John Agnello

Goodbye Summer!

John Agnello — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:00:00 PDT

Hello Cymbals Eat Guitars and Male Bonding!
I can't believe the summer is practically over. I spent most of the month either in Sweden or in Brooklyn working with the great Norwegian band, Dirt Inc. Goteborg was a wonderful place to record. SGS, owned by my buddy, Kalle is one of my favorite studios in the world. And Kalle is one in a million.

We finish mixing this current EP on Friday and after going to see The War On Drugs that same night, I will prepare to leave on vacation Saturday. So I'll have spent all of one day in August at home. Living the dream!

The end of August will bring the release of not one, but two of my productions. In chronological order, the new Male Bonding record was recorded at Dreamland Studios in early March and mixed at Headgear Studios soon after that. Dreamland Studios is an old converted church outside of Woodstock that has wonderful vibe, gear and setting.

The Male Bonding guys were wonderful to work with. They are part English gentlemen and part power punk revivalists. I'm really psyched with the record and they will be here the end of the month to start touring.

Right after Male Bonding was complete, I started a record with Cymbals Eat Guitars. These guys are so talented, it makes me nuts. We actually had been doing pre production on and off for months previous to starting the recording, so we hit the ground rolling.

I'm so proud of the record and they too will be touring in support. Too bad they couldn't arrange a co bill.

So keep your ears and eyes peeled for these records. Male Bonding's "Endless Now" is on Sub Pop and Cymbals Eat Guitars' "Lenses Alien" is on Barsuk.

Some other notable info. In July I mixed Lee Ranaldo's solo record. What a fun time! I haven't worked with him since "The Eternal" and we had a blast. The record is his first solo record ever and it's great. Can't wait for that one to see the light of day.

And I did a great single with Philadelphia's Free Energy. What a great group of dudes! We had tons of fun and the two songs came out great.

In the middle of July, I flew to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival. It was a great time and I got to spend a bunch of time with my main man, Kurt Vile. His set on Sunday afternoon was awesome and he had the mid afternoon crowd totally psyched. He also played a "secret" show Saturday night that was ridiculously crowded, but also awesome.

The current record, "Smoke Ring For My Halo" is doing great and Kurt and the Violators are touring like demons.

Ciao for now.

Enjoy the rest of summer.

Spring Is Coming In With A Bang!

John Agnello — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:00:00 PST

Loads Of Things Going On In Agnelloworld.
Hey everyone, I hope 2011 has been good for you so far. I wanted to keep you all in the loop, because my shit is blowing up, figuratively, of course. If it was literally, I'd be at the hospital as opposed to updating my website.

Anyway, there is a ton of stuff to talk about. First, this last Tuesday saw the release of Kurt Vile's "Smoke Rings For My Halo," his new effort for Matador Records. Kurt and the band spent the entire day playing three instores and then playing up at WFMU, in my neck of the woods. The reviews have been exceptional. Pitchfork gave it 8.4 out of 10. Uncut gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Spin gave it 9 out of 10 stars. And the wonderful Charles Aaron said some nice things about yours truly.

The bottom line is this is a great record and Kurt has evolved into one hell of an artist. And the Violaters are a great band. Chris and everybody at Matador were wonderful and all the studios we frequented on the record, and there were many, treated us great. It wasn't the easiest record to make logistically, but it was worth all the effort.

Kurt is supporting my old friend J Mascis on tour, who is also releasing an album. His first solo acoustic studio record. It's a great record with a bunch of great songs and of course J shreds! It has some great guest stars and I loved mixing it at Bisquiteen Studios. I've been working with J since 1993 and it's hard to believe it's been that long. He's one of my favorite people in the world. His wife, Luisa is an angel for putting up with him.

Let's see, what else........

Okay, in honor of all my friends who are going to SXSW, I'd like to hip you to two unsigned bands that I have worked with who will be playing numerous shows down there.

First up is Shayna and the Catch, who are a wonderful, organic pop band who play great songs that are influenced by folk, calypso and other styles of popular music. And Shayna, the lead singer is a wonderful woman with a big voice and a big soul. Not shitting you. Check em out down in Austin. And when they return to NY, they are doing a residence at the Living Room in April/May.

Second is a great band from Boston called Mean Creek. Powerful rock with a great singer in Chris Keene. These guys have a great sound with double guitar, and the wonderful Aurore on lead guitar and backing vocals. They recently released a great EP and played a release party show at Pianos in the LES of Manhattan. They packed out the room in Pianos and killed it. Their super fan, Adam Duritz was in the house.

One other band to check out down there is the Spanish band, Capsula. They are a hard rocking three piece from the northern part of the country and if you like your riffs heavy and your songs psychedelic, this is for you! I saw them in Cadiz 2 years ago and I fell in love with them.

So all you peeps down in Austin, try to take some time to see either of these bands. You will not regret it!

December saw me hunker down with my main engineer man, Ted Young at the famed Magic Shop, in NYC to work with The Young Presidents, a cool new band. We had a blast making the record and it came out great. They will be playing around the city and expect to hear more from them.

I am currently working with Male Bonding, a great three piece from London who are on Sub Pop. We tracked the record up at Dreamland Studios in West Hurley, NY, which neighbors Woodstock. An old church with loads of vibe and great gear and a wonderful sounding record room. It's actually an old church. This record is great! It fires on all cylinders, from songs thru performance. It doesn't sound bad either. And me and the band have gotten on famously. Look for this record in the summer.

Up next is Cymbals Eat Guitars, a young quartet from NYC, who evoke the spirit of Jawbox, Sonic Youth and the like. Four young kids who make wonderful noise. Throughout rehearsals we've tweaked arrangements and worked on approach and by the time these kids get into the studio, they will be ready to kick ass!

A few other things before I go. The great Norwegian band, Madrugada, who I've made a few records with are re releasing their records, remastered with extra tracks. They asked me to do liner notes for the remastered, "Nightly Disease" and I was thrilled! It's the first time I've ever done anything like that. Totally exciting.

Also, it looks like I'll be hosting an indie rock forum for the website Pro Recording Workshop. That should be happening soon. My mentor, William Wittman asked me to do it and I couldn't say no. Once again something new to this guy. Maybe you can teach an old Italian Producer/Engineer new tricks.

Well that's it for now. Whew. Long post this time. Be well everyone and go buy the Kurt Vile record!

Happy Holidays!

John Agnello — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:00:00 PST

It's that time of year again.
I hope this post finds you all well. I'm celebrating this Black Friday by staying the hell away from anything that resembles a store. Just sitting at home with a big cup of tea, catching up on my internet to do list.
This has been a great year so far with so many great artists who have approached me about work. Some I could not accommodate, due to scheduling concerns, but I've had some wonderful projects.
When I last posted, I was on the precipice of finishing a record with my main man, Kurt Vile. We mastered the record, but then it was agreed that we should go back in and record a couple more tunes. Not because of the fact that we didn't have a great record, but more to add a couple more rockers to it. Yeah, this record is a wacky one. In fact , we have too many great songs which made it hard to cut down to an 11 song record. As it stands now, it'll be a great record, but some of my favorites didn't make the cut. Which means that sometime after the record comes out, there will be an amazing EP in the works. I am not shitting you.
Around the time we were recording the last two songs for KV's record, I was in the process of mixing the J Mascis solo acoustic record. That was so much fun. I never need an excuse to visit or work up in Western Mass. with J and the family. It's always a great time. J's new record is totally great. It's got great songs and some wonderful guest appearances. If I'm right, the first single is an awesome song which will reminiscent of a particular '70's supergroup.
Just after that, I spent my obligatory 2 plus weeks in Spain attending the upstart, but wonderful Monkey Week Festival. This being it's second year, they improved greatly from the previous year. All I can say about it is that it's setting is a wonderful town, called the Puerto De Santa Maria, the gentleman who run it are wonderful and the talent is improving every year. The main shows took place in an ancient Monastery, which was the coolest setting ever. I spent the second half of my trip with my good friends, Paco and Muni, working in the studio with a great artist, who's new record will be out early next year.
Of note for me is a record I just finished which was a great experience. The band is called, Shayna Zaid And The Catch. A 5 member band, who are as super talented as they are super nice people. The music is rootsy and kinda pop in a traditional way, with a lead singer who's voice is as big as her heart. We are mastering the record tomorrow and I can tell you it's an amazing record.
Right after I returned from Spain, I had the pleasure of mixing a record by a band I really like called Capsula. They are part QOTSA and part psychedelic. I've seen them live and they really bring it. That record will be released in Spain, but I hope it sees the light of day here. It's very cool.
One other fun record I was involved with was The Baseball Project record. Those guys are a great hang and there are some great songs on the record. If you're a sports fan, you'll love this record. If you're a music fan, you'll love this record.
So that's it for now. A couple of random thoughts before I leave.
Making records is fun.
My little girl, Bella is a blast.
If we ignore Sara Palin, maybe she'll go away.
I love the Autumn.
Fantasy football is addicting.
Legalize pot, please.
I miss my big girl, who's in Thailand.
And, I'm a lucky husband.

Okay everybody, Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!

Gooooooooaaaaaaaal!!!!!

John Agnello — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:00:00 PDT

Welcome to summer!
Hey everybody, coinciding with England's and USA's victories in the first round of the World Cup, I write you to give an update on all things Agnello!

It has been a remarkable 2 plus months since my last update. I've been incredibly blessed to have some great records come through my doorway!

First and foremost, the Dead Confederate record, "Sugar" will be coming out on my birthday, of all things! This record is really special. My favorite tracks, "Giving It All Away" and "Run From The Gun" should get plenty of airplay. I can't wait for these southern shit kickers to get on the road to support the record.

After a quick mix for a rising, Norwegian artist, Andre Holstad, I had a week off before starting a record with someone who is becoming my one of my favorites. And that man is Kurt Vile. He is a trip and a great artist. We took a 6 week break in the middle of the record while he and his lovely wife had a beautiful daughter.

And now that the record is just about mastered, I can tell you that it is really great. Kurt's a great singer and this batch of songs are really melodically beautiful. It's a bit on the mellow side, but it's one awesome song after another.

We had a blast making it, with trips to Amherst and Philadelphia. We had a great midnight drive back to my house from Amherst, where i tortured him with lots of '70's prog rock and other great records.

While I was breaking from his record, I started a record with a great band I had seen at Piano's last November. They are called Sherlock's Daughter.

The had approached me via internet and me and Sharon were blown away by their set. So after they relocated to Brooklyn, post SXSW, we got down to the business of arrangement and rehearsal of the songs.

It was awesome doing pre pro with them. Great band with great ideas and lotsa energy and talent. Fronted by the beautiful Tanya Horo, who I can honestly say is my favorite Kiwi.

So like the Kurt record, we took a 6 week break, which drove the band nuts, while I took a 2 week vacation around weddings and Mother's Day and then finished the Kurt Vile record.

We eventually got back to work finishing the Sherlock's Daughter and it was worth the wait. Not yet mastered, this record will knock your socks off.

Many instruments and rhythms and all these kids sing! It was a lot of fun making the record, whether we were hard at work or certain drummers were climbing trees naked or recording autoharp in the garden or bbq'ing at my house. Love these guys.

Kurt's record will out sometime in the Autumn. Don't know about the Sherlock's, but we'll see.

A couple of other thoughts. Also in the last months, I've been involved in some other shorter projects. Mean Creek, a new band from up in Boston are comers. They have a raw energy that will rip your face off. I did a 7" with them for Old Flame records and it was 2 awesome days. I hope to talk about a full length with them.

I mixed an EP for The Heavenly States. Great band from the west coast. I've known them for 5 years and Ted is one of the funniest guys I've ever worked with. Special guests on the EP include Britt from Spoon and Eugene Miramen!

Last and not least, I did a great record with a wonderful singer named Amy Bezunartea. She is the significant other of Jennifer O'Connor and boy she has a great voice. In fact they sing great together. That record is being mastered right now by Alan Douches. Very Excited!

Looking back on the year so far, it's great to have been involved in so many cool projects. Like last year, the first two quarters have been exciting.

And if any of you haven't heard, my 6 month stay at Work's End, err I mean Worlds End did not go so glowingly. So I am back to working with my dear wife, Sharon. We are more of a mom and pop organization anyway. And this way, I know how I'm being represented and I know what projects I'd like to go for. Okay, be well everyone!

Spring Is Vile!

