TRCoA's Singer/Songwriter Competition 2013 Announcement

About the Event... 

 

The Singer Songwritter Competition is an annual event where the best undiscovered singer/songwriters in the country compete to win hundreds of studio hours (and other prizes like a personal audition for The Voice). 

Submissions for the competition start in September and we wrap up the event in December with a showcase of the top 4 artists at Mohawk.

Our students roadie, mix and record the live event, and when the winners come to Stinson Studios, the students assist in the recording, mixing and mastering of the finished productions.

As an Audio Engineering School, we strive to connect our students with the music community and vice versa. That is why this year, we're offering the first place winner the option of 75 hours of studio time or a full scholarship to our Beginning Audio Engineering Program (BAE) on top of the other great prizes. BAE is a comprehensive program that is designed to teach you everything you would need to know to function as an audio engineer in a professional recording studio. 

We're proud and excited to announce the opening of our 2013 Singer/Songwriter Competition (SSC)! National artist submissions are now open! Enter here...  

The Panel... 

In addition to putting on a great showcase, we'll be holding a panel open to the public prior to our showcase from 6pm-7pm with our highly acclaimed Judges. This panel will be a music industry boot camp focused on providing information to aspiring artists, producers and engineers

Meet the Judges... 

CJ Eiriksson

CJ Eiriksson - Grammy nominated producer/mixer/engineer/songwriter, managed by Sandy Roberton of World’s End, has a discography that includes U2, Matchbox Twenty, Jack’s Mannequin, The Rocket Summer, Hoobastank, LIVE, Incubus, Phish and many, many more. He’s also governor for the Texas chapter of the Recording Academy.

CJ will also be working with the first place SSC winner for one day at TRCoA on the production of a song!

 
Stuart Sullivan - Producer and recording engineer in Austin, Texas. He is founder, owner and engineer of Wire Recording in south central Austin where he has recorded and worked with talent including Paul Leary, Sublime, Butthole Surfers, Canvas and Meat Puppets.

In addition to making so many hit records, Stuart is one of the nicest guys in the business, often bringing in outside engineers to use the studio in hopes of Wire Recording Studio "developing a sense of community and taking a progressive movement forward into professional service.^"

Ken Tondre - Ken is the owner and co-founder of The Compound Music Group, a drummer for life who is equally at home on the road or behind the console. While he is currently playing to several hundred thousand fans a year as the drummer and band leader for well-known Texas artist, Kevin Fowler (Average Joe’s Ent.), he worked his way up the music business ladder from the bottom rung and has earned his reputation as an insightful producer.

 
David Messier - Governor of Texas Chapter of Grammy's, Producer & Engineer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and owner of Same Sky Studios in Austin, TX.

 An artist said of working with David:

“Our lives may have inspired the songs, but David was the muse for the record itself. At every stage of recording, he generated an electric environment positively clipping with creative energy. He dove in during pre-production and suggested new arrangements that vamped the impact of each tune way up. When we turned our attention to individual parts, David's innovation and downright wackiness was so boundless that we were able to imagine sounds and melodies beyond the parts we had previously been so attached to. The results were often surprising, always fun, and never less than beautiful.” -Mackenzie Outlund This Blue Heaven

Don't forget to enter! See you there!Recording School

The Recording Conservatory of Austin Announces 2013 Unsigned Artist Competition

Austin, TX

In conjunction with GC Pro, NBC's "The Voice", IK Multimedia, McDSP, Bandzoogle, Austin Music Foundation, Stubb's Bar-B-Q, and  Stinson Recording Studios we are proud to announce The Recording Conservatory of Austin's 7th Annual Unsigned Artist Competition!

The best unsigned music artists in the country will compete for 100 free hours of studio time and other prizes! Contestants will be seen and heard by some of the most important music industry representatives in the country.

The top 4 finalists will showcase at Stubb's for Music Legend Tim Palmer and two yet undisclosed major record label representatives! Stay tuned for details.

