Mr. Bonzai @ AES/NYC: Platinum Artists; MUSIC SMARTS; TEC Awards

October 5, 2009 Photo of the Week

Just so you knows… Saturday, October 10, 2009 at the annual AES Convention gathering of the audio tribes, Mr. Bonzai will be here and there at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
11:30 AM – 1 PM, Mr. Bonzai moderates the Platinum Artists Panel: artists are Jonatha Brooke, Maiysha, and Duncan Sheik with their producer/engineers Bob [...]

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MUSIC SMARTS Celebrates at UCI Charter Class Reunion

September 28, 2009 Photo of the Week

After a walking tour of the University of California at Irvine, I hosted a reunion gathering of alumni, students and staff at the gigantic UCI bookstore.  UCI was founded in 1965, with William Pereira as the architect of the original campus, home to approx. 1500 students.  Ansel Adams photographed the stark space in 1968, located [...]

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MUSIC SMARTS on the Cover of MUSIC CONNECTION

September 7, 2009 Photo of the Week

We’re thrilled that Mr. Bonzai’s MUSIC SMARTS made the cover of Music Connection for the feature “Why Books Still Matter.”

(From the Book) A GRACE NOTE BY GRAHAM NASH “This world is powered by images and energy. What the author/photographer did here was to present a small slice of our musical heritage — a slice that [...]

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Les Paul (June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009)

August 16, 2009 Photo of the Week

The Godfather of Modern Music (from my 1985 interview)

Les Paul was overdubbing before anybody knew what it meant or how it was done. He was responsible for the first eight-track recorder built by Ampex. He built his first electric guitar at the age of 13 by tearing his Sears guitar apart and [...]

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|| New Film: “Weird Al” Meets Mr. Bonzai ||

August 2, 2009 Music Photos and Stories

THIS JUST IN: new “Internet Leak” from Al, a White Stripes spoof called CNR: http://tinyurl.com/kno97q
Coinciding with my interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic appearing in RELIX magazine, now on the newstands, I have just posted my new BonzFire Film of the conversation (scroll down for the links).   Here is an excerpt from the text interview:
There is [...]

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Walter Cronkite 1916 – 2009 “The Way It Was”

July 19, 2009 Photo of the Week

In 1996,  I interviewed Walter Cronkite and learned the true meaning of his nickname “OLD IRON PANTS” (see below). He had just completed a new CD-ROM entitled “American Presidents — The Most Powerful Man on Earth.”   Here is an excerpt from that interview, and a photograph he graciously autographed for me.
Born on November 4, 1916, [...]

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|| Spinal Tap: LIVE & Back From the Dead! ||

June 28, 2009 Music Photos and Stories

During this 25th Anniversary of the film and album This is Spinal Tap, the band has reunited to set the record straight, once and for all.  What a stupendous relief for the countless fans who empathized with Tap’s well-documented fall from grace and money.  All of the original album has been re-recorded along with much [...]

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||SPINAL TAP video interview + Secrets of the Massive Drum and Vocal Sound ||

June 13, 2009 Photo of the Week

Spinal Tap’s 25th reunion album, Back From the Dead, arrives on June 16.  You’ve probably been wondering how they get that massive drum sound and those superhuman vocals.  Here is the secret, from my Mix magazine interview with the band’s producer/mixer CJ Vanston:
BONZAI: How do you get that massive drum sound?
VANSTON: We have a massive [...]

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|| Ross Hogarth “Delivering that Analog Sound in a Digital World” ||

May 31, 2009 Music Photos and Stories

I’ve seen Ross Hogarth at work many times and he is not only smart, he’s got a lot of heart.  He creates a roomful of comfort, with special considerations for each of the musicians.  It’s a pleasure you can feel in the music he’s recorded with artists such as REM, Ziggy Marley, Keb Mo, Jewel, [...]

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|| CJ Vanston: Creating the New Sound of Spinal Tap ||

May 17, 2009 Photo of the Week

CJ Vanston is one of the most gifted and diversified musicians I have met in my Hollywood decades.  He’s a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, engineer, producer, and he also knows where to find the best restaurants.
This year, Spinal Tap re-recorded their entire first album, This Is Spinal Tap, with additional new songs and a DVD, at [...]

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