Resta: The Conclusion
By Marshall Terrill
Producer Anthony J. Resta is not afraid of change.
He's weathered the decline of the big record labels, the rise of the home studio, the death of vinyl and CD, the birth of iTunes and Dropbox, and has adapted to a sea of change in an ever evolving industry that most critics say is on life support. However, the Massachusetts-based producer/writer/singer/soundscaper just rolls with the times and continues to come out on top.
In the conclusion of this epic five-part interview, Resta discusses his work with other radical and iconic artists and his big move to the West Coast as he gets ready to enter the world of film and television.
Part IV:
Q: Let's go through some of
the other highlights in your discography, which is quite extensive.
AR: The funny thing is I've
done a lot of stuff and what I have cobbled together isn't the entire
discography. I'll remember something or hear a piece of music and go, “Oh yeah.
I worked on this track” and will have to write it down and add it later on.
Happens all the time.
Q: Nuno Bettencourt is an
artist who you've known a long time. Your first professional collaboration was
on his record Schizophonic (A & M, 1996). Tell me about your
relationship.
AR: As you stated we've known
each other a long time. We're talking way back in Hanson, Massachusetts, when
Extreme was doing early demos with Bob St. John, years before they made it big.
He wasn't even signed at the time. We worked on a couple of local things back
then as well. He's just a phenomenal talent. We started collaborating and
sending each other cassette tapes – and “DATS” (digital audio cassette tapes)
.I would send him musical beds and stuff and he would just cut them up and
rearrange them. I co-wrote a bunch of the tracks on Schizophonic. He has
always been there for me. He's a special friend and a special collaborator. We
get along very well and I even co-produced his wife's (Suze DeMarchi) album,
“Telelove” for Sony. Suze is an incredible talent as well. We have a rare
chemistry and we'll always be working together on something. He's an A-list
session cat now and hopefully we'll write some things in the future as we have
done in the past. The last thing we did was in 2010 with “King of the Ladies” on the last Extreme album.
There's a very cool video to that song.
"King of the Ladies" by Extreme
I wrote the main riffs on a mad fuzz
bass sound. I was listening to a lot of “Cold Gin” by KISS at the time. We've
known each other twenty-plus years. He’s the godfather of my three-year-old
daughter as well.
Q: When you know someone
before they're famous and you come up through the ranks together, is there a
special bond that comes with that transition?
AR: I believe there is
because we've both been through many things together – ups and downs; the death
of parents; marriage; kids; watching each other's careers take off – so many
things. Yes, there's a bond along with a certain amount of pride. We just want
good things to happen for each other.
Q: Tell me about your time
with the Mudhens.
AR: They were a Boston-based
band I was close to when they first broke out. They toured with Neil Young and
a couple of other big-name acts in the nineties. They were very much ahead of
their time – earthy, organic, fantastic musicians and great songwriters. We did
a lot of music together… three records at least . I find myself listening to
them again now that they're on iTunes. They sold over thirty thousand physical
CD’s, which was no easy feat back then or now.
Q: You probably see acts like
the Mudhens who are extremely talented and yet never get that big hit or make
it mainstream while there are less talented acts who do.
AR: Yes, I see it all the
time and it's an equation that is impossible to figure out. There are so many
factors: marketing, being in the right place at the right time, strong public
relations, the right demographic targeting. It’s become a science of media manipulation
and expensive to do on a grand scale like the majors. We are all just
one viral explosion away from making an Internet splash. The thing is, back then it wasn’t like today where
the market is flooded with demos from artists looking to break it open. A lot
of kids today come up with some compelling with
believable recordings based on the technology that is offered. They may not be
sonically competitive with the studios who have big consoles but there are some
amazing things that come from those laptops and small pro-tools set ups. Some of my solo stuff tracks like “Love is a Twisted Melancholy Disease”
and “Cinematic Mojo”
were recorded and mixed on my
little G5 LE system.
"Love Is A Twisted Melancholy Disease" by Ajax Rayovac
The problem is the unfortunate downside. Too much music
with so much of it being almost unlistenable being the equivalent of a nine
billion gallon pool trying to flow though a pencil-sized pipe.
Q: Let's talk about working
with Blondie on “Pop Trash Movie”. She's a true icon from the 1970s.
AR: That was a very
interesting project. Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran had written that song specifically
for Debbie Harry. But the song was going to be for a project we were working on
called “TV Mania.”
