Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta Master Boy & Bear's Debut "Moonfire"

 

Crooning Aussie folk band Boy & Bear are on their way to the top with the recent release of their debut, "Moonfire," via Universal Republic/Island Records Australia. The lush 11-song album was mastered by Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta.

Boy & Bear have come a long way since lead singer Dave Hosking started the group just over two years ago. Their debut EP, "With Emperor Antarctica," released in 2010, reached #63 on Australian ARIA charts, led to a series of performances supporting Mumford & Sons during their Australian tour and even caught the attention of their current labels Universal Republic/ Island Records Australia.  Fast forward past hundreds of shows and months of relentless songwriting/recording in Nashville with producer Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, My Morning Jacket, Minus the Bear) and the band is now celebrating the release of a stunning debut LP! 

Peaking at #2 on iTunes Australia and #2 on the ARIA Top 50 Albums chart, Boy & Bear's "Moonfire" is taking them places, fast. If you missed them on their recent US tour, keep an eye out because their three-part harmonies & jangling guitars will surely be coming this way again soon!

Watch the video for the band's leading single, "Feeding Line," as well as "A Short Documentary On Boy & Bear" below for some behind-the-scenes footage and insightful commentary on the band's creative process and inspirations behind "Moonfire." 

Joe LaPorta Masters New Converse Single With Matt & Kim, Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.

A party anthem just in time for the end of summer, "I'm A Goner," is a brand new collaborative single by Matt & Kim, Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K. released exclusively through Converse! Both Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino stopped by to master the song with Joe LaPorta who has also mastered their last two full length albums "Grand" and "Sidewalks." 

Download the track for FREE, check out the gruesome music video for "I'm A Goner" (starring a room full of corpses dancing like there's no tomorrow- huh? exactly.) and a watch a brief behind-the-scenes clip of the recording at Converse's free studio 'Rubber Tracks,' all right here! 

Want more free singles? Click here to listen & download last year's Converse single, "All Summer," by Best Coast, Kid Cudi and Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij- mastered at The Lodge by Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta

Mirror Mirror Master "Interiors" with Joe LaPorta

Brooklyn synth pop group Mirror Mirror have just released their sophomore LP, "Interiors," today via RVNG INTL.! Masterminds David Riley and Ryan Lucero both stopped by The Lodge to master the album with Joe LaPorta.

Reeling in layers of analog synths, brooding vocals and lyrics about "deals in themes of secret societies, escapist fantasies and psychological extremes," (RVNG INTL.), "Interiors" is a perfectly appropriate second step in the psychedelic excursion Mirror Mirror embarked on with their 2009 debut "The Society of the Advancement of Inflammatory Consciousness." Recorded in two parts, half of the record was produced by frequent Lodge client Chris Coady (Cold Cave, Smith Westerns, Beach House) and is centered around the duo's trademark entrancing electronic beats. The equally moody and expansive second half features production by Thomas Asenault and Zeljko McMullen as well as the pulsating live drumming of Joshua da Costa (Dinowalrus, Regal Degal).

Stream the album in all it's glory on Fact Mag's site here, download the eponymous lead single on Stereogum here and watch its video featuring Rumi Missabu of '60s San Franciscan drag queen troupe The Cockettes on Fader's website here.

Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta Go "Deeper Into Dream" with Ben Lee

Accomplished singer-songwriter Ben Lee has announced an October 11th release date for his eighth studio album "Deeper Into Dream" (Dangerbird Records). Lee stopped by The Lodge to master the record with Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta. 

One of the most personal releases over Lee's 20 year career, "Deeper Into Dream" consists of 10 songs and 3 conversational interludes-- all recorded at his home studio in Laurel Canyon and inspired by three years of studying dream work.  In his own words, “This album is about dreams, and like a dream, it bubbled up mysteriously from my unconscious. I’m listening to it wondering what it is, and why it came, what it has to tell me.” Intrigued much? Download the first single, "Get Used To It," straight from his website here!

Joe LaPorta Masters Ronnie Spector's Cover of Amy Winehouse

When the troubled, Grammy-award winning soul singer Amy Winehouse passed away recently, she left millions of fans and admirers around the world in dismay- including pop diva Ronnie Spector, of the definitive '60s girl group The Ronettes.

Spector, who was a major influence on Winehouse's career (right down to the beehive hair!), just released a cover of the young starlet's breakthrough hit "Back to Black." The track, which Spector has performed regularly since the eponymous album came out in 2007, was mastered by Joe LaPorta and  recorded with legendary producer/frequent Lodge client Richard Gotteher (Dum Dum Girls, Blondie).

Listen to Spector's cover and read what she had to say about Amy Winehouse's life and music on Rolling Stone's website here or purchase it on iTunes where proceeds of the sales will be donated to Daytop Village Rehabilitation Centers.

Ronnie Spector performing "Back to Black" live at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill last December: