January-April 2009

We are so happy to keep you updated! Thanks to all our friends new and old. March was sick and April is winding up to be incredible as well, we are working with a hot new band...Stoned Fire. Also, Check out January Jane’s Performance at the Rock of Ages Opening Night Party! We are also happy to announce that we are now endorsing Sabian Cymbals! We are now an authorized dealer for N-Tune Onboard Guitar Tuners, we sell and install this incredible piece of gear. Come by our studio for a demonstration. We also want to thank Mr. Frank Ferrar drummer for Guns n Roses for giving Sweetfire Studios (formerly Purple Light Studios) a special thanks on the album credits for their new album Chinese Democracy...cheers Frank! All this and more in this months news.

January Jane and a host of other celebs gathered to celebrate the Opening Night Party for one of Broadway’s Break through hit shows...Rock Of Ages.

The Rock Of Ages story...In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA’s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. An arena-rock love story told through the hits of Journey, Night Ranger, STYX, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, ASIA, Whitesnake.

January Jane took it to another level at their performance that night for the opening night party @ The Edison Ballroom, an amazing performance with Hamboussi on Drums, Mitch Mitchell on Guitar, Jakk on Bass and filling in for vocal duties that evening...Constantine Maroulis! Night Ranger was also amazing to watch, they performed their hits “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” and “Sister Christian” as an acoustic set.

Guests on hand were Dee Snider, J.J. French (Twisted Sister), Zack Efron, Nikki Blonsky, Rocco DiSpirito and Tamara Tunie. Also, our friends Jamie Ross and Beverly Palmer (Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michels) were happy to snap a shot with the boys from January Jane on the Red Carpet.

All of the Sweetfire Crew were on hand to enjoy an amazing night out on the town with our friends! The party was amazing and we were so happy to be there to support and contribute! We are proud to announce that January Jane is currently recording at Sweetfire Studios. Cheers boys and lots of success!

We are happy to announce that Stoned Fire has started song-writing and production at Sweetfire. Our very own Michael Barile has taken these guys under his wing and the first couple of tracks are already amazing! Check out teasers of these songs on their myspace. Keep your eyes and ears open for these guys they are already making a splash right out of the gate, the buzz has already started. Stay tuned for more songs and upcoming performances. We are very proud that they chose us to record and produce them, thanks boys and much success!

October-December 2008

October was a big month for all of us here at Sweetfire. Our friends at UGO.com asked us if we could accomadate them with a heavy duty project for CMJ Marathon Week...record 10 bands in 5 days. NO PROBLEM! The line up...Vivian Girls, Scissors for Lefty, MC Frontalot, Takka Takka. Donny Goines, Richard Edwards, Wild Sweet Orange, Passenger, Me Talk Pretty and An Horse. You can find all the live videos and recordings on UGO.com.

Because we have limited space we will tell you a bit about a couple of the bands, but you guys should check all of them out...very talented!

Headed up by Mike Rosenberg, Passenger are a five-piece from Brighton with a different take on pop. The 23-year-old founder pens unsettling songs about stalking, wasted lives and the despair of abandoned dogs, all with an alarming eye for detail. Is there something he’s hiding? “That I have a disturbed mind, you mean?” laughs Rosenberg. “No, not at all. Even my darkest songs have a sense of humour. The worst crime you can commit in pop is taking yourself too seriously. Passenger has its down tempo moments and some of our songs are quite sensitive, but they all share a certain quirkiness. In the end it’s about storytelling – creating characters and sending them off on a journey.”

Scissors For Lefty is not an indie band, nor a pop band. They are a passionate personality. Their cute demeanor contains a healthy dose of mischief, and their friendship is authentic. If they were an article of clothing, they just might be your favorite sweater. The quintet — featuring Bryan, his brother Stevie Garza, 25, and uncle (don’t ask) Robby Garza, 29, plus brothers Peter, 29, and James Krimmel, 27 — recently scored glowing reviews in NME, Billboard, Spin.com, SF Weekly, and the LA Times, nabbing gigs with the Arctic Monkeys, Blonde Redhead, Metric, Paul Weller, the Fratelli’s, the Fiery Furnaces, the Cribs, the Coup, Shiny Toy Guns, Panic! at the Disco, and Dirty Pretty Things, along with numerous European festivals and underground Jacuzzi bashes.

We wish these bands and all the bands that recorded with us during a hectic but successful CMJ Week, the best of luck...cheers!!!

November was also a milestone for Sweetfire...we had our first showcase...A Success!!! We want to thank everyone who helped make this a reality...you know who you are! We were showcasing and in some cases introducing some of our recording artists’ from Sweetfire, they all did vey well and should be proud of themselves! Hope Kills Fear, Pill Hill Radio, S.T.E.M & Ghosts of Eden, thank you guys for believing in us!!! We are also happy to announce that our next showcase will be taking place in March 2009...stay tuned & Thanks!!!

