Tony Testa has been a staple in various music scenes for a long time. While piano and keys are his forte instrument, his classically trained talents have spilled over to other instruments and music genres as well. These talents have allowed him to excel seamlessly in the music scene in various projects. From an early rock band, playing bass to becoming the lead pianist for the FAU Jazz Ensemble, and later, we got to initially meet Tony as the keyboardist for the alternative rock, funk, alternative jammy band, Tasty Vibrations“.

This blog post ultimately ends by promoting Tony’s Official Release Party for his first solo release, “Back to the Basics”.

Join us as we celebrate Tony and his band on Saturday, July 9th, 2020

Show Starts at 7:30 PM

At Crazy Uncle Mikes’s located at
6450 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL 33487

Joining Tony Testa on stage are Shaw Davis & The Black Ties and Sierra Lane

Three awesome performances that will be a blast to see!

More on that in a moment…

About Tony Testa

Music has always been a part of his life, his grandparents were in show business. His grandmother Shirley was a singer, and her career took off as a skater in the “Roller Follies”, which was a traveling show that toured the U.S. back in the 40s. It was there where she met his grandfather Lou, who was a skater as well. They had sold out Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden, and eventually went on to start their own show. His grandfather had performed on multiple television shows such as “Ed Sullivan” and “Captain Kangaroo”. He also at the time skated the world’s fastest mile, and was featured in the Columbia World of Sports Documentary, “Wheeling Wizards”. Their relocation to Pompano Beach FL is where Tony’s roots began.

Tony Testa is a South Florida local, born and raised in Pompano Beach. He has been a part of the music scene since he was a teen. Traditionally trained as a classical pianist, he developed an ear for Jazz and Blues later in life. Tony has played in various bands over the last decade, performing at popular venues and recording different types of music. Nowadays, he is doing his own thing, staying true to his roots. A lot of his playing and style originate from some of his greatest influences such as James Brown, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway. He is about to release his first album titled “Back To The Basics”, which encompasses his true passion for Jazz and Blues. His goal moving forward is to continue to write and record original music of all styles and genres.

Tony’s Personal Music Highlights:

Some of his greatest achievements trace back to high school. He was the bass player of a local alternative rock group called “Wyld Fly”. They were all friends that went to the same school together. During their tenure as a band, they opened up for Saigon Kick at Revolution Live and starred in a national “Maroone” commercial. In 2012, They were the featured band for the Winter Music Conference in Fort Lauderdale, and also the youngest band to win Revolution Live’s annual “Battle of the Bands”. In 2014.

Tony was awarded the “Woody Herman” Jazz award for his outstanding contributions to St. Thomas Aquinas’s Jazz Band. That same year he was nominated for a South Florida “Cappie” for “Best Original Score” for the play, “Dead Man Walking”. Once Tony graduated, he went on to study commercial music and jazz at Florida Atlantic University. It was there, that he had the privilege of being the lead pianist of the Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Courtney Jones. Near the end of his tenure, He joined another local rock group called “Tasty Vibrations”. His experience with Tasty led to great opportunities. They had opened up for Collie Buddz and Inner Circle as well as headlining Revolution Live in 2019. Now in 2022, He is releasing his first solo album titled “Back To The Basics”, which was recorded and produced here at Power Station Studios.

“I wanted this album to represent who I am as an artist.”

Tony Testa on “Back To The Basics” album release.

The style of this album is rooted in Jazz and Blues. These are two of Tony’s favorite genres of music that have influenced him and his style of playing. He wanted this album to represent who he is as an artist. Tony has recorded and released a lot of music with different bands over the years, but this will be his first solo album. His goal was to make this as “organic” and as “live” sounding as possible so that the listener can feel the energy of what we are playing. This was achieved with the exceptional musicianship and Power Station engineer, Brennan Fulton.

As we mentioned, at the top of this blog, we met Tony while he was recording as a part of Tasty Vibrations. Not long after that fun recording project, we all experienced the wrath of the onset of COVID-19 and the experience of being “locked down” and captive. During this time, none of us were certain what was to become of the situation and how this would affect our music lives.

