November 30, 2024 • 43 mins
Six-time Grammy-winning mix engineer James Bonzai Caruso returns to reveal the secrets behind crafting award-winning albums. From his formative days in New Jersey to collaborating with music legends like Damian and Stephen Marley, James's journey is both inspiring and enlightening. As he shares his role in shaping Grammy-winning projects, listeners will gain valuable insights into the essential skills of a mix engineer and the passion required to excel in the music industry. His early experiences at Secret Sound Studios, working with icons such as Melly Mel and Whitney Houston, highlight the importance of perseverance and dedication.
Listeners are invited to explore the intricate world of music production with Bonzai as their guide. From his transition from an aspiring guitarist to a seasoned engineer and producer, James delves into the emotional and spiritual connections that music evokes. The episode sheds light on the technical and artistic balance needed to capture a song's initial energy, whether building from scratch or enhancing existing tracks. Bonzai also reflects on navigating the challenges of working with high-profile artists, sharing anecdotes from his collaborations with Stephen Marley and Biggie Smalls.
As the music industry evolves, so too does Bonzai's career, adapting to technological advancements and embracing change. The discussion also explores the impact of AI in modern music studios, including the innovative Shrine Studios in Las Vegas. Beyond the studio, Bonzai shares his love for Italian cuisine, current projects, and exciting collaborations. This episode offers an engaging look into the mind of a music industry titan, full of personal stories and professional wisdom that will resonate with music lovers and aspiring engineers alike.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to Vegas Circle Podcast with your hosts,
paki and Chris.
We are people who arepassionate about business,
success and culture, and this isour platform to showcase to
people in our city who make ithappen.
On today's podcast, we're goingto be diving in deep into what
it really takes to create aGrammy-winning album and
discussing how to build aperfect recording studio.
Please help us welcome him backto the circle Six-time
(00:32):
award-winning mixing engineer,producer, songwriter and the
co-owner of a new studio here inLas Vegas called Shrine Studios
.
We got Mr James Banzai Caruso.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
We got Mr James Banzai Caruso.
So good to have you back in thecircle brother.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, definitely good to see you again.
Thank you so much for having meback.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yeah, man.
So we definitely got a shoutout International GT man for
connecting us.
We had you about I think it wasabout a year.
A little over a year ago, wehad you on the pod.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Has it been that long ?
Yeah, goes quick.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
It goes quick, man.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So you produced and been part of some of my favorite
music.
I mean I can't even list.
I mean Chris and I were talkingabout it earlier.
I mean your resume is is unreal, from Mariah Carey and just all
these different people that youwork with.
I mean you produced DistantRelatives, which is one of my
favorite albums with Nas andDamian Marley.
But let's talk about just thesix Grammys.
(01:23):
So the six projects you'veworked on.
Can you kind of name those sixGrammys that you actually won?
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
And just to clarify, I was a mix engineer on those,
not producer, no.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I'm sorry, I apologize.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
I mean, I'm always involved with we're doing the
production together, but I'mcredited as the mix engineer.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
The mix engineer.
I always get that wrong, whichis fine.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
This is basically what I do, Okay, but in terms of
those Grammys it was.
The first one was 2001 withDamian Marley, Halfway Tree.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Okay, and then followed by was it Welcome to
Jamrock in 2005?
.
Fire, album which actually alot of people don't know this,
but Welcome to Jamrock won twoGrammys, did it really?
It won for Best Reggae Albumand Best Urban Alternative
Single as well.
So, there's two on that, onefor the single and one for the
(02:11):
album Wow, followed by 2007 withStephen Marley's debut album
Mind Control.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
One of my favorite albums.
Isn't that beautiful yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I love that.
We spent years on that record.
Oh my God, it's such abeautiful album.
I love that album.
Isn't that beautiful?
Yeah, I love that.
We spent years on that record.
Yeah, oh, my God, it's such abeautiful album.
I love Steven so much.
Yeah, anyway.
And then the one after that wasin 2009,.
The same album, mind Control,but in the acoustic format.
We re-released it in acousticformat, wow, and it won the
Grammy in 2009.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Wow, yeah, is that hard to do.
Like to do that Cause thewinner for one album is one
thing, right, but to reintroduceit in a different way and win
it again like that seems like itdoesn't happen very often.
It wasn't really hard.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
It was just a different approach musically to
those same beautiful, wonderfulsongs, but just like kind of I
don't want to say reinventingthem, but, you know, reproducing
them in an acoustic unplugged,if you will format Right.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, that was really really cool I really enjoyed
doing the unplugged version.
Yeah, very organic, right, thenoise and everything, the whole.
Yeah, the spread of the room.
That's powerful.
What kind of sparked yourinterest to kind of get into the
music industry?
Like, when did you get in?
Oh geez.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Long story but I'll keep it short.
You know, as a child growing upin the country of New Jersey
working on farms, and I pickedup an acoustic guitar when I was
about 13 or 14.
And I had kind of a roughchildhood there for a minute
with an abusive stepfather and Ijust was in a bad place and
very angry and upset young man.
But music was obviously made meso happy and safe and and
(03:49):
wonderful feeling and I just gotdeep into it at a young age,
fortunately.
So, when I graduated highschool, uh in new jersey, I went
straight to manhattan and uhenrolled in the institute of
audio research and at that timeit was part of nyu or I could
transfer the credits to NYUanyway in Greenwich Village,
there that was.
I was 17, 18 years old, and sothey placed me in an internship
(04:13):
at a studio called Secret SoundStudios, okay, which is a little
analog 24-track room where Istarted, you know, learning how
to use microphones.
It was all analog back in thosedays.
Of course this was their veryearly 80s and did jingles and
jazz records.
And then the drum machines werekind of new on the scene, along
(04:33):
with samplers, so the 808 andthe DMX and the Lindrum, and I
learned how to rock those things.
I was kind of left alone thereAt that time.
There were staff engineers sothey would show up to do their 9
to 5 and whatever a jingle or apiano vocal that day, or
perhaps a guitar overdub orvocal overdubs and then they'd
(04:55):
go home.
That was the thing.
They were there for a paycheck.
I was interned and hungry and Ijust wanted to learn.
I basically lived on the couchand spent 90 hours a week there
at the studio and that's how Iprogressed to learning how to.
That's how I hooked up with allmelly, mel and grandmaster
flash and, uh, sissy houston,whitney houston and you know the
(05:17):
whitney and I are about thesame age, so she was singing
backgrounds on her mother'salbum.
So it was a great time in newyork city to be interning in the
studio and with all thesepeople coming in and out every
day, it was very fortunate andblessed I can't even let you
pass up on it.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You just said molly, I mean everybody that you're
saying are like legends in themusic industry, man that must
have been did you realize thatat the time, like how special
that moment was, that where youwere able to like be on the
couch and be able to be in these, these rooms, and behind the
scenes.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yeah, yes, yeah, it was special in a spiritual way,
I don't know, to me.
I was just very, I felt veryfortunate and very.
I had a just very blessed yeahfor the opportunity, even though
I was only getting paid fivedollars a day I don't think I
would have cared.
Man, listen to all thesedifferent people about that was
my sandwich for the day, yeahyeah, but you know, it was very
(06:09):
special in that regard, um, andfor me it was just like being in
the university, being in thecollege and learning, because I
was driven to this by listeningto those records in the 70s and
you know like, oh, he's greatand why each album sounded
different from other albums, andthen started learning about
microphone techniques and youknow recording techniques, so I
(06:31):
was just threw myself in deep tolearn how to use microphones,
which microphones, microphoneplacement, you know, and the
whole production and how tooverdub and build.
Oh, that's how they got allthese voices on these records
because, your mic placement.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All these, different things, all these layers to it,
right and as I'm learning toplay guitar.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
It's like, wait a minute, that's impossible to
play though that oh, it wasoverdubbed.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So learning all the techniques of production it was
the thought always been to bekind of behind the scenes in the
music industry like, like hey,I want to go play guitar for
this band, or has that ever beenpart of your thought process?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Maybe early, early on in my late teenage years.
Yeah, I wanted to be there.
I thought I was a good guitarplayer.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I think we all tried to be Michael Jordan or
something.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Thrown in the studio with the real guys.
I would plug in like Mike Stern, he's an amazing jazz guitarist
.
Oh my gosh, the guy'sphenomenal.
Uh, and I would you know.
I remember plugging him intohis amp and and listen, and I
was like it's still special.
(07:39):
One guy three people playing.
It was like, okay, I'm justgonna Three people playing.
I was like, okay, I'm justgoing to stay over here, very
humbling, and I'm going to learnhow to record and produce.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
And how do you decide , once you determine that right,
just going through your path,finding your lane within the
music industry?
There's a lot of differentfacets to it, right?
I'm assuming behind the scenesyou have your point.
You say a lot of things thatI'm not familiar with, but how
do you find, as you work throughit, the lane that you wanted to
be in, whether it's producingor engineering or mix and
engineering or kind of whateverthat lane is?
Just to kind of educate even meand some of the listeners, for
(08:11):
me it's a very emotional.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
It's spiritually and very emotional thing.
Songs, it's just songs thatmake me cry and make me laugh
and make me feel happy and makeme feel sad or make me think
about stuff, make me want todance, you know.
So I'm a song oriented person.
So for me it was all about howdo we make songs, the you know
the best, you know before theyou release them out to the
(08:33):
world.
You know, because there's aprocess from writing to demoing
to producing, you know, gettingit right before you release it
right.
So that's what intrigued me wasthe song writing process, the
song production process, youknow, yeah, that's all about the
song.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
You know it's still to this day.
Yeah, that's, I'm like law, I'mso.
I just want to listen to youjust talk about it.
When I ask you questions, youcan just do like a motivational
speech on on everything.
Man, I mean to kind of piggybackon so being a like a recording
engineer right, that'stechnically what you are, but I
know you've written and stufftoo.
Like what is that process like?
Are you, are you there fromlike the whole process?
(09:12):
So like, let's say, it's DamianMarley or or or or Steven
Marley, are you there right fromthe beginning, or are they like
recording, doing the whole nine, and you're kind of coming in
to kind of edit and do the wholenine and make sure it's on
point Both, okay, not only bothbut also just mixing.
Got you.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I really enjoy the process from Jump Street, from
Blank Slate, especially withStephen and Damian those guys.
That's awesome.
You know artists and producerslike that, so that you're in on
the ground floor.
