May 2002

Additional Website - An additional website is under construction and should be up within a month. It will include bios and MP3s of artists who have recorded at our studio, an A&R showcase, an Artist of the Month feature, resources for Bopnique clients, a message board, and lots more! Thanks to Voula and her friends for all their hard work!!!!

Amanda's great site will still continue at www.bopnique.com (that's this site :-))!

Denise Hradecky - Singer/songwriter Denise Hradecky, who writes melancholy indie pop gems with introspective lyrics, came all the way up from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to mix a six-song EP for Intelligent Records. We really enjoyed working with her! Karyadi served as mix engineer, Matthew Girard assisted, and AJR added additional atmospheres.

Hoobastank - Last week producer/engineer Paul David Hagar was in mixing some live Hoobastank tracks for Island Def Jam. Matt Girard assisted. Thanks to Paul Pontias and Eric Wong at Def Jam.

Lucia Moniz - Lucia Moniz's sophomore release on EMI hits the radio and stores in Europe this week. Lucia is an accomplished singer/songwriter/actress from Lisbon, Portugal. Her new record 67 was recorded primarily at studio bopnique and co-produced by Nuno Bettencourt and Anthony Resta. Carl Nappa recorded and mixed the record and Matt Girard assisted. Check it out at: http://www.2020multimedia.com/ecards/lucia/lucia.html

The Mudhens - The Mudhens have completed their full-length CD entitled Solo Projects, an innovative assortment of songs that fans of all types of music will enjoy. Why is the CD called Solo Projects? Emily Fontano, the band's talented lead vocalist, says, "When you see the interior artwork, you'll understand why."

We have had some interest in the record and will continue to search for a label.

Jennifer Crane - Jennifer Crane's song "Fling" (recorded and mixed at bopnique) was featured in a recent episode of The Young and the Restless. Almost three minutes of the song was featured both as a primary track (where cast members were not talking) and as a background track. It was also featured in a spot on MTV.

Chad LaMarsh - In May Chad will be finishing up his full-length CD, which is headed for worldwide distribution later this year. There has been strong industry response to Chad's EP "It's About Time," and in May Chad will be showcasing for Epic Records in New York.

Charlie Carroza - Singer/songwriter Charlie Carroza of the Coalboilers has just completed work on his solo debut, a five-song EP produced by Anthony J. Resta and engineered by Karyadi Sutedja. The EP is a happy marriage between Carrozo's acoustic guitar based Tom Petty-esque songwriting style and Resta's modern studio techniques. Charlie's songs tap into the wellspring of life to affirm the energy that fuels our shared heritage of American music, a heritage that this EP carries into the new century.

God's Little Joke - God's Little Joke will be returning to the studio to complete a full-length album due out later this year. The band recently opened for some King's X shows. Ty Tabor from King's X has been raving about the God's Little Joke EP "Contagion", which he plays constantly!

Donna Delory - Donna and AJR plan to write and record more songs in June. Donna has also been writing with Eric Bazilian, best known for writing the Joan Osborne hit "One of Us."

Bionic - Mark and Steve of Bionic were back in to remix a song from their upcoming EP. Bionic's impressive hard rock debut is due out soon. Check back later for details!

Starr Faithfull - Guitarist extraordinaire Jodee Frawlee was in with her band to complete "Round Peg," a very catchy, radio ready song that the band began recording at its own studio. Karyadi Sutedja spent two days mixing the track, and AJR added mellotron and atmospheres on one version.

Alex McDougal - Gifted singer/songwriter Alex McDougal has an EP that will finally be released. Bob St. John did a beautiful job mastering this amazing record at his PDQ studios in Miami. Stay tuned to find out how to get a hold of one.

Excerpts from a recent LA Times Magazine article by Robert Hilburn on the current state of music:
"There used to be a feeling that music was something magical and powerful, a virtual life force that energized and cleansed, but it is viewed by many today as little more than produce. Record companies, under enormous pressure for quarterly profits, can no longer afford to sign an act--like Dylan, Springstseen or U2--and preserve through three or four weak-selling albums. They need immediate results, so the message to young record makers is: Give us a hit, or else!"
Questioning whether we can find any passion or purpose in music today, Hilburn went on to say that "the social turmoil of the '60s brought great music, but these artists emerged from a giant talent pool that was already in place during the time of upheaval--a pool that doesn't exist today. The Beatles may eventually have tried to give peace a chance, but they started out simply wanting to hold your hand.
"There are some musicians, notably U2 that make great, thoughtful music and still sell in the millions, but most of our true artists--Steve Earle, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, et all --seem to be adrift on a life raft.
"And commercial radio...stations that once took pride in championing great young artist, no matter where they might be on the sales charts, are now only interested in records that get immediate listener response. It's heartbreaking to hear radio programmers go on and on about how much they love a new record and then stop playing it a week later after 'research' shows that listeners haven't caught on."

Anthony's Thank Yous - Finally, it's time for another dreaded installment of Anthony's Thank Yous. You never know when it might be too late to thank people. Life is strange that way. As with the updates, these are not listed in any particular order.

• Comet, thank you for helping with the newsletter and for everything else you do. You have saved me.
• Bill Corey, thanks for everything.
• Bob St. John, thanks for the great job mastering most of the projects that come out of here, and for being there when I am losing it.
• Thanks to Dave Locke for additional mastering.
• Thanks to Gizmo Static for keeping alive the dream led me into music.
• Fletcher, thank you for your patience and help. Thanks for your instrumentality and for making what comes out of the studio sound better and better. Your insights are dead on, and we owe you big time. To quote a Mercenary Audio ad, "Life is too short to suck!"
• Thanks to Jay and Carol at Noble and Cooley Drums for all their support and belief in me all these years.
• Thanks to Kathy Anaya at Lippman entertainment in LA for not giving up on me.
• Thanks to Paul Hagar and Def Jam for mixing the live Hoobastank CD here.
• Thanks to Barbara Jordan at HeavyHitters for all the TV placements, and her continued words of encouragement.
• Thanks to Jean Rennard for expanding my horizons.
• Thanks to Andrew Fanarras for legal support.
• Thanks to Shilo and Intelligent Records for bringing Denise here to mix.
• Thanks to Cliff Castle at Audix for his support and patience and the amazing mics!
• To all the talented artists who record here, thank you. You make the studio possible!
• Thanks to Karyadi and Matt for staying sane amidst the insanity.
• Thanks to Pat, Fred, and Courtney for all the years under the piano and great opportunities.
• Thanks to MOM, JANE, PETER, SARAH, JOHANNA, AND ALL OUR LOVED ONES IN CANADA for life.
• Thank you, Joe. Wherever you are we love you more than you can imagine.
• Thanks to all those I forgot to mention, and please excuse me for being a space cadet.

Check the links page for artist sites.
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