Ardent Presents Podcast | The Ardent Music Blog

Ardent Presents: Eliot Morris

04/26/2011 By

I recently had the honor of being invited to participate in an afternoon of music at Ardent Studios for a production called “Ardent Presents”. It had been more than two years since my move to Memphis, and I had, for some time, intended to see the place that I had been hearing so much about. So, when I stepped through the gates on Madison Ave.

I knew I was entering a world set apart. I was immediately struck by the warmth of the place – informed, no doubt, by both the people and the general aesthetic. I was soon directed to the studio control room where, when opening the door, the sound poured out into the hallway. Chris Milam was playing – then Anthony DeCosta and both sounded really good. Studios have the difficult job of creating an environment that is at the same time familiar and inspiring. Ardent does this masterfully – the people are friendly and professional, the space is inspiring and the gear second to none.

Ardent Presents: Anthony Da Costa

04/05/2011 By

Ardent Presents: Anthony da Costa [ 28:24 | 26 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When I stepped out of my $20 cab ride from the airport onto the sidewalk before Ardent Studios, what lay before me was truly a sight for sore eyes. I hadn’t slept the night before. It isn’t unusual for me to be up all hours of the night doing something (though sometimes nothing at all). However, on the eve of the Folk Alliance International conference, there was no way I would get any sleep.

I had been up all night packing, printing showcase fliers, and burning album samplers, all while having a US Foreign Relations paper due the next morning. My girlfriend, being the sweetheart she is, had been up all night with me, repacking my poorly packed bag and placing stickers on CDRs. I had a 6:45am flight out of La Guardia Airport that I absolutely could not miss. I was exhausted.

Ardent Presents: Chris Milam

03/22/2011 By

Steps for recording an Ardent Presents session:

1) Do not look at this list. This is a beautiful–and evil–list. You will read it and realize half your heroes recorded in the same room as you. You will try not to geek out. You will make jokes about scented candles. You will re-tune in-tune guitars. You will act nonchalant, and you will fail. You’ll say, “this weather is fantastic,” but you will think, “my God, is that a Paul Westerberg vomit-stain?” The list will get inside you. Don’t look at it.

2) Take three Five-Hour Energy shots. Hydrate. Stretch a little. Talk to Miss Rachel Hurley. She’s a resourceful person, and she has nice sweaters. These things are soothing.

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Filed Under: Ardent Presents Podcast Tagged With: Big Star, Control room, Facebook, iTunes, Jody Stephens, Paul Westerberg, Twitter, YouTube

Ardent Presents: Raina Rose

02/08/2011 By

Ardent Presents: Raina Rose [ 34:15 | 72.54 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Growing up in Portland, OR, I have to admit I was oblivious to the rich muddy history of the Memphis Music scene with the exception of a vague awareness of Sun Studios and Elvis Presley, given to me by my father and his college degree from UC Santa Cruz in the history of Country and Western Music. So when I came to Ardent, referred to the lovely Rachel by my best friend and occasional tour partner, John Elliott, I had to admit I was incredibly taken aback by the eponymous albums hanging on the brick walls of the hallway down which I was stumbling, sleep deprived.

It was February of 2009 and the International Folk Alliance was exploding in the Memphis Marriott overlooking the deep and hungry Mississippi. I am in turns either a tornado, or a responsible and clean cut grown-up… while participating in this conference I tend towards the former, often staying up til 8am, drunk and barefoot in the hotel lobby with my dear brothers and sisters in arms; comrades who understand and also subject themselves to a meager living, the world through a windshield, small stages with (hopefully) quiet eager audiences, stranger’s sofas, and gas station coffee… all to play songs.

Ardent Presents: Valerie June

01/14/2011 By

Pleasantly sitting before a hot cup of coffee, I allow my mind to venture back to the first day I set foot in Ardent Studios. The profound reputation of the musical genius that has been captured at Ardent was present in my mind, but even more so was the role Ardent played in nurturing young and talented artist in the Memphis community by offering recording services in exchange for live shows at the studio’s many events throughout the year.

I was lucky enough to be one of the local musicians who was welcomed at Ardent Studios by Elizabeth Montgomery Brown to provide the entertainment for one of those fine and fabulous events. I had been on tour and returned home to Memphis to find that Hurricane Elvis, a storm of A-line winds, had torn across the Midtown area destroying several homes. Brilliant minds gathered together after the disaster to hold a benefit show for the victims of the storm. I performed and in exchange for my performance a year later I decide to use the full day of studio time Ardent had given to me to record with my former band, Bella Sun.

