Namba Gear owner, Woody Moran was the featured interview on the Dennis Logan show on internet radio www.YouRockRadio.com for the week of April 28 - May 3. In this interview Woody discusses his music and debut CD, “Tu-Toned Stranger“, as well as the current state of the music business and changes that effect our ability take our studio with us and record on our own terms. (Unstated for the interview was that you need to get a Namba Gear bag to transport your laptop and audio device.) After May 3rd, you can still listen to the show by going to Past Shows.

Woody meet Dennis Logan as part of the peer-to-peer review process on Broadjam in the Folk-Rock category, and they became great fans of each others music.

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Years ago, my good friend Jamie McWhirter (from my time of ”I’m going to live in Boston experiment”), showed me an alcohol induced party game that has morphed into the greatest resource for songwriting lyric ideas.

We had an old Victorian 3-story house on the top of a hill with a commanding view of our picturesque New England hamlet, just north of Boston. It was a winter weekend and we had a few friends over to drink a little wine, but while we were chatting away beside the fireplace, we were getting another layer of fresh snow outside. The road conditions had turned treacherous and so we invited our friends to stay for an impromptu sleep-over.

It Was A Cold and Stormy New England Night

This was when Jamie showed us how to create a journal which he labeled, “Things That Hang Independently of Themselves.” The idea is pretty simple (it had to be for our wobbly-wino group). Get a clean notebook and use it to write down ideas, quotes, sayings, etc. that seem to have a life of their own. It doesn’t have to be profound, just an interesting turn of phrase is enough. Jamie started us off by going over our recent conversations of the night and giving us some things that he remembered.

I think the best one came from my wife Lisa in a conversation about good restaurants and the associated high prices, “Unfortunately, we have the mixed blessing of gourmet taste.” Another friend, in talking about trying to find a place to hide when his wife has PMS said, “I’m in the amen corner… and I don’t say another word for two days.” I just used the line, “I’m in the amen corner” into a new song many years after this conversation because it is such a cool phrase (and yes I used it in the same context). Killing all the wine in the house and moving on to coffee and Kalua, we filled a good four pages that night.

Here’s another example, I read an interview with David Bowie and he said, “My enthusiasm in all things is contagious and infectous.” OK, that one actually seems profound. Hasn’t made a lyric yet, but I’ve used it as part of my email signature. I had a little boy in New Orleans try and sell me sweet potato pies and his closing line was, “Now whatcha gonna do?” It made the book, and the line reactivated the sweet potato pie story for another new song (although I didn’t use the actual line that I wrote down). I’ve even cut out cartoons and taped them into my journal. All I can say is, start building your own journal right away.

Jamie McWhirter Where Are You?

Now the sad part of this story is that after many years and a few moves in between I have lost my journal of “Things That Hang Independently of Themselves”. So if you have a phrase or cool thought that makes you smile (or makes you turn your head like a Cocker Spaniel), basically “Things That Hang Independently of Themselves”, please give me a shout and help me rebuild my book of thoughts and phrases. It’s all good.

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 NAME: J. Chris Griffin (mixing & mastering engineer)

LOCATION: New York City

WEBSITE: http://www.syntheticmess.com/

FAVORITE MUSIC SOFTWARE: Propellerheads Reason, Toontrack, Native Instruments Komplete, Pro Tools

BRIEF BIO: My first big mix was for Madonna. That opened up doors for a minute. Recent projects include jazz guitarist John McLaughlin (see my picture inside the Industrial Zen album), John Legend, Janet Jackson, and others. Last summer I co-produced the new theme for MTV’s “MADE” with Jay Lyons and have composed spots for television with NBC’s “Dateline” and CBS’s “NCIS” being two recent credits. My sound-design work is all over Propellerheads products, McDSP products, M-Audio keyboards and sample discs, and I also do clinics for churches teaching them how to improve worship through proper sound, singing and playing. That’s where it all comes together for me. Oh - I almost forgot, I play saxophone…

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LATEST PROJECT, RECORDING, OR PERFORMANCE: This morning I was on a session with Jim Keller, the guitarist for Tommy Tutone in the 1980’s. He sang and wrote the song “Jenny, Jenny 867-5309.” One hit wonder, but he’s gone on to become the personal manager for composer Phillip Glass, Ravi Shankar, Tom Waits and others. He and I have become friends over the last few years and we were recording horns and BGV’s (background vocals) for one of his projects today. I roll in with my nifty horn arrangement and expensive NYC horn section to begin. We barely get through the first take when the producer decides to gut the arrangement and use about 4 notes (unison) in each turnaround. It turned out great, but my cool arrangement ended up being whittled down to one lick played over and over. That’s how it goes…

Last month as Sony/ATV finished their merger with Famous Music Publishing, they realized the new roster of writers and producers were not fully acquainted with one another. The Sony people didn’t know the former Famous Music people and visa-versa. To remedy this, they booked out The Cutting Room Studios where I have my private production suite. For three days they wrote, produced and mixed new tracks for Beyonce’, Anastasia, Tomi, and other newer artists. I had known some of these guys before, but to meet and interact with the entire roster of the new Sony/ATV division on my home turf was very cool. I have definitely changed my business model after seeing and meeting these great people. The after-hours lobby parties were insane!!! What made it cool was everyone had their laptop going - making beats and singing ideas into the computer through Garage Band throughout the party. Wonderful stuff.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR NAMBA GEAR BAG? Two reasons: I like it because it’s not made out of black material. Every dumb computer bag in the world is black and I am happy to be wearing something  brown and blue (interior) for a change.

Secondly, it has enough pockets for everything - two hard drives, my USB Transit interface, the laptop, power supplies, my notebooks and calendars, pens, USB hubs, wireless mouse, phone, earbuds, iPod, iLok, firewire PCMCIA card and notes for my next meeting. This is New York City people; we don’t have cars. We have to carry it.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE REMOTE RECORDING LOCATION: I have two assistants that really enjoy working at the studio - as long as I stay out of their hair. To keep them happy and keep myself from micromanaging their excellent work, I have to leave my own room several times a day. I like my Namba Gear bag because it helps me get out of the studio easily. I have everything close by no matter where I decide to work.

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