Janis Siegal, nine-time Grammy winning jazz vocalist, and original member of The Manhattan Transfer, joined pianist John di Martino, bassist Chico Huff, drummer Vic Stevens and saxophonist Andrew Neu for a jazzy Studio Jams session. For the first song, Ms. Siegal selected “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” in honor of Philadelphia producer and composer Bobby Eli who also attended the session. “Equinox” is a tribute to another notable Philadelphia artist, John Coltrane. Tom Emmi is the producer of the series, which brings artists together to create new takes on old standards.
Another installment of the Studio Jams series, produced by Tom Emmi, brought bassist Nathan East to Forge Recording. East, who is perhaps the most recorded bass player of all time, is known for his work with Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Herbie Hancock, and Daft Punk. Mr. East was joined by drummer James “Biscuit” Rouse, guitarist Gil Parris and keyboardist Matt King. Check out the videos below.
Acoustic rock and country singer/songwriter, Michael Meade, has released his first original album. “Everyday Man,” which dropped on January 18th, was recorded here at Forge and includes Michael’s original songs that speak to life’s realities. The album features the Forge Rhythm Section with Ron DiSilvestro on drums and Brendan McGeehan on bass and keyboards. Ron also mixed and co-produced the album with Michael, and Forge Recording manufactured the CDs. “Everyday Man” is available on iTunes and CDBaby now!
American Aquarium, a Raleigh based rootsy rock and roll band, spent some time at Forge to film a live session of two of their most recent songs. “Wichita Falls” and “Family Problems” are part of the group’s 7th album titled “Wolves”.
Josh Nussbaum, a Philadelphia based guitarist and producer, brought American Aquarium to Forge for the newest installment of his FeedLab series. FeedLab was created by Nussbaum and produces quality videos featuring artists performing live in studios.
During their session in Studio A, BJ Barham, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, spoke about going back home to Raleigh, NC. He said there is a level of respect, a sort of “tip of the hat” to the band when they play shows at home. He goes on to talk about the songs he writes. “The Beatles wrote all the happy songs. For me, I write a bunch of really depressing, sad songs.”He believes the sad songs are the one’s people can relate to the most and “Wolves” is certainly filled with soulful, real-life songs.
Along with Barhan, the band is made up of lead guitarist Ryan Johnson, Colin Dimeo also playing lead guitar, Whit Wright on pedal steel and keys, Bill Corbin on bass, and Kevin McClain on drums. The band is on tour at the moment. To check out where they’ll be playing and book tickets, click here.
Forge Recording offers many services, including live sessions at our studio such as the one held for American Aquarium. For more information on live events, click here.
Found Wandering’s holiday album, “On a Christmas Night” charted #2 on Billboard’s Bluegrass charts this past week. The band’s album charted second only to Steve Martin & Edie Brickell’s album, “So Familiar.”
The chart position follows a national TV appearance on Fox’s “After the Show Show,” which can be viewed below. “On A Christmas Night” was recorded here at Forge, engineered and mixed by Ron DiSilvestro.
Found Wandering will perform this Sunday, December 20th at their 5th annual Christmas benefit show in Narberth, PA. Proceeds benefit Sunday Breakfast Mission, an organization that helps the homeless in Philadelphia. Forge will also be there to record the show.
The all-female R&B vocal group GoodGirl chose Forge Recording as the backdrop for their music video “Hello.” Consisting of Megan Nicolle, Morgan (J.L.), Courtney (Bobbie), and Arielle, GoodGirl has been likened to SWV, En Vogue, TLC and Destiny’s Child. They were joined by musician Dre Pinckney.
Gospel artist Robert Ladson brought in his entire ensemble for a 12+ hour day of recording in Studio A. Starting with the instrumental tracks (drums, bass, Hammond B3, grand piano) which were recorded live, we then reset the room to accommodate Robert’s 20+ voice choir. We split up the live room into sections, recording the sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses in different parts of the room. We also put two of our prized Neumann U87 microphones about 20 feet up in the air. The objective was to capture the sound of each section as well as the blend of all voices. The results were excellent, and we enjoyed having everyone that day.
Forge Recording went on location to provide sound and lighting for an intimate evening of live music. Hosted in a beautifully renovated barn, guests were treated to an evening of acoustic music by Ellis Paul. Do you need sound and lighting for your event? We are happy to get some fresh air outside of the studio and travel to you. Please get in touch and let’s discuss your event.
When it comes to Algebra, we can all learn a thing or two and totally enjoy ourselves in the process. We’re talking, or course, about Algebra Blessett, Atlanta’s soulful singer/songwriter who schooled us with her amazing performance skills.
Algebra graced our studios this week to collaborate with multi-platinum record producer Carvin Haggins. In his trademark collaborative style, Carvin brought in his long-time music partner Ivan Barias, breakout artist BriaMarie, producer Déjure Hest and Forge Recording lead engineer, Ron DiSilvestro among others.
M’Balia Singley’s new album, “Halfway There,” is released today. You can learn more by visiting her website here.
Singley recorded half of the album during a snowstorm this past March. We were able to plow the parking lot and get setup just in time for the musicians. Produced by jazz pianist and composer Orrin Evans, the album also features Gene Jackson, Mike Boone, Byron Landham, Madison Rast, and Tim Motzer. The album features original compositions and a few of Singley’s favorite jazz standards. Singley recorded half of the album in Studio A, and utilized the Academy Studio for editing and overdubs.
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