So the day one when we'retracking and we're putting ideas
together, I'm already mixing.
You know what I mean I startmixing on day one, because you
(09:50):
know we capture that energy andso many times that energy, that
vibe of those initial days,those first days, is like we
captured it and you know you gotit.
You know if it ain't broke,don't fix it.
You know what I mean, Becauseyou can sit there and tweak it
and you know polish it and soit's like you know, which
(10:13):
sometimes is necessary andsometimes it's great.
So every project is different.
To answer your question, everyproject is different and I like
being in on the project from dayone.
Not everybody can afford that,you know, especially in these
days.
Back in the day, when peopleused to buy these things, they
(10:33):
were called cds.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
My kids don't even know what cds are for real, we
had these things called bigbudgets yeah that still exists
today.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I'm just, I'm just bugging you, um, but uh, it's
nice to be a part of thatproject from beginning to end.
Not that I'm, I know I stillenjoy mixing, because mixing is
a big part of what I do everyday, and it's already been
recorded, you know.
So when I get the tracks,sometimes it's like whoa, these
guys did a really good job.
I'm proud of them.
This is awesome.
Now I got to take it to thenext level.
(11:02):
Oh my god got it you know, lovethe challenge, but sometimes
I'll get stuff.
I was like dude, that's yourdrums, that's your bass, those
are your guitars, those are yourvocal.
Oh my God, I got work to do.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
So you got to figure out how to make it sound perfect
before I mix.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Right, so got it.
It all I take it all.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
I love it all and how does that work?
so say you do get this right andyou do have to go through and
change it all, you have to makeit to maximize it, but at some
point does it change the initialtheme?
And say you do change theirinitial theme.
How much like autonomy do youhave to be able to like make
your own spin on it, or do youhave to kind of run through it
with them every step of the waybecause they're paying you to do
(11:43):
what you do, right?
But then when you do what youdo, are they like is there some
back and forth on that?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
see, that's a good question, because that's a great
question, because every artistis different and most of the
people that know me, they cometo me because they know out of
respect to the next level I'mgonna you know, and 90 of the
time, they love what I do andthere are times where I'll do
something like now, bonnie, welike the way it was before and
that happens, that's fine, yeahsure, um, but it's really.
Every artist is different, everyproject is different and when I
(12:11):
approach it, I for me, it's Inever lose sight of.
It's all about the song, it'sall about the energy, the
emotion, what the artist istrying to say with the
songwriter.
The song is trying to conveywhether it the songwriter, the
song is trying to convey whetherit's happy, sad, you know,
whatever it is embellish thatBring out those, the best
elements.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Not change it, but like just yeah, maybe change it
a little bit, Change it you knowfor the better.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Yeah, and also try to read into what the artist is
trying to convey here, right?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Because that's the most important thing.
Yeah, you're such a big energyperson, right.
That's why we vibe, right.
I don't know if it's just sucha studio just recently, but like
you had to work with somestrong egos, right.
I can't even imagine like theMariah Carey's of the world and
I don't even know the list ofpeople on your list but who have
(13:04):
you enjoyed working with thebest and like, what's the what's
like the big lesson from thatJust being in the studio with
them, especially winning Grammysand stuff.
You've got amazing.
You know resume, well, there'squite a few.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
I've been very blessed.
So, and you're right about thedynamic between the, you know
just learning how to deal withego and it's I'm good with, I'm
totally okay with it, becauseit's kind of necessary on some
level for them as an artist.
Obviously their heads areinflated and that's why they're
stars, right, that's fine.
I'm totally cool with that.
I don't have my.
(13:33):
I check my ego at the door, Ipick it up on the way out, yeah,
but in terms of and before youanswer that, like people, like
Madonna, I was looking at you,madonna, I mean Mariah Carey,
those are strong, strong egos,yeah, and there's so many of
them I could name, but, toanswer your question, if I were
to pick a favorite, it wouldhave to be Stephen Marley,
(13:54):
because Stephen, his ear and hismind, his musical approach to
things, and I've learned so muchover the years I mean Stephen
and I have been working togetheron and off since 95 are you
serious wow, since, uh, halfwaytree, wow, uh, with Damien and,
and Damien as well, both of them, I mean they, they're really
(14:17):
it's, it's.
I learn a lot from working withthem, especially Stephen,
because it's it's an approach,it's a vision and it's
multifaceted in terms of fun,serious and happy and dark and
all those things.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Yeah, does he talk about his father at all, when
you've had those intimateconversations A little bit here
and there it comes up once in awhile.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, I'm sure it has to be a curiosity right.
Talk about how that, yeah, youknow something for that long
gong is the gong, and he's, he'salways there.
Yeah for sure, right for sure,and that's you know, kind of you
know another thing is likeyou're when you have those
relationships for you know, 20,30 years and as an artist they
kind of you ever feel like theylike.
(15:03):
Sometimes you get pigeonholedin a certain dynamic,
pigeonholed in a certain styleand then when you try to push,
you know how do you like helpsomebody navigate, to grow and
push themselves into a differentatmosphere.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
That's a really good point because back in the day
that was a huge factor back inlike the 90s and early 2000s.
You know people whoa he's theguy who does electronic dance
Because I was doing a lot ofhouse music remixes with like
David Morales and FrankieKnuckles and CNC Music Factory
and all the Mariah Carey stuff.
They were all remixes Got it.
(15:34):
I was the remix guy.
So I got pigeonholed to dancemusic.
Got it, and I made a living andpaid my rent in New York City
for 10 years.
Then I did one reggae recordwith this girl, diana King.
That Shy Guy record, oh, smack,yeah.
Ended up in Bad Boys the filmoh, yeah, yeah.
(15:54):
With Martin Lawrence and WillSmith.
Yeah, so that record was thefirst reggae album.
I did the whole album with herand I was a fan of reggae and
Bob Marley and but it's like Iwas doing all this electronic
dance music all the time, Rightso to I had the.
You know, I just absorbed andlearn.
I was early days of learningreggae for me in terms of
(16:18):
engineering, recording andproduction wise.
So that Diana King record wenthuge.
A shy guy, would you know,became.
It was a big hit and I that'swhen I was contacted by Stephen
Marley to, to, to go down to.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Jamaica and start working that's absolutely
amazing, that was that changedeverything.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I mean, that was like , okay, here we go.
And I just embraced it, lovedit.
It was like opening up anencyclopedia and going you need
to learn this now.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
You know it was a big learning process, but it was
you know it's still, you know itnever stops.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
You got a list of songs that I love.
I mean Method man and Mary JBlige.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
All I need is to get by Exactly.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Didn't you do Ready to Die with Biggie, Biggie yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
So you did his mixing .
I recorded.
Yes, I was with Biggie thefirst time.
I did a couple of records withPuffy before he was known.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I still call him Puffy.
Okay, I got you I still do.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
He was Puffy then Sure, and I did a couple records
with him before and he one daybrought this guy.
Sean Brought Biggie in.
I mean to Biggie in and it washis first day in a big studio
and he was the nicest guy and wejust hit it off.
So I did a lot of the recordingon that first album and some of
the mixes.
I remember when the creditscame out on the album I was
(17:40):
miscredited with the underengineer and some mistakes in
their crediting, but still itwas me, tony Maserati, prince
Charles, I think.
I'm trying to think of theother engineers that were.
We were all at the Hit Factory,like every night in New York
City, legendary Hit Factory, bythe way.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
But I loved working with Viggy.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
He was just the sweetest guy.
The way he would throw downjust straight off the top of his
head without you know, becausea lot of the you know a lot of
the rappers which is fine wouldsit there and you know, write
out all the lyrics and go overit over and over and then go
step up to the mic.
So okay, and just read it, whichis fine, it's great, that's
fine, but not biggie.
Biggie would just step up one,take, hit it bonds, hit record,
(18:23):
and he would just spit this flowLike I'm like, oh my God, and
then you go let back and I'dplay it back for him and be like
yeah, bonzo, let me hit thatone more time.
He's like, uh, I'm gonna keepthat.
Go to another track, right,it's analog days.
(18:43):
You hit, oh, so you hit, that'sit, it's a wrap done, yeah,
right.
So he's like no, no, go overthat.
I was like you sure I couldkeep that I'll go to another
track.
He's like no, no, hit it again,go over it.
Like all right, I don't.
Okay, I'm nervous, but he's theboss.
He would spit a completelydifferent rhyme, completely
different story, completelydifferent lyric, completely
different everything.
And I'm sitting there goingwait.
(19:04):
We're right now erasing what hewas previously done.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
I can't hit stop.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
I'm not going to hit stop.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
When you hear that all the time, I mean you're
saying I mean people rap, battleall the time at barbershops,
top five, dead or alive,whatever you just explaining
that makes me say that he has toalways be in the top five.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Or just be on a wasted talent.
That happens.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
Like the wasted songs that you never even got to hear
.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
You're probably one of the only people that ever got
to hear that, like, that'spretty wild to even think about,
very true, so many, but it'sthe way his mind worked.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
You know he was a storyteller.
He was a, you know, a lyricalgenius and now, you know he was
a storyteller and he, he had allthis.
It was like a a library in hishead, right, yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
what's your thoughts on puffy?
I can't let you pass that, withpuffy dealing with all he's
doing right now.
What's your thoughts on Puffy?
I can't let you pass that, withPuffy dealing with all he's
dealing with right now.
What's your thoughts on hissituation?
Man, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
I mean it's hard for me to comment on that.
I feel I don't know all thedetails me neither, but I mean.
I haven't worked with Puffssince like oh my gosh since
probably 2002 or something it'sbeen a while, Okay, we did.
I'm trying to remember he had agirl group, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Danny DeCain.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Yeah, a couple of these little projects.
And oh, there was anotherrecord we did was.
It was Flavor In your Ear.
Who was that?
Craig?
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Mack.
Craig Mack, yeah, he passedaway man, oh no.
Yeah, yeah, craig Mack passedaway a few years back.
Oh, I saw you hear that youworked on with Craig Mack.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Yeah, actually, we did a record with Craig Mack and
Biggie together on one track.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
But, oh my God, there's a story behind that.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
It never came out.
It was never released.
I love the track and it wascalled my man, my Nigga.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
That's what it said.
That was the album.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
No, it was a single, it was one song Single okay and
I love the track.
They went back and forthcomplimenting each other and I
thought it was a great track butit was never released.
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
I mean the room.
