Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal - solo artist, producer

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Recorded/produced by Bumblefoot...


Poc, "Rise Above" / Bumblefoot Music, May 2012
MP3 SAMPLER Bumblefoot Solos SAMPLER		CREDITS: Co-Written, Engineered, Produced, Performed (all music) Female rock artist Poc from Mexico City has released her debut album Rise Above, available today at iTunes, Amazon & other digi- stores. The bi-lingual crossover rock artist had her first release this past February, the arena-rock inspired anthem Rock N Roll Baby. About the recording process, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal says ”Poc flew up to to my studio in New Jersey and lived there for two months while we wrote, recorded, and kept a Livestream going to have fans watch, and participate – we had them Skype their backing vocals to us to include in the song Rock N Roll Baby, something I don't think has ever been done on an album. We'd spend hours late at night listening to the past 50 years of rock music, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, getting inspiration. And in the end you can hear that real singer/guitarist team in the songs, that duo of personalities, we captured that." "I've never experienced so much making an album as I have with Poc. In those two months we had a heat wave, an earthquake, a hurricane, a flood that left 3 feet of water in the studio, and lots of personal challenges to deal with from family tragedies to extortion threats, all this while I was in rehabilitation from a car accident that had left me unable to play and in constant pain. It was one challenge after another. But instead of it stopping us, it added intensity and spirit to the album. That's where the album title came from – every time an obstacle would stand in our way, we'd Rise Above.” Songs on Rise Above were co-written and produced by Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal and feature Guns N' Roses bandmate Frank Ferrer on drums. The album features nine songs in Spanish and three in English.
Alexa Vetere, "Breathe Again" / Bumblefoot Music, April 2012
MP3 SAMPLER		CREDITS: Co-Written, Engineered, Produced, Performed. The journey began years ago when her father took 14-year-old Alexa to watch a local band in New York City. She hears all of her favorite music she grew up with - Queen, Aerosmith, Kiss - sung and played by Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal and friends. She then told her dad "I want to learn to play guitar, just like him, from him." Two weeks later Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal has her in his studio playing guitar until her fingertips were black, teaching her vocal and writing techniques, listening to Blondie, Sex Pistols, Muse, Courtney Love, and busting out demos of songs every day. Days become months, demos become album tracks, rehearsals become gigs in NY and LA, years of living become lyrical depth. Now in her early 20s pursuing her medical Masters Degree, she shares this chapter of her life in her debut album. Featuring dueling guitar work from Bumblefoot and Alexa, her previously released title track Breathe Again held #1 position in Rock for over a year, nearing 4 million plays on ClearChannel's New Artist charts. Alexa and Breathe Again were nominated by All Access Magazine's 2007 Awards for Best New Artist, Best Songwriter and Song Of the Year. Her eight-song collection was released April 13th 2012.
Return To Earth, "Automata" / Metal Blade, August 2010
VIDEO SAMPLER		Featuring drummer Chris Pennie (Coheed & Cambria, Dillinger Escape Plan) CREDITS: Mixed, Co-Produced www.returntoearthmusic.com www.myspace.com/returntoearththeband
"Talking Metal on Fuse" / FuseTV, November 2007 - March 2008
MP3 SAMPLER		Recorded, mixed and mastered the live performances of artists on FuseTV's "Talking Metal on Fuse". Artists include Zakk Wylde, Exodus, The Spyderz, and members of Overkill, Dream Theater, Anthrax, Twisted Sister, Guns N' Roses, Iced Earth, In This Moment, God Forbid and Warrior Soul. CREDITS: Engineered, Produced, Performed.
Return To Earth, "Captains Of Industry" / Bald Freak Music, December 2007
MP3 SAMPLER		Debut album, featuring drummer Chris Pennie Coheed & Cambria, Dillinger Escape Plan) CREDITS: Co-Engineered / Co-Produced, Performed some backing vocals. www.returntoearthmusic.com www.myspace.com/returntoearththeband
*QBall, "This Is Serious Business"** / Bald Freak Music, March 2007
*QBALL - THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS (SAMPLER)**		Third album from electro-pop retro-80's artist. CREDITS: Engineered / Produced, some Co-writing, Performed guitars, backing vocals.
24-7 Spyz, "Face the Day" / Gumbo Records, Feb. 2006
24-7 SPYZ CD SAMPLER		Ten years since their last CD, 24-7 Spyz is back with a new "heavy-metal soul" album CREDITS: Engineered / Co-Produced / guest guitar solos...
