonnie Otto returned for her final session of rhythm tracks and solos. Valerie Marston produced the session and the Sisters (Sister Swing) came in on Saturday to record more vocal tracks. Now Valerie and I will get on to mixing once Steve Wall records some guitar solos. 4-18-11

 

  Gary Bowman pictured on the left is a song writer/producer that for the last several years does a CD project a year. His songs are about nature and all of it's wonders. His writings are constructed to be enjoyed by families with an emphasis on the younger family members. This is like reading a story book to your children all in song form. The songs are well written and produced.  Otis Mourning plays saxophone.  Gary saw him playing recently and wanted Otis to play on Gary's latest project. They both came to Pudding Stone last week and we recorded Otis burning through Gary's song. It was an exciting session and I could feel the magic that Otis brought to the song. By the way that's me (Bruce Bolin), chilling at the board after the session. Gary will now return to his home in Grass Valley and transfer the Otis tracks into the song, mix and master. It was a fine afternoon. 4-16-11   

 

 

  Bonnie Otto and Valerie Marston were back for another round of piano recording. In two and a half hours we recorded six songs. It will take one more session to finish the last three songs. Valerie and Bonnie were captured on my Android  phone's camera. Obviously the color settings were off.  So here is green, three handed Bonnie and Valerie in a blue mood. 4-13-11

 

 

 

 

 

  Abdule Masood, Jimmy Malone and I met on Monday to begin the process of putting together the music for Abdule's next song. After several tries we decided that it was more time effective to have Abdule send Jimmy and me an Mp3 of the song so we could get a better idea of the timing and changes.  Sometimes it's just to difficult to get it all off of the melody. 4-11-11

 

 

 

 

 

    This is Bonnie Otto. She has been coming to the studio to record her piano parts for the latest Sister Swing CD.  We have gotten together twice in the last week and we're slated for another session on Tuesday evening.  Under the watchful ear of lead singer, producer and my wife Valerie Marston, we have been forging ahead full steam. We are hoping to finish recording the vocals and some guitar solos soon so we can get to the mixing of this project. 4-10-11

 

 

 

   The Dave McAsey Trio will be performing at The Fox & Goose. Featuring Dave McAsey on amplified acoustical guitar and vocals. Myself, Bruce Bolin on lead guitar and vocals and Greg Ayala on drums. We always have a blast when we get together at the Goose. It's always a night of high energy music where I have a chance to explore the boundaries of my playing abilities. I have been threatening to record us and make a live album. Maybe tonight's the night. 4-6-11

 

 

  Sister Swing has been coming to the studio as we march through recording their vocals. We have most of the 14 songs recorded.
Tonight Bonnie Otto will be recording her piano parts and the beat goes on. 4-5-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is Tanjia Harris. She is a rising star on the scene. She took a recording class from me several years ago and she did well in the course. Tanjia has tireless energy and she is always acting on her instincts as she looks for ways to succeed in the music business. During one of our classes I mentioned that I wanted to write a song for a class exercise. Tanjia had a few lines and a bass line concept. This is what we put together in a very short time. It's called
What-Cha Gonna' Do. (Click on the song title to hear)  4-2-11

 

 

March 2011

  Once again here are the sisters huddled around the ribbon microphone singing for all their worth. Yes one short day after our marathon session at Weston Studio, Valerie, Paula and Leigh were giving it their all recording some difficult Boswell Sisters songs. This is very challenging music to sing due to changing tempos and a complicated vocal style. But due to the tight schedule, they will be back in two days to do it all over again. They really pick over their harmonies and phrasing to be sure that every passage is in place. I can already tell that this is going to be an excellent CD once it is complicated. 3-22-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last weekend was spent at Weston House recording studio recording the horns for Sister Swing's new project. We began late Saturday afternoon getting things ready for a marathon session on Sunday. Valerie Marston was the producer of the sessions. Myself (Bruce Bolin) engineered and the horns were Bob Williams on trombone, Dave Johnson on trumpet and Otis Mourning on reeds. We booked a day and a half because we needed to record fourteen songs. The day was long but once we settled in and everyone understood how to communicate we began to roll along quite nicely. In the end we exceeded our expectations as we were able to record not only the horn parts but horn solos as well.  It was a grueling but a very productive couple of days. Now it's up to the sisters to record their vocals and that's what is on tap for tonight. "There is no rest for the wicked". 3-21-11  

 

  This is Edwin Muela. He is from Ecuador in South America.  Edwin is having me master his project.  The music has the South American sound with guitars, bass and other stringed instruments. Plus rhythm sounds like conga drums and the pan flutes. The music is very melodic and rhythmic. It can set your feet to dancing. Edwin is looking to get 1000 copies of his master duplicated, packaged and ready for sale. Then he will sell them when his group plays at various venues.  3-17-11

 

 

 

 

    Grape Scott has been spending time in the studio and in the booth. Grape is very quick when it comes down to recording his raps. He is always prepared when he reaches the studio with his lyrics in hand and a good idea of how he will be phrasing. Grape always tries to get his his recordings done in the lease amount of time. Grape is on a budget and he understands time is money. I have said it before but it bares repeating that Grape will make his mark on the scene and will rise to the top like cream on whole milk. Meanwhile.  3-15-11

 

 

 

    Sister Swing continues to march forward with their latest project. This week end we will be returning to Weston House studios to record the horn section on the sisters sixth CD project. Meanwhile the sisters have been coming to Pudding Stone twice a week to record their vocals. They are true pros in the vocal booth and will accept nothing short of stellar performances for their music.  I will post some mixes as soon as we get that far.  3-14-11

 

 

 

 

  Here's Lloyd Banks again. Singing into his cell phone.  Lloyd's been in the studio for the last three days still fine tuning his lyrics for his song and wanting me to add more instruments to the arrangement. After yesterdays session, he will be in today for what is to be the final mix down. If in fact this is the final mix I will post his song. Stay tuned.  3-3-11

 

 

 

 

  "The Sister's are coming, the Sister's are coming". Yes it's true, Sister Swing is back in the studio recording their sixth CD project. It has been six years since we recorded the last CD.  Here they are in the vocal booth singing for all their worth. They plan on recording all of the vocals for the thirteen song project in the month of March. We have had two sessions and they are coming into their stride.  They have sung together for so long that they edit their parts in flight.
For example, if one of the ladies hits a questionable note, that person will make a mental note and as soon as we have finished with the line or phrase they will go right back to the note in question and fixed it. They are real pro's both in the booth and on stage.  We always have a lot of  laughs along the way and get a lot done in a three hour session.  3-2-11

 

 

February 2011

  Lloyd Banks was back for some additional tweaking of his song, The Lady Charlaine.  We spiced up the arrangement by adding some vibes to the main riff and Lloyd re-sung his vocal parts. I thought we were finished, but he called me yesterday to book some more time for another change. 2-27-11

 

 

 

 

 Frank Lizarraga was back for a mixing session on Monday Presidents Day. We worked through the tracks on this Luvtaxi song. There were many rhythm instruments giving this song a real Latino feel and sound. Frank added some Moog synthesizer parts to put his special stamp on the music. Frank said it was one of the last Luvtaxi songs featuring all the original members. We mixed for two hours and Frank left with a reference CD to listen to. We will get back together in a week or so to tighten up any loose ends. Then a mastering session and one more song will be in the can.  2-22-11

 

 

 

 Kamoha Lonewolf returned right on schedule Sunday to record two more songs. This week we moved more smoothly through the music and he has decided that he wants to make come back every month until he has finished his project.  2-21-11

 

 

 

 

  Sister Swing is back in the news and in the studio. Over this last weekend we booked some time at Weston House Studios to track the guitar, bass and drums for the Sisters latest CD titled "Triple Wide". Steve Wall on guitar, Jerry Pineda on upright bass and Ron Jones on drums. We were able to record the rhythm tracks to fourteen songs. Next we will begin recording the vocal tracks and then return to Weston next month to record the horns for this project. It has been six years since the Sisters have recorded a CD. They feel the time is right because most of their fans have already purchased the previous five albums. Valerie Marston is producing this project as she has been the producer on all of the Sisters albums. She is also the lead singer. She worked tirelessly in the studio singing scratch vocal tracks to help keep the rhythm players together during the recording process. 2-21-11

 

  My Band Sly Fox is closing the gap on the third Sly Fox CD project. I have been mixing and listening. Mixing and listening. My song writing partner Greg Ayala has been eagerly recording drum tracks for this as well as the next group of songs that we have been working on. The good news is that Sly Fox CD #3 titled
"Sensory Overload" is but days away from being completed. Greg and I want to put this baby to rest so we can clear our minds and begin the next CD project. we already have half a dozen songs started and we are excited about how the songs area sounding. Meanwhile take a listen to the title song from this CD called Sensory Overload  (click to hear) 2-17-11

 

 

 This was the scene of a Valentines Day concert featuring Bob Draga nationally known clarinet player and funny man. He was backed by Ron Jones on drums, Jason Warner on Steinway grand piano Tom Hunnochel on up right bass and Brady McKay on vocals. This was a fund raiser that took place at the Rocklin Sunset Community center located on Sunset Drive in Rocklin. It was a sell out performance with good snacks and drinks provided for the guests. There were many fine musical moments with this all star cast of musicians as well as many laughs as the crowd was treated to Bob's very funny sense of humor. I found my self laughing right along with the crown from my vantage point at the mixing station. I was providing sound for this concert. This was my fourth sound gig for these fine players. It is always a joy to hear such accomplished musicians playing freely and enjoying themselves.  2-15-11

 

 This is Kamouha Lonewolf AKA Easy Mo Bee . Kamouha is a full blooded American Indian He's an aspiring rapper who holds few conventional methods when it comes to writing and producing his music. It seems Kamouth has little regard for the popular rappers of the day. He is willing to travel the the un-traveled path to success. I have never put music together like he heard it in his head. To say that it's unconventional is an understatement. We met last Sunday and will meet again this Sunday to finish his project. Once it is completed I will post some audio so you can judge for yourself where the Lonewolf is willing to go.  2-15-11 

 

 

 

   Frank Lizarraga continues to bring me music to be mixed and mastered. His latest is with his other Latino group called Ritmoz Latinoz. This group has been together for about a year and already they have garnered a large following. They appear regularly at the Fugu Lounge in Natomas. This group is on the fast track featuring Franks son Cisco Lizaragga and the lovely Yesenia Fuentes. Together this band is turning heads and turning out some nice Latin original music. It looks like Frank is not ready to lay down his shield and that is good news for the fans of Ritmoz Latinoz.  I Blame Canada  (click to hear) 2-14-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I received a call from a lady who was calling me from London, England. She informed me that she needed a studio to shoot a video for an artist who lives here in Sacramento. I agreed to host the shoot and last Saturday I met with Piyah Martell, her camera man James and Jeff her personal manager. We quickly got underway figuring out how we would shoot the demo consisting of live video and still photos. We had just one and a half hours to get all the shots needed for James to cut together a nice demo which will be shopped to many venders looking for interesting stories.  It seems Piyah has gone viral on the You tube circuit and is a minor celebrity. This demo will hopefully give Piyah more celebrity status. Here in a audio clip of Piyah's version of the song imperfect. Click to hear.  Imperfect.  2-8-11

January 2011

  Lloyd Banks is back in the studio news.  Lloyd wants to surprise his wife with a song for her birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. So Lloyd and I got together. He showed me his lyrics which are to be sung of over the 50's hit "Naughty Lady of Shady Lane". Lloyd had not written the second half of each of the verse's, so we needed to write more lyrics. We did so. Then I began recording the background instruments for the song. Guitars, bass, drum and a string tracks. Now all that remains is for Lloyd come back and record the vocals. He returns this Tuesday to finish up his project. 1-23-11

 

 

 Josh Crosby AKA C-4 is a young rapper/songwriter/producer. He wanted to have me mix one of his songs. When I tried to open his Pro Tools session I couldn't get it play as he had done his work on a PC and I have a Mac system. So I went to his home and mixed his song on his system. It can be a little confusing to wrap your head around the different short cut key commands. But in about two hours I had mixed his 42 tracks and felt the mix was ready for mastering. 1-19-11

 

 

 

 

      Out with the old and in with the New Year. Happy New Year. We are getting excited about the year ahead in 2011. I am looking forward to meeting new artists and further helping musicians to find their musical voice and get their music produced in order to achieve their musical goals this year.  In the studio, I am looking at some new equipment to keep up to date with the ever changing technologies that have become the new medium of recording . My group Sly Fox is very close to releasing our third CD of original music. The future is looking brighter than it has in several years and I welcome any good news that is destined to come to Pudding Stone Recording Studio and to the greater Sacramento area music scene. I wish you all the best in the New Year. Bruce Bolin  1-3-11

 

December 2010

  Tressa Dahlberg now has her project in hand. It has been mixed and mastered. Tressa is weighing options for duplication and will soon have her copies in hand also. Overall Tressa felt that the project exceeded her expectations.  I found her to be quick in the booth and she has a good wide vocal range allowing her to sing many types of music.  "Orange colored Sky"    Meanwhile the Wave Pilot project continues to pick up steam. Jimmi Spalding and I got together yesterday and ran through many of your arrangements. We are feeling very confident about the music and are eager to get out and perform it before an audience.  12-13-10

 

 

 

  Megan Taaffe called to book some studio time to record a song that was looping in her head. This song "Falling Slowly" is not one of Megan's compositions. But she wanted to record it anyway. We began with Megan recording a piano track, then I added an acoustic guitar and she added a lead vocal and then a harmony back ground vocal track. We were finished in just two hours. Megan indicated she will be back to add some more tracks. Bill Chacon is a singer/guitar player that has wanted to record an album for many years. We got together last week and knocked out a song where Bill sang and played guitar. Then I recorded a bass, lead guitar, organ and some drums to the song. It all took a little over two hours and he was on his way with a CD to listen to. Bill mentioned that he'll return after the holidays to finish the project. Here's Megan's song.  Falling Slowly      12-01-10

 

November 2010

   This is my old friend Jimmi Spalding. He and I have been getting together to put a new spin on some music that we wrote some seven years ago.  Back then called ourselves Wave Pilot and we played up to date Surf Music. It's similar to old surf but with an
R&B, Blues & Jazz edge to it.  We began by playing our old original songs and some old surf. The groove was nice and we are re-invigorating the old Wave Pilot music and want to get it on a stage somewhere. This is basically two guitars with bass and drums. I always liked the music we made. More later.  11-15-10

 

 

  Meet Annie Linn.  A 16 year old singer that really surprised me with her talent. Her singing style and chops are far more developed that I might have thought.  It was her first time in a recording studio but she quickly adapted to the studio and turned in a good performance.  I feel confident that I will be hearing more about this young girl. Listen to "Fever"  11-14-10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Tressa Dahlberg. She wanted to record a CD project and we have been at it for a week. She is a very powerful singer. We have been having a fine time of it in the studio. Tresssa did some songs with pre recorded big band tracks and others with just a piano played by Greg Merwin. Then Tom Wallace came in and played some solos on both Alto sax and clairnet. Then I recorded several bass lines added some percussion and played acoustic guitar on one song. It's going to be a nice record that shows off Tressa's considerable talents.
Listen to "Orange colored Sky".  11-12-10

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Guitar Mac, a bluesman that lives here in Sacramento. He originally hailed from Arkansas. Mac is one of the only clients I have ever recorded who just wants me to mix his music as it is played live. So last Tuesday we set up at the Rivers Edge for the session. It's a bar in West Sac. Mac did 20 songs. The two previous times I recorded Mac I went straight to stereo two track. This time I recorded the music in 8 tracks. That allowed me to edit some fixes and helped to get a better sound. I recorded him on Tuesday and mixed and mastered and delivered the finished CD project on Wednesday. That's fast.  Check out "Taxi Blues"  11-10-10

 

 

October 2010

 

  Mr. James Ford and his piano accompanist Ron Brandon, graced the studio to finish up the recording project we began back in June. These two gentleman had the old studio humming like it was Sunday in church. James who is 80 years young played his heart out on the sax while Ron kept him lifted up high with his gospel piano renderings. These two men have played together many times. They worked smoothly together much like warm butter on a hot biscuit. Take a listen to this version of "To Close" click to hear.  10-26-10

 

 

 

  Sister Swing, Leigh, Paula and Valerie came in to the studio to record a spot for a radio station located in Seymour, Texas. Once they had worked out an arrangement, including the key and the vocal stack the three ladies stepped into the booth and in about an hour we had the 25 second spot in the can. It has been emailed to the station and will be airing on the radio very soon. Have a listen. KSEY radio spot. 10-19-10

 

 

 

 Teddy B AKA Theodor Bowers is a young rapper that has his eye on the prize. Teddy has never recorded in a studio before, but he took to the process in just a few minutes. His rap was clean and clear. Here is a sample of his work.  "Run this town". Take a listen and judge for yourself.  10-14-10

 

 

 

 

  Frank Lizarraga has posted his recently mastered "Secrets of the soul" on line available for down load. Next he will be recording some vocals on outro of the bands song "Tu" after which I will be mixing and mastering the song for it's final version.  10-12-10

 

 

 

 

      Kris Faith was back in the studio last week because he wanted to have me re-record the male vocal and make some changes to the drum pattern on his song "It's only a crush I have on you". I told Kris that I would need the individual tracks from the company that originally demo'ed his song. The piano tracks were very good as was the female vocal. I contacted the company that demoed his song and asked them to send me the tracks in question and they agreed. I have received the piano track but I am still waiting for the vocal tracks to complete the process. I was told by them that the male and female vocals tracks were combined on the vocal track so I may have to sing over the other male vocal in places. Hopefully I will be able to work the production and mix to Kris's satisfaction. More later.
Here is the re-worked track that I will be once again be re-working.   10-09-10

 

   Jerry Cook came in to pick up another track that I built for him. This was a song originally recorded by Chuck Berry called "Nadine". Jerry had me tweak a couple of parts on the mix and add a extra guitar part as well as a horn harmony part. Then I mixed the tracks got paid and he was out the door. 10-8-10

 

 

 

  Megan Taaffe came in to record a harmony vocal for a video project that her friend in Texas is working on. Once we got a good headphone mix we worked out the harmony parts and soon we had the parts in the can.  10-8-10

 

 

 

 

 Paul Fury and Sabrina Jackson came in to record a demo.  They have been working in Oroville performing karaoke several nights a week. They have a larger goal in mind and need a good demo. I haven't seen Paul for nearly three years. He used to record with me on a regular basis. It was good to work with him and his new singing partner. Check out their demo. Demo 10-5-10

 

 

 

  Frank Lizarraga gave me the "OK" on my mastering of Luvtaxi's "Secrets Of the Soul". As I mentioned on an earlier Studio news, Frank plans to sell downloads of the song on line. This has become the go to method for an artist to shop their music. It's inexpensive and there isn't any record company ass kissing to get your music into the publics collective ear.  Secrets of the Soul (Click to hear)   10-2-10

 

 

 

  Say hello to Garr & Christine, two artists that work in an art studio right below my studio.  Their studio is called "Art Squared".  They have been busy producing a video series high lighting local artists in and around Sacramento. They asked me to help out by writing and producing the music for this video production. I said "sure" and we are in the final stages of the first program. They plan to have the series aired on PBS. By the way the third picture is a painting of Garr, painted by Garr. It's very life like self portrait that is the back drop of the first two pictures.  10-1-10

 

 

September 2010

 

