Inside Stickydisc Recording with Eric Broucek

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN: As a budding producer coming up at DFA Records’ Plantain Studios, engineering for label co-founders and producers James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy — and artists such as LCD Soundsystem, Hercules & Love Affair, The Juan Maclean and Free Energy — Eric Broucek cut his teeth on a musical movement.

The label’s post-punk meets disco-rock purview defined a NYC sound that’s still channeling through bands around the world from Brooklyn and back. And Broucek helped establish that sound.

After serving as DFA house engineer for five years, he took off to build his own recording studio and has since co-produced and/or engineered records for !!!, The Hundred In The Hands, Free Energy, Holy Ghost!, Men, Archie Bronson Outfit and Fan Death.

Of late, Broucek has been tracking more band-oriented than dance records, most recently producing and engineering a solo record with Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger, and the next album by the Brooklyn-based horn-driven, funk-pop troupe, Rubblebucket.

We sat down with him for a quick chat and look around his studio, Stickydisc Recording in Greenpoint, Brooklyn:

In addition to working as an engineer for DFA, you’re also a musician and actually played in a couple DFA bands, right?

Yes, I played in The Juan Maclean for a couple years, as a touring member, playing keyboards and theremin and singing vocoder backup vocals. It was a blast. I toured around the U.S. several times, with LCD Soundsystem as well, and toured Europe and Mexico. I got to see a lot of awesome places and get that whole touring lifestyle under my belt.

It helps to have that experience to understand where bands are at when they come back from touring and feel crazy. (laughs)

Totally, so you can relate! What else did you take from DFA that you were able to implement here at Stickdisc…in terms of studio workflow? Were records made there start-to-finish?

A lot of artists on the DFA label would produce their music at home, and then bring it in to the studio to do real drums and track new parts, cut vocals and then mix. But there were some projects that were totally done from scratch there.

It was often either Tim [Goldsworthy] or James [Murphy] — the main partners — and me, because usually projects got off the ground with one person, and then the other would come in. And I was kind of the filler “other” person after awhile, and it just kind of rotated like that.

What was that dynamic like? Would you be “engineering” in the same way for both of them?

They have different skill-sets: Tim is a programmer, coming from a trip-hop world, so I would be engineering for him more than anything else. And with James, who is more a traditional rock engineer guy, I’d be on the computer or getting synths together or making sounds that we’d end up playing with. So, it was cool because I got to wear different hats with them. And I just learned through that, how I eventually wanted my studio to run and what I needed, and what I really didn’t need.

When I set up this space I wanted to keep it pretty simple, very functional and not overdo it. I didn’t need to have the fanciest equipment but I knew what I liked and what was important for getting the sounds I wanted to get — outboard reverbs, a plate, a few solid compressors (love the Purple Audio MC77), and a tape delay.

How do you tend to work with electro-based bands in your own studio – does it tend to be a similar workflow, with them coming in to track additional parts and mix what they’ve already produced at home?

It does work like that for some projects. Everybody has a computer and can record themselves so it’s a given that people are going to have production ideas. So when that kind of project comes to me, there’s often already stuff that’s set more than, say, a typical demo would be. In that case, I’ll be mixing plus doing some production — replacing or getting better sounds, etc.

On my most recent projects with Rubblebucket and Eleanor Friedberger — they’d both demoed their songs on their computers, but they don’t really try to be the producer of their own project like dance people do. And it’s been really rewarding for me to get involved at the start for the whole process so I can help suggest song arrangements and we can make a better plan for how to move forward, as opposed to just filling in what somebody’s already set in stone.

Yeah, which seems like it could feel backwards… working with an artist who’s already grown to love some early home studio sound – now you’re stuck trying to help them do that but better.

Yes, it can be frustrating. When somebody uses a GarageBand preset that happens to have a delay and a tremolo and an arpeggiator on it, and you’re wondering how that is contributing musically to the part, or to the song for that matter. You know they just picked a preset and it happened to have all those time delay effects on it. So it can become this weird battle. I’d rather just do it all from scratch!

I can see that. And cool that your latest projects were a bit more from scratch. Tell us about the Eleanor Friedberger projecct. What’s that record like?

Yeah, that was great. She is so talented and cool. The music is hard to describe. I’d say it’s more direct than a lot of the Fiery Furnaces music. Where that can sometimes be, stylistically, all over the map (in an interesting way), this is more about traditional songs. There are a lot of classic rock touchstones that we went for — kind of a 70s production style where it’s sort of naïve sounding, but not lo-fi.

