SXSW 2012 Recap

With everyone from the Ardent camp back home and the dust settling, let’s take a look back at all things Big Star at SXSW.  

From the press: 

“…with the presentation of a Big Star documentary and a symphonic concert celebrating the band’s music. Playing opposite much-anticipated festival sets by Bruce Springsteen, and various other big names, the Big Star event managed to pack the city’s Paramount Theatre, and generate a rare buzz amid the din and clatter of this massive industry gathering.

“…Such labyrinthine twists provide the ballast for “Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.” The 93-minute documentary, by New York filmmakers Drew DeNicola, Olivia Mori, and Danielle McCarthy, was screened as a “work in-progress” version at the Paramount. Still, the film was a powerfully evocative piece, eliciting a standing ovation at its conclusion.”

 - Bob Mehr for The Commercial Appeal

“Ambitious in scope, Nothing Can Hurt Me digs into deeper contexts than the average music doc, encompassing Chilton’s pre-Big Star musical pedigree as the face and voice of the Box Tops; the mentoring influence of engineer-producers John Fry and Jim Dickinson; the clubhouse atmosphere at Fry’s Ardent Studios; the band’s connection to photographer William Eggleston and other artists; Ardent’s historic 1973 promotional stunt, the first-and-last Annual National Association of Rock Writers Convention; the decline of Big Star’s would-be distributor, Stax Records; the post-Big Star solo careers; and a busy culture of reissues, reunions, and homages.”

 - Leah Churner for The Austin Chronicle

“The movie is brilliant—a boon to Big Star fans, as well as an indispensible primer for anyone who ever has wondered what artists such as the dB’s, R.E.M., Matthew Sweet, the Bangles, the Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, This Mortal Coil, the Posies and literally thousands of others found so inspiring.

“The second half of Big Star Tribute Night was just as fulfilling as the band’s last surviving member, drummer Jody Stephens, and long-time fans Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter led a large ensemble complete with Mellotron, horns, string section and a parade of guest vocalists through a rendition of Big Star Third/Sister Lovers in all of its soul-wrenching sloppiness and haphazard perfection.

“The procession of cameos included some big names—R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, the Replacements’ Tommy Stinson, Wilco’s Pat Sansone, M. Ward and of course Posies and latter-day Big Star members Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer—but just as valuable were the contributions of many younger and lesser-known musicians who’ve passed through Stamey’s recording studio in Chapel Hill, N.C. All of them clearly loved the album and poured all they had into songs beloved by fans who never thought they’d get to hear them live: the rousing ‘O, Dana’ and the despondent ‘Holocaust,’ the frightening ‘Kangaroo’ and the furious ‘Kizza Me,’ all building up to a ‘We Are the World’ sing-along on the perfect tune to stand as the band’s epitaph, ‘Thank You Friends.’”

 - Jim DeRogatis for WBEZ 91.5

Craig Davis Tracks in Studio C

Memphis artist Craig Davis was in Studio C recently, cutting 11 songs over the course of 3 days for what will be the debut album for the Craig Davis Band. Jeremiah Tucker (John Kilzer, Keith Sykes, Levon Helm), who had been co-writing songs with Craig for some time, came in from Nashville to produce the recording. Their choice for an engineer in Adam Hill was a no brainer, as Jeremiah and Adam have known and respected each other for years. When the decision was made to cut this record to analog tape, their attention came to Ardent Studios. From manager Laurena Stanos:

“Craig and Jeremiah agreed that tracking full band live to analog tape was how they wanted to record the album… It needed to be comfortable and provide a room that allowed Craig and the band to make eye contact with each other.” 

It was these criteria, along with the know-how and attention to detail of engineer Adam Hill that led them to Ardent.

“Jeremiah had known Adam Hill since the late 90′s and is a fan of his work as an engineer. Craig and I [sic] agreed with Jeremiah that Studio C at Ardent would be the place.”

Point your browser to The Craig Davis Band’s Reverbnation page for more info. 

In the Photo, L to R: Producer Jeremiah Tucker, Jody Stephens, Laurena Stanos, Craig Davis, guitarist Chris Johnson, engineer Adam Hill. 

Dirt Brothers at Ardent

Memphis southern rock and country act The Dirt Brothers have been in and out of the studio this year and last, working on 14 songs that will make up their LP debut, Riding Dirty. Most recently the guys have been in Studio A under the guidance of Nashville producer and engineer extraordinaire Mike Clute (Faith Hill, Diamond Rio).

Ardent’s Mike Wilson has made Clute’s and the band’s settling in as smooth as possible, making whatever they need available to them at a snap of the fingers. 

