This week I had planned a wrap up of what's happening around the area's recording studios. But then I visited Soundtree.

Soundtree Productions is out in Whakamarama, just up the road and round the corner from the Boatshed Studio, making Whaka a somewhat unlikely musical hub.
I was going to write about what's happening at the Boatshed too, where Kokomo are currently recording a new album and where prolific local artist/songwriter Dave Roy has just called a wrap on not one, not two, but three full CDs of new original songs (yes, there will be reviews!).
But I popped up the road first to where the Soundtree complex sits nestled amongst fruit trees and a lovely rustic garden, and it turns out there's so much happening there that it's going to fill this week's column on its own.
Shane Davies, the man behind Soundtree – recording engineer, cameraman, editor, producer, director, songwriter, singer, musician and more besides – never seems to look especially stressed or hurried. Which is astonishing given how busy he seems to be.
When I dropped in he had just recorded the first band for what is planned to be a TV series focussing on country music, to be hosted by veritable Kiwi country icon Brendan Dugan. But let's back up a minute...
The first thing you notice at Soundtree, if you've been to Soundtree before, is that Shane has almost finished rebuilding the studio. This must be about the dozenth time he's remodelled the house to fit the studio but the new layout looks permanent and is very cool. The old studio is back to being a lounge and the control room a bedroom, but the new area out back houses a brand new studio, a drum booth and a control room. There's even a mezzanine. It's big, spacious and sounds really good, with a slightly surreal look courtesy of two imposing life-sized Egyptian statues.
This is where the planned new country show will be shot and recorded. Brendan and the first guests, award-winning Waikato country band Coopers Run, were in last week. They played a few songs and then he sat down and interviewed them about recoding their latest album in Nashville and other country topics. Though the plan is to first make a spec pilot there has already been interest from television after a couple of trailers were posted on-line. You can see them and more either on the Soundtree1 YouTube page or at Soundtree Live (Google them!) along with a host of other stuff from the studio.
And that host of other stuff is mainly another TV series, a weekly internet show that Shane put together last year featuring bands playing in the studio. There are around a couple of dozen local acts there including Brilleaux, Jessica Ross, The Elements, and Grant Haua. The second series is due to start at the beginning of November and Shane is currently rounding up acts.
This time round it will be a little different, with the bands presented recording live in the studio in front of a small audience. Drummers will be in booths and the audience can hang out in the control room or in the studio with the band. Jessie Matthews and Swamp Thing are already confirmed and other bands are lining up fast. (If you're interested, check out the Soundtree website and contact Shane. But make sure you have an album or demo he can hear - given the nature of the recording, this is for people who already know what they're doing.)
Shane is also in the middle of recording an album for Dave Porter (The Usual, Chill Factor) which features local luminaries such as Trevor Braunias, Derrin Richards and Graham Clark. He has also just started a new band of his own called Electric Universe with Pat Hawkins on bass, Shirley Ryder on keys, Dave Porter on drums and Mike Furness on guitar. I heard a few early bits and they sound impressively unusual, playing a sort of aggressive late-sixties funk.
Oh, and a couple of weekends back he recorded a new album for John Michaelz, hoedowning live in the studio with some musicians he met while on tour up North. Busy, busy times. I suggest you get online and check it out.