"Pop Trash Movie" by Deborah Harry
That was a period when they were deep into samples of people
saying obsurd things…. which inspired the project. Anyway, we got a hold of
Debbie and met with her in New York City at the Hit Factory for about a week.
We came up with two tracks. The chemistry was great and we all got along
famously but the timing was off. She ended up getting a record deal shortly
thereafter and it was complicated with politics and paperwork. The one track
never saw the light of day but “Pop Trash Movie” ended up on the next Duran
Duran album. There was talk that the other song “Studio 54” was going to end up
in the movie Studio 54, but unfortunately it just didn't happen. Here’s Simon Lebon singing it live on VH1's
“Storytellers.”
"Pop Trash" by Duran Duran
Q: Since you brought up the
subject of politics and paperwork, I'm interested in hearing how that unfolds
when all you're doing is trying to make music.
AR: Anytime you start
playing with the big boys
there's eventually going to be contracts and negotiations that can get quite convoluted. You've got various
managers and lawyers looking out for their client’s interests or people might have a different vision for how a project
should come together. It might get to the point where it's too complicated or
difficult to work out.
Q: You mentioned “TV Mania”,
which is a project that's been sixteen years in the making. What is it about
and why has it taken so long to get off the ground?
AR: It's about the
absurdity of life through a TV that speaks. It was before we started seeing
reality television dominate the landscape. The concept is more of a stage presentation and it was visual in
nature. Unfortunately, everybody gets busy and things fall to the backburner.
But over the years, people kept hearing about it and asking when it was going
to see the light of day. I remember Duran Duran was actually playing stuff from
it on their tour before their set. Sonically it's a real interesting record
because we spent a lot of time on it.
We'd use things like the Roland Sound Space machines (eight inputs and
outputs) that thing cost $40,000 and it made sounds appear as if they were
coming from above, below or behind you in the stereo field. The strange thing is that it sounds more
contemporary now than when we did it. It feels like performance art. Not too
long ago Nick listened to it again and thought it sounded fresh and that we
should do something with it and see what happens. He just felt that it was time
for it to see the light of day. I spent about six weeks at Bopnique augmenting
the tracks and then Bob St.John and I put the finishing touches on it at Sound
Techniques and Courtlen.
Q: I guess sort of like the
revitalization of Collective Soul's “Tremble For My Beloved.” I remember thinking that someway, somehow,
that song would get discovered. And thanks to Twilight, it eventually
happened but it took a good decade.
"Tremble For My Beloved" by Collective Soul
AR: Exactly, and that's the
case with “TV Mania.” It sounds even better today than it did 16 years ago. I guess we were on
to something in both instances.
Q: Elevator Drops?
AR: Great band from the
1990s. I worked with them on Demos, POP BUS 1995 and People
Mover. I thought they were one of the most cutting-edge bands ever. Check
out “Be A Lemonhead/Beautiful Junkie” on YouTube.com.
"Be A Lemonhead/Beautiful Junkie" by the Elevator Drops
They were great to work with.
The way they worked influenced me greatly. I’m still collaborating with
Garvy J., one of the principle songwriters in the band. He’s also a great
producer.
Q: Tracy Bonham?
AR: Loved working with her. I
was doing A&R for A&M (Colorblind) back then. I heard the first demos
of “The One”, “Sunshine”, “Free” and some others. I freaked out and got them to
David Anderlie and Al Cafaro and before we knew it there was a bidding war (Paul and Josh Hager had produced these
amazing early versions). I was at the show down showcase at the knitting
factory in New York City. Chris Blackwell from Island was there and gave Tracy
a vintage Gretsch guitar. The rest is history. Last year we did a remake of
Duran Duran's “New Moon on Monday”.
It's crazy!
Tracy Bonham
She's one of my favorite female artists of all time. She's beyond
brilliant. We are talking about working
on another record together again, and I really hope we can.
Q: Tell me about Shawn
Mullins.
AR: I met him when he was
riding high on his first double platinum single, “Lullaby.” The label wanted a
follow up single, which was called “Shimmer” (Columbia, 1999). Peter Collins, who
was producing and has worked with everyone from Bon Jovi to Rush, Paul David
Hager and myself (thanks Paul) to work on it with him. Incidentally, I got to watch Peter work
on a number of projects subsequently and that was life-changing for me. I
consider him to be one of my mentors. I owe him a lot just for allowing me to
be in the same room with him and watch him work. But my first project with
Peter was Shawn, and we hit it off. I actually ended up helping him with his next album and
single Beneath The Velvet Sun and “Everywhere I
Go” respectively.