But with the Dirt Brothers, it’s more a stomp of the foot than a snap of the fingers. The band stands firm on its commitment to Memphis as a hometown, and their belief in what they do has been heard echoing through the halls of Ardent throughout the time they’ve been working here. Those who would say that country is a Nashville thing, take heed – The Dirt Brothers are comin’.

Look for their 14 track LP to release in March of this year, and keep an eye out for The Dirt Brothers on the road in support of Riding Dirty. 

In the picture, L to R: Producer/engineer Mike Clute, Chad Gatewood, Justin Gatewood, Mike Wilson, Andy McCullough, Traci McCullough, John Salazar, and John “John Boy” Hall.

Colin Elmore in Studio C

Memphis based engineer Wes Leyshon recently brought a new project through Ardent in an effort to capture his client’s sound in the best way possible. The artist, Colin Elmore, met Wes at the wedding reception of a mutual friend, and a new working relationship was forged. This is the second project that Wes has produced for Colin. The first was a Springfield, MO based indie rock project with Elmore’s previous band, Berch (2010′s Before and After the Fall). This time around, and under a solo moniker, Colin wanted to put his songwriting in the center of the project. Looking for that “warm and slightly dirty” sound, they knew they wanted to cut to analog tape, and they knew that Ardent was the best choice for just such an undertaking. 

Over the course of 4 days, and with the help of in-house engineer Mike Wilson, Elmore and his band (consisting of Emmet Franz and his family) cut seven songs and two instrumentals, mixing on the final day. This release will fittingly be billed under the name of Colin Elmore and the Franz Family band, and will be entitled This Side of the Sun. The instrumentation on these recordings reflects a recent return to acoustic roots for many artists – acoustic guitars, dobro, upright bass, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, etc. Some of the songs were flushed out further with Hammond organ, cello, french horn, flugle horn, trumpet, piano and accordian. 

According to engineer Wes Leyshon, “[Mike] was everything I could’ve hoped for in an assistant. Loved the new board in C and the assortment of compressors Mike held for me to mis with on Thursday. The mic choice I had was a dream. The live room is amazing and we made good use of it. All of the Ardent staff seemed excited and encouraging about the whole project. I really hope to be back there in the near future.”

Be sure to check out a great video of Colin and Emmett performing an acoustic version of one of the album cuts in Ardent’s Studio C here:

In the picture, L to R: Caleb Franz(mandolin, banjo, BGVs), Savannah Franz, Audra Mohnkern (upright bass, BGVs), Colin Elmore (songwriter, acoustic guitar, piano, lead vocal), David Fiser (photographer), Mike Wilson (engineer), Olivia Jahnke (fiddle, piano, BGVs), Wes Leyshon (producer, engineer), and Adam Jahnke.

Ardent on the Cover of Mix Magazine

Ardent is proud to announce that we are featured on the cover of this month’s Mix Magazine! The article, which highlights our 45th Anniversary and the renovations to Studio C, can be viewed here.

From the article (written by Tom Kenny): 

 

Wow—45 years and counting. That’s not easy to do in any industry, let alone one that is dependent on the forces of technological change and the whims of a record-buying public. But Ardent Studios, under the leadership of John Fry and a dedicated, loyal team of creatives, has weathered the ups and downs, branched into new markets over the years, added and dropped studio services, and continually kept an eye on the future. To commemorate its 45th anniversary this month, Ardent has undergone a complete acoustical makeover of its flagship Studio C and dropped in an SSL Duality console.

The history of Ardent Studios has been written before—Fry in his garage in 1966, the move to National and then Madison Avenues; the association with Stax, Al Green, Sam and Dave, Big Star, ZZ Top, R.E.M., Steve Earle, Huey Lewis and a slew of local talent—so we won’t go into that here, except to note that the past does inform the future, and the commitment to technical and creative excellence has never wavered. If you talk to the people in and around Ardent, that’s attributed to Fry; if you talk to Fry, that’s attributed to the people he surrounds himself with.

“Ardent is unique because of one individual, and that’s John Fry,” says Jody Stephens, Big Star drummer and studio manager at Ardent since 1987. “He’s the captain, and he fosters that spirit of innovation and creativity. Look at some of the talent that has called Ardent home—Jim Dickinson, Terry Manning, John Hampton, Joe Hardy. All have helped keep the doors open because John has always emphasized that individuals come first. But then he provides the tools, too, and brings in someone like Chris Jackson, a chief engineer that we are just lucky to have. He’s amazing. But it starts with John Fry.”