Evoken, "Antithesis Of Light" CD / Mercenary Musik (US), Avante Garde Music (Europe), Feb. 2005
EVOKEN - ANTITHESIS OF LIGHT (SAMPLER)		NY's darkest doom metal... CREDITS: Engineered / Produced.
The Nerve!, "The Nerve!" CD / Hey Day Records, Nov. 2004
THE NERVE (SAMPLER)		CREDITS: Engineered / Produced These guys are a great energetic rock band - totally a live band, all about gigging. So I recorded the music completely live, the whole band and all their equipment in one room, amps turned all the way up, to help capture that live energy. Ran the guitar into a second amp to thicken the sound, one on the left, one on the right. I should also mention, they're semi- insane. The last time I recorded them, a few years back, they really broke my balls. I'd be recording girls singin' backing vocals and the guys in the band would burst into the room naked running in a circle around them, stuff like that - I think they did that at a radio station too. It was good to work with them again. Because now I got to break their balls. Joe likes to conserve and had his "Official Joe Nerve cup" - a plastic cup he'd re-use every session. So I'd have it waiting for him, full of urine, or dented with bite-marks from unknown teeth (not it that order) - stuff like that. I guess they owe me for the next record...
*QBall, "Fortune Favors the Bald" CD** / Bald Freak Music, June 2004
*QBALL - FORTUNE FAVORS THE BALD (SAMPLER)**		Electro-pop with a retro-new-wave sound. CREDITS: Engineered / Produced, some Co-writing, Performed guitars, backing vocals.
Cathy-Ann, "Honey Wagon" CD / self-released, Feb. 2003
CRAZY BITCH		CREDITS: Engineered / Produced, Performed all music except acoustic guitar/vocals. Debut CD of "anti-folk" singer/acoustic guitarist with punk edge. First CD produced at Bumblefoot's new studio in Princeton NJ *Her music was very dynamic, gentle to aggressive, and she had a way of capturing it all at once when she sang, by having the lyrics and their delivery at different emotional places, giving you a complete idea of what she's about. It was so important to record her true spirit, unaffected by anything. So I set up a mic and had her play live, recording her acoustic and vocals to tape, no click track or anything. She's so great - never needed more than one or two takes. I lived with the recordings for a week and got to know every shift in dynamics and tempo. Then built a band around her - simple drums, kick, snare, hats, ride and crashes, and gave them a late-70s Blondie type sound. The drums followed her tempo/dynamics, rather than being laid as the usual foundation. I filled it up with a heavy bass guitar, often with distortion and phase fx. Used a clean Fender-type electric guitar as icing, some nylon string too, along with tambourine and shakers when called for. The cool thing about recording Cathy-Ann's guitar/vocal tracks as the foundation is that we can strip down the mixes to acoustic versions and they sound as natural as the full-band versions.
*QBall, "QBall In Space" CD* / Bald Freak Music, April 2002
*QBALL SAMPLER**		CREDITS: Engineered / Co-produced / Performed guitar, bkg vocals. Debut CD of electro-pop artist "Q*Ball" - picture Moby/new-U2 mixed with DJ loops and a hint of retro-80s New Wave... music aired on MTV's "The Osbournes", Z100 (NYC) and XM radio.
Most Precious Blood, "Nothing In Vein" CD / Trustkill Records, Nov. 2001
MP3 SAMPLE		CREDITS: Engineered / Produced. NYHC band "Indecision" re-groups under new name, "Most Precious Blood". After releasing the cd, they toured throughout 2002 with Andrew WK and hardcore bands as their cd climbed to #3 on the CMJ hard rock charts.
Evoken, "Quietus" CD / Avante Garde Records, Dec. 2000
MP3 SAMPLE		CREDITS: Engineered / Co-produced. Third release from NY's darkest doom band...
Pat O'May, "Breizh / Amerika" CD / Coop Breizh (France), March 1999
BLOOD BREIZH-AMERICA REVEIL		CREDITS: Co-engineered / Produced. "Breizh-Amerika" combines traditional music of Brittany with Pat's guitar-driven rock style, and touches the political issues of the French government dissolving the culture of Brittany with comparisons to Native American Indian history in America. *In the song "Blood," we had two-dozen local dancers meet us at a wooden barn which we had fully mic'ed - from above, on the floor, from the room below facing up... They did a traditional dance, all stamping their feet in unison and I sync'ed them into the music. It was quite a vision - they held hands in a wide circle that slowly rotated as they danced, while clouds of dust rose from their feet only seen through two rays of bright sunlight through the side windows.
Indecision, "Most Precious Blood" CD / Wreckage Records, August 1998
MP3 SAMPLE		CREDITS: Engineered / Co-produced. Second full-length CD from NYC hard core band
Indecision, "Unorthodox" CD / Wreckage Records, Dec. 1996
MP3 SAMPLE		CREDITS: Engineered / Co-produced. Debut CD from NYC hardcore band
*And dozens more that aint on the list...*