Tim Palmer, produced and mixed albums for a huge selection of classic and alternative artists, from Robert Plant, David Bowie and Tears For Fears to Ozzy Osbourne, Goo Goo Dolls and U2. In 1989 Tim mixed 'TEN' for Pearl Jam, which is now in the top 50 best album sellers in US history.

The first step is to register your band for the contest. TRCoA will choose the 30 bands to compete to be one of the 4 bands selected by fan voting, to play at the Stubb's showcase.                             

Prizes

1st Place: 100 studio hours at Stinson Studios, Spend a day at TRCOA working on your song with legendary producer Tim Palmer! Private audition for NBC'S The Voice; Pro Tools MBox with Pro Tools Express; IK Multimedia Total Studio 3 bundle; iRig KEYS; iRig MIX; iRig MIC; 2 years of a PRO Bandzoogle subscription for free + a consultation and custom design; GC Pro Gift certificate for one time purchase at a ridiculously great price; Music Consultation at AMF Creative Media Center; Opportunity to perform at the 2013 UAC Showcase and receive feedback from the 3 Music Industry Professionals who will be judging the event

2nd Place: 1 Free Song (up to 15hrs) at Stinson Studios, Private audition for NBC'S The Voice,

McDSP Retro Pack v5, IK Multimedia Total Studio 3 Bundle, iRig KEYS, Rig MIC, GC Pro Gift certificate for one time purchase at a ridiculously great price, Music Consultation at AMF Creative Media Center, 1 year of a PRO Bandzoogle subscription for free, Opportunity to perform at the 2013 UAC Showcase and receive feedback from the 3 Music Industry Professionals who will be judging the event

See http://www.trcoa.com/uac for a complete list of details.

Contact

To learn more about the Unsigned Artist Competition, please contact

Ryan Henderson, The Recording Conservatory of Austin

4615 City Park Rd  Austin, TX 78730

(512) 231-0344

Ryan@trcoa.com

UAC 2013!

Be sure to sign up for our Unsigned Artists Competition! Find the link on our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/trcoa

Tracking Seminar with Matt Noveskey and Drastik IV

The first official Producer/Tracking Series at The Recording Conservatory of Austin went down on September 22nd, 2012. We were fortunate to bring in Grammy nominated producer Matt Noveskey and Austin's soul punk band Drastik IV. About 15 students helped assist and engineer the session while learning cutting edge production methods for their own projects.

Matt, who plays bass in the established rock act Blue October, is an accomplished record producer involved in artist development and management. He has helped guide the early careers of songwriters and musicians that have gone on to get signed to both major and indie labels, including Language Room, (a+)machines, Mahoney, The Vehicle Reason, Emphatic, Deep Ella, Dawn Over Zero, Wesley Lunsford and the Selfless Seasons.

The students arrived bright and early with the band to set up and prepare for the day's session. When Matt arrived, his energy and enthusiasm was infectious. He quickly and efficiently assessed the studio set up, met with the band, then gathered everyone for the game plan. He also explained the role of the engineer and producer in sessions, figuratively describing the engineer as the producer's "best friend", and the producer as the engineers "best friend". When working in harmony, a producer's big picture outlook coupled with the engineers technical proficiency produce the greatest results.

After thoroughly explaining his tracking methods while taking time to answer questions and talk about past recording experiences, he directed mic'ing and had the band play the song a few times. Matt then suggested some changes that really enhanced the song. He had an acute awareness of every musician's part and suggested ideas the band had never thought of, like cutting an intro, doubling a chorus, adding a bridge and even putting in a few cool reverse keyboard note swells. He always tried any idea the band threw at him, and no idea seemed silly or stupid. When everyone was happy with the final composition, we recorded did scratch tracks, drums, bass, guitar and vocals in 5 hours!

