Recording - August 2017 - 55

AUGUST 2017
TAXI Road Rally 2016

Getting Comfortable With Production
Michael Laskow, Moderator
PANELISTS

Carla Kay Barlow, Elizabeth Anne Mall,
Adriana Lycette, Doug Fenske, and
Patty Boss
The original idea for this panel was spawned by the
fact that I have four daughters, and I want them to
be anything they want to be in life.
With that in mind, I've anecdotally observed that
there are many more men involved in recording and
production than women, and I'd like to see everybody
who wants to be able to produce their music to be
able to do so!
That imbalance is evident in the purchases of audio
gear, home studio ownership, and even recording
and production-based magazine readership. Even the
TAXI TV viewership is heavily skewed toward men.
There are varying opinions as to the genesis of this
imbalance, but I don't want to get into that discussion here today. This isn't the right venue, we don't
have the time, and the purpose of this panel is to
encourage and empower people-no matter what
their gender- to learn how to record and produce
their own material so they can move forward much
faster.
Nobody's career in music should be held back because
they can't record their own material. The gear has
become much better, much less expensive, and much
easier to use than ever before, and I've invited these
awesome panelists to join us because they are all
terrific examples of what can be accomplished when
you simply jump into it.
Speaking of jumping into it, let's meet our panelists!
CK Barlow's work appears daily on television,
including placements on ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC,
CNN, HBO, Bravo, MTV, NatGeo, VH1, etc., plus
national ad campaigns. Her background includes
extensive indie rock and experimental electronics
performance plus a master's degree in music theory and composition. Her specialties in indie rock

(Left to Right) CK Barlow, Elizabeth Anne Mall, Adriana Lycette, Michael Laskow, Doug Fenske, and Patty Boss line up for a group
shot after their panel, Getting Comfortable With Production.

guitar, intricate electronica, and dramedy reflect
that background. She has created music for
dozens of indie film and theater projects, including the feature films Warrior Woman (2011) and
Roswell FM (2014). In addition to composing, she
teaches music technology at both the University of
NM and Montgomery College (Rockville, MD).
Elizabeth Anne Mall is a classically trained
musician who grew up in Kansas and learned to
play piano at 12-years old. Drawing from pop,
classical, and electronic influences, Elizabeth creates a unique musical experience. Her songs range
from cutting-edge indie-pop to thoughtful piano
ballads. The title of her new album Belle Laide is
taken from a French term used to describe unconventional beauty. Elizabeth responded to a TAXI
listing, which resulted in her meeting GrammyWinning, multi-platinum engineer/producer/
mixer Rob Chiarelli at the 2015 TAXI Road Rally.
She's now signed to his production company, The
Usual Suspects. Elizabeth engineered her record in
her home studio, and Chiarelli mixed it. Ladies
and gents, please welcome Elizabeth Anne Mall.
Adriana Lycetteis a multi-instrumentalist
recording artist currently based in Indianapolis,

Indiana. Her first self-titled independent album
was released in 2003, and she has continued writing and performing ever since. Over the past 10
years she has gained experience working with
musicians and engaging audiences as a music
leader of various church congregations, both
small and large, and in both English and Spanish.
Adriana is currently writing for film and TV,
actively collaborating with other artists/producers
on various projects, including instrumental tracks,
singer/songwriter songs, and artist cuts. I'm
happy to welcome Adriana Lycette to the panel.
Doug Fenskeis a Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum engineer/producer/mixer. He has
worked in Los Angeles, CA, since 2005 and has
been involved in several aspects of record production. Fenske has worked on a string of
commercially and critically successful albums,
including Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, Chris
Brown's Exclusive [The FOREVER Edition], Jamie
Foxx's Intuition, and Jordin Sparks's Jordin Sparks.
His production experience includes collaborations
with some of the music industry's most elite
artists, writers, producers, and engineers. Doug
now serves as Director of Education at Cre*8
Continued on page 56
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