Here are ZiG's comments on some of the CD projects he's produced and recorded:
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I met Rachel in Nashville; she was singing country demos. She's an excellent studio singer and a lot of studios and songwriters use her. I knew she sang and wrote in Spanish as well. Then I saw her live -- she sings Stevie Nicks, Aretha, Zeppelin. She's a very hard blues rock singer with range and power. So we started writing and recording together and it's going in a cool direction. The first group of songs came out kinda blues rock, similar to Los Lonely Boys. Andy Most played electric, Dave Francis on bass, Marshall Richardson on drums, me on acoustic, and Eddy Iruh on keys. Rachel's live band always has some great Nashville players too. Que Vamos Hacer |
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"Gallery" is King's 2nd full-length CD and we also did an EP. The songs for both the EP and CD were cut with King's band, which was changing members at the time, so we used two different bass players and drummers. Dwayne Bollmyer was the constant member on electric, and, of course, with King on acoustic and vocals. "Gimme What I Came For" is a good band groove and Dwayne plays some hot fills (hot filling). I played wurlitzer on "Go With Me" to make it a little muddier. It's a pret ty song. King is a singer, not a droner. I still consider him country because of his roots, but there are some other things going on here. Go With Me |
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Ty played acoustic with Garth Brooks in the early days. He then got his own deal on Capitol-Nashville, had a few releases, a few hits, then ended up on indie labels doing his own thing from Oklahoma. He still has a lot of gigs and a lot of fans. Shawna Russell and Tim Russell play shows with Ty regularly. Ty has a nice, pure and simple country voice like George Strait. We cut these songs with Billy Thomas (drums), Dave Francis (bass), and Doug Grieves (electric), and Mike Daly (steel). I played acoustic. The "Redneck" song grooves pretty hard and Doug funked it up with telecaster. All the songs were about hunting and guns for a CD project with that theme. They're working on cutting more songs with that subject matter back in Oklahoma.
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James Hinds (the lead singer at Cowboys Red River in Dallas) told me about Shawna. She cut one of the songs Stephany Delray wrote with Radney Foster, "Bigger Than Both Of Us", and did a great job. Later I saw Shawna at a club in Oklahoma City. She's a powerful country singer with soul - a good, young performer with a good band. Her dad played electric and her uncle, Tim Russell, played bass, so she grew up around music, singing and playing. This latest group of songs was cut in Nashville in the spring of '05. I used the same guys that played on Ty's songs -- Billy Thomas (he's played with Vince Gill, McBride And The Ride, Little River Band), Dave Francis (Leroy Parnell), Mike Daly (Pat Green, Hank Jr), and Dug Grieves. "Night After Night" is an old Leroy Parnell song that was one of Shawna's favorites. She sings it great. We also cut another one of Stephany's songs, "Moments In Between", and a song that Tim and Shawna found called "A Little Bit Of Both". |
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I first heard Chantri through Dewayne Johnson in Granbury -- thanks Dewayne. Chantri's a very good singer who is also very young. I think she nails these first four songs. We went with these songs because they have energy and they fit her voice. She's already been getting good response & is building fans & followers. Hooked |
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JD has become our friend and one of my favorite writers. This guy is like Willie, Harlan, Kristofferson, Guy Clark, John Prine, Roger Miller, and others on that level. He's sad, sweet, funny, dark, inspiring, clever...on and on. He was a singer and songwriter in the 70's -- he wrote for Marty Robbins. Then, since the 80s, he's been in radio and advertising. We've recorded several CDs of him singing his own songs. He kinda sounds like Don Williams or Tom T Hall, and I've also demoed some of his songs with session singers. We recently started our publishing company together and I'm using some of his songs on upcoming projects. I believe he could have a breakthrough hit with a big mainstream artist like George Strait or Tim McGraw. JD has a huge heart that comes through in his songs, and he loves country music. The sample song here is just JD and acoustic guitar singing "Show Me How" -- it's the calibur of songs he writes. Show Me How |
