Crave Magazine - NURTURING THE TALENT OF TOMORROW’S STARS TODAY: BILLY ATWELL OPENS AMP AUDIO

Even though most of these upstarts shun the guidance and influence of a seasoned vet of the road, studio and music biz to give them focus (the price tag can be an issue a lot of the time) and some tasty tips on arrangements and orchestration (let alone how to “get it to sound huge”), guys like John Hammond, Ahmet Ertigun, Quincy Jones, and Arif Mardin did not get where they got by being bumps on a log. And while I don’t claim to be the stuff of legend just yet, I am more than certain producers in the vast middle ground with my experiences, education and general ‘X factor’ will make a great bridge between the multi-platinum personas and a passionate D.I.Y. hipster who chooses to slap in plug in presets on their digital recordings with questionable results.” ~~ Billy Atwell

Ask BILLY ATWELL where he’s from and you’re likely to get a number of responses, mostly theorizing he arrived in New York from West Virginia via the west Texas town of El Paso (to paraphrase Marty Robbins, one of ATWELL’s influences and heroes). Every place he touched down has impacted him in some way, and he has allowed his music to grow from all this knowledge he has accumulated.

Always on the cutting edge – whether as a musician, composer or songwriter – ATWELL began working with undiscovered talent and became a mentor and consultant to many, drawing on his experiences and expertise. Constantly on the lookout for, and approached by, exciting new musical genius, he longed for a way to help them in their search to achieve their dreams. Now, with the formation of his own AMP Audio in Hoboken, NJ, ATWELL has created a niche recording studio “specializing in the development of singer- songwriters.” Combining all his knowledge and capabilities, ATWELL looks to develop young artists’ innate talents and move them along the road to success by giving them the benefit of his hard earned know-how and kicking it up several notches from recording at home in their bedroom to a real in-studio experience.

Although mostly recognized as an explosive and dynamic drummer, ATWELL actually started his musical career in eighth grade, delving into aspects of composition and guitar with various punk bands. Later as a junior in high school, he would sneak into college bars to hook up with similar groups composed of English, Business and Law majors.

Along the road he blasted away in various rock outfits (th' Inbred/Rhythm Pigs), composed for student films and freelanced his drum skills. It's fair to say ATWELL has damn near performed every genre of music including country music in desperate Southwestern honkytonks, rhythm and blues in East coast roadhouses, and dance-hall reggae and cocktail jazz in Rhode Island colleges and yacht clubs.

ATWELL has also explored musical venues for the stage, from Shakespeare to New York revivals of the musicals HAIR (1998) and GODSPELL (2000) with significant side trips into the eclectic and avant-garde. He accompanied poet/performance artist Jose Torres Tama and produced a CD of his spoken word pieces. Currently, ATWELL is seeking to expand his presence into the venue of “filmic sound-scapes.” These mediums include art installations, actual movies, television, video game scores, and more projects as inventive as SAFFRON, a 2004 collaboration performed at Lincoln Center in association with the Juilliard School. Other participating composers included Phillip Glass, The Kronos Quartet, KODO and John Zorn.

To enhance his scoring efforts, ATWELL has studied Music for Film and Video at New York University with Bob Garardi. He continues to study orchestration and arrangement with Juilliard School of Music graduate Edgar David Grana. The result was award-winning efforts in the 2004 Redgate Productions documentary film “Secrets of Redgate” and a Jersey City Museum stage production of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic “The Scarlet Letter.” ATWELL has also studied frame drums with virtuoso Glen Velez and drum set with the enigmatic Billy Ward.

While continuing to work on scores, ATWELL opened AMP Studios. When asked why he is the right person to lead these rookies in producing their CDs, ATWELL replied, “Whether some of these musicians want to admit it or not there is something to be said for sonics and song craft. Musicians can get too clever for their own good - this coming from having performed with too many that were. My choice to ‘shed the band objective’ and go on as a full time producer could not be more timely.”

Recent projects include Joe Condiracci (who was one of the last artists with whom legendary producer Tom Dowd worked), Tree, the vocalist from the NY based rock band The Outside, in.times.of.silence’s “Rain” EP and Scoop Slone’s “Sunday Sunday” EP. ATWELL is actively seeking backers/partners to start a label specializing in releasing “EP-only” CDs of his 5 song singer/songwriter collaborations.

All of this contributes to honing his ever-growing body of experience. ATWELL has a deep concern for musical roots, and constantly seeks out the foundations of music genres often reaching back to those performers no longer remembered by the general public. While he admits Kiss, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin were catalysts in his wanting to play music (Kiss Alive! was his "Beatles on Ed Sullivan experience"), ATWELL also adds that it’s not uncommon for him to be spinning the likes of Godflesh, Beethoven, Blind Willie Johnson, Patsy Cline or Miles Davis at any given moment. "I’ve never been limited by labels or genres. It’s always been about the most intense voice and the reckless pursuit of the true Sound Innovators."

To submit a demo, contact:
ATWELL MUSIC PRODUCTIONS, 321 Newark Street, 4^th floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030
tel: 212-576-TUNE (8863)
You can visit them on the web at www.ampaudio.net

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