Anthony J. Resta, Among a New Breed of Record Producers in the New Millenium

October 11, 2000

With Collective Soul's fifth release Blender in stores this month, Boston-based record producer Anthony J. Resta is edging his way toward the elusive producer "A list." Blender fuses the Georgia quintet's classic rock sound with Resta's quirky production style, which integrates Beatlesqe soundscapes, Pink Floyd-like synthesizers, trippy guitar sounds, and hip hop grooves.

After working in Atlanta for four months, Collective Soul put the finishing touches on the CD, which includes a duet with Sir Elton John called "Perfect Day," at Resta's studio bopnique musique in North Chelmsford, MA. Rolling Stone has already proclaimed that the album "simply shreds with unapologetic classic-rock energy."

Represented by the exclusive Lippman Entertainment in Los Angeles, Resta is among an upcoming breed of producers in the new millennium. Part keyboard player, computer nerd, D.J., engineer, guitar abuser, percussionist, vintage synthesizer fanatic, and composer, he fuses old school production values with a more experimental, soundscape oriented approach.

"I have worked for years staying true to the influence of producers like Brian Eno, Flood, and Jon Brion, often with no regard for the commercial aspects of song construction," says Resta. "The past three years of working with songsmiths like Ed Roland, Shawn Mullins and Duran Duran have made me much more song oriented. Now I'm looking for what to leave out rather than what to fill every space with."

Resta says he owes a lot to producer Peter Collins (Jewel, Rush, Brian Setzer and countless others) who hired him as a programmer on several projects. "He's a master of knowing what is or isn't bringing something to the song," says Resta. "Watching him work changed the way I think about how people listen to music, concentrating much more on the vocals, and building the song around signature hooks, the melody and the song's message."

Having produced acts as diverse as Collective Soul, Shawn Mullins and Full Devil Jacket, Resta's work currently spans the airwaves and can be heard on active rock radio, triple A, modern rock, and Top 40, often within minutes of each other. His original modern classical pieces and music for film and television round out his broad discography. Such diversified production talents assure we are going to hear more from Resta in the coming years.

Log on to http://www.anthonyjresta.com for news updates, photo gallery, discography and biography.

Resta endorses Audix and Earthworks microphones, Eventide, Noble and Cooley drums, Clavia synthesizers and Zildjian Cymbals.