Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp NYC to Feature Roger Daltrey of The Who, Phil Ramone as Special Guest Counselors

From January 12th to 17th in New York City at Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp, rock enthusiasts and amateur musicians will have the opportunity to interact with, learn from, jam with and perform alongside their idols as part of the rock camp that became the centerpiece of VH1 Classic’s new series – also called Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp.

The series debuted October 16th as the most watched series premiere in network history. It has also proved to be beneficial to the local music industry, making frequent use of NYC-based producers, engineers and recording facilities.

Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp New York City will feature several of the celebrity counselors from the Mark Burnett-produced VH1 Classic show. Along with special guest counselor Roger Daltrey, Grammy Award-winning producer Phil Ramone, Tommy James, Simon Kirke of Bad Company, Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot, Kip Winger of Winger, renowned singer/songwriter Mark Hudson, and many others, will help build the skills of rock hobbyists.

Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp was founded by David Fishof in 1997 as the ultimate music experience for the amateur or aficionado, pairing music lovers of all levels together with rock icons for a first-hand immersion in the rock lifestyle.  In the process, camp attendees move from spectator to band member.

The NYC campers will form their own bands; spend over 10 hours a day in-studio jamming and creating original music under the guidance of a famous rock counselor; meet and jam with Roger Daltrey; take a variety of specialized master classes conducted by rock icons; break bread with industry insiders; and play BB King’s in Times Square.

Campers have their choice of three packages: the four-day Rock Star package, and six-day Headliner and Recording Star packages. The most comprehensive package – The Recording Star – includes two extra days of recording time in a renowned studio with a professional engineer, allowing campers to leave with a series of professionally-mixed and produced songs.

Avatar Hosts Sessions For Every Media: Lenny Kravitz, The Dirty Pearls Records, Glee and Rubicon, Tyler Perry film and Vampire Weekend for iTunes

As reflected in a recent string of sessions, there’s a whole lotta music being recorded at Avatar Studios of late, with a diverse clientele of producers, writers and composers creating music for multiple medias.

First, the album projects — this last month saw Elaine Paige in Studio A with Phil Ramone and Frank Filipetti, Lenny Kravitz in Studio C with Tom Edmunds engineering, Ricky Martin in with producer Desmond Child and engineer Enrique Larreal and NYC rockers The Dirty Pearls recording with producer David Kahne and engineer Joe Barresi.

Additionally, Jim Hall recorded at Avatar with engineer James Farber, Keiko Matsui recorded with producer Richard Bona and engineer Anthony Ruotolo and the Harmonie Ensemble / New York recorded in Studio A with conductor/music director Steven Richman and engineer Adam Abeshouse.

A Celtic Woman project was recorded in Studio B while connected to a studio in Dublin through Source-Connect. David Downes produced the session with engineer Kevin Killen. Additionally, Avatar’s new writing room was booked out for a writing session for Justin Bieber with producer Priscilla Renae, working with engineer Fernando Lodeiro.

And then the film and television work…Music performed by Joshua Bell for Tyler Perry’s film For Colored Girls was recorded in Studio C with composer/producer Aaron Zigman and engineer Todd Whitelock. Music for Glee was recorded in Studio G with actor Darren Criss, producer Tommy Faragher and engineer Robert Smith. The score for AMC’s Rubicon was recorded in Studio C with producer Peter Nashel and engineer Roy Hendrickson; and an episode of CBS’ The Good Wife with Miranda Cosgrove was shot in Studio A.

Also in Avatar’s Studio A, Young People’s Chorus of New York City was in for a TV pre-record for the 9/11 Commemoration with producer Irwin Fisch and engineer Artie Friedman.

And web…Vampire Weekend recorded in Studio A for iTunes with producer Suzanne Varney and engineer Jason Marcucci. And, radio interviews via ISDN were held in Studio G with LCD Soundsystem assisted by Fernando Lodeiro.

Avatar’s also long been a home for Broadway musicians, and recently hosted recording sessions for promos for Elf The Musical, with producer Brandon Mikolaski and engineer Ed Rak, Jersey Boys, with engineer Peter Karam and Rock of Ages, with engineer Peter Hylenski.

