Duane Trower is a busy dude.
Usually found behind the soundboards of the Record Bar, the Brick or Czar Bar, Duane has also played with some of KC's most acclaimed bands (Season to Risk, Overstep, Doris Henson) and recorded, mixed or mastered even more of them (The Beautiful Bodies, Olympic Size, the Grand Marquis), often at Westend Recording Studios.
We caught up with Duane via e-mail to get this sound dude to sound off.
The Pitch: What are your KC roots?
Trower: I was born in western Kansas. Lived in Boulder, Colorado, for a while as a kid, and have been in Kansas City since.
What do you read? How do you stay informed?
Tape Op (magazine), Gearslutz.com and various recording forums, Found Magazine for inspiration, and listening to music, recorded and live, to search for something new and exciting.
What's the craziest sound mixing/recording experience you've ever had?
I'm not sure about craziest ... Maybe witnessing two cases of beer consumed between three guys during a final mix session, a singer thinking that smoking meth would help him hit a higher note, or a high blind rapper almost fall onto a drum set. Wow, these are all substance related!
What is your favorite local recording?
Ad Aspera Per Aspera, Catapult Calypso; Minus Story, No Rest For Ghosts; The Republic Tigers, Keep Color. I mainly like the music, but the recordings do sound pretty good.
What is your advice for bands?
Try to keep an equal balance between being creative and knowing your instruments. It's tough when you see musicians who are very creative and can't play their instruments or can play their asses off but have nothing interesting in content. Also, being wasted doesn't make you sound better. See #3
What keeps you in Kansas City?
I really like Kansas City. There are many talented musicians, artists and filmmakers that seem to thrive off of each other. It's really inspiring.
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