By Will McGuirk

Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo, the full Blue Rodeo band, Ronnie Hawkins, Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, and Neil Young!

What do they all have in common, yes, that, but also this; they all have worked with James McKenty.

The Peterborough ON., based audio engineer and producer McKenty is behind Keelor’s latest release ‘Share The Love’ (out this week) and McKenty has been sharing his love of music, roots music in particular, with all and sundry, as a member of The Spades, and by way of his home studio In Record Time, and yes by way of working with the likes of Young, Lightfoot and the legend that is The Hawk.

But McKenty’s is not just sharing nights and bright lights with the stars. Among the highlights of artists he has worked with are Kate Boothman, Nick Ferrio, Billard Blossom, Dylan Ireland, Cuff The Duke, Silver Hearts, Miss Emily, and Michelle McAdorey, and many more, all who have a common link in the rolling hills and roiling lakes of those liminal lands some call cottage country and others just call home.

Some of you may know I work in a record shop. Last year McKenty had posted about a new enterprise for him, custom vinyl pressings. It caught my eye, much as McKenty’s own music has captured my ears over the years, so of course I had to know more so emails were exchanged.

Slowcity.ca: First can you give me a brief bio with a focus on your life in music ?

James McKenty: “I grew up in Perth Ontario. I was in grade nine when I discovered guitar and all I wanted to do was play. Following high school, I spent seven months at The Recording Arts Program of Canada in Hamilton getting my Audio engineering degree. I wasn’t really a singer (or a songwriter for that matter) until I moved to Peterborough in 2000. I viewed the city as a fresh start and spent a lot of time working on writing and developing as an artist. In 2002, I released my first solo album. (Restless Soul) In 2004, I started a band (The Spades). A three piece that toured for 10 years. The Spades brought many great opportunities and landed us a few iconic gigs at places like playing Massey Hall or our opening slots with The Tragically Hip.

SC: Peterborough has such a great scene, whats are your thoughts on why that would be so?

JMK: “Peterborough has a pretty inspiring arts community. When I moved to town, there were countless scenes and venues. The Only Cafe comes to mind. A long, narrow bar which feels like a museum to rock and roll. The walls are lined with hundreds of vintage posters and photographs of all the greats. The Montreal House was another fantastic scene. In the beginning, there was no stage and the bands had to rent a PA next door at Bud’s music and run it themselves.

“Aside from the downtown venues, I’ve always felt that the University and College we have here bring in new artists every year and if we’re lucky, some decide to stay. It’s also perfectly situated between Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto if you aspire to tour.”

SC: Why have you decided to set up shop in Peterborough, did you get any support from the area’s economic development offices?

JMK: “A series of events and opportunities have seemed to come to me here. I have been a part of several studios that came and went but what I have now has really been the most fruitful. I’m a family man! The studio is now right beside the house. I walk out the back door, open the studio door, and I’m at work. Once you have a family, and the grandparents are close by, and your child goes to school, a town like this becomes part of the fabric of your life. The support here is amazing.

“After drawing up the plans for the studio, I had a tough time getting a bank loan. This is probably quite common for artists and entrepreneurs. Luckily, Community Futures (small business support and development) in Peterborough stepped in and I got a loan of $10,000 which helped me complete what I had started building. I am VERY grateful to Community Futures for that.”

SC: You are involved now in studio production and actual vinyl production, tell me first about your studio and what you think you and it brings to producing?

JMK: “I record all kinds of different music but the Roots, Folk, Country, Rock and roll variety are what I seem to be doing the most. Many of those artists aspire to the albums we all love and a lot of those classic albums are of a time and a place. Songs are ready, the band is ready and they go in and do it right then and there … It’s the opposite of saying “ok, we will record the drums first, then the bass, then the guitars” etc… The goal is to be transported by the music as it’s happening, not looking at a computer screen wondering how it might sound LATER?!?

“I believe this approach has brought me some work. Each approach has it’s challenges but I’ve spent a lot of time focusing and practicing on how to get a live performance to “sound like a record”. I often think “Why dissect a good band and separate them from playing together?” If each musician plays in headphones with the rest of the band watching them they can feel isolated (which is what they are) it can also lead to people self analyzing and asking themselves “am I good enough?”. Blue Rodeo’s ‘Five days in July’ and the Tragically Hip’s ‘Road Apples’ are my favorites from those bands and those are essentially live albums. Band does their thing, producer and engineer do their thing and that’s it.

“The room is also an instrument, too. So you want a set up where the artists feel comfortable, and they can hang, eat dinner together and all those human connections can happen. Recording really is just taking a picture of sound and if the recording puts you somewhere else, inside someone else’s life and what was going on I think that’s the ultimate goal.”

SC: "You have been working with both Greg Keelor, and Neil Young - thats something I’m sure had you smiling the whole time, how did working with Neil Young come about?

JMK: “Well, after the band stopped touring, I knew I would focus on engineering and producing but I have to admit, I was nervous about the future. Soon after that and much to my surprise, Greg Keelor called. That phone call led us to countless recording sessions and albums, and he became a great friend and mentor. I’ve thanked my lucky stars for that phone call many times.

