Gear Club Podcast is hosted by engineer / producers John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and Stewart Lerman (Patti Smith, St. Vincent). Each episode of the ...
In this special episode, we pay homage to an artist who’s a Member of the rock and roll hall of fame, has won Seven Grammys out of 38 nominations, sold over 150 million albums worldwide, with three of those in the Grammy hall of fame. In their almost 40-year career they’ve played almost 1500 concerts, released 38 albums, have a supposedly endless vault of unreleased material, and have nonetheless remained an enigma. We’re talking about the one, the only, Prince. Listen in as we talk to the engineers who worked most closely with Prince in the studio on seminal albums across different eras of his wide-ranging career. There are amazing stories, pivotal moments, and behind the scenes insights into the work and personality of an artist very few people got to know up close and personal.
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#97: Paul Prestopino: The Heart of New York's Record Plant
Paul Prestopino was a musician, inventor, and technician with a long and varied career. From 1970 until its closure in 1989, Paul was a technician at the Record Plant in NYC, a venerated studio that helped produce an endless stream of hit records and launched dozens of careers for the engineers and producers that worked there. While working at the studio, Paul, known to everyone as “Presto,” was charged with the maintenance and care of the recording equipment, but he also played on dozens of albums for bands like Aerosmith, The Hooters, Alice Cooper, Slade, and Edgar Winter. He was also an integral member of the bands of Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver, and The Chad Mitchell Trio. Paul was part of the lifeblood of the Record Plant, and his passing in 2023 was felt deeply by those who worked with him at the studio. Our very own John Agnello organized this special memorial episode for Paul, where we interview Record Plant alumni and Paul’s brother, Greg Prestopino, to pay homage to a man who touched so many lives through his work and music.
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#96: "Forget the Notes, It's Your Frequency": Doug Wimbish on Jaco Pastorius, Sugar Hill Records, and the Birth of Hip-Hop.
Our guest is Doug Wimbish, one of the most renowned bass players of all time, known for his work with a wide range of artists, including Living Colour, Tackhead, Sugarhill Gang, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, and many more. He is also the founder of WimBash, a series of community-based charity events supporting music education. In this episode, John and Stewart talk with Doug about his extraordinary journey through the music industry. They discuss topics such as his start at All Platinum Records, the birth of Sugar Hill Records, recording "Rapper's Delight", his life-changing encounter with Jaco Pastorius, and his experiences touring with music icons. Doug also shares his thoughts on mentoring young musicians, the evolution of bass playing, and the importance of giving back to the music community.
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Working with Bob Dylan – On Stage and In Studio
To celebrate Bob Dylan’s birthday, we’ve compiled a special Gear Club episode that offers a behind the scenes look into Dylan’s Life and music. Bob has been described as a shape-shifter, a song and dance man, and the Shakespeare of our time. Over his 60 plus year career, he’s written more than 500 songs that have been covered by over 2,000 artists. He’s played nearly 4,000 concerts. He’s won 10 Grammys, an Oscar, and a Nobel prize in literature. But who is this guy? What’s he like to work with? Listen in as Chris Shaw, David Mansfield, Toby Scott, and Steve Addabbo share their recollections of the man on stage and in the studio.
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Ketchup with William Wittman
Producer and Engineer William Wittman was one of our early guests in 2017 with a two parter, Episodes #15 and #16, where he discussed making seminal records with Cindy Lauper, Joan Osborne, and The Outfield, his time coming up through NYC recording studios, and his work/prank relationship with our very own John Agnello. In this episode, I catch up with Bill about making records with his band Too Much Joy, drum mic techniques, the things we like about in the box mixing, and working at the famed Van Gelder studio in Englewood, NJ.
Gear Club Podcast is hosted by engineer / producers John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and Stewart Lerman (Patti Smith, St. Vincent). 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. The podcast is an informative, yet irreverent, look at the art of recording by leading practitioners of the art.
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