Gear Club Podcast
Gear Club Podcast is an informative, yet irreverent, look at the art of recording hosted by John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and Stewart Lerman (Patti Smith, St. Vincent), two producers / audio engineers based out of New York City. Each episode of the podcast features an interview with a key player in the audio industry, and also offers tips and guidance to the next generation of engineers and artists.
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#94: The Gear and The Garage with Mitch Easter
03/29/2024
#94: The Gear and The Garage with Mitch Easter
In this episode, John and Stewart sit down with producer, engineer, musician, song writer, studio owner, and the Godfather of Jangle Pop, the one and only, Mitch Easter. Mitch has always been and continues to be a staple of the Indie Rock scene in North Carolina and beyond. First operating out of Drive in Studio located in his parents' garage, and in 1994 moving to his current studio, the Fidelitorium. Mitch has worked with a laundry list of seminal artists, including R.E.M., Helium, Pavement, Wilco, Ben Folds Five, Pylon, and Polvo. He’s also an active musician and writer, releasing music for almost a decade with his band "Let’s Active" and currently as a solo artist. In this episode Mitch discusses building, operating, and outfitting his recording studios, the joys and perils of tracking to analog tape, producing the first R.E.M. records, and why it’s not always a good idea to fix everything in a recording.
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Ketchup with Russell Wedelich
02/29/2024
Ketchup with Russell Wedelich
In 2018 the H9000 Harmonizer®, Eventide’s flagship multi effects processor, won a TEC award for best signal processing hardware. We had the team behind the H9000’s design and development on the podcast in Episodes , and to talk about the process of designing, building, and testing the latest in Eventide’s revered Harmonizer line. Now we’re back to talk about what’s new at Eventide and the 2023 TEC award for best signal processing software awarded to their revolutionary equalizer plugin, SplitEQ. Russell Wedelich is the VP of development and director of signal processing at Eventide and had a heavy hand in writing the DSP code that went into the H9000. He’s also the lead DSP engineer responsible for the SplitEQ plugin and its patented technology. Russ and I got to chat about what went into developing SplitEQ, the new Eventide H90 Harmonizer pedal, and the culture that makes Eventide so consistently innovative. For more from Russell and the rest of the H9000 team check out Gear Club Episodes , and .
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#93: The Singer and the Song with Thom Panunzio
12/22/2023
#93: The Singer and the Song with Thom Panunzio
In this episode, we’re delighted to talk with industry legend, Thom Panunzio. Getting his start as an assistant at NYC’s Record Plant, Thom went on to work in every facet of the music business. He’s produced, mixed, and engineered albums for Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Joan Jett, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith just to name a few. He helped design The Hit Factory in NYC, A&M Studios in LA, and the Thom Thom Club in Santa Monica, and was the Executive VP for Universal Music and head of A&R at Geffen Records for many years. Thom talks with John and Stewart about his time on staff at the Record Plant, his favorite mixing desks, his reluctant entrance into the world of A&R, and how the industry and technology has changed over the course of his almost 50 year career.
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Ketchup with Greg Calbi
11/15/2023
Ketchup with Greg Calbi
Mastering engineer extraordinaire Greg Calbi is a dear friend and was our guest on Gear Club Episode #2 way back in January of 2017. Over the last 50 years Greg has mastered a seemingly endless list of albums across every genera of music, and it’s almost a certainty he’s had a hand in the making of one of your favorite records. In this episode Greg and I got to chat about Sterling Sound moving from Manhattan to its new facility in Edgewater NJ, his workflow from converters to compressors to clients, and the unique changes, challenges, and expectations of modern mastering.
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#92: Capturing the Passion with Bob Gruen
10/17/2023
#92: Capturing the Passion with Bob Gruen
In this episode, we sit down for a conversation with renowned rock photographer Bob Gruen. Bob has been documenting the artists, concerts, and clubs that have come to define rock music, and is responsible for some of the most iconic images of the idiom. Listen in as Bob talks with hosts John and Stewart about his artistic philosophy, his move from film to digital, and being a part of music history.
