FLH Contributor Nobody Fresh came a cross an interview Mike E Clark did for Little Blonde’s Microphones. In this interview MEC discusses a variety of topics some of which are starting his own record label, releasing some limited  7″ 45’s of various artists (Mike E Clark, Mickey Avalon, Dan Diamond, Dolfish, Ty Stone), beginning to write music for the next ICP album,  and starting a new Studio project called “Zombies Rule!”. You can read the full interview below.

From Mikeeclark.com

Can you tell us a little bit about current projects you’re working on?

Im starting my own label called Electric Lab Recordings. 1st were releasing some limited  7″ 45’s of various artists (Mike E Clark, Mickey Avalon, Dan Diamond, Dolfish, Ty Stone, and more to come….these 7” records will be available at www.electriclabrecordings.com at end of July 2013 and are limited to 500 copies each.

ELR releases will be mainly my own personal studio projects im working on and producing . its an outlet for me and my productions. very much in the  D.I.Y (do it yourself) spirit.

i also just finished producing an audio book for my friend and author Steve Miller Its titled “Detroit Rock City” The Uncensored History Of Five Decades Of Rock & Roll In Americas Loudest City” and just came out last week.

Earlier this year i did the production on the new John Fogerty Album for a remake of the song titled “Born On The Bayou”  that features Kid Rock. that just came out! i have also begun writing music for the next ICP album i would imagine to be released sometime in 2014. I also will also be performing a live DJ PA set at this years 14th annual Gathering Of The Juggalos! oh, and starting a new Studio project called “Zombies Rule!”  that will be available at www.electriclabrecordings.com  this October. ALSO just released a limited 4 cd set of MEC studio instrumentals titled “Shocked Rhythms & (Damn Near) Speechless” available on iTunes and here

– Many artists have touring riders. Do you have a rider for the studio? Any absolute “must haves”?

Coffee. Tea, water & lemon juice (for vocalists)

– You’ve said before that you’re a big fan of vinyl records, can you explain why you like them as opposed to more modern technology? Do you still use them a lot for sampling?

Record albums (vinyl) remind me of being a kid. i grew up in the 1970’s. and my whole life revolved around record albums & 45’s. i would spend hours & days in record stores. vinyl records are so personal, they are something you can hold on to. mp’3 are so disposable. if your hard drive crash’s…there gone! its like they never existed.  i cant compare one to the other. they are not the same. i like both. i like the convinces of mp3’s , i do, but i love vinyl in a more personal way. i have turntables and records in almost every room of my house. i have them in my cabins up in northern Michigan. so, yea… i still will sample from them, cuts, scratches, a snare, a beat and or noise, a good Techniques-1200 and a LP is basically an instrument for me. and a great source of inspiration.

– You’ve been making music here in Detroit your whole career. Why is that? Do you feel that Detroit has something to offer that other music cities do not?

My family and friends are here. so this is where i want to be. Detroit has been good to me. its home. when i leave, i miss it so. i love the change in seasons. i love to travel. but i love to come back home to Michigan. there is defiantly is a vibe here (in Detroit) its a blue collar thing, a grind, working class people. many gray days here.  its hard to impress people in Detroit. so it makes you work a bit harder i guess, it can give you a “fuck you” attitude. and i like that. im all about it.

– What’s it like to hear the track “All Summer Long” and know that you made the song that people use for their summertime anthem for years and it is still going strong?

Its cool. It was just another day in my studio for me.  i’m constantly making tracks. I have thousands sitting on my hard drive and counting. i came up with the track and passed it along to Kid Rock. He made it famous. after Kid and Kracker wrote the lyrics and they finished it in the studio it became what it is. it was easy for me. too easy.

– Are there any producers/engineers/mixers you admire and seek out for advice?

No. not at the moment….well,  actually, my friend Al Sutton. he is great. i been working with him a lot out at Kid Rocks studio for the past few years and he inspires me a bit. He is super smart and shows me alot of technical shit. Al is the owner of Rust Belt Studio in Royal Oak Mi.

– Many producers have a hard time separating work from personal life. How do you handle that issue? Do you take work home or do you feel the breaks help you create better art?

My studio is in my home, so yea.. Its my favorite place to be. Everything i do is based around music in some way, im always doing something different but it is always music related. Sometime i write, program, record, produce or just engineer for someone, i do remixes, Sometimes i will perform a live P.A. gig somewhere or go on tour with ICP as there DJ, I go out to a concerts. Sometimes i go work out at Kid Rock’s studio for a few months and help out on what he is working on.

The fact that i can change it up so much dose help when i come back to the table to create and write a track, music and or song.

– How do you resolve differences in the studio? When artists don’t agree with the direction, how do you work things out?

I dont really have that problem often  . I’m willing to try many different things in the studio,  if need be.  Im not pushy. My goal in any session is to help the artist create there vision. I know when to get out of the way and i know when to shine a light to make it clearer. at best. Its usually whoever is paying the bill gets the last word anyway.

– What are your favorite pieces of recording gear? 

I like my Shadow Hills mic pre’s alot. also Al Sutton makes a great compressor called the Acme Opticom XLA-3 i like alot and of corse my Distressor EL8 .

– How were you first introduced to Little Blondie Microphones?

I met Tom Kozup at a show and he sent me a set

– What was your first impression of the Blondies?

I was amazed at there size.

– How do you typically use them in the studio? Do you prefer certain mics for certain instruments?

I put the Little Blondies on my upright piano in my studio and have never taken them down since! i love them.  if you listen to the upcoming ELR-004  7″ release titled “Simple Man” by an artist im working with named Dolfish you will hear them.

When recording drums i mostly use 421’s on my toms , i like to use a pair Cole ribbon mic’s for room mics. place around. i move em around for different sound. depending on the song and or drummer.  I use a u87 thru Shadow Hills mic pre thru EL8  for vocal. I been using my aka 414’s on guitar amps latley. sometime sm-57 ‘s .I change it up a lot.

– Do you have any memorable “blonde moments” in the studio you can share with us?

Yes. I had them on my piano and recorded them picking up the drums from about 8 feet away and got a really cool drum room effect. it was totally by accident that those mics were “on” and going to “tape” . i ended up mixing them into the track. im going to try that same effect with a brick holding down the piano sustaining pedal tomorrow when Dolfish comes back in to record.  Maybe we will blast an amp into the piano with the blondes picking that up. hmmmmm

– What advice would you give to future producers or engineers?

When starting out , Not everything you do is going to be great. dont be afraid to “suck” do it anyway!. Sometimes you have to go thru the “wackness” to get to the good shit you got inside you. Its a process, like a roll of Lifesavers… You got to get thru the pianapple and green and orange before you get to the cherry. . shut up and listen! you never know who (or where) you can learn from. Don’t be an arrogant dick. Don’t be a “know it all” when you don’t know shit.  If your in a recording studio and someone else is flipping the bill. speak only when spoken to. your opinion is exactly that.

When EQ’ing a instrument/track in a song, EQ is best used to blend or to fix a fucked up recording. (that hopefully you didnt do) not make a great one.  Less is more! Record an instrument the way u want it to sound. dont “fix it in the mix”. because If its “shit” going in, its most likely to be “shit” coming out. …. bla bla bla…

– What is your favorite part of your job? 

creating something then actually liking it afterward. meeting interesting and creative people with a like mind. and lastly, meeting freaks like you if you actually read this fucking interview! LOL oh. … and making alot of noise!

 

Contributors:

• Nobody Fresh

Websites:

• mikeeclark.com