  This is Bob Brown, Bob is 89 years young. He has performed magic for nearly 60 years and has traveled the world performing in most of the major cities on all five continents. Bob called me to help him record the story of his life to be used in a film that was purposed by film producer and screen writer John Mercedes. Bob has a grand son named Russell. Russell is a magician too. He picked it up from his grand father. It seems Russell was performing his magic act in  Los Angles restaurant and John who was having dinner caught his act. In speaking with Russell, John learned of Bob's world wide travels and the idea was born to have Russell play the part of Bob in the film. We will have to see how all of this plays out but in the mean time, I have had a wonderful time conversing with and recording Bob telling the story of his life. 9-30-10

 

    Ken Dyre had me record his live performance at a birthday party for his cousin. Ken does a single where he plays guitar and sings with some backing tracks. Ken also had me contact my friend and camera man Wayne Douglas to capture the performance on video. Ken wants to  have me cut a demo out of the hour and a half performance so he can go after more gigs.
9-18-10

 

   Tom Radtclif came by to have me work some studio magic on a recording he made of his 93 year old father who was in a hospital. Tom will be using the tracks I worked on in a court case involving some unscrupulous family members that have been draining the bank account of Tom's father. I have worked on similar projects in the past and it usually involves me having to EQ out the back ground noises to better hear the testimony of the primaries speaking in the recording. 9-15-10

 

  I was re-visited by Gracetina and Keston Luther the founding members of the group R.M.I. (Republic Marshall Islands) They have completed four CD projects this year. They spend almost all of their time writing and recording new original songs. I asked them how sales were going and they mentioned that they had just driven to Arkansas in their van with cases of CD's to sell at a Marshall Islands festival.  They sold out completely. I have heard the growth in their music and I am impressed. Gracetina does an excellent job of creating melody lines to go her lyrics along with their Raggae and islanding sounding music. Her harmony's are spot on and in tune. This time however they have included their music producer Anthony Paul performing some Rap and Hip Hop songs as well. It's blend of modern sounds and old school melodies. Very easy to listen to and hard not to get your head bopping in time with the beat. (Click to hear) Iole La-Jimma. 9-6-10

 

   Jerry Cook was back in the studio having me reproduce an old blues song for his single act. Jerry never ceases to amaze me with the old blues material he uses in his act. Jerry has a big voice and he can really get the audience to become involved while he's performing. This time the song was called "Still call it the blues". I played all of the guitars and bass parts as well as the drum parts. I called on my old friend Jimmy Malone to reproduce the piano and horn parts. Together we captured the song pretty well and Jerry Is happy with the results. He just needs to add his vocals over the rhythm tracks. Click to hear "Still call it the blues".  9-1-10

 

 

  Rich Krivcher, (seen on the right) stopped by to pick up his newly mastered copy of a Haiku project that has been in the works for more than five years. Hopefully it will make the cut and he can move on to duplication and sales. 9-1-10

 

 

 

 

August 2010

  Frank Lizarraga met up with me yesterday at the studio to complete a mix on one the songs that he has been working on.  In all Frank has been working on the Luvtaxi project for three years. On this one song he wanted me to mix the song "Secrets of the Soul", and after he has had a chance to listen to it at home and decide if the mix is ready then he will call me and I will master the song. He will then put it on line at CD Baby for sale as a down load only for his Luvtaxi fans.
8-21-10

 

 

 

  If this guy looks familiar to you it's because he has been appearing in the studio news a lot lately. Once again this is Kris Faith, song writer who has been keeping me pretty busy working on his music. Most recently two songs, Break Your Body and Our love is slipping away. These two songs are completely different from each other. I had barely finished both songs when Kris wanted me to begin another song titled Rubicon Girl.  To say that Kris is on a roll is an understatement. I will post the songs very soon. Keep those cards and letters coming in. I just spent two night s in the high Sierra with my wife Valerie Marston who sings with a six piece band called Mad Dash. They played for the annual Jeepers gathering which was held in the back woods, a ten mile back road drive off of Hiway 89 near Sierraville, CA. I can still taste the dust from those rides in and out.     8-16-10

 

 

  Meet Jeff Molinari, Jeff is an author and a story teller. he told me that he spends a lot of his time telling stories to young students in grade schools. he has been busy publishing a book called "Little Eppy". Jeff wanted to record a CD to include with some of the books he sold. We recorded his eight minute voice over then we added a sound to tell the students when to turn the page. That was followed by adding some sound effects. Once we had all of the parts in place I added some effect to his voice and mixed and blended all of the tracks together. Once Jeff heard the final mix, he decided to include a CD with each book. Jeff is on a mission to entertain our youngest children and give them stories that entertain them and allow them to use their imaginations. Kris Faith brought me another song and we are in high gear working on his music.  8-4-10

 

 

July 2010

  Kris Faith and Megan Taaffe have been keeping me busy working on their new songs. They are both writing new material and both are in need of getting the music produced and recorded. This is good for me as I really do enjoy the challenge of finding ways to make their music all that it can be. In my spare time I am making my music all that it can be. This is a job that doesn't feel much like work in the normal sense. Time spent in the studio playing music can be both frustrating at times and the most enjoyable at other times.
When it's all said and done, it's what rings my bell and floats my boat.  7-27-10

 

 

   It's Megan Taaffe again.  In less than one week Megan returned to record an acoustic guitar version of "If you knew love". We changed the arrangement slightly, slowed it down and added a tambourine track played by Megan.  While in the studio, Megan's mother Vinese shot some video that Megan will edit and post on YouTube. This young lady is on the move and determined to make a mark on the music scene.  "If you knew love acoustic"     Click to hear 7-6-10

 

 

 

  Megan Taaffe is a young singer/songwriter that paid me a visit to the studio last week. She was looking for a new studio to work with. When we got together this morning we hit it off early and proceeded to get to work. First we spent some time working out the lyrics, then she sang the song as I played guitar to her vocal, until we had worked out an arrangement. Then we recorded a scratch vocal and guitar guide track. This was played to a click to keep us in time. Then I recorded a bass, drums and finally some lead guitar. Megan stepped into the vocal booth and soon we had her vocal (complete with some back ground vocals) on the can. I mixed the tracks to her satisfaction and now she'll be putting her new song on YouTube. Have a listen to "If you knew love".  Click to hear.  7-2-10

 

 

 

 It's finally finished. The long awaited Sly Fox 2 CD project "Chasing the wind" is done and will soon be availably to all those Sly Fox fans that loved the first album.  Just as this album is coming off of the presses, Bruce & Greg are feverishly working on more new material for Sly Fox 3. This has been a wild time for this song writing team. They are in a song writing whirl wind that is a storm of producing more and more good songs. Their skills as writers are getting finely honed. You can check the Hear Music page on this site and preview some more of this albums the music.  Meanwhile here's two
"Believe in me" and "New Generation"    Click to hear     7-1-10

 

 

 

 

June 2010

 

  Kris Faith returned after just one week. This time Kris brought me a song that he felt wasn't completed. The song had a female and male singer with piano accompaniment.  I suggested to Kris that we just add some other instruments to fill out the song. First I added a bass line then two guitar parts, some drums and finally a string line. Kris was happy and so was I. Many times it can be more cost effective to fill out an arrangement than to start all over.    6-19-10

 

 

 

  Grape Scott is back. After several failed attempts to get into the studio to record. Grape has indeed landed. Not only has he landed but he's sounding good. I am impressed at the confidence Grape has when he gets into the booth to record his raps. I asked Grape how much he prepares before booking a studio date?
His reply, " I usually give myself a day to work on the lyrics and the delivery". I can tell he has done his homework because yesterday he showed up with an egg timer to be sure that he didn't run over as he only had enough money for one hour. In that time we recorded two songs and their both good. Grape and I have our recording system  together and we can move quickly through the process. This young man has a bright future if he can get his foot in the door. In my opinion, he's as good as anyone who is in the scene right now. Want to hear him? (Click to hear) My City, Travel  6-12-10

 

 

  Once again Kris Faith returned to the studio with a song that he had put together by another studio. Kris was unsatisfied with the results. Kris and I spent an hour working on the lyrics in order to make them more musical. Once that was finished I worked the arrangement and came up with a suitable melody line. Then it was time to record. First a rhythm guitar played to a click track then a vocal, followed by a bass line. Another guitar track and a solo, then a back ground harmony track and finally the drums. It was fun to ferret out the parts of the song. In the end Kris was pleased, I was happy and he now has a completely new version of his song
   6-8-10 

 

 

  This is Asmar Malone and Dave Smith.  They are two young artists that need a demo of their talents to send off to a producer to secure some backing in the music business.  Asmar is interested in mixing R & B with hip hop and rap while Dave is a straight up rapper. Both were polite and business like as we got our session under way. They both commented that they had some experiences at other studios that were less than professional and far less productive. This brings up a good point that I have been stressing for years. You can always find someone willing to work for less,  but "you get what you pay for". Paying less per hour can end up costing you more in the long run if your not satisfied when you leave. I suggest you always do a walk through in a studio to see if you're going to be treated in a professional manner. If it doesn't feel right,  find the door quickly.      6-4-10

 

 Sometimes the studio gig is to reach way back to the old school days. I was called by my friend and client Stu Goldberg to transfer some old records from the 20's and 30's to CD. So I drug out my old trusty turntable, routed the signal through my Allen & Heath console and fired up Logic to capture the music. When records have been taken care of, there is no better sound. Usually though, there are many clicks and pops to contend with. Normally I don't spend a lot of time removing all of these noises because the cost to the client will be to high (unless I'm told to do so). It is always fun to hear these old records and to realize where today's music came from.  6-3-10

 

  My band Sly Fox has been recording a new audio demo in order to get more gigs. These demos will often sell the band when they are well done and professionally produced. It's a good idea to have the transitions between songs be smooth and consistent. I like to make the beat in each song be continuous even though the tempos are not. My thoughts are that once the client begins to listen, keep them hooked until the end of the demo. Check the demo below of the band
Off The Hook which was recorded live Sly fox demo 2010. (Click to hear).  6-2-10

 

May 2010

 

 

 

 

 This This is Off The Hook a local seven piece band that hired me to mix their sound during a live concert at Arden Park last weekend. They also needed a demo so I recorded them with my mobile setup. The bands three sets of mostly pop, rock and funk from the 70's & 80's was well received by the crowd of onlookers. The band played this same gig last year and were invited to return this year. A good time was had by all. I cut together a nice demo and Off The Hook is ready to play venues everywhere. The (Off the Hook Demo) (click to hear)  5-20-10

   

 

This is Sly Fox the band that I play with. I am very happy to be playing with these very talented musicians. They are veterans of the music scene and each one can carry their weight when it comes to performing. The players are from left to right. Me; Bruce Bolin, Guitar and vocals; Robert Francisco, Bass and vocal; Greg Ayala Drums and vocals and Don Azbill, Lead Guitar.  I am looking forward with anticipation to the future as now I have the players to support the music that I want to play. There is nothing that this group cannot play. The band vibe is one of joy in a musical sense and the knowledge that if you just keep on persevering you can find people that feel the same way as you do. Here is an original song from our up coming album that is to be released next month.
(Put down the pipe). 5-10-10

 

  Sharon Clawson paid me another visit to record her vocals on a song that she brought to me. Sharon wanted me to write a melody and arrange the chords. She was well prepared and we stepped through the process smoothly. I then added a string part and finished off with some drums to complete the arrangement. Sharon will now copy write her song and begin to send out some demos. She is only 13, but it is easy to see that Sharon has her eye on the prize. (Click to hear)   5-9-10

 

 

 

    Kris Faith is also a song writer that needed some help with his song. As with Sharon I needed to write a melody and arrange the lyrics and music  to archive the correct balance for Kris's song. I gain a great deal of satisfaction by helping these young artists to understand the process of songwriting. Kris's song is called 'King of Pop" and is about the life and times of Michael Jackson. Kris was and still is a huge fan and this was his way of sharing his feelings.
5-6-10

 

 

 

  The R.M.I. Band was back in for the third time to have me master another CD project. They are working full time on music and their up to three albums in just three months. I am impressed. The music has an contemporary island  like sound. It's very danceable and makes one's head bob. At first they were doing songs that came from the islands but now they are writing new material. They have been sending the CD's to the Marshall Islands to sell and have sold out and have had to re-order. This group is on the fast track and I hope they have continued success. (Click to hear)    5-3-10

 

 

April 2010

 

  Grape Scott scheduled a session to record two songs for his debut into the local music scene. Grape told me that he has been doing shows around town and has been featured at The Boardwalk. His style was smooth and confident and he had arrangement ideas that included some sound effects which were to be dropped into the songs at specific places. we worked through the first song in an hour and a half then Grape had to hurry off to take a test for a class that he is currently studying. An hour and a half later he was back to do the second song. His lyrics were urban and well thought out so the meanings clear and easy to understand. Keep an ear out for Grape Scott, I am sure that he  is going to make some noise and collect his share of the buzz.  4-23-10

 

 

This is Tyler AKA Blindside. He is a young rapper that has never been in a recording studio. He is shown here with his friend Yolanda who drove him from Woodland to make the session. He only had enough money for one hour and we had to scramble to complete his songs in that time frame. In the end Tyler was happy with his new tracks and ready to do it again as soon as he can. 4-21-10

 

 

 

  Alex Thomas is a high school senior and a friend of my son Zackery. They have rapped together in a group and just like to hang together. Alex needed a little studio time to complete some vocal tracks for his senior project. Yesterday Alex was at the studio and soon was rapping in the booth. We were able to get his tracks recorded and edited as need be and soon (next semester) Alex will be taking an Audio Production class in Philadelphia because and Alex puts it. " I want to grow up to do what you do".  I can't say that I blame him. It's a pretty cool job to have.   4-20-10

 

 

 

  This is 13 year old Sharon Clawson. She called me to arrange a session to have me help her write her song. Sharon was accompanied by her father Tom.
In about an hour she and I had re-written her song including creating a melody with musical cord changes and an arrangement. She and I  worked well together brainstorming our way through the song until  it was time to record some back ground music. I recorded a guitar and bass track followed by a solo guitar track. We gave the song a new title, "What love can do". Sharon was pleased with the songs progress and I sent her home to practice. She will return to record her vocal track when she feels she is ready. Sharon also recorded some vocals on several tracks of one of her favorite artists. 4-13-10

 

 

   From time to time I am called upon to do live sound for various video shoots. My friend Robert Ansell who heads up Royce Video Productions called me to help out with the sound for the stage production of Brundibar. This opera is the true story of the lives of children who were put into concentration camps during the second world war. There was an additional kicker to this production that was presented at Hiram Johnson High School April 8th thru 11th, with the appearance of an 83 year old survivor from the camp. Her name is Ela Stiein Weissberger and she played the cat in the original play. Brundibar was preformed 55 times at the camp from 1943 to 1945 when the war ended.   She spoke of the hard life in the camp and mentioned that over 1500 children were brought to the camp and when the allies freed the prisoners in 1945 there were only 138 children left alive. It was a sobering thought and grim reminder of the cruelty of war. 4-12-10

 

 

  Dueling Telecasters! These are the weapons that I used this last weekend when the band played at an Indian Casino near Eureka California. Next is Donnie Azbill, the other guitar player whom I caught napping as we were waiting for 9pm to roll around so we could play the gig. The six and a half hour ride back home was brutal as it rain hard the entire trip back. 4-5-10

 

 

 

 

March 2010

   As March fades in to April and the weather gets much better I am reminded of how lucky I am to be living in a place that has mild winters, beautiful Springs, Autumns that have always inspired me and summers that, well it can get very warm but in Sacramento California we live for the summer months. I got a call from Dr. Marc Silverstein who wanted me to transfer his Dat Master tape to a CD format. This can get complicated because although I have two Dat machines, they are both warn out. Luckily I was able to borrow a Dat machine and make the transfer for the good Doctor. The technology changes so fast that we in the recording business must be constantly upgrading our equipment to keep on top of the ever changing climate.
The Fair Oaks United Methodist Church has their Masters in hand and they are preparing to get their project duplicated. I have been working to finish the Sly Fox 2 CD project that Greg Ayala and I have been working on for over one year. We are closing in on the finish. Then we will begin the next new CD with some new songs that have yet to be written. There is a new article about Ed Johnson on the featured artist page of this site. Check it out and listen to one of his songs here. One More Day. Click to hear.    3-27-10

 

 

  R.M.I. returned to have me master their second album in just a six week period. Shown in the picture is Anthony Paul on the left and Gracetine and Keston Luther. Once I inquired, I learned that Anthony is the musician that puts together the tracks for Luther and Gracetine to sing to. Their music is rhythmic with a strong dance beat. These three players are sending their brand of music back to the Marshall Islands for the enjoyment of the people that live there. These songs are the songs that most of the island people have grown up singing. R.M.I. is just bringing the music into the twenty first century with some modern sounds and alterations. The band members mentioned that they are working on the next CD now and plan on finishing up in May. That's moving. Good luck to them and have a listen to this example of R.M.I.'s sound. Mour (Click to hear).  3-8-10

 

 

February 2010

  This is eleven year old Maddy Lynn. Maddy was chosen by producer Josh Jacobs (in the middle picture) to sing the main theme song for his children's TV show called Beluga Bay.  Maddy surprised me with her poise in the booth. This was her first time recording and she took to it like a duck takes to water. Josh said she should try out for the stage show "Annie" and I agree. The quality of her singing is way beyond her years. 2-20-10

 

 

 

 Frank Lizarraga came in to finish up several songs slated for his new album. We tweaked for three hours until all was acceptable to Frank. I really enjoy working with Frank and I tell him so. Frank and I are both old school and I have always admired his funky groove bass lines. Frank plays with three bands and I always get the drama report while we work. I in turn give his my drama report and we both laugh at it all. Click to hear Girl of my world      2-19-10

 

 

 

  Dave McAsey came in and he and I played for over three hours. We were working out some of the arrangements that we will be playing on Thursday at the
Level Up Lounge located at 24th and K street. We will have special guest Otis Mourning playing with us that night. Otis is a very respected sax player in the Sacramento area. It is sure to be a good show and I am looking forward to it. Come on down and check us out. 2-19-10

 

 

 

 

  Mickey Cartel paid me another visit to add some vocal sparkle to one of his songs. We listened others and did some editing to clean things up a bit. Mickey is bent on getting everything right on this his break out album. We will soon begin to mix this project. 2-5-10

 

 

 

 

  This is Michael who came to the studio a week and a half after the recording session at the church. He came in to work with me on the mixes for the Methodist Church CD project. We mixed from 9:30 am to 12:30 when Michael had to leave. I continued until 2pm, burned a CD as we had agreed to meet the following morning for him to pickup the CD. Once he has had a chance to give the mixes a critical listen, I will master the project in preparation for duplication. 2-4-10 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   On Saturday January 23,  I met with Michael, the music director of the Fair Oaks United Methodist Church to set up for a recording session in the church. The first group was a Tongan Choir singing in their native language. Then came the regular church band singing and playing as the session continued. They were joined several hours later by the church choir and finally the choir with piano accompaniment. The day was over seven hours long but we all had a good time trying to get everything right for this project.  2-3-10

 

   Keston Luther & his wife Gracetina came in yesterday needing to have their CD project mastered. They both sang and played on this record. I got right on it and imported their files in to Pro Tools. I was happy to hear that the tracks had been recorded very cleanly. Also Keston didn't compress the files trying to get more level. When I asked where they came from they replied that they were from the Marshall Islands. I mentioned that I had recorded a Samoan artist two months ago then just last week I recorded a Tongan choir. It seems like I am attracting people from the pacific Islands. That suites me just fine as I like the music of the islands since all of my family on my mothers side came from Hawaii. I am feeling right at home and I am looking for a Luau.  2-2-10