August / September, 2008

Don’t Look Away, Voegele’s first full-length album (MySpace Records), is a revelation, as the 20-year-old writ-er/singer, belying her tender years, delivers songs of depth and insight with a powerfully seductive voice that maintains a fierce presence amid dynamic rock grooves and infectious pop hooks. ”I’d been looking for a label where I’d have artistic freedom and where they’d appreciate the music in its original form and not try to make it anything it wasn’t. That’s what I found at MySpace, along with an innovative approach to marketing, which is something I didn’t see at any other label. The people at MySpace are taking an approach that’s really different, and I’m excited to be part of it.” Voegele signed with MySpace in October of 2006. We are happy to have her at Sweetfire now!!! Recording and performing three unplugged tracks off her new record Voegele exploded on the Sweetfire stage as she performed for our very good friends at UGO.com.

Ask Lesley Roy to reflect on the motivation behind her music, and it becomes clear why the 21-year-old Bal-briggan, Ireland, native has a amazing voice and a extraordinary presence. On her Religion Music/Jive debut, Unbeautiful, Lesley Roy proves herself part of that rarified club. Nearly two years in the making, the album runs the gamut from hook-saturated power pop to stratosphere-climbing ballads, all the while reflecting Lesley’s ability to express a lifetime’s worth of emotion with a voice that’s equally powerful at both ends of the scale. We are so glad that UGO.com chose us to record three live tracks for Lesley’s broadcast on UGO.com (coming soon). Lesley will also be featured in our upcoming newsletter and our featured artist section.

June / July, 2008

People In Planes exclusive performance! Straight from Wales and now residing in New York City, indie rock band, People In Planes are looking to make the most of their time in the States. With cosigns from the likes of actor Joaquin Phoenix and powered by their latest single, "Pretty Buildings" from their soon-to-be-released album, Beyond The Horizon, People In Planes are poised break the American market with a vengance. As always we are very happy that UGO and People in Planes decided to film and record their broadcast at our studio. You can check-out People in Planes performing live at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ on August 23rd and at The Mercury Lounge in NYC on August 25th. Airing on UGO.com now!

Urgency, ISM’s sophomore album on STM Records, poses unflinching questions about the human condition in songs equally as bold in construction. Smart, melodic and hypnotic, Urgency builds on the solid foundation of 2006’s critically acclaimed Monkey Underneath. We are so happy that Leo @ Big Machine Media and Jonathan at STM Records decided to use our facilities to record ISM live for broadcast on UGO.com. ISM will also be performing at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on August 15th and The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ on August 29th. Check out their myspace here!

May, 2008

Tiye Phoenix is an exceptional rapper, singer and producer (Tiye is the 2006 winner of the Meet The Producers Championship) that bucks the current, sexually-charged, cookie-cutter template of the
female MC. Recording as a soloist and with the likes of Mos Def, Last Emperor, Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek since the late 1990's, Tiye is also a member of the Polyrhythm Addicts, releasing their critically acclaimed album, Break Glass in 2007. We are so happy that Tiye and UGO.com chose Sweetfire Studios to produce their music for broadcast. Check out the live performance and interview here at UGO.com.

Beans a.k.a. Mr. Ballbeam is the "complex rapper's rapper." Known to underground hip-hop fans worldwide as a member of the groundbreaking crew, Antipop Consortium, Beans and the crew have released a slew of singles and albums since 1997 - the most notable being the single, "Ghost Lawns," off the 2002 album, Arrhythmia. After the group split in 2003, Beans released his solo album in 2007, entitled Thorns. You can check out some live tracks recorded at Swwtfire Studios for broadcast right here at UGO.com.

With albums such as The Petting Zoo and Problem of The Day, and a current mixtape circulating entitled Bacc 2 Tha Basics, StarPower and The Dugout Music collective, will be 'above ground' in no time at all. We want to thank Starpower and UGO Networks for choosing our studio for their live recording to be featured on UGO.com. Check it out now!

With a resume that goes back to 1996, John Robinson - as a member or Scienz of Life - dropped their first single, 'Powers of 9 Ether.' Since then, whether it was with Scienz of Life or as Lil Sci, Mr. Robinson has also performed and/or, recorded with the likes of MF Doom, The Roots, Talib Kweli and others. Currently, Robinson is working on the long-awaited John Robinson Project with MF Doom due out later this year. We are very excited to feature our studio on yet again another video broadcast for UGO.com. Check out our live recordings used for broadcast right here at UGO.com!

Coming up next month…NYC’s own ISM and from the UK, People in Planes (Wind Up Records). Cheers!

