MacNuggets

[vivfox]

The Jammy's May 2008

The evening’s hosts were the guitarist Warren Haynes and the singer Grace Potter, who recently toured in a package featuring Gov’t Mule (his band) and the Nocturnals (hers). They opened the program with a well-honed medley of “Find the Cost of Freedom,” a song by Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and “Gold Dust Woman,” a Fleetwood Mac tune. Mr. Haynes soloed with casual fire, and Ms. Potter sang in a soulful wail.

But odd collaborations are closer to the Jammy ethos than road-tested partnerships. Hence the spectacle of a young band called Rose Hill Drive backing both the Hasidic dancehall rapper Matisyahu and the guitarist Leslie West, of Mountain. Another up-and-coming group, Tea Leaf Green, teamed up with the guitarist Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.

The Jammys propose a catholic vision of Jam Land, encompassing not only shaggy guitar rock but also hip-hop, reggae, blues, whatever. So there was a decent, well-intentioned jazz segment led by Mr. McConnell, featuring the venerable drummer Roy Haynes. Then came an eclectic and nearly ecstatic set by the New Orleans funk band Galactic, variously backing the classic-soul organist Booker T. Jones; the retro-soul vocalist Sharon Jones (no relation); and the rappers Chali 2na and Doug E. Fresh.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/ar...ic&oref=slogin

For those who care: Vivica Fox attended this event.

[michelej1]

Entertainment Design November 2000

Production Designer Bruce Rodgers talks about getting to work with FM for The Dance:

The first project that Rodgers feels put him on the map as a solo
designer was Fleetwood Mac's reunion special. "I got a call from
Carol Donovan [ from MTV] to put my name in the hat for it," he
explains. "But they were very clear about not coming in with
preconceived ideas or sketches, because the band wanted to talk to us
first. I did a couple of nights' worth of sketches while listening to
their music. Of course, I grew up with Fleetwood Mac, too, so I came
up with an idea of a Mobius curve. It made sense to me because of the
complete circle they were making through their hell."

When Rodgers went to meet with the band, they immediately asked him
if he had sketches to show them. "I said, No, I wanted to get your
ideas first.' They told me they didn't really have any ideas, so I
sketched the Mobius curve right in front of them and explained how it
represented them and the times they had lived through and the time
continuum and all that. I truly felt all that, and they could tell.
So they went for it."

[Livia]

Originally Posted by vivfox

The Jammy's May 2008

The evening’s hosts were the guitarist Warren Haynes and the singer Grace Potter, who recently toured in a package featuring Gov’t Mule (his band) and the Nocturnals (hers). They opened the program with a well-honed medley of “Find the Cost of Freedom,” a song by Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and “Gold Dust Woman,” a Fleetwood Mac tune. Mr. Haynes soloed with casual fire, and Ms. Potter sang in a soulful wail.

I adore Grace Potter & the Nocturnals! I would've LOVED to see that - how was it?

Edit: I had to look for it immediately:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVgyhe3tcoM

[vivfox]

Song of the Day: ‘Silver Springs’
May 16th, 2008 ·

The history behind this classic Fleetwood Mac song that failed to make the cut on ‘Rumours’ due to its length is clearly evident in the moment at the end of the song when Stevie Nicks turns to face Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and directs the lyrics, written to him, directly at him.

It’s goosebump-inducing stuff, a real chill scene from a mesmerising live concert. To my mind no other band has the emotional history (or baggage) that Fleetwood Mac do, and it definitely contributes to the visceral impact of their music.

http://adamdaniel.id.au/2008/05/16/s...ilver-springs/

[michelej1]

Variety, November 17, 1997

HEADLINE: Vintage recording studio still cranking out the hits

BYLINE: ROBERT KOEHLER

BODY:
Walk the labyrinthine halls of the famous Village Recorder recording studio, now know as the Village, and you can spot the tell-tale signs. The sound booths with the diagonally slatted wood paneling that screams 1970s. Rooms custom-designed by Fleetwood Mac lead singer Stevie Nicks to show off her gypsy look. A light display creating the convincing illusion of a Pacific Ocean sunset.