 

 

 

January 2010

  This is Derrick Dennis. Derrick called to book some time to record his vocals and to have me help to produce his song. Once  we had recorded his vocal tracks, I laid in a bass track,  a drum track and some strings. These additional tracks really helped to make the song sparkle. Derrick was so taken at the difference that he jumped back into the booth and recorded some ad-libs to fill out the vocals. Next month Derrick plans to return for a mixing session. 1-25-10

 

 

   Tools of the trade. These are some of the instruments that I routinely use in the studio. It has been said that the "right tool can make the job easier", and when it comes to making music these instruments help make my job easier and more enjoyable. I have three basses two of which are vintage. Several acoustic guitars and the two electric guitars. I like having different instruments on hand to change up the sound of my recordings. I feel that I am blessed to have these instruments and have been collecting them for many years. 1-18-10

 

 

 

    Abdule Masood, called to book some studio time for a remix of his song "My First and Last Love".  A native of Afghanistan, Abdule needed some tweaks of the mix. Once I had gotten the mix to where he wanted, he entered the booth and recorded another lead vocal. Then Abdule asked me to make several versions of the mix including a complete mix, a version without any vocals (commonly called a performance mix) and a Data disk. He indicated he will return next month to begin another song. 1-16-10

 

 

 

   Life in the studio at Pudding Stone.  Things have been slow in our economy but with the new year I am confident that all will turn around and we can get back to normal. I have been meeting each week with my song writing partner Greg Ayala as well as getting together with singer and front man Roy Gray with whom I am embarking on a new project and band.
 Adrienne Hatchet and I are working on her project and I have undertaken a new songwriting project with J.D. Applegate. I am also teaching a student the Pro Tools Audio Software Program. With several irons in the fire including taking classes at the Apple Store on Logic (Apple's Primer Audio Software Program) for over a year now, I am working to expand my horizons. I feel that just because things around me slow down, is no reason for me to slow down. I continue to write music (songs), study new technologies and keep my gray matter alive and working. To give up is to accept defeat. I feel that mine is in keeping with the American spirit. To "Keep on truckin' no matter the situation".  1-14-10

 

   Mickey Cartel was back in the studio to continue his move to conquer the music scene. He stepped into the booth and blasted his way through five more songs. Seldom does he need to punch in as he prefers to have a raw sound built on one consistent passage. Any listener will feel the emotion in his performances. Mickey is bent on making a name for himself and in short he "puts his money where his mouth is". Given Mickey's tenacity, I have little doubt that as soon as he is heard by someone that can make a difference he will be in the spotlight. His lyrics are strong and his performances hit home and standing 6'6" he is easy to spot in a crowd. Soon he will make his way from the crowd to the stage, then he'll be in a place where he can really shine.  Adrienne Hatchet is an aspiring singer/songwriter. She has been working with another studio for several years but she felt that her music was not turning out as she liked. We have met on several occasions and we worked on arranging one of her songs. I have roughed out a version of her song "So distorted", and she is practicing with the CD in preparation for a vocal session in two weeks. 1-5-10

 

December 2009

  This is a picture of Gunshy in a night club. The quality of the picture is not good but I like the color. It was dark and I was holding the phone camera in my hand shooting the picture. That's me in the middle with guitar player Don Azbil on the left. We were playing the Happy Harbor Marina near Rio Vista last Saturday night. Playing is what I like to do when I am not in the studio.  12-15-09

 

 

 

  Frank Lizarraga back again to tweak some of the mixes we have been working on. Frank is nearing the end of this the latest Luvtaxi project. He has been working on getting this group of songs ready for mastering and then duplication. Frank asked me to just go ahead and mix on of the songs and he was pleased when he heard the mix. His comment was, "the rest of the songs need to sound as good as this one does". However time is money and Frank has been operating with little to spare in the way of funds.  He is committed to finishing what he starts and I find that commendable. It is my feeling that Luvtaxi is very lucky to have Frank Lizaragga at the helm. 12-11-09

 

 

 Sister Swing is back in the studio news. Although these talented performers have a six piece band to back them up, they often perform as a trio with backing tracks. This is to accommodate clients that don't have the budget for a nine piece band. They routinely play for many organizations that want them to perform for a half hour or up to an hour set. These little gigs keep the Sisters in shape as well as giving them more money to buy their costumes. With the holidays in full force, they have been having me put together sets that include many cuts from their Christmas Album titled "Stocking Stuffers". Their clients are happy, they are happy and I'd call it a win, win situation. Listen to,
"Man with a Bag"  12-9-09

 

 

    Peter Munday returned after a four month absence. Peter has been writing some new songs and was eager to get them arranged and recorded. Peter is a very busy man, holding down two jobs. Getting into the studio becomes a stress relief measure that grounds Peter and allows him to maintain his hectic schedule. I am happy to provide the stress relief because we have always had a good time fleshing out the music. It's serious business but we always seem to get in plenty of laughs along the way. Anyway we worked through a new song and recorded a rough to evaluate the arrangement and trim any un-needed fat from the song. We are looking for the lean 3:40 to 4 minute song that keeps the momentum up and does not get repetitious. Peter booked another session for next week and we hope to get further down the road to musical happiness. 12-4-09

 

 

  Mickey Cartel is a rapper that has been working at his craft since the early ninety's. Mickey told me that lately he has been recording at some of his friends home studios with less than satisfactory results. Although money has been tight for Mickey, he managed to scrape together enough to get an hour and a half at Pudding Stone. I was very impressed at his rapping style. Extreme high energy with stories that are easy to follow and understand. When he got into the booth, he was transformed into this rap machine that spit out the words like bullets coming out of a machine gun. I have done my share of rap recordings, so I am no babe in the woods. I can recognize some real talent when I hear it. Hopefully Mickey can get his music heard because it's truly worth hearing. Check out  My Life Click to hear.   12-3-09

 

 

November 2009

   Abdule Masood was born in Afghanistan. He has been in America for the last ten years. Abdul is an aspiring artist and a singer. He came to me to record and mix a song that he had been working of at another studio. After listening to his tracks I mentioned that there was something wrong with one the guitar tracks. He asked if I could replay that track and I did. I then recorded Abdul's vocal tracks and mixed the song. He returned yesterday with a musician/producer friend to act as another pair of ears to assess the mix. It was and now Abdul and I are looking ahead at recording more of his songs in preparation for his first CD project.
11-23-09

 

 

    Frank Lizarraga has been coming to the studio to make some digital transfers and to get his project mixed and ready for duplication. We have been trying to get this project in the can as Frank is a prolific song writer and his back log of new material is beginning to mount up. Frank has been the leader of the Latino group Luvtaxi for almost ten years. This year Frank started a new Latino pop group called Ritmoz Latinoz (Latin Rhythms) that features his son Cisco Lizarraga on lead guitar. Frank keeps busy playing in several groups, teaching music students and conducting band rehearsals all the while holding down a forty hour a week state job. Oh did I mention that he is a husband, father and a grandfather too. Lastly Frank is my friend. We have much in common as we both are from the old school of music. That in it self allows Frank and I to relate in many ways.  11-21-09

 

    Ed Johnson joined me at Eric Broyhill's Monster Lab mastering studio.  We were finishing Ed's project "Monkey Shine". We worked through the thirteen songs during the mastering session. Eric then burned us each reference copy of the mastered project. Both Ed and I then took our copy home and listened to it on several systems. We took notes and compared the results. In one more two hour session with Eric we had completed the project. Now it's up to Ed to get some copies made and to begin on his next project. This one took over four years to complete so I am guessing that Ed will be turning his attention to some other things around the Johnson house hold.  11-18-09

 

 

 Meet Cody Upton. Cody is a mere fourteen years old and has been playing guitar for two and a half years. I was really impressed at his playing talent. He is miles beyond where I would have thought he'd be with his guitar playing ability. Cody has been taking lessons since taking up the guitar and it shows. His technique was that of a player three times his age. I have seen many players come through the studio but this young man  has the talent and the drive to become a guitar player that will leave a large footprint on the musical scene. Cody is also a straight A student. He is blessed with parents that completely support his musical desire. I know that we have not heard the last of Cody Upton. Click to listen (Talk me of off this ledge)  &  (Blame) 11-15-09

 

 

   Hair today, gone tomorrow! What a difference a day makes. That's how the song went but to see my friend Bob Lobner and to see the change a shave and a haircut can make is worth writing about.  Bob and I got together several days ago to play and discuss the making of another CD project. It has been several years since we finished the last album.  Bob has been writing some new songs and it's time to begin again to get them on a CD. More on this later as the project progresses. 11-11-09

 

 

  This is Tua. He hails from the island of Samoa. Tua recently wrote a song about the tsunami that occurred in Samoa earlier this year. It is a song of hope and of the need to rebuild both lives and property. He has played music for most of his life and was comfortable in the studio both playing and singing. Tua had a nice feel when he played I could tell that he was not uptight at all. Now that Tua has his master, he will get some copies made and send them to Samoa for his people to experience his song of love and hope.  11-9-09

 

 

   Valerie Marston (my wife of twenty four years) and I, Bruce Bolin, went to North Shore Lake Tahoe last week to take in a concert and celebrate our anniversary. It's always nice to get away even if it's only for one night. We both agreed that it reminded us of when we were on the road back in the 80's. Sleeping in hotel and motel rooms and eating a lot of restaurant food. The big change for us on this latest trip was that we weren't in a hurry to get there or to get back. We just enjoyed the time away from home and smelled the roses. Even though the temperature dipped down to 19 degrees and it snowed a little. The wind was blowing pretty hard as we took these pictures.       11-4-09

 

 

  Dave McAsey and I will be playing at the Fox & Goose tonight. We will be joined by a drummer that neither one of us has ever met.  We will be playing some experimental music in that the arrangements are open to allow for the grooves to go where they will. It should be fun and for me it's always fun to go where I have not gone before.  11-4-09

 

 

 

 

October 2009

 

  Robert Julius Chatman dropped by to have me put together a demo of his already recorded songs.  Twelve in all. I extracted the music from several sources CD and cassette. I also recorded a guitar part for a song that Robert had sung acappella. In two hours we had put the whole demo together and Robert is off to an appointment with a publisher.  10-23-09

 

 

 

 Ed Johnson was back in the studio for our third mixing and fixing session. We thought it would be a short session but it turned out to be an eight hour session. The good news is that the mixes sound really good. Ed is a self admitted perfectionist. So we have spent many hours dealing with small but important details in the eyes and ears of Ed. Once this project is finished, Ed doesn't want to have any reservations about having not dotted every "I" and crossed every "T". We have spent many hours together in the studio.  During one of his songs, an eleven minute epic. I asked him how many hours he had in the development and recording of that song. He replied, "over three hundred hours". Remember that Ed wrote, played and recorded all of the instruments on this thirteen song project and he played them well. I am sure that his dedication to his music and his tenacity will serve him well through out his musical life. Linda Davis came to the studio for a session to record vocals for an Oprah singing contest.     10-20-09

 

 Dave McAsey paid me a visit to work through some new material that he has been working on. Dave and I are scheduled to play at the Fox & Goose on November 4th. We have played there before, but this time I will be playing bass. It was fun working the material with Dave and we are one step closer to our gig on the 4th. Come on down and check us out.  10-9-09

 

 

 

  Ed Johnson returned on Saturday for another mixing session. On this album Ed played all of the instruments and did rather well at being a multi-instrumentalist. Ed is well rounded musically having studied music for many years before settling on becoming a teacher in the Elk Grove school district. Ed teaches graphics in addition to some other subjects at a local Elk Grove high school.  In two sessions we have logged over thirteen hours mixing and fixing. The project is moving along and we feel that we can tie it all up in one more session. 10-4-09

 

 

September 2009

 

  I have been transferring some very old tapes, many from the early 60's for Stu Goldberg. Stu was in the thick of it during the beginning of the roaring 60's in San Francisco. He single handedly brought the Jefferson Airplane together and they played for the first time in his downtown S.F. living room. He also knew Janice Joplin and many of the other popular artists in the early days of their careers.  Stu has so many stories and a fantastic memory for times, dates and names. He could be a one man story telling show. Stu is always cheerful and has a joke or two up his sleeve. I need to take a picture of Stu for this blog.  9-30-09

 

 

           Last Sunday Sept. 27th I met with Ed Johnson at the studio. Ed had called me several weeks earlier to arrange for a mixing session. Ed has a Pro Tools/Mac system that he had used to record his project with. I instructed Ed to bring in his hard drive and we'd give it a whirl. We spent six hours fixing and mixing and worked through five of his songs. As I pointed out to Ed it is better to make sure that recorded tracks are properly played because it can become an expensive proposition to have to "fix it in the mix". Ed will return this Saturday and we will continue.  9-28-09

 

   Father Pol Gumapo is finished his project consisting of two separate CD's.  I mixed and mastered them both and today I mailed the two masters off to the duplicators.  If all goes as it should, Fr. Pol should have his copies within ten business days. Also I met with Bill Harticon to deliver his demo masters. You may have a listen to the demo by clicking on the blog just below this one.  9-24-09

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The Billy Mac Band is headed up by Bill Harticon. This seven piece band features Bill, (sax, guitar, congas, vocals) Eric (sax, vocals) Dave (lead guitar, vocals) Ben (lead guitar, vocals) Sean (drums) Scott (bass) and Stormy on keyboards, vocals. The band is a high energy band that loves to play and it shows. The first time I set foot in Bill's house where the band meets every Sunday to practice, I could feel the energy. I knew in seconds that recording them was going to be fun and exciting. I got together with Bill at his house on Saturday and began setting up my recording equipment so we could hit it hard on Sunday when the rest of the band arrived. There were many on lookers who dropped by to observe the session. We moved through the five songs we had planned to record. It went so fast that I said "we're all set up, lets keep on going" and we recorded another five songs. My thought from the beginning was to record the band where they practice because they were used to playing in that environment. For the band it was just another practice, except that I was recording the music for a demo. The vibe was good as was the sound. I was set up in a small office off of the living room. Now I will transfer the files to Pro Tools and mix the music into a nice demo so the band can shop for gigs. I truly feel that this band will have no problems getting and keeping gigs. The band can be seen on "Second Saturday's" down town near 20th and J street.   Here is the demo ready to work for the band. BillyMacBandDemo   (Click to hear)  9-21-09 

 

  Jimmy Malone has turned in some music files for the Duey Wilinski project, that Jimmy and I have been working on. Duey is a fine R&B singer and we have been collaborating on the music for his project.  Duey will be coming in to record some vocals tomorrow. 09-09-09

 

 

 

 

  Marty Holland is the man when it comes to playing bass. Marty is shown here playing my 1964 Jazz bass with a 1948 Telecaster bass neck. Marty and I logged seven hours recording bass parts on the Christmas CD project for D.J. Wilkinson.  In these troubled times for the American dollar, sometimes plans have to be changed because of the current economical climate. I just received an email this morning that the project needs to be put on hold until after the first of the year due to funding problems. This is unfortunate because other musicians have put in countless hours preparing for their session, just to be told that it's on hold until later. That is the sad part of the music business world.  We all have to deal with the cards that we are dealt. Things can change quickly and we have to be flexible enough to remain on our toes. All players have had to accept the disappointments that come with the musical territory. 09-08-09

 

   Dave Lang has picked up the finished master of his accordion CD project. It's just in time as Dave is leaving in two weeks for Europe to play in several countries.   Eric Hines returned last week to record a vocal part for his song titled "I've been redeemed". Eric left the studio with a CD copy and was very pleased with the both the music and his vocal performance.   9-4-09

 

 

 

 

August 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Maestro Jimmy Malone has graced the pages of this blog many times in the past. Each time I have an opportunity to work with Jimmy, I jump at the chance because he and I are like a music machine cranking out the tunes. He is the consummate player with years under his fingers. He amazes me each time we get together. After five hours in the studio recording yesterday Jimmy commented that he had forgotten how well we work together. I have never forgotten. We stay focused and we move smoothly through the music playing and punching in where necessary to complete the song. I love these first two pictures of Jimmy with the keyboard reflected in his glasses. After five hours of recording it was time to take him home and get myself into bed as well. It was a long but very productive day for me. I love my work and am ever grateful that I have a niche that fits my lifestyle. 8-28-09

 

  Father Pol Gumapo is a Catholic priest from the church that I used to attend. He is a singer and I helped him with an album project some nine years ago. He has returned to Pudding Stone for some additional recording and a brand new CD project. In the booth we worked through four new songs with his taking direction from me and enjoying some new singing techniques. I will now assemble his music and prepare for duplication. It was good to see Father Pol after all these years.  
8-27-09

 

 

  I was called into action by Mark Butterworth. Mark asked if I would produce a vocal session at Paradise Studio last Monday evening. For me it was a no brainier and it was great as all I needed to do was to show up with my brain, experience and my ears.  We were working with a young Sacramento State college music major student named Tammy Brock. This young lady was a master of her instrument. She took direction well and delivered many difficult singing passages with ease. It was a very enjoyable evening for me to work with her caliber of talent.  I'd like to also mention Kurt Sheerer who was the engineer for that session. He was extremely proficient and quick with his software program and kept things moving along nicely. 8-24-09

 

  Eric and Jennifer Hines met with me at the studio to discuss my putting music to Eric's songs. Eric is a powerful singer and he writes songs about the love of Jesus and his (Eric's) transformation into his new life as a sober husband, father and productive member of society. In the booth Eric sang his song while I played guitar to give support to his vocal. After they left,  I continued to work on the music adding bass and a solo 12 string solo part. Today I will add a drum part then Eric can come in to re-record his vocal. This was a surprise session for Eric as Jennifer sprung the news on him mere hours before the session.  8-24-09

 

 

  Old friends. This is my long time friend Bob Lobner. Bob lives near Georgetown in the foothills. Three or four times a year I like to pay Bob a visit. We play a lot of music, talk a lot and drink our share of beer. It's just a good time for me to get away for a night relax and enjoy the company of an old friend. I was surprised to see how much Bob's appearance has changed since last November when I took his picture after dinner. Although Bob has grown some impressive whiskers, he has also been playing on an average of three hours each morning and has some nice songs in the works. We played at least eight hours together and had a great time working through a lot of his material as well as some of mine. Old friends are to be cherished as one of the really great gifts in life. When you think of a an old friend, pick up the phone and call them. You never know when you or they will pass on into the great unknown.
Don't pass up an opportunity to visit with and enjoy an Old friend.     8-20-09

  Singer Elise Baker shown here with Mark Butterworth composer seem to be relaxing after a trying vocal session. Sadly on some days things just don't go the way you'd like them to. Sometimes you have to, "Know when to hold em". After several tries we decided to call it a day as we were not getting the desired vocal results. I suggested we try next week. So we will be getting together this Saturday and hopefully we can "Hit it out of the park.     8-11-09

 

 

 

  Dave Lang was back for another episode of "Let's play some more Accordion music".  We have had such a good time in the studio getting down many of Dave's favorite Latin songs. We have also had to decide how we will approach this project. We need to get it done because Dave will soon be traveling to Europe to play accordion in several countries. Today's recording will be tweaked and I will master all of his music into a fine master disk suitable for reproduction. 8-07-09

 

 

