Food

Thai Chicken Satays

Take Aways

Aways Tough question: Probably Wimpy

Magazine

Classic Rock, or Sound on Sound

Movie

Pulp Fiction

Dream Car

Audi

TV Programme

CSI Vegas or CSI New York. Definitely NOT CSI Miami

Saying

It’s not exactly rocket surgery

Local Band

Old Mol

International Band

Judas Priest

Album

Ozzy Osbourne “Diary of a Madman”

DVD

Any “Classic Albums”

Songs

Any good song is great – Don’t give me boring unimaginative songwriting.

You've produced all of Jo Day's albums, which were the most fun and / or challenging, and why?
I didn’t produce “One Woman”! If I had, it would have been a killer album, as I think the best songs from Jo’s repertoire were overlooked in favour of cheap South-African pop... I stole one of Jo’s catalogue songs and recorded it with Toxic Shame; It was “Silent Movie”. Back to the question, they’ve all been fun to produce. The hardest one was “The Truth” simply because it was literally put together in Two weeks and it was a complete re-do of old material, so it was very tedious. The most fun was probably No Warning, since I think there’s a spontaneity with the songs that we hadn’t previously experienced. It’s a pity, cos I think the production – the overall sound – on No Warning is not what I’d heard in my head, so listening to it now I still feel a little frustrated and disappointed with it, even though all the critics raved about it. I keep threatening to remix it, but I’m sure Jo would rather spend the time on new stuff, rather than rehashing old things. I wanted No Warning to sound the way Princess does – that album I’m very happy with!

How did you achieve the extraordinary vocal sounds on the "Princess" album?
Extraordinary vocal sounds?? Didn’t see that one coming ... I think what I did with Jo on this album is try to achieve stuff that was a lot more raw and real. I got Jo to sing a lot of the stuff in her very lowest register – almost the register where a male voice would sing - which recorded great but unfortunately gives Jo extra challenges when singing the stuff live. I also didn’t use double-tracking on her voice as much as I used to either, which makes the vocal more in-your-face and less studio-ey. I also used heavy compression and a lot of distortion and very little reverb if any, which I found gave the vocals more edge.

What influences pushed the new album in the direction that it has taken?
I’ve always really loved the production values in Marilyn Manson’s more recent stuff and the Rob Zombie albums. I love the combination of Electronica and heavy rock, but without anything house- or dance-oriented... That’s where I got the idea to beef up the guitars with heavy synths, and I think it works incredibly well. The song writing was a lot darker too, which lends itself to much darker sounds. The other new thing on this album is that I’ve started using Baritone guitars – tuned B to B - instead of a regular guitar tuned E to E .... This, in itself, immediately makes the stuff heavy. I really don’t think there are too many examples worldwide of this level of heaviness, but still sensible, listenable songs, with a female vocal.

What is your favourite track on “Princess” and why?
Jeez, that’s like having 10 kids and being asked to pick your favourite... I have played many roles on this album, as guitarist, song writer, producer, engineer, so depending on which hat I’m wearing, my favourite songs differ. As a guitarist my favourite track is “Happy Birthday” since the riffs are among the best I’ve written. From an engineering standpoint, “Suffer in Silence” is one of the best mixes I’ve ever done. Production-wise, “Princess” rocks as I think we cracked that commercial-yet-insanely-heavy thing – I think even people who don’t like Jo Day or heavy rock will still like it. Song-wise, “Goin’ Down” I love because it’s hard hitting, very simple and very catchy. Overall, the track that wins in all categories for me, is Twilight Zone.

One notable difference on "Princess" is the use of some very interesting samples, do you think that in today’s modern rock it should be a more common occurrence?
I don’t know, really: I think a lot of what’s happening in modern rock at the moment is the sheep-thing: a lot of the modern bands really are starting to sound like clones of one another, and whilst the stuff is still killer, it’s all very similar. In this country, because the numbers are so small from a sales and investment point of view, I think we should ALL be more experimental with our music — my vibe is: if it sounds good, it is good. You wanna mix an African Mbira into death metal?? Do it! Wanna take an electronica synth loop and write a heavy riff with it?? Do it! There’s relatively little risk involved in SA ...

On the album you play some mind-blowing guitar solos and riffs, tell us a bit more about yourself as a guitarist.
I lived for my guitar as a teenager – it was the only thing I ever gave a fuck about. I unfortunately got tendonitis in the early nineties which abruptly shut down my dreams and ambitions as a Gary Moore or Joe Satriani. I still play but can’t do it night after night for extended periods. This sucks big time but it’s kind of the way it is. This occurrence made me realize that my guitar-playing is just a means to an end: recording! As a guitarist, I tend to still be a producer: ASK THE SONG WHAT IT NEEDS! I try to keep the ego out of it and just get the song rocking. Solos seem to have fallen out of fashion and part of me thinks it’s a pity, but actually I’m really glad: The whole Yngwie Malmsteen/Steve Vai/Joe Satriani thing was getting really boring, and clever though it is, it’s the equivalent of watching someone type really fast: it’s impressive but isn’t necessarily good poetry. It’s just fast typing. The few solos that are on the album, I nailed in one or two takes: again, it’s a feeling or attitude I’m trying to convey rather than - “wow, look how cleverly he switched from Dorian mode to a major scale”... I’m not trying to be clever or out-play anyone – I just wanna get your shoulders rocking and some goose bumps on your arms!

