ECR Live : Studio Session Spotlight

by Mariel Lorenz & Dan McGurk

When you pull up to East Coast Recording Studio at 780 Falcon Drive, tucked away off of a Street Road industrial park in a Warminster, PA, you’ll see FUGE in huge letters above the entrance of the building. This was once part of the Naval Air Development Center Johnsville.  The centerpiece of this park was a centrifuge where future astronauts came to experience what the force of gravity felt like on their bodies. Technologies, like GPS, that we depend on so much today saw its development here too. Although the Navy has left the facility more than 20 years, the centrifuge is still there as part of an event space. Many companies have also moved in to set up shop, but one company here could raise a few eyebrows – a recording studio ran by a Grammy Award winning producer.

Levee Drivers at N.A.S.A. control?

East Coast Recording boasts an 1100 square foot live room. Not only could a band fit in here, but 50-70 of their friends as well.  ECR Live puts musicians at very close proximity to listeners giving them the opportunity to see where the magic happens.

Chelsea Mitchell - photo by Jeff Coon

Producer/engineer Matthew Phillips came up with the concept and runs the sessions.  According Matthew, "This idea of a live session was born out of going to bars, and seeing a bunch of great bands whose; recordings at the moment were just not that great. Many bands fall into this trap when they are starting out having little or no money to record, go into a really dingy studio on a shoestring budget and find out that mid to 3/4 of the way through the recording process that sonically this recording isn't good and now they have to just bite the bullet, and are ultimately left with a bad taste in their mouth when it comes the recording process. I thought there should be a way to bridge the gap between bands and the studio. So we would invite bands to come in a play a show in our Live Room, and record the entire performance. The studio would charge 15.00 admission, and in return all attendees would receive a copy of the performance that would be professionally mixed, and mastered by a Grammy winning studio. But here's the kicker, when the band receives their copy, they get 100% of the profits if they choose to sell it!"

In today's topsy-turvy economy, and the even worse music industry, a series like this idea by Matthew Phillips has taken off.  It is a fabulous way to connect with fans.  Not only can you see your favorite band in an intimate space, but you get the live recording from the show e-mailed to you at a later date.

To give you a better perspective on the Studio, let's hear the perspective from the bands: 

Levee Drivers at ECR

August John Lutz II - Levee Drivers
What did you expect going into ECR? To be honest, we had no idea what to expect. Levee Drivers had never recorded a live album at that point, let alone in front of an audience. We had a lot of faith in Matt Phillips though and that's why we agreed to this project.

Was it hard drawing a crowd to Warminster? We have a lot of friends and family around that area so it wasn't a problem for us. ECR also did a solid job at promoting our session because I remember talking with a few people who came out that night to support the studio and the people behind it.

House concerts and intimate shows are the growing trend to make connections with your fans.  Are shows with take home audio recordings the next step in securing that relationship? I think it's a huge leap from what I was used to growing up with. I remember going to shows when I was younger and not being allowed to record, tape or take pictures. The way technology has shifted and the growing popularity of house concerts and intimate shows in general, breaks down that wall for hardcore music fans who love collecting and listening to bootlegs. I think it's a great way for an artist's music to spread to a wider audience.

Here's a sample of the Levee Drivers session at ECR:

The Rivals at the controls

Here's a sample of The Rivals from their ECR session:

MaryLeigh Roohan

MaryLeigh Roohan

"Driving to the ECR session was unforgettable to say the least. My younger sister and I were navigating
through these vast, deserted parking lots and when we pulled up to The Fuge, I was certain we were about to live-out a twisted horror movie plot. The building itself is eerie in the middle of the day – something about it seemed dangerous.

We finally found a door that was opened and started looking for a sign that we were in the right place. Luckily, Matt found us.  He was extremely welcoming, warm and excited. After introducing us to the rest of the crew at ECR, we received a tour of the building, which was truly incredible. I’m a history nerd, so hearing The Fuge’s story was a lot of fun for me. I also found it very relaxing to spend time with the guys before recording.

Coming in from out of town is always a gamble. I’m never quite sure what will happen or who will come out to the show. Playing at ECR was definitely a great gig. I was able to play in front of people who I never would have met otherwise and because the environment is so intimate, I think I was able to make a more solid connection with everyone there. Also, Matt did a fantastic job with the recording - the sound is so rich and warm. He’s passionate and this series is his baby, which is why I think it is going to grow into something wonderful. Spread the word!"


Here's a track from MaryLeigh Roohan's ECR session: **

Joe Bues of Good People
How has it helped make a deeper connection with your fans?
The day of the session made a huge impact on our connection with our fans who came out. They got to see us perform and record the songs we had been working on the whole winter to that point. We also had the chance to explain the songs directly to these people who would later be able to listen back to the songs and think of that day. It was a really special experience that none of us will forget.

Any advice for future bands coming through?

We prepared all of our songs in an acoustic manner because we thought since it was going to be such an intimate setting it would go along with the mood and I think that it was a perfect decision. Also, we recorded 14 songs and out of those we chose 7 of the recordings to put on a cd and release as an acoustic ECR live session which is awesome because we can sell these CDs to help save up some money for a non-live studio album.

Any thoughts you'd like to share with the RDITS fans considering attending an ECR session ?

If a musician that you really enjoy is playing an ECR session check it out. If there is a band you have not heard of playing an ECR session- check it out. Matt has had excellent artists come through so far and I know who he has coming up will not disappoint anybody.


Dirty Dollhouse:

Dirty Dollhouse at ECR - photo by Jeff Coon

As a fan, it's really the best of both worlds.  First of course it is a live experience somewhere in between a gritty basement show and a nice comfy living room show.  These are full sets; rather than other intimate gigs where you get a brief set four or five song set, these go 45min to an hour.  You still have the opportunity to meet & talk to your favorite band playing ECR.  Let your inner fan-boy emerge here, as the fans are between the bands and the door.  Finally, the studio experience is great considering after the recording is finished you can tour the studio space, getting a behind the scenes view into how it all works!

At the recent Dirty Dollhouse set it was a great day for one lucky fan, as Chelsea Mitchell revealed a cover was by request for someone in the room!

Check out a recording from The Wallace Brothers at ECR:

Keep an eye out for more Saturday afternoon sessions set to be announced via Matthew Phillips on Twitter & Instagram @analog_mix_matt

Be sure to follow the ECR Soundcloud channel to hear the songs featured above and  

The sessions won't be limited to rock or folk, in fact the next session is the genre bending Commonwealth Choir.  Check them out on April 12th.