News & Updates 

October 4, 2023

Ducky

I’ve been thinking about how to honor my brother, mentor, friend, and musical collaborator Ducky Carlisle. An individual who was much bigger in reality than lore.

I met Ducky in 2006, well after he had established himself as one of the great producer/engineer/record makers in Boston (and beyond). We were working on recording some original songs I had written with my friend Juliet Simmons Dinallo, along with a couple of my original songs. We spent a day in the studio with the band recording basics and after that I got the opportunity to work with him (just the two of us) on guitar and vocal overdubs for my tunes.

That day we found out we had connections back to Syracuse, NY and had some other things in common. I knew I was in the company of greatness and at that time in my musical journey was a self-conscious and doubtful songwriter and guitar player who had been recording myself in the basement for years. I never expected to have the honor of recording with a legend, who embraced my songs, and was as kind, patient, and encouraging as Ducky was to me. He could be hard on you too, but that came later when the expectations were higher. It was the beginning of a 17-year collaboration, spending hours together in the studio and becoming good friends. He’d always say to me “We’re making a record,” as if to remind me that that was in fact what we were doing.

He was so aware of what worked and what didn’t (I’ve seen this described as Ducky’s ear) and as you spent more time with him you absorbed his sensibilities and before you knew it you were thinking on his terms. We recorded and produced two records together and he played drums on both - which he would complain about, because he didn’t like to switch between engineering and drumming. Invariably he would nail the drum tracks in one or two takes, which was crazy since he had never played or rehearsed the songs prior.

We would always agree on when a track, a mix, or a master was done. Although near the end of recording my last record, I had to make more decisions on my own because he was in a tough place. I would have never felt confident enough to do that without having spent so many hours learning from him in the studio. It was hard to see the toll that the COVID years took on him. I can’t say it was easy, but he showed me one last bit of love and respect by helping me finish Sound of Mind, which in reality is every bit Ducky’s record as it is mine. If nothing else, it’s a great chronicle of Ducky’s drumming.

When I heard he was gone, I reflected, then I started to realize more and more what I… what we all, lost. Music is something shared between people on so many levels, but when you work closely with someone to take something you created and make it something it otherwise would not be - that is the ultimate bond. I’ll always feel that way about Ducky and I’ll miss him for the rest of my musical days. I also know that he lives on in every single one of us who had the privilege of knowing, learning, and “making records” with him.

Below is a link to Snow Blind - the first song Ducky played drums on from my first record. We recorded all the tracks in one session except the bass and the forward/backward guitar track I played, which Duck was experimenting with at the time. The song is kind of a bookend for us.

That’s a wrap Duck - be at peace my brother and thank-you for everything.

American Beauties Snow Blind - Music Video

June 12, 2023

Sound of Mind was released to college and public radio on June 6, 2023. We are happy to finally have this for you after many years of toil in the studio. American Beauties is a true independent so these things take time. We are really proud of this record and we hope you find the album worthy of your attention. You can find the record on most streaming platforms and you can listen to the record here for free. We are in the process of planning some live shows around the release and will keep you posted on the dates. Thank-you for your patience, and we’ll be with you soon.