And music for Loris Greaud’s project, “ The Snorks, A Concert for Creatures” was recently recorded in Studio A, performed by Antipop Consortium. Avatar’s Rick Kwan engineered the session.  The audio will be used for an installation at the Pace Art Gallery.

For more information on Avatar Studios, visit www.avatarstudios.net.

Rubicon Score, Alicia Keys, Jesse Harris & Punch Brothers Recorded At Avatar

AMC’s new series Rubicon features a brilliant, subtly-suspenseful original score by Peter Nashel of NYC music production company, Duotone. And the composer/producer has been recording said picture-perfect score at NYC’s Avatar Studios, with engineer Roy Hendrickson assisted by Aki Nishimura. Tune into Rubicon Sundays at 9PM!

Avatar has been booked by a variety of other artists, film and theater projects of late, including:

Alicia Keys recording with engineer Ann Mincieli, assisted by Rick Kwan; Ricky Martin recording in Studio G with producer Desmond Child and engineer Christian Baker; singer/songwriter Jesse Harris recording and mixing a self-produced project in Studio C with engineer Mark Plati, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro; and Punch Brothers recording a new project for Disney with producer Joel McNeeley and engineer Frank Filipetti.

Filipetti also recently engineered on sessions for producer Phil Ramone with singer/actress Elaine Paige in Avatar’s Studio G.

The cast album for Broadway’s La Cage Aux Folles starring Kelsey Grammer was recorded in Studio A and Studio G with producer (and PS Classics co-founder) Tommy Krasker and engineer Bart Migal assisted by Bob Mallory and David Rowland.

And the score for the upcoming film, The Beaver, was recorded in Studio A with composer / producer Marcelo Zarvos, director Jodie Foster, engineer Richard King assisted by Fernando Lodeiro and Charlie Kramsky.

For more information on Avatar Studios, visit http://www.avatarstudios.net/ and follow them on Twitter — where they are known to announce last-minute deals on studio time — @avatarstudios!

Recording Sweet Spot: KMA Music

Facility Name: KMA Music

Website: www.kmamusic.com

Location: The Brill Building, Midtown, Manhattan

Neighborhood Advantages: There are amazing views of Times Square here, a great selection of food, and our studio is located in a landmark building.

Date of Birth: 2007

Facility Focus: Tracking and mixing!

Mission Statement: “Bringing the music back to the Brill.”

Clients/Credits: 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Birdman, Black Thought, Bow Wow, Bravo TV, Britney Spears, Cash Money Records, Claude Kelly, Clipse, DJ Clue, DJ Khaled, DJ Swivel, David Cook, David Foster, Demi Lovato, Duro, Eric Hudson, Estelle, Eve, Fabolous, Fantasia, Flo Rida, G-Unit, G-Unit Records, Geffen Records, George Clinton, Ghostface Killah, Gloria Gaynor, Gym Class Heroes, Honor Society, Ice Cube, Interscope Geffen A&M, Island Def Jam Music Group, J Records, J-Cole, J-Lo, Jamie Foxx, Jay Sean, Jay-Z, Jazmine Sullivan, Jennifer Hudson, Jeremih, John Legend, Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, Joss Stone, Justin Bieber, Kelly Rowland, Kristin Chenoweth, LMFAO, Little Steven, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Mos Def, Nas, Nelly, Nick Cannon, Paul Simon, Phil Ramone, Rihanna, Roc Nation, Sean Paul, Sesame Street, Shaggy, Snoop Dogg, Sony Music, Sting, Swizz Beatz, T.I., The Neptunes, Tiesto, Twista, Universal Motown, Universal Republic Records, Warner Bros. Records, Whitney Houston, Wyclef Jean, Yung Joc

Some of our recent credits include: Mixed: “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys from The Blueprint 3, “Do You Remember” by Jay Sean ft. Sean Paul & Lil Jon from All or Nothing,  “Throw It In The Bag” & “My Time” by Fabolous from Loso’s Way,”Baby” by Ghostface Killah from Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, “Bittersweet” by Fantasia, “Work Hard Play Hard” by DJ Tiesto, “Who Dat” by J. Cole, 12 out of 16 tracks on Fabolous’ Loso’s Ways, 11 out of 14 tracks on Jay Sean’s All or Nothing. Recorded and Produced “Worth It” by Whitney Houston from I Look To You.