The walls are lined with gold and platinum discs of the recordings made here, from Bob Dylan and the Band's "Before the Flood" to the Rolling Stones' "Goat's Head Soup," from Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill" to Supertramp's "Breakfast in America."

The Village, as it's identified in stained glass on the facade of its Masonic Temple home in West Los Angeles, is a must on any tour of '70s pop history --- the prototypical musicians' hangout when the gravitational center of rock shifted from London and New York to Los Angeles.

But, as Village CEO Jeff Greenberg acknowledges, the mecca had become a forgotten way-station in recent years, "not at all the first choice of studio for artists when they were looking around L.A." Just as formerly bustling film studio complexes have fallen into decline, so had the Village. Two years ago, owner Georde Hormel, heir to the Hormel meat empire and a jazz musician himself, made changes.

Step one was bringing in Greenberg, a music industry veteran with an enormous range of experience, from concert promoter to International Creative Management agent. "Georde wanted somebody who understood artists, and knew how to cater to their special needs," Greenberg says. Step two, as Greenberg says, was "cleaning out the place of people --- there were way too many people here for what was needed, and it made for a noisy, distracting environment for artists to work. You can walk these halls now and hardly see anybody, and that's by design."

Step three included redesigning the interior and beefing up the legendary studio complex's array of equipment --- now including a vintage Neve 8048 console with 72 channels for studio A, one of the few in the world whose walls are lined with solid lead. Each studio is stuffed with creature comforts to make musicians and engineers feel at home --- crucial, notes Greenberg, "since they may be living and working here for days and weeks at a time." One lounge area, for instance, uncannily re-creates the mood of an old English parlor room.

Now, reports Greenberg, talent is flocking to the Village, and "our schedule is booked solid for months in advance. Like the concert business, openings will suddenly occur. We have not had many days of vacancy, though, that is for sure."

While '70s loyalists such as Robbie Robertson and Jeff (Skunk) Baxter are long-term tenants, '90s bands ranging from the Smashing Pumpkins to Nine Inch Nails are Village dwellers, making this site of pop history more than a museum.

[michelej1]

Variety, October 13, 1997

HEADLINE: Reprise duo gets hard sell

BYLINE: PHIL GALLO

BODY:
HOLLYWOOD Large-scale marketing is being called upon as Reprise Records positions itself with two high-profile releases: Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance" and Green Day's "Nimrod." "The Dance," which reunites Fleetwood Mac's most popular lineup from the mid-'70s, debuted at No. 1, selling almost 200,000 copies in its first week (Aug. 18-24) and benefiting greatly from exposure on VH1 and MTV.

"You have to do a lot of planning and we felt that whatever we could do to expose this project would pay off," says Reprise president Howie Klein. "Fleetwood Mac has an upper demo and there was nervousness (because) sometimes the audience doesn't want to come back."

Thomases wrong


The return of the Mac was greeted by a chorus of Doubting Thomases who suggested the band would be lucky to sell out 6,000-seat halls and that the disc/tour would pale in comparison to the vaunted Eagles reunion three years back. Fleetwood Mac is currently selling out 18,000-seaters with a top ticket of $ 75, grossing nearly $ 1 million per night.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Variety, October 13, 1997
The return of the Mac was greeted by a chorus of Doubting Thomases who suggested the band would be lucky to sell out 6,000-seat halls and that the disc/tour would pale in comparison to the vaunted Eagles reunion three years back. Fleetwood Mac is currently selling out 18,000-seaters with a top ticket of $ 75, grossing nearly $ 1 million per night.