“This past year, during Covid, I had what can only be described as a strange occurrence. On my birthday, which was also a full harvest moon, I got a call from Neil Young. I had recorded a song for his brother Bob with a band made up of very talented musicians and friends. Travis Good and Mike Belitzski from The Sadies, as well as Ryan Weber and Melissa Payne. We recorded it in a hall in Gores Landing. Now on the very off chance that Neil might get involved, I had recorded the song at a very high resolution, 24bit 196khz. This is tech talk, but Neil is obsessed with High Res digital audio. In fact when he called, I was staring at his recent book “Feel the Music: A Songwriter's Mission to Save High-Quality Audio” which I had gotten that day….for my birthday. My wife said “what do you want to do for your birthday?” and I jokingly had said, “I want to talk to Neil.”

“Haha. Like I said, super strange day… Anyway, Neil’s first question was “at what resolution did you record this?”. When I told him his response was “Good man, thank you very much for that” so that took a little of the nervous edge off. He wanted to record some harmonica and vocals on the song. We headed back to the hall in Gores Landing. Melissa, Travis, myself, Darryl Hannah and Bob were there and Neil just walked in and did his thing. It was very exciting. I figured he wouldn’t want to wear headphones so I pumped the song through a PA as if it was a live show and Neil stood right in front of the speakers and played his Harmonica and sang. We had to follow Covid protocols but everyone was joyous to be working. Neil was upbeat, we had some laughs and at one point he exclaimed “I can’t believe we are doing this! We are actually here recording”. He’s been a huge inspiration. That day had me grinning for a while.”

SC: I am interested too of course in the vinyl production; whats the story behind that - you can do single pieces which has me planning all kinds of projects but what are you normally offering and how does one go about getting vinyls from you?

JMK: “The Vinyl thing is really an offshoot of my wife and I having got an vintage Airstream Trailer that is being converted into a mobile recording studio. It’s very close to done. It’s a bit of a dream, a real Alan Lomax approach to wanting to capture artists in halls and venues but also on front porches, or around a campfire or really anywhere music CAN happen. It has multiple uses, like also being a pretty fancy backstage green room/lounge for artists, or an interview space… and of course we can record and film small ensembles inside as well.

“My wife Kellie came up with a great name for it. “In Record Time Studio.” I’ve been sharing the progress of it being retrofitted on an instagram page called inrecordtimestudio.

James and Kellie McKenty, In Time Recording Studio (JMK Facebook)

“One day I was surfing the net and saw a guy was selling a 1940’s portable record lathe. I just about lost my mind. I said “we have to have this!!” Around Christmas I posted online that I could make some records for people. I was not prepared for the response. I was making the jackets by hand on the floor in my studio. The records in real time took about 40min to an hour for each one. I’ve since gotten pre-cut jackets, stickers and new black and clear Vinyl blanks. 7”, 10”,and 12” are available. I tell people this is OLD technology, and it’s mono, and it’s scrappy… but it’s a lot of fun. They sound good, but they don’t sound like a modern record from a manufacturing plant.

“My favourite one so far was a picture disc for a woman with an ultrasound picture as the record and her babies heartbeat as the audio. She had it made for her husband. So far it’s just been generic recycled cardboard sleeves, but if anyone out there can produce full art for jackets one at a time or small batches hit me up!! If someone is interested in getting vinyl made the best way to reach me is by email info@jamesmckenty.com .

SC: How is your own music, still creating, still playing?

JMK: “I get to be creative in some way almost everyday. I play on other peoples albums often and get called into action for live shows sometimes too. My focus on sound helps me with audio engineering but I’m not entirely sure it helps me complete my own solo projects ha ha. I’d like to get together with some musician friends and re-record some of the tunes I have stored away or have already recorded by myself. Do what I have been describing, make an album that is of a time and place.

“I also get to play with Kellie at home here who is a really great singer. Many people keep asking her to record her stuff… if only she had a studio and an audio engineer around ha ha. Kidding aside, hopefully we get down to doing that soon too.”

SC: What have been the challenges Covid-19 has presented and how have you overcome them? I

JMK: “I feel for all my artist friends and especially those I know who make their living by playing live shows. What a blow this Covid has been for people in the arts. I spent a lot of time at first futzing around in my studio by myself. Eventually what started out feeling like a little vacation became a full on reality check. I began to think “what am I doing? I can’t have people over to my studio…. but why can’t I do what I always have done and go mobile?”.

“I realized I was waiting for something to change, but nothing was changing and I hadn’t adapted to reality. My studio was too small and people need to go inside my house for dinner etc… I searched for a hall in the area that I could record in.

“The little hall in Gores Landing, which is a library on Tuesday’s for a few hours, has been a blessing. I look back now and realize all I did there was place down one domino chip, and that added up to so much more. Recording Neil, doing a live off the floor album for Greg Keelor as well as an album for The Weber Brothers. A real gift. As I write this Greg’s new solo album “Share the love” is coming out today! I’m trying to dream big these days, as Ronnie Hawkins once said to me “you might as well it costs the same”.

“Oh and hey Will, I just acquired Greg Keelors old AMpex MM1200 reel to reel and It has Three recording heads 8track, 16track and 24 track. 5 days in July was recorded on it as well as Stevie Ray Vaughn live at The El Mocambo. Before that it came from Sunset Sound Studio so who knows who else has recorded on it. All I know is I want to come out of these Covid times with new ventures, excited about life, adventure and of course music.”