Producer’s Spotlight: Chris Stamey By Andrew Miller “I've always thought that performed with Alex Chil- . an award this year!) — but Todd Rundgren did it right,” ton of and founded mostly I just listen to the art- Chris Stamey says, “that there his own record label before But Stamey has never taken LVWV DQG KHOS WKHP ¿QG WKH doesn't have to be a hard and forming his band, The dB’s. genre into account when he’s sounds they like. It's always fast separation if you lead a (“dB” is shorthand for deci- producing a record. hard to really listen to the art- musical life. To me, it's all bels and is exactly what a stu- ist with fresh ears, but it's so creative work, with different dio guy like Stamey would “I actually never think about important.” joys.” name his band.) The dB’s genre or radio formats much would record several albums at all — a weakness of mine,” Two of the albums Stamey He sends his responses to me in the ‘80s, and after leaving he says. “I consider myself has produced this year have via e-mail; it’s easier to work the band, Stamey performed a ‘music producer,’ and not been his own. In June, The into his busy schedule. His and recorded as a solo artist as much a ‘record produc- dB’s released Falling Off answer to the question What The Sky, and he’s currently are you working on now? hard at work on a solo re- dwarfs the other paragraphs. cord, which will be featured He sends a follow-up email a in his performance showcase few days later to include an- during the Americana Music other project he’s forgotten, Festival and Conference in adding, “I can never remem- September. ber what I worked on even last week.” “I've had a great time this year getting back to record- Here’s a summary of his last ing my own music, I'm so three weeks: completed a re- excited about my new record, cord by the D.C. band The Lovesick Blues, which is due Riverbreaks, mixed a record out in Feb. 2013 on Yep Roc; by Jonah Michea Judy, and I'm mixing it now and am go- mixed the latest album by ing to play some of the songs trio Birds & at AMA, with a string trio Arrows; he started work on a and some Nashville friends, new record by Tokyo Rosen- on Sep. 12 after the awards thal, and did a remix for Amy show. So right now I'm back Ray from the Indigo Girls; in the songwriter mode.” he played a concert with The Fellow Travellers of original Stamey’s catalog and career new arrangements for cover are just too much for a one songs, and recorded “what page article, so for more on amounts to an orchestra” for his work as a musician and WKH¿QDORYHUGXEVRIKLVRZQ producer, be sure to check record. out his website at www. ChrisStamey.com. He’ll be All that in just the last three performing for the Ameri- weeks. cana Music Festival at The High Watt on Wednesday, I’ve never felt so lazy. and produced albums for oth- HU¶)UDQNO\,¿QGWKHEDQGV Sep. 15 at 11:30, and at The ers in New York, London and themselves usually worry so Rutledge on Thursday, Sep. “I've always had those dif- Paris. much (too much) about genre 13 at midnight. ferent streams going: pro- constraints, and I don't have ducer engineer, musician, In 1993, he returned home to.” Oh, and in the last-minute and songwriter/composer,” to Chapel Hill, and in 1996 e-mail he sent me, he added he says. opened his own studio, Mod- “I didn't know anything about this: “I should have name- ern Recording, where he has Americana when I worked checked the rock band Amer- Born in Chapel Hill, N.C., worked with some of the with Ryan Adams and Cait- ican Aquarium. I mixed and Stamey got his start record- most prominent artists of lin Cary here. I was playing overdubbed on their new ing bands in the late ‘60s on the alternative country and them Richard Thompson re- record, and I think they are homemade mixers and reel- Americana movement, in- cords, as I recall — glad to playing AMA.” They’ll be to-reel tape machines. In cluding (Ryan learn now that he's Ameri- playing at The Basement on the late ‘70s in New York, he Adams and ) and cana (I think he's getting Sep. 11 at 12 p.m. NashvilleMusicGuide.com 10