July 2009

   Eric Lopez made an appointment to come in and record a song for the funeral service of his step mother. He was a little nervous as he stepped into the booth but was able to get his song down with one take. After listening to a playback I suggested we add some strings to the song and soon the song was ready to be burned to a CD.  It was Eric's first time in a recording studio.  He was pleased with the results and plans on returning next month to record another song. Dave Lang has been back two more times to work on his project of accordion music. Peter Munday and I had a very productive session on Saturday. The current song we're working on is now ready for drums. The hits just keep on coming here at Pudding Stone Recording. 7-28-09 

 

 

   Dave Lang is an old school mate of mine that I have not seen in years. He came down to The Delta King last Thursday and sat in with the group that I have been playing with and played his accordion. He also told me that he wanted to record a CD. So we met this morning and recorded three songs. Our plan is to get back together tomorrow and record some more. It was difficult to get his sound together as he runs his accordion through a brain box that allows him to have several sounds playing at one time. The normal accordion, a bass and a guitar. I needed to take two direct lines from his brain and mic the accordion. In the end we had a good sound and now we just need to capture the performance that makes Dave happy. 7-23-09

 

 

   Diana Draper came in behind Greg to record a version of Amazing Grace which was to be played at the funeral of a very close friend. It seems that she could not attend the service because other plans have been in place for a long time.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear her vocal performance. But when she heard it she didn't like the way it sounded. It was a bit high for her register. So Diana re-sang the song an octave lower and Walla, it was much better. She commented that I was a good director and she knew what she was talking about since she has been the choir director and organist for her church for over four decades.  She also commented that her church has wanted to have her record a CD for years and that she'd like to record it at Pudding Stone. Amazing Grace  Click to hear    
7-22-09

 

      Beat up in the booth!  Greg Ayala returned for his weekly session and stepped into the booth to sing.  He spent over one and a half hours getting a singing lesson on breathing, phrasing, and diaphragm control. Many times an artist may feel they are ready to record vocals only to find out that once in the booth, their performance in under a microscope and many small problems come into focus. It turned out to be a long session for Greg, but his performance was greatly improved.  Now he will go home and hopefully practice what he learned in the studio and be a better singer because of having been "Beat up in the booth"! 
Here's Greg's version of "Welcome to the show".  (Click to hear) 7-22-09

 

 

  Peter Munday and Greg Ayala continue to make their weekly visits to the studio. With Peter, we are working on some new music as his last venture is now in production and his duplications should be ready before the end of this month. Peter and I have been collaborating on musical arrangements and we're finding some interesting twists and turns within the music. Greg has been my writing partner for a couple of years now and we get together every week to write and record. We have one album that has been duplicated under our group name of Sly Fox. We have continued to write and hone our production crafts in the studio. At this writing we are eight songs into the next album. We feel that the music is stronger with better arrangements and the lyrics have gotten better also. With both of these artists slow and steady is the course of action. The results is good music based upon a steady forward motion.  7-22-09

 

  Luvtaxi in back in the mix under the ever watchful eye of Frank Lizarraga.  We transferred some tracks that Frank had recorded at his home studio.  This works well for Frank and helps to keep the cost factor down in these troubled times. After the transfer, Alex Angel, one of the group's singers,  stepped into the booth to record some vocals and some adlibs on one of the songs. Frank brought his son Dario to the session for some moral support. (He's the one with the least amount of forehead showing)   7-9-09

 

 

 

  Tomorrow is my wife's birthday. Her name is Valerie Marston. Through thick and thin she has been at my side for almost thirty years. She is my soul mate and has enriched my life immeasurably. She has born our son Zackery and we have shared a lot of laughs and she has made many positive changes to my life along the way. Happy Birthday my love and may all your dreams come true.   7-8-09 

 

 

 Peter Munday returned to begin another round of song writing. Peter has many songs on his list and is eager to get them out of his head and into a form that can be appreciated by every one. We worked on several ideas with regard to arrangements on two of his songs. Then we set up a schedule for him to return once a week to get the work done. Glenn Frost came in again to record another of his songs and it came together nicely. Rich Krivcher picked up his freshly mastered project and is looking forward to presenting it to the Haiku community. Things are moving along as we inch our way through summer and wonder when the other shoe will fall on this spring like weather.     7-8-09

 

June 2009

    Frank Lizarraga was back to work on the mix of one of the songs for this the latest CD project for Luvtaxi. We worked over the mix but had to call it a night after two hours as we were both burned out from both the heat and having already put in a full days work. We'll get back together next to complete the process which will include recording some additional vocal tracks and finishing the mix.  6-29-09

 

 

 

  Ric and Jody Hornor reappeared this morning to record the final installment for their Ghosts of the Gold Rush project. We had a lot of laughs as Ric read through some tough scripts in several historic sounding characters that he has invented along the way to completing this large project. Now Ric and Jody will continue to edit the sound files, organize the material that is to be printed into books covering the Gold Rush era.  But they are well on their way to getting it done. 6-29-09

 

 

 

   Many people have asked what I do when I'm not in the studio. Well I have been playing three nights a week at the historic Delta King located in Old Sacramento. In response to an ad that I placed on Craigslist & Face Book, pictured here is Cody Jackson,  a seventeen year old blues guitar player who came down from Placerville to jam with us in the lounge of the King. We had a fabulous time and Cody has assured me that he will be back for more of the same. In the last several weeks I have been trying to get Peter Munday's CD finished. I needed to do some additional mixing on one of the songs and get it re-mastered. I have done so and now after getting Peter's approval, it's on to duplication. I have been working with Andrew Pratap and that project is nearing completion. I had a visit from a songwriter named Glenn Frost. We worked on one of his songs and he was very happy with the results. Glenn is scheduled to return early next month. 6-28-09

 

  Julian Shorter (on the right) has completed the Recording Audio Engineering class that he has been studying with me for the last seven months.  Julian showed up with his cousin to write and record a song for his class final. We shared some laughs and generally had a good time as he prepares to move on with his career armed with some valuable knowledge of both the equipment and the business.  As I have mentioned before Julian has been a fine student and I am confident that he will do well in his pursuit of a studio engineering career. 6-18-09

 

 

  Lloyd Banks (left) stopped by to have me create a sound track the he could sing to from his booth at a farmers market in Lodi today.  I went into action and recording a guitar, bass, drum and string track for him. Then Lloyd stepped into the booth and recorded a scratch vocal guide track. We both agreed that he had pushed his time limit to the end by waiting so long to contact me. But in the end,
"All's well that ends well".  Frank Lizarraga came in right behind Lloyd and we proceeded to finish up four of his mixes for his long over due Luvtaxi project. Both Frank and I were happy to get this phase of the project behind as we had suffered some untimely set backs. I really need to remember to keep my camera at the studio because the quality of these photos leaves a lot to be desired.
6-11-09

 

       Frank Lizarraga and Jamie Zuniga from Luvtaxi graced the studio this week to tweak some mixes. It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since their last visit. We ran short of time and scheduled another session for next week.
Psycotic AKA Stephen Healy was back in the studio and in the booth for the third time in as many weeks. He mentioned that he's been getting many hits on his myspace and his music is being well received. 6-6-09

 

 

  The Fijian-Indian musicians were in the studio for a mixing session yesterday. Once we were able to get a handle on the blend of the music, we moved smartly through all nine songs. There were several areas that required some digital editing, but for the most part it was smooth sailing. Andrew Pratap who is the producer of this project, booked another session in two weeks. This will once again be a mobile recording at his home in South Sacramento. 6-3-09

 

 

   Rev. Robert Chatman paid me a visit on Tuesday to have me transfer some audio of his sermons. Robert is a pretty happy guy as you can see from his picture. We laughed and joked a lot during the transfer. He now has his material on CD's. 6-2-09



 

 

  Peter Munday was in the studio so we could do some additional work on five of his songs.  It seems that after mastering some frequencies masked others and the mix was changed. We made the corrections and I have a date to return to the mastering studio in a week. Peter scheduled a date in two weeks to explore some of his newest music and look to the next project. Peter explained that working on his music helps him to relax from the stress of his day to day job. 6-2-09






May 2009

   Dave McAsey dropped by yesterday to jam with me for several hours. It's always fun to get with Dave. We have a long history that dates back to the mid seventies. We played very intensely and concentrated on some very interesting rhythms. Dave is also a very fine percussionist, playing congas and bongos. Here's Dave in my kitchen showing me a new song that he had written. Here's a link to Dave's web site.  http://www.davemcasey.com/          5-29-09

 

 

 

    

 Composer Mark Butterworth is shown here with Elise Baker,  a classically trained soprano singer, Elise who is also a practicing attorney in Placerville aspires to get more studio singing gigs. If yesterday is an example of her singing ability, she will do well. She was prepared and preformed well in the booth.  We were able to record two of Marks songs in only one hour. 5-28-09

 

 

 

  The New Helvetia Theater descended upon Pudding Stone to record a song that is to be used as the sound track for a demo video that will to be shot the next day. On the left Chris is working out an arrangement with Ghram the pianists. The next photo is of Ghram and a friend. He called her his blond bimbo.  5-28-09

 

 

 

  Sean Bahry has returned to the "Pudding Stone Fold" after more than a years absence. I have been working with Sean since he was fifteen years old. Sean is now eighteen years old. He has continued to pursue his first love, music, in the interim period. He has been working with a software program called Reason. So he wanted to do some loops during this session. We were able to get the job done and he will be back for another round.  Today is my son Zackery's seventeenth birthday. I just want to wish him all the best and encourage him to reach for all the gusto he can get his hand on and his head wrapped around.
Go get em' Zack. With love, Your Dad.    5-25-09

 

     Ric and Jody Hornor were back for another installment of Ghosts of the Gold Rush. Ric seen with Voice over talent Philip who is from England. Philip's accent was a welcome addition to the ever growing cast of characters that are telling these many stories of the life and times of the Gold Rush Era of 1849. Jody is going over some adlibs with Al who also did a fine job in the booth. We have one more session scheduled for Monday morning. The stories told are real and much better in many ways because they were true tales. 
(Excuse the quality of the photos, it's my cell phone).    5-15-09

 

 

  Almost a year to the day I was at the Presentation Catholic Church prepared to record this years Loretto High School Girls Choir. Under the able direction of Mr. Anthony Lien, this will be the last choir due to the closing of the all girls school in June. I was so impressed by the skill and focus of these young ladies singing complicated harmonies while maintaining a blend and singing as if they of one mind instead of forty voices. Sadly because of our economy the school which has had a long history is yet a another victim of the times. Tony told the girls at the end of the recording that they have enriched his life and he will truly miss them and the school. The spirit and exuberance if these young ladies is a joy to behold. They will carry that spirit with them and the remembrances of Loretto high for the rest of their lives. This the best example of our youth being shaped by their environment. I wish them and Tony, "God speed and smoothing sailing".  5-14-09

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Andrew Pratap contacted me to do a live recording of Fijian musicians playing traditional Fijian-Indian music at his home. Before beginning we were all blessed and an orange paste was smeared on our foreheads. Then the musicians all sat cross legged on the floor and began to play. Some of the songs were over ten minutes long. After the marathon song they would take a break as the drummer said that his wrists would get stiff and sore. They would all go into the garage and smoke cigarettes to relax before beginning again. They introduced me to a drink called kava that when drunk produces a mild buzz but is said to be good for the body. It was an interesting experience for me to meet and work with these people from half a world away. We have scheduled more sessions 5-11-09

 

  Sister Swing has just finished their new video demo and it is displayed on their web site. Go to www.sisterswing.com for a look see. They can be very proud of this quality video. I watch as Valerie worked on the project which started about six months ago when she and I put together a sound track that was about five and a half minutes long.  That was followed by a video shoot lasting half a day and endless hours of viewing and selecting the best shots from the video shoot. Then she reviewed hours of live performances videos, and still pictures from other live performances. Then she scripted the whole thing and met with the video editor for many grueling six hour editing sessions. I am guessing that she has invested over 70 hours into this short video lasting less than six minutes. Many people just don't understand how much time and effort goes into a project of this caliber. It's totally professional and costs many thousands of dollars as well. We see videos on both TV and on the web every day and take them for granted never truly understanding how much time, effort and money goes into producing them. And so it is that Valerie Marston has once again proven herself to be a fine producer and my hats off to her. She has also produced all five of the Sister Swing CD's. Go get em' girl, I love you Hunky!  Happy Mother's day to her and to all you Mom's.   5-9-09

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

     Ric and Jody Hornor are back in the studio on another project. This time it involves the history of the Gold Rush and several books about events that took place in our area during that 1849 era. They are also making an audio CD describing those events taken from the book in the vernacular of that time.  Pictured on the left is Ric, Jody and Carolyn, one of the voice over talents that have adopted certain characters from the books. Next is Carol, another VO talent discussing the script with Jody. The next several is yours truly with the producers of this project. Jody has booked several more sessions and the beat goes on.  5-5-09

April 2009

 

   Today I finished preparing Peter Mundy's mixes for mastering. This involved bouncing the mixes at 44.1KZ /24 bit to achieve the best possible quality in the music. In doing so I did some additional tweaking on some of the mixes to tighten them up a little more. This was my last chance to do so.  On Monday I will go the mastering lab located in Citrus Heights to put the finishing touches on this project. Looking back, we began recording in November of last year so it has taken us six months to complete these fourteen songs from scratch. As I have mentioned before, it has been a fine ride. Soon it will be a finished CD and Peter can begin thinking about the next project after we have a big party to celebrate.  4-28-09

 

                  

     

     I want to focus on my audio engineering student Julian Shorter. Julian came to me about five months ago wanting to take the audio class I teach. He is a young man of eighteen years, but he displays a maturity that appealed to me right off the bat. He and I have been getting together every week to study and record. He is a willing student who takes direction well. We are more than half way through the class and I want to display some of the short projects he has recorded during our class time. I always try to challenge Julian to see how he will measure up and to prepare him for the music/studio scene once he is on his own. Here are three songs that he recorded of me playing various instruments. Have a listen. "The Funky Julian",  "Rainy daze" and "Last-O-March".  4-15-09

 

 

 

 

 

 

      On a rainy day in April BSL other wise known as Black System Lyric made their way to the studio to give up their rap and try to make a name for themselves. Under the watchful eye and ear of Julian Shorter (student engineer), the group stepped into the booth to lay down their tracks. Each took their turn while the others laughed and encouraged the rapper in the booth. The group consist of Tiana, Alex and Zack. They had Christina holding down the moral support position. I slipped out to get a giant pizza and was greeted with cheers of delight when I returned. All in all it was a great way for the group to have some extra fun during spring break from Rosemont High School.  Check out "Gass Re-Mix" & "Cannon" 3-6-09

 

 







Life in the studio continues with the vocal session for Rich O' Day's project. Rich and his wife Mary joined singer Valerie Marston, Julian Shorter (my audio engineering student) and myself to finish up the vocal tracks. We got down to business and were able to record the tracks in short order as Valerie was well prepared. With only some slight changes to her  tracks in the studio, we finished in less than two hours. So we drank some fine wine and celebrated. I mixed, mastered and delivered the tracks to Rich a day and a half later. 
Check out "Lets fall in love tonight"  3-5-09

 

March 2009

 

 

        Rich O'Day (seen on the left behind me) is a composer who wanted to have several of his songs recorded. He has a fine baby grand piano in his living room, so it was decided that we would do the session at his home. I arrived at 10AM for the 12 noon session and set up the mobile recording rig. The musicians arrived and began running through the songs. The players were; Mark Stivers (piano) Valerie Marston (vocals) Ron Jones (drums) and Shelley Denny (bass) The arrangement for the first song was discussed, worked out and we would began recording. We worked through and recorded three songs in just two hours.  Valerie will come to the studio for a vocal session on Wednesday evening (as we had decided to have her just record scratch vocals) and I will mix and master the tracks soon after. It was a delightful day and we all enjoyed ourselves at the in-home session. In many instances, I have found that to record in someone's home yields very good tracks as the atmosphere is always very relaxed. Here is a rough mix.     3-30-09

  Click to hear        "The bridge of light"  "The sweetest thing"

        Peter Mundy's mega project is drawing to a close. We have completed the tracking and most of the mixing. All that's left to do is some minor tweaking of the mixes and mastering. What can I say, I have had so much fun working with Peter. This has to have been one of the most enjoyable recording experiences that I have had in my over forty years of recording. To me it has felt like I have known Peter all of my life. We have had an unusual meeting of the minds and the work was most enjoyable for both of us. The time passed so quickly that it seems like we just started the project last week instead of five months ago. Peter and I have reached a comfort level that will live on long after the project is finished. Check out the samples above.  3-27-09
 

Diane and Mark back for another vocal recording session. We met on Sunday and went through several songs. Mark decided to have the soprano vocalist come in next to see how the two vocal parts will fit together. These are demanding parts for a singer to sing. There is a lot of angular movement in the vocal melody and the ranges of the singers are being tested. Also the notes are close together and don't allow much time to snatch a breath. Not to mention the songs have very scant support. Guitar only on most songs and piano/strings on others. This is proving to be a very interesting project. 3-23-09

 

 

Mark Butterworth and Diane Walker were back in the studio on Monday evening for the first of several planned sessions to record the alto parts on some of Mark's compositions. We worked for two hours, then it was time to call it a night as we were quickly reaching the point of diminishing returns. I always try to schedule sessions earlier in the day for most people when they are fresh. It can be hard for an artist to be on for the session after they have already put in an eight hour day at work. Seldom have I seen good results in that situation. Therefore I often suggest that we try to schedule a day off or a weekend for our sessions.
More on Mark's progress later.  3-19-09

 

 

  When I get the call, I respond. Dr. Barry Weiner is the force behind the BC Project. (formerly called the Bluez Catz). So last Saturday while I was working in the studio the good Dr. called me to ask if I could mix for the band that night. I was free so I said sure. They were playing at Zigato's  on the corner of Auburn Blvd./Fulton Ave.
As usual there was a full house when I arrived shortly before the band started to play. As the music got under way, the crowd got into the party spirit and so did the band. They performed three solid dance sets and a good time was had by all including yours truly. They featured several songs from the "Live at Zigato's" CD that I recorded a year and a half ago. The crowd was encouraged to participate on "The big toes got to go" and they did. The band plays at Zigato's three to four times a year and they are worth seeing.  Check out  "La Grange"   3-16-09

    This is  Gunshy the band that I have been playing with for the last year. We play mostly around Sacramento but have also been doing a gig in San Jose. Last Friday night while at the Rodeo Club in San Jose, I hooked my digital hard disk recorder in to the main live console and recorded the band live. This shows that live recordings can be pretty good if the performance is good. Here's one of the songs we played that night.
Click to hear.    "Hard workin' man".     3-11-09

 

 

   Cynthia Douglas has been wanting to record a new CD project for a while. Cynthia wants to have some product for this years Jazz Jubilee at the end of May. We have made plans to record the rhythm tracks with my mobile recording rig on April 4th, then follow up with lead vocals and the post production in the studio. We are under the gun to get it all finished in time for the Jubilee but I feel confident that we will prevail. Cynthia has a great voice and style that has been honed through years on many stages. I will post more on her progress later.  3-11-09

 

 

   Cory Norris stopped by today to pick up his finished masters. Cory told me that he has been playing with two new musicians and is eager to get out,  play some shows and sell his CD's. I am happy to have been able to help Cory realize his dream. 
Check out "When it rains". 3-09-09

 

 

 

 

  Fourteen year old Hayley Torris entered a song writing contest and came to the studio to record her song. It was her first time in a studio. First she recorded the piano part then she sang her vocal part.  The tone of her voice is very pure. If she continues to study her craft I have no doubt that she will blossom into a fine singer/songwriter. Her song is titled. Click to hear. "The sound of a heart beat".  3-5-09

