Woolly Mammoth Sound

The Noise-Boston

I opened Woolly Mammoth Sound in January 1998, and it’s been a fantastic success for me and our clients. A couple of credos in the Woolly Mammoth Manifesto would be something along the lines of having such great rooms and gear that nothing “technical” should get in the way of a band setting up and killing it. Another big one is to take the collective experience of mine in the trenches all those years and help bands and songwriters not shoot themselves in the foot making a great record. There are so many snakes in the grass building a band and writing songs that many bands’ and songwriters’ vision can fall woefully short if not skillfully (diplomatically) attended to. So that’s where my producer’s hat comes on, and we get into the nitty gritty of the process.

Usually a band is a much better “band” after working through a project at Woolly Mammoth. I’d also like to stress that unlike a lot of producers out there who seem to produce records in their “whatever it takes” mode of over-production and dishonest machinations, I really try to keep a reality check on what may be perceived as a band or songwriter’s human capabilities bringing it live to a show. Of course I’ll offer extra melodic ideas, especially counter melodies, but when I hear recordings that sound more like a producer than a band, I’m not as intrigued and the mystique is ruined.

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