Milwaukee recording artists Fever Marlene released their debut CD "Civil War" on Rev Pop Records. Fever Marlene also released a limited edition live CD titled "Live at Pianos: New York City". Both were produced and mixed by Jack LeTourneau and engineered by Perry Blanchard at E Labs Multimedia Studios.

Prog rockers The Selfish Gene released their eagerly anticipated album "The Grand Masquerade" on Ruff Road Records, produced and engineered by Perry Blanchard. Mastered by Jack LeTourneau.

Fever Marlene and The Selfish Gene have teamed up to record the legendary Beatles songs Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Getting Better for Triple M Radio. The songs were recorded to salute the 30th anniversary of the release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

Acclaimed actor Tommy Flanagan (Gladiator, Sin City, Smokin' Aces) visited E Labs Multimedia to show his support for Tommy Ford's upcoming album.

Blues masters Westside Andy and Mel Ford Band mixed their upcoming album, "Alley Cat", at E Labs Multimedia. Co-produced by Westside Andy and Jack LeTourneau, mixed and mastered by Jack LeTourneau.

Fusion rockers 20 Reasons Taken recorded their forthcoming CD at E Labs Multimedia, engineered by Perry Blanchard.

E Labs Multimedia was asked by Adler Planetarium to produce a 5.1 remix of their first original Digistar3 show "TimeSpace: The Infinite Adventure." Remixed by Jack LeTourneau. Digistar3 films, which use a dome-based projection technology, are shown in planetariums in over 60 locations worldwide.

E Labs Remote Productions recorded Smile Empty Soul live in December for 94.1 WJJO The Solid Rock Station. Mixed and mastered by Jack LeTourneau.

E Labs Remote Productions will record The 2007 LaunchPad Awards live for future release, sponsored by Les Paul and E Labs Multimedia. Launchpad is a statewide, alternative music competition for Wisconsin high school students. The compilation will be mixed and mastered by Jack LeTourneau.

E Labs Remote Productions recorded Billy Branch and Sons of the Blues live at Rose's in Chicago for an upcoming 30th anniversary CD and DVD release. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jack LeTourneau, engineered by Perry Blanchard.

"I realized that there's going to be great demand for content for mobile communications such as telephones and podcasts," says E Labs Multimedia chief engineer Jack LeTourneau. "Also, the recording and broadcast industries are going high-definition; somebody's got to capture that high-def content. We wanted to move into the next millennium, so to speak, and designed a truck that I can take on location to do concert support. The truck can also do film support, video support-basically anything. Wind, rain or snow, we'll record your show!"

E Labs Remote Productions is based around a digital audio workstation, LeTourneau explains. "But I needed preamps or a mixing board. We researched different companies, and my friend Dan Scalpone at GC Pro told me about the AWS 900+. I wanted a board small enough to fit in a truck that also sounded good. SSL really has a great reputation, and I've always been a big supporter of the British sound and the craftsmanship of that equipment.

"We're trying to be on top of the high-definition and 5.1 market, able to pull up anywhere and track for people," LeTourneau concludes. "Everything is just starting now, and we're ahead of the game. The AWS 900+'s sound is excellent-I've used it to record several shows and it's working out great."

For more information, visit www.solid-state-logic.com, www.gcpro.com and www.elabsmm.com.
MIX MAGAZINE
SSL NEWS ONLINE

Dennis Graham had long dreamed of starting a statewide battle of the bands to showcase neglected young talent. Three years ago, he partnered with the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music and the Wisconsin School Music Association-groups representing music teachers-to make his vision a reality.

Those groups, Graham said, were looking for a new way to demonstrate the reach of music education, and also raise awareness about the budget cuts threatening music programs.

"There are cutbacks to many extracurricular programs, but there's also this right- vs. left-side of the brain divide," Graham says. "If a district says, for instance, they're going to cut freshmen basketball, the basketball supporters will rally and put on a golfing outing or a silent auction of sports memorabilia or some fund-raiser, but that's not something that the arts people do. The music teachers wanted a new way to call attention to their cutbacks."

Any type of band-punk, metal, country, R&B, jam, etc.-is allowed to enter. The main requirements for the battle, which will be judged using the solo ensemble rubric, is that all band members be in high school and at least one be involved in the school music program. Applicants submit a recording of three songs, originals or covers, and 15 acts from each region will perform at a regional competition. The Milwaukee-area regionals will be held on Friday, April 20 at Wauwatosa East High School-"Fifteen excellent bands performing for $5; it's a pretty great deal," Graham says.

The grand-prize winner at the June 23 finals in Madison will win a gig at this year's Summerfest and recording time at Madison's cutting-edge E Labs Multimedia studio. Bands have until Feb. 9 to apply; more information is online at www.launchpadwisconsin.org.
MILWAUKEE SHEPHERD EXPRESS

The Guacamole Fund presents Beat It Wally, a benefit concert for musician Wally "Llama" Ingram who is recovering from cancer. Special guest artists appearing in this semi-acoustic benefit concert include: Garbage, 'The Martinis' with Joey Santiago, David Lovering of 'The Pixies', Bonnie Raitt, Keb'Mo, Victoria Williams, Tom Freund, and Freedy Johnston.