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#91: The David Mansfield Multiverse
09/28/2023
#91: The David Mansfield Multiverse
This month, we’re thrilled to have David Mansfield on the show, a composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger with a long and storied career. We have each worked with David for a long time, and know firsthand the talent and depth he brings to all the music he touches. Growing up in New Jersey and beginning his career in local bands, he started playing with Bob Neuwirth at The Bitter End and, at 18, joined Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. From there, he went on to tour and record with Dylan over many albums, and in his 50-year career has worked with an endless variety of artists, including Sting, Van Morrison, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Bobby McFerrin, David Byrne, The Wainwrights, The Roches, really the list goes on and on. He’s also composed an equally extensive list of music for film and television, including The movies “Heaven’s Gate” and “The Apostle” and, most recently the Showtime Limited Series “George & Tammy”. In this episode, David discusses his early career and influences, touring with Dylan, his scoring and composition work, and demonstrates the Psaltery, one of the more unique of his many instruments.
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#90: Fur Peace from Everywhere with Jorma Kaukonen
01/19/2023
#90: Fur Peace from Everywhere with Jorma Kaukonen
In this episode, we talk with Jorma Kaukonen, electric guitarist extraordinaire for Jefferson Airplane, vocalist/blues picker for Hot Tuna, prolific solo artist, and all-around great guy. At 81 years young, Jorma is still writing, teaching, and gigging with no signs of slowing down. Listen in as we chat about his early career playing Bay Area clubs with Janis Joplin, life in The Airplane, his guitar mentors, speedskating, touring, and teaching guitar at his Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio.
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#89: Michael Imperioli: Zen and the Art of the Power Trio
11/18/2022
#89: Michael Imperioli: Zen and the Art of the Power Trio
Michael Imperioli is an Emmy award-winning actor, writer, novelist, and musician best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO series "The Sopranos". Since 2006 Michael has fronted the indie rock band "Zopa", and is currently working on a new album with our very own John Agnello. In this episode, Michael talks with our hosts about the parallels between acting and music performance and production, his musical influences, writing songs and screenplays, working on the new record, and whether you can know if a project is going to be a hit.
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#88: Celebrating John Lennon
10/07/2022
#88: Celebrating John Lennon
In this special Gear Club episode, we celebrate the post-Beatle life of John Lennon, who would have turned 82 this year on October 9th. After The Beatles broke up, John and Yoko moved to New York where John produced, recorded, and played songs that spoke to the post-60s generation as they struggled for justice and an end to war. John Lennon impacted the lives of all those he came across, and that impact continues to live on. To mark the occasion of his birth, we’ve collected first-hand accounts from the producers and engineers who worked most closely with John as he wrote and recorded songs from “Imagine” to “Starting Over”. These people include Shelly Yakus, Jack Douglas, Rod O’Brien, Ed Stasium, Jay Messina, and Greg Calbi.
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#87: Cross Pollinate with Dave Darlington (Part 1)
09/22/2022
#87: Cross Pollinate with Dave Darlington (Part 1)
Dave Darlington is a Grammy award-winning engineer, producer, mastering engineer, and musician who has recorded, mixed, composed, and played in just about every genre of music. He’s worked with the likes of Wayne Shorter, C+C Music Factory, Sting, and Miles Davis among many others. In this interview, Dave takes us through his journey to becoming an engineer, the joys and trials of running his own studio, Bass Hit, shares his recording ethos and inspiration, and gives some key advice on how to get ahead in the industry.
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#86: Lessons Learned with Steve Marcantonio
08/02/2022
#86: Lessons Learned with Steve Marcantonio
In this episode, John & Stewart chat with GRAMMY award-winning engineer and producer, Steve Marcantonio. Steve is a staple of the Nashville music scene but got his start in New York at The Record Plant under the instruction of the likes of Roy Cicala and Jay Messina. Listen in as Steve discusses his journey through the ranks at The Record Plant, his move to Nashville, and shares some insights on how to get a leg up as an engineer.
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#85: A Better Island with Matt Wallace
06/23/2022
#85: A Better Island with Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace is a producer, engineer, and musician with over 30 years in the industry, working with the likes of Maroon 5, The Replacements, Faith No More, O.A.R, and Paul Westerberg. Lately, Matt’s been working extensively on new and catalog mixing in ATMOS from his studio in Van Nuys, CA. In this interview he takes us through the technical and artistic aspects of ATMOS mixing, his production philosophy, working with Faith No More and The Replacements, and why making records isn’t about the gear.
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#84: Chalk and Cheese with Peter Frampton
05/13/2022
#84: Chalk and Cheese with Peter Frampton
In this episode, we talk with Grammy award-winning guitarist and vocalist, Peter Frampton. As a teen, Peter got his start in music with bands The Preachers and The Herd, co-founded Humble Pie at 18, and went on to have a solo career that has spanned 21 albums and more than 50 years. Peter chats with John and Stewart about his most recent record; Frampton Forgets The Words, his writing and recording process, early influences, and his love of playing live.