As a result of this uncertainty, Power Station launched their “Power Station Pays It Forward” campaign where each week we would randomly choose a lucky artist and award them with 10 free hours in our studio. All that any hopeful recipient had to do was post a simple video or video shout-out to our social pages and tag us with the campaign hashtag.

As dozens of local artists made clever and even funny cellphone videos, each week we chose a new artist to win 10 hours of free studio time. This continued for several weeks until our music community got back on its feet. During one of these weeks’ campaigns, Tony uploaded and tagged us on his video submission. His video was so unique and thought through, it immediately resonated throughout our staff and community. We were all blown away from the effort Tony and his team put into this simple little campaign.

It just goest to show that Tony’s talent and creativity will take him to epic success in life!

Check out that video here

Tony Testa and his band brought a unique sound to this recording that translated into a final product that is fun and sonically amazing. The connection between Tony, his band and engineer Brennan Fulton is evident of the final masters!

Rob Roy, Director of Power Station Studios

Join Tony Testa for an evening to remember.

Tony Testa will debut his new release at “Crazy Uncle Mike’s”, the premier “live music” venue in South Florida. Also appearing with him on stage are, “Shaw Davis and The Black Ties” and “Sierra Lane“. This will be an event not to miss!

More about Tony Testa and how to follow him:
– Official Facebook Page
– Official Instagram
– YouTube

The Tony Testa Band:

Tony Testa: Keys/Vocals
Alfonso “Fonzi” Velasco: Drums
Joe Knowles: Bass
Shaw Davis: Guitar
Raul Duran Bustamante: Sax

More about the Release Party:
– Crazy Uncle Mike’s
– Crazy Uncle Mike’s Facebook Page
– Crazy Uncle Mike’s Instagram
– Check out 561music.com’s Episode on Tony Testa
– Sierra Lane: Website – Facebook – Instagram – YouTube
– Shaw Davis and The Black Ties: Website – Facebook – Instagram

Photo Credits for Tony Testa: @DylanHughesPhotovideo

About Power Station Studios:
Power Station Studios is a high-profile commercial recording studio that prides itself on its focus on the local community. While Power Station is a go-to choice for record labels, signed artists, and other high-profile clients, our goal is to deliver the record label experience to our local community. These blogs are designed to use our visibility to help bring the focus and awareness of our amazing local talent to the world of the high-profile music industry. If you are interested in recording at Power Station Studios, check out the rest of our website and give us a shout!

Power Station Studios Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube

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South Florida band, “Closer To The Ocean” (CttO) announces the release of their newest single, “Give It What You Got” with the official release party on Saturday, May 7th at the Black Flamingo Brewing Company in Pompano Beach.”

CttO is the culmination of alternative rock mixed with an influence of punk, emo, grunge, metal, and even coffeehouse folk. Sounds like an earful? More like an amazing “eargasm!”

CttO draws from their individual roots that come together like an expertly balanced fusion of sonic flavors. The band is fronted by lead singer/songwriter, Laura Lattig whose voice and melodic hooks are the common thread that gives this diverse group their unique and full sound.

While their influences come from several diverse genres, their collective sound is inviting and finds you bouncing your head to their catchy songs. Their catchy lyrics and melodies are the central magic that keeps wanting more.

Last year Laura and her bandmates set out on the journey to record their newest EP. After researching the options, they chose to record this project with Brennan Fulton at Power Station Studios.

Their time in Power Station’s “Studio A” with producer/engineer Brennan Fulton helped carve the mix of a modern release yet incorporated the culmination of classic sounds that signifies the CttO roots.

The band’s name alone foreshadows their connection to the organic energy of the ocean. This fundamental foundation meant that their recording needed to not only be modern, but it had to embrace the natural and organic feel of what this band represents.

The result was explosive! Engineer, Brennan Fulton incorporated the very best in digital technology but also embraced the organic nature of the analog domain. CttO was inspired while in the studio and thus created an EP that truly represents the name, “Closer To The Ocean”!