Key Personnel: David “Roz” Rosner – Studio Manager , James M. Spano – Asst. Studio Manager, Casey R. Flynn – Chief of Operations

System Highlights: We have a lot on hand, including AKG C12 VR, API 3124, Avalon 737, Digidesign Control 24, Digidesign Icon, Focusrite Red 7, Griffin G 1.5, Griffin LFE 18”, Lexicon 960L, Logic Pro 9, Neumann U87, Pro Tools HD 8.0, SSL XLogic E Signature Channel, SSL XLogic SuperAnalogue, Sony C-800G, Tube-Tech MP-1A, Teletronix LA-2A,, Universal Audio 1176, Yamaha Disclavier 6 Grand Piano

Distinguishing Characteristics: We are a boutique studio with a vibe like no other.  Our entire facility has panoramic views of Times Square.  KMA was designed by famed studio designer, Fran Manzella (The Palms Studio, The Barber Shop Studios, Sterling Sound) who built our flagship A room around his very own Griffin monitors.  This is why clients such as Duro and DJ Swivel (Jay-Z, Jay Sean, Nas, Mariah Carey, Fabolous, Mary J. Blige, T.I., Britney Spears, The Neptunes, Ludacris, The Beastie Boys, Diddy, Ashanti and Will Smith, etc.) choose to record and mix their projects in our extremely quiet and sonically accurate rooms.

The building is on fire, you only have time to grab ONE thing to save, what is it? Our tech, Casey R Flynn haha… and the hard drives!

Rave Reviews: Our sound, our service, our staff, the views of Times Square, the vibe and the stripper pole (always a conversation piece!).

Most Memorable Session Ever: We’ve had many memorable sessions at KMA, but probably the most notable session was with the legendary Paul Simon and Phil Ramone while recording Paul’s single “Questions for the Angels.”

Session You’d Like to Forget: N/A!

Dream Session: We can’t narrow it down, so pick one for us: The Rat Pack, Michael Jackson,
Van Halen, U2, Johnny Cash. [SonicScoop selects ALL OF THE ABOVE laying down a slammin’ version of “We Want the Funk”.]

– David “Roz” Rosner, Studio Manager KMA Studios

Yoko Ono, Suzanne Vega, Dub Trio Recording At Avatar

Yoko Ono recently produced a project with NYC’s Bang On A Can, recording in Avatar Studio‘s legendary Studio A with Scott Hollingsworth engineering. Another NYC legend, Suzanne Vega, recently spent time in Studio A as well, recording with producer/engineer Joe Blaney.

In Studio C, Brooklyn’s Dub Trio recorded for their upcoming album with producer/engineer Joel Hamilton; singer/songwriter Danielle Evin recorded with producer Phil Ramone and engineer Jay Messina; and jazz-pop singer Jane Monheit recorded with engineer Jim Anderson.

In other recent jazz sessions at Avatar, Freddy Cole recorded new music at Avatar with producer Todd Barkan and engineer Katherine Miller, jazz-guitarist Jim Hall recorded with engineer James Farber and The Fred Hersch Trio also recorded with Barkan and Miller.

The orchestral music for AMC’s new thriller, Rubicon, was recorded in Avatar’s Studio A with producer Peter Nashel and engineer Gary Chester. And music for HBO’s upcoming Todd Haynes-directed mini-series, Mildred Pierce was recorded in Studio C with producers Steven Epstein and Carter Burwell, with Todd Whitelock engineering.

Avatar Studios Hosts Paul Simon, Moby, O.A.R. and More

Paul Simon recently spent time recording at NYC’s Avatar Studios, working with producer Phil Ramone, engineer Andy Smith and assistant engineer Justin Gerrish.

Moby‘s also recently recorded in Studio A, with engineer Scott Norton and assistant engineer Rick Kwan.

Meanwhile, roots rock quintet O.A.R. recorded in Studio C with producer Matt Wallace and engineer Mike Landolt. Other acts that recorded in March include Teddy Thompson, Proud Simon, and The Script.