 

 

 

   Mark Stivers (on the left after his recorded performance) was commissioned to perform three songs written by Mark Butterworth. We met at the home of Mark Butterworth where he has a piano that he wanted to have the music played on early Tuesday morning. I was assisted  by my audio engineering student Julian Shorter. I was pleased that Mark Stivers had done his homework and was able to play each piece only once and we were finished with that mobile recording session. It was a nice setting early in the morning as the rain was pouring outside. It is rare to get quality performances on the first take but those are usually the best takes. I just love it when things go as planned. Remember "Luck" is when preparation meets opportunity. 3-4-09

 

  February 2009

    Tools of the trade. Here are some of the tools of the trade that I use to make and record music in the studio. There are many others, but these get a regular workout in the process. Old school guitars, bass's and amps as well as more modern sounding synthesizers help to shape some of the music that comes through the studio. The joy of making music is alive and well at Pudding Stone. Come on down and record something,    I'll treat you right.  :)       2-25-09

  

 

 

      Rich O' Day and I have been trying to work out the details of a mobile recording session that will take place at his home on March 28th. Rich is a song writer and needs to record some demos that are to be copy written and then sent to buyers. The line up of musicians for this project so far are, Valerie Marston on (vocals)
Mark Stivers on (piano) and Ron Jones on (drums).  Rich has a fine grand piano that he wants to have played on the session. Rich and I will get together this week to hash out details of the project and to get to know each other.  2-24-09

 

  Jimmy Spalding paid me a visit on a rainy Sunday afternoon last week. Originally we were getting together to do some jamming as we used to do when our lives weren't as complicated as they have become. Jimmy and I have always been able to connect when we play. He told me that he has been working with his wife Tracy on a couple of songs, and needed to record a quick demo for her to practice with. We did the demos and hope to re-establish our getting together on a more regular basis.     2-23-09

 

 

 

  Studio drummer Greg Ayala continues to turn in fine drum performances as he nears completion of Peter Mundy's seventeen song project. Greg has received several CD's with a rough mixes of each song. He then loads the material into his digital recorder at his home studio and records the drum tracks. Yesterday he told me that several times he thought he was finished with a song or two, only to come back the next day and decide to re-record the songs over. I can relate. Once it's recorded it is forever and our artistic egos demand that we leave behind the best performances that we can. Live is forgiving, recorded performances are not!   2-20-09

 

 

  Composer Mark Butterworth and singer Dianne Walker pose for a picture after completing a rehearsal in the studio. The picture on the right is of Mark and pianist John Cocuzzi at Marks home. John is looking over the score preparing for a mobile recording session on two of Marks pieces. We had to stop the session after recording one piece because time was getting tight and John felt he could give a better performance given some extra time. We re-scheduled for next week.  Marks piano sounded wonderful when paired with John's talent. The hardwood floors and the sound of the room will yield a fine recording when finished. 2-19-09

 

    I have been mixing (like a mad man on a mission) the music of Peter Mundy. This is a large project encompassing seventeen songs. In the mixing phase I am reminded of the joy both Peter and I shared while we were putting the music together.  He had the songs already written, but we put our heads together to work on the embellishing of each song. Now as I hear each piece and the work that we contributed, I am able to relive those moments of discovery. Music is truly God's gift to us, and those of us that are able to construct that music have been given a very special gift. There's a certain pleasure that I have never gotten over in spite of the number of times I have been involved in the writing of music. It's always new and rewarding and that good feeling never gets old.  2-17-09

 

                 Yesterday I met with Mark Butterworth to discuss working on his project. I imported his music and midi tracks into Pro Tools and listened to what he had previously recorded at another local studio. Then we formulated a plan of action to get his project moving again. The project will include some mobile recording of a piano located in his home and bringing in and recording  two female singers. Mark has composed  seven songs many of which are of a Celtic nature. I look forward to working with Mark and getting his project off of the ground.  2-11-09

 

  I have finished mixing the CD project with Cory Norris. The finished songs sound good and have Cory's signature sound of singing and playing his 12 string. During the post production process, I recorded several electric guitar solo's and added some string parts to the music as I was directed to do by Cory. Due to budget constraints, I pre mastered the music at the studio and now it's off to duplication.  Cory will be performing in the local area and selling his new CD.  On another note,  Peter Mundy returned on Saturday and we continued his seventeen song production. We reviewed the music and decided that many of the songs are ready to be mixed.  I plan to get on it this week.  I have also been working with Jimmy Malone on  a soundtrack for another client that is to be delivered this week.  Busy, busy, busy.        2-9-09

 

                        

        Only two weeks into his Audio Engineering class, Julian Shorter has had two audio classes,  sat in on a session in the studio and gone with me to provide live sound support for a concert that was held in Rocklin on February 5th. This concert featured jazz heavies Bob Dragga (clairnet), Ron Jones (drums), Shelly Denny (upright bass) and Jason Warner (keyboards). Julian is on the fast track and enjoying learning to become an engineer. He is a bright eighteen year old that has his eye on the prize.  2-6-09

 

 

  Geneva Garrett is back in the spotlight having commissioned me to go to her home and record her singing and playing. Once there, I quickly set up my mobile recording equipment, got a level and began the process. After several tries we had a good performance. Now I will digitally transfer the tracks to Pro Tools and edit, mix and master them. It's all in a days work at Pudding Stone.   2-2-09

 

 

 

 

January 2009

    Cory Norris returned on Saturday with drummer Russ Lundgren of the group "Fish Out Of Water" http://www.myspace.com/FOW to record drum tracks as was previously planned. I could tell that Russ had done his home work as he played through eight songs in an hour. Because Cory is on a tight budget, we wanted the songs to have a live feel. Russ delivered and we have the tracks in the can. Then Cory recorded an instrumental track for the record. Now on to mixing. I will post a mix as soon as I have one.   2-1-09

 

 

  Andre' Aldridge and I have been communicating back and forth for several weeks. Andre' is an aspiring singer the is in need of songs to complete his first album. He sent me an Mp3 of a song that he had purchased to have me write some lyrics and create a melody line for the song. Andre' came to the studio yesterday listed to my ideas and has signed on to record the song. I made some additional suggestions for songs from my recently released "Sly Fox" CD and he's considering using some of the material.  2-1-09

 

 

 

  This is Anthony Trujillo. He is a very focused young man of thirteen years. His father called yesterday to book some time for Anthony to record three classical pieces for an up coming competition. I could not believe how well this guy could play. But after speaking with his mother who told me that he practices four to five hours everyday, I began to understand. He began playing violin at age three. He also plays soprano and tenor sax's. I know that somewhere down the road I will see this young man on the world stage. Listen to (L'abeille).  1-28-09

 

 

 

THINGS ARE GETTING FUNNY  IN HERE!

I was called today by a lady named Denise Godfrey.  Here is a blurb from her web site. Denise Godfrey PhD is an internationally known intuitive and instructor. She specializes in perceptual skills training and understanding the chakra's power in every day life. Her work is popular throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and South Africa.  Denise and her husband Niels needed to have me do some digital editing along with some synthesizer  tones during a voice over that was recorded by Niels in Dutch.  I was moving smartly through the work and playing the single tones when I noticed that before my finger touched the "A" key, the note sounded. The material was dealing with chakras and Denise is very tuned in to the vibrations that surround us all. It was so strange to hold my finger one inch away from the key and the note would sound. None of the other keys did it, only the "A" key.  This odd situation was also observed by myself, Denise, Niels and my new audio engineering student Julian. The ghost of Pudding Stone is alive and well in the studio.  Boo,,,,   1-27-09

 

                 Here are some up dates on works in progress.  Peter Mundy and I continue to work through his project.  We have five songs with drum tracks provided by studio drummer  Greg Ayala. Peter is happy with the tracks and is looking forward to finishing the last several  songs before mixing.  Cory Norris has finished his basic tracks and has a CD to give to his drummer. Then it's on to mixing and duplication. I have been taking a class at the Apple store to learn Logic Pro 8 and have purchased the software.  It was one of my New Years resolutions.  I want to learn Logic for the midi and looping that it offers. I will still be working in Pro Tools as my main recording platform. I am looking forward to the super bowl party that I will attend this weekend.      Go Niners?     :)    1-28-09

                 Ric and Jody Horner called to book some studio time after and absence of over eight years. In that time they have been busy building a business where they write historical books about early California living. Yesterdays session was to record voice over's that pertain to one of their books titled "The Golden Hub". It's a 19th century accounting of life in and around the Sacramento area in 1849. It deals in part with John Sutter's building of Sutter's fort as well as life as a gold minor, commonly referred to as 49'ers . The reading was difficult because the original authors, whom Ric and Jody quoted, had  writing styles typical of the times. It took three hours to finish the VO's.  I am reading the book now and I find it to be an interesting read.  It was nice to see and work with the Horner's again.  1-23-09

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   This is Cory Norris. Cory is a song writer and performer. He told me that he felt it is time to record a CD to help him to gain some recognition. We got together yesterday to do some pre-session pre-production to get him ready for his first session on Wednesday. We ran through some of his songs with a click track to establish tempos and to get him used to playing in time. Cory plans on bringing a drummer in to record once he have the basic tracks recorded. I will be playing bass and electric guitar as needed for the CD. I'll post more information as this project gets underway.  1-20-09

 

    

                               Peter Mundy writes,

       I waited a long time to find a place like Pudding Stone Recording Studio and a person like Bruce Bolin to help me to turn my solo songs into complete music. It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried before in both LA and then Miami. It’s just that I could never find a person or place with the musicianship, sound engineering, listening and creative skills that my songs needed to become complete music. Believe me I needed a lot of all those things because, although I can put together a song, I’m far from being a complete musician. Bruce has the savvy and patience and takes the time to hear what it is that I’m trying to do, and then helps me move the song to where I want it to be. Oh yeah, and it’s fun! I haven’t mentioned that yet, but maybe that’s the most important part. Bruce writes and records a lot of his own stuff. So he’s not interested in making my sound into his sound. He loves music, all kinds so he really gets into what I’m doing. He really likes to add parts and orchestration that work within my songs but help make them into something a whole lot better than they were. I’m encouraged about my material and working with Bruce, and that’s worth a lot. We’ve been able to record, orchestrate and do rough mixes on about 10 songs in our sessions. I say “we’ve” recorded, because it’s really become a collaboration.  Working together, and enjoying the process. To me that’s what it’s all about in music, at least that’s been my experience with Bruce Bolin at Pudding Stone. 1-18-09             
Thanks Peter for sharing your views, needless to say "I'm having a good time too!"  Bruce

 

 

December 2008

 It's the last day of the year 2008.  I am sitting here reflecting on this past year. Once again I am filled with many memories of the people that I have had the joy to have come in contact with. Both new and old, I am truly blessed to be in a business that allows me to touch the dreams of so many artists.  Each bringing their own special talent to the studio to be recorded. I can't think of any other job that would bring me so much happiness. So to all of my friends that started out as clients, I raise my glass to you in hopes that your path to musical happiness will be as sweet as the time that we have spent together. When the bell tolls at 12 midnight to the sounds of "Auld Lang Syne", our combined memories (yours and mine) will be resonating in my mind.  I wish you well in the coming New Year. May Health, Wisdom and Happiness through music help you to live a more contented life on your path to where ever your music may take you.
May we all enjoy Peace, Happiness and Good Will in the New Year.  Have a safe, prosperous and Healthy New Year.                       Bruce Bolin 12-31-08

  

 

 

       Pete Droubay returned to Pudding Stone to begin a new project. Pete has been coming to me for over five years to record his motivational words of wisdom for  companies seeking to improve their business relationships and become more successful. Pete was in the booth for more than two hours non-stop. I will now do some cleanup editing and give him a couple of CD's to review. Once he has reviewed the edited material he will inform me where to make the break points to make four CD's. I will then add bumper music at the beginnings and endings of each CD.  After five years we both know the routine and the job is finished in short order. 12-31-08

 

 

 

 

       

    Sly Fox has landed. Sly Fox is the songwriting team of Bruce Bolin and Greg Ayala. We have been working on this album project for more than a year.  We get together once a week and write music for the joy of doing it. This CD is our first effort and we're as proud as anyone would be of getting it finished.  It has truly been a labor of love. But we are already working on the next album and have started several songs. The title track on this CD is Scattered Devotions, here is a sample of the song.  "Scattered Devotions".  (There are more music examples on the Hear Music page) 12-16-08

 

   

    Peter Mundy has continued to be a regular at the studio recording his CD project. We have reached the half way mark in his seventeen song saga.  It has been both challenging and rewarding to say the least since many of Peter's songs are in unusual 6/8 time signatures that are often syncopated and some have tempo changes that we have to contend with. The reason for the difficulty is that we will be handing the songs off to Greg Ayala, studio drummer at large, to record live drums onto Peter's tracks.  Greg likes to work in his drum studio from solid click and bass tracks as well as having all of the other rhythm tracks be in time. Peter is excited to be in the studio and we have formed a bond of unity and we are having a great experience in the studio. 12-15-08

 

November 2008

   Crystal Starr called to book time as she needed to record a one minute demo for a singing contest that is to be held in Los Angles in early January 2009. She came in with a friend Berit-Brewer-Bakken, who attends the same modeling agency as Crystal. My first job was to edit their music down to one minute. Both young ladies were nervous as they entered the booth with Berit going in first. After a few tries and some instruction both were able to finish their songs in about an hour each.  Last week another young lady named Jane Campbell, came in for the same treatment as she was in the same contest but from a different agency. I wish them all well and hope they get the opportunity to compete in L.A. Here are their songs in order. (Crystal's song), (Berit's song) and (Jane's song)  (I wasn't on my game and failed to take photo's of the other two girls) :(      11-30-08

 

  I got together with my old friend Bob Lobner over the weekend to discuss plans for a new CD project. The plan is that I will to go to his house located near Georgetown, CA to record he and I playing together. Then I'll add bass and hand off the files to Greg Ayala to add drums. I have found that it is easier to get well played basic tracks from Bob at his home where he is most comfortable playing. It helps a lot that I have a good mobile recording setup.  It is always fun for me to play with Bob as we have known each other for many years and there aren't any ego's to contend with. Bob is seen here toasting the new project over dinner. Here is a song from his prior album.  "She's so tuff".  11-25-08

 

 

  Lourie Neely returned after a two year absence to record several songs.  It was nice to see her again.  We got right to work and had her in and out of the booth and mixing in an hour.  She rode in on the back of a Harley with her friend Larry Stroh who was her chauffer for the day. They had been on a motorcycle toy run earlier in the day.  It was going to be a cold ride back to Ione, but she had her songs in her pocket to keep her warm. I got them to pose for the last picture as if they were on the bike. Here's one of her songs titled. "Who knew". 11-23-08

 

  Manny Rodriguez called to book some time.  He told me that he needed to get into the studio to record his music. He had put it off long enough and today was the day to get it done. Once in the booth he played and sang for over an hour. When he emerged he was soaked with sweat and exhausted. but he was happy that at long last he had a record of his music.  Manny's music was well played and sung. He plans on returning after he has had a chance to work out some bass and lead lines. At that time, I will post some of his music.  11-22-08

 

 

 

  Felice Bois (left) came in to record her seventeen track CD. I found her subject matter to be interesting as her material was directed at black folks and mostly young black men. Her message, "clean up your act, your language and make your life be a productive one"!  Bill Cosby would be a person that I could compare her  to. I wish her success because her message is very powerful.  Sean Childs stopped by to interview me as part of a business class that he is taking at Sacramento City College. We talked for over an hour and it was interesting for both of us.  11-20-08

 

 

   Geneva Garrett returned yesterday to do another of her annual spiritual readings interspersed with her singing and playing her original Gospel songs. She will return on Thursday to finish up this project before handing it off to a distribution company.  11-18-08

 

 

 

 

    Peter Mundy has been coming to the studio four times a week and enjoying the process of recording. Both Peter and I have had a wonderful time putting the songs together.  Here is an interesting and unusual point. All of Peter's songs are in 6/8 time. That is unusual, but the songs each take on a life of their own with interesting melody's and lyrics.  Peter said he has had this project in mind for many years and is happy to be finally seeing it through. Typically Peter will lay a scratch track with a click for timing reference. Then Peter will record several guitar tracks and a vocal.  I'll record a bass track and a guitar solo, followed by Peter doing a comp lead guitar track. As I mentioned we have been having to much fun in the studio.  11-15-18  

 

 

     Nat's back! Nat Brown returned with four back ground singers from his church. The singers are Lisa, Felicia, Johnny and Marcus.  They moved into the booth and we  worked on the blend  the concept and dynamics of the songs to be recorded. The songs were difficult but the years of singing in the church choir came into play and they blended well and delivered the goods. Lisa mentioned that it was the first time she had ever heard her voice recorded.  Felicia told her to "Get over it"!  It can be a bit of a shock the first time you hear your own voice. But in time you get used to it.    11-7-08

 

 

 Nat Brown continues to forge his way through his project. Last week he brought in Phyllis Harmon to play congas on two of the songs he will be playing for Stevie Wonder. This week Nat brought in Cynthia Douglas, his first call background singer to sing on three songs. Cynthia had done her homework by listening to the music before coming to the studio. She was prepared and delivered strong solid vocals in a short time as Nat looked (and listened). Cynthia smiles in the second picture as she has completed singing her parts before departing the studio. All of this was done as the rain was pouring down outside.  Be sure to vote your beliefs today as an American.  11-4-08

 

October 2008

 

                    I met with Peter Mundy on Friday (Halloween) to discuss his project.  We agreed on a plan and a schedule to begin work on Peter's music. He feels that this has been a long time coming.  Now is the time for Peter to have his musical dream come to fruition in the form of a finished CD.  10-31-08

 

                  On another note, Steve York sent me a DVD of his movie The Orange Revolution and I found it to be an exciting account of the revolution in Ukraine in 2004. At that time there were more than one million people in the street protesting the election. At Steve's website, I linked to some of the bands that provided music in the film and found that they were good strong bands.  Rock and roll is alive and well all over the world. This movie was well done and shows what a truly professional filmmaker Steve is. The trailer for this movie can be down loaded and viewed by going to-www.orangerevolutionmovie.com  Or the movie can be purchased on DVD for under $15.00 until the end of this year. If you think our political system is corrupt, look at theirs!   Seeing this commentary shows with all of it's flaws, how free and open our system is.    10-21-08

 

  Nat Brown came back to the studio to begin another CD project.  Like clockwork, Nat does a new CD every year. He does this because he returns to some of the same venues to perform and his fans want to buy new CD's. Nat had me play guitar on several of his new songs. Nat also mentioned that he has been in contact with Stevie Wonder who has shown interest in having Nat record some of his music. Nat will be back  soon to continue the process and I'll keep you in the loop.     10-17-08

 

 

 

  Steve York is a movie producer. He has been shooting documentaries for 30 plus years.  Steve (shown here in the middle) lives in Maryland but needed to come to Sacramento to record voice over's for his latest film. I was contacted two weeks ago to do a session with Steve on October 5th. Our session lasted eight hours and used six different voice over talents but yielded many tracks of Vietnamese language for this film. Steve's films are usually completed with three to five different languages and shown all over the globe. On October 4th Steve was in an LA studio recording voice over's in yet another language. To say that Steve gets around in an under statement.  10-6-08

 

