Mike Wanchic
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"When people work here, it's their private workshop"
The Fray, Howie Day among artists quietly recording hit works at low-profile, high-caliber Echo Park Studios
by James Boyd
The Scene
September 14, 2006
You may never have heard of Echo Park Studios, but if you've tuned into any Top 40 radio station over the last nine months, then you've most likely heard some of what's been going on there.
And judging by who's been in recording recently, you'll probably be hearing even more in the next nine months.
Echo Park, the collaborative brainchild of legendary audio producer Mark Hood and studio wizard (and guitarist for John Mellencamp's band) Mike Wanchic, has been quietly establishing itself as the place to produce chart-topping hits.
The Fray, a Denver-based pop band, recorded the No. 1 hit song "Over My Head (Cable Car)" at Echo Park last year, and platinum singer-songwriter Howie Day just wrapped up sessions for his next release last month.
Hood said he and Wanchic wanted a place they could bring both A-list and local clients alike.
They found their space, a small but inviting building, on the city's west side. There are no signs for the two studios (there is a secondary studio building on the lot in addition to the main facility), and you won't find it in the phone book.
That's just the way they like it.
"When people work here, it's their private workshop," Hood said. Artists can re-arrange equipment, hang tapestries and light whatever candles they want to make it feel like home. Provided, of course, they don't burn the place down.
So far, so good.
Both Hood and Wanchic's respective schedules keep them away from home for certain portions of the year, "so we built this studio to travel less," Hood said.
They moved into their current location in 1993.
"We grabbed a bunch of hammers and got to work," Hood said. The facility keeps a low profile to allow artists to work uninterrupted and to keep would-be tourists away.
In the 13 years they've existed, Echo Park has been able to attract a diverse range of clients, from local bands making their debut albums to mixing widespread releases. Ben Folds, Lisa Germano, Juliana Hetfield, Over the Rhine and the Why Store have all come to record here.
What makes the studio so unique is its vast array of vintage equipment. Artists can find toys here (from one-of-a-kind microphones to tube amplifiers) that can often only be found in Los Angeles, Nashville or New York.
And Echo Park offers something none of the big cities can: cost effectiveness. Sessions here run about half what they would anywhere else, and Bloomington itself is more of a draw to an artist than you might think.
"They're here to work, and the fact that it's a small town doesn't bother them," Studio Manager and Engineer Kevin Loyal said. Hood pointed out that with Indiana University and the diverse community, artists can find big city amenities in a small-town setting.
Wanchic said he tried to get the Black Crowes to come record at Echo Park in the mid-1990s, after the band was suffering from distractions in Los Angeles (most notably from having the Rolling Stones recording across the hallway.)
"The Black Crowes were disappointed when they didn't get to come here," Wanchic said. "Believe me, I would've loved to bring them."
Having developed A-list artists has created opportunities for even more big name talent to come utilize the studio. But both Hood and Wanchic said they want to retain the open-door policy to local bands, too.
But with hit after hit being cranked out in a discrete building on the city's westside, Bloomington's best kept secret is about to get out.
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Picture of Mike in Echo Park Studios
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Mike Wanchic '74 Speaks at Conference, Earns Praise for Playing on New Mellencamp Album
February 2, 2007, Greencastle, Ind. - Mike Wanchic, longtime guitarist for John Mellencamp and member of DePauw University's Class of 1974, was among the presenters at the fifth annual iHollywood Forum, Inc. Music 2.0 summit. The event, held this week in Los Angeles, is billed as "the leading U.S. conference about the future of the music business."
Wanchic serves as vice president and musical director of Digonex. Read more about the summit by clicking here.
The musician is also getting media mentions for his contributions to Mellencamp's new album, Freedom's Road, which was released January 23. "As usual, Mellencamp wraps his commentary in moody heartland rock, played with spare intensity by his longtime band and given plenty of bite by the twin guitars of Andy York and Mike Wanchic," notes an Associated Press review that was published in dozens of newspapers. Ohio's Akron Beacon Journal noted, "The whole album has a moody, '60s garage rock warmth, with Mike Wanchic's twangy guitar and Miriam Sturm's gypsy violin providing a psychedelic undercurrent." The Buffalo News opined, "Mellencamp has been a masterful record-maker ever since he and longtime guitarist Mike Wanchic began producing their albums themselves."
Wanchic has co-produced nine albums with John Mellencamp and played guitar in the heartland rocker's band for 30 years, leading the ensemble for much of that time. "For me, DePauw was a great experience," Wanchic told Greencastle's Banner Graphic in December.
http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=18835
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Q&A Mike Wanchic Guitarist, musical director for John Mellencamp's band
Interview by David Lindquist and Photos by Matt Detrich, the star
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Mike Wanchic is the longest-running collaborator in John Mellencamp's multiplatinum career.
Longtime John Mellencamp compadre Mike Wanchic is co-owner of Echo Park recording studio in Bloomington. Photos by Matt Detrich, The Indianapolis Star
The guitarist from Lexington, Ky., weathered lean years before hits such as "Jack & Diane," "Pink Houses" and "Small Town" became fixtures of 1980s pop culture.
At 55, Wanchic remains musical director of Mellencamp's band after an assortment of high-profile players -- drummer Kenny Aronoff, guitarist Larry Crane, violin player Lisa Germano and bass player Toby Myers -- left the group on friendly and not-so friendly terms.