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Jordan is a Texas singer/ songwriter that has some of that Jerry Jeff sloppiness and also some more rocky sounds. He plays Woody's, and Poor David's, and the White Elephant, and many other places. He's an interesting writer and he also did a few songs by Owen Temple, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Mack, Stephany Delray, and James Hinds. This was another CD I produced on Ah Records. One Less Thing Airports and Ferris Wheels was the second project Jordan and I did.... It took Jordy a few years to build up enough songs for this CD but I think he has some killers on here. "The Lost Son of Johnny Horton" should speak to Willie and Merle and Jerry Jeff as well as all the young Texas artists out there. Then there's "Peppermint Grove"- pretty strange. "Gate 32" is a collection of random thoughts Jordan has as he watches people waiting at an airport. The "Ferris Wheel" title comes from the song "Mary", a bizarre story of a woman who feels like people have used her. Gate 32 "Memphis" is a great song about places (Ft Worth, Memphis, Key West), but more than that it's about being there and living. This CD is by no means slick. But it's real like some of the sloppy records by Bob Dylan or Willie. And like them, I think Jordy cuts through the roughness with something to say. We used Jordy's band at the time - John and JW - rather than session players. I played some electric. Andy Most, Mike Daly, and Justin Schipper played some lead and slide in Nashvegas. Roger Ray added some steel and dobro in Texas. Phil Pritchett and Kurt South sang some background vocals that were good but ended up way, way in the background. Jordan's mom, Sally, sang background on "Memphis" and Wendy Mazur (engineer) also sang on a few. And there is a special guest appearance by Buster the Bird on "Piece Of Art". Jordan is a unique, talented songwriter with some thoughtful things to say. __________________________________________________________________
Tyler came through Nashville on his way from Missouri to Florida and cut this CD with me. He played acoustic and wrote all the songs. His lyrics are edgy, with a sense of humor. His voice is a little like Dave Matthews or even Prince. Dave Francis played upright bass on "The Richest Man in Tennessee". Sometimes a guy who lives in a cardboard box might have a dog for a pet. I95 |
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We've been getting some good airplay on three or four Texas stations, including "The Ranch" in DFW, with "8 Seconds" and "The Letter". And Eric was a guest on 92.6fm, playing his songs and telling his story. Eric was a young singer and songwriter who played around Arlington back in the '80s. I reconnected with him in 2004 and produced some of the more recent songs he's been writing. We cut this CD in Nashville with Billy Thomas (drums), Dow Tomlin (bass), Andy Most (electric), and David Russell (fiddle). Then Eric did his vocals in Texas and also brought fiddler, Eric Tull, to add on some parts. 8 Seconds |
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Clay filled up 8 CDs of talking about how to outsource human resources and I listened, and edited it, and made him sound good. It was interesting learning about payroll and regulations and zzzzzzzzzZZZZZZ. Oh, sorry Clay, I dosed off again, what were you saying? No, I'm just kidding, Clay is funny and has a good sense of humor and that's why so many people go to his seminars and like his CDs. He makes several jokes on the CDs about the material being so boring that the sound engineer falling asleep. Anyway I've always wanted to say this: "I really like working with Clay". (no audio clip available)
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I always had a good time whenever I worked on songs with Bojanna and Meachie. Her vocal style can change from very soft, pretty pop/R&B, to very young pop/rock -- Christina, Britany and Avril Lavine, and sometimes a little like Sheryl Crow. She's a great demo singer because she can make her voice fit the song. She's sung a few demos for me and does a consistently good job. She also has a lot of range. Her original songs go from rocky to soft, R&B-ish, and she has a few that are
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Charis writes and sings songs about rodeo and bulls and horses. Then there's one song about her "yankee dog". Her sound is Americana -- a Texas singer-songwriter with stories in her songs. In addition to this CD, we also recorded some songs that she wrote for the American Quarterhorse Association. She performs at the usual Texas music places, and also at rodeo organizations and events. The players were Dave Francis (bass), Andy Most (electric), and me on acoustic and piano. Drums: Wayne Killius on half and Marshall Richardson on half. Charis also played some acoustic guitar and harmonica. Yankee Dog |
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Nathan is a laid back, southern, country blues songwriter that reminds us a little of JJ Cale, and we know that Nathan is, in fact, a fan of JJ's. A few examples are "Mini Van Blues", which is about a guy who gets talked into buying a minivan instead of a cool car, and "Saw Your Picture" that has kind of a Clapton/ 60's rock feel. Nathan played acoustic and sang. His CD features drummers Mike Verbic and Marshall Richardson, Justin Schipper on electric and some excellent slide, Steve Banic on B-3, and Dow Tomlin on bass. I played some electric blues too. |
