ONE OF PHILADELPHIA'S MOST CHERISHED RECORDING STUDIOS
Miner Street Recordings is owned by Brian McTear, a life-long musician, record producer, educator and music community activist, and Amy Morrissey, a musician, engineer and artist. In 1996, Miner Street made the move from McTear's college living room at 112 E. Miner Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania to 128 Krams Avenue in Philadelphia's Manayunk neighborhood. In 1999, there was another move - across the street to what was then "Cycle Sound Studios" with owner and live sound engineer, Gary Ferenchak. The "merger" put Miner Street's growing clientele together with Cycle Sound's much larger room and coveted vintage gear collection. It was a match made in heaven, and a partnership that lasts to this day. And at a time in which the entertainment industry underwent dramatic changes, when most studios did not survive, Miner Street Recordings actually thrived. (We are very proud of that little detail.)
In September 2005, Miner Street Recordings moved to Norris Street in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, just blocks away from McTear's and Morrissey's home. Long before the revitalization of Fishtown, Miner Street was one of the first creative enterprises to explore the neighborhood's potential. Over a decade has passed, and today we find ourselves thankfully located right in the middle of the best live music venues, restaurants, art galleries and more. Recording clients from out of town are welcome to enjoy recording in Fishtown, by taking advantage of Miner Street's simple but cozy apartment space (complete with bathroom, shower, kitchen) that comfortably sleeps 3 - 4 people for weeks at a time.
Miner Street Recordings has long supported the music community that gives it life, and is perhaps best-recognized as the studio setting for the non-profit Weathervane Music's Shaking Through documentary recording series, from an organization and series that McTear co-created at the beginning of The Great Recession in early 2009. Weathervane's work has brought incredibly talented and enthusiastic artists to Miner Street Recordings, including members of The War on Drugs, Dr. Dog, Grizzly Bear, Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Strand of Oaks, Waxahatchee, and many others.
We love to show the studio, talk about its history and hear about new projects. Come see Miner Street Recordings.
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Our 20th Recorders Club track has just landed! 🌊 The Real Sea came from Pittsburgh to record with Brian and Matt at Miner Street Recordings in the weeks just before the pandemic. Their entrancing music was suddenly stuck in limbo, and now it's finally available to the world.
Download, remix, then share your version of "Paper Machete" with other members of the Weathervane community ❤ Enjoy!
➡️
https://bit.ly/therealsea
We’d like to thank our friends at Audio-Technica USA for their generous gift in memory of former CEO Jon Kelly.
Audio Technica has been essential at Miner Street Recordings for many, many years and we appreciate their support of recorded music.
Premiering exclusively today is Mighty Joe Castro and the Gravamen's live performance of their soulful re-imagining of Johnny Thunders’ “Disappointed In You.” The video was recorded live at Miner Street Recordings for Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash 2021.
Happy 1 year anniversary to The Recorders Club 🥳🥳
An idea born out of last year's lockdown, The Recorders Club brought together a variety of artists who shared their music from Miner Street Recordings sessions for Weathervane members to remix, inspect, and share. It's been such a fun experience to collaborate with some of our favorite bands and listen to great work from our members.
Learn more about The Recorders Club and check out the available multitracks:
https://weathervanemusic.org/projects/the-recorders-club
Did you remix a Recorders Club track? Share them in the comments below!
“Developing strength and confidence through my voice was the beginning of my passion. I wanted to learn how to sway others with my voice the same way so many songs had done for me. Now, I am a high school graduate looking to start a career in the field that's drawn my eye since I was a small child.” - 2021 grad Nia C. D.
Congratulations to Nia, one of Rock to the Future's graduating seniors who received a new laptop and funding for school from the Higher Education Scholarship Fund. Here's an excerpt from the Student House Band's visit to Miner Street Recordings with Weathervane Music Organization where 10th grade Nia talks about her goal of studying audio engineering - now, Nia is heading to Community College of Philadelphia this fall and is pursuing a career in music production. You rock!
Got to watch this guy in action a few weeks ago at Miner Street Recordings. Brian McTear is the man. Cool article
#IsolationDrills: Brian D. McTear (Miner Street Recordings, Weathervane Music Organization). Like the majority of you, all of us in the Philadelphia area had been staying at home over the past year, learning to adapt to a “new normal.” MAGNET is checking in with local musicians to see how and what they’d been doing during this unprecedented time. Photos by Chris Sikich (Chris Sikich Photography):
https://magnetmagazine.com/2021/06/22/isolation-drills-brian-mctear-miner-street-recordings/
Two new mesmerizing audio-visual pieces from Brian McTear. These original works represent our unique history and optimistic outlook for the future of music and creative expression.
002 Orange sky heart pendant: A lo-fi micro-remix featuring a surreal winter sky over Miner Street Recordings, with the explosive sounds of vintage studio gear.
003 Water heart pendant: An ambient noise micro-remix featuring cold winter water pooling in front of Penn Treaty Park on the Delaware River, with the mind-freezing sounds of a Juno 6, a Rat pedal, and a slowed Ampex tape machine. Loneliness and optimism, reluctantly combined.
Purchase and resale of these #NFTs directly support the future work and mission of Weathervane Music. Click here view:
https://opensea.io/collection/weathervanemusic
Guitarist Rogers Stevens of Blind Melon returned to the Music for All Ball! Take a listen to his cover of Melissa by The Allman Betts Band.
You may remember Rogers from the 2018 Music for All Ball, where he joined the Student House Band to perform the original song he helped them write, "Without You." Their song, recorded at Miner Street Recordings with help from Weathervane Music Organization is free to stream and download on our Bandcamp page.
We are pleased to present our first minted #NFT commemorating the founding of Weathervane Music Organization. "001 Weathervane Music - Fishtown, Phila 2009" is a unique piece created by founder and executive director Brian McTear.
This NFT features an image of Miner Street Recordings in Fishtown, the home of our recording documentary series #ShakingThrough, and is accompanied by live audio from a session. Purchase and resale of this item directly supports the future work and mission of Weathervane Music.
http://bit.ly/001WVMusic
Guitarist Rogers Stevens of Blind Melon is returning to the Music for All Ball! You may remember Rogers from the 2018 Music for All Ball, where he joined the Student House Band to perform the original song he helped them write, "Without You." Their song, recorded at Miner Street Recordings with help from Weathervane Music Organization is free to stream and download on our Bandcamp page! Tune in to the virtual show on Friday, 4/23!
Tickets are free, and donations will support Rock to the Future's free music programs for Philly youth.
https://rocktothefuture.org/musicforall
This is a good read, and not just because Aaron recognizes our old Miner Street Recordings and Shaking Through engineer friend Jonathan Low. Thanks for posting Aaron Dessner. You're a good human.
