New Mic!!

I try not to get too excited about new equipment.  While the search for the utmost transparency between the heart of the music maker and the heart of the listener is a constant here at MPM Studio, the focus is always on the music.  But this new mic!! The Neumann U 47 is the holy grail of microphones-every instrument and voice on …

Cantrip

A couple of years ago I was performing with clawhammer banjoist Ken Perlman at the fabulous New World Festival in Randolph VT, and had the great fortune to wind up in a jam session with the members of Cantrip. They are a superb Scottish/American trio who play traditional Celtic instrumental music with a distinctly contemporary energy and drive, on fiddle, …

Some updates at MPMS

-Local duo Captain Bob Griffin and Linda Wade, guitar, vocals and concertina, finishing up a charming collection of ‘Old Chestnuts’. Great songs from the 20s and 30s, augmented with some New England folk music favorites feature their warm vocal blend and Bob’s chiming 12-string guitar interwoven with Linda’s delicate and inventive concertina. -Emery Hutchins has been working on a project …

Brendan Tonra and his legendary fiddle at MPM Studio!

[youtube hd]http://youtu.be/84wW9KZDeeI[/youtube] Renowned Boston-based Sligo fiddler plays one of his recent compositions accompanied by the stellar Helen Kisiel on piano. Some of Brendan’s compositions have become standard repertoire in traditional Irish music, notably Tonra’s Jig (aka Tone Rows). An honor to have these two cornerstones of Boston’s Irish music scene recording at Mill Pond Music! Read more about Brendan Tonra.

The Fireflies: from London to Portsmouth (again!)

Harry and Luca, from London, England, formerly known as The Pilgrims-now the Fireflies, were back at MPM Studio for their third time a few weeks ago. As usual it was an intensely creative week of tracking, vocals, guitar overdubs (ranging from beautiful acoustic to funky electric) and some last-minute songwriting. What to call their style? You tell me: check out …

Ellen Carlson – E.C. and the Moonshiners- Hillbilly Jazz!

It’s been a privilege and a delight to be making music during the past year with the illustrious NH fiddler Ellen Carlson. She’s an expert country player, well-versed in old-timey, New England  and Celtic styles, and a fine bluegrass-er. Her band High Range has wide renown, and her teaching skills legendary. Lately, she, drummer Robbie Kneeland, bassist Brendan Dowd and I …

With Ken Perlman @ Summit School Winter Folk Fest

Melodic clawhammer banjo wizard Ken Perlman and I were happy to be a part of Montpelier Vermont’s Summit School Winter Folk Fest, along with Dirk Powell, Riley Baugus, the amazing Swedish fiddler Anna Lindblad (with RyanDricky), Katie Trautz and others. Tony DeMarco showed up for the after-concert jam, which threw a number of styles into a yummy musical melting pot. Collin McCaffrey, …

Summer re-cap: Natalie McMaster, Joan Osborne, Joe Deleault and more…

Finally getting around to a chronicle of some of this summer’s activities, one of which was my adventure into the musical world of Manchester NH’s composer/songwriter/pianist extraordinaire Joe Deleault. NH Screenwriter/director Ernest Thompson (‘On Golden Pond’, etc.) is just finishing a new film (headed for Sundance Film Festival) called Heavenly Angle, for which Joe has composed most of the music. …

The Nashville Years: singers and players

A lot of interesting artists and musicians recorded at my studio in Nashville during its twenty years of operation, giving me ample opportunities to make a lot of mistakes and to learn how to avoid them. Some of their names are well-known, others’ should be. Here are some of the names I remember off the top of my head. I …

Pilgrims from London

The new year got off to a great musical    start when a group of lads from London called ‘Pilgrims’ made their first trip to Portsmouth to record the first half of  their debut CD. The three excellent guitarist/vocalists/songwriters Harry, James and Luca were joined by ‘Mersey Beat’ specialist Dave from Liverpool on drums and yours truly on bass to produce …

MPM Studio’s You Tube Channel

Link to MPM Studio’s You Tube channel In 1976 I was playing with a Boston-based Country/Swing band called the Rockabilly Shufflers, doing venues like The Hillbilly Ranch, Kevin’s, The Blue Star, Jack’s, Inman Sq. Men’s Bar, etc. We eventually landed a house band gig 5 nights a week at the Turtle Lounge in Ashland MA  (that’s me on the gig …

The Studio Build-Out is Complete!

The Live Room: It’s an absolute pleasure to make music in the acoustically pristine live room, with the relaxing view of the Mill Pond preserved. The clarity of the sound makes you just want to keep playing and singing. The Control Room: High ceilings, long room length and custom designed sound diffusion panels create an accurate listening, mixing and mastering …

Mudhook: ‘First Home’ CD

Just in time for the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, Dave Hallowell, Peter Hale, Mike Jenneau and Alan Eaton, collectively known as Mudhook, have completed the special ‘collector’s edition’ of their new CD, here at Mill Pond Music. With charming, mostly traditional material, ringing guitars and bouzoukis, sweet fiddles, haunting low whistle and vocals sometimes rowdy, sometimes plaintive, this project exactly …