John Agnello — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:00:00 PDT

March is in like a Vile and out like a Lamb.
Happy spring everyone. Last week was notable for a few things. First, I spent 5 days doing the Master Cleanse. http://themastercleanse.org/ It was a trip. I felt kinda high the first few days, but as day three started, I really was getting into it. I lost some pounds, felt much better by the end of the week, and exorcised a few demons brought on during the Dead Confederate record.

The key to me getting through it was keeping super busy all week, so I did my taxes, worked on my storage unit, etc, etc. That took my mind off of the fact the I was living off a liquid diet. Gotta say, I'm psyched to do it again for maybe a week or so.

I assimilated myself back into the world of food just in time to welcome Kurt Vile to NYC. We are recording his new record at my favorite studio in Manhattan, The Magic Shop. He is super talented and a wonderful guy. He writes some great songs and is this decades alt rock troubadour. We are in our first week of recording and the songs we've worked on sound great.

After taking the weekend off, we resume the record on my side of the Hudson River. At one of my favorite studios. Yes, you know..... Water Music Recorders. We have some really cool sounds and guest stars on this record and the Violators, Kurt's touring band, are well represented.

So here's to Kurt Vile, in the house, and a weekend off with the family and then back to it next Monday! Rock on, kids!

6 Months Later!

John Agnello — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:00 PST

Let's Catch Up.
As I sit here doing Stem Cell Research, aka, printing stems on this mix, I can't help wondering where the time has gone. It's been an interesting year so far.

Notable aspects include Obama dressing down 6 people in robes during his State Of The Union address, the wonderful month I spent with the great band, Dead Confederate, the ginormous amounts of snow that fell in February and the great holiday season that seems a million years away now.

The winter had a Jekyll and Hyde feel to it. I had a great time working with Nada Surf on their new record. We mixed a few songs at Headgear Studios in Brooklyn in December. This new record is super cool and Matthew sings the shit out of the songs I worked on.

Right before Thanksgiving, I spent a week mixing a record for a band called The Black Clouds. Look out for these up and comers. They are awesome and heavy and hail from Red Bank, NJ. They rock hard but their songs are melodic as all hell. It was a lot of fun working with them, apart from the day Dan ordered "Suicide Wings" for both of us for lunch. Suicide was pretty much the final answer after eating those fuckers.

I also hooked up with my buddy, Sasha and we did a cool remix of the Pylon song, "Yo Yo". It was a blast and was a departure for me, which made it really exciting. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks. We had some guests on the remix, notably Alexis from Sleigh Bells. Man, she has a wonderful voice and damn, she can sing!

Also I spent a few days in December with the boys from Dead Confederate in their hometown of Athens. We did some pre production on the songs and really had a great time messing with the arrangements and stuff like that. By the time I got back the holidays were upon us.

January brought another trip to Athens to rehearse with the band. And it was a blast. These Dead Confederate guys are not only a kick ass band, they are super nice dudes. I returned to Jersey City to prepare for the band's arrival. And then the snow started ......

Those poor guys spent a lot of Super Bowl Sunday driving 5 miles an hour up I-95. But they finally made it to the studio and we commenced the rock the next morning.

We worked our asses off for 4 weeks and the record is done! And awesome. I can't wait to get the fucker mastered and get the band to finish the artwork and get this sucker out!

After collapsing at the end of the record in a heap of burnt brain matter, a relaxing weekend has me charged up to work on this latest offering. The artist's name is Andre Holstad and he is from Norway. With mutual friends in the band, My Midnight Creeps, he approached me to do some mixing for him. "Hate", the song I just finished was wonderful.

And I get to do my taxes next week and then await the arrival of Mr. Kurt Vile! We start recording his new record and I'm totally excited.

So now that we're caught up, I'll go back to my stem cell research.

Bye, y'all

Summer's Over!

John Agnello — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Wha' Happened?
Wow, and just like that the summer's over. It just seems like yesterday I was soaking in the 100% humidity that was August. And loving it.

It's been a busy month. I turned 50. My lovely wife, Sharon surprised me with a wonderful party and it was a blast. Surrounded by my favorite people. I missed a few buddies due to vacations and touring schedules, but most represented. And we raged. In fact, the 2 weeks surrounding my birthday were pretty full on.

We also spent some quality time with the family Dolan in Asbury Park soaking up rays and dipping in the pool.

And I spent some time mixing with a wonderful band out of Brooklyn called Apache Beat. They are a super cool band that has a sound all their own. Not sure when their record is coming out and who's putting it out, but they will be someone to keep an eye out for.

Other August notables include Jemina Pearl, playing two shows with John Eatherly and their new band. It was great seeing them live. She is truly a star. And keep an eye out for the first video from her record.

And last but not least, Sivert Hoyem's first single, "Moon Landing", was released to radio in Norway and made an immediate impact. The reports I had were that the song was being played everywhere. This bodes well for the CD release. Which probably be out in October.

And now September finds me in The Magic Shop mixing an EP with the biggest indie rock band in Spain, Los Planetas. Okay, that's what I got. Be seeing you in a few weeks.

The Norwegians Are Going!

John Agnello — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Man, that was quick!
Man, it seems like days ago when we started mixing Sivert's record. And now they are gone and me and the family are on our way to Asbury Park. We finished mixing on Tuesday night and mastered with the wonderful and talented Greg Calbi.

If you were a fly on the wall, you heard this a lot, "Okay, gold cable and now let's try the purple cable." The dude is such a wizard, we swapped cables on each song as opposed to just adding eq to them. And it worked!

But back to the mixing. Man, it was 14 days of awesome times and great music. Sivert and his right hand man, Cato, really did a wonderful job. The songs are great and the performances are totally vibey and rockin.

Sivert continues to be one of my favorite singers and here's why. Every song on the record has great vocals that were done within 3 or 4 takes of the song. I mean, he's a fucking machine. Err, wait, that's not what I mean. Singing machine. That's better.

So we mastered on Wednesday, had a wonderful celebration dinner on Wednesday night and parted ways on Thursday. The Agnello's to Asbury Park and the Nords to Norway on Friday. And I already miss them dearly. Can't wait to see them again. OSLO 2010!!!!!!!

The mastering sounds mighty and narrowed down to a ten song record, this will kill people. Figuratively. Between Madrugada and the Sivert solo records, I can't for the life of me figure out why these guys are huge in this country.

So now we party the weekend with our dear friends, Bill, Hillary and their daughter Sway.
S'okay by me!

Grab yourself a brew!

The Norwegians Are Coming!

John Agnello — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Welcome Mr. Sivert Hoyem!
I am currently working on the new solo record for one of my favorite people in the world, Sivert Hoyem. Some of you know that my 10 year history of working with his band, Madrugada, has yielded some wonderful records. Well this is the first of his solo records I've been involved with and so far it is great. My favorites songs so far are "Moonlanding", "Belorado" and "Arcadian Wives". But there are many other great songs on this record.

Last week we ended the session early and we all went out and had a wonderful dinner at Marco and Pepe's in Jersey City. Yes, Jersey City. The home of scandal, corruption and under the table kidneys in knock off Gucci bags.

We had a great meal and some martinis and the party was on! Anyway, Sivert, Cato, myself and our significant others had a great night and we're a little blurry in the studio today. We master next week and everyone goes home next Friday. Sniff, sniff.

The record is going great and we've all had a great time together. Nothing better.

Till next time.

Shocking Big News!!!!!

John Agnello — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:00:00 PDT

From Out Of The Blue
This just in!!!!!! After 25 odd years of being a DIY engineer, then engineer/mixer, then producer/mixer/engineer, I have signed with a major management company. That company is World's End and after meeting with Sandy Roberton today, I felt super comfortable and was ready to say,"Let's Roll!"

Sandy has being doing this since the beginning. In fact, the first producer he signed was famous for his wire recordings. Kidding.

Anyway, I join a company who has some of my favorite producers on their rosters, including Mr. Sardy and Mr. Katis. Just to mention two.

But do not fear, I will still be the semi indie rock dude with a love of helping up and coming bands and kids of all shapes and sizes.

The difference is now I'll have somebody watching my back when I need it. I like!!!!!!!!

Lots Going On!

John Agnello — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:00:00 PDT

June rules!
June is here and shit is blowing up. Where do I start? Okay, here. First, I am loving the mastered Jemina Pearl record. She has a title and she is almost done with artwork. I hope. Also, she has posted 3 of the songs on her Myspace page. Here is the link. http://www.myspace.com/jeminapearl Since all the songs on the record are great, these three are just a taste of what's to come.

Next, the Sonic Youth record, "The Eternal" comes out on Tuesday. I am sooooooo excited. The press has been great and I've been getting really awesome feedback from a bunch of people about it. Here's a cool article from the Guardian, in the U.K. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jun/05/sonic-youth-rock-music

Next up, Dinosaur Jr. Their new record comes out on the 23rd of June, I think. Anyway, check out this awesome video from the first single, "Over It" from the record, "Farm" . Awesome video, awesome record, awesome band. http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/musicvideo/3645-dinosaur-jr-over-it-jagjaguwar

And last, but not least, the new Son Volt record comes out this month too. This is the best SV record since, "Trace" which is a great record. So there you have it.

Oh, and by the way, The Hold Steady are playing all week in NYC at smaller venues. Thanks to the Bowery Presents people for being awesome enough to make that happen. Best promoters, ever. And we got em!

Okay, until next time!

Mastering Jemina Pearl's Album

John Agnello — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Looks Like We Made it!!!!!
Glory, Glory! We have just completed the mastering phase of the Jemina Pearl record. We are so psyched and there are hugs for all.
Greg Calbi, my main mastering man, slays again! He is the ninja assassin of mastering engineers. He is quick, silent, efficient and deadly!
Everything sounds great! The sequence is awesome! So, we will leave with refs and have some margheritas and listen over the next few days.
Look out world! We've got a monster on our hands!!!!

All Hail, Jemina Pearl!!!

John Agnello — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Holy Shit, we are done!!!!!
It's Monday morning. Having a hard time getting out of bed. Survived another Mother's Day. But the real story of the day is the completion of one of the most fresh and fun records I've ever worked on. The Creed reunion record! Just kidding, that would be a prison sentence.

The record I speak of is the Jemina Pearl record. If you've been following my postings, you know we started pre production on this record in the beginning of March. We arranged and rehearsed the songs until SXSW and then started recording just as my post SXSW hangover was ebbing.

Well, Saturday marked the last day of mixing. It was a bittersweet moment. I was full of joy and relief. But I was also sad to have to say goodbye to John and Jemina. We've spent a wonderful 2 months together and I couldn't pick a better two people to have to be cooped up in a studio with. I feel like I have two more kids and it's wonderful. I'm actually totally proud of both of them because they made a great record and they did it in a fashion which kept it fresh and exciting. Yeah, I fucking love those guys.

So, the record is wonderful, if you haven't guessed already. It will end up being 13 songs. All killer, no filler. Even our b sides are great. It will clock in at around 40 minutes. Prediction, when the last song ends, you will hit play again. It's that kind of record.

Jemina stands out as a great singer on this record. Which is good because it is her record. In this age of pretenders, who's vocals are tuned, processed and flown in, section by section, this woman sang every note. Without any help. And she stood at the mic and sang until it was right. And never complained.

So, Ms. Pearl, congratulations on your wonderful new record. I'm so happy to have been able to make it with you!

And lest I forget, our man John Eatherley did a great job with the music. From drums on up, he played great and had great instincts on his parts.

So, as the "Week of Me" starts, I tip my cap to my two favorite people in the world, Jemina and John

Mixing Away!

John Agnello — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Four In The Can!
No that's not a symptom of Swine Flu, it means we just finished mixing our fourth song. We are mixing away here at Water Music and the stuff is awesome. One visit to mastering and it was all thumbs up from my guy, Greg Calbi. I'm going back tonight to listen to a couple more songs and then it's pedal to the metal!!!!!!!

I'm super excited about this record and can't wait for it to be released into the world. Having gotten tired of all the carbon copy acts out in the airwaves, I think this record will be a breathe of fresh air. It's real and it's the deal.

So I say, "Jemina Pearl is a true talent and will rock our world in the fall!"

More news soon. Thanks for having me.

Almost Done Recording

John Agnello — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:00:00 PDT

So far, so great!
Things are coming along great on the Jemina Pearl record. I took home roughs Saturday night and listened yesterday and I've gotta say, it's pretty friggin' awesome! Her vocals are wonderful. The woman has a great voice and great singing chops.

Out of all the songs that we recorded, there's not a weak one in the bunch. Maybe we should track a couple of shitty ones!

