philadelphia | Forge Recording

Studio Jams – Grace Kelly

August 10, 2016

In between tapings of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Bosch, saxophonist Grace Kelly visited Forge Recording to film an episode of Studio Jams.

The session was recorded in Studio A by lead engineer Ron DiSilvestro. Grace Kelly was joined by bassist Chico Huff, guitarist Kevin Hanson, keyboardist Matt King and Tracy Alexander on the drums.

Grace Kelly is an accomplished saxophone player, vocalist, composer, educator and performer. She recorded her first album, Dreaming, at age 12. It was followed by Times Too, Every Road I Walked, GracefulLee, Mood Changes, Man With The Hat, Grace, Live At Scullers, Working For The Dreamers, and her latest project, Trying To Figure It Out. She is a regular in Stay Human, the house band led by Jon Battiste on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Studio Jams is a creative, up-close and inside look at the art of making music. Click here to watch Studio Jams sessions filmed at Forge Recording.

Studio, Studio NewsChico Huff, Forge Recording, Grace Kelly, jazz, Kevin Hanson, Matt King, philadelphia, Ron DiSilvestro, Studio Jam, Tom Emmi, Tracy Alexander

PHL Live Winner JaE at Forge

July 8, 2016

We were first introduced to JaE as this year’s PHL Live Center Stage R&B winner. Forge Recording was the studio sponsor and Carvin Haggins judged the R&B category.

JaE and Her Chicas (Forge Studios) for web

We then encountered JaE at the Mainline Mother’s Day event hosted by Ellen Smith (Will Smith’s sister), founder of Dining With Divas. JaE was the featured performer at the Black Tie Awards Gala and Forge Recording provided live sound and video for the event.

JaE recorded a new single “Faded Windows” with Forge Recording lead engineer Ron DiSilvestro, and has been back to Forge Recording several times for rehearsals.

At the same time JaE’s father, Lawrence “Junie” Drinks, was working at Forge Recording with producers Mike Anderson and singer/songwriter Janice McClain (Smack Dab In The Middle, Passion and Pain, Giving My Love) on a project for The Voice’s Matthew Schuler.

And, if that wasn’t enough, JaE’s cousin, Stanton Drinks, is a producer who works at Forge Recording for Carvin Haggins’ production company Ethical Music Entertainment.

It’s a small world after all!

Ron DiSilvestro, Studio NewsCarvin Haggins, David Oh, Faded Windows, JaE, philadelphia, PHL Live, R&B, Rock, Ron DiSilvestro, soul

We Are Music Video Project

February 22, 2016

This past December, Forge Recording’s Brendan McGeehan premiered a film project entitled “We Are Music” which celebrates the city of Philadelphia and its musicians. The project is dedicated to the late Dante Bucci, a highly talented Philly musician who passed away in August 2014. Thanks to a spontaneous filming of Dante playing the “hang drum” during the original studio recording (photo below), Brendan was able to include Dante in the final project.

We are Music

For the project, Brendan took Dante’s original hang drum tracks and enlisted the talents of Philadelphia area musicians to perform their parts at remote locations around the city. In total, the project includes 20 musicians performing in 12 iconic locations around Philadelphia.

The premiere included a screening of the finished video and live performances from various Philadelphia musicians. “We Are Music” was originally written for Brendan’s band AlyCat by members Allison Hilley and John Glabitz. The song drives home the message of unity with its grooving melody and easy flowing beat. The original studio recording of “We Are Music” was done at Forge Recording.

You can check out an article about the project and Dante Bucci at Rock On Philly. Congratulations to Brendan and all of the collaborating artists and contributors on this inspiring look at what the Philadelphia music community is all about.

Music Video, Studio NewsAlyCat, Brendan McGeehan, Dante Bucci, Forge Recording, Music Video, philadelphia, Rock On Philly, We Are Music

American Aquarium Performs Live Session in Studio A

January 21, 2016

American Aquarium, a Raleigh based rootsy rock and roll band, spent some time at Forge to film a live session of two of their most recent songs. “Wichita Falls” and “Family Problems” are part of the group’s 7th album titled “Wolves”.

AAWolves

Josh Nussbaum, a Philadelphia based guitarist and producer, brought American Aquarium to Forge for the newest installment of his FeedLab series. FeedLab was created by Nussbaum and produces quality videos featuring artists performing live in studios.

