Remixing is a great way to experience music in a new way. Normally, I work with an artist to create a recording for that artist. When remixing, the recording is already done. In fact, the song is already mixed, and a remix is just an opportunity to put a different spin on the song. But I still let the song tell me what to do. A remix isn’t a blank canvas. It’s a framework. I listen to the individual tracks, chose what seems to best represent the song, and fill in the rest. Enjoy.

Tunng – Hustle (moon:and:6 remix) by moon:and:6

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The Randalls‘ debut album, Rainy Day Music, was recorded and mixed at Catherine North Studios in 2009. It’s now available in CD form.

Just yesterday, Alan Cross flagged the Randalls as one six acts worthy of some attention in this post at exploremusic.com.

Below is a sample of “Quicksand,” a song written just before the band started recording in the studio last spring.

In 2009 I had the opportunity to work with the following artists and producers at Catherine North Studios. (I’m sorry if I missed anyone.)

• Chelsea Redford
• Ophelia Syndrome
• The Randalls
• Erinz Fire
• David James Martinez
• Grainne and Moe Berg
• Steph Fraser
• Mojave
• The Hippy Mafia
• Adam Michael
• Erica Knight
• The Rest
• Count To Fire and Colin Cripps
• Craig Smith
• Rose Cousins and Luke Doucet
• Earl Stevenson
• Betty Shyne
• Little Jackie Wright
• Pulse in Tempo
• The Passengers
• neGar

I hope 2010 is a great year for everyone!

Earlier this month I had the amazing opportunity to work with Rose Cousins and producer, Luke Doucet. I tweeted about it, but I was too busy to keep everything up to date. In fact, I hadn’t updated this website in over two months because I’ve simply been too busy (or maybe I just haven’t made the time for it — depends on how you look at it).

Rose, Luke and the musicians they brought though the studio were great. I am really looking forward to hearing the entire record. I only worked on six or seven of the songs at Catherine North. The rest of the album was recorded in Toronto with John Dinsmore. David Travers-Smith mixed the album, and from the samples I’ve heard of Rose’s website, things sound great.

Rose’s Toronto CD release is coming up this week (Wednesday, October 21) at Hugh’s Room. I can’t wait.

Scott Cooper has left Toronto and has moved up to the Midland-Penetaguishene area. He’s still writing and performing music, though not as much as he once did. His last blog entry (posted over two months ago) he wrote:

I’ve been having challenges managing my new schedule of studio work in the city, Stellula Music In Schools work, house renos, and of course my responsibilities as Poppa Coop (and the necessary shirking of said responsibilities with beer and BBQ consumption). Where is a guy supposed to find the time to write and record a new album? I have no idea. If the next project is going to see the light of day before 2010, it’s definitely going to be an EP.

I got Scott’s permission to post my remix of “Goodbye City” in its entirety. I hope you enjoy.

My first movie. And a song that was never finished. What a perfect combination. The video was shot on a bus ride from Hamilton to Toronto to see a Ministry of the Environment show on July 10, 2009. The song was recorded in October 2008 at Catherine North (see this post).

I’m not really sure what the connection is between Dubai and riding a GO bus along the 407, but it seemed right when I put this together. Enjoy.

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Trent Reznor wrote a great post on the Nine Inch Nails forum about what he would do to “make it” as a new artist in the music business as it is today. Here’s a taste:

The point is this: music is free whether you want to believe that or not. Every piece of music you can think of is available free right now a click away. This is a fact — it sucks as the musician but that’s the way it is (for now). So… have the public get what they want from you instead of a torrent site and garner good will in the process…

The music business isn’t based on exchanging recorded music for money. It’s based on relationships. Today it’s easier than ever for artists and fans to connect directly.

Product or service?

Perhaps the key here is not to think about the music as a product — a piece of plastic that is sold in stores or at your shows. Your music is your calling card. Your performance as a musician is a service to the audience (whether seated in a theatre or dancing in a club or listening at home) and word of mouth is your best form of promotion. This is the way musicians became popular before the advent of recordings. And with the Internet having made its way into almost every household in the modern world, that word of mouth can spread far and wide very quickly.

