July 29, 2020

Super excited to announce the release of 2 new songs from a great yong artist, Nate Padilla.  He has a New EP out featuring 2 songs I recorded and mixed with Nate [ "Victims" and "Down" ] at Rainbow Recording Studios.  The EP is titled Remember High School. Check it out on-line wherever you listen to music.

July 11, 2020

Conratulations to The Leeward Fits!  The music has been getting a lot of tracktion and positive reviews.  His song "The One To Come Between" was featured on the Fresh Finds playlist #blackvalleyplaylist

This song was also given a wonderful review by the folks at wewriteaboutmusic.com

We Write About Music - Austin Sher-July 7, 2020

Although this particular song was written several years ago, what you’re hearing is the re-imagined and re-recorded version that we’re absolutely loving with each and every listen. The band itself is made up of Alex Schmidt and Timothy Zick, who regularly come together to create their unique and complex sound. Schmidt being based out of San Antonio, Texas and Zick being based out of Omaha, Nebraska, the two have found a way to collaborate and keep the rocking up. According to the band, “This collaborative relationship has allowed me to develop an exciting and kinetic platform for fostering unconstrained and original music, even while at times on opposite sides of the globe”, Alex explains.

Check out the article and give the song a spin.  I am proud to have recorded, mixed and co-produced this song with The Leeward Fits.  Oh...I also played the drums for this track.  We have a wonderful partnership and continue to work on more great music.  Standby, there are some new tracks in the pipline.  More great music is on the way.

May 3rd, 2020

I am proud to announce that the new single from songwriter Thomas Hughes is now available on iTunes.  This song has a timely message that is more than appropriate for the challenging times we are all facing.  This song also represents the kick off to The Hang, Inc. a non-profit, music discovery and talent sharing resource founded by Thomas Hughes.  You can learn more about Thomas and his mission for The Hang, Inc on his website.  A very special thanks to Travis Bennington and his team of musicians that helped bring Thomas' song to life.  Shout out to Tim Bezy for putting together all of the wonderful video about this project.  We of course also want to thank Nils Erickson at Rainbow Recording Studios for his support and hospitality in helping bring this dream to a reality.  Do yourself a favor and download this song and add it to your playlist, you'll be glad you did.

April 24, 2020

Dedicated with sincere gratitude to the tireless health care and nursing home professionals around the world, as well as, our military and first responders who have been on the front lines of this global pandemic and cared for our loved ones as we've been on the other side of a "Wall Of Glass".

- Marcy Requist

I was proud to be re-united with Ron Wickso, who co-wrote, produced and mixed the song and help him get the drums recorded for this single.  It was an absolute pleasure working with Ron and Marcy and I hope we can collaborate more in the future.  You can view the video for "Wall Of Glass" on YouTube.  You can learn more about Marcy and her music on her website.  "Wall Of Glass" is also available on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.

March 8th, 2020

I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to record this outstanding string quintet for an upcoming release for an Australian based songwriter.  Local composer, Dryden Meints composed the string parts for the project and conducted the quintet during the recording sessions.  I recorded the quintet at Rainbow Recording Studios in Omaha, NE and made use of Rainbow's collection of vintage ribbon microphones and Ampex microphone pre-amps to achieve a full and rich tone.  I can't wait to hear the finished release of these moving songs.

February 26, 2020

Bitmoji is the first single from The Leeward Fits forthcoming EP. Bitmoji blends an upbeat melody, lively harmonies, and sensible songwriting.  This is the 2nd recording project that I have worked on with Leeward.  This time we completed all of our work on this project without being in the same studio, let alone the same state.  Last year Leeward relocated to San Antonio Texas, but was concerned about being able to continue our music making releationship. We had established such an excellent workflow and like minded approach to obtaining the sound for Leeward's music no one wanted to see that come to an end.  The solution was obvious...we would have to expand our workflow to include sharing files remotely.   A couple of upgrades were made to Leeward's personal recording set up that made it possible to record quality guitar and vocal parts in San Antonio at high resolution. Leeward would then send those files along to me with a click track and notes for how the overall arrangement and production of each song should go.  After we agreed on the direction each song was going to take, I would record the drum parts at DSSRS as we had done in the past.  Once preview mixes were uploaded and  the drum tracks were approved, I was back in the studio at DSSRS to record the bass tracks.  Once again preview mixes were sent to Leeward for approval.  Leeward then sent me some reworked guitar parts for a couple of songs, some addition percussion and vocal fixes for others; then I was off and running to prepare the final mixes.  With mixes complete, I uploaded high resolution mix files to Mark Trewella at Full Circle Mastering in Black Mountain, NC and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

