Hello friends, Ryan, the lead engineer here. Just wanted to give you a short update of what's been happening around RRRC. We did a second day with Bay Area rock band Black Sand to track and mix two more of their songs entitled 'To Remain Nameless' and 'The Mirror'. Dogcatcher's record (produced by Nate Lewis) is in it's later stages, hopefully seeing release in the next couple of months. It sounds terrific, I can't wait for you to hear it. We completed a series of sessions with Palo Alto songwriter Chris Cotton and we're just beginning heavy tracking for a spiritual songs record for the Highway Community church in Mountain View.

In short, there's a TON going on! Keep checking back for samples of new music and I'll catch you next time...

RRRC has set a date for Dogcatcher's album completion. Well, not an exact date...but you can get your ears in it sometime during the end of September.
We have just finished a pretty final edit on our first completed track, which will probably end up being the last track of the record. There are talks to press this baby on vinyl too.
If you like the artwork you see here, you should know that Dogcatcher (Andrew Heine) is also an artist. Check out his website here

Photo courtesy of Isaac Pritzker (c) 2010.

Hey folks, just wanted to check in and let you know what we've been up to at RRRC. I've been engineering and mixing some tunes for local songwriter Chris Cotton. He's been doing 5 songs for the last few months and we've got three in the can (The Loudest Sound, Sun / Girl and Meandering Away, all available to stream at myspace.com/cottonchris). Make sure and check out those songs as well as the wealth of terrific photos taken at RRRC as well as Hyde Street Studios in the city at his official site, chriscottonmusic.com.

Black Sand, this year's winner from our annual GIG©, is now in the studio recording an EP (with Ryan Kingsmith producing). FYI their epic sound is influenced by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Dream Theater, and Rammstein. Prepare yourselves.

Black Sand is:

Travis Osterback- Vocals
Trey Fiebich - Bass & B.G. Vocals
Reece Fiebich - Guitar
Mitch Cairns - Drums

Week by week, with shows between, Dogcatcher (Andrew Heine's brainchild), has been puttin' in hard hours at the RRRC. But it takes more than studio time to develop this unique project. Many nights around the campfire with producer and collaborators Nate Lewis, Jason Wei, and Ramon Esquivel factor into the project's formation. Check out a demo for "Lay Back Down" below. We'll keep y'all updated!

Hey folks, sorry for the delay! Lots going on lately, so here's what's going down:

Oakland's Lariats of Fire are working through the mixes of their tunes AS WE SPEAK, so we expect their record will be done in the next couple of weeks. Again, it's called 'Jack Jenkins' Last Ride' after one of the records tracks, so watch this space and lariatsoffire.com for info on the honky-tonk up-and-comers, and catch them live if you get the chance!

An old friend of RRRC, Amelia Dunaway, dropped by the studio a little bit ago and we realized that we had never polished up the EP she recorded last year for mastering. Thus, we rerecorded 2 vocal parts and it's nearly ready to go! She's recently relocated to Nashville, so we miss her around the Bay, but check back for link to listen to her EP. I (Ryan, lead engineer) got to play on it a bunch and am really happy with how it's coming together, so we'll load up an MP3 in our player as soon as it's done. For now, pick up a copy of our 'Freedom?' compilation to hear her song 'Alone', which also appears on the EP.
Anyway, that's all for now. See you soon!

Hey party people, here's all the exciting stuff that's been going on at RRRC. Pictured above is the East Bay's own honky-tonk sensations Lariats of Fire. Late last year, they tracked 14 (!!!) songs of country goodness in only 2 days. After some final overdubs and a bouncing new baby coming into guitarist Jason Greenwald's family, we're ready to start mixing. The record, 'Jack Jenkins' Last Ride', should be ready for your enjoyment very soon. Check out a live set for free at lariatsoffire.com.


Andrew Heine's newest record as Dogcatcher is coming along nicely. He told me recently that the foundation of 6 of the album's songs are in the can, so upward and onward. You can check out a couple of older tunes on his Myspace (what's that?) page, which he hasn't visited since 2008.


