One of the best parts of recording a record is working with great musicians who can bring your vision to life. I was so fortunate that Gerard, Tony, Lee, Greg, and Mark so generously gave of there time and energy to make this record with me. It was an unforgettable experience. To read more about These amazing musicians, check this out:
CALLOWAY Producer, Gerard Smerek:
Gerard has one of these Discography’s that most Producers & engineers would cut off their right arm to have. Let’s see . . Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Pavarotti, Bob Segar, Kid Rock, New Radicals, Natalie Merchant. . The list goes on and on. Gerard is a brilliant, Grammy award winning talent. The way he marries his incredible musicality with his extraordinary technical skill is stunning. Quite simply, I just can’t believe how good he can make me sound ANYWHERE!!! Studio or not. Although we have all had to embrace digital recording, Gerard manages to give his work that warm, analog, big, fat “come to the river” low end that VERY few records have these days. It is a sound you can feel in the pit of your stomach and than rises to the ceiling. You won’t know what hit you. That is the magic of Gerard. All this and no ego, patient, eager to hear your ideas, totally supportive of the artist, highly creative, insightful, tireless worker, perfectionist. . My great teacher and mentor. Check out his label and production company:
http://www.bluejuderecords.com
CALLOWAY Drummer: Lee Levin
Lee is amazing. He is living proof that a good recording dies or lives on the drummer. This man is so rock solid it is ridiculous. It was such a pleasure to work with him. G heard the work Lee did on Teddy Geiger’s record and he knew he was the guy for this. Lee is a seasoned player from the Miami session scene with an amazing resume of stars to his credit. My favorite thing about Lee is how he completely surrenders to the vocal. I could sing ANYTHING and I could not shake him. Got to love that. Great fun for the singer ( me ). GREAT fills, pocket, feel, energy … we were so locked that we ended up using a lot of the vocal we cut live with the rhythm section. I credit Lee for this ( G too of course). He is also totally hilarious and we all had so much fun hanging with him. Still laughing at the videos he brought the last day. . . For more on Lee:
http://www.leelevin.com
CALLOWAY Bass Player: Tony Levin
Tony is a world renownd bass player. Though he is best known for his work with Peter Gabriel, his resume is nothing short of a Who’s Who musical legend list that spans over 2 decades. I remember that first day of recording at the studio when we were getting sounds. When he started playing I looked at Mark and G and they looked at me and we just shook our heads. I mean, it’s like he plays form the center of the earth. Now that’s a bass player! He is so solid, grounded, and confident. Totally united with his instrument. He compliments the vocal with so many tasty licks, but never gets in the way. I enjoyed getting to know him a little that weekend. I especially Ioved his stories of touring in Italy since I am dying to visit myself. I can’t wait to work with this man again. For more on Tony: http://www.tonylevin.com
CALLOWAY Guitar Player: Greg Suran
We met Greg when we were recording in Chicago at Gravity Studios. (Gravity is famous for the Smashing Pumpkins, etc. ) I remember the first time I heard him play I knew he was an enormous talent. Not long after that, he moved to LA to join the Goo Goo Dolls. It’s funny because every time I speak with him he is playing with some other amazing artist. I am not surprised. Greg has an amazing sound and incredible feel. He comes up with such creative parts, all while holding down a groovy pocket. He has this great way of making even a simple idea sound magical. His guitar work adds the perfect bling to this music. AND Besides all that he is also an incredible nice, down to earth person. I hope we get to tour together one day. That would be great fun. For more on Greg, check out his My Space page: http://www.myspace.com/gregsuran
CALLOWAY programmer & Assistant Producer, Mark Chu:
I met Mark thru Gerard’s production company. What an incredible talent he is: programmer, guitar player, singer, songwriter, arranger, & producer.. My favorite thing about Mark? He is SO freakin creative!!!!! No matter what we are working on, he always comes up with the coolest stuff. As a result, he has become a pivotal person to this music and to my team. He is also hilarious and we have such great fun working together that it is never a chore. Mark is totally dedicated, passionate, and diligent too. He WILL not drop the ball no matter what. Mark is also known in certain circles as the amazing techno artist “Central Rush” with releases on several popular UK labels; Method records, Barouque records, and Boz Boz. Some of the biggest DJ’s today have spun his tunes: Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyk, Deep Dish, and Sasha, just to name a few. For more on Mark:
http://www.bluejuderecords.com
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Central+Rush
