Lo-Fi Network

2004 was an "In Between" year.

By accident or fate, we found a new location for the studio. The new building already had some great things going for it: hardwood floors, a control room with huge 10'x4' panes of glass set "studio style." It was a matter of refining the rooms, figuring out what would go where, electrical issues, lighting, lots of dry wall and paint. Back at the original studio, it was a matter of packing up lots of reels of all sizes (1/4", 1/2" and 2" tape), what was necessary to keep the studio operating prior to the move and what could be packed up. There was an upright piano and the 400+ lb. 24 track to move. Finding a piano mover was easy, but there was no one who would touch the MCI 24 track beast!

We managed to figure out all the logistics and moved the studio out of Redlands. So it was goodbye to the old Citrus Building and downtown Redlands! It would take almost five months to get the new studio wired up and ready for recording. By late March 2005, we fired up the 24 track and were back in business!





The Fade Aways (2005)
Members: Abner (guitars), Shawn (bass) and Mark (drums)

When we first started the move, I was contacted by Abner from the band, Steel Toe Buddah. His new band, The Fade Aways, was ready to record! The Fade Aways sessions helped us test run the equipment, hear the new rooms and put me back behind the console. Well, things didn't start off too well! The 24 track stopped working after 30 minutes and it took another month before the band could get back in the studio! Ultimately the band finished their 10 songs--including one track, "Lunatic" featuring Abner's nine year old daughter on vocals. Not much later, The Fade Aways did just that and Temper Tantrum was born!


Fear: Soulstice - Soulstice (2005)
Members: Ascension (MC), Analyst (MC) and "E" (special guest MC)

Fear were two rappers from the Inland Empire (they were contacted by representatives from the punk band, Fear, when their songs went up on iTunes and changed their name to Fear: Soulstice). Although I had worked with rappers at the old studio, this was the new beginning of rap recordings at Lo-Fi Studios.




Lokomotiv - Rock 'n Roll Death Toll (2005)
Members: David (guitars), Wolf (drums), Danny (bass), Basti (vocals)

Lokomotiv came in to visit the studio back in May of 2005. Three of the four member were from the Philippines and had a solid following from their previous bands there. They booked the studio throughout the summer and managed to finish their first US CD, Rock 'n Roll Death Toll. The band would return a few years later fresh from touring the Philippines with a new singer and new songs.


Slang - EP
Members: Chuck (keyboards), Andrew (guitars), Mark (bass), Chad (drums), Miguel (percussion)

Slang recorded over 90 minutes of songs on 2" before getting transferred to Pro Tools for mixing at another studio. The EP was released about 6 months before the full length album in 2006.



The Tangled Minds - Weed, Wine and Burning Bush (2005)
Members: Ignatius Henderson (guitars, vocals), Gabby Young (vocals), Phoenix Coleman (vocals), Jeff Shannon (drums), Patrick Brayer (fiddle, pedal steel, tenor guitar), Franklin Bruno (vocals, guitar), Alan Sangma (vocals, guitar, ambient technology) Jamie Bright (bass), Keith Coleman (bass), Mark Florin (ambient technology), Thomas Bates (Hoots and Hollas), Mike Wilkerson (bass)

A collaboration of songs, music and magic recorded in three nights at Lo-Fi Studios. Iggy had previously recorded at the old Lo-Fi as The Waiting Man.

Johnny Hickman - Palmhenge (2005)
Members: Johnny Hickman (guitars, vocals, harmonica) and a host of friends

Johnny's roots at Lo-Fi Studio go far back to his days playing with The Dangers. This album was recorded all over the country. For one solid week Johnny and friends tracked guitars, pedal steel, organ, keyboards and vocals at the studio. Johnny would later come back in to add more vocals at the end of 2005. The single "The Great Decline" was the first song released on iTunes.

2005 was the also the year I started working with Kim Fowley ("Alley Oop", Joan Jett, The Runaways, KISS). By 2007 he hired me to produce his weekend radio show on Sirius' Little Steven's Underground Garage.

Not a bad transition from a tiny 300 sq foot studio to it's present 1000 foot incarnation! In one year, Lo-Fi Studios went from being known as a demo studio to a recording studio.

Lo-Fi Studios - 2008

Lo-Fi Commercials

The Dangers - dedication








Muck and the Mires - EP Doreen, released on Dirty Water Records. The band recorded back in the summer of 2007, as part of their full length CD. Dirty Water Records released this EP prior to their early 2008 tour in England.









The Moods -








The Howlies - on OverUnder Records







Matt Coleman

Allison Sattinger - full length album








Mustard

Broke String Band - The Cost Of Living. mixing









Standard and Poor

Small Doses

The Gnats - ongoing

Bands On The Move:

Jr. Juggernaut - signs to label/album release







It's Casual - various releases









Hip Hop/Rap:
Ascension

AKTiv Ent - 10 to 6 sessions

Sirius Radio - Kim Fowley Program

2007 was a busy year for Lo-Fi Studios.