The single Bitmoji is available right now on SoundCloud and will soon be available on additional social media outlets.  You can follow Leeward and get updates regarding the full releases on Twitter , Facebook , Bandcamp and of course SoundCloud .

This was the headline on the WOWT Channel 6 News at 6:30pm on January 24th, 2020.  I am honored and proud to have been part of the team that made this musical dream come true.  You can view the story as it aired on the WOWT website.  I have also posted a copy of the WOWT Web Extra version of the story on my YouTube Channel.  I hope you take a moment to view the video, I'm sure you will be as moved and inspired as all of us that had the pleasure to know Teddy Burkhart and help him realize his dream.

Thank you to Roger Hammer and all of the staff at WOWT Channel 6 for taking the time to share a wonderful and inspiring story.

October 1,  2019

That's what the liner notes say...

I was proud to receive the call to record, mix and co-produce the farewell EP, The Rainbow Sessions, for local Omaha band Peace, Love, etc.  The 3 song EP includes original songs from the band including a song co-written by band member John Rogers and long time Blues artist Brad Cordle.  The Omaha music community lost a good friend and outstanding Blues vocalist in 2018, but not before John had a chance to visit Brad in the hospital and help him finish the song "Taking For Granted".  A fitting tribute to Brad and a perfect example of the musicianship and love the band is known for.

Some creative recording techniques were employed to capture the sound and energy of the band while at Rainbow Recording Studios in Omaha.  The recording process was a hybrid combination of vintage analog recording hardware and a modern ProTools DAW.  No headphones were used during the main tracking session, instead a small powered speaker on a tripod was used to supplement acoustic guitar and lead vocal.  All basic tracks including lead vocals were recorded live with the band members arranged in a circular set up in the main tracking room with no baffels isolating instruments or players.  The idea was to create a familar and comfortable environment similar to a regular band rehearsal for the group.  Minimal editing and overdubs followed; then on to final mixing and off to mastering.

The album will soon be available for purchase online at Tunecore.  You can also purchase the EP by sending a check for $7.00 to John Rogers at PO Box 641015 Omaha NE 68164.

Congratulations to all the members of Peace, Love, etc. for a wonderful recording of heartfelt music and timely / meaningful lyrics.  This is the kind of music you can listen to everyday and be inspired.

September 19,  2019

Conrats to Marlene Porter on the release of her 1st studio recording of her Healing Arts CD "Echoes Of Light".  It was a pleasure having her in the studio and learning how she uses sound to promote physical and emotional healing for her clients.  The album "Echoes Of Light" will be available on-line starting September 25th.

September 18, 2019

Summer 2019 has been an exciting one with lots of concerts, festivals and studio projects.  I started the summer out with an amazing show in Antalya, Turkey at the Akra Jazz Festival.  What an amazing couple of days.  Great music, outstanding food and the most gracious hosts.  From Turkey, straight on to 11 shows throughout Europe with Dee Dee Bridgewater performing music from her J'ai Deux Amors album.  All of the shows were outstanding and I really enjoyed the opportunity to mix this unique style and arrangement of music with amazing musicians I have not worked with before.  Of course the summer would not have been complete without a number of shows with Dee Dee Bridgewater and Memphis Soulphony with stops at the Newport Jazz Festival and a full week of shows at Birdland in NYC.  The local Omaha scene not to be left out,  I was excited to be on site with the guys from Audio Visions to mix shows for Omaha's Jazz On The Green Concert Series and the MAHA festival.

