Anatomy of a Mix: John Agnello on Mixing “3 Shots” by Hollis Brown

John Agnello. Photo by Andrew Kesin.

Legendary indie rock producer John Agnello looks back on mixing 3 Shots, a recently-released album by Brooklyn-based indie Americana band, Hollis Brown.

Agnello is probably best known for his work with artists like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Trees, Buffalo Tom, Nada Surf, The Breeders and Kurt Vile. Hollis Brown play August 18th at Pier 97, opening for Counting Crows.

I first met Mike Montali, singer of Hollis Brown, at a club called Cameo on North 6^th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This was about 6 years ago. We talked a bunch that night and he sent me some of his music.

I remember being enthralled by his vocals. Montali has an amazing range, tone and delivery, and it really made an impression on me. Enough so that a couple of years later, I recommended him to sing on a session for a friend of mine.

Fast forward two more years…….

When it was time to discuss mixing his latest record with his own band, Hollis Brown, we met on a stoop in Williamsburg to talk over beers. Jon Bonilla, the lead guitarist, was also there. They ate their burritos on the stoop, and then we sat at Spike Hill and talked about their record and what we could do together.

Fluxivity’s Neve 8048, ATC mains and custom acoustics

When we met at Fluxivity Recording in early November of 2014, I had been mixing there so much that I was really feeling “locked in” to the room. Their ATC monitors still feel super-clear to me and I have never had any trouble sizing up low end there.

When I roll into different rooms, I usually play a reference song to get my head around the room. The choice song for the last 20 years has been, “Get Me” from the Dinosaur Jr. record, Where You Been.

For me, it’s the equivalent to ginger between pieces of sushi. That song clears the palate of my ears between different studio environments. It’s not even that I think that songs sounds sonically perfect. It’s just an open-sounding song and I’m super familiar with the relationship between lows and highs on it.

Setting up in Fluxivity is really easy. I bring in my purple racks of gear to supplement owner Nat Priest’s incredible collection. His Neve 80 series custom console is a thing of beauty. It sounds wonderful, and unlike some older consoles, works like a dream. It helps that Nat is meticulous about upkeep. You would notice a single spec of dust on that baby. You could eat off of it. Much to Nat’s chagrin.

Between his Fairchilds, Pultecs, compressors, console EQs and EMT Plate and my Dakings, API equalizers, ADR Compexes, LA 2A’s and all my guitar pedals, it’s always fun mixing experience. Moving fader automation makes the process much more enjoyable and somewhat performance-oriented.

The first thing I noticed about this particular recording, Hollis Brown’s 3 Shots, was how well done it was when I got it. Don Dilego, who produced and recorded most of it, did an amazing job of getting sounds, performances and arrangements. That always makes my job easier. For me, mixing is mixing, but it certainly is a pleasure when you sit down and can focus on “mixing” a record as opposed to “fixing” a recording.

A perfect example is the song, “John Wayne”. It starts with a mellow acoustic and vocal, a ballad-style ode to the old days, and then out of nowhere goes full-on Crazy Horse. That was a fun one to mix.

Using different treatments on different sections of Montali’s vocal turned out to be a neat trick: Spring reverb on the mellow bits and tape delay on the heavy bits. He really shows his mettle on that one: Sugary sweet on the verse and chorus and then shredding on the rock section. You can’t learn that shit. (But you can learn to bring out the best in these contrasts even further by trying different mixing approaches on different parts of the arrangement.)

That song also shows another strength of the band, which is their approach to the rock guitar. They use dynamics throughout the record, but this song in particular serves as a microcosm for that approach. Pure acoustic guitar tones explode into violent, melodic electric guitars. And what I love most about it is that they got those sounds at the acoustic and at the amp, respectively.

I’ve been spoiled, working with J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr for over 20 years, who is the definition of “amazing” at getting great tone from his fingers through the amp. I could mic his amps with a cucumber and it would sound great. (In 15 years when everyone is using cucumbers on guitar amps, remember who thought of it first. This guy.)

Hollis Brown

Another one of my favorites is the album opener, “Cathedral”. It’s a veritable hook-fest with a great lyric and a great build throughout. To compliment the build in the arrangement, the mix builds accordingly in volume and FX, until the breakdown, which sucks the whole song back down to total sonic dryness. When I first heard that song, I was hooked all right.

In one of the most interesting approaches to songwriting on the album, “Rain Dance”, is built around a Bo Diddley guitar riff, and it was a trip to mix.

After a friendly chance meeting with the manager of Bo Diddley’s estate, Hollis Brown got their hands on some “mystery tapes” from the private vaults of Bo Diddley’s home. On those tapes, they found a solo guitar track played by Bo Diddley, that was taken direct—no amp or bleed at all. This allowed them to play along with Bo Diddley for a posthumous collaboration, using his raw direct guitar tracks like a metronome and guide track for a totally new song.

They did a great job building a song around this 4:00 isolated guitar riff from one of the legends of early rock n’ roll guitar. The trick was to make it sound less direct but keep it honest to the style Bo Diddley. Various gain stages, compressors and EQs, plus the occasional SansAmp did the trick.

When people asked me what I had worked on recently, I loved the look on their faces when I got to say, “Ummm, Motion City Soundtrack, Idlewild and Bo Diddley.” Priceless.

Possibly, the greatest thing about the mixing session was hanging with the band. Considering that we tackled a lot of work in a short span, it was great having them around for positive feedback. They are a good vibe crew. One of the things I love most about making records is making records with good people, and they are solid. They knew what they wanted and knew what the liked and they let me do my thing. A great hang, a great session and a great record. I’m glad to have played my part.

John Agnello is a producer/engineer who has worked with Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Trees, Buffalo Tom, Nada Surf, The Breeders and Kurt Vile. Hollis Brown is a Brooklyn-based band that has just released their third full-length 3 Shots. They play tomorrow night, August 18th at Pier 97, opening for Counting Crows.

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