"Everywhere I Go" by Shawn Mullins
It ended up being a phenomenal record, so much potential, but it never got the
proper push. It's a very cool sonic experience if you listen to it on a set of
headphones. It really wasn't what the label was looking for – they wanted
another “Lullaby.” Shawn and I are still friends and he's still out there doing
it.
Q: And this is a subject that
endlessly fascinates me – label interference. They want hit songs from the
artists but that is such a hard thing to demand. Art is art and whatever comes
out is the result. How do you do deal with the situation when a label says, “We
need you to produce hits.”
AR: They often listen to a
record and say, “GREAT” but we don’t hear a single. Then they spend more money
on a single than we spent making the entire record. It can be very frustrating.
But the reality is that you're working for them, so you have to pay attention
to what they're saying because they are the ones writing the check. It's
important to fulfill their vision, but you also have to fulfill the artist's
vision. It's definitely a sticky place to be sometimes. It can be stressful and
it was stressful on the Shawn Mullins album. Take for instance the song
“Valentine”; it was beautiful and futuristic and straight up pop. But at that time
we were making some pretty fearless music. The label allowed us the freedom to
make the music, but they wanted hits to sell the album. I think the album was
great but it just didn't connect the same way as “Lullaby” did.
Q: I'm surprised to see this
on your discography – Megadeth (Capitol, 2001).
AR: That was just a one-off
with the “Krushem” Jock Remix. They wanted a more aggressive, hi-tech version
for radio and clubs. Basically I re-cut the drums added a disco beat and some
bleeps and wiz bang type stuff. I heard Dave Mustaine hated it (laughs).
Despite that, it ended up being a pretty big theme for WFF wrestlers. Kathy
Anaya at Lippman Entertainment got us that one and we had a good time doing
it. I hear it all the time on sports
talk radio! Paul David Hager and Karyadi
stayed up with me for three days doing that on a long weekend in the middle of
another project. We were so tired. I can’t remember ever being that tired
since.
Q: Let's talk about the Scream
2 soundtrack. When you do songs for movies and soundtracks, is the approach
different?
AR: In my experience, a lot
of times it's an afterthought just like “She Said”
was for Scream 2.
"She Said" by Collective Soul
They
sometimes end up choosing something that's already been done. I'm just now
getting into situations where I'm actually composing music specifically for the
film. When you're looking at a movie and
you're creating music specifically for that project, it's a whole other world.
It's extremely exciting to me and I'm looking forward to going more in that
direction in the future. For Scream 3, we stripped it down and did new
drums, new guitars. That's why “She Said” sounds different on Dosage than
it does on Scream 2. It's a whole new treatment.
Q: Andrea Surova?
AR: Fabulous
songwriter/artist who was compared to Carol King in an article in the Boston
Globe by Steve Morris. She is one of
the best songstresses I’ve ever met. She should be writing megahits for
Mainstream artists like Diane Warren and Desmond Childs. I love her singing also. Truly an
undiscovered gem. We worked on two records together. On the first one we did
pre-production down in Nashville with a great collaborator and longtime session
guru Mike Lawler. Andrea paints musical pictures with songs like
“Silverhighway”. We have done quite a few co-writes as well. I love her music! Here is a great example: http://bopnique.com/andrea-surova-silver-highway
Q: John Cate?
AR: A Fab Americana/Roots/Pop
artist in a timeless classic style often compared to Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. I worked with him on Piece of This Town,
The Wondershow and X (ten). Those three albums that we did with him are
some of the best work I've ever been involved with. We have a great chemistry
and his band is just phenomenal. Listen to “California”
and that'll give you an idea of who he is as an artist.
"California" by John Cate
Q: Perry Farrell is one of
the more interesting people you've worked with. Tell me about that experience?
AR: I worked with him on Satellite
Party (Columbia/Sony, 2007). He's a pioneer of alternative music and is
always pushing boundaries and trying new things. That project had an enormous amount
of potential and I think it got perhaps a bit overblown. There had to be a
30-piece orchestra, multiple programmers, gospel singers, multiple
percussionists… I guess too many cooks can really spoil a soup. I prefer the
simple stripped down versions I worked on because there was so much more space
and for my ears it was much more beautiful that way. That album did bring Jim
Morrison back from the grave to sing on a couple of songs. The got these tapes
of him singing that no one had ever heard, sort of vocal poetry with melodic
moments. Somehow they got a hold of them and turned them into music. It was
another great opportunity that I owe to Nuno Bettencourt as he was co-producing
and got me involved.