Matt was a joy to work with and brought out the best in everyone with his passion for music and gift for sharing his knowledge. By the end of the day, we had the makings of a great track and left feeling inspired. Thanks, Matt! Our Advanced Music Production student Robert Sewell of Sewell Studios did a fantastic job mixing and mastering the track, which can be listened to here.

Open House with Paul Leary

Last Friday we had the pleasure of hanging out with legendary Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary at our monthly Open House.   As always with Paul, we were in for a fun and informative evening.  Paul spoke humbly and openly about his incredible music career and adventures, including traveling around the world working with the biggest names in rock and engineering/producing Sublime, U2, Meat Puppets, Stone Temple pilots, and much more.  Paul described the changes in the music business seen throughout his career and stressed an emphasis on song writing, saying "Hold on to your songs, for whatever it's worth!". 

Thank you again, Paul!   You're an inspiration to many and are always welcome at TRCoA.

 "I should have gone to your recording school.  I don't know how many records I made before I discovered stuff everyone takes for granted." ~ Paul Leary

TRCoA's August 2012 Open House with Dwight Baker!

August 2012 Open House with Dwight Baker!

Congratulations to our August 2012 Recording Arts Program graduates Oliver Huang, Timothy Huh, Andrew Storrow and Dominick Trice!  We had a full house in attendance with Dwight Baker as our guest speaker laying down some great insight into the music industry.  Some of Dwight's many accomplishments include co-writing with Kelly Clarkson, owning Matchbox Studios in Austin and drumming for Heart and Enrique Iglesias.  His take-home message was "Get out there and hustle and work!  You can't know what it's like to make it in this business if you don't work hard.  You have to just dive in!  TRCoA is a great place to get a leg up and actually jump in instead of saying, "What's this knob do?"." 

Best of luck to our graduates, we know you'll do great! Thanks again, Dwight!  We all had a great time hanging out and enjoyed some great food courtesy of TRCoA.

Our Open Houses continue to connect our students and music community with working music industry professionals in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.  These are held on the first Friday of every month from 7pm - 9pm.  Make sure to RSVP on www.trcoa.com under "Schedule Visit or Info".  We hope to see you next time!

TRCoA's 1st Annual Singer/Songwriter Competition

After 5 months of anticipation, our 1st Annual Singer/Songwriter Showcase which was held at Mohawk Austin was a great outcome!

The TRCoA staff hand-picked 15 artist out of 600 entries. After that, it was time for the artist to step up and have their fans vote for them - Aly Tadros, Les RAV, Bret Randell, and Charlie Gore came out as the top 4. As the night started to progress, AMF had their music business bootcamp before the showcase with our judges - Matt Noveskey (bassist for established alternative rock act Blue October), CJ Eiriksson (Incubus, U2, Hoobastank), Joe Stallone (Music Lawyer), Raymond McGlamery (DARE Music Group).

The Lineup went in this order - Charlie Gore, Brett Randell, Les RAV, and Aly Tadros. All four of these musicians played their heart out and brought all their fans along. Each with a different style of music with their own unique touch. Congratulations to Les RAV on making 1st Place (pic above), and Aly Tadros on 2nd. Charlie made 3rd, and Brett made 4th. Though there was 4 standings, everyone won in this competition and gained new fans, friends, and a great experience to remember for years to come. We are looking forward to another successful show/competition next year!

TRCoA's Open House/Social with Alex Vallejo

This month's Open House/Social was a full house! We kicked it off with mixed Fajitas and some refreshing beverages for all the guest & students. Our Advanced student, Kenny Brieger had his family come into town to watch him graduate and receive his diploma at the open house. Congratulations, Kenny!

Our guest speaker this month was Alex Vallejo, a consultant, music producer, and the drummer for the band Vallejo. His band VALLEJO has toured extensively throughout the United States and Mexico sharing the stage with bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Fuel, 3 Doors Down, Juanes, Molotov, Black Crowes, The Foo Fighters, and many more. Alex is currently the director of the Austin Music Foundation's Creative Media Center which helps beginning artists in music, film and media. You can find out more information about the AMF Creative Media Center Here!

