Shauna Burns Records Her Latest EP

If you enter Spiral Studios while Shauna Burns is recording, the first thing you might notice is the scent of a "Blue Volcano" candle from Anthropologie wafting through the air. Shauna surrounds herself in the studio with the familiar scents and sights of home, where she composes most of her music. In front of the Yamaha C7 grand piano at Spiral she places photos of loved ones, pets and places. Shauna believes that every song has its own unique frequency...a frequency that is partially formed through her own creative process and partially transmitted through her, as a property that belongs to the song itself. She explains, "Songs are real in the sense that they come and visit and then they leave. The pictures I bring to the studio transport me. I'm putting the frequency of the song into the photo and then carrying it with me to the studio."

Listening to Shauna describe her creative process is fascinating. She says that she often feels a bit like a messenger as she composes a particular piece of music. "Sometimes it's a subconscious energy of something that happened to myself or someone else in the past," she says, "and if I try to control it, then it's gone, like a ghost of some sort. But if I'm true to the song, then it always feels so honest...it is always somebody's truth that is being expressed. Each song is openly vulnerable."

Shauna Burns' newest EP is titled "Anamnesis" which means "recollection" or "remembrance." "Music is a trigger for things we remember," Shauna explains. "Each of the songs on 'Anamnesis' represents one of the senses." The first song on her EP is titled "Smell"...its reference is obvious. "A Letter" embraces the gift of sight, "Wind" references touch, "Driving Far" taste, and "So Tell Me" our sense of hearing.

Shauna views "Anamnesis" as an extension of sorts to her last full length album "The Moon and the Fire Circle," also recorded and produced at Spiral. Compared to her first two releases, "Every Thought" and "Desert Tune," Shauna feels that her last two offerings are tighter, with more depth and layers to the sound. Utilizing all of Spiral's capabilities has enabled Shauna to develop a more structured and contemplative sound, complete with various other instruments added during recording and electronic loops added by producer Steve Lemmon.

When I asked Shauna how she began with the piano, she told me that she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't playing. Her mother was her teacher and Shauna always loved making music. When she moved to Salt Lake City as a young adult she began playing in coffee houses...her own compositions as well as covers. She relates that when she started performing in 1999 she was too nervous to sing. "I had to kick my own ass a little bit" she jokes, "to get over the fear."

Shauna met James Clark in 2001 and moved to the UK shortly after. James, who later became both Burns' drummer and her husband, helped inspire Shauna to take her music to the next level. When they both returned to the US they started looking for a studio. Somewhat by coincidence they stumbled upon Steve Lemmon and Spiral Studios. Within weeks of meeting they were in the studio recording and they loved the experience. "In every other studio we tried," Shauna says, "everyone was so controlling...they were so L.A. Spiral was totally different. I like to do the piano and the vocals together...I like the mix, the crackle. Steve let me record the way I wanted to record. With Spiral there was so much respect...love...and confidence in the artist's ability. It really is the perfect environment. It's a family. It's a give and take."

Shauna tells us that all the songs for her next full length album are already written and she expects to be back in the studio late next year for a 2010 release. She provides a preview for her next record, saying that the feel will be quite different and we can expect a more Celtic vibe...a wandering feeling...perhaps using more eclectic instruments like accordion and hurdy gurdy.

We can't wait.

Bryan Ragsdale Records "Where Cowpokes Grow"

When Bryan Ragsdale entered the studio we were immediately struck by his likable way and easy going charm. The recording sessions were punctuated by his stories of life under a big sky and it quickly became clear that his songs were tied unshakably to his way of life. His honest optimism will shine through on a record that is a pleasure to be a part of.

Bryan started singing, like many artists, in church. At the tender age of 4 he began concert piano before switching to trumpet when he turned 12. An accomplished musician, he toured worldwide with various youth organizations playing his instrument, but discovered at 16 that "girls don't really like trumpet...so I taught myself to play the guitar."

Bryan remembers the moment when he decided that becoming a singer/songwriter was the path he had to take. "I was attending college," Bryan said, "and I got a gig where I was opening for Willie Nelson. I heard him play "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," and his voice was all raspy, but the song was so powerful...I knew then. I knew I wanted to make the crowd react like he did."