$250 Gold Circle preferred seating and backstage reception with the artists and $150 Silver Circle preferred seating available only via www.quacfund.org or by calling 310.374.4837. Regular seating is available from the Alex Theatre Box Office via Window, Phone, or Internet.

Running time is approximately 3 hours 30 minutes with one intermission, and the performance is suitable for all ages. Photo / Video recording by patrons is not allowed.
ALEX THEATRE PRESS

E Labs Multimedia Studios (Madison, Wisconsin) recently hosted Milwaukee group Fever Marlene for tracking, mixing, and mastering of their upcoming CD "Civil War", produced and engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

Eugene Smiles Project finished their debut CD "Welcome To the New World", recorded, mixed, and mastered by Perry Blanchard and Jack LeTourneau.

Mike Droho mixed and mastered his solo CD "The Alleged State of Self Actualization", engineered by Perry Blanchard.

Roster McCabe mixed and mastered his project "Contradicting Gravity", engineered by Perry Blanchard.

Louke Patenoude mastered "The Optimistic", engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

2006 LaunchPad Award Winners SULCO tracked, mixed, and mastered their debut CD "Don't Stop the Carnival", produced and engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

MAMAS and Einstein Wireless mastered "Jam Packed: Music for the Mobile Lifestyle Volume #1", a compilation of fifteen 2006 Madison Area Music Award winners, engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

Currently Tracking

The Selfish Gene is in studio tracking their next full length CD.

Leo Sidran was in laying tracks for Spanish singer-songwriter Ana Laan for the follow up to her 2004 Top 10 Latin album "Oregano" on the Nardis label, engineered by Jack LeTourneau.

Tommy Ford's new group Tommyford will be in studio tracking in the next few weeks.

E Mobile

E Labs' new remote truck E Mobile, featuring a 48 Channel SSL 900+ mixing console, recently captured LIVE the legendary blues artist and Keith Richards favorite Carlos Johnson "Live at Chicago's Blues on Halsted" for the Japanese P-Vine label. Produced by Masaki Rush (the wife of Otis Rush), the two-day concert was recorded and mixed by Jack LeTourneau with assistant engineering provided by Perry Blanchard. Video Production was by Freydesign Productions Chicago, IL. Directed by Frey Hoffman.

E-Mobile was also busy live recording, mixing and mastering rockers Nonpoint, Dope, Crossfade, and Soil for "94.1 WJJO Band Camp 2006" for podcast. Produced by 94.1 WJJO's Randy Hawke and E Labs Multimedia's Jack LeTourneau. Engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

E Labs and E-Mobile also recorded, mixed and mastered a DVD/CD of the 2006 LaunchPad Competition for podcasting on Broadjam.com and for a future compilation. LaunchPad is a 12-group statewide high school battle-of-the-bands competition (sponsored by the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music, the Wisconsin School Music Association, E labs Multimedia, and Broadjam). Audio Engineering by Jack LeTourneau & Perry Blanchard. Video by Boyce Johnson. Produced by E Labs Multimedia's Jack LeTourneau and One Ten Productions' Dennis Graham.

E Multimedia

New 5.1 music compositions and sound design for NASA's The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), narrated by Laurie Anderson and composed by Michael Massey and Jack Letourneau, were completed and produced by Jack LeTourneau. This feature is now playing at the Adler Planetarium at the Astronomy Museum in Chicago.

"Valentines Massacre", directed by Trevor Murray with music and score written and produced by Jack LeTourneau at E Labs Multimedia, was shown at the It Came From Lake Michigan Film Festival Sunday, October 22. The It Came From Lake Michigan Film Festival is dedicated to promoting independent horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films in the Midwestern United States.

E Labs recently hosted Eugene Smiles Project for an upcoming CD release, produced by Perry Blanchard and engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

Chicago group Seven Day Run finalized their long awaited third CD, "What Drives" on The Genuine Article Recording Co. Their single "True Love Rise" is produced and engineered by Jack LeTourneau.

Find Cherry is now in the studio recording their new CD project, produced by Jack LeTourneau and engineered by Jack LeTourneau and Perry Blanchard.

The Midwesterners were in laying tracks for their new release "Ridin' With Chuck" for Darlingtone Records, produced by Richard Wiegel and engineered by Mark Haines.

E Labs Multimedia is sponsoring the "Local Stage" radio show for the Madison, WI rock station 94.1 WJJO.

E Labs is in the process of creating a commercial spot for The Chicago Tribune for TV and radio.

Jack LeTourneau has produced the soundtrack score for the DVD release of the indie horror flick "Valentines Massacre" for Sleepy Hollow Productions.

Or if you are the one who is hearing guitar riffs and drum solos in the middle of the night, you might want to inform your young neighbor that the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music is accepting applications for the second-annual Launchpad, a statewide high school band competition. Monday is the deadline for Wisconsin high school bands to submit three original or cover songs for the competition. All members of the band must be public or private high school students but only one member of the group must be active in a school music program.