The last few days have been pretty wild. Saturday, after taking John to St. Lukes in NYC to get penicillin for his swollen tonsils, we all went to get Mexican food. Many margaritas were consumed. Followed by chicken races down 8th street. Followed by shots of tequila at DC's. Thanks J! And followed by Jemina playing us some wonderful music back at the studio. It all led to a great evening.

So now we have some minor percussion, a bit vocal part here and there and some guitar and bass and keyboard odds and ends left. Also awaiting contributions from two special guests. Teaser!!!!!!!!

So, we start mixing in a week and it's all very exciting.

Also, Bella, my 3 year old is totally in love with the wonderful Jemina Pearl. She listens to the rough mixes every night while she goes to sleep. She says out loud to nobody in particular, "Jemina is my best friend." She is pretty fucking great!

The Wonderful Jemina Pearl

John Agnello — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Kicking Ass At Water Music!
As I speak, we are in the process of making Jemina's first solo record for Ecstatic Peace. We've been having a great time and the tracks are sounding great. John Eatherly has been playing the shit out of everything. He's sublime. Jemina is just starting her vocals and she is killing it.

We started doing preproduction right before SXSW and then started tracking right after. We're pretty much at the mid point and we'll be wrapping up the record in early May. I'm very excited for people to hear this record.

I haven't worked with an artist with her set of pipes since I worked with Cyndi Lauper. No shit!

Lotsa Catching Up To Do

John Agnello — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:00:00 PDT

Where does the day go?
Hello everyone, it's been a month or so since I've updated the site. Things have been rather topsy turvy in the land of Agnello. Work has been super busy and we're doing major renovations to our house. Bella is getting huge and Sharon is working her butt off.

Where to start.........

Well, middle February found me finishing the Dinosaur Jr. record. What a great record! Lotsa classic J shredding and he's a the top of his writing and singing game. I have many favs on this record and can't wait for it to come out. I have also seen the cover and it's a really cool picture.

Pitchfork did a little video of us in the studio. It came out pretty cool and J and the band whipped out a version of Tarpit for the them.
Here's the site and just search Dinosaur Jr.
http://pitchfork.com/tv/

The record is coming out on Jagaguwar Records and Darius and Chris are great guys.

In the end of February, me and J spent the day at Sterling Sound having the record mastered by the master of all mastering engineers, Greg Calbi. He pretty much nailed it and we walked away 99% done.

The next 10 days found me taking an Atlanta to Greensboro to Jersey City weekend roadtrip to pick up a Baldwin Fun Machine (thanks Janet!) and a bunch of stuff that Sharon's aunt left us.

And the weekend after that I bonded with baby Bella while Sharon partied with her sister/lovers in Miami! We all had a wonderful weekend and Bella was a freakin' angel for me.

So the beginning of March brings a new project and a one off. The one off was a single re mix for my new favorite band, Grizzly Bear. Wow! I worked on the song, "Two Weeks" from their upcoming record and it is wonderful. Ed's got a great voice and he sings really wonderful. And the entire band sings back up that give me Beach Boy chills. It was a great day and Chris from the band hung out and we have a pizza party!

The day after that session. I began doing pre production on my current record. The artist is Jemina Pearl. She was previously the singer in the band, "Be Your Own Pet". She is delightful and her voice is so powerful, it could knock you over. Together with John Eatherly, her drummer/collaborator they have put together a records worth of material that will knock your socks off.

We spent about ten days tweaking the arrangements and we are walking into the studio on Wednesday to start the record. And it will be a blast. From the demo's we did, I can tell you this will be a record that will rock, rage and pop from top to bottom.

They are wonderful to work with already and give me much hope for the next generation of music.

More news on this record as we go.

It Has Been Announced!

John Agnello — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:00:00 PST

"The Eternal" Press Release.
Matador issued this press release earlier today about the new Sonic Youth record, "The Eternal".

Sonic Youth reveal details about new album The Eternal
by Sean Adams
Artists: Sonic Youth

Posted:

Sonic Youth's sixteenth album The Eternal is due for release on June 9th via Matador. Here are all the details.

Steve Shelley, Lee Ranaldo, Mark Ibold, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore have emerged from Echo Canyon West studio in Hoboken, New Jersey (where they have been trickling out details via their Twitter) where they've been working with John Agnello, on their 16th album.

It's called The Eternal and will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally via Matador Records on June 9th (although details are imminent of a special Buy Early Get Now thingamy). According to this 'ere press release The Eternal "features many firsts for a Sonic Youth album, including a number of shared vocals between Kim, Thurston, and Lee, and the studio debut of former Pavement/Dustdevils bassist Mark Ibold, a member of Sonic Youth's touring band for the past few years."

Matador's Gerard Cosloy adds this: "We've not had a record in our recent history that's been the subject of nearly as much speculation and anticipation. Suffice to say we're pretty amazed at the way the band delivered something this neoteric while still sounding like, well, themselves. Less of a reinvention and perhaps more to do with a particularly awesome dozen songs."

Oh and the tracklisting is as follows:

Sacred Trickster
Anti-Orgasm
Leaky Lifeboat(for Gregory Corso)
Antenna
What We Know
Calming The Snake
Poison Arrow
Malibu Gas Station
Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn
No Way
Walkin Blue
Massage The History
Gigs? Upcoming SY shows include April gigs in Austria and Germany (including the closing of SENSATIONAL FIX in Dusseldorf) and May 16th at the No Fun Festival in Brooklyn. Although we hear the band will be touring throughout the summer in support of The Eternal.

So there you go. I can't wait for this record to come out and blow minds!!!

Later!

Back In Amherst!

John Agnello — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:00:00 PST

Mixing Dinosaur Jr.
Well, we are still tweaking the Sonic Youth mastering session, but since 09 is the year of the rock, there's no time wasting. I'm up in Amherst, the home of one great rock dude, J Mascis! We are mixing the new Dinosaur Jr record and so far, it's a mofo! I drove up at dawn on Wednesday and arrived late morning and started mixing. There are some classic J songs on the record and a great 9 minute jam that is mind blowin. Fuck Guitar Hero, I've got my guitar hero right here and he does his own comps.

In terms of the 5 songs I've mixed so far, songs are great, J's shredding like a bat out of hell and singing some great lyrics.

And Lou's songs are soon to come.

So there you have it. 2009. Sonic Youth and now Dinosaur Jr. That means there are going to be two great records out this summer. Look out, cook out!

The Youth, Mixing and Twitter.

John Agnello — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:00:00 PST

The finish line is near.
We are perilously close to the finish of the new Sonic Youth record. We have three songs left with few fixes to do also. The record is great and I can't wait for it to be released. It has been a total burn this month, but the results are wonderful. Every morning I listen to mixes in the house and the family and I are totally stoked.

The band and I have been on Twitter giving updates of the process and tweaking each other too. It's been a blast. So get yourself a Twitter account and search The Sonic Youth and myself. Twitter is totally addicting.

Don't say I didn't warn you. This is going to be a special Sonic Youth record. Boooooom!

Happy Inauguration and Happy Mixing!

John Agnello — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:00:00 PST

So many thoughts, so little time.
Today brings a wonderful wave of emotion to this country. We finally close the door on the failed Bush presidency. Failed in terms of world standing, moral goodness and human decency. Successful in terms of greed, hate, lack of compassion to fellow men and woman, and separatist ways.

President-Elect Obama symbolizes many things to this country. First, he represents real change in racial terms. I have never been more proud of my fellow Americans than the moment in November when it was announced that he had been elected. Despite the efforts of many ignorant, stubborn and/or just plain racist people across the country, like a certain mother in law in Greensboro, a common good was achieved by a majority in this country.

Our next president also symbolizes hope to a country that has witnessed hate, greed, corruption and incompetence. And that was the upside of the Bush presidency! He has already displayed a level headed view of his job that our previous president would never comprehend. The words, "If I screw up." are a refreshing change from the blind and ignorant bravado of our pathetic "War President"

In terms of Bush, my only question is, "When do we convene the grand jury and trial and throw these bastards in jail?"

But let's look forward with hope and pride. The country has earned this moment. And when we wake up tomorrow, this financially crippled, war weary, and bitterly bipartisan country make start healing itself.

Oh, by the way, I started mixing the new Sonic Youth record last Friday and it is awesome. The first four songs are wonderful. This record has everything that makes them my favorite band in the world. The rock, they jam, they score!!!!!!

The mixing continues tomorrow in Hoboken, not far from the site of the recording. We have 12 songs and we master at the end of next week. We did this record, air raid style. We started overdubbing January 2nd and didn't stop until we started mixing. Included in that time was a whirlwind trip to Amherst to the famous Bisquiteen studio to do a few days of vocals with Mrs. Gordon.

Anyway, I'm still short on details, but this I can say. The record is coming out on Matador. It will be out before the summer. The record is wonderful. They are great to work with. This is the best way ever to start a New Year. I'm absolutely gushing.

And I'm late for a date with my favorite mastering engineer.

Ciao for now!

A Man's Best Friend.

John Agnello — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:00:00 PST

A Loss In The Family
Not a great way to start the New Year. We said goodbye today to our wonderful sheepdog, Frank, who after 14 and a half years succumbed to the rigors of old age. Although her front end was great, her back end was a mess and getting worse.

After a horrible Monday night for her, we decided her quality of life was severely diminished. I'll never forget the look she gave me at the doctor's office. It tore a hole in my heart.

Goodbye, Frankie. You were a wonderful dog and a great family member.

Francis Marsh Agnello. Born 7.4.94. Died 1.6.09 RIP.

Happy New Year, 2009!!!!!

John Agnello — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:00:00 PST

Non Stop Madness!
Happy New Year, everyone!!!!

Our trip to Greensboro, North Carolina was partially successful. We spent 6 days working to clean out Sharon's aunt's condo. We endured some crappy weather and my totally insane mother in law.

We got assists from Sharon's Grandma Jenny and Aunt Linda and Uncle Carl for watching Bella, who had a great time with them.

With New Year's Eve approaching, we hurtled our way up north on I-95 and made it home in record time. About 8.5 hours, which is great! Zooming in to Brooklyn to pick up Bella's babysitter/granny.

After a great dinner at The Lighthorse Tavern in Paulus Hook, the Hamilton Park Wrecking Crew ( Agnello's, Lau's and Strub/Van Tassel's) ended up at the Lampost on 2nd Street in Jersey City. Steph served drinks with love and a great time was had by all.

New Years Day was a bit cloudy and January 2nd finds me back at work. So finally, all is normal in the world of Agnello!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

John Agnello — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:00:00 PST

It's a full on Christmas time!
Hey everyone, I hope this posting finds you well. This has been a crazy end of season. I haven't posted since mid November and it seems like I haven't had a spare moment to even think about it.

Where to start! Well in mid-November, I started working on a new record. We started tracking at the wonderful, Echo Canon. We have been working in short 2-3 day stretches and we are now breaking for Christmas. The album is now taking shape and will be awesome. I will have more updates on the record as the time is right.

In my spare time over the last month and a half, I've been taking on some small, one off type gigs. One of the things I did was go through some live old live shows of The Hold Steady. There are some pretty cool recordings and some great performances. We'll see what happens with that stuff.

I also did a remix for the Matador band, Fucked Up. It's a song from their new record on Matador. The song is called "Black Albino Bones" I love them, because they are so much deeper than a screamo/hardcore band. They have really cool arrangements and really made a cool record.

That leads me to my other activities. Mid December brought us two great events at Maxwell's. The Jealous Girlfriends and Nada Surf played great sets on a cold Monday night, which was followed up by a great Christmas party there, the next week. Many a shot of Patrone was consumed both nights.

On the home front, December saw us celebrate Bella's 3rd birthday, move her to a big girl bed and start renovation on our house. Mostly on the same weekend. My advice to anyone reading is to separate each of the prior activities by at least three weeks. The week between December 7th and the 13th almost killed me. And made me a bit insane.

Bella was lucky enough to have two parties for her third birthday. The first was a pizza party with a dozen of her friends at the local Little Gym and the second was a cool party at her school. In the picture, she is blowing out her candle. "Watch the locks, little lady!"

That brings us to the holidays. Happy Holidays! With recording on vacation until after the new year, the ramp up to Christmas was crazy. Loads to do and not enough time to do it. But by Christmas Eve, we were ready to host my wonderful family and equally wonderful Calbi's. Despite some malfunctions in the kitchen we got through the evening. Special thanks to Eric, for locating the leak behind the stove and helping me stop it. Or actually, I helped him stop it.