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Missing Manchester is based around the vocals and songwriting of Matt Dorrien. Matt's songs have strong melodies and poetic lyrics. I think he's quite a talent. Matt grew up in Long Island and then later moved with his family to L.A., where he now lives and writes. He played all his own piano tracks and some nice acoustic guitar tracks, and did all the lead and backup vocals. He's a little influenced by Elliot Smith, which I can hear, but I also think Paul Simon (and Simon and Garfunkel), and Nick Drake, and Elton John too. The other acoustic and electric guitars were played by Justin Crowe who did a great job. And So We Left |
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Dianna wrote all of the songs on this CD. They're modern but sometimes a little bit 80s/new wave-ish. Her influences include Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion -- mostly pop, but with a few country influences mixed in there as well. She writes everything from fantasy, as in "Magic Glass Ball", to tough-girl pop, like "If That's What You Want". This was a fun project with lots of groovy, poppy songs. The players were Chuck Tilley (drums), Dave Francis (bass), Andy Most (electric guitar), Dug Grieves (electric). I also played acoustic & keyboards. If That's What You Want
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I must admit that I was not a big fan of 80's hair band rock. I liked Zeppelin and Van Halen, but then skipped to Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I did like a few songs by Mr Big in the 80s. Ywain (Trison Stevens), on first listen, sounded like Skid Row and those kinds of bands, so this project was a challenge to record in 2004 and get the feel of some of those heavy '80s cuts. Trison also has a little Skynyrd/ southern rock that sneaks in sometimes and a little funky acoustic vibe on a few songs. But all together there are at least four power ballads in the '80s style. Andy Most played some monster soaring, melodic rock leads on these songs. Drums were split between Billy Thomas and Marshall Richardson with Billy playing most of the big ballads. Bass was split between Dave Francis and the great Jimmy Carter. Trison is a very commercial writer -- several of these songs have the sound of a big hit. I Can'r Again
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Randy is nice, funny guy that loves country music. I'd say his style is like country radio, similar to Diamond Rio, George Strait, Kenny Chesney. He did a good job of changing the direction of some of these songs from the original demos. There were a few smoking guitar parts from JT Corenflos and Kerry Marx. The drums and bass are from the days of the great Greg Morrow and Jimmy Carter. This project also features Mike Johnson on steel and Jim Brown on keys. Love Is Takin' Over |
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Eddy wanted to do a CD of songs that he had written about the internet, with titles like "Instant Messenger", "Cyberboogie", and "Undo". Then he also had some other songs about cowboys and, of course, love. So there you have it. It was a fun, crazy project. Wendy and Eddy and the players and I all laughed and had a good time. Steve Holland had to play the perfect drum fill to lead us in after 7 beats, or 5 beats, or 2 & 1/2 beats, or whatever. We got Steve to add some extra bongos and shakers and percussion on these songs too. Eddy is such a sweet guy and his songs are very thoughtful. He also played his own acoustic tracks. Rachel Rodriguez sang backups on a few too. I'm ready for the sequel. Laters, No Goodbyes
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Shane is a Texas artist all the way. He wrote all these songs and played acoustic guitar on the session. Shane plays with a groove - strong bass and drums - not just the heavy acoustic like a lot of singer-songwriters. When I last talked to him, he was playing in Mingus, Lewisville, Ft. Worth, and a few others. This was cut with most of the usual players plus Russ Pahl played some great steel and electric. Startin' Tonight
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These guys cut part of the CD in Texas (at Color House) and part in Nashville (at Grey House). Smith Street is strange and vague and spaced out, in a good way. They let me play some 'guest electric guitar' on this project. They got a lot of publicity on MP3.com for their song "A Cry for Peace". Wendy did the artwork, as well as engineering. Cry For Peace |
