Cool news — I just signed on to record/produce/mix a record this summer with a band from San Francisco called Tremor Low! It’s cool — kind of a post-goth thing. As a reformed goth this is TOTALLY UP MY ALLEY and I’m really looking forward to making this record. Exciting …

Never mind what I told you April 21st. Well, I mean, it’s still true. But now I’m also mixing the whole rest of the record!! This will be a fun project and a great credit. I couldn’t be more thrilled.

I just mixed a cool new band at this Japan benefit that I volunteered my mixing services for. The Head And The Heart. Good music, good people. I’m guessing they’ll do well this year. Check them out if you don’t know them already!

The title pretty much says it all. I just found out this week — my mix of a long-time crowd favorite called “New Directions” is going to be the one used on Jens’ upcoming record. AWESOME!

I made a quick day trip out to Coachella yesterday to mix my dear friends Glasser. I really love those kids and I miss them every day I’m not working with them.

The show was whatever — festival show, poorly tuned PA, monitoring nightmare — but it was fine. The band played great nonetheless. A ton of people came to see the show, and I think a lot of them really liked it, and that’s the point. They’re heading out for a short run of dates with TV On The Radio — go check them out if they’re in your area!

Shannon and I just got back from SXSW 2011. It was the first time I’ve been as a tourist, and it was not coincidentally by far the most fun of the 7 SXSWs I’ve been to. Not having to babysit is key!

I did pick up a few choice mixing gigs — this covered all our expenses, got us both artist wristbands, and even ended us up with some profit when all was said and done. (I told a friend this and his response was, “So what you’re saying is, you won SXSW!” Haha.)

One of the artists I mixed was Glasser. It turns out that iTunes recorded one of the Glasser sets I mixed, which you can check out here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/itunes-live-sxsw-ep/id427640328

These recordings were mixed by iTunes’s engineer, but they had room mics up and you can hear a good bit of the ambient and dub textures I was adding to the show. Cool!

I also notably mixed a STUNNING set by Chris Bathgate. Check him out … his new record is gorgeous.

And, best of all, we saw The Dears 3 times. I would have seen them 10 if I could. I haven’t heard a live band this good in a long while. And my god is their new record fantastic!

We picked up a new traveling partner in New Mexico. We’ve named him Lucky. When we hit a thaw we’ll find a stick and lay him to rest … but until then, he’s in for the long haul! (We’re in Iowa at the moment.)

Against conventional wisdom and our own better judgment, we’re heading out on a tour in the DEAD OF WINTER! I’m not sure whether we’re nuts or maybe just stupid. But we’re doing it!

We’re positioned in Santa Fe at the moment, preparing to delve car-first into the snow tomorrow en route to Denver. It will probably be snowy, it will definitely be FREEZING, and we’re heading directly into it. Go us!

Wish us luck, check Shannon’s tour dates page, and come see us if we’re going to be in your town!

Last week I remixed an Oakland hardcore punk record from 1995 by the Gimps! Super fun project. Those guys were only 17 when they made this record. I’ll have a song or two up on my mixes page when I get a minute.

Other than that, Shannon and I have been working full strength on her first full-production / full-length record. It’s coming along super well — great songs, great sounds, great recordings. Very exciting. The studio upgrades we did over the last year are paying off.

If you’re coming through LA, holler! We need something to get us out of the house every so often.

I just finished the absolute most fun little tour EVER, with a new band called Glasser. The music is great, and the people COULD NOT BE NICER. It was short, sweet, and highly entertaining. Did I mention how excellent the band are as people? Wow. I kind of lost a bit of faith in people during the first part of this year — these guys did a lot to help restore it. At any rate, if you’re not familiar with them, check them out. The music is unusual and very cool.

A new band called Twin Shadow joined us for 5 dates mid-tour, and that was a huge treat as well. They are fantastic. Every song is a hit. It’s like watching a John Hughes soundtrack you’d never heard before playing out live on stage. Great band.

We’re home now, for a couple months. We’ll be bunkering in, starting Shannon’s new record, and hopefully not going much of anywhere. If you’re in the area, get in touch and we’ll meet you for dinner or something!