John Stinson Records Langauge Room

John Stinson records the 1st place winner of our 2010 Unsigned Artist Competition, Langauge Room.

John is an engineer, producer, and the owner of The Recording Conservatory of Austin and Penny Creek Studios and has been in the business for over 20 years.

Langauge Room is an indie/alternative rock band based in Austin, Texas. It's members are Todd Sapio (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Graham (lead guitar, backup vocals), Matt Graham (bass guitar, backup vocals), and Caleb Kelly (drums).

After both moving from Los Angeles to Austin in search of a greater music community, old friends Scott Graham and Todd Sapio, who literally bumped into each other in the middle of Sixth St. during South By Southwest, began hashing out song ideas in the spring of ‘07. After a few solid rehearsals, Scott suggested that his brother Matt, who had already been living in Austin, should sit in on bass. Matt, who was not normally a bass player, brought a different, more melodic approach on the bass that fit in perfectly. Their manager at the time, Dustin Laycock, brought in Coloradoan session player Caleb Kelly on drums after their current drummer literally vanished the day before an important gig. Behind his “Ringo kit,” Caleb conjured his signature thunderous groove for the three Houston-bred white boys, and the band had found their sound.

TRCoA's 5th Annual Unsigned Artist Contest

It's that time of year where we throw our Unsigned Artist Competition, where the best undiscovered musical artists in the country compete for 100 studio hours, great prizes, and a chance to showcase for Major Label representatives.

A big thanks to our sponsors Apple, The Guitar Center, IK Multimedia, Mc DSP, Sanjay Photography, The Austin Music Foundation, Stinson Recording Studios, and Stubb's for making this event happen. Congratulations to No Such Thing on making 1st Place, Drastik with 2nd, StrawberryJAM with 3rd, and Clouds Are Ghost with 4th Place. It was a very tough decision, since every band was a different genre. It all came down to stage presence, fan reaction, and how they market themselves through product. We thank everyone for coming out and look forward to next years competition!

TRCoA's Open House and Social with guest speaker, Dave Messier

David Messier is a record Producer, an entrepreneur, a songwriter, and a multi-instrumentalist whose work can be heard worldwide. Messier’s company, Same Sky Productions, Inc. was featured in The Austin Business Journal in Aug 2010 for its creative approach to production and marketing.

In the fall of 2011 David Messier will teach recording and production for the ALMA program of UT’s Butler School of Music. Messier released 3 albums as a founding member of Boston-based band Papermoon, including “The Greenhouse Effect” in 2007 produced by Paul Santo (Aerosmith, Ringo Starr) in which Messier was singer/songwriter. In the studio, David has performed on and engineered over 200 titles nationally and internationally and is a voting member of The Recording Academy.

Messier collaborated with James Speer and T Double, producing the single “Set The Tone” which is featured on Austin Music Compilation Vol. 10, released in Feb 2011. David Messier co-hosts a weekly radio show with friend and producer Andre Cantave called “Same Sky Radio” which focuses on emerging artists from around the globe and can be heard on Bunk Radio. David also owns and operates L’Austin Space, LLC a “social intelligence company” focused on bringing musicians and artists together in a multi-media format. He also produces Same Sky TV, a web-based puppet show featuring Austin’s finest talent. Messier’s community involvement has included fund raising and production for The Make A Wish Foundation, Austin Pride and The Anti Defamation League.

In March of 2011 Messier teamed up with Hanson, Michael Stipe, North Mississippi All Stars, Wide Spread Panic and many more when Same Sky produced SXSW4Japan (now available on iTunes) which raised over $100,000 for the Red Cross in 24 hrs. David Messier currently resides in Austin, TX.