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'Tim of the frozen north' is a writer that has songs with substance. Hang On To Your Soul was the 1st project we did together. I helped him find a group of players to get his sound...Pasi, Andy Most and Pat Lassiter. I love Russ Paul's steel on 'Mama Can You Tell Me' even though some misguided CD reviewer DIDN'T love it. I also met Timothy Jr. and Olivia who did Tim's photography. Hang On To Your Soul The Unbroken Road was the second project we did. We cut this stuff with another, similar great band - Russ Paul, Andy Most, Dave Frances, Pasi Leppikangas, and Randy McCormick; Tim played his own acoustics. We often eat (and talk) at Chili's and Calypso when he's in town and we're working on a project. Mama Can You Tell Me |
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Happy Valentine's Day - This is a few of my 'mellow' acoustic guitar instrumentals that I've been accumulating through the years. Anderson Page plays percussion and the rest is me. Wendy did the beautiful CD cover. Ande Page and Stephany Delray wrote a few of the songs and the rest are my loose jams, improvising over the changes. |
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The first song I heard Libby sing was "At Last", the old Etta James song, and she sang it great. Libby has a big voice. We cut three songs that came out nicely, and we wrote one together. Libby is from Texas and graduated from UT. Her style is kinda country and kinda bluesy. My favorite is "Love Will Bring You Back" which was written by Stephany Delray. Love Will Bring You Back |
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Frankie was an exceptional keyboard player that could play with almost anyone at age 21 - and also a great singer and writer and performer. I filled in for his guitar player for a week at a club down in 'deep elum'(Dallas) because I knew his originals from working on them in the studio. We did everything from Lenny Kravitz and Matchbox to Elvis and Frank Sinatra. Frankie's from Santa Cruz, came to Nashville for a few years, then moved to Las Vegas 'cause he was playing there half the time anyway. His band is cookin'- high energy. First CD - On this project we had a great, funky rhythm section - Chuck Tilley, Dave Francis, Andy Most, Frankie on piano, and real horns and the songs were kinda 'retro'. So I took the approach of mixing it somewhat like the old rock and r&b records - with drums panned to one side and horns on the other- for effect. Many of Frankie's songs were co-written with John BT Brunelle and Mark Gilbert. Dewey Dorough's solo on "Back it Up" cracks me up. "29 Royal Street" is a one take piano solo. I'll Back It Up 2nd CD - On this CD, Frankie was writing more modern rock - (same co-writers) and we cut it more like a contemporary project. We used the same rhythm section, then added Frankie's band on some parts. It was mixed and mastered in Vegas by Lou Salveson. I love "Cold Cruel World" - I played electric on it, and acoustic on "Comin' and Goin'". "Pink Lemonade" is like Kool and the Gang or Average White Band. Uncle Joe (Moreno) has some good sax solos. Cold Cruel World
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I've seen Four Higher live at a club in Arlington and they rocked, and they had a great following. Their sound is pretty hard alternative rock - bass, drums, and three driving guitars. Lead singer Paul Mendez's "Paulosophy" is an example of Four Higher's lyrics. I had a good time recording them at Color House with Wendy's help. Several of the band members are also writing and performing acoustically around Ft Worth as 'The Professional Nobodies' . Paulosophy |
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Marcus is a Dallas singer that's originally from California. He found some interesting songs from various writers and publishers. I've seen him do a few songs live at the Grapevine Opry - he sounds good and really goes over well with the audience. The studio band was Doug Grieves, Wayne Killius, Don Johnson, Hoot Hester, and me. "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda" was originally cut by the Derailers. 'Me and John and Paul' could be a hit for Marcus in the Randy Travis tradition. Woulda Coulda Shoulda |
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Tenneil's a Texas country/rock singer. I saw (heard) her sing at Billy Bob's. She's a knock out with a big voice (and a great family). JD Gray wrote 'Turn on the Light'. We also cut songs by Monty Montgomery and Susan Gibson. She's been to Nashville and back - figuratively and literally. Turn On The Light |
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This CD is basically a compilation of Steph's demos during the years that she was signed with Warner/Reprise. Almost all of these were cut with JT Corenflos, Jimmy Carter, Gregg Morrow(sometimes Tommy Hardin) and Hoot Hester. Stephany is originally from Hurst, Texas. Since she's been in Nashville, she's written for Sony/Tree, Music Daily, Warner/Chappell, High Seas, and EMI. She's had cuts on Chely Wright and others. She also has songs on several of Radney Foster's CDs, and on a lot of Texas artists. Red River
