This piece may be somewhat redundant if anyone has read any of my previous blog posts, or been in touch with me over the past few years, regarding the Twin Cities Music Preservation Project, but it seemed like as good a time as any to bring things up to date.... read more →
Aug
19
This is a short demo clip I made several years ago, that I thought would be fun to share, and which might help folks understand more about the making of a lathe-cut record in general.
May
02
When artists approach me about making a small run of lathe-cut records for them, the first question nearly everyone asks is: how much does it cost? I don’t have a fixed price list for all the different types of lathecut records I make, due to the nature of how specialized... read more →
May
02
Here's a little blast from my early adventures in lathe-cutting : A nifty Plunder-phonics styled track I created entirely from dozens of vinyl scrubs; embedded in my very first 5" record, created at Mike Dixon's Lathe Camp in Tucson, 2018. https://videopress.com/v/VLmQoNzn?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fsonicarchives.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fbrazil-goes-to-the-byrds_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Can anyone identify the original source LP I used... read more →
May
01
A lathe-cut record is small-batch art. It was made by hand, one-at-a-time, in real time, on a polycarbonate (plexiglass) medium, using machines built in the 1930s & '40s. The embossing process presses the sound into the medium with a stylus made of tungsten or sapphire as the music is playing.... read more →
Feb
18
This post is dedicated to a clever troll - tapesfor2 - who once publicly posted this nice comment about my efforts to preserve the Sonic Archives tape collection: "You shouldn't have. His recordings were at 'best' personal souvenirs. They were not quality recordings. They should not be shared. Those tapes... read more →
Apr
25
This is about 12Rods, a band from Minneapolis by way of Oxford, Ohio, who have existed in various incarnations from 1992 to the present day in 2026. What follows is a handful of live recordings which the band has graciously allowed me to share on Live Music Archive with other... read more →
Apr
24
This is about Arcwelder, a band from Minneapolis, who have existed from 1987 to the present day in 2026. What follows is a handful of live recordings which the band has graciously allowed me to share on Live Music Archive with other past, present and future fans. There are still... read more →
Apr
22
This is about Zuzu's Petals, a band from Minneapolis, who existed between 1989 - 1994. A heartstring-tugging line from the classic film, “It’s A Wonderful Life”, transcends it’s initial message of realization and redemption and is reincarnated in three talented young women from Minneapolis who have adapted the phrase as... read more →
Apr
13
This is about The Pins, a band from Minneapolis who existed between 1995 - 2001. Dreamy melancholy space age pop laden with more infectious guitar breaks per song that on their own are worth some dream-pop bands entire careers. It would be easy to prattle on about this lot, but... read more →
Jul
13
Remember when shows cost $5 and someone was always taping in the back? That was me. Since the '80s, I've recorded live performances of Twin Cities bands on whatever gear I had at the time, preserving the magic of the moment. Just about any genre of music you can think... read more →