September 2002

We recently returned from Nashville and are excited to start a bunch of exciting new projects during the remainder of the summer and into the fall. More than three months have passed since our last update, so as usual we have a lot to fill you in on.

Andrea Surova - Part Russian part Massachusetts singer/diva/songwriter/poet Andrea Surova has begun work on her solo debut at bopnique. Produced by AJR and recorded and mixed by Karyadi Sutedja with assistance from Matt Girard, it features an all-star studio band we have unofficially dubbed as "The Flying Bricks." The record will feature beautifully crafted pop songs with Andrea's unique lyrics, lush vocal harmonies, and big hooks that get you on the first listen. Thanks to Mike Lawler for cutting acoustic guitars and keyboard parts for the track he and Andrea co-wrote in Nashville. He and Andrea will be collaborating again in late September. (For more info on Mike go to http://www.allmusic.com and type "Mike Lawler" in the search field.) Thanks to musicians Brian Alex, Jeff Calder, Jeff Gilman, Paul "Lo Fi" McDuff, and Steve Sadler for also playing on phase one of the project. Stay tuned as the story unfolds...

Future Retro Artist Spotlight - Anthony J. Resta will be the next featured artist of the month at www.future-retro.com. Future Retro manufactures the 777 and Mobius analog step sequencers with cv gate to midi and din sync to midi.

Rebecca Simone - On page 21 of the September 7th issue of Billboard Magazine there is a stellar review of Rebecca Simone's track Stuck in the Honey, written by hit songwriter Alex Forbes of New York City, recorded and mixed by Karyadi Sutedja, and produced by AJR.

Chad Lamarsh - Chad's new full-length EP is about to be unleashed! Over a year in the making, this 13-song pop/rock gem is full of great songs, heartfelt lyrics, and some of the most involved production work ever done at the studio. We will let you know as soon as the release date is set. 2002-2003 is going to be a big year for Chad, and we are excited for him!

Lucia Moniz - The new record 67 Days on EMI is available on line. It features songs in both English and Portuguese, and really rocks this time around. Lucia has a great voice and a personality that shines through the music. Thanks to Nuno Bettencourt and Paulo Junqueiro at EMI for booking 67 Days at bopnique.

Missing Persons - Lost Tracks, the recent compilation of rare unreleased Missing Persons tracks is now in stores. Anthony J. Resta and Karyadi's underground "liquid centre acid samba mix" starts off the CD. Thanks to Jeff Calder for his innovative keyboard contributions. Thanks to Warren Cuccurullo for his kind words about the track:

MENTAL HOPSCOTCH (from lost tracks) "Many people will recognize the name Anthony Resta from the work he did with Duran Duran on Thank You & Medazzaland. He's an excellent rhythm man, programmer, producer & all around musician who always manages to breathe new life into all the tracks he gets involved with. This remix is basically a re-recording. The vocal was done by Dale a few years ago, most other parts were either sampled from live tapes that I provided Anthony with or just some stuff that he came up with to achieve what he calls his Acid Samba Mix. It was originally done on spec for the Cleopatra Remixed Hits album. There were some miscommunications between label & management, & the track didn't get used. Well, here it is."

Jennifer Crane - Jennifer Crane flew in from Brewster, Washington to record her second batch of songs here. Josh Hagar, Anthony Resta and Jennifer co-produced and performed all the music. The new music is a bit more organic and sparse than her well received EP from two years ago. Jennifer is managed by Alan Stewart of SGManagement. Thanks to SG and Barclay Crane for making it all possible.

David Z - We were very excited to have David Z return a couple weeks ago to begin work on his third record. David brought his own Pro Tools rig from DC to sync up with ours, and some cool music emerged! David has had more than 249,000 hits at mp3.com with his Internet hit single Meant for Me, featuring vocalist Aimee Bernard of the Sacred Raisin Cakes. Aimee performed and co-wrote some of the new songs as well. David will be back at the end of September.

Annette Farrington - Annette and Anthony J. Resta's composition Let the World Go Away got all the way up to #3 on mp3.com's alternative chart, right behind Hoobastank (who was in our last newsletter!) and Dave Matthews. Way to go Annette! Visit http://genres.mp3.com/music/alternative/alternative_general/ There are plenty of reviews of Annette's Castle Von Buhler release at www.bopnique.com, and another good one at www.inmusicwetrust.com:
"Play it for anyone, gals, it's safe. Wow, talk about a producer's disc! Azure Wonder & Lust by Annette Farrington is layered with so many vocal effects that it's hard to tell if her voice is really as good as it sounds but the Middle Eastern/Technotribe backing tracks are given huge play by producer/musician/ puppet master Anthony Resta. My girlfriend snatched it right up, though, so it's sticking around for awhile."

Donna Delory - Donna will be making her third trip from L.A. to bopnique in early September to mix some songs from her upcoming CD. Donna has been called the "ethereal girl" for her brand of pop music, full of world influences and dreamy soundscapes. We are looking forward to it! Matt Girard has been editing the sessions we recorded back in May. About AJR's and Karyadi's Where I've Never Been remix, Donna says:
"For years, Anthony and I said we wanted to make music together. He's always loved this song, so it was perfect when we thought of him for doing the remix. He's a very talented writer and producer, which I'm very excited to be currently collaborating with on with my new cd . . . coming soon. "

God's Little Joke - This Boston based band has been creating a major buzz in the Northeast. They are currently featured on 18 college radio stations, including WBRU, where Nirvana got its earliest radio play. Their song Sunspot was recently the #1 downloaded song on boston.com, while their song Cachexia was #3, beating out many songs by artists signed on major labels.

Rumble Syndicate - Three Fridays ago the Rumble Syndicate song Stigmata was featured on the NBC series "She Spies." AJR added some grooves and cool sounds to the track, which was recorded and mixed by Chris Lannon.

Rob Gonzalez - From www.robgonzalez.com:
Rob gets international airplay by DMX Satellite Company
Los Angeles-based DMX has added Rob Gonzalez's I'll Get To You (Somehow) into rotation on their "Folk Rock" playlist. DMX provides a satellite service to supply in-store music for hundreds of thousands of businesses across North America and around the globe. Large companies such as Marriott Hotels, Victoria's Secret, Pacific Sunwear, Chili's Grill & Bar and 24 Hour Fitness use the DMX system.
DMX almost exclusively broadcasts major label artists. The fact that they have added Gonzalez without a label behind him is a credit to the commercial strength of his music. I'll Get To You (Somehow) was produced by Anthony J. Resta, and appears as the first track of Rob's CD Somehow, released in November of 2001.
I'll Get To You (Somehow) was aired between Long Tall Texan by Lyle Lovett and Independence Day by Bruce Springsteen. Other artists played within a half hour of Gonzalez's song included Van Morrison, Neil Young, Crowded House, and new-comer "buzz" artist Norah Jones. All of the artists played around Gonzalez's song were major label artists.
Fans are encouraged to request I'll Get To You (Somehow) by visiting the DMX website at www.DMXmusic.com and clicking "E-quests." There is a short one time registration form that will allow you to request Gonzalez's music as often as desired.

New gear:

• 2 Russian synthesizers from the Soviet era, the legendary "Polyvoks" and the "Maestro"
• MKS80 Super Jupiter Synth (rack mount Jupiter 8) and MPG 80 Programmer (Thank you, Mike!)

Check the links page for artist sites.
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