It's crazy how this stuff justhappens and never comes out.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, oh there's so many great records that never
saw the light of day, especiallyback in those days in the 90s
early 2000.
These great records and forwhatever reason it could be
contractual, could be publishing, can't get the clearing Sample,
clearance Exactly.
And these wonderful records,and I'm just sitting there going
wait, it's not coming out.
(21:28):
You gotta be kidding me.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Can we do something else with it?
Especially Biggie and CraigMack at the peak.
I mean, he was exploding, Ithink that was a publishing
issue.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Okay.
When that happens, you stillget paid, so they're paying you
for your time regardless, sothey distribute it, make money
on it, Like you're booked.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Welcome to a special edition of Vegas Circle.
Behind the Lights we got ourguy James Trader, who's actually
the owner of Kase Sake andSushi.
Talk a little bit about yourrestaurant, how this all came
together.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
So, kase, we're a casual omakase experience here
in Las Vegas.
Omakase literally means I'llleave it up to you, so leave it
up to us to curate yourexperience here.
One of our most popular menuitems is our amori.
It's a seven course plated meal, and with that you'll start
with a seaweed salad, sashimispecial, 10 pieces of fresh
(22:23):
nigiri and two hand rolls.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
This location is fantastic.
The environment is lively yetintimate.
I think it's great for datenights.
The overall experience has beenextremely positive.
If our listeners could chooseone thing on the menu that you'd
recommend.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
What would it be?
Definitely my favorite is ourA5 Wagyu Foie Gras.
We serve that with a cherryamaretto jam, and that's just to
die for.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Me and Pac are both big sake fans.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
We drink it all the time we drink it all the time.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Dig in a little bit on what that sake experience is
like here at.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Kase.
So we have a great selection ofsakes here, from Junmai to
Junmai, Daiginjo's and even afew Nigoris.
We also have a server pickthree sampler where our servers
will curate depending on yourtaste and your meal.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
A few glasses for you to enjoy and try to just see
the depth that different sakeswill have as far as flavors go.
So you guys got to come downand check out kase.
They are located off of jones,north of 215 freeway.
Check out kase.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Saki sushicom yeah, I don't, yeah, I'm not entitled
to those residuals.
So when they do come out, guesswho makes the big bucks yeah, I
mean I'm you know I get paidfor my time unless I'm a
co-writer.
Some records are if I'm aco-writer or produce.
Sometimes, if I'm for myproduction, I'll get a point or
a percentage five percent, tenpercent or twenty or thirty
(23:32):
percent of the record, dependingupon my involvement right, wow,
that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
What do you, how do you feel about the state of
music now and specifically thedirection of like AI and things
like you seen what Drake justdid with the diss track with
about Kendrick Lamar and all ofthat like, how do you feel about
all the AI stuff that'shappening?
We live in interesting times,because I can come me and Chris
can come out with our album andsound awesome.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
I mean, I haven't really gotten into it in terms
of research myself on what'sbeing like what you just
mentioned with those records,being like what you just
mentioned with with thoserecords yeah, but in terms of
using ai in the studio, I havefound a lot of it's, especially
a year.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
it's moving so quickly it's advancing so it's
oh my gosh exponentially likeanyway.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
But for in terms of, you know, production usage in
the studio, it's what I'mfinding is it's getting pretty
good at isolation.
So if you have a track that'san old track from, let's say,
the 1970s or whatever, andthere's no stems, it's not
digital, all there is is astereo track and the label or
(24:41):
the producer or whoever owns thepublishing wants to do a Dolby
Atmos mix with it or a remix orwhatever.
Some of the new AI-drivensoftware is getting pretty good
at isolating just a drum trackto spit out stems, isolating
stems.
Oh, okay, so you end up withthe drums separate the bass and
(25:02):
guitar, your vocals reallyisolated.
But back in the day it was, youknow, even a couple of three
years ago, to isolate the vocalfrom a track using filters.
You know you could do a prettygood job of it depending on the
track behind the vocal.
But with the AI assisted, youknow, stem extraction, if you
(25:25):
will, is I'm pretty impressed.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
It's getting better and better.
Yeah, that's good stuff.
Is that scary, Do you think forpeople that have you will is.
I'm pretty impressed it'sgetting better and better.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
yeah, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Is that scary, do you think, for people that have
your level of experience?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
That's not scary to me, it doesn't bother me, it is
what it is.
You've got to embrace the times.
It's like when digital audiocame out, I was analog.
Everything we did was analogtape, reel to reel tape, big
consoles and you know.
And then when digital audiocame out and I was beta testing
(25:57):
pro tools and some other, uh,digital audio recording software
and it was a transition and alot of my clients, a lot of
people were like and I'm and Iit, and I'm.
I'm with that, yeah, sure, Ahundred percent, but also
embracing that you know this waswhat 90, 94, 95, 93.
(26:17):
Um, and you know it's like youembrace change.
You have to embrace change andjust hope people are going to
use it or, and yourself, havethe integrity to use it in a
good way that helps outeverybody involved.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
It could open up avenues you haven't thought
about yet, like digital didright when you had analog, open
things that nobody, I'm sure,envisioned 20 years ago what it
was doing for the last 20 yearsExactly, and people are going to
benefit.
As long as you utilize thetools effectively, it makes a
lot of sense.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yes, the advent of digital audio recording just was
a game changer big time.
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Yeah, let's talk about your new studio.
You just had a party VIP launchand got a chance to see that
and see all the new rooms.
Which amazing studio.
Now, if I remember correctly,it's the only Adobe recording
studio here right or certifiedhere.
I don't know that it's the onlyAdobe recording studio here,
right?
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Or certified here?
I don't know that it's the onlyOkay, but I know that there's
only a couple here in Vegas,okay, but we might be the only
certified, although I'm notreally sure on that.
There's two or three othersOkay, but yeah, we just opened
our doors.
Shrine.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Studios on.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Charleston Street downtown and yeah, it's a
beautiful facility, charlestonStreet downtown and yeah, it's a
beautiful facility.
We have the capability of 9.4.2Dolby, but most Dolby Atmos
right now is working in 7.1.
Okay, so we have the capabilityof both and it's just a
beautiful environment and it'sboth logic-oriented and Pro
(27:45):
Tools so you can run logicsessions and Pro Tools sessions
in there and we're just openingour doors, so we're just getting
started.
I'm super excited with mypartner, simon.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Apex, I met Simon.
You're a great guy.
Simon's amazing.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
And the whole staff there, everybody there is just
wonderful.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Shout out to your GM too.
I forgot your GM's name, yourmanager, billy, billy, great
dude.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
He's holding down the fort he makes sure everything
is running smoothly, yeah, butyeah.
So I mean, simon has put somuch into it and over the last
several months, in terms of thedesign and the build of it, and
I would just come in and go,yeah, well, we have to do this,
this and this and this and this,and here we go, okay, but it.
But it just came out, so it'sjust beautiful, you saw it.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
It's gorgeous, right.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
And it's you know, we're just super excited because
of the advent of what's goingon in this town, right, that's
what I wanted to get to.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
The film industry moving here from Hollywood.
What are they calling VegasHollywood 2.0?
Speaker 4 (28:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Right.
So it's a perfect time.
We're just getting started.
We're going to see a lot ofchanges in development in that
area right.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Yeah, in the coming years I mean they say probably
the next five to seven years islike a gold rush in Vegas, just
with everything.
Like you said, hollywood 2.0.
I mean, was it Sony and HowardHughes just opened up in
Summerlin and then I can'tremember, wasn't Disney.
Yeah, he's doing someconsulting with them, but not
Disney.
But was it Warner Brothers?
Speaker 3 (29:12):
I heard Disney as well.
Oh, was it Disney?
I couldn't remember.
It's one of the two.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yeah, it's either Warner Brothers or Disney.
I know they're opening up astudio, so it's going to be like
three, much better as a city.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Just oh my god, this town is blowing up.
Yeah, is that why you movedhere?
That's what I was gonna ask youwhy?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
because you moved you originally in new york city,
right?
So?
Speaker 3 (29:36):
when did you move to vegas?
I'm um.
Yeah, I lived in new york citymost of my about 30 years okay
and I came out here in 2008 tohelp and design um and build the
studio.
At the time time it was calledOdds On it's right close to here
on Sunset Way.
At that time in 2008, we builta beautiful multimillion-dollar
(29:56):
studio.
It's absolutely gorgeous and Iwas the chief engineer there for
a while and I wasn't going tostay here, I was going to go
back to New York, but I kind ofmet a girl, you know how that is
.
I'm still here 14 years later,yeah, but since then that studio
originally was called odds on,now it's called the hideout oh,
(30:17):
I went to the hideout yeahthat's why I went to listen to
international gts uh, listeningparty.
Yeah, yeah, that was the reasonwhy you built.
Okay, so you yeah, when I I hadcome out here and that that was
just a warehouse with dirtfloor, yeah, nothing in it,
basically A little office and alittle tiny little studio in the
front.
But they had a vision to putVegas on the map with this.
(30:38):
You know the biggest, mostbeautiful multimillion-dollar
recording studio here and I waslike, okay, I'll do that.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Yeah, that's good stuff.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
And then I fell in love with Vegas.
I really did.
You, okay, I'll do that, yeah,that's good stuff.
And then I fell in love withVegas.
I really did.
I still work in New York and Igo back, my family's there and I
still go back.
I love New York City.
It'll always be my home, yeah,but I love it.
There's something magical forme here in Las Vegas.
There's something magical aboutthe desert.
I love the Native Americanculture since I was a kid and
(31:07):
that could be anywhere, right.
But there's something about thedesert.
Southwest is especially magicalbecause of the hardships here
for them, the indigenous people,and I don't know just the open
space and the weather, I mean,come on, we have no— Sunny every
day.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
We're like 360 days a year of sunshine.
Man, it's like only a coupledays days.
Yeah, it's only a couple ofdays.
It's cloudy, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
In New York City I was with a woman, my partner, my
first wife.
Actually, for many years shesuffered from SAD seasonal
affective disorder.
Because in New York City, likebasically from what November
through almost March, it's great.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
A lot of gray sky, cave and gulf.
I lived in New England for manyyears.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Yes, same, very gray there is something to be said
for that sunshine, because itreally does affect people.
You know different peopledifferently, that's true, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Good point, very good point.
Yeah, I love the direction thatVegas is going Who's's kind of
spoken in your life?