Become familiar

Tweeting, blogging and Facebooking are the new version of postering. Do you spend time and money postering the hip neighbourhoods in your city thinking it will actually get people go out to your show? That’s not how it works unless you’re AC/DC or Miley Cyrus. What postering does for indie artists is get their name out on the street — if you have a enough posters out there, and if you play shows often enough, people will start to recognize your name, then they see your name in the local paper, they search for you online, find your website, listen to (and hopefully download) your music, sign up for your mailing list and then come out to your show.

Being active on as many social networking sites as possible can have the same effect.  Make sure you (or your band) have accounts on as many social networking sites as you can think of. There are the obvious places like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, but also be aware of the multitude of other social networks such as Virb, Flickr, Tumblr, Last.fm, Blip.fm and many, many more.

Now that you’ve got all of your social networking accounts, use them! Tweet regularly, especially if you’re on tour or in the studio. There are lots of things to share with followers. Set up a page and a group on Facebook and suggest all your friends become fans. Post videos on YouTube — think about Jeremy Fisher’s Cigarette video with over 2.2 million views in the past 2 years or Dave Carroll’s United Breaks Guitars with over 2 million views in less than one week! Not every video goes viral, but if you’ve got something that people can connect with, you’re on your way to developing a name for yourself online.

Social networking goes one step further than postering: it puts your potential fan in contact with you. It gives you the opportunity to engage with fans and build your fan-base on a personal level.

Become familiar, build your relationships, and you can turn your online followers into fans who will come out to your next show.

I’ve been working with the Randalls at Catherine North Studios since February recording seven new songs, and tweaking four songs from previous sessions. A couple of tracks were recorded at Catherine North Studios when band won the Paragon Spotlight competition last year, and two tracks recorded at my old school, Harris Institute.

Soon they will have the new tracks up at myspace.com/therandallsofmilton — we just have to finish mixing them first! The band is planning a release date this fall with a campus tour to follow.

 

The Hippy Mafia are back in the studio working on a new release. The Manchester-based group have set up shop at Catherine North Studios for the past few days.

Follow the Hippy Mafia on Twitter @thehippymafia.

Here’s a short video the group made last time they were in the studio.

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If you’re in Toronto for NXNE this year, I highly recommend checking out the following showcases. Artists are listed in order of appearance.

Ministry of the Environment

Thursday, June 18 at 12am // The Hideout // myspace

Formed in 2007, this band initially bonded over their love of The Smiths, The Sea and Cake and Sonic Youth. Since, they’ve played all around Toronto, and have just finished their second EP.

Barzin

Friday, June 19 at 11pm // C’est What // website

Toronto singer-songwriter whose recent release was awarded Mojo Magazine’s “Americana album of the month.” The band — acoustic and electric guitars, vibraphone, upright bass, banjo, drums and keyboards — has toured Europe several times. Lush, introspective and confessional.

Spirits

Saturday, June 20 at 9pm // The Reverb // myspace

Spirits combines the writing talents of accomplished songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Ian Smith and Brad Germain. Drummer Nick Skalkos completes the trio, bringing a third vocal to the live show. Spirits will release their self-titled debut album this September on Sonic Unyon.

Hopeful Monster

Saturday, June 20 at 11pm // The Now Lounge // website

Since forming in Nova Scotia in 2000, Hopeful Monster makes psychedelic chamber pop and synthed-out space gospel — recommended if you like The Zombies, Kinks, Todd Rundgren, Jeff Buckley, Of Montreal, Spiritualized, Jellyfish, Heavy Blinkers, Sufjan Stevens.

Said the Whale

Saturday, June 20 at 12am // The Reverb // website

Said the Whale is as much a product of Vancouver’s tremendous natural beauty as it is of the city’s budding independent music scene. Electronic indie rock that captures the essence of what it means to be young, free and heartbroken.