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ALBUM
COMING SOON
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ARTICLES
2004 PRO AUDIO REVIEW SONY SOUNDBYTE MAGAZINE ARTICLE
2005 CANTON REPOSITORY ARTICLE ON "MAN ALIVE" ALBUM
2004
PRO AUDIO REVIEW | SONY SOUNDBYTE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2004
 
Click images above to read full stories
from Pro Audio Review
Sony Soundbyte Article on digital audio work & editing on Stephen
Stills' album "Man Alive".
2005
STEPHEN STILLS "MAN ALIVE" ALBUM RELEASE CANTON REPOSITORY
SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2005
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PERFORMANCES
1998 STEPHEN
STILLS BLUES BAND AT LOS ANGLES HOUSE OF BLUES
Stephen Stills celebrated his birthday to a packed house at the House
Of Blues. The set list as I can remember it is as follows (not necessarily
in order).
Love the One Your With
For What It's Worth
Change Partners
Helplessly Hoping
So Begins The Task
Long Time Gone
Born in Chicago
Born Under a Bad Sign
Carry On
Woodstock
49 Bye Byes
Two new songs:
one I think was named 'Back Home' (dedicated to Johnny Rivers in the
audience). I didn't get the name of the other song, a blues number with
Michael Finnegan dedicated to his daughter
Tree Top Flyer (electric)
Dark Star
The band members were Mike Finnegan, Joe Vitale, Joe Vitale, Jr.,
Gerald Johnson and second guitar player, didn't catch his name. Tall and
lanky with glasses, and looked totally uninspired. John McEnroe came
onstage to lead the audience in rousing "Happy Birthday to You".
I gotta tell you, I found the performance totally not satisfying and
I'll tell you why. Please bear with my thoughts here. I love Stephen
Stills, to begin with. He is a great artist, musician, songwriter and
performer. I have been a dedicated fan ever since the first time I heard a
Buffalo Springfield record.
I was particularly disappointed with the repetoire of this performance.
I could see this playlist if it were a CSN concert or a Stills concert
with a bigger venue, but with the House of Blues I expected something
different. I saw Stills there three years ago and the set list was
practically identical. I expected (or hoped for) a different type of
performance in this venue both last night and three years ago.
I guess my issue is that Stills has a great body of work. He also has
very impressive influences. I guess I would love to see him abandon the
"greatest hits" formula and perform a combination of other great Stills
compositions with some blues/rock covers from other artists. Standing
there as everybody mouthed the words to For What It's Worth or Helplessly
Hoping has just turned into the type of performances which are just too
predictable.
There were two blond, 19 year old, bimbettes rocking away and begging
for Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. My favorites songs were Born Under a Bad Sign
and Born in Chicago along with the new material. The rest of the songs
were just rehashes of performance I have heard already. Though Stills
guitar work, as always, was stunning. The songs were just vehicles for
some great licks.
I also understand that you don't get a packed house by boring the rank
and file with non-hits. And not to compare, but except for a limited
number of songs, Neil Young always surprises the audience with a different
set list to keep the performances interesting.
I hope you all understand that it is not my intention to bash Stills.
But I would love to finally see a performance which doesn't begin with
Love the One Your With and end with Woodstock.
J. Starret (StarrettJ@aol.com)
Crosby, Stills &
Nash Concert Review Section
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PRODUCTS
2002 REMIX MAGAZINE PRODUCT REVIEW OF JUNKYARD RHYTHMS
2007 SONY CREATIVE SOFTWARE PRESS RELEASE "VITAL DRUMS" LOOP LIBRARY
2002
REMIX MAGAZINE
LOOPS FOR ACID PRODUCT REVIEW
July 1st, 2002
" Junkyard Rhythms"
The art of percussion mandates beating, bashing, crashing, shaking,
striking, kicking and several other violent noise-associated verbs. Many
times, the more primitive the approach, the more real and raw the
emotion. With Junkyard Rhythms, Joe Vitale and his son, Joe
Vitale Jr., explore their inner-drumming Neanderthals while rummaging
through the rot in their local junkyard. The CD's documentation is
minimal, but guessing where these sounds come from is half the fun. In
terms of performance, the majority of the loops evoke a Latin flavor
much in the vein of the Vitale family's well-received sample CD release
Latin Percussion (also from Sonic Foundry). But this time, their
modus operandi is to beat the clunk outta the junk — without any help
from traditional bongos, congas and timbales.
Despite the junkyard theme, the infectious salsa moods, percolating
dance rhythms and traditional Brazilian samba are fresh. Most of the
samples were recorded dry with minimal effects processing except for a
smattering of tasty compression and interesting room-style reverbs,
which contribute to Junkyard's overall esoteric vibe. When diving
into the more than 420 MB of Junkyard Rhythms' loops, you'll hear
bells, buckets, bumpers, tubs, trash cans, pots, pans and more than a
dumpster full of unrecognizable timbres that Vitale and son are probably
still chuckling about.
Each loop is preconfigured to work with Sonic Foundry Acid Pro and
other loop-friendly applications (Ableton Live, Cakewalk Sonar and so
on). The collection is divided into three sections: Ensemble Grooves
(221 MB), Individual Grooves (201 MB) and One-Shots (52 MB). Especially
cool are the Junkyard Kits, which comprise all kinds of knickknacks,
plastic shapes and metal scraps. These hybrid toys for experimental
drummers may just be the missing percussive ingredients for those in
search of a little dirty spice. And though you may think these guys
played everything including the kitchen sink, there is no junkyard dog.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 4
Sonic Foundry; tel. (800) 577-6642; e-mail
customerservice@sonicfoundry.com; Web
www.sonicfoundry.com
Original Review
of Product Remix Magazine July 1st, 2002
January 20, 2007
Sony Creative Software announced today the availability of the Vitale
Premium Sound Series Loop Library Collection. A must-have for every
aspiring drummer, this Loop Library is unique in offering the track
collections of one of Rock n' Roll's most influential combos, drummer Joe
Vitale and his son Joe Vitale Jr. Joe Vitale Sr. is a renowned musician
whose career has spanned over thirty years of touring, recording, and song
writing and production with legendary and Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame
artists such as The Eagles, Joe Walsh, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, John
Lennon and Keith Richards. These are just a few of the many artists who
have called upon Joe to anchor their platinum hits with his rock solid yet
completely transparent drumming. The elder Vitale's son, Joe Vitale Jr.,
engineered the sounds for this loop library.
The Vitale Sound Series Loop Library will
appeal to songwriters and producers of rock and pop music who want the
best possible performance and recording quality on their tracks. "The Sony
Sound Series collection now boasts the addition of rock drumming legend
Joe Vitale at the Premium Collection level," said Dave Chaimson, vice
president of marketing for Sony Media Software. "The Vitale father-and-son
team deserves nothing less than a Premium Collection presentation, with
24-bit sound engineered by Joe Vitale Jr., performances by both artists,
extensive liner notes, and bonus video content. Now, music producers working on every platform at every
tier of the industry can enjoy the Vitale sound on their tracks, and gain
instant access to the kinds of rock music foundations that lead to smash
hits."
The Vitale Premium Collection tier includes
862 files comprising more than one gigabyte of material, extensive liner
notes and a behind-the-scenes video that explains how the library was
produced. The Vitale Premium Collection library is a 2 disc, highly
specialized collection that includes sophisticated, royalty-free Premium
Projects composed with ACIDized .wav file loops.
Original Review from Harmony Central January 20th, 2007 Article
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