Kadman’s first record was one of the first Baltimore records I heard after I moved here a bunch of years ago. It was simply not anything I had heard out of Baltimore. Or what I thought “Baltimore” sounded like (little did I know!). I thought this band was incredible. There was something different about them. I’ve still yet to find a band here in Baltimore that sounds like them. That said, I am drawn to bands that think outside the box and do things differently. That is one reason why we worked so well together. We did a mini-EP last year (that will hopefully someday see the light of day), but I felt like we could do so much more together. I was happy when Dave (the singer/guitarist) came to me to produce his sophomore effort.

Anything
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This record went through a few stages. We scrapped the drums a few times, muted a ton of guitars, re-tracked bass tracks, wrote one song in the studio, I played theremin, re-thought the vision and then rinsed and repeated. It was a four month process from start to finish but felt like one. Dave was a great musician to work with. I’d ask him to “add this pedal” or “let’s try this room mic over here” or “hmmm, this section really doesn’t need that acoustic guitar in the chorus” and he wouldn’t flinch. Of course, Dave brought his own thing to the table as well. He’d bring in a keyboard part or a drum idea or a harmony. It was a two way road in building this record.

Mountain Song
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Dave put together a solid and vibrant band for a rather subtle yet dynamic sound. Frank Corl, the drummer, came from more of a pop/rock background but really understood the nuances of Dave’s music. He really put forth the art of the snare. We ended up using a half dozen snares on the record. James Bahleda came from an electro/goth background. But he is this beast of a bassist who can not be stopped. Be it on upright or electric. There are some lines he put down that still amaze me even after the umpteenth listen. And he has good taste in Scotch. Last but not least, I brought in Dawn Dineen and E.Joseph to sing on a few tracks. Dawn duets with Dave on one song called “An Army Rises.” E. Joseph and Dawn are both amazing singers and writers on their own. Both due out for another record soon, as well!

There are really few words to describe the record, it should speak for itself, but I’ll try. It’s a record of nuances. It’s intense – it’s acrobatic – it’s very different than their last – it’s dreamy, it’s loud, it’s quiet, it’s dense. Enjoy the samples!

Little Darling
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Our friends, Kadman, came by the studio last week for a fabulous microshow and they gave us some really moving interpretations of their songs. They did two sets, the first being songs from their first record. And the second set came from their upcoming record I’ll be producing here at Mobtown.

We really enjoyed what Kadman brought to their performance, including completely different arrangements and instruments such as banjo, upright bass and harmonica, three instruments that didn’t even appear on their record. Ringleader Dave Manchester’s intense vocals filled the room and carried the emotions of the slow-core tunes. Way to go with the spirit of the micro-show!

Dave was joined by James Bahleda on upright and Frank Corl on drums who will both be on the upcoming record.

Tech stuff: U87 on vocals, Sennheisser 509 on guitar, Oktava 012 up the bridge of the upright and C3 spot mic, Floor tom got a 421, the snare got a SM57 and the overheads were SM81s.

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Untitled
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Blue Walls (Sad Version)
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Baltimore’s own Kadman came in to the studio last week to record 2 songs for their upcoming EP. The sessions went smoothly. We tracked drums, guitar and vocals. The bassist is on vacation and should be back in the next week or two to finish up his portion. We’ve done some rough mixes and they are sounding pretty good.

We used a U87 in the lounge with the door to the studio open to add a little spice to the room sound. And I tried out the nicely priced Cascade Fathead Ribbon on the snare. I tracked it side-by-side with a 57. The 57 sounded great, but the ribbon really punched. Since Matt played with brushes or hotrod sticks the snare was a little more mellow than with traditional sticks. The ribbon really reproduced the gentle quality of Matt’s playing style. I’d say it added warmth, but that word is getting overused these days. Perhaps it was simply more accurate in its reproduction.

Dave (the singer/guitarist) had a beautiful Gretsch hollow body guitar. It was incredibly resonant and struck me as having so much life. He played with a Fender Hotrod Deluxe, an amp I am all too familiar with. The guitarist in the last band I played in had two. So I am all too familiar with its quirkiness as well. Luckily it sounds incredible and is well worth the hassle.

Be sure to check out Kadman live at the Ottobar this June 5th.

I used to pretty much write off all artists dubbed “Singer/Songwriters”. It was so overplayed in the late 90s. With Elliott Smith and the look-a-likes. Granted, Smith knew how to craft a song and he clearly had something to say, it just didn’t speak to me.

I imagine Baltimore’s Kadman gets a bit of the “Singer/Songwriter” label as it appears to be David Manchester, the frontman, who writes all the songs. But Kadman is more than just a voice and guitar. Track 2 (Diesel) starts with backwards guitars and verbed-out 10 and 2 (like a clock) panned toms. Then there is some seriously gorgeous reverb and nasty guitar tones which contrasts with the dry-as-a-desert vocals (Wake Up). It works. And works well.

Diesel
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This record sounds like it could have been recorded in someone’s living room. The first track (Blue Walls) has some mad hiss and 60hz hum at the start, but in this case it works for me. Is it the guitar? Whatever it is, it feels real. The way music should be recorded. And stellar job on the bass on this track, played by David’s brother Mitch. It’s nice sometimes when melody comes from the bass.

Blue Walls
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Lazy Sunday afternoon recovery music. Minimalist shoegaze sleepytime music. It’s vulnerable. It’s not safe. I’m looking forward to giving this record some serious play in the fall. This record works for me. It speaks to me.

Wake Up
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More info:
Kadman’s Myspace
Website (you can buy their record here)