Gallery of Carpet Recording

Champions release debut LP

2012-02-07T11:49:00.005-06:00

Champions have released their debut LP titled 'Traveler' recorded and mixed at Gallery of Carpet by producer Brian Zieske. The songs are dynamic and captured live to magnetic analog tape. We then transferred to the digital format for further tracking and overdubbing, this allowed us more tracking options and the ability to move quick while experimenting with new instrumentation and tones. If you enjoy their music please support them directly and purchase a download.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://championsband.com/album/the-traveler"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Traveler by Champions&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Apteka and both Soft Speaker LPs selected as best Chicago albums of 2011

2012-01-09T11:14:00.003-06:00

Apteka's 'Gargoyle Days' and both Soft Speaker LPs have been selected by Chicago Tunes "Best Local Releases of the Year: 2011"

"...their first of two full-length albums of 2011 nearly ascending to the top of my favorite recordings..."

Soft Speaker and Apteka. 2 of 10 albums selected as Chicago Tribune's best of 2011

2011-12-18T22:07:00.006-06:00

Congrats to Soft Speaker and Apteka 2 0f 10 albums selected by the Chicago Tribune for their best of 2011 list! It was awesome working with both of these unique bands!

The best Chicago music of 2011

5. Apteka, 'Gargoyle Days' (aptekamusic.com)

This quartet builds an expressway to your skull in the grand tradition of Sonic Youth, Spiritualized and other guitar armies. On its first full-length album, Apteka luxuriates in the sound and physicality of humming amplifiers, but crucially, the band doesn't forget the songs.

9. Soft Speaker, 'I'll Tend Your Garden' (softspeaker.com)

The first of two full-length albums released by this co-ed quartet this year, "I'll Tend Your Garden" is a haven for guitar lovers. Six-string tones overlap and crash, sometimes hurtling ahead, other times creating huge, cavernous spaces for bass and drums to roam. Though the vocals are fairly nondescript, they become another almost subliminal texture in the band's widescreen sound.

Apteka "Gargoyle Days" LP

2011-10-11T15:30:00.002-05:00

Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Brian Zieske at Gallery of Carpet Recording Available on Vinyl

Pink Frost on Vampire Diaries

2011-10-05T09:11:00.002-05:00

Pink Frost "You Should Know" recorded and mixed by Brian Zieske at Gallery of Carpet

Pet Lions on ABC Family

2011-06-27T11:39:00.005-05:00

Check out 'Girls of Athens' by Pet Lions on ABC Family, providing the soundtrack for this scene!

'Girls of Athens' by Pet Lions was Produced by Brian Zieske and recorded at the Gallery of Carpet and can be found on their EP Soft Right

Stamps new EP

2011-06-27T11:30:00.003-05:00

Check out the new Stamps EP HERE!

produced by Brian Zieske at the Gallery of Carpet

See them on their nation wide tour this summer!

Pet Lions on TV

2011-02-22T20:54:00.002-06:00

The Pet Lions song "Roman History" was featured on the ABC Family show Greek on Monday February 14th. "Roman History" was recorded and produced at The Gallery of Carpet by Producer Brian Zieske.

Gallery of Carpet Live Room Tour

2011-02-09T08:49:00.002-06:00

A tour of our live room:

Examiner's Top 10 Indie Rock albums in Chicago

2010-12-31T12:11:00.007-06:00

Examiner.com Chicago

King Sparrow, King Sparrow: If I had to pick the one album by a Chicago band that blew me away this year, it was beautifully mastered self-titled full-length from Chicago rock trio King Sparrow. Being very familiar with the band (and all the songs present on the album) prior to its release, I was not expecting any surprises, but my jaw still dropped the first time I heard the finished product. It's that good. The band's sound runs the gamut from gritty and nasty to surfy and poppy, and listening to the finished album, you can tell it was an intense labor of love for all the parties who had a hand in its creation. It is absolutely spot-on, in terms of songcraft, performance, and production. (Unsigned; available in CD and digital formats here).

produced by Brian Zieske at Gallery of Carpet Recording Inc

Secret Colours, Secret Colours: This full-length debut from Chicago psych-pop revivalists Secret Colours is thoroughly enjoyable, from start to finish (read a full review here). The album blends foggy psychedelic flavoring with a sweet naivete that wears very well indeed. The band members definitely wear their influences on their sleeves on this record, but there isn't a bad track in the bunch.

recorded at Gallery of Carpet Recording Inc

10 Great Chicago Releases of 2010

2010-12-29T01:26:00.005-06:00

King Sparrow makes Windy City Rock's Top 10 albums of 2010 CLICK HERE TO READ

King Sparrow - self-titled LP
I've been doing my best to spread the word about power-trio King Sparrow ever since I first heard their debut EP and saw one of their seriously rocking live gigs, and this year's debut LP has made me even more determined to champion the band. In fact, it's probably the record that I've played most this year (which is saying a lot since it didn't come out until October). The songs are tight, compact and hard-hitting, but also have a keen sense of melody that quickly pulls you in and keeps you coming back for more.

produced by Brian Zieske @ Gallery of Carpet Recording Inc

LISTEN HERE

Welcome To Ashley's "Beyond the Pale" Chicago Tunes Top 10 of 2010!