reviews

Cathy-Ann, "Honey Wagon" CD / self-released, Jan. 2003

STARVOX.NET (March 2003)
With Honey Wagon, you get a collection of songs that is purely Cathy-Ann... Cathy-Ann is an excellent acoustic guitar player and vocalist. This CD was recorded while she played and sang at the same time, so it has an energetic live feel. She has unusual confidence for a debut album, and she's not afraid to try all kinds of phrasings and combinations of sounds and words to make very memorable and individualized music...

Cathy-Ann knows what she wants to say, how she wants to say it, and she's willing to do what it takes to get her message out. Honey Wagon is produced by the inimitable Bumblefoot, so the production is eminently full and captivating. The music has a very lively tone, but with the kind of clarity you wouldn't get from a live recording. If you've got any taste for intelligent pop, or heck, even if you don't, give Cathy-Ann a listen. Her music is creative, sincere, clever, and fun...

SMOTHER.NET (March 2003) *Editor's Pick
Before any of you dismiss her as “just another cute thing that wants to play with the big boys”, let me dash your dismissals by saying that it`s going to be the `big boys` that are going to be playing HER game. Produced and engineered by Bumblefoot who I absolutely can`t get enough of, Cathy-Ann`s debut album just smokes. Her aspirations to “be a big-time sellout, become obscenely rich, and move to a place that has a tropical climate all year long” could honestly become reality if she wants it. She`s got the tough girl attitude that helped Alanis Morissette become recognizable by just a first name. ~ J-Sin

Mark Josiah - UK journalist (Jan 2003)
“Honey Wagon” is her debut CD & if there is any justice it will achieve major success on a worldwide scale. Forget about the “skip” button whilst listening to “Honey Wagon” as there is not one filler throughout the 11 tracks on the CD. All the tracks sound raw, edgy & alive in their production, which make the whole listening experience such an audio pleasure.

You will instantly be drawn in by the lyrics, as Cathy-Ann somehow manages to seduce the listener with her vulnerability & witty lyrics then in the next breath cuts your throat & kicks you in the balls for giving a shit. Cathy-Ann manages to express so many emotions into her vocal style that she cannot be compared to any one artist.

Lach - anti-folk event coordinator at Sidewalk Cafe, NYC (Jan 2003)
"She's got the songwriting and playing chops to get where she wants to go, these are tight pop-punk songs. While obvious comparisons to Alanis and Avril come to mind it's the hints of The Runaways and The Buzzcocks that point to Cathy-Ann's no bullshit, ready-to-rock abilities. In Duraselove (her ode to her vibrator) she says all she needs is batteries - I disagree, this girl has enough juice to run on her own quite fine!"