Official Lyric Video For “Give It What You Got”:

“Give It What You Got” is available now online:

Check out the links below to follow CttO:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/24xAJ62M0M1oHhRtyMKxRG?si=f95e2cea14fe4b01&nd=1

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/closer-to-the-ocean/1608411425

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@closertotheocean_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CLOSERTOTHEOCEANBAND

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotheocean_

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtjgfRsf_Vl0yYLiCtF5dCg

Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/closertotheocean

The Official CttO website: http://closertotheocean.com/

Power Station Studios had an amazing time working with CttO! For more information about the studio, visit us at:

www.powerstationstudios.com

Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

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Is it a fruit? Is it a band? Is it a transforming mechanized battle robot from another planet? Well, they aren’t exactly sure but what we do know is that when this quartet comes together and plays it’s not something you want to miss. Based out of West Palm Beach Florida, Guavatron has been taking the southeast music circuit by storm with its smooth jams and hard-hitting peaks of musical ingenuity.

Guavatron is a four-piece band that has taken the attention of the South Florida music scene and is pushing that success worldwide. We’ve watched this band grow from working the local music scene to watching their digital reach quickly outgrowing regional boundaries.

We’ve had the pleasure to work with Guavatron for several years now. In a few days of this writing, Power Station and Guavatron will celebrate their sixth year anniversary of working together. While most traditional anniversaries celebrate milestones with different levels like flowers and jewelry, we hope this anniversary represents platinum! As in a platinum record award for this new release. (We’re making a spot on our walls as we write this!!!)

Building the fanbase.

Gaining a loyal fan base through local shows and pop-up campsite sets at festivals, they have as of late been making the way to the top of lineups and opening for national touring bands such as Aqueous, Particle, Perpetual Groove, and The Heavy Pets. With an emphasis on improvisation, Guavatron creates a fresh sound at every show while keeping their roots of dance, rock, electronica, and funk involved.

The band is made up of a unique cast of characters that together create an intergalactic groove that draws audiences from both near and far and uses their well-crafted live show to create a sense of unity and belonging amongst their audiences.

Guavatron’s music has an element that can be enjoyed by all. Their energy and well crafted songs paired with the element of surprise due to their amazing free-form jam abilities take audiences on a unique sonic journey in a way only Guavatron can do!

-Rob Roy, Producer & Mix Engineer for Power Station Studios

The ingredients of the Guavatron recipe:

The band we know is made up of four great guys which are always a blast to work with. From their consummate style of songwriting to clever lyrics and fun musical morsels that can fill even the most discerning appetites.

Holding the rhythm section down like concrete is Casey Luden on drums and vocals paired with Conor Crookham on bass.

Layering the music and vocals is Rodney Hansen on keyboards and Adonis Frangiskakis on guitar and vocals. Together these guys create the sonic vibes that can only be identified as Guavatron.

Listen here:

Connect with Guavatron:

Be sure to check out Guavatron’s new release of “Disco Shades” as well as the entire record to be released on Thursday, April 28th! As always, we had a blast working with Guavatron! This record was recorded and mixed in our Studio A, by Paul Kronk. We were all proud to be a part of this musical journey!

Hear “Disco Shades” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4BwMcr1WVVvF2I8elXGHBd

Visit Guavatron online:

Guavatron’s website: www.guavatron.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/guavatron

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guavatron/

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“Patience and Persistence were and are the recipe for success”. Speaking with Doug Councell as he released the YouTube video for his new song release titled, “The Street Below”, he tells us that the drive was twofold.

Patience. This was the focused discipline that drove this track to completion. To put this into perspective, Doug explained that the heart of creating this single was the unity between old friends. Friends who have created together for several decades. As the globe faced a worldwide pandemic, the challenge to create such a masterpiece was challenging to say the least. Between isolated lockdowns and as the world opened up with folks trying to regain normalcy, organizing the team of friends was nothing short of a juggling act. Patience, however, was the key element to bringing everything “full circle.”

The second key element of production discipline was “Persistence.” While patience goes a long way, without “persistence”, tasks become lost in the mix, (pun intended). Doug’s patience and his focused persistence drove him down “The Street Below” and brings to the world this fantastic track.

Check out: “The Street Below”

The journey to “The Street Below”

As amazing of a release this may be, Doug’s musical journey runs deep. As the seasoned artist he is, Doug has released several records over the years. Some of his albums include “The Vision” which was released in 1998, “Welcome To The Sound” released in 2002, as well as “To The Top” released in 2008.

