Somebody That I Used to Know

Straight from Sweet Adeline... Elliott Smith lives on.

New Monkey Studios opens!
It's so awesome to share this message with you. Joel Graves from Earlimart and his partner, Robert Cappadona bought Elliott’s New Monkey Studios from Elliott’s family (rumors were that Aaron Espinoza from Earlimart or members of Grandaddy bought the studio, but they were actually great supporters of Joel and Robert to buy the studio!) Anyway, over the last year, Joel and Robert have been putting a lot of work, money and love into fixing the studio. Elliott bought a lot of vintage equipment for New Monkey, so a good number of it was half working and Elliott was spending a lot of time fixing the equipment while he was recording there. Well, Joel and Robert (along with other smart recording techs and engineers) were able to continue the work Elliott had done and help bring the studio into the working condition they thought Elliott would have done in his memory.

They are happy to announce that New Monkey Studios is now open and it would be so awesome if we could help get the word out to musicians and engineers so it can help them keep the studio open forever. Here is what Joel sent me to give you so you can have more info about the studio if you or you know people who are interested in recording there. If you would like to check out their MySpace page, please go to: http://www.myspace.com/newmonkeystudio

"New Monkey Studio in Van Nuys, CA is now open for business. After a year of renovation and vintage equipment repair, we're ready to officially open the doors. The studio features an early 1970's trident a-range mixing desk (one of 13 in the world, we've had it re-capped and ultra-sonically cleaned in the last year), an mci 2" tape machine (as well as 1/2" & 1/4" two-track machines, & the 8-track 1/2" machine), a nice selection of vintage and new outboard gear (1950's stereo fairchild 670, vintage teletronix la-2a, urei 1176, ua 175, sony dre-s777, api mic pre's & eq's, and much much more), and a great selection of microphones (neumann u48, u87, a pair of coles 4038's, soundelux u95, plus all the standard utility mics). The studio consists of a good-sized control room, a live tracking room, a small lounge (with tv, fridge, coffee maker, microwave, bathroom), an isolation room, a mic locker/machine room, and a hallway that can be used as an isolation booth. There is also free wireless internet throughout the studio. Artists who have recorded in the studio include Elliott Smith, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the Elected, Troy Von Balthazar, & Peter Walker. We're working to get a website online soon, but in the meantime you can send us an email (newmonkeystudio@gmail.com) with any booking questions. A complete list of recording equipment and instruments is available for serious inquiries. The studio was purchased from the estate of Elliott Smith in august of 2004, and we're doing everything we can to make sure that this will always be Elliott’s place."

I can tell you that Joel & Robert are extraordinary people, with loads of heart and soul to offer. So go record with 'em already!!