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Filed Under: Ardent Presents Podcast Tagged With: Ardent, ArdentStudios, Jim Dickinson, Memphis, Music, Recording studio, Stax Records

Ardent Presents: J.D. Reager

09/03/2010 By

I’ve been lucky enough to record two Ardent Sessions (one solo, and one with Two Way Radio) in studio A, record most of an album in studio C, as well as hang out there on several occasions in my now long and illustrious music “career.”

I honestly tell you that I’ve never been in a more professional environment – even when producing a simple live recording for a podcast, the folks at Ardent go all-out. And it’s almost uncomfortable for me on some level, because I’m so used to recording in less than ideal spaces that don’t come with tech support, or an overflowing gear and supply closet. Tidy, perfect-sounding rooms that come with so many perks are a rare luxury.

Unfortunately, the thing that sticks out most in my mind about doing the solo Ardent session – aside from being lucky enough to talk Tim Regan (of Snowglobe) into sitting in with me, and that Klaus Voormann was there for some reason – is how dreadfully, painfully sick I was.

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Filed Under: Ardent Presents Podcast

Ardent Presents: Grace Askew

08/13/2010 By

As a born-and-raised, sixth generation Memphian, Ardent Studios is one of the institutions that makes me quite proud to call it my home. It wasn’t until a fateful day 3 years ago when I met producer, Pete Matthews at the mere age of 20 that Ardent would soon become my second home.

I had just dropped out of college in New Orleans, was homesick, angsty, and felt like I was wasting my time in a classroom when all I could dream, think, or speak about was doing music. As soon as Pete Matthews expressed interest in working together, I dropped everything and went running back to Memphis, with the gracious moral support of my parents and just enough money saved up for a duplex above my 90 year-old grandmother, right in the heart of midtown. Independence had never tasted so bittersweet…I finally had my own place, but didn’t know anyone in the city or a have a clue how to go about getting gigs. But as soon as I stepped through the legendary brick hallways of Ardent Studios and was introduced to the staff by Pete, I felt immediately welcomed and part of something to be truly cherished.

Well…I’ll admit, walking through those hallways covered with golden records and album covers and sitting in the studio with the session players over cigarettes and coffee (Dave Smith, Al Gamble, Steve Potts, Rick Steff) was all a bit daunting at first…to say I was green and timid is an understatement. But after working with Pete Matthews and Nick Redmond in and out of the studio for my first two EP’s and watching the way things work and seeing how graciously everyone treated each other…the potential I began to see in music as a life-long endeavor blossomed. A family of friends, supporters, muses, and motivators is what Ardent became to me and remains to this day.

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Filed Under: Ardent Presents Podcast

Ardent Presents: John Elliott

07/16/2010 By

Ardent Presents: John Elliott [ 19:44 | 68.52 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’ve been to Memphis many times over the last few years to perform in coffee bars and at the International Folk Alliance Showcase. However, I can say with authority that I did not really know Memphis until I came to do the Ardent Sessions recording in August 2008. I had been homeless and living in my car for over a year and a half at that point, touring the country, and playing music. I was just coming off a long and very manic-depressive tour with a bluegrass band and I was heading to Minnesota to see my family and take a break before a crazy fall schedule. I was completely exhausted.

There was an energy all around in the studio that night. It was obvious that Ardent Studios is a special place where special things happen. The records on the walls and the stories people tell you when you’re there back it up big time. It was a safe place to be in a summer of storms and Rachel was the perfect host. I felt like people really wanted to listen to me play my songs there and that felt good. The entire vibe transcended any negative weight I carried into the studio with me. The music flowed through me and I felt free.

Ardent Presents: Amy Speace

05/14/2010 By

Memphis 2009. I was in town from my then-hometown of Jersey City for the North American Folk Alliance Conference, a three day extravaganza of acoustic music, showcases and meetings and panels and workshops and late night (or early morning, depending on your perspective) hallway and stairwell jams. I was invited to Ardent Studios to play an acoustic set they would record for their “Ardent Presents” series. Having been confined to a hotel for days, it was nice to get outside, out into the bright Memphis sunshine and take a “field trip.”

I was definitely sleep-deprived, at 2am the night before having found a group of the best musicians around in a smoky stairwell, trading Townes and Woody songs. I think being half-awake/half-aware helped me when Jody Stephens pulled up to the hotel to pick me up for the session. When I was just starting out playing guitar, my college boyfriend, who was in a rock band, was obsessed with Alex Chilton and Big Star and the double CD “#1 Record/Radio City” was the soundtrack of my early 20s (and that to-be-doomed relationship).

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