Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Found in my inbox

Thanks to Steven Rosplock from Forge Recording Studio in Oreland for giving me the heads up on this. It puts me in the mood to listen to the Forge CD sampler that I got when I did a story on them.

Forge Recording Studio has teamed up with bands The Great Socio and Da Rezarekt to record a song to help Philadelphia guitarist Marisa Salazar, who has been fighting breast cancer. For 99 cents (or more if you wish), you can download the new track, “Fight” by Da Rezarekt. All proceeds will go to help Marisa, who hasn't been able to work while undergoing treatment.

We all know someone who has been in a situation like Marisa's.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Catapult Sound

The live room at Catapult Sound in North Wales.

Bill Schwartz of North Wales recording studio Catapult Sound describes what a recording studio is simply as "a place where you're gonna move air."
Conveniently, the studio shares the same space on Center Street where he and business partner Jason Murray operate their web development business, Catapultweb.
The Catapult thing comes from a song they recorded with their band, Winston's Dog, which also features Community Housing Services social worker Jon Robins on vocals.
In a recent session at Catapult, Murray is laying down some important guitar riffs to the Winston's Dog song "Hairless." The song got airplay on WSTW's "Hometown Heroes" radio show, but the band feels the song needs to be freshened up and re-tracked.
The song is a swaggering, to-the-point rocker that will be on the band's to-be-named next CD.
Besides Murray and Schwartz, bassist Pete
Mazzaccaro is present at the session.
Murray is playing a worn Fender Stratocaster plugged into an intimidating assortment of effects pedals and a reconstruction of a 1958 Fender Twin amp. He opts not to wear headphones while tracking his part, and does his first run-through sitting on the control room couch.


Proceeding takes are done in the control room rather than the Catapult live room. "This way I know they're not in here secretly making fun of me," Murray says.
Having their own studio allows the band to be meticulous in their recording approach. Take four finds Murray hitting his stride. Take five has to stop because of a guitar switch mishap, which is finally remedied by electrical tape.
Taking a break from the song, Schwartz calls up songs recorded by other local artists on the control rooms 42-inch monitor. There's rapper Trel Mack, sensitive rockers Spells and Curses, and singer/songwriter John McKeever, who lately has expanded his repertoire to include sketch comedy with the Bird Text Comedy Show.
"We're always here. Bands are always here," Schwartz said.