King Sparrow LP

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

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

'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"!

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

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

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

www.brianzieske.com