Q: Donna Delory.
AR: She's often referred to as the “The Ethereal Girl” because she does
very spiritual world music with universal themes. She implements electronica
and has a strong connection to the yoga/meditation world. I'm working on her new album and have had
cuts on several of her records. We go back to around '96.
"Sky Is Open" by Donna Delory
Q: Her new record
really has an all-star cast including King Crimson bassist Tony Levin, who
played on John Lennon's “Double Fantasy.” How did you enjoy working with him?
AR: What Tony Levin does on
bass is like nothing I’ve ever heard. I must admit that I'm a huge King Crimson
fan, too. Listening to his tracks was freaking me out because his playing was
just so incredible.
"I'm Losing You" by John Lennon with Cheap Trick (with Tony Levin on bass)
Q: You recently worked with 17-year-old
Jarred Dylan from “The Voice.” How's that going?
AR: Even though he didn't win
the competition, I knew when I first heard him he was very special. He had this
delivery and persona that were right on the money. I see really big things
happening for him. I produced his first EP called In Panic and have
started on another one. There are several opportunities for him that are unfolding. Check out the song,
“Mistakes.”
"Mistakes" by Jared Dylan
It's a song I co-wrote with him and my buddy ORLECK (another fantastic Bopnique
artist). Check out his album Grey Suburban Day. Jared wrote the lyrics and
I performed the music. All of his material is very strong and I think we'll be hearing
more about him in the future.
Q: Even more recent than
Jared Dylan is your collaboration with Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad.
AR: We started talking on the
phone and he said, “Let's try a couple of songs and see what happens.” We had
chemistry on the first day and it was really special. I have to say this
upfront: as a kid I was a huge Grand Funk Railroad fan. At the time I had about
three albums in my collection and Live Album (Capitol, 1971) was one of
them. Mark Farner was just about the biggest rock star hero I could have
imagined at the time. Some of the new songs are really going to shock people.
He is 100 percent of what he was and then some. He's taken care of himself and
he's one of those gifted, soulful singers. Truly one of the greatest singers
I've ever heard. He hits the mark every time in tone and range. And he's just
so down to earth and cool, too. My little three-year-old daughter Milana’s
favorite song is “Rock and Roll Soul” and Mark busted into a vocal on that song
for my daughter one day at the studio. You should have seen the look on her face. I have a picture of it
and her jaw just dropped. Now she calls me up all the time and asks, “Is Mark
Farner at the studio?” (laughs).
Mark Farner, Anthony J. Resta and Milana Resta
The great thing about Mark, and I find this with a lot of the veteran artists, is that they allow us the space to create. Sometimes people with very little experience want to hold your hand and tell you how to do everything. Then you get someone like Mark who gives you this wide open space, and its just heaven…. it was a great way to collaborate. We connected on more than just a musical level.
The great thing about Mark, and I find this with a lot of the veteran artists, is that they allow us the space to create. Sometimes people with very little experience want to hold your hand and tell you how to do everything. Then you get someone like Mark who gives you this wide open space, and its just heaven…. it was a great way to collaborate. We connected on more than just a musical level.
Let me just add this disclaimer: I've worked
with more than 300 artists and each and every one of them is special. I wish I
could talk about each and every one of them here but I know we just don't have
the space. I feel bad because it's hard not to mention so many of them.
Part IV:
Q: Let's
backtrack a bit and discuss the state of the music business. Your rise in the
industry was also at the same time as the rise of the home studio and the tail
end of the big music labels and studios.
AR: That's right.
It all happened around the same time. My studio became a very special place for
me and artists, and eventually it took on my personality. It's this old brick
warehouse and unlike any other studio you've ever seen before. In the beginning
it was just a place to store my stuff while I was off to Miami, New York,
London, wherever I worked. I really only used it for my solo stuff working as
Ajax Rayovac. Then when I fully acquired enough high end gear and got tired of
living in hotels and away from home for months at a time, I took a gamble on
this place and I've now been building it for 17 years. I work with a phenomenal engineer /mixer who's been with
me all this time. His name is Karyadi Sutedja and he is a musical mastermind.