Several singles have been released over the recent years including a fan favorite, “The Train”. All of Doug’s songwriting tells a story and one could argue that if you compiled all of his releases, together they all form together like a best-selling novel. Like the storyline in a book, each album almost represents a chapter and every song is like a paragraph that takes the listener from place to place in the overall story.

A glimpse behind the scenes…

As we mentioned above, the heart of this record was the unity of friends. These groups of friends all have ties that run for decades on end. Doug brought the initial track to his buddy Soz. The two of them have co-produced just about everything in his music catalog. The creative connection between them allows them to literally work as one.

As the songs were arranged and produced, Soz and Doug recorded the drums and foundation tracks in their private recording facility then enlisted longtime friend Tony Medina to lay down the guitars and other sonic magic. They sent Tony the tracks for him to lay down the layers that would not only complement Doug’s vocal melodies but also his style of guitar playing. Tony also has worked on almost all of Doug’s releases truly understands the magic in the interpretation of Doug’s performances.

As with many productions done these days, many are done in private studios, home studios, and even bedrooms alike. For his vocals, the team wanted to capture the unique nuances of Doug’s voice. Doug came into Power Station Studios and tracked his vocals. Literally in and out. Doug had a vision, and Power Station enlisted a myriad of sought-after modern and vintage gear and captured that vision.

A Tribute to an untimely loss.

This release ultimately is a tribute and dedication to Doug’s brother, Terry Councell. During the development of this track, we lost “Brother Terry” (what we all affectionately referred to him as). During the creative process of “The Street Below”, Doug had the ability to spend a lot of time with Terry in Michigan. During those visits, Terry would give not only input and inspiration to Doug for this song, but also offer insight into the production’s mission statement, “Patience and Persistence.”

Brother Terry would often make his way down here to South Florida and spend weeks on end with Doug. We all got to know Terry almost like our own brother.

Terry’s influence, spirit, and genuine love for his brother Doug were always an inspiration to us all. Through this release, we are reminded of his compassion and quick-witted humor as well as his genuine appreciation of Doug, his music, and all of his friends.

May this record fly through the digital world and always keep Brother Terry in our thoughts and us all grounded on “The Street Below.”

Connect with and listen to Doug Councell:

Facebook

YouTube

Reverbnation

Spotify

Apple Music

Amazon

The post Release Notice: Doug Councell drops new single: “The Street Below” appeared first on Power Station Studios.

Taylor Godsey, Michael Garulli, Daryl Wolff, Peter Krause & Ali Nassar, are the ingredients for this awesome band we know collectively as, “TAND.”

This group of musicians defines themselves as “Rock Powerhouse” however, they have far more sonic dimension than just rock. The music from Tand takes you on a rollercoaster from rock, jazz, blues and slaps you silly with all the groove of a seasoned jam band – but with real carefully crafted songs.

Tand brings the trust of their first studio album to Power Station Studios.

One figures that it is hard enough to write songs encompassing a worthy EP. Tand crossed that hurdle with leaps and bounds. We figure it was harder for them to narrow the selections as they are amazing writers and musicians. After songs are selected to be included in a future release, the next decision is, “Where to record?”

After much research and experience, the choice for Tand was apparent where they would put their sonic trust for this release, “Puzzle Piece”. Power Station was the place to go!

Truth be told, Power Station has a deep history with several of the members of Tand. For one, Tand drummer, Ali Nassar is a premier go-to for Power Station when hiring a session drummer. Ali’s power and impeccable timing are always a winning combination for any session. Also, guitarist Michael Garulli has recorded several records here at Power Station. Records from his own successful touring band “The Heavy Pets”.

Beyond the familiar sounds of Mike on guitar and vocals and Ali’s drums, The Tand sound is the masterful culminating of Daryl Wolff’s keys – A huge staple in bringing vibe and layers to the Tand sound. Rounded out with Peter’s melodic yet rock-solid bottom end, topped with Taylor’s guitars and vocals, This Tand EP is one not to miss!

Power Station was not only honored but humbled that Daryl, Taylor, Mike, Ali, and Peter put their faith into our studio to make this amazing release become the reality it so deserved.

Recorded and mixed by our Chief Engineer, Paul Kronk, and mastered by Calbi/Fallone at Sterling Sound, this is a sonic masterpiece you don’t want to pass up!

