Q&A: A conversation with musician and recording engineer Jeff Martin

Jeff Martin is a bass player and an arranger who plays on live shows. He is also the owner of Studio E in Sebastopol.
You’ve been working as a musician and recording engineer in Sonoma County for quite some time.
When and where did it start?
I started playing guitar when I was five. When I was 12 my guitar teacher told me I was a guitar “owner” not a guitar “player.” I suggested maybe I should switch to the bass because it had less strings – and he agreed. He also thought that I might get more gigs that way. Along the way some intensive music schooling gave me the invaluable string arranging experience which I use daily.
I started recording music around 1992 at Studio E when it was still owned by its founder Ken Eberhard (that’s where the “E” comes from). I had my own studio in Camp Meeker that was real sweet, recording analog onto a beautiful Studer 24 track machine, in a 100-year-old house in the woods. I recorded and mixed records there from 1996 all the way up until I bought Studio E from Ken in 2004. I moved the Studer over here, added a slew of great vintage microphones and outboard gear, and haven’t looked back since.
Can you tell us who has been working at Studio E and anything about their recording projects?
I’ve been very lucky recently, working with great Bay Area artists like Nina Gerber and Chris Webster, David Grisman, singer/Songwriter Stan Wells, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, the Detroit Disciples and David and Linda LaFlamme.
The Stan Wells “High Tide” album is a wonderful example of a singer/songwriter realizing a dream here at Studio E. Stan is finally making the album he’s worked towards for over 35-plus years. Upon finally deciding to record and document his songs, his sister and brother-in-law came in with him, and together they completed the basic tracks of the project in a mere two days. In one weekend session we came out with 15 original songs.
This was a humbling experience, in that the approach resembled “old style” recordings of years past – when musicians were actually prepared and rehearsed for the recording session. The result produces a much more organic, cohesive sense of the music based on actual performances instead of edited and overproduced recordings where the musicians are never in the same room at the same time. The record will be released next month. We will have a show and CD release party at Studio E, get on our email list to be notified of the date.
Studio E is known for hosting house concerts for local and visiting artists. Who do you have coming up that we should know about?
Studio E House Concerts are first and foremost recording sessions that take place in front of a live audience. Many times we are approached by an artist who wants their performance to be recorded and/or filmed in front of a live audience.
This week (Friday, Oct. 4) we feature Butch Hancock from the Flatlanders. On Saturday, Oct. 26, we will a hosting a “homegrown” record release party with Nina Gerber and Chris Webster.
For more information contact Studio E directly at 707-823-5316 and/or Je****@so***.net and leave your info and let me know if you want to get on our email list for upcoming shows. Or visit us on: facebook.com/pages/Studio-E.
How would you describe the Sonoma music scene to an outsider?
The Sonoma County music scene is extremely rich with local talent and definitely has its own stamp of originality.
I really do believe that we have our own “homegrown sound.” Somewhat of a visionary, ecotopian mindset with an emphasis on hope, consciousness and place of origin that can be attributed to the “West Coast Acoustic Folk Revival” of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and beyond … an extremely rich history of such artists as Kate Wolf, Teresa Tudury, Kate Price, Joanne Rand, Lou Gottlieb of the Limeliters etc…
Each and every year we continue to churn out amazing new, original and exciting artists from many genres. These accomplished musicians include some of the best Jazz, Blues and Bluegrass players, Irish-Celtic and New Age artists, and some that just defy categorization.
A partial list of these luminaries include Ed Neff, Volker Strifler, Patrick Ball, Tom Waits, Nina Gerber, Kitaro, David Grisman, Sarah Baker, Robert Afifi, Roxanne Oliva, David LaFlamme, Jon Berger, Phil Lawrence, Dave McNab, Riggy Rackin, Kim Atkinson and the list goes on!
Tell us something most people may not know about you.
Contrary to popular belief, Studio E is not a venue; 85 to 90 percent of our work are closed recording sessions with artists that we work with on a “one to one” basis.
Most of our work includes producing, arranging and recording, as well as mixing and mastering services. We have three full-time engineer/producers in-house with over 35 years combined experience, and have been called the “go to” Sonoma County Studio for premier local and acoustic music recording.
Who inspires you and why?
I am consistently inspired by redwood trees, clean rivers, streams and oceans, female singer-songwriters, the effect that good music has on our culture and consciousness, folks with good cell phone etiquette and my loving parents!