An album of this calibre easily competes with international standards, how do you feel about the support (or lack of ) that local music on this level generally receives in South Africa?
Jeez, I’m being showered with compliments here!! It’s very easy to bitch about the radio stations not giving a shit, the public being apathetic, etc, and you can hear that whoever you ask. I think the reality is that South Africa is a very small territory from a record-buying standpoint... More air play would be nice, but if you wanna get rich and famous, you gotta go overseas. I’m sure bands in obscure territories like Denmark and Iceland have the same problem: if you wanna crack it, go over to the UK or the States. Here, we’re dependant upon one national youth station, which, as part of the National Broadcaster, is very likely being forced into following the country’s demographics, so as performers of niche rock, we’re fucked before we’ve even played a note... Thank God the campus stations and listeners are still keen on supporting Rock.

After working with Jo Day and her band on so many albums, you must be used to the band and what to expect from them on the recording side. How was it working with the new drummer Brendon, and how did you get the terrific drum sounds on "Princess"?
I’ll answer this in three parts: The band has become something I rely on now to transform the project from a bunch of songs into a coherent Jo Day album... Especially Martin – he’s by far the most talented bass player I’ve ever worked with, and the foundation he lays down on the albums is so solid, it’s earthquake-proof! When Jo and I auditioned Brendon, he was last in a whole line-up of different drummers we listened to. He literally played sixteen bars of “Above My Room” and I stopped the playback, put the talkback on and said “You’ve got the gig”. He has this rare combination of awesome chops, taste and the ability to groove like someone twice his age. Brendon was also very well prepared and had learned his parts so well, all the bass and drum tracks for the Princess album were tracked in one day. Honestly. The drum sounds, I think, came from what were essentially great drum tracks to begin with: you can only work with what you have and Brendon’s playing was great, so that was three quarters of the battle won. The rest of the drum sounds came from using a combination of Drumagog mixed with the original sounds, compression, eq, reverb and just plain simple man-hours. Sometimes the only way to get something to work is to plough in and get it done. I’m so happy with the snare and tom sounds on this record, it’s amazing!

How did you get started as a producer?
It’s something I’ve always done: as a kid, at age nine, I used to sit with my dad’s reel-to-reel tape machines, with a pair of scissors and a roll of sellotape, editing, recording weird things, playing stuff backwards... I was always fascinated with recording. My first “production” was a ten track demo in 1987 when I was in Standard 9 (Grade 11) - recorded using two tape decks and a very crap mono mixer. We didn’t have access to the kinds of gear we all have access to today – back in the day, we used to record with fuck all. As soon as I started doing jingles at Sonovision, I realised that I had forgotten about music, and become an advertising person. That’s why I started recording and writing songs, after hours, with Deon in what would ultimately be Toxic Shame. From there, I just got fascinated with what can be done to make a song really work hard and started working with bands. I have a very specific and unorthodox way of working with bands ... !!

When song-writing, tell us about your process from concept to final mix.
It usually starts with a riff. I’ll pick up the guitar and start playing. If I get a riff and/or chord progression I’m happy with, I’ll hit the record button and lay it down. To that I’ll grab a lyric from the pile, and start singing to what I’ve just recorded. In the case of Jo, she’ll often do that bit. If we get a verse we’re happy with, we’ll move on to the next bit, a bridge piece and follow the same route. Once it gets to the chorus, that’s usually the most hair-pulling, hard part: we agonize over the chorus for hours, sometimes days or weeks. This all sounds very esoteric, but often I’ll just pick the guitar up and let the song happen: I also sit with a digital Dictaphone and record like that. By hook or by crook. Other times, Jo comes in with a stray melody and I’ll write a riff to go with that. ASK THE SONG WHAT IT NEEDS! Once the main parts of the song are decided upon, I’ll usually slap together a track, using sequenced bass and drums, put in the extra guitars and we’ll lay down the vocals. Usually, within three hours, we’ve got our song: basic structure, basic arrangement and a demo. These demos then become the bed tracks for the final mixes. Many of the vocal parts on Princess were the original demo parts!

Can you give any advice / tips to bands entering the studio to record an album?
Choose your producer carefully! Make sure you work with someone who you can trust to do the best job possible with your music – and DO NOT take it personally if your producer says that the chorus isn’t strong enough, or whatever.... My best results have always been with bands who are open to suggestions; my worst results have always been with bands who are insistent upon doing it their way. If you think your product is perfect, then go into a studio with an engineer and record it yourselves. If you’re open to suggestion, then find a producer who’s work you like and work with them. Be very careful to not get ripped off by people who promise all kinds of unrealistic things then nail you R800 an hour for studio time!

Any tips for first-time producers?
ASK THE SONG WHAT IT NEEDS! And remember that the song comes first: anything that gets done has to serve the song and work to the song’s advantage. Also, if you are not talented, then stop it: production and song writing isn’t something you can learn from “songwriting for dummies” or articles in Sound on Sound, it’s something you have to be born with.

What in your opinion is the most common mistake bands make when recording?
Expecting to do too much in one session: good recordings take time, and you should never try to record more than one song per session.

Tell us a bit more about your studio, the gear you use, etc?}
Basically, it’s a Mac with Cubase SX, some good microphones, a couple of good preamps and a good mixer. The most important piece of gear I use is my ears!