First of all, Lo-Fi Studios was recognized in Inland Empire Weekly's "100 Best" for the "Best Little Recording Studio That Has Tracked Big Names." We owe a BIG Thank You to all the musicians and bands that have supported Lo-Fi over the years!

On the music front:

It was another banner year for bands recording at Lo-Fi! Ongoing projects were completed, bands were signed to labels, new folks brought in new sounds, live shows were taped and even some Podcasts were recorded!

Jr. Juggernaut - "Ghost Poison"
The band came in December 2006 and recorded their second EP, Ghost Poison. The band's current line -up is Mike, Wal and Kevin. In December 2007, the band returned with a record deal and recorded another 3 songs for their full length release on Suburban Home Records.


Speaking of Wal, he came in several times, working on his own material, linking up with Mac Thompson for Mac's The Big West project, Running Red Lights and It's Casual (left, tuning Eddie's guitar) with Eddie Solis. for various songs to be released on comps, splits, etc.






Death of Me - "Life's So Hard, Make It Softer"
CD released in September. Band members: Mike Wilkerson, vocals, guitar; Matt Kjorvestad, drums; Chris LeRoy, vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards.

The album took two years in the making, but it was worth the extra time and effort. The mixing and mastering really brought the songs to life. Hat's off to Chris LeRoy and Bob Venum (The BellRays) for their work.

Chris LeRoy and the Death of Me Band debuted at the Cracker/Camper Campout in September. After the Campout, Cracker fans known as "The Crumbs" joined Chris at Lo-Fi where we recorded the "Fi Stock" Podcasts, told stories, sang songs and had a great time.


Matt Coleman - "Grin of Living"
Only three years in the making! But Matt is a busy guy with Hobo Jazz and several other side projects.

Main members: Matt (vocals, guitars); Chad Villareal (drums, percussion, guitars, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals); and a Who's Who of the local Inland Empire musicians. The CD was released in December.



The Jennifer Project - "Live at the Hollywood Bowl-O-Rama"
Recorded late in 2006 and released early 2007. Guitarist Eric and Drummer Mark are also members of The Moods--who recorded at Lo-Fi in the Fall/Winter of 2007 and will release their album in early 2008.





Muck and the Mires - "Hypnotic"
In August, Boston based band, Muck and the Mires flew out to Southern California in the late summer to record "Hypnotic" with
the legendary Kim Fowley producing. The band met Fowely a few years ago and and once again in June 2007 in Holland. When the band returned from Europe, they flew out to Lo-Fi Studios and recorded the album in 3 days.



Slang - "Love AN' Groove"
CD released in mid 2007. The album was recorded at Lo-Fi Studios and mixed by Dorian "Doe" Johnson at Dorday studios. The 17 song CD includes remixed songs from their demo and 13 other tracks. Slang is: Chuck (keys, vocals); Marc (bass); Miguel (percussion); Chad (drums, vocals) and Andrew (guitar).


Suicide Bombers - "Bad City Woman" EP.
Punk rockers, The "SBombers" recorded their 7 song EP at Lo-Fi in May 2007. The band has been gigging around Los Angeles and beyond.

Members include Jeff K-Sin on vocals, Tony Love on lead guitar, Geli Chaos on bass and JD Mike on drums. Newest member Ray plays rhythm guitar.



Short Projects & Demos:
La Santa Cecilia - 5 song EP
AC29 - EP 4 song Original Christian music.
Standard and Poor - EP Punk band
The Big West - 5 song EP
Running Red Lights - 8 song EP
Michael Taelour - Commercials & Publishing
Death of Me - (live shows/Podcasts)


Hip Hop/Rap:
AKTiv Entertainment - 10 to 6 (mixtape), AKTiv (both to be released in 2008) & various mixtape tracks from members.
Ascension - Prozac Vol. 1: Green & Gold mixtape


On the Radio Front:
The Kim Fowley Show on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius Satellite Radio. The legendary Kim Fowley comes in to Lo-Fi Studios to record his weekend radio show on Sirius Channel 25.

2003 was the last year that Lo-Fi Studios operated out of Redlands, CA. The small 350 square foot office space gave plenty of bands and artists their musical forum. We were recording on an MCI/Sony 2" 24 track and Pro Tools LE on a G-3 Mac.

This was an interesting year as several of the bands and artists below resurfaced helped forge the direction of the new studio from a demo focused era to full length albums and film projects. Below are the bands whose recordings were either self-released or released on a comp.



Versatile Aggression - This was a thrash/metal band with a lot of harsh, screaming vocals and heavy guitars. The band recorded at both studios with different personnel.

The original featured Shaun on vocals. Shaun eventually left the band and joined The Fadeaways (which were fragments of another punk band, Steel Toe Buddha--see below). The later incarnation had a new guitarist and singer.





Steel Toe Buddha - Acometh

Members, Rick Hollister (vocals), Abner (guitar), Mark Banks (drums) and Billy Bass (bass).