Veteran blues and folk guitarist Chris Cotton is currently tracking songs for a new LP at RRRC. We were tracking drums all day on Wednesday and things are coming together. You can check out his older stuff on iTunes or on chriscottonmusic.com


That's all for now. Until next time, go Dodgers!

Here here! The debut album from area rock band Given the Helm entitled 'Patriarch' is available for free download in its entirety! 'Patriarch' was recorded and mixed at the Red Rock Recording Company in 2009 and is now ready for your ears. Check it out at the url below...


http://www.dittynet.com/~vdk/Patriarch/

At long last, the debut album from local artist Colin Carthen is upon us. This spring, Red Rock Recordings will release its first record in the form of Colin's 'Here But Long Forgotten'. As a student of old folk and country music as well as modern acoustic music, Colin has crafted an excellent record that is every bit as emotionally and lyrically appealing as it is melodically. 'Here But Long Forgotten' has 9 original songs and will be released on April 30th at the Red Rock Coffee Company. Join us as we celebrate Colin's awesome achievement as well as this RRRC milestone at 8pm, located at 201 Castro Street in downtown Mountain View.

Hello! Okay, so, in addition to all the great stuff we've FINISHED over the last several months, RRRC is buzzing with new activity. Firstly, insanely talented local artist Andrew Heine has begun pre-production on a new album under the name Dogcatcher. The album is being produced by another local songwriter, Nate Lewis, who is also doing some sequencing for the as-yet-untitled record. Keep your eyes and ears open and tuned to this page as the details unfold before us as to what this project holds!

Our sister organization, Red Rock Coffee Company, took on the cause of helping to fight human trafficking and slavery here in the Bay Area over the fall of 2009. As a part of that, we brought in a TON of different artists (including Colin Carthen and Dogcatcher) who play at the Red Rock and had them do an original song for a new record called 'Freedom?: An Abolitionist Compilation' with all of the proceeds going to MISSSEY, an Oakland organization devoted to stopping slavery in the East Bay. Click the image above for more information on the compilation and visit the Red Rock Coffee Company to get your very own copy for just $10.

After a period of inactivity in the 'blogosphere', we here at the Red Rock Recording Company are prepared to blow your mind with an onslaught of happenings from the last few months. We begin with a few finished projects that are ready for your ears to enjoy...

Colin Carthen's debut album 'Here but Long Forgotten' is completed and ready for release on April 30, 2010. The record was recorded by Dave Denysenko and Ryan Kingsmith over the last year and the fruits of the effort are absolutely wonderful. Come here Colin play (and buy the record!) at the CD release party on the 2nd floor of the Red Rock Coffee Company on April 30th.

Bay Area native / actual rocket scientist Jeremy Vander Kam has completed his 8-song rock opus 'Patriarch' under the name Given the Helm. Recorded and mixed by Ryan Kingsmith and original art by Gem Photo's Emily Scott, the album is the culmination of years of writing and refining for Jeremy and features many members of the Red Rock community. Jeremy's 2-year-old son Nate also played theremin on the album.* 'Patriarch' will be available on March 20th online FOR FREE, so stay tuned to this space.


*This is not actually true.

That's all for now. Check back next week to hear about some other stuff that's been happening at RRRC as well as our new projects.

Colin Carthen's solo debut is tracked and being mixed at RRRC by Dave Denysenko. This is Colin's first recording project after parting ways amicably with longtime collaborator Phillip Rodriguez.

The album was produced and recorded by RRRC house producer Ryan Kingsmith. The verdict is still out on whether Ryan's beard will get an assistant producer credit.

The 8-song project is slated for release this summer.

It's true, the notoriously loud yet notoriously slow East Of Western are recording their sophomore album with RRRC. The bulk of the recording and engineering is being handled by singer / songwriter Kevin Marks, and bassist Jared Milos.

The follow-up to 2006's The Empty Drone Of Special Effects proves to be a faster affair than their debut, which took the better part of three years to record.

"We are not doing that again," said Marks.

"Absolutely not," added Milos.

The album, tentatively entitled "Panic" will be released later this year.