Together we have crafted
the Bopnique Sound a worldwide brand. I couldn’t have done it without him and
we will continue on together when we move to LA to operate Bopnique West. The past few years have brought people from
all over the world to us; people who hear the details and the non-generic
fearless quality in even the simplest pop songs
Q: It definitely
seems cozy and homey with the couches and lighting, and of course, all the
toys. Do you feel artists are attracted to this setting?
AR: Its like
working in a giant living room. Of course! One artist said he loved coming to
my studio because he could come there every day and find something new he
hadn't seen before.
Bopnique's comfy digs resembles a living room disguised as a music studio
It's like a museum. Everyone seems to like the idea of
recording in one big room because everybody's on the same page. A lot of
studios have that glass between the artist and producer, and they can only talk
to each other through a button. It seems like such a cold approach to me. I've
abandoned that method and everybody here rolls up their sleeves and works
together. If something's not working, I'll pick up a guitar and say, “How about
this?” It's more of a team approach.
Working together in one big room at Bopnique
Q: Why do you
suppose there's been this movement towards home studios as opposed to the big
state of the art record studio that cuts records for the big labels?
AR: The easy
answer is that technology has become more and more affordable. High end digital
audio work stations are getting less expensive and so now it's possible for
artists to record really great music at a reasonable price. But at the end of
the day, it all boils down to is, “Is it a great song or not?” Take a song like
“Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People.
"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People
It's a very homemade record and was beefed up in the
mix stage, but that just goes to show you that if a song is catchy, a hit is
achievable in a smaller studio. It's a smash no matter what. But the downside
to that is there's just so much more material for us to wade through, and a lot
of it is not good. It all has to start organically, and that's with a good
song.
Q: One of the
other movements I've noticed is file sharing where it's possible for someone to
record a vocal in New York and send the file to Los Angeles for a drummer to
lay down a track. That astounds me.
AR: It's very
commonplace today thanks to Dropbox.com, and yes, we do it. You can work with
anyone, anywhere at anytime.
Producer Anthony J. Resta works his magic on a musical track through Dropbox.com
Q: Do you lose
anything as a producer from not being in the same room as the artist?
AR: It's nice to
be in the same room as the artist but for me, when I do tracks and I'm all by
myself listening to the song without interruption or distractions, I can find
that magic moment in the song. When you're in the middle of a recording
session, it may or may not be that time to reflect, so file sharing definitely
has its advantages. In the end though working in the same room wins.
Q: Your newest
foray will be composing music for film and television, so let's discuss the
Bopnique West venture.
AR: For years I've heard from
various sources, including a lot of folks in the motion picture and television
industry, that my composing could be perfect for the medium.
A lot of my work has ended up in movies. “Out of My Mind” for instance by Duran
Duran was a track in the film The Saint.
"Out of My Mind" by Duran Duran
There's quite a list and more
and more opportunities seem to be springing up in that area. So many up and
coming indie film projects are under way. It’s a brave new world for me and the
scoring side is scary and exciting. I don't want to replace what I’ve been
doing for the past 17 years but there are so many other uses for the
“soundscaping” that has become my signature over time. There isn't the same
constraint as there is with a three-to-four minute pop song. I like the fact
that the music is supportive and secondary to the story and dialog. It’s not
about “the song” it’s about creating a mood than enhances but not distracts.
Q: Are we talking
writing songs for movies or scoring pictures?
AR: Actually both. I'm working on several projects including a solo record
with actor Michael Chiklis. He has a fantastic new primetime show called
“Vegas”. He's a very established actor, but he's also branching out as a
musician and it's super cool music and I think people will dig it. This track is called “The Connection.”
"The Connection" by Michael Chiklis
I’ve added drums, guitar and synth atmospheres on it. His longtime
collaborator Bob Pascarella is a monster guitar player/composer and as a team
we are really having fun creating.
Q: Do you ever get intimidated by the people you work with?
AR: Never intimidated but always a little scared...and I think that's
good. That little bit of fear in the pit of your stomach keeps you grounded and
also makes you work harder. The music industry is no different than the movie
industry in that if you make something that sucks or is not well received, it
travels far and deep, so you've always got to be on your toes. You have to
continue traveling down a path that's interesting and territory that's
unexplored. It's got to be a lifelong pursuit; otherwise, you grow stale as an
artist. So far that's one thing I've never been accused of.
For more information on Anthony J. Resta and Bopnique!, visit http://bopnique.com/