According to an article I read in Billboard in 2003 Fleetwood Mac first approached Clear Channel to produce their Say You Will Tour. Clear Channel passed on the band thinking they were asking too high a price for their cut so FM went to the next best promoter and was signed by AEG Live.
The tour was a huge success financially for the band and their promoter.
Sometime between then and now Clear Channel became Live Nation and guess who has promoted Stevies' solo shows since the SYW Tour was over?

[vivfox]

Google News Alert for: stevie nicks

WARM NIGHTS, GREAT TUNES - The concerts you don’t want to miss
The Patriot Ledger - Quincy,MA,USA
June 22 is a real corker; do you catch Southside Johnny and Little Feat at the Music Circus, or Stevie Nicks at BoA, or Stevie Wonder at Tweeter? ...

"Swedish Girls Tour"--Um, Need We Say More?
Seattlest - Seattle,USA
Twice she accompanied her iPod; a cover tune turned out to be Fleetwood Mac's "Little Lies," slowed to dirge-speed. All the cocky, wry "Little Bit" by Lykke ...
See all stories on this topic

Historical tidbit of Fleetwood Mac info
By Nickslive(Nickslive)
This week in 1975... (May 15th to be exact). Fleetwood Mac debuted their new line-up in El Paso, Texas. It was the first incarnation of the band that included Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood and John and Christine McVie.

Pansy groups and pansy songs…
By Retrosexual
Question2. Are there other straight guys who like “For emily wherever I may find her”? Question3. This is a sureshot. Are there other straight guys who like “Songbird” by Christine McVie of Fleetwood mac? Well, I do. ...
Chiclet - http://thelesserbeat.wordpress.com

[michelej1]

On this Gawker blog, people criticized Keith Gessen for writing about political writing and compared him to FM. Guess the "Fleetwood Mac threshold" is like "jumping the shark." But in truth, Fleetwood Mac didn't often write about being in a band (although Lindsey has). They wrote more about being in love, which is universal, not something they only know as musicians.


http://gawker.com/391675/why-does-ga...u-keith-gessen

Also? Is his first novel a novel about living? No, it's a novel about writing.

In music, this is referred to as the Fleetwood Mac Threshold: you've been in a band so damn long you can't write songs about anything other than being in a band.

The problem with issuing that same indictment against Gessen is that he's hardly alone in writing about being a writer; there's a Sagan-esque bill-yuns and bill-yuns of books on the same topic. It qualifies as a literarily venial sin (though clearly in Gessen's case, a less than venereal sin).

[michelej1]

Article About Village Recorder Studio, which mentions decoration, Billboard June 22, 1996

HEADLINE: JULIE HORMEL MAINTAINS HER FATHER'S VILLAGE VISION

BYLINE: Alan di Perna

BODY:
Santa Monica, Calif.--On the third floor of the late-'20s former Masonic temple that houses the Village Recorder is a room visitors have rarely seen. It's an intimate-sized theater--a relic of another era, complete with a traditional proscenium-arch stage and velour curtains.

"It was originally a theater where Technicolor processes were tested in the '50s," says studio president Julie Hormel. "It was a transcendental meditation center in the '70s, and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi gave lectures here. The room has really languished in recent years, but we're going to start using it again. There's so much history in this building that I'm still learning about."

That admission is especially revealing given that Hormel is the daughter of Village Recorder founder Geordie Hormel. She assumed leadership of the studio Dec. 12, 1994, and has been diligently upgrading the historic facility ever since.

"I felt the place hadn't changed with the times the way it could have," she says. "My father got involved in the restaurant business in Phoenix and didn't have as much time to spend at the studio. The studio needed a fresh perspective. For me, it's been a labor of love to do that, because this is my home."

Hormel has assembled a staff that includes music industry veteran Jeff Greenberg, who is the Village's CEO; former Lion Share Recording co-owner Jay Antista, who is the studio's chief of maintenance; and Robin Bulla, who is studio manager. Also on the team is Grammy-winning engineer/ producer Al Schmitt, whose session credits include Madonna, Elvis Presley, Tony Bennett, Steely Dan, Jefferson Airplane, Dr. John, Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, and Sam Cook. In his new capacity as the Village's audio consultant, Schmitt oversaw a comprehensive rewiring, reamping, and retuning of the facility's four commercially available rooms, Studios A, B, D, and F.