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King's from Decatur TX and went to UT (Texas not Tennessee). This guy's got a big truck. I visited King whenever I was in Austin and we'd write. The "That's It" album was the first CD on Ah Records -- Jane Alexander heard King and got us together. Jerry Kimbro plays some killer wah-wah on "Sensational" and I still love the "Horse" song. King is a real country artist that will do well on mainstream country radio and/or in Texas. He's a good live performer and plays regularly. (Tom's an alright guy too.) A Horse Named Goodbye |
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I co-produced this project with my friend Ken Bradford. Ken's from L.A.. He lived in Nashville for about 5 years, then ended up in Orlando. He's a good drummer and engineer. We've worked on pop stuff together but this is our first time to do a country project together. We cut most of the basic tracks in Nashville at Grey House with Billy Thomas (McBride and the Ride), Mike Lusk, Kerry Marx and me on acoustic. Then we overdubbed the girls' parts and mixed at ARS in Orlando (with Sam). Ken and I produced 6 songs and 6 others were done by Joe Smith (Backstreet Boys). Missy did the lead vocals with a young pop direction but now moving toward country. Jessy is an excellent fiddle player that plays blues, rock and bluegrass - and she's a good back up singer that also has a nice lead voice. Hooked |
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Andrew and his brother James are from Sudan and they've taught me about reggae. They are funny and sweet guys. On one song Andrew plays a small hand harp that he made - it has a very unique sound. Dave Francis played some reggae bass. Steve Holland played reggae drums, plus we used loops, plus Andrew's percussion, Andy Most played electric reggae guitar. ZIG played reggae organ and synth and acoustic guitar. Andrew's second cd - from his real life experience, Andrew writes clever and sincere songs about the civil wars of Sudan, Ruwanda and the struggles of the people - commentary with a groove. Wendy did the covers and helped me do the 'reggae' mix. I played acoustic on "Anyanya 5" Jah Alter Anyanya 5
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Carla performs her comedy songs and her stand up act with her 'rock & roll puppets' all over - Nashville, Vegas, NY, and Great Britain. She's had several TV appearances and she's been an intern at MTV. Her masterpiece "I Love Animals" rose to #2 on Dr. Demento's chart. 'Andylicious' played rock guitar and 'Wendylicious' engineered. |
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I co-produced this project with my ol' friend Anderson Page. 11-11 is comprised of Anderson and lead singer Darryl Yokochi (Daryo). They wrote most of the songs - Stephany Delray and I helped them write a few. Guitarist Brett Ratner laid down some guest tracks. Darryl is a great singer. We also used a few sound effects here and there. "Home" is just Darryl playing grand piano and singing with some rain in the background. Her Name
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Eden Mike and Candace recorded this at their home studio on ADATs and I helped with a few vocals and mostly with mastering. They've played around for years in the Cleveland area. I love this band that sadly broke up after just one CD. Mike Verbic is a really good drummer, and engineer (and he helped me repair my broken door). Candice has a strong voice and wrote some nice songs and played bass. The 'other' Mike (Muratore) also had some good songs, guitar parts and vocals. They're each doing separate bands now. Fall From Grace
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Patti Clark Barnett Patti has written some funny and thoughtful songs - she's a storyteller. I love "The Burbs" and "Extended Family" in particular. She writes about what's happening in the world at any given moment, as well as what she's been through in her own life. She has an earthy, folky, country voice like Loretta Lynn or Iris Dement - it's real. Patti and Stan are smart, talented, sincere people. I also have a beautiful pastel drawing of an American Indian child that Patti gave me. The Burbs
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Robbins 'N' Jones These guys probably get tired of people always saying this but - they are both Deputy Sheriffs in West Virginia. There, I've said it again. They gig around their area and also travel some. "Mining Town" is a kickass song (all songs written by Bryan and Chad), it's real and true...and has gotten some airplay. We had great players on this project: Chuck Tilley, Wayne Killius, Dennis Wage, Ronnie Godfrey, Hoot Hester, Jerry Kimbro, Russ Paul. Chad and Bryan turned me on to their friend Jerry Flowers to play some killer bass (Jerry's played with the Ranch and the Dixie Chicks and others). This is the third CD I produced on What? Records.
