Behind the Glass in Chicago

July 18, 2009

Several times over the years I have been asked to speak to various groups and expound on my professional career. On behalf of the Producers and Engineers Wing at The Recording Academy and Shure electronics I found myself in Chicago the third week of June doing just that. The event was billed as Grammy Soundtables: Behind the Glass with Mike Clink, Ron Nevison, and Keith Olsen.

The previous day I visited music producer Johnny K at his new studio just outside of the Loop in Chicago. Johnny is known for his work with Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Plain White T’s and numerous others. Airbourne had just flown in from Australia and was working on the material for their new album amidst the jet lag and construction. The new studio is an ambitious project but will be amazing when it’s completed.

The Soundtable took place at the new Shure Theater in Niles, a suburb of Chicago and was attended primarily by members of the Producers and Engineers Wing in the area. The theater was beautiful, luxurious and the audio and visual aspects were World Class as expected. Mark Brunner, Director of Brand Management at Shure, executed the task of moderator flawlessly. Ron, Keith and I played three songs from our discography and commented on a few interesting aspects of the production or recording. Two of my selections were picked to tie in my Chicago connection. Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor and secondly, Out Of Reach by Sarah Kelly from the album, Where The Past Meets Today. The final selection was Sweet Child Of Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Q&A followed the presentation where we made an effort to inform and entertain.

The event was recorded and filmed and I hear that it will be available on the web in the future, but I couldn’t tell you when.

If you have an opportunity to go to one of these events put on by The Recording Academy don’t hesitate, they are fun and informative. In addition, it’s a great way to network and exchange ideas with your peers.

Courier