Goose Creek News

I love the adventures that come with making music in the Goose Creek format…we get to travel to classic venues, hang out with new and interesting people, and capture great music on audio and video.

We didn’t have the final arrangements for recording the Whiskey Gentry’s Georgia mini-tour until Craig Green and I were in the car and on our way to Georgia.   Luckily, Athens-based producer and engineer John Keane was taking care of the audio recording (and sitting in for some tasty pedal steel!), so Craig and I only had to get the camera gear up and going, and focus on the show as it happened.

Wow, what an experience…the Georgia Theatre is one of the country’s premier music venues, and it has recently undergone a fantastic renovation.  They saved the classic brick walls, and installed a rooftop bar and restaurant that is a perfect place to spend a Georgia summer evening as the world cools down.  We got there about 6pm…I set up the center camera and staked my territory in front of Stage Left, while Craig manned the balcony.  The band went on at nine, so we headed to the roof to grab some dinner and a beer, then wandered down and stepped behind the cameras.

The Whiskey Gentry can swing AND rock….and more.  Our opening video is “Dixie”, which catches me now the same way Asleep at the Wheel did at the Lawrence Opera House on my 21^st birthday…way too many years ago. It’s the kind of tune that makes you think of soldiers-on-leave and cowgirls dancing in a 1950’s Kansas roadhouse, but it’s a brand new song with a modern arrangement and sounds.  Editing the video means I’ve heard this recording hundreds of times, and my foot still taps every time it’s on.

To be honest, The Whiskey Gentry are just laying back on Dixie – the energy level rises substantially once they get going.  There are so many influences in their music, it’s hard to sort them all.  Price, the drummer, has a Punk heritage.  Mix that with Country, Rockabilly, Celtic, and Classical, add 2 full cups of Gypsy from the Bluegrass contingent, and Sammy Griffin’s on-the-money bass…and you get the medley of “Eula Mae” and the instrumental “Comrade.”  The video will be released on April 1 (no, really).  We’ve never published an 8 minute video before, but I still watch Eula Mae/Comrade all the way through every time.  The solos are on fire…it’s a great ensemble performance that showcases everyone.

After the show, we hung with the band and the crowd, and listened to Seven Handle Circus play cuts from their just-released album.  As ever, Georgia is filled with gracious and interesting people, and it would have been fun even if the band HADN’T nailed it.  And they did nail it…just watch the videos, and there’s more on the album.

Speaking of videos, there will be more cuts from the album material in the coming weeks.  We recorded audio-only the following night at Center Stage in Atlanta…the recordings from the second night of the mini-tour reflect the band having a great time, and an enthusiastic hometown crowd giving it right back.

The album will hit iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, and all the other online merchants on April 15….in the meantime, you can get  CDs from the band this Friday night April 4 at the Georgia Theatre in Athens (the scene of the crime), and on Saturday at Terminal West in Atlanta.  Enjoy!

The Whiskey Gentry: Initially a quintet formed by husband and wife duo Lauren Staley and Jason Morrow, the band’s debut album in 2011 Please Make Welcome became a critically-acclaimed success, quickly launching the Atlanta-based band into markets from Tampa to NYC, and at festivals priding themselves as the first to showcase the next best thing.

They have since expanded on both a physical and geographic level, with the Live in Georgia album featuring a septet that includes Chesley Lowe on banjo, Sammy Griffin on bass, Price Cannon on drums, Michael Smith on mandolin, and Rurik Nunan on fiddle.

Goose Creek has just signed up for a new album that I can only describe as an Americana Dixieland Ragtime Jazz Horn Section Burlesque Show Review…Blair Crimmins and the Hookers, Live in Little Five. Blair and company have a lot going on.

Blair and the Hookers are based in Atlanta, and play festivals, clubs, and colleges throughout the Southeast. While they always travel with a full band and horn section, their home-town Atlanta fans often get treated to a burlesque show in addition to the raucous ragtime 7-piece band.

Blair Crimmins writes the music and band arrangements, rounds up the band members, books the tours, and manages the recording process. It is amazing what this guy gets done in a day. How Blair came to ragtime music is an interesting back story for another time, but his home turf in Atlanta’s Little Five Points and Cabbagetown is the perfect backdrop for the band concept and fan base. This band is a lot of fun, and the live album really tells that story.

The recording was made in December 2012 at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse, a WWII era movie-theatre-turned-music venue in Atlanta’s historic downtown. Blair is just now finishing up the mixing with Ed Rawls and Justin Mcnight at The Living Room Recording in Atlanta. Mastering will be done by Randy Leroy at Airshow Mastering in Takoma Park, Maryland. The album will be generally available on June 4, but in a couple of weeks we’ll be offering a presale package for the CD, t-shirts, posters, and sneak-preview downloads.