Listen here:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VC6mZuswk6M1p7AJKFdh6?si=7O3cMFk7S5KnnziIr22vhA&nd=1

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tand/1486254695

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B001TVS5WE/tand

Release Info:

The Puzzle Piece EP will be available on all major streaming platforms on April 20th with the first single available this Tuesday, March 29th.

Tand Is:

Daryl Wolff, Keys
Taylor Godsey, Guitar & Vocals
Michael Garulli, Guitar & Vocals
Peter Krause, Bass
Ali Nassar, Drums

Puzzle Piece was recorded and mixed by Paul Kronk at Power Station Studios – https://www.facebook.com/PowerStationFL
Mastering by: Greg Calbi/Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound – https://sterling-sound.com/engineer/calbi-fallone/
Album Artwork by: Pedro Correa Illustration – https://www.facebook.com/pedrocorreaillustrator

Connect with Tand:

Tand Website: https://tandband.com/
Tand Social: Facebook Instagram

Tand Tour Schedule: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/10414559

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Featuring the 3 members, Jim Wells and Joseph Butera from South Florida, joined by Joseph Beaty from New York – all founding members of the band, “MindLikeWater” releases their first video for the track, “Nothing Feels Real”.

The vibe on this record was heavily inspired by indie shoegaze greats: My Bloody Valentine, Hum, Swervedriver, and The Cure to create some amazing sonic textures that capture the haze and blur of modern times.

Check out: “Nothing Feels Real”

When the best of two worlds collide:

This is an amazing example of how many modern records are made. Blur Beside You began the recording process in the home studio. Quickly the trio knew the magnitude of what they had created then took the project to Power Station Recording Studios in Pompano Beach to add the final icing to the cake. “It became apparent that we needed to explore the analog realm to bring that warm otherworld-feel to the listening experience.”

Joseph Butera visited Power Station Studios to utilize their analog tools to that their project to the pro level it so deserved. Part of the process was to run the project through the “Legendary Masterpiece”, an analog mastering system developed in part by Rupert Neve – The Godfather of professional analog. In addition to that, they also imprinted the warmth of a Studer A80 tape machine paired with other vintage analog gear.

“The difference was astounding and we hope you will feel it in your bones like we do”

Quote from the bands Bandcamp website.

The 8-song EP is online with songs available for download at: https://blurbesideyou.bandcamp.com/album/blur-beside-you (The full record is available April 1, 2022)

Blur Beside You Is:
Joseph Beaty – Vocals, Loops, Production FX.
Jim Wells – Guitars, Sonic Textures.
Joseph Butera III – Drums & Bass

Recorded by Joseph Beaty, Jim Wells, and Joseph Butera in their home studios.
Mixed by Joseph Butera III
Mastered by Joseph Butera III at Power Station Studios.

Be sure to check out “Blur Beside You” featured on our “clients” section of our homepage: https://powerstationstudios.com

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Grin Cynic has released their long-anticipated newest single, “Walk The Fire.” Since the official release date in January, Walk The Fire has shot up the Billboard Charts.

Mike Lee, the bands’ founder, has a long history with Power Station Studios. Mike was a part of the first recording at Power Station Studios in Pompano Beach. The 20-year relationship made Power Station the obvious choice to record the Grin Cynic project.

“These are some of the most modern and amazing guitar tones we’ve ever gotten! Between the level of guitar playing and the sick mic’ing techniques we used – These tones are fire!!!”

Rob Roy, Power Station Studios

Mike and the band worked with the Power Station team to cultivate the powerful Grin Cynic sound responsible for the climbing up the Billboard charts above artists like Korn, Jerry Cantrell, and Skillet, to name a few. The final mix was mastered at the famous “Sterling Sound” for a “kick you in the teeth” Grin Cynic Sound.

The band has recently shared the stage with several national touring acts like “Trapt, Geoff Tate of Queensryche, Saliva, Nita Strauss, Stryper, and many others. Currently, the band is in rehearsals for a large-scale tour.

Power Station Studios thanks Mike and the guys for trusting us with their recording projects! We are so proud to have been part of this incredible production!

For more info on Grin Cynic, visit their website: https://grincynic.com/.

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