7. The Beating Art Detroit & Remote — Present Day One of my goals in returning to music production was to bring back the challenge and enjoyment I had shaping audio for film, television, live events, and corporate storytelling. I wondered, with today's technology, what would that collaboration feel like? Last year, that opportunity arrived through a collaboration with Robert Schefman, a Detroit-based visual artist whose work includes a painting selected for the Smithsonian’s

6. Keith McKay: Unheard Voices College & New York City — Late 1970s / Early 1980s I met Keith McKay in college around 1978, introduced by my floormate Rob Aden, who lived a few doors down in my dorm. Kieth was an English Literature major from Paterson, New Jersey, with the soul of a songwriter and the quiet intensity of someone always listening a little deeper than the rest of us. Keith played a well-loved Yamaha acoustic guitar and drew inspiration from artists we both loved

“‘El Camino’, written by Amos Lee, is one of those songs that sits quietly in the back of my mind, resurfacing during moments of change or uncertainty. When I decided to cover it, I wasn’t interested in recreating the original — I wanted to expand on the emotional terrain that speaks to me. This new cover leans into atmosphere: wide-open pads, subtle rhythmic movement and cacophony. I wanted it to feel like a short drive through a complex landscape — reflective, and a little

Quadrasonic Studios, NYC — 1980 I was 21, a recent economics graduate who had spent more time in rehearsal rooms than in lectures. On weekends, I came to New York to play music with my late friend Keith McKay. One day, I saw an ad for a weekend course in audio engineering, offered by the Guitar Study Center. Why not? I signed up. The class was held at Quadrasonic Studios, just north of Times Square. I walked into the control room that first night, a little anxious but excited