An artist said of working with David:
“Our lives may have inspired the songs, but David was the muse for the record itself. At every stage of recording, he generated an electric environment positively clipping with creative energy. He dove in during pre-production and suggested new arrangements that vamped the impact of each tune way up. When we turned our attention to individual parts, David's innovation and downright wackiness was so boundless that we were able to imagine sounds and melodies beyond the parts we had previously been so attached to. The results were often surprising, always fun, and never less than beautiful.” -Mackenzie Outlund “This Blue Heaven”

David will hold an Artist Development Program on June 3rd-5th.

Go to http://www.same-sky.com/adp to sign up.

TRCOA's Open House & Social with guest speaker Carlos Sosa

March is here, and so is SXSW traffic! On the menu for this months Open House/Social was beef and chicken fajitas!

The guest speaker for March was Carlos Sosa. He talked about how he got his career jump started, and what it takes to be a successful musician in the industry. Carlos had just got done touring with Jason Mraz in Brazil and had plenty of interesting stories to tell our guest.Carlos has worked with many renowned artist and bands such as Kelly Clarkson, Rob Thomas, Willie Nelson, Blues Traveler, and Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, and many more.

Carlos also has a core band that he plays with called "The Grooveline Horns" which consists of, Fernando Castillo (trumpet) and Reggie Watkins (trombone). He is currently enjoying his free time off until his next tour. Keep checking in to see who we will have at our next open house. To attend, go to our site and fill out the form on the bottom left!

TRCoA Open House/ Social with guest speaker Paul Leary

We kicked off this months Open House/Social with some spaghetti and meatballs for our guest. Along with some good drinks and company.

Our guest speaker this month was Paul Leary, who came in and talked about the ups and downs of his career, and how he got to where he is right now. He also had plenty of funny stories about the bands that he's worked with including his own, to entertain our guest and students. Paul has worked with many renowned bands such as Sublime, U2, Pepper, Slightly Stoopid, Stone Temple Pilots, The Meat Puppets, The Reverend Horton Heat, Maggie Walters, Bad Livers, The Refreshments, Tumbledryer Babies, and more.

He is also the guitar player for The Butthole Surfers. We were very happy to have him in the studio. Be on the lookout for some of his upcoming projects. He is currently working on a project with Sublime with Rome and Pepper. Keep checking in to see who we have in store for the next Open House/Social. To attend, go to our site and fill out the form on the bottom left!

Student Kenny Brieger recording Mazel Tof Kocktail Hour

Advanced student Kenny Brieger sets up to record a Klezmer band called Mazel Tof Kocktail Hour. This band is based out of Austin and plays locally.

Keeping alive pre-holocaust Yiddish & Romany tunes. Mazel Tof Kocktail Hour has appeared at local cafes, restaurants, parties, weddings, and schools in and around Austin, TX. They have avoided television and radio so far, but they are on youtube and have been featured in RARE magazine (March 2010 issue). The band consists of Samantha Goldberg, Dylan M. Blackthorn, David Gilden, Kronk, Will Landin, Roy Coon, Bruce Salmon, Adam Loudermilk and Mike Gray.

Producer and Engineer Kevin Szymanski records the Rankin Twins at TRCoA

Kevin Szymanski drops in to engineer one of the Rankin Twins songs at The Recording Conservatory.

Kevin is an engineer, producer, and a mixing engineer who has worked with many well known artist and bands. Credits include Matchbox Twenty, Christina Aguilara, KoRn, Ash, Gordon Goodman, Barenaked Ladies, and many more.

The Rankin Twins (Amy and April) are one of the finalist for TRCoA's Unsigned Artist Showcase in 2010. They made such a huge impression on the judges and everyone in the crowd, we just had to invite them to our studio and record. Amy and April, are a winning double dose of Texas born and bred country music charm, talent and star potential. Performing and charming folks since they were old enough to stand up and do so, their presence on stage and studio recordings is a natural extension of their infectious personalities and sweet and dynamic sisterly interplay. With an innate gift for heartfelt and magnetic songwriting that captivates listeners, the duo combines deep Lone Star State musical roots with a shimmer of pop savvy into a sound that feels hit-bound from the very first listen.