One of our family traditions, which we started in the earlier part of this decade is a game we play that I learned from some Danish friends. Each attendee brings three wrapped items that are $10 or less. They are all stacked in a pile. A die is rolled and when the number 6 comes up, that person takes a gift. When all the gifts are gone, the fun starts. With all the gifts in plain sight and still wrapped, the players continue rolled the die, this time with a 15 minute total time limit. When another 6 comes up, that person can now take a gift from anyone at the table. You actually see the true Christmas spirit revealed as people fixate on certain items and go back and forth taking them from each other. And then when time expires, all the presents are opened and people are surprised by what they have. This year I got a coconut and a dolphin LED keychain. Ridiculous but fun.

Christmas brought many good tidings for little Miss Bella. A dollhouse and dolly and rocking were some of the highlights. Some of her favorite Melissa and Doug toys were found under the tree. Santa ate the cookies and drink the milk she left for him. Good times. And then off to Princeton, were we had a wonderful dinner hosted by my older brother, Tony.

And now I'm sitting in a hotel in Virginia, halfway from Sharon's town of birth, Greensboro, North Carolina. We'll be taking care of serious business down here, with Sharon trying to settle up her Aunt Joyce's estate. It gives a bittersweet taste to the holidays, but with responsibility comes weight. We'll arrive tomorrow morning with a stiff upper lip and we'll get as much done as possible before heading home for new Year's Eve.

Okay guys and gals, that's it for now. Time for me to hit the buffet breakfast and stuff my gullet. Have a great holiday week!

Ruling week addendum!

John Agnello — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:00:00 PST

It was the best of times......
Hey guys,

How great was last Tuesday night? I cannot remember a more significant moment during my life in the history of the country. I was way too young to appreciate JFK being elected and that was significant because he was Catholic!!!!! Think about that! The moon landing was cool, but kind of surreal. We fucked up with Vietnam. The first Iraq War was political payback. The falling of the Berlin Wall was significant, but not specific to my view of this country. 9/11 was significant, but in a horrible way. So that leaves the election of our great President-elect, Barack Obama!!!!! A great man will be our next president. Which will be the total opposite of the prick/idiot we've had to endure over the last 8 years.

Anyway, no sooner than the high fives and celebrations we're under way, yours truly got ko'd by the local virus/flu. Two days of nastiness and another day of general roughness.

It caused me to miss the two days or tracking I was supposed to do with Dinosaur Jr. in Amherst, Mass. Thankfully, those guys used the extra days to continue rehearsing and write more songs.

I did rally enough to witness the best show I've seen in the last few years. The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers at Terminal 5 last Friday night.

It was insane. Both bands brought their "A" game. The Truckers opened up and were their normal great selves. They very rarely play less than awesome. And they get better every time.

And The Hold Steady. In their home town. They brought it. It was a wonderful. I spent a bunch of time watching the crowd sing every lyric and pump fists in the air and crowd surf. The fans brought it too. It was a memorable night. It made it easier to deal with the fact that I was drenched in sweat and feeling totally wiped out.

And by the way, Hamilton Park, Jersey City came out and represented that night! We had 2 of Bella's friends parents out their rocking with us!!!!!!!

Avoiding any after party activity, Sharon and I made our way home so I could get some sleep before my weekend session. Which went really well.

And then it was up to Amherst to start getting sounds with Dinosaur Jr. And by the way, the three song I heard sounded great. This record might be their best yet.

But now I'm back in Jersey City being Mr Mom! And I love it. Okay, that's it for now. Here's to January 20th, 2009!!!!!!!!!

This week is gonna rule!!!!!!!!

John Agnello — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:00:00 PST

Fasten your seatbelts, mother f**kers!
Okay, so here's what we have this week. Obviously, Tuesday is huge!!!! I am sitting on pins and needle about this election.

If John McCain wins, we are fucked. This country cannot handle another 4 years of the Theological Capitalism of the Bush regime. More wars, more tax cuts for the rich and more deregulation. Unfortunately, the middle of this country is full of either morons, religious fanatics or just plain evil bastards. Take your pick. So we'll see how it plays out. But I've got my fingers crossed.

So, I'm lucky enough to leave first thing Wednesday morning to go to Amherst to help start the new Dinosaur Jr. album!!!! Fuck yeah!!!!!! I cannot wait to get up there.

So I get to spend two days with the boys and then hurdle back to New York to try to see a bit of the greatest show on earth! The Drive By Truckers/Hold Steady show at Terminal Five. That is gonna be crazy!!!! And then I get to do that on Friday again. And I'll have a whole Hamilton Park, Jersey City posse in tow!!!!

So if that's not enough, on the Saturday following, can you guess who I'm starting a record with. Think about it. I've worked with them before. Hmmm.

That's it for now!!!!!!!

Nova Scotia!!!!!

John Agnello — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Add Nova Scotia to my bucket list!
Hey guys,

So I can now add Nova Scotia to the list of hometowns of bands I've worked with. The band in question is Dog Day. When Sharon forwarded me their info and I listened to their songs, I knew I would like them. What I didn't know at the time was that their current record, which I am mixing now, would RULE!!!!!!

These kids are wonderful. I am head over heels about them. The songs are great and Seth and Nancy both have wonderful voices and when they sing together, look out!!!!

I cannot stress to you how great this record is. We're gonna try really hard to break this record in the States.

Be forewarned! Here comes Dog Day!!!!!!!

St. Louis On A Dime!

John Agnello — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Son Volt!!!!!!
Starting my season with some of my favorite bands ever, I landed in St. Louis tonight and drove to the new Son Volt space to start setting up for their new record. Tracking commences today(Monday). I'm super excited about hearing Jay's new batch of songs.

On a interesting sidebar, the Millennium Hotel, which is where I'm staying, happens to be hosting the 2008 Gay Miss USA Pageant. It was inspiring seeing all the wide-eyed contestants hanging around the hotel lobby in their Sunday best.

No word on who is the odds on favorite, but I'll keep an ear out. My bet's on Miss Alaska. I bet she hotter than a pig with lipstick.

Okay, that's it for now. I will update further in the next few days.

Back from Amherst/Northampton

John Agnello — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:00:00 PDT

A quick trip to Mass.
Hey guys, Monday morning I got in the car and drove up to Bisquiteen, the studio home of one J Mascis. I spent the week mixing a new project which includes members of Witch and Cobra Verde. Kinda like the Foo Fighters meets Quiet Riot. Very much kinda. The songs are really cool and I can't wait for it to come out. No label yet and no band name either!!!!!! Hopefully al that will be resolved shortly.

Anyway, I spent 5 days up there and mixing my tush off. And then jetted back to Jersey City last night. I left pretty late, but wasn't able to avoid traffic at 2:00 AM that found me driving around Hunt's Point in the Bronx trying to find a way to get into Manhattan. Thankfully, Sharon, my wife/GPS system guided me back into the city via cellphone.

Some thoughts for the week. Rory will be one years old this month and he is really cute. So is Mango. Luisa's family is really nice. Philly is a panic. Thai Garden in Northampton rocks. And there is nothing prettier than Northampton/Amherst in the fall.

I've got a day and a half off and then it's off to the airport. I'm flying to St. Louis to start tracking with one of my favorite bands, Son Volt!

Yeay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here I Come Again!

John Agnello — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:00:00 PDT

On My Way Home.
It's Tuesday morning and I'm sitting in Madrid Airport, waiting for Continental Flight 62 to start boarding. It's been a swell 10 day trip and I never get tired of spending time in Puerto De La Santa Maria. Paco and Muni, are wonderful hosts and we spent the last two days knocking back and doing generally fun stuff. We did some bowling and yours truly rolled three of his best games in a row. All averaging around 150, which for me is great.

My first 8 days there were spent mixing the new record by my favorite Spanish singer/songwriter, Nacho Vegas. What seems like a funny first name in America, is actually very common here in Spain as it shortened from a more formal first name. And Vegas is the first of his hyphenated last name.

But who cares about names. This guy is the shit! He writes songs that are epic in length and scope. He along with Paco produce incredible records with so much to offer.
This is why he is currently the coolest indie artist in the country.

This is the third record I've worked with him on and it is awesome. This record has more of a classic '70's record vibe in spots. He continues to be one of the best singers in his time and his lyrics are haunting at times.

Well, we are gonna try to get Greg Calbi to master it and then it will be out here in November. I'm really excited. The dude is great.
Also, I want to thank my friend and Nacho's manager, Juan Santaner for helping to sort out the project. He's one of the good guys.

One of the things we did on our downtime is something I've been getting into more and more. Writing. I sat with Paco and interviewed him about his career and his studio. Paco's the king of Spanish indie rock and he's been doing it forever. Once I finish the article, Tape Op will be putting in an upcoming issue.

Being the cynic that I am, I'll believe it when I see it in my mailbox. Nonetheless, I'm planning on trying my hand at a little more writing, so if any of you have any ideas about subjects, drop a line and let me know. If your idea is for me to stop writing, very funny!

The Last 8 Years

John Agnello — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:00:00 PDT

What Happened To US?
So I�ve got a few more minutes before my plane boards. And looking at the news from abroad, I�ve been thinking about a few things. Mostly, I�ve been thinking about how this administration and their crony republicans in the Congress have really made their mark on the first 8 years of this century. So without further ado, let�s look at what they�ve accomplished.

Upon entering office, he ignored all signs that we should be concerned about terrorists plotting to strike in the country. Why should he worry about that when there was tons of brush to clear on his �pseudo� ranch in Crawford. That ranch is to the president, what Disneyland is to kids, �The land of make believe!�

Once we were hit on 9/11, he moved swiftly to retaliate against the constitution. For good measure, he made sure that all of the heroes working on �the pile� were mislead about the health risks. Accomplished with a little help from his then head of E.P.A., Christie Whitman. As those heroes have and will have developed respiratory ailments, we should all demand restitution for those craven actions.

I could go on, but I�d rather quote Peter Baker, from his article in the August 31st edition of The New York Times Magazine, entitled �His Final Days.�

�He (Bush) is the man who misled the country into a disastrous war, ruined U.S. relations around the world, wrecked the economy, squandered a budget surplus to give tax cuts to fat cat friends, played guitar while New Orleans drowned, politicized the Justice Department, cozied up to oil companies, and betrayed American values by promoting torture, warrantless eavesdropping and a modern-day gulag at Guntanamo Bay, Cuba, for people never even charged with a crime.�

Whew, that�s unbelievable. Does anybody besides me think that this president is not only the worst president in history, he should also be made accountable for his misdeeds. I mean, there should be a prison sentence in his future. And then the Fox channel could incorporate that idea with one of their shows. �Prison Break�, starring former president George Bush.

We Lost A Good One!

John Agnello — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Goodbye Aunt Joyce!
We're down in Greensboro, NC to say goodbye to Sharon's Aunt Joyce, who succumbed to cancer on Monday evening. She was a great woman and totally took me into the family with open arms when I first met her in 2000. Which is surprising because I'm a damn Yankee. And an "Eye-talian."

She was always sweet to her nieces and nephews and their kids. She was always wonderful with Sara and Bella. We're gonna miss her, big time.

So with that, we say, "Goodbye, Aunt Joyce. You were loved, you are loved and you will always be loved."

On a work note, I am preparing to embark on another trip to my favorite country, Spain. My good friend Paco is now working on a record with Nacho Vegas, a great singer/songwriter who I've worked with before. He is also the boyfriend of Christina The Astonishing, Christina Rosenvinge, who I just worked with in July.

The autumn looks like it is heating up. Some of my favorite clients are beginning records and I think I'll have something to do with each of them.

There will be more details later on that.

Also, on a totally different note, I can't remember in my entire life when a political party just repeated out and out lies like the Republicans are doing. I implore my fellow countrymen to not fall for this current line of bullshit.

They've spent the last 8 years giving breaks to the major corps and the uber rich. They've taken away our rights and they've totally spent the military, while treating the wounded and dead with no respect. Except during photo ops. These guys are all scumbags.

Don't be fooled. McCain is of the same ilk. From the Keating 5 scandal to hi's most recent flip flopping and embracing the religious right and his staff of ex-lobbyists, he's gonna be Bush, years 9-12. And this country can't handle that.

A couple more thoughts on him. Kudos for him supporting our country, but when people call him a warrior, what exactly did he do? He flew a plane that dropped naplam on people. Or bombs. I wonder how many innocent people were his victims.

And he was a shitty pilot, to boot. How many planes did he crash before he was captured? Three?

