POPSCIENCE. 5 top musicians from 5 top nz bands.
opshop, autozamm, elemenop, the mint chicks, parachute band
51 albums, 14 tuis, 1.36 million myspace plays, 1 silver scroll.
Need music? Hire the best track record in the business.
Stephen Small - Piano/Keys
With an encyclopaedic knowledge of every musical genre on earth, Dr. Small (that's "Doctor of Music" Small) is a next level dude. His list of credits includes orchestras, TV scores, high-rotate radio rock, big band hits and everything in between - he'll blow your mind. Stephen was featured as one of NZ Musician's 21 greatest kiwi players of all time... enough said.
Clint Harris - Bass
A cornerstone of the Kiwi music scene with radio darlings OpShop, Clint is at the height of his powers as one of this country's most in demand bass players - and it only takes a few seconds of his playing to see why. Creative lines and a wide palette of tones are hallmarks of his sound that's led to critical acclaim from punters and international producers alike.
Paul Roper - Drums
When he's not gracing the social pages wearing the music scenes most famous pair of glasses, Roper is best known for occupying the drum stool with indie maestros The Mint Chicks. His frenetic grooves and undeniable mojo have the ability to inject a generous helping of punk energy into any track that he takes on. All that and he's single to boot!
Scotty Pearson - Drums
Renowned as the rock solid groove and personality behind the kit for benchmark rockers ElemenoP, Scotty is one of NZ music's great guys and an exceptionally fine player to boot. With decades of experience, radio hits galore and a rare ability to conjure up classic drum sounds to die for, Scotty is - quite simply - the man.
Si Moore - Guitars
With a growing credit list as long as his arm, Si has been playing on people's records for years. Having seen a fair chunk of the world with global touring heavyweights Parachute Band, Si's found his niche back in NZ helping artists unlock the spark of great guitar sounds and radiohead-esque noise-making to put the X-factor all over their tracks.
Listen to our recent work
So what's a "Session Band"?
A common fixture in recording scenes like LA and Nashville, session bands work on the principle of keeping a highly versatile group of players together from project to project to ensure that a solo artist can get a quality single or album done quickly by a band who have a solid track-record in the studio. Featuring members of Autozamm, Opshop, Parachute Band, ElemenoP and The Mint Chicks, the York Street session band has 46 albums, 14 Tuis and a huge amount of production and playing know-how under their collective belt.
How the session works
Most single or album projects follow a fairly standard timeline.
- Demo-ing
Quickly and basically arranging and recording your song or songs and putting them under the microscope to make sure you're investing the time and money in the right ones.
- Pre-Production
Taking the songs you've decided to record and working on the structure, key, tempo and hooks with a band. These 'road maps' become the basis for what you'll chase during the session.
- Recording Session
Building on pre-production by chasing the sounds, performance and parts from each instrument that'll make up your finished recording.
- Mixing & Mastering
Taking the tracks, sounds and ideas from the session and building them into a finished recorded track that meets world-class sonic standards.
Different personnel from the band will be involved at different stages of the process depending on the project. Prices start from $4000 for a single through to whole album packages. Packages include the band, Studio A and engineer.