Living the Dream Interview: Mover Photos: Mike Dwyer, Diana Van Campen
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Ray LeVier Living The Dream Interview: Mover Photos: Mike Dwyer, Diana Van Campen It took me a few minutes to recall, and then it came back to me... “I remember Ray. I judged a drum-off competition that he was in quite a few years ago.” Then I recalled a bit more... that I had gotten into an argument with some of the other judges because I was the only one that voted Ray the winner. It wasn’t that the other judges didn’t necessarily feel otherwise, but they did feel that giving it to Ray, made it look like he was going to win out of sympathy. Well, that simply couldn’t have been farther from the truth; regardless, Ray got second place. What struck me next was, “Man, as if this kid doesn’t have enough to battle, he also has this kind of prejudice to deal with too!” And that was the last time I thought about it and Ray, for quite some time. Until walking through Greenwich Village one night and hearing, as usual, some amazing playing coming from The 55 Bar on Christopher Street. It could have been a number of great players–Keith Carlock, Dan Weiss, Tony Mason–so I popped my head in the door and saw Ray tearing it up. How pleased I was to see and hear him playing, which not only solidified the feelings I had back at the drum-off, but also solidified that Ray was able to rise above and beyond anything in his way; proving that no obstacle was going to come between him and living the dream! 014 drumheadmag.com drumheadmag.com 015 instant playback, as opposed to the replaced. I wanted to track the drums linear style of a Pro Tools session of at a studio with a big room sound beginning to end of song. rather than my studio. I get really Once I’m satisfied with what I have good drum sounds in my studio, I’ll then bounce each track into Pro but I wanted that big room sound Tools. When I’m happy with a specific that I just don’t have at my place. instrument, I’ll print it and print the All but three songs were recorded at track to audio and start adding all another studio. the plug-ins and stuff, otherwise I’ll print it temporarily anyway just for JM: Seeing that you’re working in functionality and replace it later. MIDI and all, I’m assuming everything was done to a click. JM: How much are you using MIDI, RL: Oh yes, definitely. Also, it just as opposed to real instruments? makes editing so much easier down RL: There’s some marimba and the road, especially if I’m unsure vibraphone parts that I recorded as about certain sections of the songs audio and drums of course, but there in terms of production and the final were a few instruments that I wanted shape of the song. Most of the time I to replace the MIDI on cause it just never have a definite idea during the wasn’t cutting it sonically. writing process and editing continues all the way up to the final mixes. This JM: For example? way I can tweak the production of RL: Mainly the guitar and bass parts. the song whenever. I like to work The record has a lot of MIDI on it– to a grid because it’s easier to do synth pads, basses, pads, pianos, edits quickly; I’ve learned from past drum loops, etc., sounds which I experience that it kills my flow if I get spent some time on and ultimately stuck in editing land. ended up keeping but I didn’t have an authentic guitar sound at my JM: Where did you end up tracking disposal and for a rock recording, the the drums? guitars are a huge part of that sound RL: At the Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, I was going for and hearing. New York. It’s an amazing studio with a massive selection of great mics, a JM: That’s when you bring in a live Neve console, and an awesome live player or players. room to track drums in. It’s a nice, II waswas justjust tryingtrying toto shootshoot forfor thethe moon,moon, RL: Yeah, I asked my friend Rich relaxing, upstate, country vibe and Tozzoli to lay down some guitar parts. really conducive to feeling creative. knowingknowing thatthat ifif II hithit thethe mountain,mountain, We’ve been partnering and writing I’ve recorded there a few times with music for television for many years Rich and eventually became good itit wouldwould bebe acceptable.acceptable. now. He’s a talented composer/ friends with Paul Antonell, the owner. engineer who also happens to be I Immediately fell in love with the a badass guitarist and really knows place and the tracks were sounding how to dial in great guitar sounds. so ridiculous I knew I wanted more JM: Let’s talk about your new record. Times magazine. All around good couldn’t be more different than your for the most part I’m really doing He’s mixed for guys like Al DiMeola reasons to go back. [Laughs] Is it a jazz recording like your prior feedback so I guess it worked out previous one; how so? everything myself from conception to and Ace Frehley so when the time One session in particular, Neil release? pretty well. RL: Well it’s definitely a left turn from completion. came it was a no-brainer to ask him Dorfsman just happened to be there RL: No, it couldn’t be more different my last project. It’s a rock record that to re-track the guitar parts. He also hanging out and engineering. from my last record. [Laughs] JM: What a great line-up, did you gives homage to some of the bands JM: I assume you’re starting out by did the final mixes, which I’m really My last project was with Mike Stern play live or tour at all? that I listened to growing up. programming the basics, and then happy with. JM: Nice guy to have around, and John Abercrombie on guitars, RL: No, we didn’t, it was primarily Before I found jazz, which wasn’t various steps to further the recording especially when tracking drums. Joe Locke on vibes, Francois Moutin a studio project first and a chance until later when I went to college process? JM: How about the drums, what was RL: Yeah. I got really nervous that on bass and Dave Binney on sax. to just get my name out there as really, I was very much influenced RL: For the writing, I started in Ableton the process there? he was there on the other side of the I admire those guys in a huge way a drummer. They had their own by a lot of classic rock and music using mostly all MIDI instruments, RL: For the drums, I recorded very glass, but he was such a beautiful cat musically and it was really great to separate projects, gigs and tours from the ‘80s growing up. I guess it’s and from there I iron out the form rough but specific parts during the that I forgot all about his credits as be able to work with them. The idea happening, and I felt I didn’t want to a stew of what just came out of me and get the song closer to how I writing phase, just to keep things an engineer. He was cracking jokes was to use guys with names as to step on what they had going on as emotionally at the time. want it. I like to work my ideas out in moving along so I wouldn’t get and just having a good time. He was attract attention to my solo debut as name players. All the songs were written, Ableton because it flows quicker for bogged down creatively. Most of a nice mix of calm, funny and serious a jazz artist. I got some really nice produced, arranged, performed and me. With Ableton I can sketch ideas the time, just programing MIDI drum all at once and made everyone feel reviews and a nice feature in Jazz JM: You just said this new record sung by me. It’s the first record that in clips mode in real time and get parts knowing all along that they’d get relaxed. We got to talking about 016 drumheadmag.com drumheadmag.com 017 my project and when he showed a JM: Was there a specific reason for have to do something for somebody. around seven or eight and was to do, so I thought, “I’ve got some to records and I saw that: “Wow! genuine interest in it I asked him if he doing a vocal record? I knew someone who was a real taking a lot of lessons, but then one drums. I’m going to pull them out and How do you do that?” That’s where would be willing to engineer the drum RL: I don’t know. I was going through codependent and I saw that dynamic day she decided, “I don’t want to start banging on them.” I pulled them the fascination clicked in–seeing tracking sessions. Neil engineered a breakup with my girlfriend at the of always being like the hero, the play piano anymore, I want to be a out, started banging on them and him playing along, playing the same the session with Mike Dwyer, who’s time and it all started coming out champion–this person who’s always, drummer!” My dad said, “Alright” and my grandmother wasn’t too happy, beat as the music, “That’s amazing!” the first call intern at the Clubhouse.