This helps to identify those young people who embrace music and have a passion for music but aren't involved in a traditional music program, says contest producer Dennis Graham. His goal is to celebrate the reach of music education. There will be six statewide regional competitions, in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Wausau, La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee, held during the weekends of March 24, March 31, and April 7. Ten bands will be invited to compete at each of the six regional competitions, two bands will advance to the finals from each regional.

Twelve bands will compete on June 17 in Madison at MATC s Mitby Theater to win the Launchpad grand prize of the Les Paul Launchpad Award, a gig at Summerfest, and recording time at E Labs Multimedia in Madison.

Launchpad is a vanguard program of its kind in the nation, a statewide competition targeting high school garage bands. All genres of music are welcome from rock to heavy metal and reggae to hip-hop.

"This program also helps recognize music teachers who have helped embrace students' love and passion for music and to help raise awareness about the cutbacks that have occurred to music programs in the state," says Graham. "We want to shine a light on the enormous talent out there," he adds.
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL

E Labs Multimedia was built from the ground up, with a particular focus on 5.1 surround sound. LeTourneau says the advent of 5.1 was a big factor in pushing him to find his own space. "When the 5.1 audio started becoming more serious, I decided to build a studio just to focus on that," he says.

As part of a year and a half long process, LeTourneau and his collaborators designed the space, gutted an existing facility and started building from nothing. LeTourneau says it took eight months to build the facility, using stone and another month to wire the two audio studios. The facility features brand new equipment, including ProTools HD and JBL speakers.

To kick things off, E Labs Multimedia hosted a grand opening celebration on October 28. LeTourneau says the event featured live bands performing outside and a live 5.1 mix demonstration. The live mix was fed to plasma screens in the control rooms for the benefit of the roughly 300 attendees. "It gave people an idea of what 5.1 sounds like," says LeTourneau.

Even before the company's grand opening, E Labs had been hard at work. The company's first job over the summer was to produce the 5.1 surround sound audio for "Time Space: The Infinite Adventure," a series of five minute segments on astronomical events that is playing at the StarRider Theater at Chicago's Adler Planetarium.

"The Time Space project involved mixing for a big room," says LeTourneau, "but it was small compared to a musical score that musician Mike Massey created for the University of Michigan." LeTourneau says the challenge there was to create something that would play well on commercial television as well as in a packed football stadium. Although he has not heard the results, LeTourneau says the piece was well received.

LeTourneau has also assembled a CD of local musicians, recorded at E Labs. He says putting the CD together gave him a chance to listen to area musicians as well as an opportunity to practice using the equipment. LeTourneau thinks the disc will give people a good idea of what the facility can do. "What I wanted to do is make a CD where producers looking for music or musicians looking for a studio, could see what it sounds like," says LeTourneau.

Because the facility is working in the developing world of 5.1 surround sound, E Labs will afford themselves a certain amount of flexibility. "When you're doing something that isn't a standard yet, there is a lot of room for experimentation," says LeTourneau. "Slowly, we're getting our technique down and developing a method of working."

In the future, LeTourneau hopes to expand into live 5.1 surround sound broadcasting in addition to studio recording. He expects the demand for 5.1 surround sound mixing to grow. "I predict within the next five years every home will have a 5.1 system," he says.
SCREEN MAGAZINE

Joining award winning engineer/producer Jack LeTourneau, formerly of Paragon Studios and DJ International Records in Chicago, is associate engineer Perry Blanchard, a partner of PM Productions in Madison.

The studio used the occasion to release Effigy Studios- Volume 1, a promotional music CD showcasing a variety of local artists. The CD allowed award-winning producer/engineer Jack LeTourneau to demonstrate Effigy's audio production capabilities on 17 different songs from a variety of genres and instrumentation. Some of the artists featured on the disc include: Pat MacDonald, Clyde Stubblefield, El Clan Destino, Snuffy Smith, and Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band to name a few.

Effigy Studios also specializes in 5.1 surround production for film and video. A DVD sampler of some of Effigy's recent soundtrack projects is in the works.

Effigy Studios welcomes inquiries and studio tours. Their CD is free and available upon request.

When Effigy's chief engineer and designer Jack LeTourneau was making equipment decisions for the two rooms, he was pleasantly surprised by the features of the LSR6300 series. "I matched them up against the other brands, and the LSRs had a nice, smooth bass response," LeTourneau said. "They're not harsh at all, they're cost effective, and we love them so far." For LeTourneau, who comes to Effigy from Paragon Studios in Chicago, the LSR6300 monitors will allow him to properly showcase the advantages of surround in today's recording industry. "It was important for us to become a JBL 5.1 facility," he said. "Our aim is to be known as the premiere 5.1 suite in the upper Midwest."

In one of the facility's first projects, the soundtrack and 5.1 mix for "TimeSpace: The Infinite Adventure" was produced at Effigy Studios. Timespace is the first original StarRider Digistar3 show created by the Digital Design Group at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago. The show opened July 1, 2005.
MOBILE ELECTRONIC JOURNAL