During their session in Studio A, BJ Barham, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, spoke about going back home to Raleigh, NC. He said there is a level of respect, a sort of “tip of the hat” to the band when they play shows at home. He goes on to talk about the songs he writes. “The Beatles wrote all the happy songs. For me, I write a bunch of really depressing, sad songs.”He believes the sad songs are the one’s people can relate to the most and “Wolves” is certainly filled with soulful, real-life songs.

Along with Barhan, the band is made up of lead guitarist Ryan Johnson, Colin Dimeo also playing lead guitar, Whit Wright on pedal steel and keys, Bill Corbin on bass, and Kevin McClain on drums. The band is on tour at the moment. To check out where they’ll be playing and book tickets, click here.

Forge Recording offers many services, including live sessions at our studio such as the one held for American Aquarium. For more information on live events, click here.

Studio NewsAmerican Aquarium, Family Problems, FeedLab, Forge Recording, Josh Nussbaum, philadelphia, Witchita Falls, Wolves

M’Balia Singley: Halfway There

September 29, 2015

M’Balia Singley’s new album, “Halfway There,” is released today. You can learn more by visiting her website here.

Singley recorded half of the album during a snowstorm this past March. We were able to plow the parking lot and get setup just in time for the musicians. Produced by jazz pianist and composer Orrin Evans, the album also features Gene Jackson, Mike Boone, Byron Landham, Madison Rast, and Tim Motzer. The album features original compositions and a few of Singley’s favorite jazz standards. Singley recorded half of the album in Studio A, and utilized the Academy Studio for editing and overdubs.

Studio Newsjazz, mbalia, orrin evans, philadelphia

Found Wandering on national TV, bestseller on Amazon, Christmas album in the works

September 23, 2015

Found Wandering reached national audiences on August 29th when they appeared on the “After the Show Show” segment on FOX News. See the performance below.

Viewers seemed to like what they heard as the band quickly rose in rankings, becoming the #1 album on Amazon in the “folk,” “gospel,” and “country” categories!

Building on their self-titled album recorded at Forge Recording with Ron DiSilvestro, Found Wandering has returned to the studio to record a Christmas album. They’ve been working with Ron for the last couple of weeks to finalize the tracking stage of the project. We even cranked up the AC a little to get everyone in the holiday spirit during the dog days of summer.

Here are some photos from their recent sessions recording an upcoming Christmas album.

Studio Newscountry, found wandering, gospel, hymns, philadelphia, spiritual

Tracking Vocals with Jennifer Logue

July 6, 2015

jennn

Jennifer Logue brought her sultry side to the studio while tracking vocals with producer/lead engineer Ron DiSilvestro. Known locally as the founder of RockOnPhilly.com and the on-air host of RockOnPhilly TV, Jenn is also recognized internationally as an accomplished singer/songwriter. Check out the finished track here.

Studio Newsjennifer logue, philadelphia, rockonphilly, vocal tracking, vocals

RECPhilly In-Studio Concert

May 27, 2015

RECphilly, a music collective based out of Philadelphia, recently stopped by to record an live EP. The in-studio concert gave their members and fans a chance to experience an intimate musical performance. The goal of this collective is to collaborate with all facets of the Philadelphia music community to bring back the “Philadelphia Sound” that was once a household name. We are glad that they chose Forge to capture that “Philly sound”.

Studio Newsin-studio concert, philadelphia, recphilly

Michelle Lordi in-studio concert on Saturday, May 16th

May 4, 2015

Join jazz vocalist Michelle Lordi for our next in-studio concert. She’ll be backed by some of Philly’s finest jazz musicians, including Sonny Troy, Larry McKenna, Mike Frank, Matthew Parrish, and other special guests. The concert/live recording takes place on Saturday, May 16th, with sets at 7pm & 9pm. Ticket includes food, open bar and a digital recording of the session. Tickets available here.

Here’s a video that explains how our in-studio concerts work:

Studio Newsjazz, larry mckenna, philadelphia, sonny troy, vocals

Orrin Evans snow day

March 9, 2015

Composer, producer, and pianist Orrin Evans recently came to Forge to work on a project with vocalist M’Balia Singley, bassist Madison Rast, drummer Byron Landham, and keyboardist Luke Carlos O’Reilly. The snow didn’t stop everyone from making great music!

Studio Newshammond b3, jazz, orrin evans, philadelphia, piano, vocals

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