Studiophile: July 2012
Thomas Pace will release his fifth solo album, Shaking Faith, on Saturday, July 7th at Martyrs’ in Chicago. This is the seventh album recorded with Pace at Uptown Recording with Matt Denny (owner and engineer).
Pace marks the end of a two-year hiatus from music with a finely crafted, nine-song collection of moody and moving alt-country tunes that are littered with subtext and list hopelessly toward heartbreak. From the lead-off track “Faith,” a wistful tale of tragedy with an arena-rock guitar riff to “Lover Astray,” a lamenting reflection of a failed love; to “I Don’t Care,” a howl-at-the-moon ballad laced with regret, Shaking Faith creates a soundscape of raw emotion that culminates with a message of hopefulness on the final track, “We Need Each Other.” “People have literally called me up after hearing this record to make sure I’m O.K.,” says Pace smiling. “I have to reassure them, you know? It’s my record but it’s not about me.'”
The album was mixed and mastered at Uptown by chief engineer Rob Ruccia. Pace was graced with guest appearances by Rob Bonaccorsi (Freddy Jones Band, Bonaccorsi Bros.), Brian Wilke, Bill Denny (Trippin’ Billies), and Tom Slater (who has now joined the Thomas Pace Band and will make his first appearance at Martyrs’ on keys). WXRT’s Richard Milne said, “It’s his best work to date,” before playing the single “Tell Me I’m Wrong”. on “Local Anesthetic,” June 10th. “This album was a long process simply because of the choices that were made in the recording process. We thought it was better ‘to have it and not need it’ rather than ‘need it and not have it.’ Denny turned over the mixing to Ruccia because he felt he was too close to the project (Denny also plays guitar/keys on the album). It was like the forest through the trees, and Ruccia provided fresh ears and prospective that truly helped the album come together.
A Silent Truth, a four-piece hard-rock band from Darien, recorded their debut EP with Nick Nativo of The Nook (Oceano, Whut?), to help them capture their blend of unique, crushing tones. The band’s sound consists of driving bass and drums, dynamic guitar riffs, and a mixture of singing/ screaming vocals. The band plan a CD release show August 10th with All That Remains, In This Moment, and A.D.D. at Mojoes in Joliet.
At Great Plains Recording Co. in Lombard, engineers have just finished recording two songs by Upon The Cavalry, a new band from the western ‘burbs . . . Singer/songwriter Charles Daniels started tracking five songs for his band Divine Blue and his solo project AeKu . . . Rich Chaffee started tracking his solo work . . . All sessions were engineered by J.R. Henk.
Also at Great Plains, John Bruhnke of SonicSoul began recording his EP of original blues . . . Singer/songwriter Emily Martin recorded her first EP; Henk describes her “as an amazing talent who puts her heart and soul into her music.”
At Renwood Messenger Recording in Kenosha, WI, Popular Illinois/Wisconsin-straddling country band Bella Cain tracked and mixed five new songs in the A Room, while Tremper Golden Strings tracked new songs for their 40th Anniversary CD. Betsy Ade, Blue Edge Of The Prairie, Elephino, and 38DD all tracked and mixed songs for the upcoming Kenosha Comes Alive compilation album . . . Kenosha-based punk band Pistofficer recently finished mixing their highly anticipated release, which was mixed in studio A . . . Also with a new five-song release, Catch Phrase, Benjamin David Kerns (BDK) was tracking in studio B for his upcoming release.
Hey Studiophiler,: To get your studio or band listed in “Studiophile,” just e-mail info on who you’re recording or who’s recording you to ed [at] illinoisentertainer.com, subject Studiophile, or fax (773) 751-5051. We reserve the right to edit submissions for space. If you’re recording in July, let us know. Deadline for August 2012 issue is July 15th.
Category: Columns, Monthly, Studiophile