What were your reference points? When you say 70s production style…

We talked about John Lennon’s solo stuff, and Phil Spector’s production style. I played her some funk and disco music I liked that she wasn’t aware of. She doesn’t really have a vocabulary of dance music, in terms of the sounds or production, so that was something I could throw at her.

That sounds like an interesting combination!

Yeah, I love the sounds of disco and reggae production. I find that to be some of the most interesting, richest sounding stuff, and those ideas can really be applied to any style of music. If you have good songs at the heart of what you’re doing, it’s so much fun to be able to bring in some of those ideas.

What are some of your favorite disco records from that era?

There was a Harlem-based label called P&P Records [the label behind SONY (Sound of New York), Queen Constance, Heavenly Star, Jay Star, Chocolate Star] – run by Patrick Adams and Peter Brown – and I really love the sound of their records. They’re really charming. I don’t tend to like the really big Studio 54 disco, but some of the outskirts of the scene are a bit stranger and headier.

So you produced and engineered the Eleanor Friedberger record? Did you do it all here at Stickydisc?

Yes, and it was the first project I did here from start to finish. She had demos that we turned into full songs. She didn’t have musicians in mind necessarily, so I brought in some friends to play on the record – Morgan Wiley on keys, Jim Orso on drums, Dylan Haney on sax. And I played guitar and bass on most of it. Eleanor played guitar. It was a lot of fun.

How did you arrive at the particular sonic palette — musically, it sounds quite a bit more sophisticated than your standard ‘indie pop.’

A lot of it was predetermined, and then some of the sounds came as a result of pushing and responding to what we’d started — hearing different things in the music that we wanted to keep pursuing. We just kept talking about records we both liked, and our communication was so easy and effortless that we were able to keep naturally pushing it to new places.

I wanted to keep it in a classic place, not really getting into using any modern studio trickery, just make it feel good. So, for example, we talked about how one song was starting to sound like a T. Rex song, and how we could push it more in that direction. We were thinking of Van Morrison, and then pushed for a saxophone solo. We agreed one of the songs was sounding kind of Kate Bush-like and we wanted to keep going with that too.

So there was room for an evolution of the sound a bit within the process. Cool. And since then, you’ve been working with Rubblebucket?

Yes, we started that at the DFA Studio, tracking everything over five days. It was a lot to do in that time. The bandleader is a trumpet player so horns are a big part of their music. And then we had a lot of percussion and vocals, organ, guitar, bass and drums.

The only reason we were able to do it that quickly is because they’re all such good musicians. All the takes worked, that part was easy, so that gave me more freedom with the sounds, and I think it ended up sounding as good as anything I’ve been able to do because of them. So, it’s rad. We recorded more vocals, horns and sounds here, and I’ve been mixing the record here.

Awesome. We look forward to hearing that! Tell us about your mixing setup here at Stickydisc. How do you tend to work?

I use a mixture of plug-ins and outboard gear. When you’re working on a big project and jumping back and forth between songs, having plug-ins that are working and setup is sometimes the best way to go. The Logic plug-ins get the job done, and I also use the UAD plug-ins a lot. I got one of the UAD-2 Quad cards so now I can put them on everything.

All the reverb I’m using is outboard. I love to be able to mix that stuff. I have a plate reverb in the other room, plus I have the Lexicon and the Ursa Major Space Station. I don’t know if I could mix fully in-the box and be as into it.

Cool, and we have to ask — what are those big blue main monitors you’ve got?

Those are actually custom DFA monitors. Only two pairs were ever made. James Murphy had this idea to make monitors and either sell them or give them to his friends, but it never really got off the ground. They have one set and I have a set. An engineer we’d worked with, who had some experience with speaker building, designed them.

So, with off-the-shelf parts, we were able to put together monitors that kind of mimic the mains at DFA, which are these big speakers with ribbon tweeters and two full range drivers, and they sound great. Really smooth.

Look out for the Eleanor Friedberger record, and the Rubblebucket album, tentatively titled Omega La La, in the coming months! And for more on Eric Broucek, visit www.ericbroucek.com. Contact him through Just Managing.

Rob Shore: Maximizing Music Business Management

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: How do YOU manage? If you’re a band or solo artist working above a certain level, then you do it with a business manager like Rob Shore.

Straight from Madison Avenue, Rob Shore and his team oversees monetary matters for a diverse roster of 35 artists, including As I Lay Dying, Flyleaf, K’naan/, LCD Soundsystem,  New Found Glory, Portishead, Slipknot, The XX, and Wolfmother.

Shore opened his own practice after spending 16 years – 1988-2004 – handing the business management for all the acts on Sanctuary Management.  During that time, Shore saw the Power of Metal firsthand with juggernauts like Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Poison, and Dream Theater to look over.

