Scream at The Echo (Echo Park, CA)

Had the pleasure of working Scream, yet another seminal band that front man Pete Stahl (earthlings?, Goatsnake, Wool, Orchestra Del Desierto) is a part of. With his brother, Franz Stahl, Scream created a big voice in the DC punk scene and beyond. With the latest project, Scream is expressing their downtempo side and recording a dub reggae track to be included on a split 7″ that will be shared with none other than Lee Scratch Perry. Tracking reggae at The Rancho in the winter, with the fireplace blazing, speakers bumping, and 16 track spinning is a pretty sick scenario. Scream also played a show at The Echo and I have to say hands down one of the best shows I’ve seen.

I was honored to play with one of my favorite bands….they were before I started working with them.  Being on stage with David Catching, Adam Maples, Pete Stahl, Brian O’Conner, and Clint Walsh was incredible.  Everybody was having a ball.  If you’ve never heard of earthlings? then you pretty much have to check them out.  And if you liked any of their past work then the new material, soon to be released, will surely satisfy!!

Sound City Studio A

John Tempesta at Sound City Studio A

I teamed up with Chris Goss again to record with The Cult. It’s been an absolute pleasure. We started off at Sound City, Studio A to record drum and bass. I’ve been wanting to work in this room for a long time and going to tape completed the dream. I love the smell of tape that blows up in your face when you throw a reel up and hit rewind. John Tempesta (drums) and Chris Wyse (bass) held it down. We shifted gears and moved to Sage & Sound, Studio B, to overdub.  The API console was immaculate, actually all the gear was immaculate and consisted of most of my favorite pieces.  After a short break for the holidays we picked it back up at The Hacienda to complete tracking and prep for mixing. Everybody seemed really comfortable here and we captured some amazing performances! I’m really proud of what’s coming out of the speakers and can’t wait to share it.

Sweet Machine traversed a couple time zones from Berlin, Germany to get their rock on. Not letting jet lag hold them back, they jumped right in and got into the Rancho vibe. We’re having a great time and very pleased with what’s coming out of the speakers. Chris Goss stopped by for a surprise visit and gave his blessings and shared a few laughs. Dave Catching is here. Hutch is here. The weather is great…..

Spent a couple weeks in Paris playing guitar and keyboards for Lexicon at a couple festival.  Solidayz was the first one.  We were privlidged with an invite to play at this Coachella-esque festival celebrating AIDS awareness and solidarity. There were 3000-4000 peeps, all jumping to the beat. The next show was a festival in Orleans.  This show drew between 5000-6000 and rocked just as hard. Mosh pits + stage dives + crowd surfing = Party! The reviews rated rated us among the crowd favorites.

I had the pleasure of mastering Danny’s latest release.  Produced by Mike Garson this full length is an intriguing journey through the landscapes of contemporary composers.

“Dear Friends,

Many of you know about this already—but some of you haven’t heard from me in years.  I’m very excited to announce that my solo CD Fast Jump is now available on Innova Recordings.

Fast Jump is currently a featured new release on iTunes (check out the contemporary classical page), and it was selected as one of the best new releases of June by WNYC’s New Sounds.  Sequenza21.com writes: “Danny Holt is a brilliant player…he attacks the instrument with verve.”

The disc is jam-packed with music by some of my favorite composers: David Lang, Lona Kozik, Graham Fitkin, Caleb Burhans, and Jascha Narveson.  The recording was produced by my friend and mentor Mike Garson (pianist for David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, and others, and a fantastic composer/improviser).

Click here to buy the CD directly from the label.  It’s also available through Amazon and  other online retailers, and you can buy a digital download from iTunes and most other major digital download sites.  In southern California, you can pick up a copy at Amoeba Music (Hollywood) or Rhino Records (Claremont).

Have a listen and please let me know what you think!  If you like it, take a moment to write a short customer review on Amazon or iTunes to help spread the word.

Danny ”

The new Masters Of Reality record is to be released on August 24th in Europe.  MOR now has a facebook page.

I’m very proud to be apart of this bands debut release.  “Ulterior Motives” is a seven song EP to be released on August 21, 2009.  We’re rapping up the mix and handing it off to Gavin Lurssen for mastering.  I’ve been getting into mastering more and more these days… outta necessity.  I’ve been happy with the results, and getting better with each attempt, though having the opportunity to hand it off is most welcome after being so involved.  Please check The Jury Pool out and come to the release show/party at The Viper Room on August 21.