Rodger Carter - Rave & Rant

09-04-07

I sleep with the windows wide open. The balcony of room 1919 looks out onto Scarborough Beach here in Perth… the last stop on this Australian Tour. I’ve had a good time over the last three weeks… met some music legends and made some nice friends. On this night, the hotel foyer is filled with singing voices. Most of the cast gathered around the bar piano to sing, drink and then drink some more… Artists and musicians doing what they love… making music. The Countdown Spectacular Tour was just that… and I’ll have fond memories of this adventure.

The Little River Band have so many great songs… well written and performed flawlessly night after night. I learned so much from talking and watching the three original members Beeb Birtles, Glen Shoorock & Graeham Gobel. My love for there music has been renewed.

I have crossed path’s with The Motel’s Martha Davis many times in L.A. but, this was the first time I got to hang out with her. What a phenomenal voice and an equally wonderful soul. Doug Fieger from The Knack rocked the house every night. Les McKeown from the Bay City Rollers is a great performer and bar mate… A glimpse to what it must have been like to have drinks with Keith Moon. I can call Samantha Fox, the guys from the band Supernaut, and John Paul Young friends now as well as the amazing singer Kate Ceberano… check out her new release “Nine Lime Avenue” when you get a chance at k ateceberano.com

The house band was led by the truly talented ( and impossible to stump in “Play That Tune”) Paul Gray. He was not only the musical director but, a highlight in the show as an artist performing his own originals. The house band that I was privileged to play with also included John Bettison on guitar, Carl Dewhurst on guitar, Nik Pringadi on keys, Chris Bekker on bass and the wonderful Wolfgramm Sisters (Kelly, Talei & Eliza) on background vocals… We will ALL be hearing a lot more from the sisters… easily, the stars of the show.

All in all, this 150 person tour of Australia was a great experience which often times felt like a dysfunctional summer camp. I hope to see my new friends again.

rc
Perth, AU

2-15-07

12-29-06

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Last week I saw an incredible band named "Naked To The World" at Genghis Cohen in Hollywood. The band is fronted by singer/songwriter Kevin Fisher and song after song, they delivered well crafted & lyrically intelligent folk- pop tunes... really great and worth checking out. nakedtotheworld.com

Recently I played drums on Hollywood Records recording artist Marie' Digby's new cd. Marie' (mar-ee-ay) and Producer Dave Bassett were so great to work with. Their catchy pop songs were made that much better with Marie's original sounding voice and piano playing. I am sure that we will all be hearing a lot from Marie' Digby in the near future. myspace.com/mariedigby

Funk, Hip-Hopping, Soul, Rap-Rockers, The Wylde Bunch and producer Dave Darling have been in The Doghouse mixing their new album... WOW... I love this band. Wylde Bunch is comprised of family members and life-long friends...a modern twist of Sly & The Family Stone. This South Central Los Angeles band is going to go the distance. Great musicians performing Great songs... They're holding all of the cards. wyldebunch.com

Take a listen to the new Brian Setzer release, "13" on Surfdog Records. The album features Setzer's trio lineup with Bernie Dressel on drums... these guys can ROCK!!! I am proud to say that "13" was mixed here at The Doghouse by producer Dave Darling along with some new Stray Cats music that Setzer has been working on. Brian Setzer... The Undisputed King Of Rockabilly!!! www.briansetzer.com

All The Best!

RC - Los Angeles

Amazing likeness?

07-14-05

Greetings...

The studio has been so busy and so much great music has been coming through here... here are some of the highlights...

Producer Dave Darling recorded yours truly on drums on a couple oftracks for the English Beat vocalist Dave Wakeling's solo project, including an acoustic version of his hit song "Sooner Or Later". Darling has also been in doing some editing for Brian Setzer's forthcoming cd.

Songwriter's Leah Andreone and Kevin Fisher has been in recording and developing some of their artist's and the sounds are amazing.

Rick Springfield is wrapping up the mixes for his live DVD/HD telecast shot earlier this year in Rockford, IL

Plastic Parachute recorded a new four song cd that is creating a lot of buzz here in L.A.

"Songs For Sanity" the 2nd cd from John 5 came through The Doghouse with Sidd Riggs producing. I was fortunate enough to play drums on a track that featured guest guitar legend Albert Lee. The CD is slatedfor a September 13th release.