Mike Pugh

September 28, 2012

I’ve been rode hard and put up wet, another busy day. With jet lag in full gear, I woke up early and decided to go for a walk, so it was down to Decatur Street and the Mississippi. It is a very big muddy river. Then a quick biscuit breakfast from Mother’s, hot sausage and egg. I got my walk in before the rain -sometimes you get lucky.

Then it was a full day of equipment moving, stage managing, meetings and promo with Mike Pugh, Pete Knapp, Mark Shreve (the son) at the Cutting Edge conference preparing for the recording session with Deering and Down. But we were ready by 5:00 pm. And when the lights dimmed down and the first chord was struck we and the audience knew we were in for a special evening. Lahna’s vocals were magical, I thought of the old Jackson Browne song – ‘That Girl Can Sing’.  Rev’s guitar solo’s wrapped around Lahna’s guitar chords to create that unique musical form, Americana. Hard to describe but you know it when you hear it.

As the songs rolled forth, Mike and I kept smiling and with a thumbs up knew we were capturing a moment in time. Can’t wait to hear the mixes!

Paul Shreve

September 26, 2012

Paul Shreve – Wednesday at New Orleans Cutting Edge Music Conference

Busy, busy day!  Mike Pugh, Pete Knapp and I hit the ground running. Venue check, meet the fellow sound engineers, and take in the vibe. I am into the New Orleans vibe already. A wholesome dinner at Mother’s. Jambalaya for me followed by ice cold beer, and then a walk down Bourbon Street with Mike.

Friday…..

Recording live is like going into battle. You plan, you prepare and you think you got it figured out – but live recording is all about adaptability. Extension cords fail, mics get dinged up, lighting goes on the fritz, yep it all gangs up on you. But then the tune-up ends and levels are set – then the music starts and the magic happens. And that’s the way it went yesterday. Susan Cowsill and the band rocked. Mike and I ran around like mad men for hours before the session but when we launched – we flew. An awesome night! Special thanks to my son, Mark Shreve, who flew down to help out with the millions of things that needed to get done. Well done all!

March 7, 2012

Goose Creek Music has taken a few months off, and made some changes in the way we’re organized and how we’re addressing the growing Americana Music market…

First, our good friend and associate Stuart Martin has stepped down as a partner in the firm to concentrate on his growing business with Stonebridge Studios in Leesburg, VA.  Stuart’s reputation as a gifted sound engineer and producer has grown, and he’s recently done work for The Steel Wheels new studio album “Lay Down, Lay Low“, Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein’s upcoming release from Rebel Records “Home From the Mills“, Jonathan Edwards’ new CD “My Love Will Keep”, and the upcoming debut album release for hot new Americana artists The Stray Birds.  Goose Creek Music looks forward to an ongoing relationship with Stuart and Stonebridge Studios for post-production and mastering services.

Meanwhile, a few new faces have joined the firm, and we’re really excited about our plans for the next few years.

My dear friend and technology entrepreneur Paul Shreve has come aboard to head up Business Development efforts.  Paul has been at the forefront of the Internet revolution since before most of us ever logged on, and has both practical experience and strategic vision for how business is done in the Web 2.0 world.

Paul will be working to identify opportunities to license the Goose Creek Music catalog across multiple media platforms, form cooperative business arrangements with other firms for the production and distribution of new material, and help me keep an eye on the nuts and bolts of running the company.

Pete Knapp, Americana Music promoter extraordinaire, has joined Goose Creek Music as head of A&R and Media Relations.  Pete and I met at the Americana Music Conference about 4 years ago, and he really impressed me with his knowledge of the industry and his contacts with important and emerging Americana artists.  Pete introduced us to The Steel Wheels and promoted their Goose Creek Live album to radio in the US, Europe, and the Pacific Rim, resulting in our most successful release to date.  He is actively recruiting acts for the next series of Goose Creek Live recording sessions…watch this space for announcements about our new lineup and events.

Sian Pugh became my wife in December 2011 (another reason for Goose Creek’s brief hiatus!), and is heading up Online Marketing efforts.  Sian is an expert in online customer experience, search engine optimization, and website development.  She runs her consulting firm from our home offices in rural Virginia, and when she’s not directing the online presence of everything from huge corporations to small businesses, she ensures that the Goose Creek Music catalog is visible online and easily accessed by our current and prospective customers.  Sian also cooks a mean paella.

Finally, in her ever-expanding role as our head of Graphic Design, Stefanie Zehnder continues to support Goose Creek Music from her new post in my hometown of Kansas City.  Stef has developed a signature look and feel for Goose Creek releases and is a breath of fresh air every time we speak.  For any of our artist friends needing graphic support, I heartily recommend her for your next CD release.

With all of these changes, our mission remains the same…publishing great performances by important and emerging Americana artists.  We look forward to bringing you more outstanding music and media in the years to come.

Mike Pugh