And that you kind of bouncethings off to kind of keep you
straight and keep you aligned.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
I mean, uh, back in the day, originally, when I was
just getting into it, it wasproducers.
Like you know, Trevor Horn isthe first guy that comes to my
mind, Trevor Horn.
I was a huge fan of Trevor Hornwhen he came out with because I
was a big yes fan in the 1970swhen I was a child.
Those yes records were greatand I loved, like Jimi Hendrix
(32:35):
and the Grateful Dead, JanisJoplin, that whole psychedelic
movement.
I really loved Pink Floyd, ofcourse, but when Owner of a
Lonely Heart came out, that 90,the yes, that he produced, the
yes album, I was just you.
You know, sampling was a prettynew technology.
we had one of the first samplersand I heard that record and I
(32:55):
just fell in love with trevorhorn's production.
And he went on to produce.
He produced all the sealrecords.
Oh wow, responsible for seal,uh, grace jones, oh wow, slave
to the rhythm, which is one ofmy faves, yeah, so he was a big
inspiration, trevor horn, andstill is.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
I mean, I still listen to those records and I'm
just like man is it just what,like actually watching them and
act like I know internationalgt's mentioned you like just
watching you in action, how youdo it?
Is it that let you kind oflearn?
Is you can actually see them dosomething and like, okay, I
need to learn this and tweakthis.
I wish I've never got to sitwith Trevor Horn.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
I mean he's based in the UK.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Oh, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
But just listening to his productions was very
inspiring to me but in terms oflike one-on-one fast forward for
me, really, guys like StephenMarley Again, I go back to
Stephen because of the way heapproaches things and also a big
and Arif Mardin he produced alot of huge.
(33:55):
Who did I work with?
Diana Ross?
Speaker 4 (33:57):
was him.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
And he taught me and Bette Midler.
We did a Bette Midler record,we did a Diana Ross record, we
did a couple other huge and youknow, arif Mardin really taught
me how to get performances fromvocalists, how to get them to be
in that moment, to read thoselyrics on the page and convey
(34:19):
that emotion, make them cry makethem laugh whatever the song
was about.
So I learned a lot from ArifMardin for vocal vocal
production.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
That's powerful performances out of out of these
artists, because sometimes theywalk up to the mic in the
studio and they kind of clamp it.
Yeah, a little timid.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
It's just like set the lighting, I'll set up, I'll
do stuff.
Like I'll set up a, a, a, aartboard and there's some
pencils and some colored paintsand etzel or easel, easel, yeah,
yeah, yeah, and you know, andjust while they're on the mic,
throw some paint on there andI'll watch you one time I put up
(34:56):
a mannequin with a bunch ofpaint brushes and I was like,
paint the mannequin while we'resinging just to get them in
something else.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Get their mind off of it.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
That's good depending on the song and depending on
the artist, obviously, Becausesome artists they don't need to
do anything Just put one ofthese in front of them and let
them do their thing.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, that's powerful .
I'd love to just be a fly onthe wall just for some of the
people you've worked with manjust to be in a studio.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Maybe just to see one song being produced from start
to finish.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I've never, you know, I don't think I've ever seen
that, I've never had Watchingvideos, but not in there in the
studio and that process you justmentioned could be a day, it
could be a week, it could be amonth, it could be a year.
Oh wow On one song.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
That's pretty crazy.
To make it right, it reallydepends.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Every project, every song is different.
Every artist.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
That's wild.
What do you find to be the bestones, like the ones that take a
long time or the ones that are?
Speaker 3 (35:47):
like rapid.
There's a lot to be said forboth.
I kind of like the ones thatcome together really quickly.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
I did a record with Ice-T, his very first album was
called Rhyme Pays, oh wow.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Ice-T man.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
We went in there with blank tape.
This was also analog days,before computers, yeah, and I
think we went in the studio on aFriday.
I'm trying to be accurate aboutthis, but I believe we went.
It was me and him and Izzy.
I forget all the other guys onEazy-E, oh yeah.
Eazy-e for sure, and we went inon a Friday Secret Sound
(36:20):
Studios in Manhattan and I thinkwe were finished by Monday.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
We did that whole.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
We just lived in that studio for whatever 72 hours
the whole album and there'ssomething, so there's a lot of
magic so there.
Yeah, even when I'm writingsongs and do demos at home with
acoustic guitar and a piano anda singer, and we just lay down a
basic oh, do you want to overdoit?
And spend a bunch of time, youthis, polishing that, because
(36:47):
then you overdo it.
So it's kind of like painting.
I paint on the side as therapy.
It's my therapy.
I'm an abstract painter, butit's the same thing.
It's like knowing when to stopright.
It's like we're done Enoughbackground vocal parts, enough
guitar parts, enough percussionyes, we can add tambourine and
(37:11):
shaker but it's knowing when tosay when I got it, that's it.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Yeah, that's good.
How many songs do you thinkyou've been a part of?
Do you stop keeping track now,since you've been in for this
long, a long time ago?
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Thousands and thousands and thousands.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
That's awesome Very long time ago, yeah, yeah,
thousands and thousands, yeah,that's awesome.
Yeah, very blessed.
Um, just for business advice,man, I mean you, you're in so
many different rooms right andthere's musicians that you know
build their own businesses.
They've got small businesses,they invest in different things.
What's something that you wouldleave on?
You know, leave somebody with anugget you would leave.
Uh, you know, maybe an artistwith that maybe wants to,
they're afraid to put out theirmusic, or whatever the situation
(37:48):
is.
Or, you know, maybe they've gota vision to build their own
business and what's just onenugget you would leave them with
just following your heart andyour dream, just believing in
yourself.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
You know and I know it's cliche, everybody says, you
know, believe in yourself,following your heart, but that
really is true.
I mean, and challenge andchallenge yourself.
I mean, you know, if you thinkyou can do better, then that
means, you can probably dobetter.
You know, if you think like, ohmy God, I'm really proud of
this, I like it, then leave itand either learn from it,
(38:21):
because years later you're goingto look back and go I should
have kept going.
And you learn as you go, right,like anything else.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
Sure, that's good advice, Very good advice.
You know I'm a big foodie.
We were talking about thisrecently.
I mean I love, and Vegas isbecoming the food mecca now.
I mean literally coming likeNew York City, I believe.
But what's your favoriterestaurant in Vegas?
Like you said, I can't keep upwith them.
There's so many.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
I mean, I thought New York had great restaurants.
Oh my God, this town has gotlike tenfold.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
Yeah, every day there's a new one 100% I don't
know, I'm Italian, so I loveItalian food.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
I love Italian food also.
Speaker 3 (38:58):
So there's one spot I don't go to.
The strip isn't really my.
I mean, there's so many greatrestaurants, sure, sure, but I
love the little local joints offthe street.
I love it, yeah, but there'sone place on the strip that I
kind of I don't know.
There's something about itreminds me of home is maggiano's
there, my job is great.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
That was good, yeah, in terms of that fashion show,
right, right.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Fashion show, yep Family style.
And then there's also I loveJapanese food.
Okay, japanese food, I lovesushi.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
There's a little local place near me I could walk
from my house.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
It's called Soho Japanese.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
Soho.
Okay, where is that located?
It's on Warm Springs and Jones.
Okay, okay, so awesome.
They're great.
I love that place.
Okay, there's some Gaetano'sanother great Italian restaurant
.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Is that Henderson?
It is on Eastern.
Yeah, they have a very goodfamily.
Yeah, I think the son took overthe restaurant, if I'm not
mistaken.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
Very good food.
Food there is really good.
Prosciutto Italian is anotherone of my faves.
Oh, I could see here going onand on.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I was Italian in another life.
Man, I love Italian.
I stay away from the carbs, butI love Italian food.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
You're going to get me hungry?
Speaker 1 (40:06):
Yeah, I should I probably should talk about it.
That's good, man.
There's some gems.
What else did you want to leaveus out on?
Man, I know you got the newstudio, shrine Studios studios.
Who are you working with rightnow?
Can you share who you, whoyou've been in the studio?
Oh my gosh, I gotta get a shout.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
So right now.
The mortimer album just cameout last week I think I saw.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Yeah, you posted that .
Oh, my goodness, fire.
If I heard the song.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
Oh, the whole album.
I think I spent I don't know,maybe a year, year and a half
mixing, okay, these songs withuh, mortimer is just amazing
songwriter and his producerwinter, winter jams okay, um is
just an amazing songwriter andhis producer Winta Winta Jams
okay is just.
I mean just the songs are.
I mean I would, I wouldliterally be working on these
songs and just like just sob andwiping tears and I'd have to
(40:51):
like yo.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
I can't keep my cheeks these songs are beautiful
, they're powerful.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
The.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Mortimer album that just came out is simply amazing.
We have reggae rise up comingup this weekend, which is going
to be great, I'm not trying togo to that.
Speaker 4 (41:05):
Yeah, you're going to that oh I'll be there all three
days and then, yeah, I got astick figure and slightly stupid
that's downtown right, yeah,center right.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Where is it at?
Is it downtown events?
Speaker 3 (41:15):
downtown event center okay, perfect, okay, yeah shout
out to them.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Those are two, two.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
I'm working on a record right now with remember
Aini Kamasi.
I don't know who that?
Speaker 4 (41:23):
is it's called, not Step Up.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Murder.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
I know that song for sure, yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
I always called him Aini Kamasi, but I guess it's
I-N-I.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
So you're working with him now.
Yeah, he's got some newmaterial that we've.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Oh what else it's hard to keep.
John Ein, from Jamaica, is also, with VP Records, doing some
stuff for VP Records.
Yeah what else, oh, someSouthern Cali stuff, fortunate
Youth.
Okay, I worked on the TribalSeeds.
I mixed the Tribal Seeds out.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
You introduced me to that with the Tribal Seeds, yeah
, okay.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Yeah, I'm just blessed to be busy and working
on some really great killerprojects, really beautiful stuff
.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Well, guys pay attention to.
Bazaar man, I swear you need tocome out with a movie they need
to have a documentary on you,man of all those stories.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
That's actually in the works.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Okay, I would super support that.
I'm really looking forward toseeing that there's a
documentary in the works here.
Speaker 3 (42:19):
That's awesome, I seeing that there's a
documentary in the works here.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (42:22):
I applaud that.
That's good stuff, man.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
What's your social handles?
People can reach out to you on.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
BonsaiCarusocom is my website, but Instagram.
At Bonsai Caruso Facebook, Ihave a couple of them James
Bonsai Caruso Awesome.