The point is, just like our current president, McCain's history is mostly spin. So don't be fooled. And don't believe what the Republicans and the Foxies say. This guy and his running mate are poison.

A Great Week!

John Agnello — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:00:00 PDT

I love August!
Hey kids,

August has been a great month. No sooner than I put Miles, from The Shake Up, in a cab to the airport, mixes were soon finished and the record is awesome!!!! He writes some great songs and his energy is incredible. Also, it was time to party!

The next night we had a going away dinner for Mary Ellen DeVaux, my favorite booking manager at Sterling Sound. As you all know, I have been using Greg Calbi as my mastering engineer since around 1991(???) and she has been booking him for about 2 years. And she has been the best!!!!! We ended the night at HiFi, my favorite NYC bar. We really ended the night on my front porch with some neighbors. Some beers were injured in the ensuing hang.

The next night, Jennifer O'Connor had her record release party at The Mercury Lounge. She and the band were awesome! The new songs sounded amazing. Chris Brokaw added a bunch of depth to the sound. Jennifer sounded wonderful and the next day told me she had a cold? WTF! She sounded great! With a cold???

Also, a certain old guy sang the shit out of his harmony vocal on "Credit In The Cost" I was terrified.

While hanging outside with Jennifer after the show, some of The Hold Steady guys walked by, about to enter the venue. It turns out, they were there to see the next band, J Roddy Walston and the Business. And they meant business. We checked out the first three songs and then blew out of there with babysitter issues. My older daughter, Sara had to drive an hour to get home and then had to be at work early the next morning. So we saw 3 great songs and split. Look out for them, though.

And now, we are relaxing in Noyac, out in Long Island for my birthday weekend. I heart August. Okay, till next time!

I'm All Shake Up!

John Agnello — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Aussie Invasion, Redux!
With The Living End record just released in Australia, we now welcome another great band from down under. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Shake Up!"

The boys from Sydney are great. Their songs kick ass and every one is a hook fest. I've spent the first three days pumping my fist and singing along with the choruses as I mix. It's actually not a pretty sight.

Miles, the singer and guitarist of the band is riding shotgun at the console and he couldn't be a nicer dude. Shooting Red Bulls and chomping on Pringles, he's right there with me, keeping the vibe up!!!!

My favorite song is "Kiss The Pavement" and it has my favorite backing vocals of all time. Think Social Distortion meets The Clash. Big time.

"For Those About To Rock, We Salute The Shake Up!!!!!!!!"

The Pitchfork Music Festival, Day Three!

John Agnello — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:00:00 PDT

We're Kinda Lame!
So day three was quite a day. We woke up super early to find a message from my favorite shred god, J Mascis. We haven't seen J in forever and really missed him. Dino has been on tour forever and we are due a trip up to Amherst to visit his wonderful family.

After breakfast with him we headed into town
to do a little shopping. Shopping turned into more shopping which turned into lunch. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was time to get to the festival. Except we were running late.

Well, we missed a bunch of bands we wanted to see, especially Les Savy Fav. That's why we're lame-o!!!!!!

We did get to see all of Spirtualized, who were awesome and then it was time for the heavyweights. Dinosaur Jr. The were loud and proud. They played a great set of some of my favorite songs. J shredded and took no prisoners. They actually played just about the best I've ever seen them play.

The fans were rabid and demanded an encore, which they got and killed. And then they were done. And on stage A, Spoon.

I love this band, but it had to be hard to follow the Dino rage. They sounded really good and Brett was singing really well, and the crowd was into it , so all's well that ended well.

We made our way back to the hotel where we consumed a bunch of alcohol, potato skins and pizza. It was a good time and we ended the day the way it began, in the hotel lobby with J, laughing our collective asses off. What a great weekend! And now, 3 hours of sleep before we get up for the airport.

Rock mission accomplished!!!!!!

The Pitchfork Music Festival, Day Two!

John Agnello — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Where's Day One?
Due to extreme travel circumstances, we were not able to make it to the first day of the Pitchfork Music Festival. We were burnt from a full day of traveling to drop of certain dogs and babies at their respective places for the weekend and then getting on a flight that sat on the tarmac for an hour. Good times.

But anyway, day two was massive!!!!! As we entered the festival, one of the first people we saw was Melissa from The Ponys. We had a great time catching up.

The first band we saw on the A stage was The Fleet Foxes. I'm a huge fan of their record and they were awesome live. Great harmonies and great vocals in general. Really nicely arranged songs with cool instrumentation.

After they were done, we saw Tad from The Hold Steady wandering around and we knew the party was on! After spending a little time on the bus with the boys knocking back a few tall boys, we worked our way back to the stage area. The Vampire Weekend was finishing up their set and the last two songs sounded really good.

But the main event was about to happen. As Elf Power were finishing up across the field on the C stage, The Hold Steady got ready to take the stage.

When they finally did, it was an amazing experience! They played a great 50 minute set and were on fire. It was totally fun and the crowd was going wild. They were the only band to get an encore that day and they finished with "Killer Parties." It was so good I actually welled up during that song. These guys have worked their asses off and deserve everything they get.

We all high-fived and enjoyed the keg of free IPA that was back stage and drank in the moment. It was a great feeling. It felt so great that we totally missed Jarvis Cocker who was playing right across the field.

Nonetheless, we saw a bit of The Animal Collective and they were pretty cool. All those flashing lights were making me high. So it was time to go back to The Hold Steady bus and start hitting bars. Which we did. We ended up leaving Tuman's, a fine establishment and getting the biggest pizza slice I have ever seen. Then the skies opened up and we got soaked. We eventually got a cab back to the hotel and were done for the night.

Christina The Astonishing!

John Agnello — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Christina Rosenvinge
Hey everybody, I'm a little behind due to various summer activities, but I'm about to catch up, right now!

So I just finished mixing a wonderful record by the multi talented Christina Rosenvinge. The album was tracked in Hoboken at Echo Canyon, Sonic Youth's fabulous engineer, Aaron Mullan. Her backing band included Steve Shelley and Chris Brokaw. Two of my favorite players, period. She's got a great, diverse singing style and I was lucky enough to do some vocal tracking with her. It was really a blast. The record will have 10 great songs on it and will really be fun to listen to.

Greg Calbi masters it on the 22nd of August and it can't happen soon enough! Let's all raise our glass to "Christina The Astonishing!"

Typical Agnello Screw Up!

John Agnello — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Wha' Happened?
You all may be wondering where I've been. It's been over a month since my last posting. Well, I've been remiss in my duties of updating the website.

But I'm back and let me give you a brief over view of the last month and a half.

The end of May was spent in beautiful Puerto Di Santa Maria in Spain. With my good friends, Paco and Muni. While with them, I helped Paco with a couple of records he was working on. It was good times and Paco and Muni are great hosts.

Sharon and Bella joined me on June 6th and we spent 8 days vacationing in different parts of Spain.

We got back in mid June and I've spent a bunch of quality time with little Bella. In the last week we saw The Hold Steady play a great show at McCarren Pool and a great Sonic Youth show at Battery Park. At both shows, the rain held up just enough to really have a great time.

And now, with the holiday weekend in the rear view mirror, I look forward to my next project. The super talented Christina Rosenvinge. We start mixing the record tomorrow at Water Music, in Hoboken. Damn, I love her voice.

Okay, I promise to be more on top of things from now on.

A Great Day!!!!!!

John Agnello — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Sequestered On I Tunes and My First Posting For Paste!
Today is the day that "Sequestered In Memphis" is available for download on ITunes. It's the first single from The Hold Steady's new record. And it's a winner! The record comes out on July 15th and they are playing a ton of shows, including a Brooklyn appearance at McCarren Pool, on June 29th!

Also, today is the day that my first posting for Paste debuts. I'll be doing weekly posts that talk about the making of the record.

For the last record, I did a day by day diary that never saw the light of day. It was supposed to be for an audio mag, but by the time the record was done, my dude at the magazine had moved to another gig. Before we started "Stay Positive", I reread the old diary and decided that chrono was kinda boring. So I'm gonna bounce around on this one. Look for a new posting every Tuesday, until I get a cease and desist order or an angry message from band, mgmt. or label. So this might be the only posting.

Here's a link to it.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/diary/2008/05/the-hold-steady-studio-diary-stay-positive-1129072.html

Enjoy!

The Living End Is Near!!!!!

John Agnello — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Off to Hot-Lanta!
That's where the boys in The Living End are off to. We are just about finished recording and they leave tomorrow to have the album mixed by the legendary Brendan O'Brien. That's super exciting. This is the first timein a long time that I haven't mixed a record I've started, but sometimes you gotta have the big rock master make the record slam.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what magic he does with it.

The album has been great to work on to this point and love each of the dudes in the band! My favorite Aussies, by far!!!!!!

ANyway, look for this record in the end of the summer. You'll be happy I told you about it.

The Living End Are Kickin It!

John Agnello — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Rockin with The Living End
So we are in the middle of their new record and it's pretty great. We are now doing extra guitars and vocal and I'm loving the record so far. The guys are great and really fun to work with and Andy and Scott have been making great dinners with me and Chris have been laying down hot tracks.

In fact, Scott prepared a You Tube piece showing how well we are doing.

Here' s the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ldP02uXEM

By way, sorry for the late entry on this record, but my laptop took a big old dump 10 days ago and it took the great people at Apple a week to fix it. So I spent that time trollin' for band computers.

Anyway, I'm back online and I will post some pictures when I get some.

Be good!

G'Day!

John Agnello — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Here Come The Living End!
All the way from Melbourne, the rock capitol of Australia, please welcome The Living End. These guys are a great band! We are just starting rehearsals. We have 15 great songs and we are fine tuning them. It's been a pleasure so far and the boys are really wonderful. It always makes it easier working with great and talented people. I'm chuffed!

More to come. We start tracking on Saturday!

My Great Week Off!

John Agnello — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Where's my root canal?
So here's the deal, I finished up The Hold Steady record and the Jennifer O'Connor record last week. Pretty much mastered and ready to go. I was looking forward to a great week off. And then, Monday morning, I got up to do some errands and whammo!!!!!

I pulled a muscle in my back. So painful. I couldn't get out of bed on Monday. It was impossible to even sleep. Went to the doctor on Tuesday. X rays at Lennox Hill hospital. Meanwhile I'm thinking I've got a messed up disk. Wow. Bad news.

Bottom line, pulled muscle, 3 days in bed. Felt better on Thursday and guess what, it's time to do taxes! So I spend Thursday and Friday knee deep in receipts and other bullshit.

So here's my week off. Three days in bed with a painful back. Two days siting on my bed going through receipts and other tax bullshit. I'm thinking of getting a root canal over the weekend to make my week complete.

Best Show Of The Year!

John Agnello — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Drive By Truckers Kill It!
Last night, at Terminal 5 in NYC, The Drive By Truckers played an amazing set. Totally the best show so far this year!!!!!!!!!!

They played a bunch of the new record and a bunch of old stuff. All sounded great. The new members, John Neff and Spooner Oldham really added a new dimension to the band's sound.

The after show hang was awesome and many shots were consumed. Today, I'm crushed. Special thanks to Patterson and the Unified Scene for a great evening.

Mastering with the Master!

John Agnello — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Wine Friday!!!!
Tomorrow I return the best mastering facility in the world. Sterling Sound!!!!!!

We are mastering the Jennifer O'Connor record with the great Greg Calbi. How great is he? He's been my got to guy since 1991! That's a lot of years of eq!!!!!!

Anyway, I'm psyched to have him take my new favorite record to the next level. By the way, he totally nailed The Hold Steady record and it sounds awesome.

That beast will be unleashed this summer. If they tour like they did on the last record, it will be a monster.

Okay, I need an icepack. Later.....

By the way, this is a picture of my lovely daughter, Sara and my best friend, Stewart. For no good reason.....

I heart Jennifer O'Connor!!!!

John Agnello — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

I don't just love it, I Lyle Lovett!
Hey everybody!

Be forewarned! The Jennifer O'Connor I just finished is a monster. We finished mixing at about 11:00 PM last night. The record is wonderful. The Matador people are pretty psyched. They visited last Thursday and we played them all 15 songs, b sides included. Usually when you have visitors from the record company, you play 5 or 6 songs and then move on. The more we played, the more they wanted to hear.

So here's the deal. We made a great record in 12 days. Jen sang all the vocals LIVE, while playing acoustic guitar. And every vocal gives me chills. The band played great and captured the mood of each song. We had a few guest appearances that really brought the record to the next level. But even with that, the vibe of the record is the initial tracking.