SonicScoop got a reminder of why they call it the music biz – as in business – when we sat down with Shore.

Q: You’re quick to stress that you’re a business manager, as opposed to a creative manager. What do you mean by that?

A: Although Business Managers and Creative Managers work closely together, they’re two totally different jobs.  Creative Management is 24/7, there’s a lot of guiding the artist and Creative Managers weigh in on every decision in the artist’s career.  Most of these are grey areas, with no absolute right or wrong choice, like deciding which producer to use for a record, or which singles, what video director, or what record label to sign with.  These are primarily a Creative Manager’s job, and none are particularly easy choices.

That’s the thing I like about business management: There’s not a lot of grey area, it’s mostly black and white.  We work within the deals that have already been made, so, for example, when money is due from a merch company or publisher, the Business Manager makes sure that the funds collected and spent are contractually correct and in the best interest of the artist.  The Business Manager oversees the finances of touring, merchandising, publishing royalties and keeps artists’ financial interests in their mind at all times.

Q: What are some additional differences between business and creative managers?

A: My analogy is that a creative manager is like a heart surgeon, and a business manager is like a dentist. It’s not as exciting to be a dentist — but no one calls a dentist at 4 AM to have their teeth cleaned. A heart surgeon gets called 24/7.

Unlike the Creative Manager, the role of business manager in most industries isn’t necessary, because the owners are usually the ones who look after their money.  In our case, it’s often not in the interests of an artist to oversee what we do because it’s not an efficient use of their time – and can be almost impossible while on tour.

For example: Is it more important that an artist find the proper insurance, or focus on songwriting, which will probably lead to more success than making sure his insurance is in place?  Both are important, but many artists find the best use of their time is to hire someone else to deal with things like insurance, so they’re free to create.   This defines what we do, why we’re necessary.

Nothing we do is brain surgery, but there are tricks of the trade: every country has different touring laws for different bands, and unless you know how to minimize taxes, you’ll pay full rate everywhere you go, and it makes it almost impossible to tour on a tight budget.

Q: So, in contrast, what are some of the things that a business manager handles?

A: That includes artist royalties, merchandising, reviewing deals, and making sure the tour runs smoothly so the artist is not missing out on any revenue that’s coming to them.

We make sure that taxes are paid properly, from the IRS to foreign states. We basically protect the artist from any kind of financial situation. It’s incredibly humbling that we’re trusted with tens of millions of dollars belonging to these artists. But we’re certainly not a bank. My practice is a word-of-mouth boutique, more user-friendly and service-oriented.

Q: If I’m an artist reading this, my question would be, “At what point do I require a business manager?”

A: What usually happens is that we are brought in when a record deal is signed. The creative manager may have brought them to the record company level, but a business manager isn’t needed until there’s money to manage. So in the band’s early days, where they’re playing for $200 a night, my services probably aren’t necessary.

I’m usually brought in after manager and lawyer are in place when either a record deal or tour is about to happen. The lawyer has worked on the deals, the deals go through and entities, like a LLC or partnership are set up, depending on the individual’s need. After that, we usually get involved. The point of doing this in this way is to get bands in the right position.

It’s not a bad place to get involved. It could be two to three years into the process, when the artist is ready to go to the next level. But there’s definitely times when it would have been better for us to get called in sooner. For example, if a band has been signed, and if they’ve done a tour already, things may have gotten messy. Tours happen, funds are distributed, years go by and tax records get confusing. It’s difficult to recreate what happened in a business after the fact. That’s why I’d rather be involved from the first tour on.

Q: Can you give us some specific examples of mistakes like that made by young bands?

A: Here’s what not to do: Sometimes you go into a club and get paid $200, and they ask for the lead singer’s Social Security number, so they can say they paid someone. After two years there’s a ton of 1099’s with this guy’s Social Security number, and the perception in the eyes of the IRS is that he’s earned tens of thousands of dollars.

The reality is that 99% of those tours are losing money such that no taxes would be due. It’s important to keep track of expenses so they’re not stuck with a large tax bill. In that way, it’s never too early to set up a partnership or an LLC because it’s much easier from a tax standpoint for those things to flow through an entity. Keeping track of receipts and being organized is a good thing to do from Day One.

Another mistake made by young bands is trying to negotiate deals without the input of a lawyer or business management.  These people are just licking their chops when they’re dealing with a band that’s not represented well.  As exciting as it is to have a record deal it could be an albatross for many years if executed improperly.

Q: That’s very valuable. How about another piece of advice?