2010-12-28T12:04:00.007-06:00

Welcome to Ashley's "Beyond the Pale" Chicago Tunes Top 10 of 2010

Recorded and Mixed at the Gallery of Carpet

Magnetically Documented by Brian Zieske

LISTEN HERE

"I like this record because of it's sound..." -Richard Milne 93.1 XRT Chicago

2010-11-22T22:45:00.003-06:00

Audio: King Sparrow on XRT's Local Anesthetic

11/21/2010

Listen to this and more as King Sparrow is interviewed on XRT's Local Anesthetic here.

CD of the Month: King Sparrow

2010-10-07T13:13:00.000-05:00

CD of the Month: King Sparrow

King Sparrow makes New York Deli Magazine's CD of the month!

King Sparrow LP

2010-09-22T15:20:00.007-05:00

Check out the new King Sparrow LP HERE. CDs will be available Oct 15 at Schuba's Tavern in Chicago.

We tracked the core instruments live at Gallery of Carpet to 2" analog tape. This helped to capture the raw synergy between the 3 members of King Sparrow. We continued to overdub

sparsely to enhance the dynamic response and accent the structure of these well crafted songs. We kept the arrangements on the elegant side in order to preserve what King Sparrow does live and to emphasize the band's unique three piece feel.

It was great working with King Sparrow and helping them achieve their unique artistic vision.

If you like music that is authentic you will enjoy King Sparrow.

Produced by Brian Zieske and King Sparrow

Magnetically Documented at the Gallery of Carpet Recording Studio

You can read more about the making of the LP here

Chew Heart "Messy Snarls" Review on The Deli

2010-08-11T19:04:00.002-05:00

Chew Heart

I've spent the weekend digesting the debut album, Messy Snarls, from Laura Granlund and Curt Swank (aka Chew Heart). The duo has been performing together for the last six years, and finally entered the studio, with the talented Brian Zieske (Gallery of Carpet), to capture some of that live energy. Messy Snarls finds the duo wearing their influences on their sleeves and pouring everything out through their instruments. The album was recorded live and you can tell in the sound, but I feel that adds to the nostalgic feel of the album.

What sets Chew Heart apart is that they do give a subtle nod to their love of '60's pop, but they don't drown in it like many bands today. In fact I would say they are more influenced by '90's indie rock than anything else. In fact I would say this band is a combination of Saturday Looks Good to Me and Frente. There is a raw edge, but sweet innocence that ultimately prevails.

Chew Heart celebrates the release of Messy Snarls on Sept. 12th at The Whistler, but you can purchase it from their etsy page for just $5.

Published on August 09, 2010

Windy City Rock Interview

2010-08-02T22:35:00.008-05:00

'Nasty, poppy, '60s, weird': In the studio with Chicago's King Sparrow

Windy City Rock interviews King Sparrow and producer Brian Zieske in the studio during one of the mixing sessions. Check it out here.

Pet Lions on ABC's "The Gates"!

2010-07-25T15:28:00.007-05:00

Pet Lions on ABC's "The Gates"!!!

"Girls of Athens'" is going to be featured on Sunday's episode of the new ABC show "The Gates" at 10/9c.

"Girls of Athens" can be found on Pet Lion's Soft Right EP and downloaded for FREE HERE.

Produced, Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Brian Zieske and Recorded at The Gallery of Carpet

Trident Mod Weekend

2010-05-26T12:39:00.015-05:00

Its complete! The Gallery of Carpet Trident analog console has been modified and upgraded. Danny of Rushtone Audio Labs Nashville TN designed and installed a new custom master section using API transformers and John Hardy Op-Amps. The new master section has more head room before distortion, extended frequency response and sounds more dimensional. Danny also added a new solid copper ground buss. Better grounding = less noise and hum = tighter low end + increased dynamic range.

So what does this all mean to you? Better sounding recordings.

Check out some of the pictures we took that weekend:

for more picture check out our facebook page HERE!!!

The new master section and ground buss.

Beyer M260

2010-04-29T22:54:00.003-05:00

On the never ending quest for unique and rich tone, Gallery of Carpet has added the Beyer M260 to its mic closet. The M260 is a ribbon mic designed for use on vocals and instruments.

I recently used the 260 to track all of the lead vocals on Chew Heart's upcoming EP. The mic has a large proximity effect that gave Laura's vocals an "in your ear" feel. Being a ribbon mic it sounded smooth on her bright sibilance. The M260 has a very low output and needs plenty of gain, but hey class A preamps sound good cranked up anyway!

I found the directionality of the microphone to be tight, and movement on the mic sounds very exaggerated. I like it because it sounds vintage (late 50's or early 60's) when used with a tube prepamp.

I used the M260 a few days ago as a close mono room mic tracking drums for Soft Speaker's new LP and really liked how it handled the harshness of the cymbals. I aimed it towards the shell of the snare to capture its resonance and character. I cant wait to slam it during mix!

-BZ