And Bonsai Caruso, but yeah, Ihave a social media guy.
And Bonsai Caruso but yeah, Ihave a social media guy.
Big shout out to LV Roots herein Vegas.
Yeah, my man, julian.
Julian, he pretty much managesmy social media accounts Awesome
(42:48):
.
So big up, julian, he's amazing.
And yeah.
So.
At Bonsai Caruso Instagram.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Yeah, and we're waiting for that documentary.
Man, keep me posted on that.
I'd love to support that man.
That'd be good stuff.
Man, check us out atthevegascirclecom and subscribe
with us.
Speaker 4 (43:02):
Man, appreciate your time brother, that was really
good, thank you man, thanks.
Welcome to Vegas Circle Podcast with your hosts,
paki and Chris.
We are people who arepassionate about business,
success and culture, and this isour platform to showcase to
people in our city who make ithappen.
On today's podcast, we're goingto be diving in deep into what
it really takes to create aGrammy-winning album and
discussing how to build aperfect recording studio.
Please help us welcome him backto the circle Six-time
(00:32):
award-winning mixing engineer,producer, songwriter and the
co-owner of a new studio here inLas Vegas called Shrine Studios
.
We got Mr James Banzai Caruso.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
We got Mr James Banzai Caruso.
So good to have you back in thecircle brother.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, definitely good to see you again.
Thank you so much for having meback.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yeah, man.
So we definitely got a shoutout International GT man for
connecting us.
We had you about I think it wasabout a year.
A little over a year ago, wehad you on the pod.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Has it been that long ?
Yeah, goes quick.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
It goes quick, man.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So you produced and been part of some of my favorite
music.
I mean I can't even list.
I mean Chris and I were talkingabout it earlier.
I mean your resume is is unreal, from Mariah Carey and just all
these different people that youwork with.
I mean you produced DistantRelatives, which is one of my
favorite albums with Nas andDamian Marley.
But let's talk about just thesix Grammys.
(01:23):
So the six projects you'veworked on.
Can you kind of name those sixGrammys that you actually won?
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
And just to clarify, I was a mix engineer on those,
not producer, no.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
I'm sorry, I apologize.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
I mean, I'm always involved with we're doing the
production together, but I'mcredited as the mix engineer.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
The mix engineer.
I always get that wrong, whichis fine.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
This is basically what I do, Okay, but in terms of
those Grammys it was.
The first one was 2001 withDamian Marley, Halfway Tree.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Okay, and then followed by was it Welcome to
Jamrock in 2005?
.
Fire, album which actually alot of people don't know this,
but Welcome to Jamrock won twoGrammys, did it really?
It won for Best Reggae Albumand Best Urban Alternative
Single as well.
So, there's two on that, onefor the single and one for the
(02:11):
album Wow, followed by 2007 withStephen Marley's debut album
Mind Control.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
One of my favorite albums.
Isn't that beautiful yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
I love that.
We spent years on that record.
Oh my God, it's such abeautiful album.
I love that album.
Isn't that beautiful?
Yeah, I love that.
We spent years on that record.
Yeah, oh, my God, it's such abeautiful album.
I love Steven so much.
Yeah, anyway.
And then the one after that wasin 2009,.
The same album, mind Control,but in the acoustic format.
We re-released it in acousticformat, wow, and it won the
Grammy in 2009.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Wow, yeah, is that hard to do.
Like to do that Cause thewinner for one album is one
thing, right, but to reintroduceit in a different way and win
it again like that seems like itdoesn't happen very often.
It wasn't really hard.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
It was just a different approach musically to
those same beautiful, wonderfulsongs, but just like kind of I
don't want to say reinventingthem, but, you know, reproducing
them in an acoustic unplugged,if you will format Right.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, that was really really cool I really enjoyed
doing the unplugged version.
Yeah, very organic, right, thenoise and everything, the whole.
Yeah, the spread of the room.
That's powerful.
What kind of sparked yourinterest to kind of get into the
music industry?
Like, when did you get in?
Oh geez.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Long story but I'll keep it short.
You know, as a child growing upin the country of New Jersey
working on farms, and I pickedup an acoustic guitar when I was
about 13 or 14.
And I had kind of a roughchildhood there for a minute
with an abusive stepfather and Ijust was in a bad place and
very angry and upset young man.
But music was obviously made meso happy and safe and and
(03:49):
wonderful feeling and I just gotdeep into it at a young age,
fortunately.
So, when I graduated highschool, uh in new jersey, I went
straight to manhattan and uhenrolled in the institute of
audio research and at that timeit was part of nyu or I could
transfer the credits to NYUanyway in Greenwich Village,
there that was.
I was 17, 18 years old, and sothey placed me in an internship
(04:13):
at a studio called Secret SoundStudios, okay, which is a little
analog 24-track room where Istarted, you know, learning how
to use microphones.
It was all analog back in thosedays.
Of course this was their veryearly 80s and did jingles and
jazz records.
And then the drum machines werekind of new on the scene, along
(04:33):
with samplers, so the 808 andthe DMX and the Lindrum, and I
learned how to rock those things.
I was kind of left alone thereAt that time.
There were staff engineers sothey would show up to do their 9
to 5 and whatever a jingle or apiano vocal that day, or
perhaps a guitar overdub orvocal overdubs and then they'd
(04:55):
go home.
That was the thing.
They were there for a paycheck.
I was interned and hungry and Ijust wanted to learn.
I basically lived on the couchand spent 90 hours a week there
at the studio and that's how Iprogressed to learning how to.
That's how I hooked up with allmelly, mel and grandmaster
flash and, uh, sissy houston,whitney houston and you know the
(05:17):
whitney and I are about thesame age, so she was singing
backgrounds on her mother'salbum.
So it was a great time in newyork city to be interning in the
studio and with all thesepeople coming in and out every
day, it was very fortunate andblessed I can't even let you
pass up on it.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You just said molly, I mean everybody that you're
saying are like legends in themusic industry, man that must
have been did you realize thatat the time, like how special
that moment was, that where youwere able to like be on the
couch and be able to be in these, these rooms, and behind the
scenes.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Yeah, yes, yeah, it was special in a spiritual way,
I don't know, to me.
I was just very, I felt veryfortunate and very.
I had a just very blessed yeahfor the opportunity, even though
I was only getting paid fivedollars a day I don't think I
would have cared.
Man, listen to all thesedifferent people about that was
my sandwich for the day, yeahyeah, but you know, it was very
(06:09):
special in that regard, um, andfor me it was just like being in
the university, being in thecollege and learning, because I
was driven to this by listeningto those records in the 70s and
you know like, oh, he's greatand why each album sounded
different from other albums, andthen started learning about
microphone techniques and youknow recording techniques, so I
(06:31):
was just threw myself in deep tolearn how to use microphones,
which microphones, microphoneplacement, you know, and the
whole production and how tooverdub and build.
Oh, that's how they got allthese voices on these records
because, your mic placement.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
All these, different things, all these layers to it,
right and as I'm learning toplay guitar.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
It's like, wait a minute, that's impossible to
play though that oh, it wasoverdubbed.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
So learning all the techniques of production it was
the thought always been to bekind of behind the scenes in the
music industry like, like hey,I want to go play guitar for
this band, or has that ever beenpart of your thought process?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Maybe early, early on in my late teenage years.
Yeah, I wanted to be there.
I thought I was a good guitarplayer.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I think we all tried to be Michael Jordan or
something.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Thrown in the studio with the real guys.
I would plug in like Mike Stern, he's an amazing jazz guitarist
.
Oh my gosh, the guy'sphenomenal.
Uh, and I would you know.
I remember plugging him intohis amp and and listen, and I
was like it's still special.
(07:39):
One guy three people playing.
It was like, okay, I'm justgonna Three people playing.
I was like, okay, I'm justgoing to stay over here, very
humbling, and I'm going to learnhow to record and produce.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
And how do you decide , once you determine that right,
just going through your path,finding your lane within the
music industry?
There's a lot of differentfacets to it, right?
I'm assuming behind the scenesyou have your point.
You say a lot of things thatI'm not familiar with, but how
do you find, as you work throughit, the lane that you wanted to
be in, whether it's producingor engineering or mix and
engineering or kind of whateverthat lane is?
Just to kind of educate even meand some of the listeners, for
(08:11):
me it's a very emotional.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
It's spiritually and very emotional thing.
Songs, it's just songs thatmake me cry and make me laugh
and make me feel happy and makeme feel sad or make me think
about stuff, make me want todance, you know.
So I'm a song oriented person.
So for me it was all about howdo we make songs, the you know
the best, you know before theyou release them out to the
(08:33):
world.
You know, because there's aprocess from writing to demoing
to producing, you know, gettingit right before you release it
right.
So that's what intrigued me wasthe song writing process, the
song production process, youknow, yeah, that's all about the
song.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
You know it's still to this day.
Yeah, that's, I'm like law, I'mso.
I just want to listen to youjust talk about it.
When I ask you questions, youcan just do like a motivational
speech on on everything.
Man, I mean to kind of piggybackon so being a like a recording
engineer right, that'stechnically what you are, but I
know you've written and stufftoo.
Like what is that process like?
Are you, are you there fromlike the whole process?
(09:12):
So like, let's say, it's DamianMarley or or or or Steven
Marley, are you there right fromthe beginning, or are they like
recording, doing the whole nine, and you're kind of coming in
to kind of edit and do the wholenine and make sure it's on
point Both, okay, not only bothbut also just mixing.
Got you.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I really enjoy the process from Jump Street, from
Blank Slate, especially withStephen and Damian those guys.
That's awesome.
You know artists and producerslike that, so that you're in on
the ground floor.
So the day one when we'retracking and we're putting ideas
together, I'm already mixing.
You know what I mean I startmixing on day one, because you
(09:50):
know we capture that energy andso many times that energy, that
vibe of those initial days,those first days, is like we
captured it and you know you gotit.
You know if it ain't broke,don't fix it.
You know what I mean, Becauseyou can sit there and tweak it
and you know polish it and soit's like you know, which
(10:13):
sometimes is necessary andsometimes it's great.
So every project is different.
To answer your question, everyproject is different and I like
being in on the project from dayone.
Not everybody can afford that,you know, especially in these
days.
Back in the day, when peopleused to buy these things, they
(10:33):
were called cds.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
My kids don't even know what cds are for real, we
had these things called bigbudgets yeah that still exists
today.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I'm just, I'm just bugging you, um, but uh, it's
nice to be a part of thatproject from beginning to end.
