Happy Holidays!

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Vampire Weekend master new album at The Lodge and unleash new video "Cousins"!

Indie sensations Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings) were back at The Lodge to master their supremely anticipated new album "Contra" with Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar and Assistant Joe LaPorta.
Can they live up to they hype and send Alice Cooper running for his money? We think so!!! Their new album is a must hear. Here's the new vid!

Brand New, The Shins & Vampire Weekend make NME Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade!!!!

So we're all feeling like a pair of proud sappy parents here at The lodge. Brand New's album "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" mastered by Emily and Joe over the summer just made NME's top 100 greatest albums of the decade. The list also includes The Shins' "Chutes Too Narrow" & "Wincing The Night Away" and Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend" (all mastered at The Lodge!).

Hooray for top 100 lists!

Bear in Heaven!

Bear In Heaven are our new favorite Brooklyn band at the moment. Lead singer Jon Philpot cycled (literally) to The Lodge this summer to master his band's epic new album with Mastering Engineer Joe LaPorta.
The new album titled "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" infuses dreamy sonic-scapes with a touch of electronica. Seriously good stuff.

Check out their wicked album review on Pitchfork here

Killian Mansfield in New York Magazine

Check out this incredible write up in New York Magazine about Killian's album. Click here

Killian Mansfield Benefit Album

The Lodge recently mastered a powerful album for The Killian Mansfield Foundation (KMF) whose mission is to empower children with cancer & other serious illnesses through integrative health care dedicated to treating the whole child mind, ...body & spirit.

Killian Mansfield (7/9/1993 - 8/20/2009) was a young man with a huge heart & a sincere love of music (particularly the ukulele) who died Aug. 20 after a five-year battle with synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Thanks to Ralph Legnini, an incredible producer/engineer, Killian was able to realize his life long dream and release an album of ukulele music, “Somewhere Else,” days before his death. The album was recorded between a long hospitalization last winter and entering hospice care this past spring, and proceeds from its sale are benefiting the foundation’s cause. The album is available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

This is a beautiful album that includes incredible performances by Dr. John, Levon Helm, Todd Rundgren, John Sebastian & MORE! Please go out and buy this album, you will not regret it.

RIP Killian Mansfield.

The Lodge masters Tiesto's epic new album "Kaleidoscope"

Famed Dutch DJ dance master Tiësto returned to The Lodge this summer to master his epic new album "Kaleidoscope" (Ultra Records/Musical Freedom) with Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta. This is Tiësto's fourth album mastered at The Lodge.

"Kaleidoscope" involves a bevy of incredibly interesting collaborations with artists such as Jónsi of Sigur Ros, Sneaky Sound System, Emily Haines of Metric, Cary Brothers, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, Tegan and Sara, Nelly Furtado and Cary Brothers just to name a few!

The album is slated for an October 6th worldwide release.

You can stream the ENTIRE album off Tiësto's myspace page! And check out the video to the first single "I Will Be Here" (Tiësto and Sneaky Sound System).

Brand New Album Debuts at No.6 on Billboard!

Long Island rock quintet have returned to The Lodge with producer Mike Sapone to master their long anticipated album "Daisy" (Interscope) with Emily Lazar (and assisted by Joe LaPorta).

The album just hit the Billboard charts on September 22nd sitting comfortably at No. 6 position!!!

Spin Magazine included "Daisy" in their "Top 30 albums of 2009...So Far" feature. Way to go guys!

Frances step in Cold Water

New York band Frances (Gigantic Music) bring you beautifully orchestrated melodies that will keep you wrapped up in indie lush-ness. Their debut album was mastered by Joe LaPorta late 2008 and we've been very excited about everything this band is up to. Check out their trippy video for the single "Cold Water" AND their Daytrotter session for your listening/viewing pleasure.

We're Twittering!

Oh yes, we've gotten sucked into the Twitter vortex and started up our own Twitter page. Yay! Tweet us, add us, befriend us!
http://twitter.com/lodgemastering

The Raveonettes are out of control!

There's been smorgasbord of cool happenings at The Lodge camp this summer, and we'll be keeping you updated. First on the menu are The Raveonettes. Emily Lazar & assistant Joe LaPorta were busy wrapping their new album titled "In and Out of Control" (VICE) which is about to drop on October 6th. This is the third Raveonettes album mastered at The Lodge.
Head over to Pitchfork's website and get your fill of The Raveonettes' trademark icey cool vocals & layers upon layers of distorted guitars. Check out the first single "Suicide"!

Sondre Lerche has a new album...YES!

Here at The Lodge, we are all massive Sondre Lerche fans. It can't be denied, he is one talented guy...and he's only 26 years old!! Hailing from Norway, Lerche blasted on the music scene in 2004 and hit it big with music listeners who loved his Chet Baker-y velvet vocals fused with folky pop sensibilities.
He also became known for his wonderful compositions on the "Dan in Real Life" movie soundtrack.