Then you talk to Fry, and he humbly states how pleased he is to just have been a part of “all things Memphis, to have so many good friends and clients be a part of our lives for these 45 years. From around the world and from right down the street.”

There are any number of reasons why some large commercial studios survive and others do not. For Ardent, besides the obvious assemblage of Talent and Tools, the team has always been about the music and offering services that can launch or boost a career.

“We’ve always been involved in artist development,” Fry says. “We’ve always had a production company, a record label or both. We’ve always had publishing interests. So we’ve always been more than a fee-for-service studio, and I think those aspects of our business cause talent to gravitate to the facility. Jody Stephens has spent a lot of time developing relationships in the A&R and label world, music supervisors, too—people who can help with exposure for local artists and music coming out of the area.”

Those local artists have included Big Star, most notably, but in later years John Kilzer, Tora Tora, 36 Mafia (an Oscar!), Skillet, Star & Micey and many others. It extends to the visual arts, where after a few years’ hiatus, a film department has reopened, headed by returning Memphian Jonathan Pekar, son of Ron Pekar, who designed the neon star for the first Big Star album cover.

KEEPING IT FRESH

Still, Fry, Stephens and Jackson realized that to stay a player in today’s changing production market they had to stay current with technology. A couple of years ago, they started thinking about the aging Neve V Series in Studio C. Fine for tracking, couldn’t mix on it, and it was proving a maintenance headache. “Everybody liked the sound of it, but it was getting problematic,” Stephens confesses. “It was getting long in the tooth,” adds Fry. They decided to put in an SSL Duality and tear back the walls to ready the room for 5.1.

“We wanted to retain superior analog performance,” Fry says, “and we liked the design features that give it high reliability. They removed most of the electrolytic capacitors, and with digital control, they’ve removed over 1,000 switches, both of which can be a maintenance headache. The other thing is it speeds up your workflow by enabling you to control your DAW from the worksurface. It’s really efficient.”

“The interface with Pro Tools is definitely a plus,” adds Stephens. “But the selections of mic pre’s and EQs is excellent. And you can track and mix on it! Imagine that!”

Chris Jackson, chief technical engineer, supervised much of the deconstruction and reconstruction of the control room, working hand-in-hand with engineer Curry Weber. “For the past six years, I’ve been looking at Studio C and trying to figure out what to do about the low end,” Jackson says. “The measurements confirmed our issues at some very specific frequencies. So when this opportunity came up, we went back into the walls, starting with the back wall. We put in some bass traps on resonating panels, tuned to those frequencies, and then put in this dense mineral wool, up to 18 inches thick in some points. Then we added back a tiny bit of RPG diffusion right behind the mix position; it had been there before, and it works. Then we also added some traps on the side walls so that we now have a sweet stereo image that also works great for 5.1 work.”

MEMPHIS HOME

Memphis is truly a special place. I’m often reminded by my friend Rick Clark, producer, musicologist and semi-regular contributor to Mix. It’s a sentiment echoed by Fry and Stephens. While they are quick to point out that their success is not unique to a geography, they do exhibit a fondness for their hometown and its rich musical legacy. The birthplace of rock ’n’ roll…does it get any bigger than that? Beale Street, the Peabody, the pawnshops. Stephens recalls the Battle of the Bands at the Orpheum, George Klein and his band at The Place, Goldsmiths and the rise of Stax. He walked into record at Ardent for the first time in 1969 and says he felt like an imposter.

But being part of a community is being a part of the community. And Ardent has always been conscious of being a good neighbor, whether it’s the current run of PSAs for health care, hosting a Grammy GPS event on a Road Map for the Music Business or putting on “16 Over 48,” a two-day recording marathon with 16 local bands in three-hour studio slots (produced by Mike Wilson). “This is a tight community,” Stephens says. “It’s a real, living music community, and we’re real happy to be a part of that.”

They are sure doing something right down there on Madison Avenue in Memphis, and they show no signs of slowing down. “In many ways we’ve come full circle,” Fry says. “In the mid-’60s, when we started, independent labels and independent artists were so important. Then it became a business. But we’ve seen a decline in the dominance of the majors and a new ascendancy in the role of the independent.

“Not everybody needs a studio environment for everything they do, but some want to do ensemble playing and need the services of a studio. Others are missing the sense of community and the kind of assistance they get from a staff and the interaction they get with other musicians by being in a studio environment. We’ve been having fun here for 45 years, so we’re going to keep on with it!” 