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#83: What Steve Vai is Talkin' About (Part 2)
02/23/2022
#83: What Steve Vai is Talkin' About (Part 2)
This is part two of our interview with world-renowned guitarist Steve Vai, whose new record, Inviolate, was released on January 28, 2022. In this episode, we dive deep into Steve's creative process, where his ideas come from, and how they transform into music. He also talks about his years with Frank Zappa, his work as an in-demand sideman, and his orchestral compositions. To hear all about the record, and Steve's three-neck guitar, the Hydra, check out his part one interview.
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#82: Lair of the Hydra with Steve Vai (Part 1)
02/10/2022
#82: Lair of the Hydra with Steve Vai (Part 1)
Steve Vai is a Grammy award-winning musician, composer, producer, and inventor of the Hydra: a three-neck, 36 string beast of a guitar with a steam-punk attitude and endless possibilities. Steve shows just what the instrument is capable of on his newly released album, ‘Inviolate’. In this episode, John and Stewart chat with Steve about his creative process, his fantastic new record, and the inspiration and design behind the Hydra. This is part one of a two-part interview.
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#81: Lucky to Be Good with Ed Stasium (Part 2)
11/23/2021
#81: Lucky to Be Good with Ed Stasium (Part 2)
This is part two of our interview with veteran Engineer and Producer, Ed Stasium. In this episode, Ed talks to John and Stewart about his time in LA, working with Mick Jagger, Living Colour, Motörhead, and The Smithereens, and shares a story about how editing drums saved his life.
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#80: Good to Be Lucky with Ed Stasium (Part 1)
10/21/2021
#80: Good to Be Lucky with Ed Stasium (Part 1)
Ed Stasium is a musician, engineer, and producer with a career in music that spans almost 50 years. Getting his start at Tony Camillo's New Jersey studio, he went on to record Gladys Knight, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Living Colour, The Smithereens, Mick Jagger, and Motörhead, to name a few. In this episode, Ed gets in-depth about recording Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train to Georgia," his time with The Ramones, the first Talking Heads record, and his role in the building of NYC's Power Station.
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#79: As the Story Goes with Bill Schnee
08/31/2021
#79: As the Story Goes with Bill Schnee
Bill Schnee is a musician, producer, award-winning engineer, and more recently, a writer, with his new book "Chairman at the Board." With over 50 years in music, Bill has plenty to share, having worked with Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Dire Straits, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, and Whitney Houston, to name a few. In this episode of Gear Club Podcast, he sits down with John and Stewart to talk about the writing of the book, his early years as a musician and young engineer, his recording ethos, and more.
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#78: Ready, SETI, Go with Richard Factor
08/12/2021
#78: Ready, SETI, Go with Richard Factor
In this episode, Eventide founder Richard Factor takes us to outer space on a Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Richard is the founder and president of the SETI League: a non-profit, membership-supported group of amateur skywatchers hoping to catch signals of intelligent life from outside our solar system. Richard walks John and Stewart through the inception of SETI, the hows and whys of this galactic search, and one story about a real-life tin foil hat.
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#77: Memphis Music Magic & More with Terry Manning
05/28/2021
#77: Memphis Music Magic & More with Terry Manning
With a career spanning over 5 decades, Terry Manning is an accomplished audio engineer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has worked with the likes of Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Otis Redding, The Staple Singers, Shakira, Joe Walsh, Lenny Kravitz, Shania Twain, and Bryan Adams - not to mention his quintessential role in Big Star’s debut album, #1 Record.
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#76: Brendan Benson: The Dear Life of a Raconteur
03/30/2021
#76: Brendan Benson: The Dear Life of a Raconteur
Brendan Benson is a musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and founding member of The Raconteurs. As a solo artist, he’s released seven studio albums, most recently “Dear Life” released on Third Man Records in 2020. Brendan talks with John and Stewart about the recording of Dear Life, his writing process, The Raconteurs, and over 20 years of making music, from Detroit to Nashville. This interview was recorded at Sear Sound in January of 2020.
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#75: The Life of Dweezil Zappa (Part 2)
03/05/2021
#75: The Life of Dweezil Zappa (Part 2)
In this episode, Dweezil Zappa and our hosts take a closer look at his father Frank Zappa’s vast music catalog, his gear, and some of his more unconventional instrumentation choices. All in an effort to explore Dweezil’s approach to tackling his father’s work in his show, Zappa Plays Zappa. They’ll also delve into more details of Dweezil’s multi-faceted online music platform, Reward Music.