Student Geoff Sirkel records Jon Branch

Advanced Student Geoff Sirkel records solo guitar player Jon Branch.

Jon has been playing the guitar for over 10 years and continues to hone his skill on the art of the six string, and has been playing at local coffee shops around town. When he is not a great guitar virtuoso, he enjoys long walks in the park and reading books. His main influences are The Beatles, Andy Mckee, and Lynard Skynard. Jon is currently in the studio working on a EP.

Why TRCoA?

TRCoA Alumni Scott Harris talks about his experience with TRCoA and how it can upstart your career towards Audio Engineering and Music Production.

Scott is the owner of BigBang Music and a honors graduate in design from Texas A&M. When he's not in the studio or the side of a rock, you'll find him mountain biking, paddling or snowboarding. His background as a singer/songwriter and musician gives him the sensitivity and experience to provide direction to your individual project from inception to successful completion. You can check him out and see what he has been up to on his site here.

Student Tamara Jolaine working with Ghost Along the Brazos

Beginning student Tamara Jolaine gets things rolling for Ghost Along the Brazos. This group of Austin, TX musicians came together under the Ghosts banner less than 6 months ago and have already become a Tour De Force of songwritin' and groovin.

Guitarist/Songwriter/Vocalist Greg Harkins and Bassist/Songwriter/Vocalist Kristopher Wade have spent the last 3 years swingin' hard with the Marshall Ford Swing band while Drummer Jared Allison was traversing the Atlantic with Metal outfit Iron Age, all the while the guys were coming home to the sweet sounds of Vocalist/Songwriter/Artist extraordinaire Jacob Jaeger who, after a stint with The Marshall Ford Swing Band, has been honing his craft to a spoon-sharp point.

Student Blanche Griggs records CosmicJaguar

CosmicJaguar's music takes you through an enlightening musical experience with Carlos Cedillo being the core of the band.

Carlos Cedillo is a Musician, Mayan Shaman Daykeeper, and Author of laughing Buddha. He started the Band Cosmicjaguar about five years ago.

He came up with the unique concept of cosmic tones, mixed with electric guitar, drums, bass and theramine. Carlos did not want anything to sound conventional, on the contrary, the more warped and funky the sound the better. He became a master of cosmic-groove tones that your ear has never heard before but craves for more. The things he would do to his guitar to make it sound like that! Carlos studied Music Composition for Classical Guitar at UT/Austin 1989-1991. Carlos has been playing and performing guitar for 22 years. It was a great pleasure having him record at TRCoA!

Our student Casey Cheek in the studio with Walker Lyle at TRCoA

Casey Cheek is an advance student who has his own music production company and enjoys working with different genre of music. When he is not on other peoples projects, he enjoys playing in his band Rosendale.

Walker Lyle is an Americana/Folk singer/songwriter out of Abilene, Texas.
He is currently releasing his first EP album with his new project band called "Hungry Mother". His band and Rosendale are both on Gold Alyene Records, to which they both own together. Be on the look out for the CD release party. You can check out his music here

The Recording Conservatory's Promo Video

You have come to the premier Audio Engineering, Music Production, and Music Business School. Because of our one-on-one mentorship approach, The Recording Conservatory is where truly passionate students are coming to jump start a vibrant career in the music industry.
Our proven curriculum is taught exclusively by real working industry professionals in real working studios. TRCoA is, in the truest sense of the phrase, a trade school. Our main goal is to hand craft you into a working audio engineer, music producer, studio owner, record label, etc.
At TRCoA, not only will you hone your skills creating professional, radio-ready music; but we'll set you on a career path to owning your own business. Not only will you learn to be a Digidesign Pro Tools recording, editing, mixing, and mastering expert, but you will also learn how to initiate and maintain the business relationships necessary to be successful.
We take special care to create close relationships with each student. We listen to your goals and strive to help you reach them.