Lucero Finishes Tracking New Record in Studio A

Memphis’ favorite sons, southern rockers Lucero, returned to Studio A with producer Ted Hutt and engineer Ryan Mall to track a complete new record. Mike Wilson assisted. Please stay tuned for more info!

In the photo, L to R: John C Stubblefield, Ryan Mall, Ben Nichols, Rick Steff, Mike Wilson, Roy Berry, Todd Beene, and Ted Hutt.

Erik Smallwood in Studio A

Our friends at Visible Music College have come quite a distance during their eleven years in existence.  Starting as a modest 21 student, 9 month course and expanding to a 4 year program with accreditation, it’s been a journey that we’ve been proud to be a part of. With the new location downtown and more students than ever, we hope to do everything we can to help Visible students in their coming journeys.  

Ardent recently teamed up with Visible to offer a week of studio time as a prize for the winner of their alumni songwriting competition. Erik Smallwood of the class of 2002 walked away with the prize, with a smile on his face and songs ready to go. 

Ecstatic to be recording at Ardent, Erik had much to say of his time in the studio: “Just to be in the same room, same building as some of the people who have graced this place is amazing.” His singer/songwriter style is stacked with sweet and soulful sounds, and his songs got the treatment they deserve here at Ardent.

Visible School teacher and producer Kirk Smith was kind enough to spearhead the sessions, making efficient work of a week in Studio A. Relating to the success of Visible, Kirk said “the relationship with Ardent has been key for [Visible’s] audio production department.” Using many of Ardent’s tried and true pieces of equipment, he was able to help craft Erik’s music into beautifully succinct pieces. 

It was the first time Erik had the opportunity to work with Kirk and he was more than satisfied with the result. “Kirk and I are on the same page… He seemed to have the same idea I do on where these songs are headed.” You’ll hear more than just the hovering hand of production from Kirk, who also added piano and rhodes on selected tracks. Kirk wasn’t the only musician to have graced the sessions; Drummer Matt Fritzler and  singer Sara Jo also were featured in the songs recorded, adding style and heart to music that is already overflowing with emotion and character.  

The time at Ardent was spent well, having Erik lay down three gorgeously arranged tracks to show off his talent and the capabilities of studio. To keep up with all things Erik Smallwood, head over to his website at Eriksmallwood.com.  And don’t forget to look into who gave Erik the opportunity to have the time over at Visible.edu.

Sheriffs of Nottingham Arrest Attention at Ardent

Local rockers The Sheriffs of Nottingham finished mixing their new 6-track release at Ardent over this past weekend, bringing together a year-long labor of love.

“It’s taken us a long time just because of our crazy schedules, but the time between sessions has really helped us focus in on what we wanted,” says guitarist Kevin Lipe.

The 6-track album bursts at the seams with a hard rock style riding on Southern blues waves, satisfying listeners that need something both heavy and full of heart.  Hard power chords laid under soulful singing, interspersed with ripping guitar solos and thick choruses, make the Sheriffs’ itinerary a force not to be missed.

Engineers Mike Wilson and Jason Gillespie worked together on the recording process, with Mike putting in the final leg of effort on the mixes. ”Mike and Jason were great!” drummer Kyle Fagala remarks. “We’d always wanted to work at Ardent, and meeting [Mike and Jason] was perfect. They were both easy to work with and helped us get our sound where we wanted it.”

Having the record done at Ardent is something the Sheriffs have wanted for some time, and their excitement was evident ”From the minute we got in there, we fell in love with the whole place!” bassist Curry Smith exclaims.  ‘

Satisfied with the final product, their next step is getting the CD’s pressed and distributed.  Be sure to hit up ardentstudios.com for full details on the upcoming release.

The New Studio C!

Ardent Studios is proud to announce the complete renovation of Studio C! In conjunction with the 45th anniversary of the studio, we’re in the process of upgrading just about everything in the control room – new console, new acoustics, new aesthetics, and much more. You can keep up to date with the changes to Studio C by visiting thenewstudioc.com. Meanwhile, read more in our official press release below:

Ardent in Memphis Guts Famed Studio C for New SSL Install

“Appetite for Construction” Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Venerable Studio

Pictured at Ardent Studios in the shell of the new Studio C control room are (L-R) chief technical engineer Chris Jackson, founder John Fry, and studio manager/Big Star drummer Jody Stephens.

Memphis, TN, August, 2011 – As an integral part of its 45th Anniversary, Memphis’ venerated Ardent Studios is celebrating with an “Appetite for Construction” and completely gutting the control room of Studio C in preparation for the installation of an SSL Duality console.  The studio’s prized workhorse Neve V 40 x 40 console has been decommissioned and will be reborn as a classic sidecar to accompany the state-of-the-art Duality, giving Ardent the best of both vintage and new.