Bryan spent a lot of years playing music and working during the day, until he reached a turning point in his life in 2004. "I went through a divorce," he says, "and I just decided that I was going to do what I wanted to do in life and if I needed to go back and get a real job, I would."

Since then, the cowboy bard has enjoyed increasing success. Bryan may become the official "voice of Wyoming" and has other plans in the works with his home state. Ragsdale is also working on a deal with a company in Nashville that will distribute "Where Cowpokes Grow" nationally next summer.

But there's a special demographic that Bryan wants to make sure isn't forgotten. As a former Navy counter narcotics officer, Ragsdale has always had a soft spot for the brave members of our armed forces. Using the profits he makes from the sale of "Where Cowpokes Grow", Bryan is going to reach deep into his own pockets to make sure that a copy of his new CD reaches the hands of every single one of the 165,000 service men and women currently overseas. He will also donate a copy to every cancer patient and survivor in the state of Wyoming.

When I asked him why this is so important to him he explained: "If you do music... to me... the most important people that need access to that music are the people who need the music to get through something in their lives."

Bryan has been working on "Where Cowpokes Grow" since 2005, and although he had a deal with a big label in Nashville, he walked away from it in order to make the record himself. He says he wanted to make a record that reflected the values he grew up with in rural Wyoming, the values he teaches his children, and the values that are easily forgotten in the commercialism of modern music.

With so many studio choices available to him, and certainly many options closer to home, we asked Bryan what brought him to Spiral. He explained that the production and mixing Spiral owner Steve Lemmon provides are phenomenal and having access to studio musicians like Ryan Tilby brings the record to a whole new level.

Ragsdale describes "Where Cowpokes Grow" as a crossover between country, bluegrass, and folk. When I asked him about his favorite song, he said, "The High Road is such a good song. It's amazing the amount of homeless people in Nashville, that's what the song talks about. There was a little boy who sat outside the club where we played. He just refused to comply with societal norms...he was a runaway teen...and one day he just disappeared, we never saw him again. But the hope always was that he had gone home...so that's what the second verse of the song is about."

It was a pleasure to host Bryan at Spiral and we look forward to the release of his ablum, "Where Cowpokes Grow," in January.

Why Master?

With cash at a premium many artists are looking for ways to cut costs as they make and record their music. You might be wondering if professional mastering is really worth the expense.

So what can you expect when you have your record professionally mastered? First, it is the job of the mastering engineer to take a broad, overall view of the album as a whole. This is why certain mixing elements (EQ, compression, etc) are best left in the hands of the mastering engineer. It is his job to make sure that each track sounds good not only as a stand alone piece but also in the context of the album as a whole.

Good mastering also provides balance in dynamics and frequency and improved consistency throughout the album. Also your mastering engineer should be able to enhance your record by drawing focus to specific elements of your music. Finally, professional mastering serves as a last stop to catch any mixing problems before your record is cut.

Tom Volpicelli in an interview in Audio Production/Engineering put it this way, "The Internet has opened the floodgates for artists; it has leveled the playing field in terms of promotion, marketing, distribution, and global audience access. When promoters, labels, and potential fans listen to a song on Sonicbids, or any other social networking site, they could be comparing music that has been produced in a small project studio against those done with a significantly larger budget. Even though the song may be great, without mastering it can sound muddy, weak, and lack the impact of a properly mastered song. It’s analogous to a job interview; no one goes to an interview in dirty clothes and a bad haircut. Mastering provides the “grooming” for your music to help ensure that it makes the best impression. Mastering is also a reflection of the professionalism and maturity of an artist. Non-mastered tracks tend to sound amateur against a well-mastered track."

So is this something that you can do at home? The problem with trying to master in a home studio is that without the proper set up you are risking a sub-par finished product. For example, if the home studio is bass deficient, you mixes may end up bass heavy. If your monitors are not full range then you will end up making bad EQ decisions. Also, much of the software that is produced for home mastering does more harm than good by generating unintended distortion and noise.

In the end, the best option, whenever possible, is to have your music professionally mastered. In an extremely competitive music marketplace it is worth the cost.