November 2017 Update

Hello all, it’s been a while. I’ve been very busy lately. After this summer’s symphonic mountain theatre extravaganza (Romeo & Juliet facing the Matterhorn) it was back to the old drawing board, chipping away on new stuff and finally completing the studio I have been building with my good friend Tom Etter. We’re up and running now, recording and playing as I write this.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to spend two weeks at Powerplay Recording Studios with Moes Anthill, recording their fourth album “Quitter”. I sat in the producer’s chair with Mario Baumann handling sound engineer duties. This young band centers around Moe Schelbert’s songs. I honestly don’t know how to describe this music. There’s americana in there – you know, banjos, fine acoustic guitar picking etc. but also catchy pop stuff, good lyrics and some elements commonly described as “alternative”. All I know is I like these songs and these people, they’re a fine bunch of musicians. I am currently recording pedal steel, dobro and baritone guitar overdubs. Mixing is scheduled for winter/spring. Look for a release somewhere in late summer 2018.

As for my own stuff, I’ve been doing something I haven’t done for a while: demoing new songs and in the process getting deeply lost in my new instrument of choice, the pedal steel guitar. The plan is to record a new album with this material in the coming months. I am also really excited about forming a new band with my fellow musicians Simon Baumann, Tom Etter and Michael Flury. This is going to be a band, not me and really good musicians playing my songs. After playing as a trio and then as a quartet it has become clear that this group of musicians has its own sound. So we’re about to form a real band where everybody brings music to the studio floor to be recorded and then we’ll go out and perform it for you. Can’t wait!

In the meantime, here’s a peek into the workshop. See you soon, best, Hank

hank shizzoe telecaster studio magnatone
My revived, beloved 60s Fender Telecaster, now with Tom Petty tribute emblem along with the current two amplifiers of choice: A brand new Magnatone Panoramic Stereo (2×12 watts of pure bliss PLUS spacey varistor vibrato) and a Fat Bastard Custom amp made by Carlo Milan at Gitarren Total, one of Europe’s leading guitar stores. It is equipped with a Weber 15 inch speaker and a harmonic vibrato and at the moment the choice amp for pedal steel. On the newly reduced pedalboard we find an Archer, two Strymon delays (El Capistan for tape-style echoes and Deco for slapback) plus the trusted Ernie Ball volume pedal and the switch for the Mag.
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