My suggested listening... "Oh No, Bass Solo" by Matt Bissonette. A mind blowing display of various musical styles with only Matt on Bass and brother Gregg on drums... Truly AWESOME and available at: www.mattbissonette.com
All The Best, R.C. New York City

02-19-05

Recently the fabulous (and wacky) Fefe Dobson stopped by The Doghouse to record a new song with the working title of "Troubled Girl". This girl rocks and recording drums for her was a blast. She started the session by being very quiet and demure, but by nights end, we were all goofing off and having a great time. To check out this Island / Def Jam Recording Artist, go to: www.fefedobson.com

Last night The Rick Springfield band played a show in Rockford, Illinois that was filmed in the high definition format for HDTV. The sold-out concert, which was held in a beautiful old theater was a huge success with the audio that was being recorded to a remote Pro Tools rig sounding better than we all anticipated (I fired up the recordings of the show here at The Doghouse). I am not certain when this concert will air on HDNet TV but it will also be released on DVD at year's end... Stay tuned!!!

All The Best!

RC
Chicago, IL

01-17-05

Happy New Year everyone! My friend, Meredith Brooks, has recently been at The Doghouse wearing the producer hat and mixing an artist that she is working with named Bec Hollcraft.

I love what I have heard from Bec... well written pop songs with a heavy rock edge. I am sure that we will all be hearing a lot from Bec in the very near future. You can hear and see what Bec is up to at www.bechollcraft.com

I am also very happy to report that the new Squirts CD, Squirts II (Re-Squirted), is finally mixed and mastered. This time we brought the expertise of Dr. Dave Darling to the party to mix our new album and we all love the result... a "more mature Squirts" is a description of the new tunes that I have heard more than once.

Click thumbnail to pop-up the video of
"The Way That I See You" from the
new "Squirts II" CD!

Finally, In keeping with my rediscovery of CD's past... Bruce Hornsby's "Harbor Lights" disc has been living in my CD player and I truly LOVE every note. Hornsby has always been one of my favorite musicians and on this disc the trio consists of Hornsby, bass player Jimmy Haslip and drummer John Molo... and these guys can PLAY!!! There are also some great guest performances from Branford Marsalis, Pat Metheny and Bonnie Raitt. This collection was produced by Hornsby and also the first project to come out of his home recording studio.
"Harbor Lights"... Hear It! Buy It!

All The Best!

RC

11-22-04

Well it has finally arrived... The LIVE @ The Doghouse Session 1
Featuring Pauly Trudeau CD is now available here on this site. It is a ten song collection of well written pop songs recorded live here at The Doghouse. Pauly Trudeau is such a talented singer / songwriter and all the musician's played so great. This disc is worth checking out!

Rick Springfield continues recording his secret project here at The Doghouse and my home continues to fill with stuff from his home that he no longer uses in trade for my drum tracks. Leather club chairs and big screen televisions... I love the barter system.

Producer Dave Darling has been mixing Cindy Alexander's forth coming CD, Angels And Demons, here at The Doghouse. You can check out the super talented Miss Alexander at www.cindyalexander.com

Finally, Nancy O'Dell and crew were here to film a segment of Access Hollywood. Although I didn't see the show when it aired, I heard my dog Dudley got a second of air time... I need to get him an agent!!! He is very talented... you should see him do nothing!!!

Rick serenades Nancy O'Dell at The DOGHOUSE

Up And Running... The NEW Doghouse website is on line and I couldn't be more pleased. So many thank you's to the site designer, East Coast Jim Bullotta, for his talent, hard work and putting up with ALL my emails. Check back with us often for more cool things to see and hear!

All The Best
RC

9-28-04

The new showcase, "Live @ The Doghouse" kicked off last night with
singer/songwriter Pauly Trudeau performing a great set. Backed by
Holland McCrae on acoustic guitar, George Bernhardt on electric
guitar, John Billings on bass & yours truly on drums, Trudeau sat at
the piano and entertained the gathering of fellow musicians, industry
folks, family & friends with his original pop hooks. The set was
recorded live and will soon be released on CD as "Live @ The Doghouse -
Session 1". Stay tuned for October's artist and performance.

Rick Springfield and his dog Scooby (aka Gomer) have returned to The Doghouse and started recording some new tracks. Although a tight lip has been requested on this project, I can tell you that it sounds very cool and everyone is having a great time. Springfield's tour schedule resumes next week through New Years Eve.

Rehearsal's for John 5 and his "Vertigo" tour have started here at The Doghouse and we are excited to go on the road this Winter. The touring offers are coming in fast. Check www.john-5.com for details. Pick up the "Vertigo" CD and check out John on the cover of this month's Guitar Player magazine.

