Cookie's Corner - #177 Tony Furtado and Luke Price recording to DSD.
From Cookie Marenco - Founder and Producer Blue Coast Records and Music
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Tony Furtado and Luke Price on tour and in the studio
When Tony Furtado calls to say he going to be playing a gig 15 minutes from my studio, I know it’s time to clear the schedule for the day, get a recording crew together and jump on the chance to capture whatever he wants to play direct to DSD.
Tony and I have made many records together over the last 30 years. Several for Rounder Records, a few for my older label (in a previous lifetime that we sold off) and two live solo albums for Blue Coast Records recorded direct to DSD.
https://bluecoastmusic.com/tony-furtado/paradise
https://bluecoastmusic.com/tony-furtado/firecracker
When I started testing for the Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E.) style of recording, Tony was one of the first artists I thought of. He knows a thousand songs, plays to perfection every time and is a joy to work with.
At the sessions, we get to reminisce about all the crazy times we’ve had with bands and recording. It’s always fun to fill in details with how he tells a story and how I remember the same situation. I could definitely write a book on working with Tony for the last 30 years. One interesting story was about how he hired Allison Krause to sing “I Will” (the Beatles song) on his album for Rounder. She was just a teenager then. The song ended up on a compilation album under her name that sold millions. The rest of the story is history.
You can read more about Tony here.
https://bluecoastrecords.com/artist/tony-furtado/
Luke Price adds a new twist
Along with Tony came the added bonus of Luke Price. Luke is a 5 time national fiddle champ (and the current one with the crown). Tony was a 2x national banjo champ…. that now also plays slide guitar like he was born with one on his body. Effortless playing, that is a joy to experience.
Luke sings background to Tony’s lead vocals with high pitched overtone. The combination of guitar, fiddle and two voices at the top of their game is a wonderful thing to be part of. Believe me, it’s not every day two people come to the studio and knock out an album in 5 hours. It’s a private concert - and one I hadn’t been able to experience much since Covid.
Both these musicians have learned to record at home (as many have in this day and age). It was heart warming to here the joy of them listening back and being amazed at the sound quality of E.S.E. and recording to DSD. We might trade perfection for passion but when you get exceptional musicians in the studio it’s worth it. No overdubs or fixes, just play like a (bleep) and you’re done.
It was also great to have Ariana (our newest and youngest audio assistant) present for such a great experience. It was her first E.S.E. session.
These musicians both reside in Portland so if you’re up there, definitely go see them perform!
How to get a sneak peak?
The full album will be out at the end of the year but if you can’t wait, we’ll be offering a track to our paid subscribers of our Blue Coast Records newsletter in the next few days (sorry, it’s NOT this newsletter). We have several newsletters so make sure you’re a paid subscriber to the Blue Coast Records one…. (and get a few more unreleased tracks)
In the meantime, we’ve just released Blue Coast Collection 5 to streaming services. In just a few weeks, Tony Furtado’s track has received about 16,000 listens on Spotify. Enjoy!
Let us know what you think!
Comments about recording at home….
We got a lot of great comments from people at various stages of having a home studio. So much so, that we’re thinking about opening up private lessons and/or consultation about how to best record and mix at home. Contact us if you’re interested.
Also, on May 2 at 6pm, San Francisco Audiophile Society is having a zoom where I’ll be discussing mixing, mastering and remastering. If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll see about getting you a link.
Enjoy your music!
Cookie Marenco
Founder and Producer Blue Coast Records and Music
Owner OTR Studios
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On the left is me and Gus Skinas from Sony. Gus got us started in DSD more than 20 years ago. Middle is David Angress CEO of QSC (and the man who’s business sold us our initial recording gear 40 years ago). On the right is Mike Newman (standing) and his son A.J. (who’s contemplating a career in music). Mike was a roommate and top product manager for so many pieces of gear I can’t remember them all.
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