Since we’ve been home, Shannon has booked most of a 50-stop summer tour comprised entirely of house concerts. How mind-blowing is that?

Meanwhile, I’m just doing my thing.

- I finished up the Hana Malhas record, which is stunning. There are a couple tracks from that up on my studio page.

- I’m in the middle of mixing an EP for an earnest indie-rock band from Jacksonville called Northe. It’s coming along well.

- I just mixed a single for a band from Sacramento called The Generals; you can hear that on the studio page.

- I mixed what may be the cheeriest song in the entire world for a lovely guy from Portland named Justin Klump … I think we’ll be doing more stuff together later this year. That song is also up on my studio page if you want to check it out.

- I’m in the middle of pre-production demos with dot punto. They’re fun, and this little EP we’ll be making is going to be quirky and great.

So if you need me, I’ll be around! We could go get a cup of coffee and hang around; the weather’s lovely. More soon — Jamie

We’re finally back home, and I’m just waiting to get data for the Hana Malhas and Northe records I’m mixing this month. Excited to share some of this new stuff, hopefully soon!

In the meantime, I’ve committed to mixing a couple of EPs when we get back from SXSW; one for a Jordanian singer from Ann Arbor named Hana Malhas, and one for an indie-rock band from Jacksonville, Florida called Northe. Both should be a lot of fun to work on.

And, we’ve recorded a new song for Shannon’s upcoming full-length. It’s called “Anti-Gravity,” and it’s heavy. It’s kind of a head-banger, which is weird for a downtempo electro-dream-pop song, but there you have it. It gets into a deep dark groove. Love it.

We’re off in the morning for more touring; check http://shannoncurtis.net/tour for dates!

I’m *so excited* for this record to come out. We need to find these guys a label. Have a listen to the track … anyone have any ideas what indie label would put this out?

The EP is far out. It’s produced by my friend Gordon Raphael (Strokes/Regina Spektor). Lots of glitchy synths and sub-bass. As far as I can tell, all the songs are about women’s rear ends, and some are also about drugs. Perfect!

Seriously though, it’s good; check it when it comes out. I believe the first video is coming out at the end of the month; I’ll post the single on my studio page when it’s out!

This record was a total labor of love, both on the part of the main Ampersand, Aaron McQuade, and then on my end. We took our time with this, went back and forth and tweaked it a lot, and really focused in on both the individual songs and then the sequencing and pacing. Christ, we easily spent 8 hours just working on the transitions. I’m telling you, it’s *detailed*.

I feel like I brought a lot to this record and I’m going to be very proud to have it come out (it’s looking like an early spring release). Stay tuned; I’ll update this space as I learn more, and I’ll hopefully be posting a couple “sneak preview” songs very soon!

I also did a test mix this week for a really cool, dark goth/shoegaze project out of LA … fingers crossed I get picked to do the record, it promises to be super cool.

I’m heading out again in the morning with Shannon, up to the Northwest — we’re stopping en route tomorrow night in Oakland, where I’m mixing a live set for our friends Tremor Low. If you’re in that area you should consider coming to the show; the whole bill is good and it should be a great night.