The role of a producer seems to change as the years go by. In 2023, the right producer can be the difference between a smash hit and an inevitable flop. The combination of a dedicated producer who sees and trusts your vision and the proper studio environment is the recipe for pure music. That is what you get at Nashville’s Cartoon Moon Recording, home of drummer/producer Ken Coomer. Over the years, Coomer has performed on some of Uncle Tupelos’s Anodyne and Wilco’s A.M., Being There, Summer Teeth) and is now hosting some of the most refreshing young artists at his studio.
Glide had the pleasure of asking Coomer a few questions about his storied career and how Cartoon Moon came together. Check out our full conversation below.
Do you have any current projects you’d like to share with our readers? What have you been working on throughout 2023 and the last few years?
I just finished the latest Bendigo Fletcher record to be released spring of next year. It’s called, “2 Things at Once”..this will be my second full record with the band. Ryan and the band are one of my faves! Great lyrics, lyrics that matter and that I believe, can and should make a difference in our world. Also, I have been working on Cody Brooks’s latest record. This is my second record with him as well. He is a freak! If Tom Waits grew up in the South and ate more cajun food, that is Cody! Plus, I did a crazed punk rock duo from Louisville called, GRLwood! They exploded in the studio!!
You have the Cartoon Moon Recording Studio now, what were some essentials you needed when putting together the studio? What projects are you most proud of that you helped record or collaborate on?
That is a great question. Well, if you asked my friends or wife, many would have thought that I was a hoarder or at least a collector of many musical instruments and sound-makers, ha. But, I knew someday I wanted my own place…my dream studio. I rented a couple of classic studios in Nashville for years, then one day I looked up, added up what I had spent overall, and decided it was time to have ownership. I already had a real jump on the gear needed for a studio. I had some vintage outboard gear, some mics, guitars, amps, and drums for days! What I did not have was a console. Or, a tape machine. I needed both. I had a friend who was downsizing from his hybrid console to the laptop. I wound up buying his console that was stocked with API mic pre’s and then I added my Neve’s and viola! Instant, console. Over the years I have added more hardware when I found something that adds a different color or flavor. I run everything digitally through the 70’s MCI tape machine if we are not rolling tape. It hits those transformers and everything gets that warm, fuzzy vibe.
I live in Nashville, so there are guys and gals making microphones and outboard gear that are pretty spectacular. There is never enough gear, just ask my wife!
All of the Bendigo records were done at my studio, with the exception of Tchad Blake mixing the upcoming one at his spot in Wales. Shadwick Wilde’s new record, “Almost Home”.. I did at Cartoon Moon. That was the first record I did during the pandemic. A fair amount of remote recording was used on that record. The emotions were running high, there were even a few tears. I love that record.
What is the difference in your approach to producing compared to your approach as a straight-up drummer? Does your experience in full bands influence your producing style?
Luckily, I get to do both. If I am just the drummer on a session, I do love it! That is how I started off in the studio. Most of the time it is a combination of producing and drumming on records, but I don’t have to. I do think working with bands, and my experience of being in bands all my life gives me a different perspective than some. You really don’t know where the good or best idea will come from in a band. That quiet bass player might come up with the melody that develops the single or the hit. You never know. Example: John Deacon from Queen, “Another One Bites The Dust”..
Do you still play drums regularly? Do you feel your playing style has changed from the days of touring regularly?
Some weeks I play drums 5-6 days a week recording. The real breaks I get from playing are when I am on a family vacation. I love it that way! I still get excited sitting behind the kit.
What would you say your producing style is like? Did it take time to find your voice in this avenue of music?
Oh yes. I think as a producer you are always learning and evolving. I mean, I hope this is true. Ha. I will leave the studio after a long day and watch videos of producers making records from 30 years ago and the latest groundbreaking hip-hop records. I really do love it all.
Who would you most like to collaborate with if you could produce an album for one current artist? What have you been listening to that inspired you recently?
The list would be long. But, off the top of my head, who wouldn’t want to collaborate with Paul McCartney? I really dig Idles, and I always thought it would be an adventure working with Super Furry Animals. Like I said, the list would be long, because I love making records! I get inspired by so much music out there. It usually depends on the mood. Putting on some vinyl in the studio can get the ideas flowing. Just the other day I had on Aerosmith’s Rocks, what a great record top to bottom. Bowie’s Hunky Dory is a staple for melody. A genius record. Ken Scott’s production is beautiful and effortless on this classic.
How have you evolved the most as an artist since your early days?
I became a much better listener. I think it is part of being a drummer. We have to listen to everyone in the band, or at least we should.
Early on, you went from post-punk band Clockhammer to alt-country with Uncle Tupelo. Are there any similarities between those two genres that most people miss? Did you have to change the way you approach the drums and what was that transition like?
I think it was Quincy Jones who said, “It’s just all music, Man” I didn’t really change my approach, except that I was playing more of a pocket, groove thing in UT. Which, I always, always loved the great pocket soul drummers.
Of every project you’ve had a hand in, as a band member or producer, do you have a favorite song you’ve worked on?
I could never pick a favorite song. I love it when working on a record for weeks at a time and your choice of what is your favorite song changes daily. That is the sign of a good record.
Where can people stay updated on what you’re working on next?
I don’t really frequent the social media world that much. But, I do have an Instagram page..it does exist, ha. I used to have a funny name, it was one of my dogs as my name on Instagram, and then I was convinced I should use my actual name. go figure.
Do you have any memories about Wilco and working with Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy that you miss the most?
I am proud of everything that I ever did with Wilco. The band was a powder keg when we were out on the road for 200 days a year. There is good and bad in that. I miss Jay’s musicality and his kindness.
What Wilco song are you most fond of and which one are you least fond of?
This probably would change weekly… I love “She’s a Jar”, “Kingpin”, and “California Stars”, and I am sure there are more if I sat down and listened more.
Do you still listen to new Wilco albums from the last 20 years or do you revisit any of the ones you were involved in?
If it pops on a playlist I will listen for sure. But, I can’t say I sit down and listen to them very much at all. No reason, just always searching for something new, or old that I have not heard yet to inspire me. In the studio when we get a take and I have what we call in the south, “chicken skin”, when the hairs stand up on your arm uncontrollably, that is what music does to me.
One Response
Wilco is the finest. they’re the best, always good, everytime. From the 90’s till now. The current line up. Both great. Love Wilco, always will.