With regard to tuning, says Greenberg, "Al and I went through the rooms very carefully with (acousticians) Vincent Van Haff and Steve Coco Brandon. We redesigned the crossovers and the monitor system, because things were not sounding as good as they could."

The new crossover system employed in all four rooms was designed by Brandon. Van Haff designed the main monitor systems in each studio, which combine JBL low-frequency components with TAD components for mids and highs. The monitors are driven by a biamped system consisting of Bryston 7B monoblocks for the low end and Boulder 500s for the high end.

Vintage tube Macintosh 2105 amplifiers drive a selection of Yahama NS-10M, Auratone, and Tannoy SGM 10 and Gold 12 monitors in each control room. As for acoustic treatments, the Village's new management decided to tamper with history as little as possible. Much of Studio D, for example, dates back to 1978, when the room was redesigned by Geordie Hormel and Fleetwood Mac for the recording of the group's multiplatinum "Tusk" album. Stevie Nicks had much to do with the tropical motif in the studio's isolation booth, and Christine McVie chose most of the furniture. These elements and others were left intact when the studio was upgraded last year.

"We decided not to mess with success," says Greenberg, "even with regard to paint and fabric. We put new fabric on the walls, but we really had to search for the kind of fabric that was on there originally. It's an old felt. We realized how every element in the room has a big effect on the sound. We were thinking about getting a real modern, good-looking hardwood floor. But we realized that the existing floor really sounds good and contributes to the overall sonic character of the room. So we kept it."

Beyond sonic considerations, Julie Hormel says that some of the studios' quaint design touches contribute to the comfort level of clients. "Many of our clients like the fact that the rooms haven't changed a lot in appearance," she says. "It gives them a sense of connectedness with the past. A lot of great music came out of the era when this studio was built. So I think it's nostalgic for a lot of people in a good way. A lot of the newer bands like that, and they consider us a shrine to everything that they bring to their music."

As part of the upgrade, the 60-channel Neve board in Studio B was converted to a 72-channel console, making it consistent with the 72-channel Neve in Studio D. But, in a move even more emblematic of today's trends in recording, the G-Series SSL in Studio A was recently replaced by a vintage 1974 Neve 8048. The console was originally installed at Chicago's Universal Recorders and made its way to CBS-TV's Colfax Avenue lot in Hollywood, Calif., where it was used for the Nickelodeon program "Roundhouse." From there, it was only a short trip across town to its present home at the Village.

"It came to us in such clean condition that we pretty much kept it (intact)," says Greenberg of the Neve, which combines 40 in and out modules with a 32-input monitor section, 10 group channels, and two stereo masters, for a total of 88 channels. "We wanted it to be in as original condition as possible. 1974 is one of the most desirable years for Neves, and this is one of the last boards designed by Rupert Neve. Old Neve boards have become very popular in the last few years, especially for tracking dates. And since Studio A is one of the city's premier tracking rooms, it seemed the perfect place for this great old console."

Completing the vintage analog vibe at the Village is the selection of Studer A-800 and A-827 and Otari MTR-90 multitrack recorders in each room, plus a comprehensive collection of microphones and outboard gear, both vintage and new.

Julie Hormel has childhood memories of sessions with such artists as Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd. While the Hormel family is perhaps most widely known for its success in the food industry, Geordie Hormel made his mark as a musician and composer for such '50s and '60s TV shows as "Ozzie And Harriet," "Lassie," and "The Untouchables." He opened the Village Recorder in 1968 as one of the first 24-track studios in L.A. The studio's west side location and Masonic deco architecture have always made it one of L.A.'s most distinctive recording facilities.