April, 2008

Sav Killz was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and has been deeply involved with hip-hop culture since childhood. He started out as a graffiti writer but would later pick up the microphone and devote himself fully to the art of the rhyme. We are very happy that Sav and UGO decided to use our facilities to record 3 live tracks and video the performance for broadcast on UGO.com. Go check it out!

As one of the first recording artists signed to the once thriving Rawkus Records label, Shabaam Sahdeeq was known for his notable 12" single releases like "Sound Clash" and "3-D". Once again Underground Networks brings Shabaam to us to record 3 live tracks and video the performance. Broadcasting now on UGO.com...go check it out!

We also want to thank Leo Lovoro from Big Machine Media and Real Magic TV for choosing our studio to do their interview and live performance of Eric Solomon. Go check out RMTV now!!! Check back for features on Eric and RMTV coming soon.

We also are very proud of one of our regular artists Pill Hill Radio, they are working with us on their second record produced by our very own Michael Barile and it's shaping up to be a masterpiece. Also, they will be performing at the Central Park Summer Stage on May 23rd...WOW! Congratulations Boys! Look for them as one of our featured artists coming soon.



March, 2008

John LaMacchia former guitarist for Candiria is back in our studio with his new project Spylacopa. It is indeed what you would expect from this talent. John has also asked several extraordinary talents to perform on his upcoming solo project. Including Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan singing on several Spylacopa tracks as well as Julie Christmas from Made out of Babys. They are all amazing talents to work with and we are anticipating the completion of this record.

We were also visited by the boys in Dillinger Escape Plan recently, they recorded three live songs... Lurch, Fix Your Face and Milk Lizard for Underground.com. At the same time, we were also able to use our showcase room for UGO to video the boys for a telecast on UGO.com go check it out! We also have the audio files of these songs on our media page.

We were also visited by Ali Vegas, we are very proud to be able to track and mix; once again for our friends at Underground.com. We recorded and mixed three live tracks for Ali Vegas that are being used for broadcast. Go check them out, they came out dope!

We are also pleased to debut the first listen of Hope Kills Fear featuring Carly Coma formerly of the band Candiria. Check them out on our media page. We are being showcased with Hope Kills Fear on Roadrunner Records' Blabbermouth.net they came to Sweetfire to do their photo-shoot and interview... Go check it!

We are also happy to announce the re-release of Rain by 40 Below Summer. Recorded here at Sweetfire and produced by our very own Michael Barile. Available now on Crash Records.

We use our space for up and coming artists and photographers to showcase their work, a gallery if you will. Come check out the halls of Sweetfire where we showcase some of the most talented artists and photographers in NYC. Check out our Gallery slideshow to see some of the work.

Don't forget that Sweetfire is a full-service Design Studio as well, check out our Portfolio!

Check back frequently for all the latest and keep an eye out for our GRAND OPENING PARTY! Cheers!

Lesley Roy

We are happy that JIVE Records chose us to record three live tracks for Lesley Roy, broadcast on UGO.com. This 21-year-old Bal-briggan, Ireland, native has a amazing voice and a extraordinary presence. We want to thank her personally for making it such a great experience!

People In Planes

We are happy that Wind Up Records chose us to record five live tracks for People In Planes' broadcast on UGO.com. We want to wish them much success on the road w/ Filter and The Toadies! We want to thank the boys personally for making it such a great experience...Cheers!!




Dillinger Escape Plan

We had the pleasure of recording three live tracks for the Dillinger Boys. They are being used for Underground.com. We are proud that they chose our showcase room to video their performance and our facilities to record & mix it for broadcast. Cheers boys and much success!




Ali Vegas

Vegas is heavily shadowed with the comparison of him sounding like fellow Queens rappers Nas, AZ and most recently Jay-Z. Ali has had a tough time with labels, first he signed with Trackmasters Entertainment/Columbia Records (1999-2000). Then again with Casablanca Records/Universal Music Group (2003-2005). Then finally opted to start his own, Rich Soil Entertainment/Council Recordings (2005-Present). We had the privilege of recording this up and comer. The tracks are being used for Underground.com. We are proud that they chose our showcase room to video their performance and have our facilities record & mix it for broadcast.




Hope Kills Fear

Features Carly Coma former vocalist for Candiria. They have just finished several recordings that we are pleased to showcase on our media page. These songs were produced by our very own Michael Barile. Also featured in the band is Julio Aries formerly of the band One Solid State.




Spylacopa

Features John La Macchia on guitar (formerly of Candiria), as well as Greg Pucciato (Dillinger Escape Plan). Julie Christmas (Made out of Babys) and Troy Young on Drums. We have the pleasure of recording their debut which will be available sometime this year. Good luck guys!