So here's to Jennifer O'Connor.

To see her postings on the Matador website, here's your link...

http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/

Check it out and when the record comes out in August, you'll see what I'm talking about!

Until next time.......

PS, this record is so great, I got my car broken into in Williamsburg Friday night, got no sleep, got the window replaced Saturday morning/afternoon, and got to work Saturday at 3:00 PM and finished mixing the record. I'm exhausted, but so psyched about the record that I really don't care about that ordeal.

Jennifer O'Conner Is awesome!!!!!

John Agnello — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

We start mixing on Wednesday.
I know all you guys are used to me gushing over the records I work on. And I do. But I've gotta say, this Jennifer O'Conner record is wonderful.

Here's the facts. The songs are great. She sang every vocal live, while playing guitar and leading her band. And she sang every song great! And she is a beautiful singer. We had a few really cool guest appearances and a bunch of friends gave us support.

It's been a great 8 days so far. That's crazy! We've recorded this record in 8 days!!!!!!!

Anyway, we start mixing on Wednesday. I'm really psyched. I can't wait for the Matador people to hear this. They might shit their pants. Hopefully they won't hear it in the studio for the first time.

Okay, I should stop while I'm behind.

This is must read!

John Agnello — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Bushed Again!
The $200 billion bail-out for predator banks and Spitzer charges are intimately linked

By Greg Palast
Reporting for Air America Radio's Clout

Listen to Palast on Clout at www.GregPalast.com

While New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was paying an 'escort' $4,300 in a hotel room in Washington, just down the road, George Bush's new Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke, was secretly handing over $200 billion in a tryst with mortgage bank industry speculators.

Both acts were wanton, wicked and lewd. But there's a BIG difference. The Governor was using his own checkbook. Bush's man Bernanke was using ours.

This week, Bernanke's Fed, for the first time in its history, loaned a selected coterie of banks one-fifth of a trillion dollars to guarantee these banks' mortgage-backed junk bonds. The deluge of public loot was an eye-popping windfall to the very banking predators who have brought two million families to the brink of foreclosure.

Up until Wednesday, there was one single, lonely politician who stood in the way of this creepy little assignation at the bankers' bordello: Eliot Spitzer.

Who are they kidding? Spitzer's lynching and the bankers' enriching are intimately tied.

How? Follow the money.

The press has swallowed Wall Street's line that millions of US families are about to lose their homes because they bought homes they couldn't afford or took loans too big for their wallets. Ba-LON-ey. That's blaming the victim.

Here's what happened. Since the Bush regime came to power, a new species of loan became the norm, the 'sub-prime' mortgage and it's variants including loans with teeny "introductory" interest rates. From out of nowhere, a company called 'Countrywide' became America's top mortgage lender, accounting for one in five home loans, a large chuck of these 'sub-prime.'

Here's how it worked: The Grinning Family, with US average household income, gets a $200,000 mortgage at 4% for two years. Their $955 a month payment is 25% of their income. No problem. Their banker promises them a new mortgage, again at the cheap rate, in two years. But in two years, the promise ain't worth a can of spam and the Grinnings are told to scram - because their house is now worth less than the mortgage. Now, the mortgage hits 9% or $1,609 plus fees to recover the "discount" they had for two years. Suddenly, payments equal 42% to 50% of pre-tax income. Grinnings move into their Toyota.

Now, what kind of American is 'sub-prime.' Guess. No peeking. Here's a hint: 73% of HIGH INCOME Black and Hispanic borrowers were given sub-prime loans versus 17% of similar-income Whites. Dark-skinned borrowers aren't stupid - they had no choice. They were 'steered' as it's called in the mortgage sharking business.

'Steering,' sub-prime loans with usurious kickers, fake inducements to over-borrow, called 'fraudulent conveyance' or 'predatory lending' under US law, were almost completely forbidden in the olden days (Clinton Administration and earlier) by federal regulators and state laws as nothing more than fancy loan-sharking.

But when the Bush regime took over, Countrywide and its banking brethren were told to party hardy - it was OK now to steer'm, fake'm, charge'm and take'm.

But there was this annoying party-pooper. The Attorney General of New York, Eliot Spitzer, who sued these guys to a fare-thee-well. Or tried to.

Instead of regulating the banks that had run amok, Bush's regulators went on the warpath against Spitzer and states attempting to stop predatory practices. Making an unprecedented use of the legal power of "federal pre-emption," Bush-bots ordered the states to NOT enforce their consumer protection laws.

Indeed, the feds actually filed a lawsuit to block Spitzer's investigation of ugly racial mortgage steering. Bush's banking buddies were especially steamed that Spitzer hammered bank practices across the nation using New York State laws.

Spitzer not only took on Countrywide, he took on their predatory enablers in the investment banking community. Behind Countrywide was the Mother Shark, its funder and now owner, Bank of America. Others joined the sharkfest: Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup's Citibank made mortgage usury their major profit centers. They did this through a bit of financial legerdemain called "securitization."

What that means is that they took a bunch of junk mortgages, like the Grinnings, loans about to go down the toilet and re-packaged them into "tranches" of bonds which were stamped "AAA" - top grade - by bond rating agencies. These gold-painted turds were sold as sparkling safe investments to US school district pension funds and town governments in Finland (really).

When the housing bubble burst and the paint flaked off, investors were left with the poop and the bankers were left with bonuses. Countrywide's top man, Angelo Mozilo, will 'earn' a $77 million buy-out bonus this year on top of the $656 million - over half a billion dollars - he pulled in from 1998 through 2007.

But there were rumblings that the party would soon be over. Angry regulators, burned investors and the weight of millions of homes about to be boarded up were causing the sharks to sink. Countrywide's stock was down 50%, and Citigroup was off 38%, not pleasing to the Gulf sheiks who now control its biggest share blocks.

Then, on Wednesday of this week, the unthinkable happened. Carlyle Capital went bankrupt. Who? That's Carlyle as in Carlyle Group. James Baker, Senior Counsel. Notable partners, former and past: George Bush, the Bin Laden family and more dictators, potentates, pirates and presidents than you can count.

The Fed had to act. Bernanke opened the vault and dumped $200 billion on the poor little suffering bankers. They got the public treasure - and got to keep the Grinning's house. There was no 'quid' of a foreclosure moratorium for the 'pro quo' of public bail-out. Not one family was saved - but not one banker was left behind.

Every mortgage sharking operation shot up in value. Mozilo's Countrywide stock rose 17% in one day. The Citi sheiks saw their company's stock rise $10 billion in an afternoon.

And that very same day the bail-out was decided - what a coinkydink! - the man called, 'The Sheriff of Wall Street' was cuffed. Spitzer was silenced.

Do I believe the banks called Justice and said, "Take him down today!" Naw, that's not how the system works. But the big players knew that unless Spitzer was taken out, he would create enough ruckus to spoil the party. Headlines in the financial press - one was "Wall Street Declares War on Spitzer" - made clear to Bush's enforcers at Justice who their number one target should be. And it wasn't Bin Laden.

It was the night of February 13 when Spitzer made the bone-headed choice to order take-out in his Washington Hotel room. He had just finished signing these words for the Washington Post about predatory loans:

"Not only did the Bush administration do nothing to protect consumers, it embarked on an aggressive and unprecedented campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the very problems to which he federal government was turning a blind eye."

Bush, said Spitzer right in the headline, was the "Predator Lenders' Partner in Crime." The President, said Spitzer, was a fugitive from justice. And Spitzer was in Washington to launch a campaign to take on the Bush regime and the biggest financial powers on the planet.

Spitzer wrote, "When history tells the story of the subprime lending crisis and recounts its devastating effects on the lives of so many innocent homeowners the Bush administration will not be judged favorably."

But now, the Administration can rest assured that this love story - of Bush and his bankers - will not be told by history at all - now that the Sheriff of Wall Street has fallen on his own gun.

A note on "Prosecutorial Indiscretion."

Back in the day when I was an investigator of racketeers for government, the federal prosecutor I was assisting was deciding whether to launch a case based on his negotiations for airtime with 60 Minutes. I'm not allowed to tell you the prosecutor's name, but I want to mention he was recently seen shouting, "Florida is Rudi country! Florida is Rudi country!"

Not all crimes lead to federal bust or even public exposure. It's up to something called "prosecutorial discretion."

Funny thing, this 'discretion.' For example, Senator David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, paid Washington DC prostitutes to put him diapers (ewww!), yet the Senator was not exposed by the US prosecutors busting the pimp-ring that pampered him.
Naming and shaming and ruining Spitzer - rarely done in these cases - was made at the 'discretion' of Bush's Justice Department.

Or maybe we should say, 'indiscretion.'

************
Greg Palast, former investigator of financial fraud, is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Armed Madhouse and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

Hear The Palast Report weekly on Air America Radio's Clout.

And next Wednesday March 19, join Palast and Clout host Richard Greene on a dinner cruise on the Potomac River. For more information click here.

And this Sunday, at noon, on WABC-TV New York, catch Amy Goodman, Les Payne and Greg Palast on Like It Is with Gil Noble.

Back In Williamsburg, Brooklyn!!!!!

John Agnello — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:00:00 PDT

Please welcome, Jennifer O'Connor!
I'm back from a quick few days in Vieques. It was great. I want to go back!!!!

But I'm back and back to work. To my advantage, I am in the studio with the wonderful Jennifer O'Conner. We started tracking today at Headgear, my favorite Brooklyn studio. And so far, the results are great.

She has a lovely voice and is a gifted songwriter. Today, we got down to business and we just started cutting vocals live. And she and the band nailed 3 tracks, with keeper vocals. Stunning.

This record is gonna be fun and is gonna be results are going to be beautiful. Despite my efforts.

Vieques with John And Sharon

John Agnello — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:00:00 PST

Quick vacation!
Man, I loved our time in Vieques. Great food. Pina Coladas. A beautiful island. Awesome.

Still done, but not done yet!

John Agnello — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:00:00 PST

The Waiting Game Starts Now!!!!!!
So we've gone through the preliminary stages of mastering. So far so good! Greg Calbi mastered the shit out of the record and we're gonna live with it awhile and get the sequence and other details right.

But everyone in the band is psyched and ready to get this record out.

Here are some of the things that will keep me busy until I start Jennifer O'Connor on the 10th of March.

My mom's 80th surprise birthday party.
Vet visits for various dog and cats.
Impromptu trip to Puerto Rico with the wife.
Great Thurston/Roky Erickson show in NYC.
Going through Jen O'Connor demos.
Going through The Living End demos.
Avoiding doing my taxes.
And spending awesome time with little Bella!
My favorite!

Okay, I'll tell you about the rain forest and other things next time.

BTW, I'm not kidding you, the Jennifer O'Connor demos sound wonderful and we're gonna make a kick ass 2 week record starting March 10th.

Later!

Done and Done!

John Agnello — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:00:00 PST

It's all over but.......
Hey guys,

We did it! We finished The Hold Steady record! It is awesome and we toasted last night around 2:00 AM as the last recall was finalized. It has been a wonderful 6 weeks and we still have little things here and there to deal with, along with mastering, but for all intents and purposes, it is done.

I can't wait for their fans and the rest of the public to hear it. To quote my daughter Sara when she heard a couple of songs last weekend, "Wow dad, that really sounds incredible." And she's a fan and a tough judge so I know she was being candid.

This record was incredibly fun to make and I want to thank the entire band, along with some of our friends, who added their wonderful talents and all the dudes at each studio who helped me on it. What a great team and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. Except, of course, my buddy TJ, who is currently getting himself better.

Still Mixing Away!

John Agnello — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:00:00 PST

Home stretching!
Things are going great in the studio. We're half way to the completion of mixing this beast! It's been great, because everyones been hanging and having a blast. Saki, Jameson, Bloody Mary's, etc. And on Sunday, Tad played an acoustic set at the Living Room for the wonderful KIndercore people. Sitting in with him were Franz, Craig, Doug Gillard and the "Cupcake Punk" herself! It was really awesome and my little Bella was there to see it. And dig it. Okay, more tidbits later.

Start Mixing!!!!!!!!!

John Agnello — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:00:00 PST

Okay guys, it sounds great. Now don't fuck it up!!!
That was a direct quote from Tad Kubler, resident genius and driving guru from The Hold Steady. So we are finished recording and will commence mixing today. Meaning the fourth of February. I promise you, this record is ruling already!!!!!