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Sky Taylor This was another project that I co-produced with Ande Page. We used Sky's band, with Brett Ratner on electric guitar. Then Ande played keys and percussion and I played some additional acoustic parts. Sky wrote all the songs. "You're Too Late" has a rough, 'Hendrix' feel to it. You're Too Late |
Rachel Rodriguez 
King Cone
Ty England 
Shawna Russell 
Chantri Harper 
JD Gr ay 
Jordan Mycoskie
Tyler Stock
Eldon Hunt 
Eric Day 
Bojanna
Charis Thorsell
Nathan Stamps 
Missing Manchester
Dianna McNolty 
Ywain
Randy Jack 
Eddy Reno 
Shane Mallory 
Smith Street Compass
Tim Gurshin 
zig
Stella64
Libby Broadnax
Frankie Moreno
Four Higher 
Marcus Leary 
Tenneil 
Stephany Delray
King Cone
Jessy and Melissa Rae
Kitara Psalm Sixty-Eight
Carla Rhodes
11-11
Engineers that have worked with ZiG are Mike Verbic, Wendy Mazur, Ande Page, Terry Brill, Jamie Owens, Chris Hughs, Chuck Pfaff, Rick Robinette, Andy "Sheepdog" Bloomberg, Mike Boyle, Nathan Blanchard, and Skylor Morgan in Nashville - and Rich Treat(his real name) in Texas.
Sometimes ZiG does his own mastering - sometimes not.
Wendy Mazur also designs CD inserts and websites for some artists.
Here's a partial list of the players and singers
we've used on our demos and CD projects:
Billy Thomas/ Dave Francis/ Chuck Tilley/ Jimmy Carter/ Andy Most/ Marshall Richardson/ Chris Autry/ Mike Verbic/ Denny Hemingson/ Justin Schipper/ Jenn Franklin/ Mike Lusk/ Deannie Richardson/ Steve Banik/ JT Corenflos/ Frankie Moreno/ Russ Paul/ Wayne Killius/ Steve Holland/ Pasi Leppikangas/ Dug Grieves/ Jerry Kimbro/ Jerry Flowers/ Dennis Wage/ Scott Hallgren/ Ryan Hoyle/ Don Johnson/ Hoot Hester/ Ward Stout/ Mike Johnson/ Jim Brown/ Tommy Harden/ David Russell/ Kerry Marx/ Katherine Styron/ Mike Rojas/ Dennis Belfield/ Brett Ratner/ Pat Buchanan/ Gary Carter/ Barry Walsh/ Gregg Morrow/ Marty Dillingham/ Ed Greene/ Steve Dudash/ Steve Fishell/ John Gardner/ Ronnie Godfrey/ Randy Hardison/ Gary Hogue/ Bill Hullett/ Troy Lancaster/ Pat Lassiter/ Jeff King/ Randy McCormick/ Roger Morris/ Walt Cunningham/ Gary Morse/ Bob Mummert/ Gary Oleyar/ Bob Patin/ Dave Pomeroy/ Scotty Sanders/ Tommy Hanum/ Pat Severs/ Mike Severs/ Steve Turner/ Bruce Watkins/ Jonathan Yudkin/ Ken Bradford/ Anderson Page/ Steve Rhian/ Jason Pitts/ Stephany Delray/ Rachel Rodriquez/ Willie Mack/ Alyse Sands/ Jim Hoke/ Danny Parks/ Bobby Ogdin/ Michael Joyce/ Tim Buppert/ Buddy Jewel/ Monty Allen/ Damon Gray/ Ron Wallace/ Donna McElroy/ Eddie Clayton/ Steve Fox/ and others........and there are many others that Zig has worked with on demos and projects at other studios through the years.
11.05.2009 03:04:33
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