He is back with a new album "Heartbeat Radio" and a new label, Rounder Records. "Heartbeat Radio" was mixed by Joe Chiccarelli and mastered by Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta at The Lodge. Lerche even had a chance to show us his musical prowess on our piano.

If you are dying to hear the new stuff, you can head over to Stereogum's website and listen to the title track. The album will be released on September 8th in the US.

Elizabeth & The Catapult- New Vid!

One of our favorite new bands that we've worked with this year, Elizabeth & The Catapult (Verve Music) just released their new album "Taller Children" this week and spanking new video for the single. Makes you look at things a little differently doesn't it?

Elizabeth & The Catapult :: TALLER CHILDREN

White Denim are Fit

White Denim (Full Time Hobby) are a band from Austin, TX that just make some damn good music. It's kind of hard to describe but think of it as part 13th Floor Elevators, part Led Zep with a dash of The White Stripes. Lots of fuzzed out guitars, brash vocals, B3 Hammond & all round 60's psychedelic inspired goodness.

They've come back with a new album "Fits" that was mastered at The Lodge by Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta and it will be released on June 22nd. Their first single is "I Start To Run" and is accompanied by a great video that you ought to take a look at.

Keyboard player from Vampire Weekend + Singer from Ra Ra Riot= Discovery!

Discovery (XL Recordings) is the awesome new concoction of Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles.
The album was mastered by Emily Lazar and Assistant Joe LaPorta at The Lodge in spring 2009 and is due to be released on July 7th.

Simply titled "LP", this album is bound to be your summer soundtrack; with sweet infectious hooks, 80's sounding synth bursts, hand claps and Wes' soothing voice..you will be hooked! And you don't need to wait too long to listen to it; the band has posted some mp3's on their website for your listening pleasure.

Check it! www.dscvry.net

"Follow My Voice- With The Music of Hedwig" airs on Sundance Channel

"Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig" is an incredible documentary that I would highly recommend everyone to see. This emotional film follows the compelling & courageous stories of four students at New York's controversial Harvey Milk School with a unique chronicle of the yearlong creation of the compilation album"Wig in a Box".
Along with John Cameron Mitchell (creator of cult classic film & Broadway musical) "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and an army of some of the top indie rock artists, came together to create a tribute album benefiting the Hetrick-Martin Institute. The institute is home of the Harvey Milk High School- the first accredited high school in the country for LGBTQ youth.

The album was mastered right here at The Lodge by Emily Lazar, and coincidentally The Lodge is located in the same building as the school!

Follow My Voice offers a powerful look at this unlikely intersection of youth, gender and rock. The album includes Yoko Ono, Rufus Wainwright, Spoon, Cyndi Lauper, Ben Folds, Ben Lee, The Breeders, Ben Kweller, Jonathan Richman, The Polyphonic Spree, Frank Black, Yo La Tengo, John Cameron Mitchell, They Might Be Giants and more. The Lodge and Emily even have a small cameo appearance in the film!

The school became the subject of international news upon receiving accreditation and financial support from NYC. A furious controversy over public funding ignited a greater self-determination from the kids and a deeper commitment from the artists who them-selves know what it's like to be outside the mainstream. All proceeds from the album went to the school.

Here's a little preview...

Matt & Kim teach everyone a lesson!

Indie duo Matt & Kim have created quite a stir with their ballsy new video "Lessons Learned". The album was mastered right here at The Lodge by Engineer Joe LaPorta...

There's not much more to add really! Watch it!

The Stills win BIG at the Junos!

If you haven't heard of The Juno Awards, it's Canada's equivalent to The Grammys. And if you haven't heard of The Stills...well then, where have you been?

The Stills (Arts & Crafts) are an incredible indie rock band from Montreal that have made quite an impact last year with their epic album "Oceans Will Rise". The album was mastered right here at The Lodge by engineers Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta. This is The Stills' second album mastered at The Lodge.

Last night, The Stills won 2 Juno awards in the categories for "Best New Group of The Year" and "Best Alternative Album of the Year" for their album "Oceans Will Rise". The group also performed their hit song "Being Here" at the awards. Check it out!

La Strada Album Release

La Strada will be releasing their EP (mastered here at The Lodge by Joe LaPorta) tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Other performances include the amazing Frances, who also mastered their album in 2007 with LaPorta.

You don't want to miss this! In the meantime, check out this wonderful backyard performance by LaStrada

Elizabeth & The Catapult!

Think Roald Dahl meets Jon Brion meets Aimee Mann meets Debussy and you've got yourself the awesomeness that is Elizabeth & The Catapult.
Comprised of 3 former Berkley students: Elizabeth Ziman (Keys & Vocals), Danny Molad (Drums) and Peter Lalish (Guitar) met at a crazed college party one night and the rest was music history. Elizabeth & The Catapult are pure indie music goodness with a knack for writing wickedly charming pop gems like "Momma's Boy" and "Taller Children".