On a totally sublime note, I turned down a recording gig with Cyndi Lauper, because I was in session with The Hold Steady dudes. Wacky shit!!!!

And by the way, if you want more info on the making of the record, check The Hold Steady message board. Those guys know what's going on. Not sure how, but it's pretty amazing!

The Beard Off!

John Agnello — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:00:00 PST

Getting My Butt Kicked
Hey guys,

We're are in the thick of The HoldSteady record and the "Beard Off" To see who's in the lead, go to the band's website. http://www.theholdsteady.com/

Talk atcha later.

Moving Right Along!!!!

John Agnello — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:00:00 PST

The Hold Steady Assault On My Liver Continues.....
Hey Guys,

We continue to work on the new record. So far, so great. Check The Hold Steady site for updates and pictures from the sessions. I can't wait for this record to come out. These guys are motherfuckers!

THE HOLD STEADY!!!!!

John Agnello — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:00:00 PST

Look who's back!
It is with great pleasure that I welcome back The Hold Steady to the studio. We have just started recording the new record and it is gonna be awesome.

I don't have many details besides the fact that the songs are great, everyone is playing and/or singing their asses off and we are having a blast.

There will be more to come.

Happy New Year!

John Agnello — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:00:00 PST

Don't Hate 08!!!!!!

Hey everybody,

After a holiday hangover that was the size of Minnesota, I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Last year was pretty great and I look forward to what 08 has to offer. At the least, it's our last year of having to deal with the "War President". Or as I call him, "Asshole in Chief."

I've been slack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Agnello — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:00:00 PST

Sorry, I'm late.
Sorry for such a long layoff. Lately my shit's been blowing up left and right, so I've been slack in updating the news page. Among other things.

So we finished mixing the Madrugada record, for now. It came out pretty great. But they are coming back next week to do some tweaks. Thanksgiving with the Nords!!!!! Not really. We're working Monday through Wednesday and they are flying back to Oslo on Turkey Day.

After we finished the MAdrugada record, I took a couple of days of and started mixing a record for a very talented young man. His name is Aaron Lee Tasjan. He is the guitar player for a band named Semi Precious Weapons. But his solo record is a wonderful piece of work in the vein of Gram Parsons/Burrito Bros. I know that's saying a lot, but you have to hear it to believe. Great dude, great singing, great burrito! I have no idea what I'm saying.

During Aaron's record, I took a day off for Halloween and to visit Sara, number one daughter at UDel. Halloween was great. Sharon dressed as a bald Britney Spears and Bella was a honeybee. We had loads of fun that day. And at UDel, we watched half of a football game and then went shopping in the beautiful town of Newark, Delaware.

Last week, I ran into Headgear studios to record 3 songs for the band Gladshot. We had a great 4 days and Mike and Debbie from the band are super fun and cool. I love working at Headgear because, it sounds great there, Scott Norton is my favorite studio buddy and Dave Sitek works next door and he is really a great hang and one of my favorite producers. Everytime I'm there, he plays me something that blows my mind!!!!! Including last week.

And now currently, I am mixing a record for my Danish brother Christian and his band, "Racetrack Babies" They have a video posted on the M2 Subterranean site. The song is called, "The Storm" It's pretty hot. Cool.

Okay, tomorrow I'm doing another one off with Sonic Youth. I'll post more about that later.

Oh yeah, and the soundtrack for "I'm Not There" will be coming out soon. The movie looks like it's going to be awesome. And ditto the soundtrack.

Now we're all up to date. Yeeahhh!!!!!!!!!

Where've I Been?

John Agnello — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Mixing Madrugada
I know it's been awhile. Upon returning from Sweden, I brought myself home a gift. A bug that kicked my ass for a week. Which was a great way to spend my week off. Oh well.

Anyway, here we are at The Magic Shop, in beautiful Soho, NYC and we are mixing the Madrugada record. This has been a hell of a ride, and it's been amazing finishing these songs. I loved this record from the get go. But it's really super listening to them completed. I'm very excited to be finished and have the record out. We are scheduled to move the mixing to Water Music on the 15th of October and then we master on the 27th with the great Greg Calbi.

Okay, wish me luck.

Sweden With Madrugada!

John Agnello — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:00:00 PDT

My first time in Sweden.
I just arrived in Sweden to start the next phase of recording the next Madrugada record. After a long and wacky flight, I arrived in Gothenburg, a little worse for the wear and very confused. After sorting out travel to the studio, I have a bit of time to decompress. This city is beautiful!

The studio, Svenska Grammaphone, is owned by Kalle of The Soundtrack Of Our Lives. I really like him and his band! The studio looks pretty good, too.

So, recording will commence tomorrow and it will be weird finishing this record without my good friend, Robert. I'm sure things will get emotional at one point. How could they not? As I have said previously, he will be sorely missed. But, we are finishing this record for him. His life revolved around music and this record will be part of his legacy.

Okay, that's it for now.

The Walkmen in Mississippi!

John Agnello — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Damn, it's hot down here!
Greetings from the deep south. I'm not sure what's hotter, the town of Oxford, the kick ass bbq, or the new Walkmen songs. Okay, it's obviously the new Walkmen songs. We are camped out at Sweet Tea Recording working on the rest of The Walkmen record. There are two standouts so far with more to come. This is going to be a great release for 2008! As a yankee, I am blown away how hot it is down here. When we finsih work at midnight, it is still steaming out. Hot Damn!!!!!!!!!!

The Hazey Janes are back!!!!!!

John Agnello — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:00:00 PDT

My Fav Scots!!!!!!
After kicking major American ass in March, both in Hoboken and at SXSW in Austin, the Hazey Janes have returned to the scene of the crime to finish their record. They haven't slacked off a bit in the three months the've been back home.
They showed up at my house with a case of PBR on Saturday and showed up at the studio the following Monday with the rock and a pair of drumsticks.
While in the area, they played three awesome shows in their spare time. I witnessed the Maxwell's show and it was awesome! Without any rehearsing or a soundcheck, they ripped through 11 great songs and sang and played great!
The new songs we are working on are monsters! I'm in the middle of mixing a song called, "Stomp" which is making me weep continuously. In a good way.

Blowtorch In The Wind

John Agnello — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:00:00 PDT

My friend, Robert
Today's blog comes with a very heavy heart. Yesterday, at 5:20 PM, EST, I got the worst text I could ever get. My friend Robert, from the band Madrugada passed away yesterday. At 31 years old. Crazy sad. Crazy sad.

I've worked on about 4 records with him and known him for about 9-10 years now. We had some great times and we had times when we wanted to strangle each other. But, he was always a talented, wonderful man. When we reconnected, last year to work on his solo project, we had a great time and we also had a wonderful time tracking with Madrugada in May.

He had a wonderful smile, a great sense of humor and was and will always be one of my favorite guitar heroes.

My heart goes out to his close friends and bandmates, Frodes and Sivert and his family.

I miss him already.

I'm stealing the Elton John lyric, "Candle In The Wind" and changing it to suite my memories of Robert.

Robert, I hope someday I see you on other side. I'll bring mics and pre amps. You bring your guitar and we'll hire an amp.

And get back to business.

John

7/13/07

Jamie McLean at Water Music

John Agnello — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Mixing Jamie McLean!
Here I am again at Water Music. Cranking out the rock of Jamie McLean and his band. He was the guitar player for The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and his new record kicks ass. I'm mixing half the record and my great friend, Stewart Lerman, produced it and is mixing the rest of the record. We're having a great time and the record kicks ass.

The Return Of Cobra Verde

John Agnello — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:00:00 PDT

The Nice Guys Are Back In Town!
Fresh off of exploding boilers and demolished additions and holiday bbq's, I return to the scene of last month's crime. Bisquiteen!!!!!!!!!
And the best studio manager ever!
Anyway, me and the Cobra Verde boys are back to mixing. The first six songs are great and I'm excited to nail the next six. My favorite of the first six, "Wild Weed" was stuck in my head the entire vacation.
By the way, here's a picture of me and Mango, assistant studio manager.

Impromptu Vacation

John Agnello — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

What a difference a day makes!
So, on Monday, July 25th, me Sharon and Bella were sitting around with our original vacation plans cancelled. Then Sharon started doing what she does best. KICKING ASS!!!!!! Within hours, we had hotel, flights, rental car and house sitter booked.
On Tuesday we flew to Ocean Isle, North Carolina, just north of the South Carolina border! We had a great 6 day, last minute vacation and got to spend a day in Raleigh with Sharon's hometown posse. Special thanks to Paige T. and Ben and Jen for letting us crash.
Highlights included the Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Bella's first ferry ride, Bella's first experience with the beach and tons of great fish, mostly fried. And Sharon's birthday!

Cobra Verde

John Agnello — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Back To Amherst!
Here's why I love my job! I finished with Son Volt around 1:00 AM, late Tuesday night. Go home, walk dog, drink PBR and go to bed. I then wake up at 8:00 AM, Wednesday morning and head up to Amherst.
Back to my favorite studio, Bisquiteen!!!!!!
Where I am mixing the new Cobra Verde record. They are awesome and nobody rocks harder! They are the pride of Cleveland. They are also Nice Guys!!!!!!!!!!
Special thanks to Luisa, best studio manager ever. And Mango, best bulldog/assistant.

Son Volt Drive By

John Agnello — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

A quickie with the Son Volt boys!
After a great Father's Day with Sharon, Sara and Bella, I settled into Water Music for a two day session with the Son Volt guys. It was great seeing them and me and Jay had some good laughs over absolutely nothing or something like that. I love working with these guys. I'm totally psyched to see them play in August.

The Whipsaws

John Agnello — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Straight From Alaska!!!!!
Fresh off the Thurston Moore mastering session, I'm now mixing The Whipsaws new record. They came all the way from Anchorage, bearing kick ass alt. country rock, fresh salmon jerky and sweet micro brew beer. What's better than that? And we are mixing while a crazy thunderstorm has the streets of Hoboken flooded. If you like Son Volt, Wilco or The Truckers, you'll love these guys.

Mastering Thurston Moore

John Agnello — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

We're Almost Ready!!!
Fast Times At Sterling Sound! Led by the mastering engineer of the ages, Greg Calbi, we are almost finished with the Thurston solo album. I should say, "Greg" is almost finished with the album. It sounds awesome! I cannot wait for it to be released. Expect it in early Fall.

Sonic Youth!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Agnello — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Bob Dylan/I'm Not There
Attention All Shoppers!!!!!!
I just spent the day with Sonic Youth, in their new studio, working on a song for the upcoming Todd Haynes directed movie about Bob Dylan. I can't go into more detail right now, but I will eventually. It's a really cool and rare song that they have worked up in a really cool fashion.

My week off!

John Agnello — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 17:00:00 PDT

I've got a week off!!!!!!
Hey guys,

It's been a hectic few months so I am going to enjoy this 5-7 days off. I might be working with the Youth this weekend, but I'm not sure. We'll be playing it by ear. But what I will be doing is playing with Bella, hanging with Sharon, hanging with Sara and Christa and doing a ton of errands.

Here's what the rest of the month looks like.

The Whipsaws, from Alaska
Possibly, the Youth
A couple tunes with Son Volt and some one off stuff with Jay Farrar.

Until them, I'm gonna enjoy this week.

BTW, this is Bella enjoying the swing at the local park.

Madrugada in The 'Boken

John Agnello — Mon, 21 May 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Madrugada!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm back at Water Music working with the great Norwegian band, Madrugada. They are really something else. I worked on their first two records, around the turn of the century. This century. We are tracking their new record and it's going great. We are recording everyone live, including vocals. These fuckers are really bringing it. I'll have more to report later on. We track for 10 days and then they go back to Norway to do more overdubs. Also, even though they don't play the states too often, if you have the opportunity to see tem live, take advantage.

Return to Amherst/Northhampton

John Agnello — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:00:00 PDT

We're back!!!!!!!!
Sorry for this late entry, but my shit's been blowing up. Figuratively. Anyway, after 3 weeks off so Sonic Youth could conquer the Far East and Coachella, we are back at Bisquiteen continuing on the Thurston Moore record.

There are many great stories about their trip including scaling the Great Wall, that I could go on and on. But I won't. From what I heard, the shows were great, the fans were awesome and those guys had a great experience.

But back to the Thurston record. First off, after spending 3 weeks with the rough mixes, I couldn't wait to get back to the studio and finish this record off. The songs have really taken great shape and Thurston's singing is really wonderful. People might be a bit surprised at the tone of the record, but it is really beautiful.

We break for Mother's Day and hopefully will be finished mixing next week.