Not that I'm, I know I stillenjoy mixing, because mixing is
a big part of what I do everyday, and it's already been
recorded, you know.
So when I get the tracks,sometimes it's like whoa, these
guys did a really good job.
I'm proud of them.
This is awesome.
Now I got to take it to thenext level.
(11:02):
Oh my god got it you know, lovethe challenge, but sometimes
I'll get stuff.
I was like dude, that's yourdrums, that's your bass, those
are your guitars, those are yourvocal.
Oh my God, I got work to do.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
So you got to figure out how to make it sound perfect
before I mix.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Right, so got it.
It all I take it all.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
I love it all and how does that work?
so say you do get this right andyou do have to go through and
change it all, you have to makeit to maximize it, but at some
point does it change the initialtheme?
And say you do change theirinitial theme.
How much like autonomy do youhave to be able to like make
your own spin on it, or do youhave to kind of run through it
with them every step of the waybecause they're paying you to do
(11:43):
what you do, right?
But then when you do what youdo, are they like is there some
back and forth on that?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
see, that's a good question, because that's a great
question, because every artistis different and most of the
people that know me, they cometo me because they know out of
respect to the next level I'mgonna you know, and 90 of the
time, they love what I do andthere are times where I'll do
something like now, bonnie, welike the way it was before and
that happens, that's fine, yeahsure, um, but it's really.
Every artist is different, everyproject is different and when I
(12:11):
approach it, I for me, it's Inever lose sight of.
It's all about the song, it'sall about the energy, the
emotion, what the artist istrying to say with the
songwriter.
The song is trying to conveywhether it the songwriter, the
song is trying to convey whetherit's happy, sad, you know,
whatever it is embellish thatBring out those, the best
elements.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Not change it, but like just yeah, maybe change it
a little bit, Change it you knowfor the better.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Yeah, and also try to read into what the artist is
trying to convey here, right?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Because that's the most important thing.
Yeah, you're such a big energyperson, right.
That's why we vibe, right.
I don't know if it's just sucha studio just recently, but like
you had to work with somestrong egos, right.
I can't even imagine like theMariah Carey's of the world and
I don't even know the list ofpeople on your list but who have
(13:04):
you enjoyed working with thebest and like, what's the what's
like the big lesson from thatJust being in the studio with
them, especially winning Grammysand stuff.
You've got amazing.
You know resume, well, there'squite a few.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
I've been very blessed.
So, and you're right about thedynamic between the, you know
just learning how to deal withego and it's I'm good with, I'm
totally okay with it, becauseit's kind of necessary on some
level for them as an artist.
Obviously their heads areinflated and that's why they're
stars, right, that's fine.
I'm totally cool with that.
I don't have my.
(13:33):
I check my ego at the door, Ipick it up on the way out, yeah,
but in terms of and before youanswer that, like people, like
Madonna, I was looking at you,madonna, I mean Mariah Carey,
those are strong, strong egos,yeah, and there's so many of
them I could name, but, toanswer your question, if I were
to pick a favorite, it wouldhave to be Stephen Marley,
(13:54):
because Stephen, his ear and hismind, his musical approach to
things, and I've learned so muchover the years I mean Stephen
and I have been working togetheron and off since 95 are you
serious wow, since, uh, halfwaytree, wow, uh, with Damien and,
and Damien as well, both of them, I mean they, they're really
(14:17):
it's, it's.
I learn a lot from working withthem, especially Stephen,
because it's it's an approach,it's a vision and it's
multifaceted in terms of fun,serious and happy and dark and
all those things.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Yeah, does he talk about his father at all, when
you've had those intimateconversations A little bit here
and there it comes up once in awhile.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, I'm sure it has to be a curiosity right.
Talk about how that, yeah, youknow something for that long
gong is the gong, and he's, he'salways there.
Yeah for sure, right for sure,and that's you know, kind of you
know another thing is likeyou're when you have those
relationships for you know, 20,30 years and as an artist they
kind of you ever feel like theylike.
(15:03):
Sometimes you get pigeonholedin a certain dynamic,
pigeonholed in a certain styleand then when you try to push,
you know how do you like helpsomebody navigate, to grow and
push themselves into a differentatmosphere.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
That's a really good point because back in the day
that was a huge factor back inlike the 90s and early 2000s.
You know people whoa he's theguy who does electronic dance
Because I was doing a lot ofhouse music remixes with like
David Morales and FrankieKnuckles and CNC Music Factory
and all the Mariah Carey stuff.
They were all remixes Got it.
(15:34):
I was the remix guy.
So I got pigeonholed to dancemusic.
Got it, and I made a living andpaid my rent in New York City
for 10 years.
Then I did one reggae recordwith this girl, diana King.
That Shy Guy record, oh, smack,yeah.
Ended up in Bad Boys the filmoh, yeah, yeah.
(15:54):
With Martin Lawrence and WillSmith.
Yeah, so that record was thefirst reggae album.
I did the whole album with herand I was a fan of reggae and
Bob Marley and but it's like Iwas doing all this electronic
dance music all the time, Rightso to I had the.
You know, I just absorbed andlearn.
I was early days of learningreggae for me in terms of
(16:18):
engineering, recording andproduction wise.
So that Diana King record wenthuge.
A shy guy, would you know,became.
It was a big hit and I that'swhen I was contacted by Stephen
Marley to, to, to go down to.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Jamaica and start working that's absolutely
amazing, that was that changedeverything.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I mean, that was like , okay, here we go.
And I just embraced it, lovedit.
It was like opening up anencyclopedia and going you need
to learn this now.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
You know it was a big learning process, but it was
you know it's still, you know itnever stops.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
You got a list of songs that I love.
I mean Method man and Mary JBlige.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
All I need is to get by Exactly.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Didn't you do Ready to Die with Biggie, Biggie yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
So you did his mixing .
I recorded.
Yes, I was with Biggie thefirst time.
I did a couple of records withPuffy before he was known.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I still call him Puffy.
Okay, I got you I still do.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
He was Puffy then Sure, and I did a couple records
with him before and he one daybrought this guy.
Sean Brought Biggie in.
I mean to Biggie in and it washis first day in a big studio
and he was the nicest guy and wejust hit it off.
So I did a lot of the recordingon that first album and some of
the mixes.
I remember when the creditscame out on the album I was
(17:40):
miscredited with the underengineer and some mistakes in
their crediting, but still itwas me, tony Maserati, prince
Charles, I think.
I'm trying to think of theother engineers that were.
We were all at the Hit Factory,like every night in New York
City, legendary Hit Factory, bythe way.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
But I loved working with Viggy.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
He was just the sweetest guy.
The way he would throw downjust straight off the top of his
head without you know, becausea lot of the you know a lot of
the rappers which is fine wouldsit there and you know, write
out all the lyrics and go overit over and over and then go
step up to the mic.
So okay, and just read it, whichis fine, it's great, that's
fine, but not biggie.
Biggie would just step up one,take, hit it bonds, hit record,
(18:23):
and he would just spit this flowLike I'm like, oh my God, and
then you go let back and I'dplay it back for him and be like
yeah, bonzo, let me hit thatone more time.
He's like, uh, I'm gonna keepthat.
Go to another track, right,it's analog days.
(18:43):
You hit, oh, so you hit, that'sit, it's a wrap done, yeah,
right.
So he's like no, no, go overthat.
I was like you sure I couldkeep that I'll go to another
track.
He's like no, no, hit it again,go over it.
Like all right, I don't.
Okay, I'm nervous, but he's theboss.
He would spit a completelydifferent rhyme, completely
different story, completelydifferent lyric, completely
different everything.
And I'm sitting there goingwait.
(19:04):
We're right now erasing what hewas previously done.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
I can't hit stop.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
I'm not going to hit stop.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
When you hear that all the time, I mean you're
saying I mean people rap, battleall the time at barbershops,
top five, dead or alive,whatever you just explaining
that makes me say that he has toalways be in the top five.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Or just be on a wasted talent.
That happens.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
Like the wasted songs that you never even got to hear
.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
You're probably one of the only people that ever got
to hear that, like, that'spretty wild to even think about,
very true, so many, but it'sthe way his mind worked.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
You know he was a storyteller.
He was a, you know, a lyricalgenius and now, you know he was
a storyteller and he, he had allthis.
It was like a a library in hishead, right, yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
what's your thoughts on puffy?
I can't let you pass that, withpuffy dealing with all he's
doing right now.
What's your thoughts on Puffy?
I can't let you pass that, withPuffy dealing with all he's
dealing with right now.
What's your thoughts on hissituation?
Man, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
I mean it's hard for me to comment on that.
I feel I don't know all thedetails me neither, but I mean.
I haven't worked with Puffssince like oh my gosh since
probably 2002 or something it'sbeen a while, Okay, we did.
I'm trying to remember he had agirl group, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Danny DeCain.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Yeah, a couple of these little projects.
And oh, there was anotherrecord we did was.
It was Flavor In your Ear.
Who was that?
Craig?
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Mack.
Craig Mack, yeah, he passedaway man, oh no.
Yeah, yeah, craig Mack passedaway a few years back.
Oh, I saw you hear that youworked on with Craig Mack.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Yeah, actually, we did a record with Craig Mack and
Biggie together on one track.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
But, oh my God, there's a story behind that.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
It never came out.
It was never released.
I love the track and it wascalled my man, my Nigga.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
That's what it said.
That was the album.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
No, it was a single, it was one song Single okay and
I love the track.
They went back and forthcomplimenting each other and I
thought it was a great track butit was never released.
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
I mean the room.
It's crazy how this stuff justhappens and never comes out.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, oh there's so many great records that never
saw the light of day, especiallyback in those days in the 90s
early 2000.
These great records and forwhatever reason it could be
contractual, could be publishing, can't get the clearing Sample,
clearance Exactly.
And these wonderful records,and I'm just sitting there going
wait, it's not coming out.
(21:28):
You gotta be kidding me.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Can we do something else with it?
Especially Biggie and CraigMack at the peak.
I mean, he was exploding, Ithink that was a publishing
issue.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Okay.
When that happens, you stillget paid, so they're paying you
for your time regardless, sothey distribute it, make money
on it, Like you're booked.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Welcome to a special edition of Vegas Circle.
Behind the Lights we got ourguy James Trader, who's actually
the owner of Kase Sake andSushi.