The band was busy at The Lodge mastering their new album "Taller Children" (Verve Music Records) with Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar, and Assistant Joe LaPorta.
And while Ziman was not there due to a terrible case of the cold, she was definitely there in spirit!

Here's a great acoustic performance/interview with Billboard

Jason Bajada's Debut Mastered At The Lodge

Montreal singer/songwriter Jason Bajada is set to release his major label debut "Loveshit" on February 10 via MapleMusic/Universal Records.

Produced by Les Troublemakers and mastered at The Lodge by Emily Lazar & Joe Laporta, "Loveshit" is an remarkably introspective and honest album, Bajada draws listeners in with his heartfelt tales of love-gone-bad and sweet, jangling acoustic pop ambience. Be sure to check it out in stores near you!

New Year, New Bands!

Engineers Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta have mastered a bevy of seriously talented indie artists over the past few months. If they're not already on your radar, they will be very soon. Here's a nice little roundup:

Faded Paper Figures are a small indie band out of Irvine, CA with a huge sound and the catchiest melodies you will lay your ears on. Think Postal Service but with pop-ier sensibilities. They've recently released their debut album "Dynamo", and you can check out some of those tracks on their myspace

Champollion are a ridiculously talented band shepherded by the guys behind the live show "Juan's Basement" on Pitchfork.tv. They haven't released their album yet, but you can catch their other band Previously On Lost..the world's first recap TV show- providing a weekly musical review of the TV show, LOST!

Jason Bajada is Montreal's newest export, making lush sad songs that will break your heart. Hot on the heels of the Martha Wainwright tour (who also mastered her first album right here at The Lodge), Bajada is destined to greatness. His new album "Loveshit" will be released on February 10th, but in the meantime you can check out the video for his first single "Ten Days in Miami"


Jason Bajada - Ten Days In Miami from Trampoline Sparks on Vimeo.


La Strada are a Brooklyn troup making music that takes you back to a Parisian street cafe in the 1930's- accordians, cellos, violins and drums galore! Named after a Fellini movie, their live shows will not disappoint. They just got signed to indie Brooklyn label Ernest Jenning Record Co. and are keeping company with the likes of The Hollies, Nouvellas, Takka Takka (who also mastered their album at The Lodge) and O'Death.

And speaking of Takka Takka, this Brooklyn based band has received quite a bit of media including the attention of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who invited them on their high profile tour in 2006. Check out their incredible video for the track "Silence"




The Sour Notes are a sweet indie band from Austin, TX that make really great pop songs. They've mastered 2 EP's with Engineer Joe LaPorta and will become your favorite new band once you check them out. Here's a video for their first single off their second EP "Received in Bitterness".

'Is It Happening?'

Matt & Kim release new album!

Popular punk/rock duo are back with a new album titled "Grand"; this is a must have for anyone that likes dance-y, infectious, foot stomping tunes. The album was just released today and was mastered right here at The Lodge, by Joe LaPorta.

You can download 5 free songs off the album if you visit their website. Enjoy!

Sylvia Tosun visits The Lodge

International pop singer/songwriter and dance phenom Sylvia Tosun, was recently at The Lodge mastering her new single "5 Reasons" with engineer Joe LaPorta.

Hot on the heels of her chart topping track "Underlying Feeling" which reached #6 on Bilboard dance charts. Sylvia returns with a new single "5 Reasons" which we think is going to be BIG. You can listen to the track on her myspace

Pictured from left to right: (Producer Anton Bass, Mastering Engineer Joe LaPorta & Sylvia Tosun)

The Lodge teams up with The Deli Magazine...

If you're a musician and haven't heard about The Deli Magazine, then you've been living under a rock for too long. And if you love indie music and enjoying fishing for untapped bands to show off to your friends, The Deli is YOUR resource. They also span across 6 different cities covering New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Nashville, LA, Philadelphia and Burlington (VT).

At the end of each year they bring out the voting cards and ask people to vote for their favorite band in each city. The winning bands are determined by a combination of select music industry jury and the vote tally.
This year, The Lodge has teamed up with The Deli Magazine and is offering the winning bands in NY, Nashville, San Francisco & Chicago 2 FREE mastered tracks!! The winner of each region will also grace the cover of the Spring issue of The Deli.

Even though the poll is now officially closed you can click H E R E to follow the final results..

White Denim are big shakers...

Hailing from Austin, TX, White Denim (RCRD LBL/Full Time Hobby) are an unstoppable 3 piece band that really knows how to rock! They are known for infusing a raw mix of blues, soul, alternative rock and punk with a garage approach.

After releasing their album "Exposion", mastered at The Lodge by Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta in early 2008, the band received massive praise from online music magazines such as Pitchfork Media and were also featured in Rolling Stone magazine's "Breaking Artist" in 2008.

Check out the video for the single "Shake Shake Shake"




They also have a great Daytrotter session which you can listen to H E R E