In between all of this live sound action, there was a lot going on here in the studios in Omaha.  This summer I found myself recording and mixing at both DSSRS and Rainbow Recording Studios, as well as, finalizing projects for my clients from my home studio.  Along with all of the recording and mixing there was plenty of tech work and upgrades that I was involved with at both facilities.  I am honored to not only be trusted by both owners to produce quality recordings while at their facilities, but equally honored to be trusted with the growth and expansion of both facilities.  Lots of great music will be hitting retail in the next couple of weeks from the sessions that were completed over this summer.  Special thanks to Peace, Love, etc., Leeward, Colten LeBlue and all of the talented artists that trust me with their sound.  Lots more to come this fall and winter, stay tuned more great things are on the way.

June 17, 2019

It was definitely an All-Star Country Music weekend for me this Father's day.  On the 14th I had the pleasure of providing tech support for Marty Stewart and His Fabulous Superlatives.  What a great show they put on, this is simply how it is done and a great bunch of guys to spend the day with to boot.  This show also gave me the opportunity to mix an amazing Omaha act Clarence Tilton.  These guys are awesome and were an absolute pleasure to mix.  I look forward to working wit them again soon.  If you haven't checked them out, you need to.

Clarence Tilton band

On the 15th, I was in Sloan IA at the Winnevegas Casino to provide tech support for Bill Anderson and to mix monitors for Leroy Van Dyke.  Both of these gentleman are legends in country music and were a pleasure to work with.  They are consumate professionals who give their audience what they want and do it with a style and grace that we don't get to see very often these days.  Thanks to both of these gentleman for allowing me to help them put on a great show.

June 13, 2019

Colton has pushed the boundaries with this tune.  Originally written in 1927 he made his own version of the blues classic “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” by Blind Lemon Jefferson.  It was a very fun song to work on and Colton even let me play some drums for him on this one.  Out now everywhere. Go stream it, or download it.  You will be glad you did.

Spotify   iTunes

February 6, 2019

While the Midwest has been hit with cold temperatures and snowy conditions, we have been keeping it hot and exciting in the studio. This week I had the privilege of spending a couple of days in the studio with good friends and local band Peace, Love, ETC.  We were at Rainbow Recording Studios in Omaha, NE tracking some original material for an upcoming release.  We took advantage of quite a bit of the vintage analog equipmet the studio has to offer in order to achieve a full and rich tone for the recordings.  Keep your eyes open for the upcoming release.  This is some great music, you won't want to miss it.

Pictured left to right: Timothy Zick / recording engineer, John "JR" Rogers / singer and songwriter Peace, Love, ETC. and Nils Erickson / Studio Owner

February 1, 2019

Congratulations to my good friend and recording artist Colton Le Bleu on his latest release "Been Through Some".  I enjoy every session with Colton as he truely grows and learns with each mix session.  His song writing and arranging continue to get better. Keep an eye out for this guy.  He is working hard and making some great music.  You can find all of Colton's releases on Spotify and iTunes.

The month of October has been an exciting one in terms of studio work.  During the month I have been working with Nils Erickson, the owner of Rainbow Recording in Omaha, NE.  Nils is a long time friend and supporter of the Omaha music scene.  We finally quick talking about it and jumped right into some studio updates and reconfigurations.  Our make over project started with rewiring the control room and cleaning up the racks full of amazing vintage analog equipment.  The end goal was to end up with an easy to use and efficient hybrid recording space that provided the flexibility to use all of the vintage outboard hardware and tape machines, record directly into ProTools and mix in the box, or any creative combination of analog and digital.  Over the years a number of top bands and recording artists have spent time at Rainbow and you can feel it as soon as you walk into the control room...some special things have happened here.  With all of the racks cleaned up and hardware in full working order, updates moved on to cleaning up the microphones and mic lockers, refinishing the parquet flooring, updating the lighting in the control room and ISO booth and just some genreral clean up and organization of cables, adapters, headphones and more.