“It was time to bring Studio C into the highly competitive 21st Century world of recording,” stated Ardent founder and the studio’s first engineer John Fry.  ”This room has a legacy that includes landmark work by Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, 3 Doors Down, R.E.M.,and B.B. King, among so many other great artists, and we are keeping that traditional acoustic tracking space alongside our new control room with SSL’s flagship console.”

Adjacent to a 32′ x 26′ tracking room with three isolation booths, Studio C’s control room will house an SSL Duality SE 48-channel console with in-board patchbay (RHS).  Also, the SSL I/O package consists of one Delta Link HD-MADI unit and two Alpha Link converter units for a total of 48 analog I/Os.  With consoles in place worldwide, Duality has established a new industry standard for professional audio production.

Chief technical engineer Chris Jackson decommissions the Neve V 40×40 console in Studio C control room.

Ardent Studios started off with early classics by Sam & Dave, Led Zeppelin, Al Green and The Staple Singers, then racked up hits in the 70s and 80s by ZZ Top, REM, George Thorogood, The Allman Brothers, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.  Ardent  continues today with recent triumphs by such artists as Sir Cliff Richard, Jack White, Huey Lewis and the News, Smashing Pumpkins, Montgomery Gentry, and Klaus Voorman.  Of significant note is John Hiatt’s “Master of Disaster,” produced by the late Jim Dickinson in the studio he embraced for over 30 years.

The Solid State Logic Duality’s innovative hybrid approach combines a traditional analog path and signal processing along with exceptional DAW control, all within a single hardware surface. Duality has a diverse user base that includes many of the world’s most prestigious commercial recording facilities, on-air broadcast production studios, educational establishments, film & TV score specialists and a growing group of notable private owners.

John Fry cites several reasons for Ardent’s longevity in a recording world that has few survivors from the early days.  ”We’re flexible and we’ve always strived to adapt to the changes in the technology and recording industry.  We’ve also been fortunate to have so much talent on our staff, and long term relationships with successful artists and producers. Also, having a production company, a record label, and a publishing business has allowed us to be one of our own best clients. We expect our new Studio C will be a perfect fit for our continued momentum.”

To learn more about Ardent’s new Studio C, visit:  http://www.thenewstudioc.com

For information about Ardent Studios, visit:  http://www.ardentstudios.com

Ardent Studios’ Video Submission Contest

Edit: After reviewing the awesome videos that we’ve received so far, we’ve decided to extend the contest for another 6 weeks! Videos are now due on or before November 15th at 11:59 PM. Please see the other date/time changes in bold below.

Ardent Studios is very excited to announce our first ever video submission contest!!!! Enter the competition for your chance to win 2 whole days in our very brand new, completely fantastic and state-of-the-art (not to toot our own horn) Studio C!

Prize: Submit a video for the chance to be one of the first bands to record in Ardent’s newly renovated Studio C – with free studio time! Studio C is being completely remodeled, and now features a state-of-the-art Duality console from Solid State Logic.

Submission Guidelines: Submit a video of 60 seconds or less describing your band’s music and why Ardent and the newly renovated Studio C are the perfect place for you to record. We’ll narrow the entries down to the top 5 based on:

1) Music – How you sound! We want the best of the best to win this studio time, so prove it to us. Showcase what makes you special!

2) Desire and reason to record in the new Studio C – Tell us why you think you deserve to be one of the first people to record in the new Studio C. Tell us how much you want it, and why!

3) Creativity – Get goofy, get serious, get artsy fartsy.. anything goes (…almost anything…), but show us how creative you can be!

The Small Print: Here lie the gory details.

- Please upload your video (60 seconds or less) to YouTube, and then email the link to Booking Manager Daniel Russo at drusso@ardentstudios.com. The subject of the email should be “Studio C Video Submission Contest.”

- Entries must be submitted no later than November 15th, 2011 at 11:59 PM. 

- Entries with profanity or any other potentially offensive remarks/symbols will be disqualified. Come on now, this is a family business!

- We’ll post the top 5 finalists to our website/facebook/twitter on November 31, 2011, at which point we will notify the finalists. At this stage, the public voting will begin.

- Public voting will end on December 15, 2011 and the winner will be contacted within 48 hours of the end of the voting period.

- The winning band will receive two 10-hour days of studio time in the new Studio C at Ardent Studios. An engineer will be provided as well. The session must take place by the end of March 2011, and must be used a full day at a time.

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