  Duane Thompson AKA Mickey Cartel stopped by to have me transfer some tracks from his synth into Pro tools for mixing. He is new to the music game and needed some guidance on getting his beats from synth to CD. He'll be back to lay some vocals once he's satisfied with his rap for his vocal performance.  10-3-08

 

 

 

 

September 2008

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference a year makes. Almost one year ago to the day the American River Music Festival was held for the first time in Coloma California. Sadly it rained all three days. The show went on as scheduled but the attendance was scarce because of the weather. This year September 19,20 & 21. the weather cooperated fully and the festival was the place to be. The music was great as was the sound and the scene was one of fun and frolic. It reminded me of the outdoor concerts of the 60's and 70's. I was working on the sound crew and from my vantage point, "a good time was had by all". The festival drew twenty six acts from as far away as New York and Michigan. The music was stellar. There were some magic moments where the musicians had the crowds on their feet cheering, dancing and chanting for more. It's easy to see that this festival will continue to bring good music and a good time for all who attend. Like many, I plan to be back next year for more of the same.
Once again many thanks to Matt Semonsen for his tireless efforts to make this a true American experience for all to enjoy.     9-22-08

 

 

    Mark Tyler called me two months ago as he was planning a Make-a-Wish foundation fund raiser to be held Sept. 13th in Elk Grove. Mark had seven bands lined up to play in the parking lot of Cassidy's Restaurant.  Mark wanted me to set up the sound and mix the bands. I agreed and this last Saturday we held the function. There was a Corvette car show, and many vendors including food, a rock climbing wall and a jump house for the kids. The rock music ran from 11am to 7:30pm to the delight of all who attended.  It was a good function for an even better cause. Thanks Mark for getting behind this event and to all of the bands and volunteers that participated. It was good fun and the weather was just right.
Some times we do things for "Good Karma" as payment.    9-15-08

 

 

 

           Mike Lounibos  is a Nashville produced country artist that has been playing with our band from time to time. Mike and I got together last Friday to demo a new song that he wants to present at the Northern California Songwriters Association next week end. The song is a nice country ballad that caught my ear from the first time I heard it.  I used a click track and recorded a rhythm guitar on my Gibson 335, then I laid a lead track and a comp. track with my Fender Strat. Next came a bass line and lastly some drums to round out this country song. Then Mike stepped in to the booth and sang his heart out. Here's  "If I had a heart"   9-8-08

 

 

 

August 2008

  Bruce and Greg continued weekly their songwriting mission. Now we are in the final fix-n-mix portion of our project. We have been mixing for the last six weeks and are nearing completion of this album. Frank Lizarraga came in for another mix on his project.  Frank also recorded some acoustic guitar track for a new song for Luvtaxi.  8-29-08

 

 

 

         Frank Lizarraga came in to finish the mix on a song for the new Luvtaxi CD project. As is Frank's way he had yet another song that he wanted to get started on.  So it was into the booth where he recorded several acoustic gut string guitar tracks. He requested and got a click track for timing purposes. Once he was satisfied with those tracks, we began to finish the mix on Check your Text.  It's a love song sung by Luvtaxi's percussionist Jamie Zuniga. We managed to get it all finished in just 2 and a half hours. Here's Check your Text.  Click to hear.  8-19-08

 

 

 

  Tanjia Harris and David Carmiol have completed the Recording Connection Audio Engineering course and they are eager to take what they have learned in the last twenty weeks and begin to fulfill their recording aspirations. We have enjoyed the learning process and it gives me a great deal of pleasure to have had a hand in helping them to get a foothold in their dream of working in the recording field. I wish them well and trust that they will begin to make their mark in the music business.  8-12-08

 

 

August 2008

  He's back......Ilon Griffin has returned to begin work on his next album project. Hot on the heels of his self titled album "Ilon", this singer is not one to rest upon his laurels. Ilon is digging in to begin an all original CD project. We met last week to map out a strategy for the project. On Sunday Ilon brought Adrian Jasper, who is a song writer, to the studio to recorded several songs acappella so that I could get to work on the music. I have found that when working in this manor, it's a good idea to have the singer keep time by snapping their fingers. In doing this I have a much better concept of how they are feeling the time. Now I will get together with my long time friend Jimmy Malone who is a fine keyboard player and we will program the songs. Here is a sample of a song from Ilon's recent release. "Be mine tonight"  (Click to hear) 8-10-08

 

 

Linda Ventriglia was featured back in February when she needed a bilingual voice over recorded for her freedom doll project. At that time I brought in Natalie Lariz to do the voice over in English and Spanish. Move forward six months and we are back at it again with English and Mandarin being the recorded languages. This time the VO was preformed by seven year old Angela Tang. Angela stepped into the booth with her mother giving support and additional help from a teacher in the control room with correct Mandarin pronunciations. We were able to get the VO recorded in an hour. Now I need to edit the two versions together and add some Chinese bumper music to the recording. Then it will be shipped off to China to be placed on a chip in a playback device that will play back the recording when a button on the doll is pressed.   7-31-08

 

Gloria Heidi stopped by to pick up some revised mixes of her last recording. Accompanied by her constant companion Peter Shaw, they told me that they have been on a fast track doing shows all over California. She thanked me for the recordings and is making plans to begin a CD project.  Heidi is always asked for CD's when she performs and feels it's past time to get that project started.  7-15-08

 

 

 

 

Mario Williams AKA Young P.O.V  (Point of View) called for a quick session to get his demo together in order get his name out into the general public. This was a down and dirty session as time and his bankroll were in short supply. Basically it was one time through for each of his five vocal tracks. Here's a sample of his work called "I'm a boss."   As always click to hear.   7-10-08

 

 

 

 

Gerard Yun and Rich Krivcher returned to the studio after a long absence. Rich is the producer of this Japanese haiku CD project that was begun some four and a half years ago. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that has hundreds of years of history with regards to form and performance. Rich wasn't happy with one intro segment that was played by Gerard and wanted to have the part re-recorded before completing the project. Gerard is a music professor now residing in Canada. After all of these years Rich was finally able to catch up with the professor and schedule a session while Gerard was in town visiting his family. We got right to work after Gerard had an opportunity to warm up with his Japanese flute called a shakuhachi.   After several attempts, Gerard was able to produce the feeling and sound that Rich was looking for. "All's well that ends well."      7-1-08

 

June 2008

The Kids Corporation  were back for another installment of theme show music for a TV show that airs on Saturday morning at 10:30 on cable Channel 18. Mike Martin is the brain child and producer/director of the show. he writes and records the music for each episode.  The kids who are now veterans of the recording booth, got right down to business recording their vocal tracks. With proud mom's and dad's looking on and snapping pictures,  the kids made it through the session in just under two hours. Now Mike will use the theme music for yet another weekly chapter of the show.  6-30-08

 

 

   Tanjia Harris and David Carmiol are now in their sixteenth week of the Recording Connection Audio Engineering class.. Both have been working on Pro Tools recording songs that we have collectively written during the class. They have been taking home data disks to import into their respective software systems to mix and process. This twenty week course has just flown by and I am pleased with their progress. Tanjia is a fine singer and we have had lots of fun writing songs in the studio.    6-28-08

 

 

                                          
Frank, Celia and Jamie of Luvtaxi were back in the studio last Monday evening to record some vocals for the two projects that they are working on. We also imported some Basque language samples for a song that that Frank has been putting together in the world music category. Once again Luvtaxi has been nominated for a SAMMIE in the Latin/World/Raggae category.  Go on line and show your support with a vote for them. I am doing the same. Here's a link to help you to vote.  http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Event?oid=389970           6-6-08

                                                Ryan Hensley is a young Latino rapper that needed to have a demo recorded. We got together and began the task of getting his rap onto a CD format. He was joined in the booth by his cousin Rickie to help calm his nervousness. But after a short time, Ryan was spitting his verses and feeling comfortable. They left the studio happy and content and Ryan mentioned that he had been wanting to record for more than eight years.  6-2-08


May 2008

                                               Just in time for the annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee opening today, here is a cut from Black Tuesdays album.  It's titled "I found a new baby". Click to hear.  Also last Friday I attended and did a live mix for The Bluez Catz CD release party held at Po'Boys in Orangevale near downtown Folsom.  The band sounded great and a good time was had by all.  5-23-08

 

                                                 The Black Tuesday Jazz Band is an eight piece traditional Dixieland band. I recorded an album for them about seven years ago. When the leader Hal Needham called me earlier this year stating that they wanted to be recorded on May 17th. as one of their members was coming from Florida for the Dixieland Jubilee. Hal said it was the only time the whole band would be able to record. I scrambled to find and rent a place large enough to contain a band of that size. So last Saturday we all got together at 9am set up and got to the task at hand. We were able to record thirteen songs in nine hours. We took one half hour break for lunch then back to recording. Once the music is mixed I will post a demo.  5-20-08

        Once again I turn my attention to Frank Lizarraga, the man who almost lives at Pudding Stone Recording. Frank and I met early Friday morning to mix one of the songs from one of his current two projects.  I know it sounds confusing but more about that later. We worked for a couple of hours then when we had the mix in the bag I suggested we take a lunch break to give our ears a rest. Not that the music was loud but to relax and come back after lunch with a fresh perspective. When we got back the first listen revealed some flaws in our first mixing attempt. We were able to tweak the mix and burn a CD for him to take home for more scrutiny. This was not an isolated incident, it's a good idea to build in breaks when recording and mixing to allow for re-generation of your ears. In other words "Fresh ears". Here's the song "Ritmo Suavacito". 5-17-08

 

     Week after week Greg and I (Bruce Bolin  & Greg Ayala) get together to work on our original music.  If you just keep at it, in time you will amass a library of original music. We feel that we are just getting into our stride as a songwriting team. In recent months these two songs have been the point of our attention.  The first is "Blood thicker than water" and "She's my Amy".  Click to hear.  5-15-08

 

 

 

  In the arena of gospel music, Precious Craft is a major icon. She has been a mainstay in and around central California for many years. She is also my friend. I have recorded her group, "The Voices of Faith" and have done several projects for her dating back at least ten years. When she called me on Monday to request that I come to Cosumnes River College where she teaches and directs a gospel choir to record the group before the end of the school year I answered the call. With my two current audio engineering students in tow, we quickly set up for the session. The choir was eager and responsive to the task at hand. We were able to record seven songs in just two and a half hours. Now I will mix, master and get the CD's duplicated and delivered by next Monday as Precious wants to hand out the copies to the class at their final meeting next Tuesday.   "Almighty"   Click to hear     5-14-08

 

   Last Saturday my mission was to record Joe and Susan Finkleman reciting their poetry while being accompanied by Francesca Reitano playing a variety of flutes and singing background vocal parts. The other member of the group was Mark Halverson who played percussion. These two musicians helped to create a variety of different moods as a background for the poetry. It was a very interesting several hours in which time we recorded the seventeen poems.  Basically it was a live performance in the studio. Once we were set up, we moved quickly through the material as the group has been working together for some time. I mixed the project the next day and Joe and Susan are planning to pick it up the finished masters tonight. I love the diversity that is presented to me in the studio. It always keeps the work interesting. 
Here are two of the poems titled  "Jonah"  and  "Overhead-Overheard"    Click to hear    5-12-08

                                              Frank Lizarraga came in Thursday morning to transfer some new tracks that he recorded at his home studio into existing songs that we already have in Pro tools.  Then we mixed one of the new songs. Frank then asked if I could join Luvtaxi playing lead guitar at Sacramento City College the same afternoon. The mix and the gig both came off well and all in all, it was a good day. 5-10-08

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
         Arrangements were made by choir director Anthony Lien for me to record his all girl Loretto High School choir at the Presentation Catholic Church. The session was four and a half hours long as we recorded nineteen songs. I was very pleased with the quality of the singing from these high school girls. 
The singing was in tune and they responded well to the choir director. They sang through many difficult passages in the songs with few problems. I was also impressed with the enthusiasm exhibited by these young ladies. This album project is one that will stand the test of time and will bring fond reminders of what it was like for these young classmates working together for the common good in a choir.
That commitment by them resulted in some very good music.
They deserve be proud of their accomplishment.  Here is the   "Twilight song"    Click to hear  5-8-08

 

 

 

 

 


        Frank, Celia and One's of Luvtaxi  were back for more overdubs as they move ever closer to finishing up their CD project. Dirk Lang picked up the rough mixes of his live recording from two weeks ago. 5-2-08

 

 

April 2008

                                              


Amy Sanchez from "Amy in the pocket", (featured several bands down) stopped by to pick up a finished mix of her song "Women of the world".  We chatted about the gig scene and her plans to get the band gigging into the local area. She is excited about the recording and looks forward to the next opportunity to lay some tracks. 4-25-08






 

The Dirk Lang Band is a rockin' four piece group that play with a "No holds barred attitude". Dirk contacted me to do a live recording of his band because he is in need of a professional demo. I met up with Dirk and the band at the Folsom Hotel in historic downtown Folsom last night, set up and recorded two sets of raging Rock-N-Roll much to the delight of the packed house. These guys were non stop rockers with very if any little dead time between songs.  They put on a fine show. The band features Dirk on lead guitar and lead vocals, Paul on lead guitar and vocals. Davin on bass and vocals and  Mike on drums. The songs were well executed and the repertoire was straight ahead rock-N-roll.
Here is the finished demo. (Click to hear) 4-18-08

 

 

 
     
 
There was a reunion in the studio last night. Three former members if the Latino band Suenos came together to play and record horns on a song for a Frank Lizarraga project. Frank is resurrecting some of the old music that led to the bands popularity some twenty years ago when the band was raising hell . Bernie Torres, Rudy "El Lobo" Alcantar and Augie Lara stepped into the booth and after a short time played the horn charts that were written by Bernie for this occasion. The horns blended nicely, sounded sweet and added a whole new dimension to the song. Bernie played tenor and alto sax and Rudy and Augie played trumpets. A good time was had by all with lots of laughter over old memories and stories from the bands past exploits. Also during this session Luvtaxi's bass/guitar player Rudy"Ones" Marnitez  recorded a electric guitar part for a current Luvtaxi song.  4-17-08



   Felipe Lariz came by yesterday and we made our final preparations to have his year long project duplicated. We arranged for the CD duplication and got together with my favorite graphic artist and roughed out ideas for the outer cover, the inside and the tray card of the CD. Then we finalized the graphics for the CD itself. It is an important step getting all of these items correct and then proof reading them several times to be sure that all the bases have been covered. Once the project goes to the printer your stuck with the results. Misspelled words or wrong information can only be corrected by paying to have the project re-printed. Remember when it comes to the way your CD looks and sells as it sits in a rack with thousands of other CD's,
"You have one chance to make a good first impression".    4-15-08

 

  Frank Lizarraga was back on Monday to supervise the mixing of a song from his jazz group "Amy in the pocket", featuring Ami Sanchez. Meanwhile Valerie Marston of Sister Swing (pictured on the left) was working on a tight schedule in preparation for a gig that happens tonight in the Bay Area. It was a long day for me, but a fruitful one.  
4-8-08

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Alex, Jamie Celia and Frank, all from the group Luvtaxi were back in the studio for a vocal overdub session last Friday. Alex and Celia sang a duet as did Celia and Jamie. This group continues to record and produce new music to the delight of their fan base and for their own satisfaction. Frank keeps writing and the band keeps arranging new material. They are getting lots of airplay on Internet radio stations which are drawing larger audiences. We are in an exciting period of time where artists have many new ways to promote their music and don't have to rely on radio and record company's to get the material in to the public domain.  4-7-08

 

 

   Jimmy Spalding returned to the studio to record a solo guitar on his song "Arrowhead". First we needed to straighten out some timing errors from the original recording. Once that was completed Jimmy started searching for just the right guitar tone for the solo. In about an hour we had the solo in the can. As often happens, Jimmy wants to augment the song by having another bass player come in to lay down a new bass part. The tune is coming along quite nicely and I should have a demo mix soon. 4-5-08

 

   Rob Bierman is an airman stationed at Travis Air Force Base.  Rob is due to be shipped out to Iraq next month and he wanted to record several songs for his wife and three month old baby. Rob emailed me to ask if I could donate the studio time to make the recording.  Considering his situation I agreed.  Last Saturday Rob, his wife Rachel and new baby came to the studio. Once Rob was in the booth we got underway in earnest.  I had my two audio students assisting with the recording process. In an hour and a half Rob had his three songs on CD and was thanking us for the opportunity. I asked Rob if any other studios had answered his request, his reply was "not even one studio had answered the call or replied via email".  Oh well! I felt that it was a just cause deserving of my time, talents and studio.  4-1-08


 

March 2008

   Doran Smout is a musician/music lover who played in a band back in the early 60's. One night while playing with the Bob McCaul Band in a popular night club in Salt Lake City, he recorded the performance. Now some 40 years later he is resurrecting those old tapes to give to the ten surviving children of the lead singer Bob McCaul. Doran came to me to make a tape transfer and to try and clean up the sound. I EQ'd the tapes as I transferred them into Pro Tools and made them as listenable as possible.  Then I burned them onto CD's for Doran to give the children. An extra benefit of this project is that both the mother and father of the lead singer Bob McCaul, played in the band at the time and the children will be able to hear their grandmother sing and their grandfather play saxophone.   3-25-08

 

  Tanjia Harris has joined the Recording Connection Audio Engineering class and is in her fourth week.  Tanjia is a singer the has recorded in many studios in the Bay Area and has been recording her song writing ideas on her Boss digital recorder. She is eager to learn the tricks of the trade and has benefited  from the information she has learned so far in the few short weeks that she has been involved in the program.  3-24-08

 

 

   Jimmy Spalding is a friend that I played with about five years ago.  We were a songwriting team called Wave Pilot that met every week to write and record. So it was nice to see Jimmy again after a long absence. Jimmy wanted to record a song that he had written the night before along with his son Timmy who is a young, but very talented drummer. This was a good opportunity for my Audio Engineering students to observe a session in progress. With Timmy in the booth and Jimmy in the control room we first recorded the rhythm guitar and drum tracks. After several attempts and some arrangement changes, we had our basic tracks. Then we overdubbed Bass, another rhythm guitar and several small comp tracks. Jimmy will return in two weeks to record a melody line and mix.  3-22-08

 

  Scott Calapp picked up  his freshly mastered project.  Next stop is getting the master duplicated. Here is one of the 19 songs on this album. It's called Legendary Expression.  (Click to hear)  3-22-08

 

 

 

 

  Gloria Heidi and Peter Shaw paid a visit to Pudding Stone to record two songs for Heidi's new show. The last time they came in was about a year ago. Once again we were here to record the music with John Wielder at the keyboards. John can lay down piano, bass and a combination of string and horn patches all at the same time. This is not programmed or slight of hand using midi. This is real time full range all from his fingers at one time. All four of us were involved trying to get the arrangement correct for a difficult song.  It took several tries but in the end we prevailed. We ran out of time and had to schedule another time to finish. More later as this tail unfolds.  3-19-08

 

   Sean Bahry is back in the studio armed with a new set of original songs. Sean wanted to demo these songs for a producer that had heard some of his earlier efforts. He booked two days this last weekend in order to get the job done. We used a gorilla form of demo process where by we laid down scratch guitar and vocal tracks, then came back to record finished tracks including bass and drum tracks. (Much like I had done with Scott Berrain earlier) There was little time for rest and we worked continuously. In the end Sean was happy but I feel that we'll need to spend some more time with the mixes. I am impressed with Sean's growth in the last six months. Though he is only sixteen and completely self taught, Sean is absolutely committed to his craft. "Obstacle" (Click to hear)  3-17-08
 