This band begot The Fadeaways and later, Temper Tantrum. This four piece band recorded their self-titled album and then broke up. This album featured loud guitars and frantic singing.
Guitarist Abner and drummer, Mark recruited vocalist Shaun from Versatile Aggression. Shaun--also a bassist--helped complete their next band, The Fadeaways.



Crazy Sloth - "Candy's Room," on Bruce Springsteen Tribute Album, Light of Day. In 1999 I recorded several tracks with Cracker guitarist, Johnny Hickman for a solo project that ultimately, took several years in the making.

In between all the touring, recording and other rock 'n roll-related business, Johnny managed to be in an Arizona band, Crazy Sloth. The band recorded Springsteen track, "Candy's Room" in Arizona on a Yamaha 16 track. The performance was there, but they wanted to have someone take a crack at "mastering" the recording. I worked out 3 different mixes, one of which made it to the tribute album.




Super Rider - Everything So Right
Members, Gerry Nestler (guitar/vocals), Eddie Solis (bass) and Gabe Trevizo (drums). This trio recorded their EP and then split up not long after it's release. John Avila, bassist from Oingo Boingo, mixed the tracks from his studio.

Bassist, Eddie Solis contacted me a year later to record a couple of his bands, the late great Zod, It's Casual and International Skate Rock Band.



Next Wall of Fame: 2004-05, recording at the New Studio!

This is the third installment of the Lo-Fi Studios Wall of Fame. This wall covers the years 2000-02. During those three years Lo-Fi was firmly entrenched in analog recording. The studio was upgraded from the trustworthy Fostex B16 1/2" 16 track machine for an MCI/Sony 2" 24 track machine. We were still mixing to DAT tape and starting to "burn" CDs. The cost for a good DAT and CD standalone machines cost more than the old Fostex, but it sure beat cassettes!


Halalujah - Ameracala (2000)
Since 1998 rap artists had slowly begun coming into Lo-Fi Studios for their recording. Most were scared off when I would explain that I was white and therefore was not a "Beat Master" (at least not musically speaking). For the few that took the chance we came up with some interesting music. Halalujah (Cedric Diggs) was part of Norwin Music, which had completed The Mighty Men CD at Lo-Fi in 1999. Although we recorded several songs for this CD only track 7 "U-Lied" made the cut.






Funkin' A - Music For a Road Trip to Glamis (2000)
This CD was one of the last recordings done on the 16 track machine. Funkin' A was comprised of Raoul (guitar) and Dino (bass) from Fries With That with two new members, Izzy (vocals) and Derek (drums). Although Fries With That recorded several times at Lo-Fi Studios, they never packaged and released their material. The new incarnation mixed the funk sound from Fries With That with a more rock sound. In addition to his singing, Izzy also wrote several of the songs on this CD. Road Trip has a couple songs that I am really proud of my production. The band started to record their second CD at Lo-Fi and then went to another studio. Raoul decided to start working on his solo project at Lo-Fi on the side.




The Waiting Man - No More Bad Hair Days (2001)
Ignatius Henderson has been a Inland Empire mainstay for quite a few years. Prior to 2001, he had released several albums and EPs under the moniker The Waiting Man. Iggy also has Zentone Music which brings together an eclectic group of IE musicians including Pat Brayer, Alan Sangma, Phoenix Coleman and others. This particular project featured Chad Villareal on drums and Jill Martinson on guitar. My favorite mix Syd Barrett's "Vegetable Man." I really had fun putting instruments in all the wrong places. Best use of stereo tremelo, "The Warm Red Wine." The second co-producer's credit that was really earned.





Bent To The Left (2002)
Originally called Bent, the members of this band had some deep Riverside punk roots back to the early 1980s. Their sound reflected this as well. This was one of those groups that I completely understood their version of punk--which was roots rock oriented. Great vocals, good drummer and loud guitars! The band recorded only a five song demo, before they broke up and the drummer moved away!






Rullian - Is This My Guitar Or An Albatross? (2002)
About a year after Funkin' A released Road Trip, Raoul approached me with some 4 track cassette demos for an instrumental project. This was the Saturday project that went on for more than a year. Recording an instrumental album is quite different than a standard band. We really tried to capture all the sonic madness of Raoul's playing, but this time there were no vocals to rely on for those verses! This project started out on analog, but I was really getting into Pro Tools and it came in handy when we were moving 8 plus drum tracks without being able to sync it to the 24 track. Once Raoul recognized the beauty of Pro Tools for recording, he stopped buying guitars and picked up an identical system to mine. This really helped Raoul as he would spend 3-4 hours working out his layers of guitars. We were then able to exchange files and expedite the process. This CD earned my first credit on allmusic.com.





Holokaust - (2002)
This band was originally featured on the Punk Wall of Fame (1996-1999), however, this recording took place in 2002. The band's politically charged music screams about the injustices by the United States. Holokaust has a loyal following in the hardcore punk community. The band released this three song EP on vinyl. Most of their material can be found on vinyl. There were other songs recorded, but they must be on demos somewhere. Holokaust is Ruben (bass/vocals), Robert (guitar) and Brian (drums).

Next Wall of Fame 2003-04.