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PR AGENCY CONTACT:
Robert Clyne
Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: 615.662.1616
www.clynemedia.com
Rick Plushner
Guitar Center Professional
Tel: (818) 735-8800 x2238
www.gcpro.comFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GUITAR CENTER PROFESSIONAL HELPS OUTFIT THE BACKSTAGE “HAY BALE STUDIO” AT BONNAROO 2010
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 21, 2010 — In the sweltering June heat, over 75,000 excited concert fans descended upon Manchester, Tennessee, for the ninth Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival, June 10-13, 2010. With headliners including Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder and Kings of Leon, and a grand total of 160 acts over four days on five main stages and a number of side tents, this year’s Bonnaroo was bigger than ever. Backstage, many of the festival’s acts were asked to lay down tracks in a purpose-built recording studio, outfitted with the help of Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. The recorded tracks were mixed and mastered immediately and transferred to the radio tent next door for broadcast on radio stations nationwide.
The studio, appropriately dubbed “Hay Bale Studio” after the dozens of hay bales positioned on the exterior for sound rejection, was operated by Nashville’s The Toy Box Studio, and Toy Box’s producer/recording engineer Lij was at the helm for the sessions. The whole backstage studio/radio area was overseen by Asheville, North Carolina-based Music Allies. In the weeks leading up to the festival, the studio’s gear equipment list was compiled by Lij, his two assistant engineers, and GC Pro’s Nashville-based Account Manager Chad Evans, who was also on site along with GC Pro Artist Relations Representative Adam Hudson.
Among the gear supplied by GC Pro were a Solid State Logic AWS 900+ SE console; ProTools HD multi-track with Digidesign and Apogee converters; a number of Focusrite ISA mic pre’s; a Lexicon PCM96 Stereo Reverb/Effects Processor and a tc electronic M-One Dual Effects Processor; microphones from AKG, Mojave, Heil and Shure; and a full backline of instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars, Fender amps, drums, etc.
All in all, 44 of the festival’s artists recorded tracks in the studio, including Tori Amos, the Black Keys, John Prine, Phoenix and others, most playing three songs. The schedule was fast-paced, so there was really only enough time to get set up, check the levels, and perform three songs live, before each band was whisked away to the interview booth, also in the “Hay Bale Studio” trailer, to make room for the next act in the tracking room. “With everything moving so quickly,” noted Evans, “we designed the system to mix everything live to two-track for broadcast. You had to commit and get the sounds as good as you wanted, let them run through the song, and commit to the mix in pretty much 30 or 40 minutes. The recording was the mix-down process, live on the spot, so you don’t have time to fool with anything.” Within an hour, the performances had been mixed down to two tracks and prepped for broadcast from the radio tent next door. Approximately 30 radio stations nationwide featured these “Bonnaroo sessions” over the weekend, from Los Angeles to New York. The multi-track sessions were also preserved and given to each artist, for future use if desired.
“It was an amazing experience,” noted Evans. “I can’t say that I’ve ever been in a place and met that many great musicians, producers and engineers all in one weekend. We helped sponsor the studio in 2009, and immediately after last year’s festival we started talking about how we could step up our involvement, which led to the great partnership with Lij and crew. We look forward to being involved in a big way for future Bonnaroos, because it’s one of the most important events going forward with music. It’s a breaking point for a lot of acts, and GC Pro needs to be there, doing what we do best.”
For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.
Photo File 1: GCPro_Bonnaroo10_Photo1_Lij.JPG
Photo Caption 1: Producer/recording engineer Lij, of Nashville-based The Toy Box Studio, mixing on the Solid State Logic AWS 900+ SE console in the Hay Bale Studio, backstage at Bonnaroo 2010. The studio was equipped by the Nashville location of GC Pro.Photo File 2: GCPro_Bonnaroo10_Photo2_Crew.JPG
Photo Caption 2: Pictured L-R: The Toy Box Studio’s Harrison "Herbie" Dorfzaun, Stephen Jones, producer/recording engineer and The Toy Box principal Lij, Marc Primeau and Jesse Newport, along with GC Pro’s Chad Evans and Michael “Coach” Cochran, standing by the SSL at The Toy Box Studio in East Nashville, Tennessee, doing a pre-production system test before Bonnaroo.Photo File 3: GCPro_Bonnaroo10_Photo3_HayBaleStudio.JPG
Photo Caption 3: The Hay Bale Studio, backstage at Bonnaroo 2010, equipped by the Nashville location of GC Pro.
About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Guitar Center Professional is the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Its clientele includes recording studios, audio engineers, producers, recording and touring musicians, live sound venues, post production facilities and more. Emphasizing extraordinary individualized service via local account managers, GC Pro offers expert consultation and a comprehensive selection of the world’s finest equipment for music and audio professionals. More information on GC Pro can be found by visiting www.gcpro.com.
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 200 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company’s Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.
The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Clyne, Clyne Media, Inc. at (615) 662-1616
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