Look for this record in Autumn. It is great!

Who's Gladshot?

John Agnello — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 17:00:00 PDT

These guys are great!
So I'm working with this band called Gladshot! They are from New York and they are really cool. Wait until you here the songs! Really great melodies and they sing their asses off. This record is gonna surprise a lot of people!

2007, The Year Punk Re Broke!

John Agnello — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Rockin Massachucettes
After a week of recuperating from SXSW, I find myself up in Amherst recording with Thurston Moore on his new solo record. We have some awesome guest musicians, including Steve Shelley on drums. And we are recording at Bisquiteen Studios, which is in the house of Mr. J Mascis. It doesn't get any better than this.
Thurston's new songs are great and this record is going to surprise and blow people away. The vibe of the session is great and I love being up here. Anyway, we are at the early stages and we are taking most of April off, while the Youth are in Asia, the place, not the band. I'll hit you with more info next month.

SXSW Day 4

John Agnello — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Chillout and Softball
Hey guys,

Today, my final day in Austin is dedicated to playing softball and not getting hurt or worse and getting to return home tomorrow. This years festival was really great. It makes me look forward to next year. Big time.

SXSW Day 3

John Agnello — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:00:00 PDT

The insanity continues......
Hey all,

Today is the final day of SXSW and it stood out as an awesome day of music. I was lucky enough to see a shitload of great performances and a couple amazing shows.
The day started at 12:30 PM with a really cool show by The Jealous Girlfriends from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC. They are so hot, they broke the AC at the Scoot Inn.
After their show, I ran over to see The Walkmen at a party on Red River. These guys have never played a bad show and I wish I could sing like Hamilton. He kicks ass, big time.
Next up, Thurston Moore and MV/EE at a cool record store, The End Of An Ear, on South 1st. MV/EE were cool. And Thurston was really great. This was really cool because it was small and intimate. His new songs sound great and I can't wait to hear his next solo record.
After that, my dogs were barking so I took a bus back to my hotel.
Okay, so the evening went like this........
Terry Reid, who was to be the original singer of Led Zeppelin did a great set at Antones. That fucker can still sing.
Mohair at La Zona Rosa. Very cool power pop/rock via 1976.
And then two great shows, back to back.
At Maggie Maes rooftop, the Hazey Janes kicked serious ass. It was unbelievable. These kids are really talented. They sing great. They write great. They look great. They are great. They blew the shit up and the place was packed. These kids should have a record deal now.
And finally, Turbonegro. Turbo-fucking-negro!!!!!!!!!!!
Breathtaking! They rock like GNR. They dress like a cross between The Village People and the SS. They were so great, at the end of the night, me and my good friend, Bill Dolan, were stunned. Their encore was "I Got Erection" and "The Age Of Pomparius" One more time. Un fucking believable!
The night ended at about 3:30 AM. We were pretty wiped out.

SXSW Day 2

John Agnello — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:00:00 PDT

SXSW Day 2
Today is my second day of SXSW. I start the day a bit cloudy, but nothing like BBQ to kick start it at 11:30 AM. My panel on "Studio Do's or Don'ts" was awesome. I sat between the awesome Sylvia Massey, a super talented producer/engineer and the legendary Sandy Pearlman, the real genius behind the "More Cowbell" skit on SNL. He has made some of my favorite records of all time. Two artists he's worked with are the Clash and Blue Oyster Cult. No too shabby.
Anyway, after that I went over to see my friends, The Sammies. Their set was delayed so I wandered over to Stubbs, where I saw Kings Of Leon and The Buzzcocks. Both bands were amazing!!!!!
The highlight of the day was Amy Winehouse. Wow! A great singer and performer. After that, Thurston Moore solo, which was great and Tall Firs who are on Estatic Peace, Thurston's label.
When I couldn't get in to see The Walkmen at Emo's, I met the dudes from Turbonegro and a bunch of friends for drinks at the Driskell. A fun night was had by all.
More tomorrow.

SXSW Day One!

John Agnello — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:00:00 PDT

Look Out Cookout!
Hey everybody, I'm at SXSW! Disneyland for drunks! I landed at 3:00 PM and hit the ground running. Dropped my bags at the hotel and checked in at the Convention Center and met up with The Walkmen, who rocked out at great set at one of the thousand music venues on Sixth Street. A couple meetings and a refreshing stop at the hotel and the night started with a bang. Saw Joan As Policewoman, The High Dials, Fucked Up and a great set by The Ponys! Much Tequila was consumed. Jamesons too. Beer also. Good times and the best news is that more of the same today. Pictures to follow

The Hazey Janes

John Agnello — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 16:00:00 PST

My favorite Scots!
I'm in with the Hazey Janes. Four awesome kids from Scotland. We are having fun and completing the first half of their upcoming record. These kids write, play and sing great. Singing has really been a blast. Andrew, Alice and Liam have been doing their vocals live and one takes indeed! Keep your eye out for these fuckers! They are special and not Jerry's kids special, either

Turbonegro Redux!

John Agnello — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 16:00:00 PST

The Return of the Nords in Denim!
Turbonegro returned to America to finish mixing the amazing new record. We finished it at the Magic Shop in Soho. What an awesome record! Two of my favorite songs are "Hell Toupee" and "What Is The Rock". Unbelievable!

The Hold Steady and Bob Dylan

John Agnello — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 16:00:00 PST

The Hold Steady and the Bob Dylan movie
After a couple of days off, I'm back at Headgear mixing a song the The Hold Steady recorded earlier in January for the Todd Haynes directed Bob Dylan movie. The song we recorded was, "Baby Please Crawl Through Your Window." It was a b side from the "Blonde On Blonde" era. I think it ended up on Biograph. The band is kickin ass in Europe and are playing sold out shows every night. So I'm here on my own. I should be fine. I have no picture of the band and Mr. Dylan so I'll settle for Don Rickles.

I'm back!!!!!!!

John Agnello — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:00:00 PST

Back In The U.S.S.A.!
Wow wow wee wow! It's great to be home. We landed at Newark in the middle of this snowstorm and it was scary. Anyway, the trip was great. Both records came out really cool and I hope the Jet Lag record sees the light of day in this country. This is me and Juan by the Loco pool!

Hola from Spain!!!!!!!!

John Agnello — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:00:00 PST

I'm in Spain for two weeks!
What a perfect break from winter. I'm in the Puerta de santa Maria, near Cadiz, working at my good friend, Paco Loco's studio. He's a great producer, engineer and musician in his own right. And his wife, Muni is the bomb! I am mixing two bands Paco produced. One is Bonbones, a great power pop band and the other is Jet Lag. I mixed their last record too. They are a super cool, almost americanan type band led by Juan Santaner, a great guy. And one hell of a songwriter. Can't wait to work on some great music and eat some amazing food. I am not worthy!

Back To The Walkmen!

John Agnello — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 16:00:00 PST

The Return of the Walkmen
Hey guys, no sooner do Turbonegro leave town after a great 2 weeks, than The Walkmen return to Hoboken! We are going to finish up the 6 songs that we started before Christmas. They are great guys and we're gonna have some fun. And the songs are awesome!

Turbonegro comes to town!

John Agnello — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:00:00 PST

January is officially "Turbonegro" month in Hoboken!
All the young dudes in Hoboken are abuzz with the arrival of Turbonegro. We begin mixing the new record at Water Music in Hoboken. I can't wait!

Jay, Janet and Cal Robbins

John Agnello — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:00:00 PST

Please read this!

Hey everybody,

Jay and Janet Robbins are dear friends of ours. Over the last few months, they found out that their son, Cal, was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Please copy the link below and paste it on your browser. Any help or support would be appreciated.

http://www.desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml

Christmas with The Walkmen

John Agnello — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:00:00 PST

Recording with The Walkmen
Eggnog lattes are flowing at Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey as we begin tracking with The Walkmen on their upcoming record. We start by tracking 6 songs and we'll see what happens from there.

Katy Mae!

John Agnello — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 16:00:00 PST

Katy Mae at Water Music
The perfect post Thanksgiving remedy is mixing the new Katy Mae record. Maggadee Records is putting it out and it is awesome. These guys put the "can" in Americana. Unfortunately, they also put the "cunt" back into Country Music!

The Hold Steady's Triumphant Return to NYC!!!!!!

John Agnello — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:00:00 PST

Better stock up on aspirin!
The Hold Steady return from a bunch of touring to play 2 shows in the NYC area. November 22nd at Warsaw in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and November 24th at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. The live shows have been lauded by all who have seen them! There will be many hangovers for Thanksgiving!

Flowerland At Headgear

John Agnello — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:00:00 PST

Or Headgear at Flowerland!
I'm mixing the band Flowerland at Headgear Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They are a pretty hotshit band from the 90's and they are re-releasing this record. Should be a fun week.
Headgear is one of my favorite places to mix.

Bella's first Halloween!

John Agnello — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:00:00 PST

Bella's First Halloween!
Hey guys, on a personal note, I want to post this picture of my youngest daughter, Bella Pearl on her first Halloween. Go Bella! Go Bella!

Dinosaur Jr.

John Agnello — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 17:00:00 PDT

Holy Shit! I'm mixing the new Dinosaur Jr. with the original lineup!!!!
Hello all, after a week off in North Carolina with friends and family, I zoomed up to Amherst, MA. to mix the new Dinosaur Jr. record. It's Awesome! I'm so psyched to finally work with all three of the original members. The new songs are great! We are taking off for a few days around Halloween and CMJ and then I'm back up here to complete the rock!

My Midnight Creeps

John Agnello — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 17:00:00 PDT

My Midnight Creeps
No rest for the weary! After a day off, I am at the Magic Shop in NYC with my Norweigan friend, Rober Buras, mixing his band My Midnight Creeps. Robert's day job is being in the band, Madrugada. They are great and they should be huge here, but go figure. Anyway, we are here all week and then move to Water Music to finish next week. We got bumped from the Magic Shop by some punks named Interpol! Kidding.

The Ponys On Matador

John Agnello — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 17:00:00 PDT

The Ponys New Release.
Sorry for the late nature of this release, but I just wrapped up The Ponys record, which will be released on Matador in late winter. These guys are the best! They were fun to work with and the record is really great! We tracked it at Electrical Audio and it was a blast working there. Albini, Greg, John and Rob were awesome. And we mixed at one of my favorite places, Headgear In Brooklyn.

Son Volt Mixing

John Agnello — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 17:00:00 PDT

Son Volt Mixing
I just flew out to St. Louis to finish mixing the new Son Volt record. It\'s slated for release in the Spring of 2007. Get excited!

The Talk

John Agnello — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 17:00:00 PDT

The Talk
This week I'm mixing a record for a Charlotte, NC band called The Talk.

Mason Dixon

John Agnello — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 17:00:00 PDT

Mason Dixon
I'm mixing one of Brooklyn's finest rock bands, Mason Dixon.

Smackdab

John Agnello — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 17:00:00 PDT

Smackdab!
The Oxford Collapse record is done and I'm heading into Headgear Studios today to start mixing a project called Smackdab. The band consists of Linda Pitman, Paco Martinez and Steve Wynn. It should be quite excellent!

Oxford Collapse

John Agnello — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:00:00 PDT

Oxford Collapse
We just finished mixing The Hold Steady's new record and I must say it is awesome. Keep an ear peeled for its release in the fall. Today begins a new project with the Oxford Collapse. We'll be recording their Sub Pop debut at Headgear, my favorite Brooklyn rock-spot.

The Hold Steady

John Agnello — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:00:00 PDT

The Hold Steady
I just got back form the Son Volt sessions in St. Louis and I'm taking a few days to rest before starting work with The Hold Steady on Monday. Check the Photo Gallery for pictures of the session.

Son Volt

John Agnello — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 17:00:00 PDT

Son Volt
This week I'm heading to St. Louis to start tracking the next Son Volt record. It should be a good time, especially since the band is fresh off a trip to Japan.

Andrew WK

John Agnello — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 16:00:00 PST

Mixing Andrew WK
I'm right in the middle of a 2-week mixing session for the new Andrew WK record. It's pretty intense, we're spending at least a day on each tune. This record sounds like Queen and Meatloaf's hyperactive lovechild.

Sonic Youth

John Agnello — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 16:00:00 PST

Mixing New Sonic Youth Record
I am currently mixing tracks for the upcoming Sonic Youth record, scheduled for a late spring/early summer release. Read more about it here!

New Website!

John Agnello — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 16:00:00 PST

It is finally Here!
This website is currently under construction.