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#74: Dweezil Zappa on Navigating the Modern Music Industry (Part 1)
02/25/2021
#74: Dweezil Zappa on Navigating the Modern Music Industry (Part 1)
In this episode, our hosts talk to Grammy award-winning guitarist & son of Frank, Dweezil Zappa. Dweezil recently launched Reward Music, an online platform for artists to host their website, engage with fans, sell music/merchandise, all while keeping 100% of sales.
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#73: Fight the Dialog with Randy Poster
02/09/2021
#73: Fight the Dialog with Randy Poster
As a renowned music supervisor for film and television, Randy Poster is known for his work with directors Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Todd Phillips, and Sam Mendes, among many others. He has had his hand in a countless number of works including The Irishman, The Queen’s Gambit, Boardwalk Empire, The Hangover, Divergent, The Wolf of Wall Street, Lost, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Tiger King, and Joker, just to name a few.
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#72: Carrying the Torch with Chris Allen
09/10/2020
#72: Carrying the Torch with Chris Allen
Chris Allen is a Grammy-nominated recording & mix engineer based in NYC. He’s been the chief engineer at Sear Sound for over a decade & was a protégé of the late Walter Sear. Chris has worked with an impressive & varied list of artists, including Yoko Ono, Paul Simon, Fleet Foxes, Nels Cline, Andrew Bird & Dr. John. Chris sat down with our hosts to discuss microphones, interns, sessions, keeping things fresh after 16 years at Sear Sound, and carrying on Walter’s legacy of excellence in recording.
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#71: Nimble… As It Were with Roberta Findlay
08/27/2020
#71: Nimble… As It Were with Roberta Findlay
During the 2019 AES convention, Gear Club took over Studio A at Sear Sound for several days of interviews. While there, the guys had the opportunity to talk to the owner & studio manager, Roberta Findlay. Roberta has a long history in film, working as a director, writer, producer, composer, camera operator, and actress in scores of movies from the 1960’s - 1980’s. For the past few decades, she has booked and managed Sear Sound, founded by her and her partner, the late Walter Sear.
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#70: Gear Club & Friends Live with Lenny Kaye, Tony Shanahan, Kevin Killen, Gerry Leonard & James Mastro
06/18/2020
#70: Gear Club & Friends Live with Lenny Kaye, Tony Shanahan, Kevin Killen, Gerry Leonard & James Mastro
In this live episode, we chat with Producer/Engineer Kevin Killen, Tony Shanahan & Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Band, James Mastro, owner of Hoboken's Guitar Bar & member of The Bongos, and Gerry Leonard, best known for his work with David Bowie. This episode originally aired on April 23 as a live stream in Eventide’s Quarantide series. Be sure to catch more live Gear Club episodes on Eventide’s Facebook or YouTube every Thursday at 4PM ET
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Special Announcement: History of The Record Plant Live on 4/30
04/29/2020
Special Announcement: History of The Record Plant Live on 4/30
Join us this Thursday at 4PM EDT live on the Eventide Facebook & YouTube as we interview producer/engineer Ed Stasium, along with Record Plant Studios alumni Shelly Yakus, Jack Douglas, Jay Messina, Greg Calbi, Rod O'Brien, & Steve Marcantonio. With combined credits including The Ramones, John Lennon, Van Morrison, The Band, The Raspberries, & Tom Petty, to name a few, this is a live, interactive episode you won't want to miss!
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Special Announcement: Gear Club Live Interview on 4/23
04/23/2020
Special Announcement: Gear Club Live Interview on 4/23
Join us this & every Thursday at 4 PM on the Eventide Facebook page for a special live episode. This week, our hosts will be joined by producer/engineer Kevin Killen, Tony Shanahan & Lenny Kaye of The Patti Smith Band, James Mastro (owner of Hoboken's Guitar Bar & member of The Bongos), & Gerry Leonard, best known for his work with David Bowie. So tune in on the Eventide Facebook where our hosts will be taking listener questions.
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Special Announcement: Gear Club Live on Facebook Series: #Quarantide
04/16/2020
Special Announcement: Gear Club Live on Facebook Series: #Quarantide
Join us each Thursday at 4PM EDT Live on the Eventide Facebook Page for a special live stream episode! Tune in, ask questions & hang out with us in the comments as we chat with a bunch of our industry friends, both old & new! This Thursday, April 16 we talk with William Wittman, along Rob Hyman & Eric Bazilian of The Hooters
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