Q*Ball, "Q*Ball In Space" CD / Bald Freak Music, April 2002

Grave Concerns (April 25, 2002)
Julie: How did you learn to create the sound that is Q*Ball?
Q: I had written a bevy of songs in the mid-90's that were to frame the Q*Ball 'sound.' I was in an electronic rock band called Secret Army - the ideas were there, but the execution didn't usually match the ambition, mainly because the guys I worked with were inferior musicians. Working with a guy like Bumblefoot, who not only is a great guitarist, but someone who knows how to create a fantastic wall of electronic sound, made a big difference. He totally turned my musical vision into a reality with his engineering & musical skills.

Aiding & Abetting ( issue #229)
A delightfully crunchy elektro-industrial confection. Q*Ball is lucky enough to have Bumblefoot as a co-producer and guitarist, and so his songs have a decidedly rock base.

Which is cool, considering that his beats are so light and fluffy. The electronic side of the sound is cute and bouncy, quite the counterpoint to Bumblefoot's thick and heavy riffage. The combination might take a moment or so to really sink in, but it works.

Smother" E-zine (2002)
“...In Space” is Q*Ball’s answer to stagnant electronica. Featuring hits such as “Get on the Bus”, “Chew”, and “Edith”, this album is electric with funk, techno-pop, and bouncy vocals.

With huge guitar fuzz each song is a build-up of the other with an almost fantasy-filled choose-your-own-adventure lurking at each turn not to mention some of the best production work I’ve heard in a long time. ~ J-Sin

The Wage Of Sin, "Product Of Deceit And Lonliness" CD / Immigrant Sun Records, March 2002

RGreview.com
The Wage of Sin's "The Product of Deceit and Loneliness" has to be one of the best metalcore albums released this year.

BeginMeansEnd.com
The weight and power behind the guitars shudders the walls... an all girl band that could stand up to anything that could be thrown at them and do it on their own merits. I feel as if these women are fighting to bring greater music to the music scene that I depend on so much and in so are doing me a favor for which I would like to say thank you.

Most Precious Blood, "Nothing In Vein" CD / Trustkill Records, Nov. 2001

Undevoured (Nov. 2001)
This album is awesome. One of the best Trustkill releases...

Foundry Music (March 2002)
This disc showed up between ROB ZOMBIE and KITTIE on the CMJ Hard Rock charts (I think it peaked at number three) ...a new level of sonic brutality.

Hardcore Website (March 2002)
This is HARDCORE! !! The way it was meant to be! The second you put this disc in your player you are kicked in the head with wall-to-wall guitars slamming drums and a bass that makes your chest feel like caving in! Definitely has made my top ten all time favorites!

Megakungfu (Nov. 2001)
Without a doubt this is a hardcore record for the ages ...like getting hit in the balls over and over. The throbbing sensation becomes your friend after awhile. Hardcore has never been closer to heaven!

Surface (September 2002)
On "Nothing In Vain" it's as if the world has a only few hours left and you have to get it all out in time. I can honestly say this is a hardcore band that has a style all their own.

Words As Weapons (May 2002)
Most Precious Blood has blown my expectations away and my expectations were high. Musically heavy with non-formula guitar riffs, great production and lots of time changes, the songs kept me engaged throughout. The higher pitched edge of Tom’s voice maintains a sense of desperation and intensity throughout this record, giving a sense of breaking down in despair while building emotional strength back up at the same time.

Alll Music (February 2002)
Sheehan sings with bold defiance and every bandmember pours every inch of their soul into their respective instrument. Lyrically Most Precious Blood dares to be honest, writing heartfelt thoughts which deserve to be studied... Most Precious Blood embodies everything that allows hardcore music to bond with its fans, and Nothing in Vain should be used to instruct newcomers on how to convey emotion through brutality correctly. Nothing in Vain is an album of magnificence designed by people who have their fingers on the pulse of the scene.

PastePunk (December 2001)
MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD connect in a much more direct, personal way that seems to elevate itself so much above the rest. "Nothing In Vain" is one of the best discs of 2001

Evoken, "Quietus" CD / Avante Garde Records, Dec. 2000

Hyberblastmetal.com
Crushing production. There hasn’t been a better Doom album to hit my ears...

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