A: My personal pet peeve is that people don’t protect themselves with insurance. Once a crew person had an insurance policy finish on a Friday and a new one start on a Monday. He was doing carpentry work on a Saturday, got a small sliver of wood in his eye, and that ended up costing him tens of thousands of dollars for that lapse of coverage. We just make sure that all of our bands are covered for health insurance, because I’ve seen too many people – both in my personal and professional life – who were in the hospital not thinking about their health but thinking about their health bills.

In a similar vein, the majority of young band’s biggest asset is there equipment.  For a minimum of cost they can purchase equipment insurance, ensuring their gear is safe from water damage, theft, you name it.

Q: Since you’re minding the money coming in, what are you seeing as the increasingly dependable streams of revenue for artists?

A: The obvious one, and the reason I lucked out having so many metal acts to manage is that in the metal genre touring and merchandise can still be very lucrative.  My son’s in high school; his friends wear Slipknot t-shirts, however, that‘s not necessarily the case for a pop artist like Ke$ha.

Unfortunately, artist royalties from record sales is a 180-degree turn. In my earlier days, people would tour to sell records, and now it’s become more and more prominent that people make records to tour. The reason to tour is because that’s where profit is made, and that lends itself to merchandising. Endorsements and synch licensing are big, as well. It’s hard for an artist to make money on record sales when anyone can download their music for free.

Q: That sounds like an incredible amount of detail that you have to keep track of.

A: I have an incredible staff I work with, and we associate ourselves with great people: great insurance people, great lawyers, great tour managers; it’s a lot to keep track of, but when you work with great people it’s not as difficult.

Part of my job at Sanctuary was the survival of bands, and allowing them to live long enough to break. If RSA has a forte, it’s taking bands, and extending their life longer than other people might be able to.

I think part of this is managing tour support, for example. As record companies make less and less money, it’s tougher to get tour support out of them. So we work hard to maintain budgets, get what’s really agreed upon, and receive what’s needed to extend the band’s life.

That’s true not just for emerging bands, but ones that are perceived as successful as well. A platinum artist may want to have a baby next year, so they’d ask us what they need to live next year without touring. We might say, “The money runs out next November, so that’s when you’d have to go out and tour again.”

Q: You mentioned the intricacies of working financially outside the US, as well.

A: Most countries used to not have a clue as to how to tax bands coming in and out, but now everyone seems to be on top of it. In the US, it used to be a relatively easy process to get taxes waived, and now it’s nearly impossible. We’ve become experts on the intricacies of what the IRS really expects now, and that knowledge can make a huge difference for an artist at tax time.  We have a good working relationship with people at the IRS and close ties to professionals who handle taxes with bands overseas.  In many cases, the ability to minimize taxes in the US allows foreign bands to go on tour here.

Every country has their own game that needs to be played, and we know how to play the game while working within the legal limits and paying what’s owed – without paying more than necessary.

Q: We ask this a lot, but I’m particularly interested in your perspective: How do you see the music business in 2010?

A: I’m not sure if this is an answer to your question, but it is that bands can still be successful and earn a living in the music business.   If my experience can inspire anybody, it’s that I’ve seen bands go from a $500 gig to a $100,000 gig in a year. I’ve seen really poor bands seriously considering taking a $50,000 publishing advance, holding out a little longer, and then landing an $800,000 publishing deal less than 8 months later.

I admire people who have the guts to stick it out. People who took a big chance on music careers, and then got to the point where a record company is willing to put hundreds of thousands of dollars into them to make them successful , then playing in front of thousands of people. I’ve seen it happen that way: People didn’t give up, and they found success. That’s an amazing process.
– David Weiss

Wu Massacre, Break Science, Talib Kweli, More Announced for Camp Bisco

The second round of artists set to perform at the ninth annual Camp Bisco festival were announced yesterday, and included Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Break Science with special guest Talib Kweli, Holy F#ck, Caribou, RAQ, Tipper, Beats Antique, Welder, and The Constellations.

The festival, which was founded by Philadelphia-based group The Disco Biscuits, will take place from July 15 – 17 in Mariaville, New York. Artists already confirmed to perform include The Disco Biscuits, LCD Soundsystem, Ween, Thievery Corporation, and Girl Talk.

In conjunction with Earth Day, Camp Bisco also announced new greening and sustainability initiatives for this year’s festival, including sustainable sourced products, camping education, campsite contests, recycling redemption incentives, green volunteer teams, and waste diversion audit and metrics reporting.

Passes for the festival, which is approximately a 3 hour drive north of NYC, are $155 and are available at the festival’s website.