         Lauren Ona was the winner of a local American Idol type of contest that was presented by the Good Morning Sacramento show on cable Channel 31. Lauren is twelve years old and was the youngest to compete in the contest.  She has a very good voice considering her age. She quickly adapted to being in the studio and did a good job once she was in the booth.  She took direction well and with the help of her mother Fay, Lauren turned in a good performance. Now she has a professional demo to present to movers and shakers in the music business.  I have little doubt that we have not head the last of Lauren Ona.  (Click to hear)   3-15-08

                                                


                                                 Scott Berrain called to book some time to demo two of his songs.  Scott has been working on and off in Iraq for several years as a telephone installation technician. He has been in Iraq six times and during his spare time Scott  has been writing songs and working out the arrangements. We got underway by having Scott play a scratch guitar track to a click to establish the arrangement. Once we had that solid we began layering other guitars and a bass part as well as his vocals. I programmed a drum part and the song was sounding pretty good. Then we worked on the next song by repeating the same program. Scott will post his music on You tube and the whole world will have access to his songs.  Check out "Set you free".  (Click to hear) 3-13-08
 

 

  Nat Brown returned on Monday to have me master the sound tracks less his vocal and horn parts for his single act. Nat regularly gigs around town to the delight of his fans and the general audiences. Now Nat will have some new tracks to perform to. Meanwhile here is a cut from his now completed CD project. This song is  titled "Saturday night before Christmas".  Have a listen. (Click to hear)  3-11-08

 

 

 Ilon Griffin has finished his long over due CD project. But the finished product is worth the wait. Now Ilon will begin promoting his CD by performing personal appearances. He has some inside tracks with local radio stations and the Sacramento Bee news paper. Here is a song that Ilon wrote both the lyric and melody lines to. I recorded a rough track of him singing acappella. Then I took his vocal line and wrote, arranged and played the music for his song.  Personally I think this song hits hard and really shows off Ilon's vocal power. The song also features Dave McAsey on the bongo and conga drums.  I played the guitars, bass and programmed the drums, keyboards and strings.
It's titled "Be mine tonight". See what you think  (Click to hear)  3-7-08

 

Felipe Lariz has picked up his mastered CD project.  Now it's off to the duplication plant and soon it will be into the hands of his eager fans. It has been a lengthy process getting this project to it's finished form.  Felipe has gone through several metamorphoses. He took a three month break in the process to practice and work on his vocal technique in order to arrive at better vocal performance.  I applaud his efforts. I noticed an improvement after the break. Felipe is committed to his craft and I think he will continue to improve and will make many good records.
Nat Brown has also received his mastered project. Nat's journey began over a year ago.  The CD sounds good and should be a good seller for Nat. He will submit a song from this project to the Grammy's this year in hopes of securing a Grammy. Good luck to both of these artists. Here is a song from Felipe's CD.   (Click to hear)    3-6-08

 

February 2008


Luvtaxi returns to the scene of the crime. Actually they are doing some additional tracking and they used the opportunity to have a photo shoot. Pretty slick. They continue to write and record new original songs that are associated with Luvtaxi or Suen`os which was a band that both Frank and Jamie played in some twenty years ago. Pictured on the right is Scott Calapp, a rapper that needed to have me Master his 19 song CD project. His music hits hard and his rap topics are interesting and fresh. It's not gangster rap. Meanwhile Felipe Lariz is close to having his CD project Mastered. It's nice to see the sun after all the rain that we have been having lately.
Keep smiling, it keeps you young.  :)  2-27-08
 

  Geneva Garrett has been having me record her playing her ebony Steinway Baby Grand piano in her living room. Capturing her performance on her piano is a job calling for my mobile recording rig. The sound quality was excellent.  Meanwhile Nat Brown has been in the studio recording vocals and sax solo's for his up coming album. Nat told me that he was nominated for a Grammy this year.  Nat's vocals are smooth and he is gifted with a vibrato that really catches your ear. 2-20-08

 

 

 

  Lulu's back in town. Lulu Small (pictured on the left) was a singer and a band mate in my band Puddingstone back in the mid 70's. She has been living in Alaska since 1978 when the band did a gig in Anchorage and she felt so at home that she decided to stay. Lulu came to town for a rare visit.  Along with Lulu was her old side kick and our mutual friend Sally Alexander. Together we had lunch and discussed old times at Fanny Anne's in Old Town Sacramento. It's nice to get back together with old friends and get caught up on what has been happening in our respective lives. 2-18-08

 David Carmiol has just completed the second week of the Recording Connection Audio Engineering course. When I asked him if he was learning anything his reply was "oh ya" . David is already on the computer recording with Pro Tools. He has made plans to buy a Digidesign ProTools LE 002 unit from Mark Tyler who has two of them. So as it turns out one student finishes the course and another begins the next week.  Geneva Garrett came in to record several readings that she had me edit into a song that she had recorded previously. On Monday I will go to her house and record her playing her grand piano. I will use my mobile recording unit to capture her performance.   Barry Weiner from The Bluez Catz came by today to pick up his mastered CD's so he can have them duplicated before his CD release party on February 22, at the Po' Boys club located on Oak Ave. in Folsom. The band will play from 9 to 11:30PM.   2-16-08

 

 

    Mark Tyler has completed his twenty week Recording Connection Audio Engineering course. We had a good time during our weekly meetings and now Mark plans to continue recording with his Pro Tools setup. Mark has several friends who want to have him record them. In addition, another friend wants to have Mark score a movie that is to be shot in Mexico. He was even offered a role in the movie. Here is a song that Mark wrote recently and was used as his final mix for the class. "Se Cavo, The story of Gringo Loco".  (Click to hear)  2-13-08

 

 

 

     Shelly Jagd stopped by today to have me edit her a demo that she can put on her web site as well as on Myspace. Shelly had recorded a meditation CD last year and this Mp3 added the final touch to this project. (Click to hear)   2-11-08.

 

 

 

      The  jazz group "Amy In the pocket", featuring as pictured Amy Sanchez, Frank Lizarraga and Bill Taylor. Frank and Amy paid me a visit last week to transfer and then record a vocal track on one of the groups new original songs. Amy was in the booth for a little over an hour and when she emerged we had her lead vocal and two back ground harmony vocals in the can. Frank has been recording basic music tracks with his Yamaha digital recorder.  Then he'll come to the studio and transfer the tracks into Pro Tools. After which we record vocals and sometimes solos as needed. This is proving to be a very cost effective way for Frank to get his material recorded. It works for me too! 2-4-08

                        


     Natalie Lariz is becoming a studio pro at the ripe old age of six. On Monday I received a call from Linda Ventriglia, who is a designer of dolls, to do a voice over session for one of her friendship dolls. Linda wanted the VO talent to sound like a young girl. I suggested Natalie who fits the need perfectly.  Natalie can speak both English and Spanish which were needed for the VO. The session got under way on a cold and stormy Thursday.  Though the material wasn't very long, Linda wanted certain vocal inflections from Natalie. Also there needed some music to be recorded for the last half of the VO. Natalie's dad Felipe helped out on the keyboards and I provided the acoustic guitar for the back ground music. In under three hours the product was in the can and Linda is ready to ship the VO's to China for manufacturing. (Click to hear) 2-1-08

January 2008

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Greg Coffin and I met at the studio at 9am Wednesday morning the 23rd. to begin the task of adding effects, sweetening, mixing and assembling the music for the demo. We worked straight through till 5pm.  We took a break for dinner then began again at 6:30.  We finished at 11:30pm.  It was a long but productive day. We were blurry eyed and tired but we finished what we had set out to do. Greg was very organized and I felt that we made a good team. All in a days work at Pudding Stone. 
Here is one of the songs titled "Pick up".    (Click to hear)    1-25-08

  
 

    

    Greg Coffin (seen on the right in the first photo) is a composer and a playwright who wrote the play
"Right next to me", that is currently being preformed at the B Street Theatre.  The other two people are the actors Melissa Dye and Edward Watts. The second photo has the band in the back consisting of Tara Mc Connell bass, Jim Nakayama, percussion and Graham Sobelman, piano. The play is a two act modern musical where most of the dialogue is sung. Greg contacted me last week to set up a recording session of the actors and musicians so he can send a demo to New York for a possible  Off Broadway showing. We got together at the Theater on Monday and recorded the two act play with my mobile recording gear. We recorded the two hour play in just under four hours. Greg and I will get together today (Wednesday) to add sound effects and mix. Then Greg will FedEx the demo to New York later tonight. Having just seen the play last week, I was impressed by how contemporary the play was. Also as a musician/songwriter, I thought the music and lyric content were very well done. Strong melodies over interesting modern changes.
"Right next to me" is a must see play.  It will run for the next six weeks thru February 24th.  Call the B street theatre box office for show times.  1-21-08 

 

 

                  The Corporation Kids under the direction of Mike Martin came in to record the intro and outro music for a kids television show that Mike is producing for Channel 17. The kids consisted of six girls ranging in age from seven to twelve. Their voices were just what Mike needed for his show. With each kid there was a mom in tow to drive the kids to the studio. As I have mentioned before I never know what new adventure awaits me in the studio.  But variety is my cup of tea.   (Click to hear)
1-19-08

                                                

          Josh and Nathan from Natomas high school came in to record a public service announcement AKA a PSA about cleaning up things on campus. Including litter, language, clothing and attitudes of the student body. They took to recording like a duck takes to water. We rolled through two songs in a short period and they were video taped while recording by Robert Ansell of Royce Video Productions. The boys were fresh and they had me laughing out loud as they recorded their songs. It was a lot of fun watching them work. This is one of their songs entitled "Clean it up".  (Click to hear). 1-15-08


 

                      Darrell Dobbs AKA Pretty Boy Flord came in to get some dubs copied from his latest project. He's sending off CD's to get some feed back with hopes that he can acquire some backing and continue with the entire CD project .  Check out his song "So Heavy".  (Click to hear) 1-12-08



           Frank Lizaragga of Luvtaxi seen here in a photo op with Pudding Stone's Bruce Bolin during  a mixing session for Luvtaxi. Frank brought in almost the entire Luvtaxi gang for the mixing session. Seen from left Rudy (Dms), Jamie (Perc), Frank (Guitar), DJ Ones (Bass) and Josh (Keyboards). The flute's were played by special guest Bernie Torrez. The songs are sounding good as we finalize the mixes. Listen to "Song for my mother" (Click to hear). and "Tecolote" (Click to hear) from Luvtaxi.    Later that same day Julie Rost stopped by to record some songs for her musician boy friend as a surprise birthday present.  It was her first time in any studio. When finished Julie was happy with the results. Julie's CD is winging it's way to her boyfriend. 1-11-08

 

          Six year old Natalie Lariz and her father Felipe returned to Pudding Stone after a three month layoff. Felipe felt that he needed several months to practice some of the singing techniques we discussed while we were recording his project last year.  Then almost to the day Felipe and Natalie came back to begin again to finish up the project. Natalie sang her two songs and left with her mother as Felipe stepped into the booth and sang through nine songs.  I could immediately hear the  difference in his singing.  We will continue until all the vocals are finished to satisfaction, then on to mixing.   1-11-08
 

 

 

 

 

 

Caught in the act, pictured on the left is Bruce Bolin working on some guitar lines for a new original song. Photo taken by Monster Labs mastering engineer Eric Broyhill as Bruce turned in surprise to find Eric taking his picture. Center is 16 year old Vanessa Lopez in the booth belting out a song for her demo.  Although it was Vanessa's first time in the studio, she quickly overcame her nervousness and performed rather well.  A visit from R&B singer Beverly Rivers who had been out of touch for several years was welcomed as we got caught up on the news of her career.  Barry Weiner stopped by for some final tweaking of his mixes before mastering.
Here is a song from the live recording of  The Bluez Catz playing,  "La Grange"   (Click to hear)   1-7-08

December 2007

        December 31, 2007.  The last day of the year.  I am sitting here reflecting on this past year, I am filled with many memories of the people that I have had the joy to have come in contact with. Both new and old, I am truly blessed to be in a business that allows me to touch the dreams of so many artists.  Each bringing their own special talent to the studio to be recorded. I can't think of any other job that would bring me so much happiness. So to all of my friends that started out as clients, I raise my glass to you in hopes that your path to musical happiness will be as sweet as the time that we have spent together. When the bell tolls at 12 midnight to the sounds of "Auld Lang Syne", our combined memories (yours and mine) will be resonating in my mind.  I wish you well in the coming new year.
May Health, Wisdom and Happiness through music help you to live a contented life on your path to where ever the music may take you.
May we all enjoy Peace, Happiness and Good Will in the New Year.  Have a safe and Healthy New Year.     Bruce Bolin 12-31-07

 

 

   

        Jerry Cook stopped by to pick up another song that was custom made for his project. Jerry plans to launch his night club project in the new year. His style is very R & B, blues and funk.  But Jerry brings lots of that old school soul to his music when he sings.  12-22-07

 

 

 

      Barry Weiner and Dave Davis were back  to finalize the mixes before mastering the CD. Barry had me include three previously recorded tracks to serve as bonus tracks. The guys are seen here in the booth preparing a voice over track that will introduce the bonus tracks. Soon all will be finished and the Bluez Catz can begin distributing their CD's amongst their awaiting fans. This entire process from live recording  to mastering will have taken just about two months. That's pretty fast!  We at Pudding Stone wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.  12-21-0

        

 

 

    

        Bruce and Greg are still at the it, writing and recording original music. Here is a song that Greg wrote and we collectively arranged.  It's called "Say you love me". Give it a listen. (Click to hear)  12-8-07
 

 

        

 

         Bluez Catz Barry Weiner and Dave Davis were back for another mixing session. We moved quickly through several songs and are almost at the point of shifting our attention to mastering this live CD project. It sounds good. Ilon has also been a regular visitor also as we finalize the mixes of his CD project.   12-6-07

 

          Shelly Jagd needed to record a meditation CD in order to have some product to demonstrate her skills and to sell at up coming craft fairs. She quickly made an appointment with me and yesterday we got under way. Shelly had her script honed and ready. After a short run through to determine the proper pacing, she was able to record the 35 minute program in one setting. We selected some bumper music from my library, made some clean up edits and assembled the whole program in under three hours. Shelly is relived that the production part of the project is behind her and she is very happy with the results. I found the timbre of Shelly's voice to be very interesting and identifiable which is important in the field that she is breaking into. 12-1-07

November 2007

 

        Is there a doctor in the house? Yes, Dr. Barry Weiner and lead singer Dave Davis of the Bluez Catz were in mixing their live CD project last night. We were able to do some cleanup recording and mix four songs in just three and a half hours. These were rough mixes as we home in on the Bluez Catz sound. All in all it was a productive session that included a lot of laughing once the good Dr. stepped into the booth. We plan on getting back together next week to continue the process. 11-30-07

 

 

        

          Jamie and Rudy who play percussion/vocals and bass respectively, with Luvtaxi stopped by to continue mixing their project. But because of conflicting schedules, Frank Lizaragga (leader of Luvtaxi) could not be there for the mix. We worked of the fine balance between the drum set and the percussion which is the backbone of the Luvtaxi sound. Then turned out attention to the rest of the mix. The song sounds strong and clear and is ready to be added to the up coming CD. 11-28-07

 

       
      

        Ilon Griffin has been a regular at the studio as we have been mixing his project. Ilon has had many balls in the air and is looking forward to getting this project wrapped up and in the can. The good news is that the end is in sight with three original songs and eight popular and classical songs that showcase Ilon's talent as a Lyric tenor.  11-21-07

 

 

                                               Jimmy Malone was called into action to record some keyboard tracks for Ilon Griffin's original song titled "Springtime". With Ilon standing by, Jimmy crafted a nice piano part for the song. Then we turned our attention to some strings, after which Ilon mentioned that he felt the song needed a bridge.  Jimmy came up with an interesting eight bar bridge that gave the song a contemporary twist. With the addition of a cello string line in the bridge the song was sounding pretty complete. The next day Ilon and I got together and I programmed a percussion part for the song and I edited the bass line to work more smoothly with some of the new piano chord changes. As it now stands all we need to do to finish the song is to add Ilon's lead vocal and some back ground harmony parts. 11-12-07

 

                                               The B Street Theater routinely puts on plays six days a week, every week for the general public. They also have two programs that cater to children, exposing  them to live performances. One of these programs is known as  The B Street School Tour. An acting troop travels to local schools within a distance of 100 miles and performs for groups of kids in cafeterias and gymnasiums at the schools.  The troop performs up to 12 times per week. These plays are very popular since many schools have dropped artistic programs from their curriculums. The B Street needed a demo of the play to display on their web site.  I was hired to record a portion of the hour long play with my mobile recording rig for that demo.  I have cut together a sound track and imported pictures into a program that plays both sound and pictures with interesting transitions between the pictures. It's a time intensive project but the results are worth the effort.  11-8-07

 

                                              Mark S. Allen of Channel 31's Good Morning Sacramento and Pudding Stone Recording Studio have entered into an agreement.  Pudding Stone will record the winner of a weekly segment on the morning program called "Small Town Superstar". This segment will run for four weeks. Good luck to all of the participants and I look forward to working with the winner. A camera man from Channel 13 and their sister station Channel 31, came by yesterday to shoot some "B" roll for a small spot that is to be aired during the program. I was recording a session with Ilon Griffin when he arrived.  So the camera man shot some footage of Ilon in the booth performing his song. Look for the spot on the morning show from 6 to 10 am. Keep those cards and letters coming in.  11-6-07

                                         

 

      Greg Ayala and Bruce Bolin (that's me) continue our weekly song writing adventure. We have been working on a song titled "Gas Ronda".  It's the story of a hot, modern day lady that loves to drive fast and race. I have to say that it's a lot of fun to have a successful collaboration and to see your efforts materialize onto a song that brings a smile to your face. "Hey we still have it"! Check out Gas Ronda. (Click to hear).  11-3-07

 

 

October 2007

                                              Barry Weiner met with me yesterday to pick up the rough mixes to begin to evaluate the songs that will be on the CD. We plan of getting back together in two weeks to begin mixing. Barry intends to release this album by the end of February next year. We're on the fast track, but that's Rock-N-Roll!  10-25-07

 

                                           

 

 

 

The Bluez Catz are a band that wanted to record a live album at a local gig. I got a phone call from Dr. Barry Weiner. I was told that four times a year The Catz throw a party at Zagoto's located in the Canterbury Inn off of Hiway 160 and they wanted to have the band recorded live. The band consists of Barry (Guitar), Danny (sax), Charlie (drums), Vinnie (bass), Waylon (guitar) and Dave  (vocals & harp). The band got off to a rousing start cheered on by a house full of fans that had come for the recording party. When ever the Blues Cats play at Zagoto's, the band includes a Mexican style dinner for the patrons. It's a win, win situation for everybody.  Intercept is a popular band from LA who started off the night with a tight set and features Barry's son Jason playing drums.  It was a good show that included a guest appearance from the manager of Zagoto's singing a James Brown song. I recorded two sets and now must get down with the business of mixing and mastering for the album 10-23-07

 

 

   Valerie Marston of Sister Swing (pictured here on the left) has been burning the midnight oil to produce a new photo demo for the group. First we cut together a sound track made up of songs from several of their five CD's. Then we imported hundreds of photos taken over the last ten or so years. We worked out transitions between the pictures and dropped the whole thing onto a CD. This is quickly becoming the way to show your group without having to go through the expense of making a video. Ilon Griffin is back in the house of Pudding Stone and ready to finish his current project that was put on hold several months ago because of other conflicting business interests. Ilon also has his eye on doing a Christmas project before this Christmas.  We will be working many days straight to accomplish this feat   10-11-07