Over the years, it has hosted landmark sessions with Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and others. Geordie Hormel has retained ownership of the Village and continues to act as an adviser, but he has turned over the studio's daily operation to his daughter and her staff.

Under their leadership, the studio continues to thrive on a healthy mixture of album, film scoring, and commercial work. Recent projects include sessions for Smashing Pumpkins' "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" and scores for the feature films "To Die For," "Up Close And Personal," and "American Buffalo."

In addition to the Village's four studios for hire, there is also Studio C, which has had Robbie Robertson as a permanent tenant since 1985. Ace session guitarist/composer Jeff "Skunk" Baxter also maintains a project studio within the Village's walls.

"We've tried to maintain everything my dad stood for," says Julie Hormel. "An environment where people can create and feel comfortable doing it, an environment where nothing is preventing them from creating and everything is facilitating it. We like to take really good care of our clients. It's a tradition that my dad started and we want to continue."

[vermicious knid]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Article About Village Recorder Studio, which mentions decoration, Billboard June 22, 1996
Much of Studio D, for example, dates back to 1978, when the room was redesigned by Geordie Hormel and Fleetwood Mac for the recording of the group's multiplatinum "Tusk" album. Stevie Nicks had much to do with the tropical motif in the studio's isolation booth, and Christine McVie chose most of the furniture. These elements and others were left intact when the studio was upgraded last year.

Here is a picture from Studio D that has a tropical image on the wall. Clearly they are not in an isolation booth, but maybe the booth is on the other side of the wall.

[michelej1]

Excerpt from Interview with bassist Stanley Clarke in Austin Chronicle

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A627402

SC: We understand that we have certain tendencies in other areas like rock and definitely classical, but look at Chick's history. He's played with Blue Mitchell, Stan Getz, and Miles Davis. I played with Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, and Stan Getz. Lenny played with Freddie Hubbard, et cetera, et cetera. Al was the only guy who was more rock than jazz, but Al had a lot of technique, and even today he's considered a jazz guitar player. Our music was called jazz-rock because we played as loud as any rock band out there, but our solos were jazz solos. We know how to play on changes. We know how to use different kinds of phrasing that you would hear with Coltrane or Davis. We started out playing shows with David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Bachman-Turner Overdrive. We did many shows with Fleetwood Mac, all the way up until they had their big album Rumours. We played with Teddy Pendergrass. So we were a jazz-rock band, but when the saxophones came on the scene, the rock went away, and it was easier to call it fusion

[MacMan]

Re: Replacing judges on American Idol

It's time for Paula and Randy to steal Kristy Lee's old horse and ride off into the sunset.
http://tvfan.ew.com/shows/American+Idol/recap/619
We all know what a "gift" Paula is, even if she doubts that we do. And Randy and the dawg pound have served us well over the years. But it's time for the first two judges' chairs to be filled by music industry professionals actually capable of offering valid opinions, as opposed to meaningless, incessantly repeated catchphrases or incoherent rambling. And I think I've come up with the perfect replacements — one needs to look no further than '70s supergroup Fleetwood Mac. Think about it. Stevie Nicks could fulfill the much-needed "supportive female" role on the panel, but somehow you just know she wouldn't sugarcoat her critiques. As a bonus, whenever she'd get up to dance, she'd do her patented twirl and repeatedly hit Simon in the face with the awesome black lace cape she'd wear every week. And with Lindsey Buckingham in the other chair, challenging Simon to see who could leave more shirt buttons undone, we'd have a sullen, tortured genius who would interrupt his carefully thought-out comments to shoot alternately lustful/angry looks at the judge next to him. Seriously, Nigel, it's not a bad idea. Stevie and Lindsey's chemistry could rival Simon and Ryan's. Fun for everyone!

[PastelGravel]

OK so I can't for the life of me figure out how to post this picture...but go to this http://www.mendelsonarchives.com/John-McVie.htm link. It's GOLD! Oh John

[PastelGravel]

I don't think I've ever seem this one before...