Talk a little bit about yourrestaurant, how this all came
together.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
So, kase, we're a casual omakase experience here
in Las Vegas.
Omakase literally means I'llleave it up to you, so leave it
up to us to curate yourexperience here.
One of our most popular menuitems is our amori.
It's a seven course plated meal, and with that you'll start
with a seaweed salad, sashimispecial, 10 pieces of fresh
(22:23):
nigiri and two hand rolls.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
This location is fantastic.
The environment is lively yetintimate.
I think it's great for datenights.
The overall experience has beenextremely positive.
If our listeners could chooseone thing on the menu that you'd
recommend.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
What would it be?
Definitely my favorite is ourA5 Wagyu Foie Gras.
We serve that with a cherryamaretto jam, and that's just to
die for.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Me and Pac are both big sake fans.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
We drink it all the time we drink it all the time.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Dig in a little bit on what that sake experience is
like here at.
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Kase.
So we have a great selection ofsakes here, from Junmai to
Junmai, Daiginjo's and even afew Nigoris.
We also have a server pickthree sampler where our servers
will curate depending on yourtaste and your meal.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
A few glasses for you to enjoy and try to just see
the depth that different sakeswill have as far as flavors go.
So you guys got to come downand check out kase.
They are located off of jones,north of 215 freeway.
Check out kase.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Saki sushicom yeah, I don't, yeah, I'm not entitled
to those residuals.
So when they do come out, guesswho makes the big bucks yeah, I
mean I'm you know I get paidfor my time unless I'm a
co-writer.
Some records are if I'm aco-writer or produce.
Sometimes, if I'm for myproduction, I'll get a point or
a percentage five percent, tenpercent or twenty or thirty
(23:32):
percent of the record, dependingupon my involvement right, wow,
that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
What do you, how do you feel about the state of
music now and specifically thedirection of like AI and things
like you seen what Drake justdid with the diss track with
about Kendrick Lamar and all ofthat like, how do you feel about
all the AI stuff that'shappening?
We live in interesting times,because I can come me and Chris
can come out with our album andsound awesome.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
I mean, I haven't really gotten into it in terms
of research myself on what'sbeing like what you just
mentioned with those records,being like what you just
mentioned with with thoserecords yeah, but in terms of
using ai in the studio, I havefound a lot of it's, especially
a year.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
it's moving so quickly it's advancing so it's
oh my gosh exponentially likeanyway.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
But for in terms of, you know, production usage in
the studio, it's what I'mfinding is it's getting pretty
good at isolation.
So if you have a track that'san old track from, let's say,
the 1970s or whatever, andthere's no stems, it's not
digital, all there is is astereo track and the label or
(24:41):
the producer or whoever owns thepublishing wants to do a Dolby
Atmos mix with it or a remix orwhatever.
Some of the new AI-drivensoftware is getting pretty good
at isolating just a drum trackto spit out stems, isolating
stems.
Oh, okay, so you end up withthe drums separate the bass and
(25:02):
guitar, your vocals reallyisolated.
But back in the day it was, youknow, even a couple of three
years ago, to isolate the vocalfrom a track using filters.
You know you could do a prettygood job of it depending on the
track behind the vocal.
But with the AI assisted, youknow, stem extraction, if you
(25:25):
will, is I'm pretty impressed.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
It's getting better and better.
Yeah, that's good stuff.
Is that scary, Do you think forpeople that have you will is.
I'm pretty impressed it'sgetting better and better.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
yeah, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Is that scary, do you think, for people that have
your level of experience?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
That's not scary to me, it doesn't bother me, it is
what it is.
You've got to embrace the times.
It's like when digital audiocame out, I was analog.
Everything we did was analogtape, reel to reel tape, big
consoles and you know.
And then when digital audiocame out and I was beta testing
(25:57):
pro tools and some other, uh,digital audio recording software
and it was a transition and alot of my clients, a lot of
people were like and I'm and Iit, and I'm.
I'm with that, yeah, sure, Ahundred percent, but also
embracing that you know this waswhat 90, 94, 95, 93.
(26:17):
Um, and you know it's like youembrace change.
You have to embrace change andjust hope people are going to
use it or, and yourself, havethe integrity to use it in a
good way that helps outeverybody involved.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
It could open up avenues you haven't thought
about yet, like digital didright when you had analog, open
things that nobody, I'm sure,envisioned 20 years ago what it
was doing for the last 20 yearsExactly, and people are going to
benefit.
As long as you utilize thetools effectively, it makes a
lot of sense.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yes, the advent of digital audio recording just was
a game changer big time.
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Yeah, let's talk about your new studio.
You just had a party VIP launchand got a chance to see that
and see all the new rooms.
Which amazing studio.
Now, if I remember correctly,it's the only Adobe recording
studio here right or certifiedhere.
I don't know that it's the onlyAdobe recording studio here,
right?
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Or certified here?
I don't know that it's the onlyOkay, but I know that there's
only a couple here in Vegas,okay, but we might be the only
certified, although I'm notreally sure on that.
There's two or three othersOkay, but yeah, we just opened
our doors.
Shrine.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Studios on.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Charleston Street downtown and yeah, it's a
beautiful facility, charlestonStreet downtown and yeah, it's a
beautiful facility.
We have the capability of 9.4.2Dolby, but most Dolby Atmos
right now is working in 7.1.
Okay, so we have the capabilityof both and it's just a
beautiful environment and it'sboth logic-oriented and Pro
(27:45):
Tools so you can run logicsessions and Pro Tools sessions
in there and we're just openingour doors, so we're just getting
started.
I'm super excited with mypartner, simon.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Apex, I met Simon.
You're a great guy.
Simon's amazing.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
And the whole staff there, everybody there is just
wonderful.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Shout out to your GM too.
I forgot your GM's name, yourmanager, billy, billy, great
dude.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
He's holding down the fort he makes sure everything
is running smoothly, yeah, butyeah.
So I mean, simon has put somuch into it and over the last
several months, in terms of thedesign and the build of it, and
I would just come in and go,yeah, well, we have to do this,
this and this and this and this,and here we go, okay, but it.
But it just came out, so it'sjust beautiful, you saw it.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
It's gorgeous, right.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
And it's you know, we're just super excited because
of the advent of what's goingon in this town, right, that's
what I wanted to get to.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
The film industry moving here from Hollywood.
What are they calling VegasHollywood 2.0?
Speaker 4 (28:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Right.
So it's a perfect time.
We're just getting started.
We're going to see a lot ofchanges in development in that
area right.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Yeah, in the coming years I mean they say probably
the next five to seven years islike a gold rush in Vegas, just
with everything.
Like you said, hollywood 2.0.
I mean, was it Sony and HowardHughes just opened up in
Summerlin and then I can'tremember, wasn't Disney.
Yeah, he's doing someconsulting with them, but not
Disney.
But was it Warner Brothers?
Speaker 3 (29:12):
I heard Disney as well.
Oh, was it Disney?
I couldn't remember.
It's one of the two.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yeah, it's either Warner Brothers or Disney.
I know they're opening up astudio, so it's going to be like
three, much better as a city.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Just oh my god, this town is blowing up.
Yeah, is that why you movedhere?
That's what I was gonna ask youwhy?
Speaker 1 (29:34):
because you moved you originally in new york city,
right?
So?
Speaker 3 (29:36):
when did you move to vegas?
I'm um.
Yeah, I lived in new york citymost of my about 30 years okay
and I came out here in 2008 tohelp and design um and build the
studio.
At the time time it was calledOdds On it's right close to here
on Sunset Way.
At that time in 2008, we builta beautiful multimillion-dollar
(29:56):
studio.
It's absolutely gorgeous and Iwas the chief engineer there for
a while and I wasn't going tostay here, I was going to go
back to New York, but I kind ofmet a girl, you know how that is
.
I'm still here 14 years later,yeah, but since then that studio
originally was called odds on,now it's called the hideout oh,
(30:17):
I went to the hideout yeahthat's why I went to listen to
international gts uh, listeningparty.
Yeah, yeah, that was the reasonwhy you built.
Okay, so you yeah, when I I hadcome out here and that that was
just a warehouse with dirtfloor, yeah, nothing in it,
basically A little office and alittle tiny little studio in the
front.
But they had a vision to putVegas on the map with this.
(30:38):
You know the biggest, mostbeautiful multimillion-dollar
recording studio here and I waslike, okay, I'll do that.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Yeah, that's good stuff.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
And then I fell in love with Vegas.
I really did.
You, okay, I'll do that, yeah,that's good stuff.
And then I fell in love withVegas.
I really did.
I still work in New York and Igo back, my family's there and I
still go back.
I love New York City.
It'll always be my home, yeah,but I love it.
There's something magical forme here in Las Vegas.
There's something magical aboutthe desert.
I love the Native Americanculture since I was a kid and
(31:07):
that could be anywhere, right.
But there's something about thedesert.
Southwest is especially magicalbecause of the hardships here
for them, the indigenous people,and I don't know just the open
space and the weather, I mean,come on, we have no— Sunny every
day.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
We're like 360 days a year of sunshine.
Man, it's like only a coupledays days.
Yeah, it's only a couple ofdays.
It's cloudy, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
In New York City I was with a woman, my partner, my
first wife.
Actually, for many years shesuffered from SAD seasonal
affective disorder.
Because in New York City, likebasically from what November
through almost March, it's great.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
A lot of gray sky, cave and gulf.
I lived in New England for manyyears.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Yes, same, very gray there is something to be said
for that sunshine, because itreally does affect people.
You know different peopledifferently, that's true, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Good point, very good point.
Yeah, I love the direction thatVegas is going Who's's kind of
spoken in your life?
And that you kind of bouncethings off to kind of keep you
straight and keep you aligned.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
I mean, uh, back in the day, originally, when I was
just getting into it, it wasproducers.
Like you know, Trevor Horn isthe first guy that comes to my
mind, Trevor Horn.
I was a huge fan of Trevor Hornwhen he came out with because I
was a big yes fan in the 1970swhen I was a child.
Those yes records were greatand I loved, like Jimi Hendrix
(32:35):
and the Grateful Dead, JanisJoplin, that whole psychedelic
movement.
I really loved Pink Floyd, ofcourse, but when Owner of a
Lonely Heart came out, that 90,the yes, that he produced, the
yes album, I was just you.
You know, sampling was a prettynew technology.
we had one of the first samplersand I heard that record and I
(32:55):
just fell in love with trevorhorn's production.
