Tape Op Podcast

With their latest album, is, My Morning Jacket handed over the production reins to storied producer Brendan O'Brien, who has worked with artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Pearl Jam. The result of this collaboration is a focused collection of songs that showcases the band's development and musical diversity. Geoff Stanfield caught up with My Morning Jacket’s frontman and principal songwriter, Jim James, and Brendan to discus...

Lord Huron first caught our ear with their 2012 release, Lonesome Dreams. The album's lush presentation, harmonies, and tinges of surfy guitars made it both decidedly West Coast-sounding and, at the same time, otherworldly. Over a decade on, the band has released its fifth album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, another fully-formed concept album of sorts that, like all of Lord Huron's releases, tells a story, is beautifully produced, ...

The story of Regina Spektor is one of a truly self-made artist. In 1989, at nine years old, Spektor and her family emigrated from Moscow to the Bronx in New York. Her love and affinity for playing the piano found her studying in high school at the Manhattan School of Music, and as she continued her classical studies she was also being exposed to and fell in love with pop music, hip-hop, and punk rock. Her self-released albums 11:11...

The Connecticut-based band Goose has had what would seem a meteoric rise into the public consciousness, but the group has been building a loyal fan base the same way that artists like the Grateful Dead and Phish had before them, with nearly a decade of endless touring. Their latest release, Everything Must Go, and 2022's Dripfield were both produced and engineered by D. James Goodwin. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Goose frontman R...

Singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sara Watkins, collectively comprise the powerhouse trio I'm With Her. Their 2018 album, See You Around, garnered them Grammy and Americana Music Association nominations, taking awards for Best American Roots song for "Call My Name," and Best Duo/Group of the Year. Their second release, Wild and Clear and Blue, is a collection of deeply personal songs ...

Atlanta-based producer and songwriter, Turbo (aka Chandler A. Great), has been behind hits from Travis Scott, Gunna, Lil Baby, Nav, and Young Thug. His signature productions are easily recognized, and he has an innate ability to distill songs and their presentations down to their essence and a feeling. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Turbo from his home in Atlanta to discuss his early days, production process, genre-bending collabor...

Baltimore, Maryland, native Josh "Deakin" Dibb is probably best known as a member of the indie rock legends Animal Collective, but he is also a producer, engineer, and mixer, helming projects for Avey Tare, Tickley Feather, Herald, his own album Sleep Cycle, and most recently a co-production venture with his Animal Collective bandmate, Panda Bear, on the fantastic release, Sinister Grift. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Josh from hi...

For over four decades, David Lowery has been an innovator and thought leader in the music business. As musician, he’s the founder and leader of both indie rock legends Camper Van Beethoven and the successful band Cracker. He’s also a writer, producer, studio owner, educator, and as a champion of artists rights in the digital age he even led a successful $112 million dollar lawsuit against Spotify. His new album, Fathers, Sons and B...

We interviewed producer, engineer, and mixer, Chris Coady, back in 2016 for Tape Op issue 113. He has worked with TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Future Islands, Beach House, DIIV, The Drums, Porches, Amen Dunes, Sasami, Hand Habits, and countless other artists. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Chris from his studio in Glendale, CA, to discuss a wide range of topics ranging from his formative years in Baltimore, his days at New Yor...

We interviewed Esperanza Spalding back in 2022 for Tape Op issue 147, around the time she had just finished her 8th album, Songwrights Apothecary Lab. Her latest release, Milton+Esperanza, is a Grammy-nominated collaboration with Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento. The album is a compelling body of work that includes re-imaginations of Nascimento originals, covers, and new collaborative songs. Geoff Stanfield caught up with E...

"Bristol, England, based band, Idles, recently released their fifth album, Tangk. Produced by the band's guitarist, Mark Bowen, along with Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats, Tangk explores new sonic territory for the band – including the use of tape loops – making for a rich and nuanced landscape for singer Joe Talbot's deeply personal lyrics and raw delivery. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Joe and Mark while the band was on tour, to d...

I first met Alan Parsons in 2004, when I interviewed him for Tape Op issue #42. We’ve been lucky enough to work together on Recording Academy presentations and meet up socially a few times after that, and I always thought we’d have fun doing a podcast, and as it was now 20 years later, it felt like a good time. Alan had also built his ParSonics Studio on his ranch in California, and a deluxe box set reissue of the Alan Parsons Proj...

There is a long list of accolades for indie legend, producer, engineer, songwriter and musician John Vanderslice. In addition to being the owner of Oakland recording studio Tiny Telephone, he has released sixteen full length albums, five remix albums and EPs and worked with artists such as Spoon, St. Vincent, Deerhoof, the Mountain Goats, and Grandaddy. His new project, Google Earth, is a collaboration with James Riotto, and their ...

Athens, Georgia, born singer Madeleine Peyroux has just released her ninth album, Let's Walk, and it finds her in peak shape as a singer and songwriter. The album's songs and lyrics address a broad range of socially-conscious topics and events in the American landscape. The album is beautifully recorded, and was produced by the legendary Elliot Scheiner, along with Madeleine and band member, Jon Herington. Geoff Stanfield caught up...

Compton native Lenise Bent has worked with a staggering list of artists, and played a part in some of popular music's biggest albums. Steely Dan, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, Ringo Starr, Tanya Tucker, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Suzi Quatro, Neil Diamond, Leonard Cohen, and Cher, not to mention the long list of film and television projects such as Shrek, The Golden Girls, The Larry Sanders Show, and Barbie. Geoff Stanfiel...

If you were tuned in to the radio in the 90's, singer, songwriter, and producer, Paula Cole, has been woven into the fabric of your musical life with mega-hits such as "I Don't Want To Wait" and "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" Almost three decades on, Paula is still making great records and has recently released Lo, a collection of highly personal songs performed entirely live with her longtime collaborators, Jay Bellarose, Chri...

My friend Jolie Holland and I first met when I edited, overdubbed, and mixed her album Wine Dark Sea in 2014, ten years ago. Around then we even played a short 2 song set live at an Elliott Smith tribute show. A few years after that we worked again on Wildflower Blues, an album she did with Samantha Parton, her former bandmate from The Be Good Tanyas, and recently I prepped a re-master of her debut album, Catalpa. We thought it’d b...