Mellencamp's band is known as one of the most disciplined and best rehearsed in rock 'n' roll. When making current album "Freedom's Road," the musicians spent up to 70 hours arranging a single song. "The more preparation you do, the more comfortable you can be onstage," Wanchic says.
Meanwhile, the guitarist has a new multiplatinum credit on his resume: Wanchic co-owns Echo Park, the Bloomington recording studio where Denver-based rock band the Fray made "How to Save a Life," the most downloaded album at iTunes in 2006.
How did you first cross paths with John Mellencamp?
In 1976, I was wrapping up school at DePauw University and I visited a recording studio in Bloomington that I had heard about. Mark Hood, now co-owner of Echo Park, was my instructor for a course on recording engineering at that studio. I weaseled my way in as an intern, and John came in from Seymour and was making his initial demo tapes there. In the evenings, I was actually asked to play guitar on some of those recordings. I joined his band full time in 1978.
Did you sense that John would achieve the success that he has?
John had what so many artists have, and it's an intangible. But it's very obvious. Some people call it charisma; some people call it star power. Whatever it is, it's a drive that some people possess. When we were very young, making the "John Cougar" record in Miami, Johnny Depp was a resident of Miami and a fledgling rock star, or so he thought. His mom would drop him by the studio in the evenings, and he would hang out with us. He was about 16 and he had a band called the Kidz. Johnny Depp had the same thing John Mellencamp had. It was a drive, a talent that was going to be realized -- whether it was in music, acting or art. Somehow that was going to come through.
It didn't happen overnight, as the story has been told many times. During those struggles, what pushed you through?
Whatever John has in terms of star power, I have in terms of staying power. It never really crossed my mind that we wouldn't make it. It never crossed my mind to do anything different. If you're getting into music to make money, you're in the wrong business. It has to be for the love of what you're doing, because there's way too much adversity.
I can recall sitting with John and saying, "Man, if we just make it until we're 40." Then I can recall sitting with John and saying, "Man, if we just make it until we're 50." Who's to say music has to be made by people of a specific age? The truth is that John knows more now about songwriting, and I know more about arranging and guitar-playing than I've ever known in my life. I see no reason for us to stop doing what we're doing.
The vintage guitar sounds on "Freedom's Road" are a joy to listen to. Was it fun to put that together?
Yeah, it was right back to the roots. We were listening to a lot of 1960s music from San Francisco -- the Jefferson Airplane, the Mamas and the Papas. It's deep in my roots; I grew up with it. We also listened to a lot of the early British music -- the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. That was the heart and soul of where I learned to play guitar. So we decided that we wanted to make a record that sounded like what we grew up with.
It's wonderful to have a career where you're making 21 records. It also becomes exponentially more difficult with each record, because you can't steal from yourself anymore. You have to go forward musically. Every time, it's a musical growth process for us. Even though this is kind of reaching to the past to go forward, it's an honest record. And that's all anyone can ask.
You can listen to country music on the radio today and hear a lot of influence from your records in the 1980s. Do you find that people in Nashville realize that?
It was very surprising to me -- even on my first trips to Nashville 10 years ago -- to realize the effect we had on Nashville music. I really wasn't part of that community. But there's a lot of respect. The Travis Tritts and the Tim McGraws and the Kenny Chesneys of Nashville were high-school kids at our zenith. We were what they were listening to. Those influences carry forward, and it's fantastic to have the respect of that community. Now, for the first time, we're actually making a conscious effort of introducing ourselves there. They have open arms, and it's been a good experience.
When you invite clients to record in the Midwest as opposed to one of the coasts, is that a difficult argument to make?
Funny enough, Bloomington's not that hard of a sell. The Mellencamp story has raised the profile of Bloomington. There's nothing in New York, nothing in Los Angeles, nothing at Kingsway Studios in New Orleans that we don't have at Echo Park. We have absolute compatibility with everybody. In most cases, we have more vintage gear.
It comes down to the talent involved, obviously. But you have to have the tools.
Everybody that comes here loves Bloomington -- the alternative nature of the community, the ethnic diversity, it just really works. Everybody's happy; everyone comes back. That's the real sign, if someone's willing to come back a second time. I work a lot of places once, but I rarely return to a facility.
What did you think when the Fray was in here? Did that seem like a band that would sell 2 million records?
Quite honestly, they were under 21 years old. They couldn't even go to the bar and have a drink, which is probably a good thing. They're good, clean kids. When Mike Flynn (a former Echo Park intern and current Epic Records executive) believes in something, I have to know there's something there. He recently signed a Kansas City band called Vedera that's recording here.
Does Echo Park collect royalties from the Fray's album?
No, we'll get a groovy double-platinum disc to hang on the wall. We get a bowling trophy out of it. But that's OK. Our place is to be here for the artist to sonically create a record, to have a great experience and to build a relationship.
When I'm working with an artist, it's not about making a record and throwing somebody back to the wolves. It's about developing them for the long haul of a career -- to let them know, "If you really want to do this, then you have to do this slow and steady." You have to be willing to do the work, because "American Idol" is a television show.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070318/ENTERTAINMENT04/703180333/-1/ZONES04
(there is also a good, short video interview with Mike on this site.)
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