Mike Beck CD
Recording Sessions

Crackers Neck Studios - Makanda, Illinois
Monday & Tuesday, August 12 & 13, 2002

Following a Sunday afternoon recording session with the horn section in Northbrook, Andy and Mike loaded up Andy's entire studio into his Toyota RAV4 and hit the highway. Destination: Carbondale, Illinois, site of Mike's alma mater Southern Illinois University and a close-knit community of talented musicians Mike worked with during his college years.

This was an emotionally charged journey for Mike, as he had not been back to Carbondale in over a decade. Toney and Nicky Ventura extended their incomparable hospitality to Mike and Andy by allowing them to take over their home and set up Andy's studio, and graciously welcoming Mike's guest musicians into their home.

In addition to Toney Ventura's wonderful contributions on guitar and vocals, Jason Thomas and Mike Ricci added their vocal harmonies to the album. In the late '80s, Jason and Mike (Ricci), along with Nora O'Connor (from the August 6, 2002 recording sessions), performed together in an acoustic harmony vocal group called the Immigrant Fleas. It's great to hear these tremendous voices reunited on record, if not physically.

Musical wunderkind Frank Curtis drove up from his home near Nashville, Tennessee to join the Crackers Neck recording sessions. He enhanced Mike's CD significantly, contributing electric guitar, acoustic 6 and 12 string guitars and vocal harmonies.

This was a brief, though powerful and productive return to southern Illinois, where Mike enjoyed his first professional performances nearly 15 years ago.

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Toney Ventura at the helm of his project studio. Producer Andy Sabin at Crackers Neck Studios after a long drive, short sleep and an intensive studio re-assembly. An incredible moment in the history of Rock & Roll... Mike's two greatest guitar influences and musical partners meet for the first time. Toney Ventura with Frank Curtis. Producer Andy Sabin with Toney Ventura and Frank Curtis. Frank Curtis getting his tone dialed in on his Fender Stratocaster and Mesa Boogie guitar amp.
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Frank and his Strat.
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Toney's lush Tacoma acoustic guitar and Ibanez Les Paul. Frank's Mesa Boogie amp and "Leslie" rotating speaker cabinet, heard on Planet Love. Invasion of the Ventura home! The Ventura family plus... Thanks Toney and Nicky... You are the greatest!

(Without these folks, there wouldn't be a Mike Beck CD... I am forever in your debt! Thank you.)
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Frank and his custom Ovation acoustic 12-string guitar. Producer Andy Sabin and guitarist Frank Curtis. Guess who! Frank and Mike posed for some promo shots in Toney's backyard... Giant City State Park, part of the Shawnee National Forest.

Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.
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Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.
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Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.
The view from Toney's backyard, overlooking downtown Makanda, Illinois.

Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.
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Photo by Andy Sabin.
Toney Ventura playing his Tacoma acoustic. A beautiful guitar played by a beautiful guitarist.
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Frank playing Toney's Tacoma. Singer / publishing magnate Jason Thomas.
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Frank Curtis, Mike Ricci and Jason Thomas. Frank Curtis and Mike Ricci, singing together for the first time. The passion, the heart-wrenching... Oh... Nevermind. Mike Ricci sang his heart out on this session. Thanks Mike! You can hear him on Johnny Y., The Screw and Soulshine. Toney Ventura singing background vocals.
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Jason Thomas can also be heard on Johnny Y., The Screw and Soulshine. Mike Ricci at the mic (foreground), with Andy Sabin and Frank Curtis lurking nearby. A photo of a photo showing Toney's wife Nicky meeting Colonel Sanders. Damn cool! Jason, Mike and Frank surround the AKG C12 for vocals on Soulshine.
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Toney Ventura at the mic for vocals. The Makanda Men's Chorus rehearsing vocals for Soulshine. Mike Ricci strums through a rehearsal of Soulshine. Frank pulls out his Les Paul for the recording of Planet Love.
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Producer Andy Sabin expresses his feelings about working with Mike Beck. Andy Sabin describes this photo as "Pro-Tools getting into my head". Mike imagines finishing the album.
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Toney Ventura on his Ibanez Les Paul recording guitar for Planet Love. Frank, Tuesday morning, back on his 12 string Ovation. Frank pulled off a brilliant 12-string guitar solo that can be heard on The Ghost of Mrs. Adler.
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Mike and Frank on the Makanda boardwalk, posing for promo shots.

Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.


Photo by Andy Sabin.
Frank, Toney and Andy Sabin on the Makanda boardwalk.
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Toney, Mike and Frank.

Photo by Andy Sabin.
Dowtown Makanda, Illinois. This is it... The entire downtown Makanda, located at the heart of Giant City State Park in the Shawnee National Forest just a few miles south of Carbondale.

 

All photos by Mike Beck unless otherwise indicated. ©2002 Big Ugly Music & Media

 

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