From the jazz world, the Christian McBride Big Band recorded in Studio A with engineer Joe Ferla, while woodwind specialist James Carter recorded in Studio B with producer Michael Cuscuna and engineer Jim Anderson, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro. Other notables were Michel Portal and The Don Friedman Trio, both of whom recorded in Studio C with their producer/engineer teams.

Studio A recently hosted several TV and theater projects as well. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks recorded music for the upcoming HBO series Boardwalk Empire with producer Jim Dunbar and engineer Stewart Lerman. Also, the cast of Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet recorded with producer Hank Neuberger and engineer Chris Steinmetz.

And finally, the music for Life Begins At 8:40, a 1934 Harold Arlen / Ira Gershwin / Yip Harburg musical revue, was recorded in Studio A with producer Tommy Krasker and engineer Bart Migal.

For more information on Avatar Studios, visit their website at avatarstudios.net.

Phil Ramone to Receive Hitmaker Award at the 2010 Songwriters Hall of Fame

Producer Phil Ramone will be the 2010 recipient of the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award at this year’s annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards dinner slated for Thursday, June 17 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC.

The Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award, named after one of the Hall of Fame’s founders, is for artists or “star makers” in the music industry who have written a substantial number of hit songs for an extended period of time, and who recognize the importance of songs and their writers. Previous receipients include Clive Davis, Garth Brooks, Chuck Berry, Whitney Houston, Michael Bolton, Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross, and Sir Tom Jones.

Phil Ramone is one of the most acclaimed music producers in the industry, working with artists such as Billy Joel, Bono, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Quincy Jones, BB King, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, String, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor. Throughout his career, he acquired 34 Grammy nominations, 14 Grammy wins, an Emmy, and many other awards and honors.

Ramone is also Chairman Emeritus of the board of trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), a co-chairman of the Producers and Engineers Wing, a board member of the National Mentoring Partnership for Music Education, a member of the board of directors of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a member of the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, a founding member of The Music & Engineering Technology Alliance (META), and former Trustee of the MusiCares Foundation having produced its annual pre-Grammy tribute.

Inductees at this year’s Hall of Fame include Leonard Cohen, Jackie DeShannon, David Foster, Johnny Mandel, Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn, and Al McKay. The Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Phil Collins.

Tickets for the event begin at $1,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events. Net proceed from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. A complete list of inductees and full biographies of them are available at http://songwritershalloffame.org. To become a member and have the opportunity to vote for the next group of inductees, go to http://songhall.org/join.

Avatar Hosts The Strokes, Mary J. Blige, Moby, The Dirty Pearls & David Kahne

Avatar Recording Studios hosted a number of sessions this past month, with high-profile artists, producers and engineers.

Studio A and its famed live room saw the likes of The Strokes, recording with producer/engineer Joe Chiccarelli, assisted by Justin Gerrish. Moby was recording there with engineer Scott Norton, assisted by Rick Kwan, while Vince Mendoza tracked in the room with engineer Jim Anderson, again assisted by Rick Kwan. A Latin version of “We Are The World” was recorded with Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas in Studio A with producer Emilio Estefan and engineer Roy Hendrickson, assisted by Fernando Lodeiro.

In Studio B, the Bill Charlap Trio recorded with producer Todd Barkan, along with engineer Katherine Miller assisted by Aki Nishimura. Oud player Joseph Tawadros was in B with engineer Jon Rosenberg, assisted by Bob Mallory.

Mary J. Blige was in Studio C overdubbing with producer Ron Fair, and engineer Anthony Ruotolo, who was assisted by Charlie Kramsky. Also in C were Nikki Yanofsky, working with producers Phil Ramone and Jesse Harris, along with engineer Tom Schick assisted by Bob Mallory. The Dirty Pearls were in C recording with producer David Kahne, engineer Roy Hendrickson, and assisted by Justin Gerrish. On the jazz tip, Mark Johnson was in Studio C recording with producer Eliane Elias, while engineer Joe Ferla was assisted by Rick Kwan.

Last but not least, indigenous Australian musician Gurrumul Yunupingu was in Studio G recording with producer Michael Hohnen, engineer Anthony Ruotolo, and assistant Aki Nishimura.

« Previous Page