   

   Felipe Lariz has been a regular visitor to the studio recording both instruments and vocals for the last several months. He confided to me that he has learned a lot about the process and complexity of making an album. He feels that it's a lot like going to school and he will benefit from the experience. We are nearing the end of the recording process and have done some preliminary mixes to find the sound that Felipe wants to project on this project. Felipe has his sights on the big prize, as he moves forward to making his full time career in the music business.   10-3-07


September 2007

                                    

 

 

 

 Luvtaxi is back in the mix when they returned to the studio to record some overdubs. This was the follow up to a mobile recording that was done at the home of Frank Lizaragga in their rehearsal studio. First it was Jamie in the booth to record some percussion parts. Followed by Celia who laid a vocal track. We were hoping to get Frank in the booth to play some acoustic guitar parts, but we ran out of time. Rudy was there as always giving his support and critiquing the takes. We will continue as Luvtaxi evolves on it's endless journey of original music.   9-24-07
                                     

 

 

 The American River Music Festival took place Sept. 22 & 23rd on the banks of the American River near Coloma, CA. Mother nature didn't
cooperate and rained some both days. But for the people that dawned their umbrellas and braved the weather, it was a great outing. There were ten bands over the course of the two days. The music was fresh and there were work shops and mini concerts at several of the campgrounds in the evenings, plus food and drink for all. Pictured left to right, the sound crew. Bruce, Glenn and Tony. Next a shot of the stage,  two of the performing acts and finally some of the crowd. Even with the in-climate weather, it was a good time and we hope to make this an annual event. The master of ceremonies was Joe Cravens, and Joe was on his game. Joe is a master of improvisation both musically and as a MC. The man was just plain funny. I haven't laughed that much in a long time.  This festival was the brain child of Matt Semonsen who spoke with me several years ago about throwing this bash. His parade got rained on but his spirit is strong as is his resolve. This is a good example of realizing your dream. To throw an event of this type takes a lot of time, money and preparation.  My hats off to Matt and I will be looking for next years festival.  9-24-07

 

 

 

 

 

     

       Jerry Cook came in to the studio to master his songs onto a  performance CD.  We worked through nine songs, to get ready for his performance this Friday night (9-21-07).  It's been a long a long road for Jerry and myself.  We were pleased with the way the music sounded and are looking forward to getting into some new songs.  Life is good.  Now Jerry, "GET OUT THERE AND WORK IT!"  9-19-07

 

 

    
       Jeremiah Shavzz  paid me another visit to record a track and begin discussions on getting a package deal in place for his new project. We listened to some music that points up his perceived identity. Jeremiah or "J" as he likes to be called, is looking into the popular east coast type of rap as we talked of the style and the method we would pursue. J is a likeable young man and I look forward to working with him and helping him turn his "Dream into a reality"  Also on this somber sixth anniversary of "911", let us all remember not to forget the day everything changed for all of us as Americans.    9-11-07

 

       As I mentioned earlier, Greg Ayala and I have been collaborating on some original music and we get together weekly. In recent weeks we have been working on a song the was sparked by my seeing the planet Venus positioned just under a crescent moon back in June of this year. The song has taken on a life of it's own and along the way we has Felipe Lariz play some accordion on the song.  It's a simple tune but we are excited about the arrangement and the lyrics. See what you think about this rough mix of "Venus under a crescent moon".  
  (Click to hear)  9-9-07

       Mark Tyler has signed on to study the Recording Connection Audio Engineering class that I have been teaching for more than fifteen years. I first met Mark about ten years ago when he played some smokin' lead guitar on a song called Jazzman on an album that I was recording. (Click to hear) For years Mark has wanted to get a good handle on the recording process and has now begun the twenty week course. On the first lesson he has already started by recording into Pro Tools.  We are getting off to a running start.  Mark is pictured here atop his Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Welcome aboard Mark we'll be diggin' in and having some recording fun!  9-8-07

 

                                                  T-Mobl is a three man rap group that are all decedents of the island of Tonga. Performing under the name of Tongan Mobb Life, these guys are some big fella's that I mistook for Samoan's at first. The three rappers, Joe Dolla, ESPN and Bumm, all shared time in the booth.  We moved quickly through the songs and  they were very happy when they left the studio and promised that they would return. Have a listen to their song titled (Spanish Fly).  Jeremiah Shavzz  called to make an appointment to try out the studio. He said that he has been looking for a place to record and had not been able to find a studio to his liking. He jumped into the booth and recorded a short one minute freestyle rap. I asked if he were finished and he said yes that he only wanted to see how the studio felt and sounded. I asked if he could change anything, what would it be? Jay said he'd like his voice to sound slightly higher. So I proceeded to EQ his voice, then added some reverb until he had a big smile on his face. He liked it and he liked what I did to his voice.  Check out  (J's Freestyle)    9-4-07


August 2007

 

           Felipe Lariz has finished the tracking portion of his current CD project. Now I will transfer the tracks into Pro Tools for mixing and any additional production. Two of the songs feature Felipe's five year old daughter Natalie. She's very cute and had no fear in the vocal booth. Felipe has exposed all of his three children to music and all three can play and or sing. Felipe wants to have a family band that performs in the area.  Greg Ayala and I continue to collaborate on our original songs during our weekly meetings. We have also recorded some live drum tracks for Jerry Cook's live back up performance music.  8-30-07

 

 

            Hillary Garrett has been my audio engineering student for the past twelve weeks. In that time Hillary has made a major leap forward in the audio program and in particular the study of Pro Tools. Hillary has moved to Portland Oregon to pursue her career in the music field. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to have helped her to begin to realize her goal as a recording engineer. Felipe Lariz continues to make his weekly trek to the studio as we move through his project. Interestingly, Felipe is playing all of the instruments on this album and providing his own back ground harmony parts.  Lloyd Mason has finished and picked up his CD masters and is planning to contact Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to offer his songs and performance abilities for the campaign.  8-21-07 .                                          

 

                                                     Nick Vang is a former client of mine.  I recorded his first two CD projects with his group The Loners.  They were a popular Hmong group that hailed from Sacramento back in the 90's. Nick has been doing his own recording with a Roland Digital 16 track machine.  Nick wanted me to record two guitar solos on a couple of his newest songs.  We got set up and were able to get the solos finished in just one hour. I had done some solos on his previous CD's. Sean Bahry returned to work on yet another new song. Sean just keeps crankin' them out.   8-2-07


July 2007

                                                     Dave McAsey asked me to travel to his house with my mobile recording rig to capture him in his most comfortable
environment. Dave has recorded at the studio many times before and wanted to change things up a bit. We set up in his living room and began to record. In a relaxed setting such as this I have discovered that it is sometimes better for certain artists and bands. That being, to record them where they practice. They don't have to acclimate to a new surrounding. We recorded several songs in just two hours. Some of these were seven minute performances. Now I will add these three songs to Dave's other songs to make a nice demo. I was also visited by Christine Martin this week. She needed to have me transpose a song into two different keys for a wedding ceremony that she will be singing for this weekend. On the same day Gloria Heidi and her producer Peter paid me a visit to have me increase the volume on their performance CD's.  7-28-07

 

           Frank Lizarraga and his drummer Rudy Morones came in the studio to follow up on the mobile recording we did last week. Frank recorded bass tracks and acoustic guitar.  He seemed to enjoy recording while looking out of the window to the view below. Meanwhile Rudy just relaxed on the couch as Frank was working. We will continue with overdubbing as time allows.  7-24-07

 

 

          Anthony White paid me another visit today. We tried to get together last week but just as we began to record, my board blew up and failed. So Monday with a spare board in the temporary position we got underway. Anthony rapped both free style and from the written page. I can tell that this is a well read person that is opinionated and has logical convictions associated with those opinions. I enjoyed both conversing with Anthony and hearing his raps. His is a refreshing escape from the normal bang rap artist. Anthony really has something worth listening to. We were able to record 18 songs in just four hours. 7-24-07

                                                
            Fred Sanchez of the Latino group Los Elegantes stopped by to have me transfer some old recordings in preparation for several CD projects that he will be releasing. Los Elegantes has been operating out of the Sacramento area for more than 35 years and has a long history of quality music. Working from old Dat tapes and even a cassette, I made new masters for the duplication process. Fred asked if I could increase the tempo on a couple of his songs without changing the sound. I said "sure, this is Pudding Stone where we make studio magic everyday". Fred recently went to Guadalajara, Mexico to record a new CD. I listened to part of it and it sounded great. The studio there is owned by one of Fred's former singers. After many years Fred is still making good sounding music.  Hang in there Fred!     7-18-07


                        

                                                Luvtaxi is back in the mix.  Last Saturday we did a mobile recording at their place of practice. Trying to beat the heat we started at 10 am.
Once we were set up and had a good headphone mix we began to record. Things went smoothly as Luvtaxi has been down this road before. We were going after solid rhythm tracks and we will finish the rest of the tracking in the studio. In order of appearance; Frank guitar, Rojo drums, Jamie percussion and vocals, Rudy bass, Celia vocals and Josh on keyboards. Later that afternoon I joined them and we played a house party gig.  It was hot and fun with good food and good music!    7-16-07

 

      

       Lloyd Mason made his weekly stop to work on his current song titled "We the people". We are working in a new melody line and it takes time to forget the old one. But this is progress as we feel that the new melody is far better than the old one.  7-13-07

 

 

  
        Sean Bahry is back in the studio scene. He has a summer job so with his pay he wants to get his demo finished and mastered. Sean and I worked on this song to change it up some from the original arrangement. What can I say, this guy loves to record his material. We will be getting together tomorrow to continue.  Meanwhile this is an un-finished version of "No where to go".   Click to hear     7-12-07

 

 

         Michelle Meador and her daughter Jane booked three days to record and produce a three CD spoken word project. This project was an instructional method for speaking Japanese. We were able to get all of the recording finished in three days, but needed an extra four hours to finish the production of the masters. Which included placing some Japanese bumper music (played on the Koto) on the front and back of each chapter to serve as an introduction and outro.  Now all that's left is some graphic layout and to get the printing and duplicating finished. It was an interesting four days to say the least. There's always an new adventure at hand! 7-1-07

 

June 2007

   

 

         Felipe Lariz and I have been working on the graphics for his CD project.  We have settled on the pictures and layout design and have submitted them to the graphics designer that I work with regularly. We hope to have everything finalized in a week or so.  6-26-07

 

                                              Christine June called to say that she wanted to make a quick demo.  We got together about two hours later and began to work on her song.  Christine wrote the lyrics in the studio as I programmed the music. We needed to take an hour break as Shane Kalbauch came in to record the violin parts for Lloyd Mason's song. Soon we were finished with the demo and Christine had her first ever recording of herself. Another happy ending!   6-26-04

       Bruce Bolin and Greg Ayala continue to get together each week to work on original music. The results have been good in that we both can communicate well in both musical and lyrical terms. We are both old school players and we're not bothered by any generation gap. By the way, today is the longest day of the year. AKA the Summer Solstice. 6-21-07

       Kim Lupoli and De Morey  spent the entire weekend in the studio. The job at hand was to produce and mix their album which has a working title of "Keeping it simple".  We needed to do some clean up work on the song arrangements as well as add some vocals, strings and additional guitar parts. We began at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday and finished Sunday afternoon by 4pm. It was a grueling 20 hour work weekend but we were able to get the job done. On their way home Sunday afternoon to Atascadero, CA  they could listen to the mixes and evaluate the work. Next is a trip to the mastering studio to put this project in the can.  This song is called  "So everyone will know".   (Take a listen)     6-11-07


       
       Ilon Griffin was back in the vocal booth to keep moving ahead with the work on his album. We needed to do some experimenting with the mic placement as Ilon has a very powerful voice and normal placement was not working.  We found that by moving Ilon back yielded the best results for the bigger notes in his songs. This is not normal procedure, but then neither is Ilon.     6-7-07

 

 

 

      

        He's back. Sean Bahry has returned with another song to record.  This young man is a song writing machine. We did not finish it but Sean wanted to hear what we had so far. So here's the rough mix of the yet unfinished song "You got me singing". (Have a listen)  6-5-07

 

 

May 2007

 

 

       Noah Agruss finished the string parts for Mai Cha's six songs.  Noah is a gifted composer and delivered the parts on schedule. Now I will load the string wav files into Pro Tools and add them to Mai's songs.  Soon after I will need Mai to come in and re-sing his vocal parts.  5-24-07

 

 

       Greg Ayala made his weekly visit to the studio and we recorded the lead vocals to Greg's song titled "Is it love". I find the song to be an interesting mix of modern Reggae with an big 80's drum sound. Have a listen and judge for yourself. Now Greg and I will get to work on one of my songs that Greg penned some lyrics for.  It's working title is "Without a clue, but happy".   Here's   "Is it love" (Click to hear).    5-23-07

 

 

      

       Paul Fury booked some time to record several songs that are to be added to his current project.  Paul has become a veteran in the studio and was in and out of the booth in a very short time. We had a few laughs, but we got the work done.  5-22-07

 

 

      Hillary Garrett has signed on as the newest Recording Engineering student this year. With a music major background in college Hillary wants to get on the inside track of the recording studio business. Welcome aboard Hillary. Greg Ayala and I continue to get together in the studio once a week and the results are promising.  Greg's latest song is asking the question "Is it love".  It's a reggae song with huge 80's style drums. We have worked on the arrangement and a guitar rhythm as well as two guitar solos. Once the vocals are finished being recorded I will post it so you may have a listen.  5-17-07

     Lloyd Mason decided to have me add a fiddle to two of the songs that we recorded some years ago. I contacted Shane Kalbach, a violin player and sent him two Mp3's so he could get prepared for the session. Here is one of the two songs prior to his parts being added. 
 (Click to hear)  5-14-07

        

        Keith Mello-Hall has completed his twenty week Recording Connection Audio Engineering course here at the studio. Now Keith is armed with some of the skills needed to go out and rock the music world. Keith is interested in writing original music and is looking for a band to perform and write with.  Good lick Keith. You'll do well!   5-13-07

 

      Krissi Gray and Kash Villiani are a musical team that got together several years ago to collaborate on projects. They work together on the music with Krissi singing, rapping and playing several instruments.  Kash is the music producer and programmer. I met them when I bought some software from them a couple of weeks ago. They decided to come to
Pudding Stone to record vocals and mix. Their project needs to be finished by the end of this month. Here is one of the songs we're working on titled "Lullaby".  (Click to hear)  5-12-07

       

       
       Anthony White wanted to book some studio time to record some "Free Style" rap.  He just flew through the ten songs and was never at a loss for words. He did not work from any paper or pre-written lyrics.  He just stood in front of the mic and "Came from his dome". I was amazed that there was a constant flow of words.  As the topics changed, I noticed that there wasn't any swear words in his lyrics. The man has skills.       (Have a listen)  5-8-07
 

       

       Sean Bahry returned for the second week in a row with yet another new song. We worked on the song and found a nice groove. The song is called "I see the road ahead".  This rocker is a bit of a departure from the two ballads that Sean has brought to the studio in the past. We really rocked it out and I like it a lot.  The big guitar sound has always been a hook for me. With this song there is something special about the sound and feel. Sometimes things just flow together. This is a product of magic in the studio. Can you figure out what it is? (Check out the mix)  5-6-07

 

       
        Bob Lobner and I got together last Tuesday night to perform at a local bar in Garden Valley, CA.  We really rocked the place and had a pretty good time of it. Here is one of the songs that we performed there. It's one of Bob's tunes called "Baby's got a right".  (Have a Listen)
 5-1-07
  

 April 2007

      

      Sean Bahry and I got back together this weekend to put together yet another song. Sean has been busy implementing some of the concepts that I suggested with regard having his songs ready before coming to the studio. We were able to complete this song in just one session of four and a half hours. It seems to me that Sean's future looks bright as he continues to hone his song writing craft. This song is "A different way". (Click to play)  4-30-07

 

 

 

    Fabian Lariz is working on his first CD project.  Under the guidance of his father Felipe who is producing this project. On the first day we recorded the drums and keyboard parts and an accordion played by Felipe. On the second day we recorded the bass parts played by Gill.  The rhythm guitar will be next on the agenda. So far everyone is well rehearsed and little time is being wasted in the studio. Hey slow down guy's, I get paid by the hour. (insert laughs here)  4-27-07

 

    Jerry Cook was excited when he called me to announce that he had received a 45 record from a friend, of a song that he recorded back in 1970's. When we opened the package we found the 45 warped. So I went to work trying to salvage what I could from the record. What you will hear is the result of some creative editing. Jerry is still in good voice and plans to return to performing soon. (Have a listen)  4-27-07

 

 

 

    Sister Swing preformed at the local Art Second Saturday. They preformed outside on the street in front of Jim Ferries 20th Street Art shop located on 20th street between I & J Streets. The Sisters played their two sets in spite of the impending rain storm that was forecast. These kinds of gigs are for the community to get a chance to mingle and hear some music while taking in the local art exhibits. This happens every 2nd Saturday.  (Check them out).  4-23-07

 

 

     Felipe Lariz and his wife Maricela came to the studio yesterday to begin work on two projects. The first is Felipe's CD which he recorded in Modesto. Felipe wants to have me handle the duplication of his project. I took some pictures of Felipe for the graphics on his project. We will get the layout completed in the next week or so. Secondly Felipe wants to record a CD project featuring his fourteen year old son Fabian.  According to Felipe, Fabian is a gifted singer. More on this project as it unfolds.  (Have a listen) 4-19-07

 

 

  

     Luvtaxi is back in the news. Frank Lizaragga the leader called me yesterday to inform me that Luvtaxi has been nominated for a Sammie award this year. They will be performing at the Sammie's and hope to garner enough votes to win the coveted award for best Latino band in the area. Their most recent CD project recorded at Pudding Stone Recording, has been well received and is selling well at their live performances. (Have a listen)  4-18-07

 

 

     

      Sister Swing was back in the studio this week. No they were not beginning another album project, but were assigned to sing background vocals for Ilon Griffin's song "Be mine tonight". While in the studio the sisters also provided background vocals for several other songs on Ilon's project. Valerie Marston will return tomorrow to record a vocal track on "Love at second sight"  4-11-07

 

 

 

    Greg Ayala recorded an acoustic drum track on Wednesday of one of my current project songs. It's titled "Love at second sight". Greg learned the drum part that I had programmed. But when I listened to his recorded part, I felt that the rhythm was a little jerky and needed to be smoothed out. We settled on a new drum rhythm and I began arranging for the different parts of the song. Greg needed to un-learn the old part and try to grasp the new parts. We did get the arranged parts right, but we ran out of time. So Greg will come back next week and we will re-record the drums. I commend Greg's patience's and chops. All in a day's work.      4-6-07

 

    Ilon Griffin has been making his weekly trips to the studio recording his vocals as we move through his project. Ilon has given me a new song to arrange for him titled, "Springtime". Meanwhile G Damage AKA Gino Jackson has been making  his monthly trip to the studio to continue mixing his project. We are close to mastering time with Gino's CD. Both men were in the studio at the same time and while both are artists, their music couldn't be further apart.  Gino music is hard core gangster street rap. While Ilon's music is pop in nature. I love the differences that I am faced with. Variety is the spice of life.    4-2-07


March 2007