Tape Op Podcast

With their latest album, *is*, My Morning Jacket handed over the production reins to storied producer Brendan O'Brien, who has worked with artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Pearl Jam. The result of this collaboration is a focused collection of songs that showcases the band's development and musical diversity. Geoff Stanfield caught up with My Morning Jacket’s frontman and principal songwriter, Jim James, and Brendan to discuss the making of this stellar release. Enjoy!

Ben Schneider, founder and frontman of Lord Huron, shares insights on their new album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. He discusses the band’s formation, reconnecting with old friends, and the creative process behind their storytelling music. Schneider dives into the renovation of their Whispering Pines studio and the unique collaborations with Kristen Stewart and Kazu Makino. He reflects on balancing production control with collaboration and finds beauty in the mystery of art. His journey captures the essence of musical evolution.

Larry Crane interviews Authors Eliot Bates & Samantha Bennett on their book, Gear: Cultures of Audio and Music Technologies

The story of Regina Spektor is one of a truly self-made artist. In 1989, at nine years old, Spektor and her family emigrated from Moscow to the Bronx in New York. Her love and affinity for playing the piano found her studying in high school at the Manhattan School of Music, and as she continued her classical studies she was also being exposed to and fell in love with pop music, hip-hop, and punk rock. Her self-released albums 11:11 and Songs led to a growing audience and opening slots for The Strokes and Kings of Leon. She was soon signed to Sire Records, who released her third album, Soviet Kitsch. Fast forward many years, and the list of accolades and accomplishments for Regina is long. She has released eight studio albums, featured at the Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and Glastonbury festivals, performed at the White House for the Obamas, wrote the theme song for the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, and has had songs appear in multiple films. She recently reissued her albums Begin to Hope, Far, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, Remember Us To Life, and Live in London all exclusively on vinyl. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Regina from her home in New York to discuss her early years, her passion for the craft, and takeaways from working with producers such as Jeff Lynne, Jacknife Lee, John Congleton, and Mike Elizondo. Enjoy!

The Connecticut-based band Goose has had what would seem a meteoric rise into the public consciousness, but the group has been building a loyal fan base the same way that artists like the Grateful Dead and Phish had before them, with nearly a decade of endless touring. Their latest release, Everything Must Go, and 2022's Dripfield were both produced and engineered by D. James Goodwin. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Goose frontman Rick Mitarotonda and Goodwin to chat about the recording of Everything Must Go, capturing the energy of a live band experience, experimentation in the studio, and D. James Goodwin's quest to make the greatest jam band studio album of all time. Enjoy!

Singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sara Watkins, collectively comprise the powerhouse trio I'm With Her. Their 2018 album, *See You Around*, garnered them Grammy and Americana Music Association nominations, taking awards for Best American Roots song for "Call My Name," and Best Duo/Group of the Year. Their second release, *Wild and Clear and Blue*, is a collection of deeply personal songs and incredible playing, produced by Josh Kaufman and engineered by D. James Goodwin. Geoff Stanfield caught up with the band to talk about the making of the record, their collaborative songwriting process, influences, and more. Enjoy

Atlanta-based producer and songwriter, Turbo (aka Chandler A. Great), has been behind hits from Travis Scott, Gunna, Lil Baby, Nav, and Young Thug. His signature productions are easily recognized, and he has an innate ability to distill songs and their presentations down to their essence and a feeling. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Turbo from his home in Atlanta to discuss his early days, production process, genre-bending collaborations, and how he strives to always be evolving. Enjoy!

Baltimore, Maryland, native Josh "Deakin" Dibb is probably best known as a member of the indie rock legends Animal Collective, but he is also a producer, engineer, and mixer, helming projects for Avey Tare, Tickley Feather, Herald, his own album Sleep Cycle, and most recently a co-production venture with his Animal Collective bandmate, Panda Bear, on the fantastic release, Sinister Grift. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Josh from his studio, The Rabbit Hole, in Baltimore. Enjoy.

For over four decades, David Lowery has been an innovator and thought leader in the music business. As musician, he’s the founder and leader of both indie rock legends Camper Van Beethoven and the successful band Cracker. He’s also a writer, producer, studio owner, educator, and as a champion of artists rights in the digital age he even led a successful $112 million dollar lawsuit against Spotify. His new album, *Fathers, Sons and Brothers*, is a sprawling 28 song release that he offers as an alternative to writing an autobiography. It is a beautiful collection of deeply personal and often quite funny stories that span his history from childhood and family, to the origin stories of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, to relationships and more.  Geoff Stanfield caught up with David to chat about this new record, being a studio owner, producing, and his thoughts on record labels, digital technology and copyright, quantitative finance, and more! Enjoy.

We interviewed producer, engineer, and mixer, Chris Coady, back in 2016 for Tape Op issue 113. He has worked with TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Future Islands, Beach House, DIIV, The Drums, Porches, Amen Dunes, Sasami, Hand Habits, and countless other artists. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Chris from his studio in Glendale, CA, to discuss a wide range of topics ranging from his formative years in Baltimore, his days at New York City's Quad Studios, and his approach to recording and mixing. Enjoy!