All The Best
RC

8-24-04

My good friend John Lowery (John 5) will have his first solo album, " Vertigo" released August 31st. It's a mixture of musical styles with John playing burning guitar throughout... VERY COOL!!! The CD's photo's were all shot at The Doghouse by famed photographer Mary Anne Bilham. Samples of her work can be seen at www.maryannebilham.com.

John and I are planning on going on the road later in the year to do some shows and play these new songs live. For more details on John 5 and " Vertigo", go to www.john-5.com.

Plastic Parachute, a cool band from Denver, was recently in The
Doghouse recording a new CD with Matty Spindel engineering. Deb Hooks,
the lead singer sounds great and is amazing live... I am certain you
will hear a lot from this band very soon. Check them out on the road if
you get a chance... www.plasticparachute.com.

Take a listen to Seal's new CD, "Seal IV". Back with producer Trevor Horn, this disc is awesome... GREAT SONGS, GREAT SOUNDS, GREAT MUSICIANS... Hear It - Buy It!!!

All The Best
RC
Los Angeles

7-21-04

I just came from jamming at "The Moondance Jam '04" in Walker,
Minnesota which is a week long outdoor rock festival. I had such a good time. John Waite, who is one of my all time favorite singers, performed a great set which had me singing along to EVERY song from the side of the stage.

After his show, I had the opportunity to hang out with John
on his bus and he spoke of his new record, "The Hard Way" that will be released in a few weeks. If you want to check out one of Rock And Roll's quintessential singers, go see Waite live and check out his website: www.johnwaiteonline.com

Huey Lewis & The News also played that night in Minnesota. Do you realize just how many hits those guys have had? What a great show!!! Bill Gibson, the original drummer, told me that most of the band and crew have been with Huey from the start... 25 years and longer. The nine piece band from the Bay Area performed their soul-influenced songs with such energy that it was apparent that they all still love jamming together. I am going out to buy "Sports" on CD to experience this band
once again.

All The Best,RC
From NYC

5-19-04

I have been on A LOT of airplanes lately and I truly don't know what I would do without my iPod. 3000+ songs and no need for batteries... the best invention since the George Foreman electric grill. I know that it is not a new release, but I have rediscovered the Ednaswap CD " Wonderland Park". I love this disc and have been blasting it into my ears while earning my frequent flyer miles. Anne Previn... definitely one of my favorite singers. An acoustic version of "Torn" can also be heard on Anne's website www.annetenna.com Natalie Imbruglia may have made people buy that song, but Anne (who actually wrote it with Scott Cutler) will make you FEEL IT!!!

Another CD that is a not-so-new release but totally worth checking out, is by Ricki Lee Jones. "It's Like This" is a collection of cover tunes that I just keep listening to. Great sounds and great musicians. Talk about space and air in recording music... this is a perfect example.

As Rick Springfield's tour presses on, he has stopped by The Doghouse to re-mix a really cool AC version of his song "Beautiful You" from the Shock Denial Anger Acceptance CD. "Beautiful You", which is the second single, was officially launched by a performance of the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Radio across the U.S. is starting to pick it up... Go ahead and request it from your local station.

John 5 (Marilyn Manson) will be shooting the cover of his solo CD here at the Doghouse... a studio full of topless models... should be interesting.

The Squirts second CD is near completion with George Bernhardt mixing it as we speak. Look for The Squirts II (RE-Squirted) later this year.

All the best!!!
RC
P.S. GO LAKERS!!!

4-20-04

This years VH1 Diva's show was on Sunday night live from Las Vegas and I thought it was great. Cyndi Lauper's duet with Patti Labelle on the song "Time After Time" stole the show. Isn't Patti Labelle amazing... a TRUE Diva. The "House" band that backed up every artist was led by Rickey Minor... Is there any live music on TV where Rickey isn't the musical director? The band was slamin' and it's a reminder of what a great bass player Rickey is. A friend of mine, Sharlotte Gibson, was in the background vocal trio and they were perfect as always. Joss Stone was truly brilliant as well... I dig her voice. I have been wearing out her CD "The Soul Sessions" in my car as I am stuck in all the L.A. traffic. A great collection of (cover) songs with some really cool sounds. Cindy Blackman's drums and drumming are perfect on this vintage sounding CD.

When you get a chance, check out the new Evan & Jaron CD "Cheaper By The Dozen" in stores now.

Rick Springfield's Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance Tour resumes on April 28th in Philly. You can go to www.Rickspringfield.com or www.Pollstar.com for complete tour details.

All the best,
RC