Blog Archives

Canadian singer/songwriter Howie Beck plays pop music that balances a melancholy undertow with the bright buoyancy of superbly crafted melodies, and the result has made him an international phenomenon almost in spite of himself. Toronto-based Beck made his first album in 1997; the home-recorded and self-released Pop and Crash was primarily made while Beck was stuck in the house getting over a case of mononucleosis. While Pop and Crash didn’t find much of an audience, its reception encouraged Beck to […]

Alvvays (pronounced “Always”) is a Canadian indie pop band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 2011. The band currently consists of vocalist Molly Rankin, keyboardist Kerri MacLellan, guitarist Alec O’Hanley, bassist Brian Murphy, and drummer Phil MacIsaac. Their debut album, Alvvays, was released in 2014, peaking at number one on the U.S. college charts. Their second album, Antisocialites, was co-produced by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Spoon, St. Vincent, Swans) and released in 2017. They are currently working on their […]

Having worked on over 200 albums, I’ve had stylistically diverse tracking, mixing, and mastering experience. Have a listen to some of my work. As a recording engineer who’s done a great deal of analog recording, I specialize in tracking live players —preferably as many together as possible. I like to capture spirited and inspired moments in a sonically interesting and technically correct fashion. I generally get the best results by creating a situation and comfort zone where people will want […]

The Grammy-nominated Howard Bilerman is perhaps best known as a former member of Arcade Fire and the engineer for the band’s breakthrough album, Funeral. Since 1995, Bilerman has been recording professionally and is one of the most sought-after engineers to get behind the boards for an album in the city of Montréal. Throughout his prolific career he has worked with over 400 artists, including some of Canada’s finest: Godspeed, Handsome Furs, Wolf Parade, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Bell Orchestre, and […]

Luis Orbegoso (known in the latin recording industry as “Luisito”) was born in Lima, Perú in 1971 and moved to Canada in 1972. He became an honoured graduate of the Humber College Music Program in 1994 and has been a member of the Toronto Musicians Association since 1993. Luisito was a student of Memo Acevedo (professor of percussion at New York University) and jump-started his career as a professional bongo player with Memo’s ground breaking salsa band “Banda Brava” in […]