And he went on to produce.
He produced all the sealrecords.
Oh wow, responsible for seal,uh, grace jones, oh wow, slave
to the rhythm, which is one ofmy faves, yeah, so he was a big
inspiration, trevor horn, andstill is.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
I mean, I still listen to those records and I'm
just like man is it just what,like actually watching them and
act like I know internationalgt's mentioned you like just
watching you in action, how youdo it?
Is it that let you kind oflearn?
Is you can actually see them dosomething and like, okay, I
need to learn this and tweakthis.
I wish I've never got to sitwith Trevor Horn.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
I mean he's based in the UK.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Oh, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
But just listening to his productions was very
inspiring to me but in terms oflike one-on-one fast forward for
me, really, guys like StephenMarley Again, I go back to
Stephen because of the way heapproaches things and also a big
and Arif Mardin he produced alot of huge.
(33:55):
Who did I work with?
Diana Ross?
Speaker 4 (33:57):
was him.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
And he taught me and Bette Midler.
We did a Bette Midler record,we did a Diana Ross record, we
did a couple other huge and youknow, arif Mardin really taught
me how to get performances fromvocalists, how to get them to be
in that moment, to read thoselyrics on the page and convey
(34:19):
that emotion, make them cry makethem laugh whatever the song
was about.
So I learned a lot from ArifMardin for vocal vocal
production.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
That's powerful performances out of out of these
artists, because sometimes theywalk up to the mic in the
studio and they kind of clamp it.
Yeah, a little timid.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
It's just like set the lighting, I'll set up, I'll
do stuff.
Like I'll set up a, a, a, aartboard and there's some
pencils and some colored paintsand etzel or easel, easel, yeah,
yeah, yeah, and you know, andjust while they're on the mic,
throw some paint on there andI'll watch you one time I put up
(34:56):
a mannequin with a bunch ofpaint brushes and I was like,
paint the mannequin while we'resinging just to get them in
something else.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Get their mind off of it.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
That's good depending on the song and depending on
the artist, obviously, Becausesome artists they don't need to
do anything Just put one ofthese in front of them and let
them do their thing.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, that's powerful .
I'd love to just be a fly onthe wall just for some of the
people you've worked with manjust to be in a studio.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Maybe just to see one song being produced from start
to finish.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I've never, you know, I don't think I've ever seen
that, I've never had Watchingvideos, but not in there in the
studio and that process you justmentioned could be a day, it
could be a week, it could be amonth, it could be a year.
Oh wow On one song.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
That's pretty crazy.
To make it right, it reallydepends.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Every project, every song is different.
Every artist.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
That's wild.
What do you find to be the bestones, like the ones that take a
long time or the ones that are?
Speaker 3 (35:47):
like rapid.
There's a lot to be said forboth.
I kind of like the ones thatcome together really quickly.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
I did a record with Ice-T, his very first album was
called Rhyme Pays, oh wow.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Ice-T man.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
We went in there with blank tape.
This was also analog days,before computers, yeah, and I
think we went in the studio on aFriday.
I'm trying to be accurate aboutthis, but I believe we went.
It was me and him and Izzy.
I forget all the other guys onEazy-E, oh yeah.
Eazy-e for sure, and we went inon a Friday Secret Sound
(36:20):
Studios in Manhattan and I thinkwe were finished by Monday.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
We did that whole.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
We just lived in that studio for whatever 72 hours
the whole album and there'ssomething, so there's a lot of
magic so there.
Yeah, even when I'm writingsongs and do demos at home with
acoustic guitar and a piano anda singer, and we just lay down a
basic oh, do you want to overdoit?
And spend a bunch of time, youthis, polishing that, because
(36:47):
then you overdo it.
So it's kind of like painting.
I paint on the side as therapy.
It's my therapy.
I'm an abstract painter, butit's the same thing.
It's like knowing when to stopright.
It's like we're done Enoughbackground vocal parts, enough
guitar parts, enough percussionyes, we can add tambourine and
(37:11):
shaker but it's knowing when tosay when I got it, that's it.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Yeah, that's good.
How many songs do you thinkyou've been a part of?
Do you stop keeping track now,since you've been in for this
long, a long time ago?
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Thousands and thousands and thousands.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
That's awesome Very long time ago, yeah, yeah,
thousands and thousands, yeah,that's awesome.
Yeah, very blessed.
Um, just for business advice,man, I mean you, you're in so
many different rooms right andthere's musicians that you know
build their own businesses.
They've got small businesses,they invest in different things.
What's something that you wouldleave on?
You know, leave somebody with anugget you would leave.
Uh, you know, maybe an artistwith that maybe wants to,
they're afraid to put out theirmusic, or whatever the situation
(37:48):
is.
Or, you know, maybe they've gota vision to build their own
business and what's just onenugget you would leave them with
just following your heart andyour dream, just believing in
yourself.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
You know and I know it's cliche, everybody says, you
know, believe in yourself,following your heart, but that
really is true.
I mean, and challenge andchallenge yourself.
I mean, you know, if you thinkyou can do better, then that
means, you can probably dobetter.
You know, if you think like, ohmy God, I'm really proud of
this, I like it, then leave itand either learn from it,
(38:21):
because years later you're goingto look back and go I should
have kept going.
And you learn as you go, right,like anything else.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
Sure, that's good advice, Very good advice.
You know I'm a big foodie.
We were talking about thisrecently.
I mean I love, and Vegas isbecoming the food mecca now.
I mean literally coming likeNew York City, I believe.
But what's your favoriterestaurant in Vegas?
Like you said, I can't keep upwith them.
There's so many.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
I mean, I thought New York had great restaurants.
Oh my God, this town has gotlike tenfold.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
Yeah, every day there's a new one 100% I don't
know, I'm Italian, so I loveItalian food.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
I love Italian food also.
Speaker 3 (38:58):
So there's one spot I don't go to.
The strip isn't really my.
I mean, there's so many greatrestaurants, sure, sure, but I
love the little local joints offthe street.
I love it, yeah, but there'sone place on the strip that I
kind of I don't know.
There's something about itreminds me of home is maggiano's
there, my job is great.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
That was good, yeah, in terms of that fashion show,
right, right.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Fashion show, yep Family style.
And then there's also I loveJapanese food.
Okay, japanese food, I lovesushi.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
There's a little local place near me I could walk
from my house.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
It's called Soho Japanese.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
Soho.
Okay, where is that located?
It's on Warm Springs and Jones.
Okay, okay, so awesome.
They're great.
I love that place.
Okay, there's some Gaetano'sanother great Italian restaurant
.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Is that Henderson?
It is on Eastern.
Yeah, they have a very goodfamily.
Yeah, I think the son took overthe restaurant, if I'm not
mistaken.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
Very good food.
Food there is really good.
Prosciutto Italian is anotherone of my faves.
Oh, I could see here going onand on.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I was Italian in another life.
Man, I love Italian.
I stay away from the carbs, butI love Italian food.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
You're going to get me hungry?
Speaker 1 (40:06):
Yeah, I should I probably should talk about it.
That's good, man.
There's some gems.
What else did you want to leaveus out on?
Man, I know you got the newstudio, shrine Studios studios.
Who are you working with rightnow?
Can you share who you, whoyou've been in the studio?
Oh my gosh, I gotta get a shout.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
So right now.
The mortimer album just cameout last week I think I saw.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Yeah, you posted that .
Oh, my goodness, fire.
If I heard the song.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
Oh, the whole album.
I think I spent I don't know,maybe a year, year and a half
mixing, okay, these songs withuh, mortimer is just amazing
songwriter and his producerwinter, winter jams okay, um is
just an amazing songwriter andhis producer Winta Winta Jams
okay is just.
I mean just the songs are.
I mean I would, I wouldliterally be working on these
songs and just like just sob andwiping tears and I'd have to
(40:51):
like yo.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
I can't keep my cheeks these songs are beautiful
, they're powerful.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
The.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Mortimer album that just came out is simply amazing.
We have reggae rise up comingup this weekend, which is going
to be great, I'm not trying togo to that.
Speaker 4 (41:05):
Yeah, you're going to that oh I'll be there all three
days and then, yeah, I got astick figure and slightly stupid
that's downtown right, yeah,center right.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Where is it at?
Is it downtown events?
Speaker 3 (41:15):
downtown event center okay, perfect, okay, yeah shout
out to them.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
Those are two, two.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
I'm working on a record right now with remember
Aini Kamasi.
I don't know who that?
Speaker 4 (41:23):
is it's called, not Step Up.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Murder.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
I know that song for sure, yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
I always called him Aini Kamasi, but I guess it's
I-N-I.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
So you're working with him now.
Yeah, he's got some newmaterial that we've.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Oh what else it's hard to keep.
John Ein, from Jamaica, is also, with VP Records, doing some
stuff for VP Records.
Yeah what else, oh, someSouthern Cali stuff, fortunate
Youth.
Okay, I worked on the TribalSeeds.
I mixed the Tribal Seeds out.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
You introduced me to that with the Tribal Seeds, yeah
, okay.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Yeah, I'm just blessed to be busy and working
on some really great killerprojects, really beautiful stuff
.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Well, guys pay attention to.
Bazaar man, I swear you need tocome out with a movie they need
to have a documentary on you,man of all those stories.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
That's actually in the works.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Okay, I would super support that.
I'm really looking forward toseeing that there's a
documentary in the works here.
Speaker 3 (42:19):
That's awesome, I seeing that there's a
documentary in the works here.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (42:22):
I applaud that.
That's good stuff, man.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
What's your social handles?
People can reach out to you on.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
BonsaiCarusocom is my website, but Instagram.
At Bonsai Caruso Facebook, Ihave a couple of them James
Bonsai Caruso Awesome.
And Bonsai Caruso, but yeah, Ihave a social media guy.
And Bonsai Caruso but yeah, Ihave a social media guy.
Big shout out to LV Roots herein Vegas.
Yeah, my man, julian.
Julian, he pretty much managesmy social media accounts Awesome
(42:48):
.
So big up, julian, he's amazing.
And yeah.
So.
At Bonsai Caruso Instagram.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Yeah, and we're waiting for that documentary.
Man, keep me posted on that.
I'd love to support that man.
That'd be good stuff.
Man, check us out atthevegascirclecom and subscribe
with us.
Speaker 4 (43:02):
Man, appreciate your time brother, that was really
good, thank you man, thanks.
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