Besides the hardware and 2"analog 24-track that sit to the left of the console, there are two seven foot tall racks full of rare and special mic pre's, compressors and EQ's.  The photo to the right is just a small sample of the hardware that is racked up and ready to use on every session at Ranbow Recording.  As the photo below shows, we didn't wait long to jump right in and start making some wonderfull recordings in the recently updated control room and ISO booth.  Work continues as time between session allows on the large tracking room and bringing more of the amazing vintage equipment on-line and ready for use.  The vibe is definitely alive and great things are expected for the future of Rainbow Recording.

On February 27th, 2018 word went out that the CD's have arrived.  It was my pleasure to have Shelly and Robert in the studio to record the vocals and work on the final mixes for the new release, All That You Are.  I had a wonderful time working with both Shelly and Robert.  This album is full of inspiration, check it out now.  You can preview the album and get more information about Shelly on her website at:  http://www.shellyconn.com/

You can get your copy of the album on iTunes and Amazon.

On November 8th, 2017 I was on tour with Dee Dee Bridgewater in Paris France.  That night we recorded our performance at La Cigale for ARTE.  ARTE offers high-quality programmes to 70% of Europeans in their own language.  As the European Culture Channel, ARTE provides cultural programming that fosters understanding among Europeans and brings people together. Since its creation in 1991, ARTE stands for cultural diversity and multilingualism. ARTE uncovers new talent, encourages artistic creativity, and preserves and promotes Europe’s cultural heritage.   On December 8th and 9th I was in the studio to mix the audio master for the finished video release.  It was an honor to be asked to mix the final audio master.  The dealine was tight and there were some technical hurdles to clear, but in the end a quality product was delivered to ARTE.  The video is currently playing on the ARTE website and there will also be 2 television broadcasts of the performance.  Congratulations to Dee Dee Bridgewater and her band for deliviering an exhilerating performance and congratulations to the entire production team for a job well done.

The photo at the right shows me at FOH.  I'm there at the bottom of the shot in the middle, just in front of the balcony, below the lighting tech, peering over the audience struggling to keep an eye on the stage.

To the left is a shot of the audio and video crew getting ready for show start.  Below is a picture of FOH pre show.  Tight quaters for mixing that night as we had to make room for a camera.

November 1, 2017 found me in the studio putting the final touches on 6 new songs from Leeward before sending final mixes off to mastering.  It was an absolute pleasure working with such a dedicated artist.  Over the summer and early fall we recorded drums, guitars and vocals; then wrapped up mixing in early November.  Look for the relase of the new EP from Leeward on-line.  I am looking forward to working with him on his next project.

Once again I had the honor and privilege to mix FOH for Jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater on her fall/winter 2016 tour.  The schedule was grueling and we didn't get much sleep, but the shows were amazing and the people we met and worked with were simply the best.

The tour kicked off in the U.S. with a show at The Wolf trap in Vienna, VA; then off to St. Chamond France and on to exciting stops in Pohang South Korea, Beijing China, Yerevan Armenia, Stockholm Sweden and London UK before heading back to the states to catch the Transatlantic Blue Note Cruise aboard the Queen Mary II.

The tour continued on in November with stops throughout Italy before we made our way back to Canada and finally wrapping up with 2 shows at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.

The 2016 summer concert season is upon us and I once again had the privilidge to travel to Europe and mix FOH for Dee Dee Bridgewater.  We started the tour in Foggia, Italy where Dee Dee performed with a local big band at an evening concert held in a small town square.  From Italy we were off to Penedes, Spain where we met up with Theo Croker and his band Dark Funk who performed with Dee Dee for the rest of the tour.

The tour included stops in Denmark, Romania and France.  In France we were reunited with friends Thierry Eliez and Thomas Bramerie for a special one night only performance at the Saveurs Jazz Festival.  It was a special evening to be with friends I have not seen since our tour together in 1998.

The tour wrapped up with an amazing concert at Casa del Jazz in Rome Italy.  It was a fitting end to a fast paced and adventuresome tour.

June 19-20, 2015

Another weekend and another successful recording project.  I was on site at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, IA working with my good friends from Audio Visions.  While crew members Erik Rudd and Zeke Metcalf manned the monitor mix and front of house mix positions, I took a 48 channel input split along with some additional room mics to produce full mutli-track recordings for 6 bands.  My control room for the weekend...the men's home team locker room.