21/04/2023
Well, it’s been a strange couple of years hasn’t it. It seems like a bit of normality is starting to come back, and that includes here at Rooks Yard. Plenty of projects on the go at the moment. Leavin’ Trunk are nearing the end of mixing their album, Three Rivers Down are tracking vocals for their EP, Helen Watson has been demoing ideas for a future release and IC7 are in soon to finish off a handful of tracks. Oh, and The Rooks are heading to the studio in a couple of weeks to track drums ahead of starting production of their next release. Phew!
01/12/2021
Christmas is just around the corner so time to finish a couple of projects before we take a brief festive break.
The soon to be released Automatic Slim album ‘Down By The Waterside’ has been mastered ready for pressing, The Flying Hornets rehearsal recording is being mixed ahead of a video shoot and a beautiful ballad by George and his son Tony has just finished production.
Keep an eye out for blues masters Leavin’ Trunk playing around the Essex area over the next few months, as busy as they are they’re still going to find the time to visit Rooks Yard to record a few tracks.
10/04/2021
The brand new album from Suzi Quatro is out now! ‘The Devil In Me’ is Suzi at her very best, a cracking collection of songs that showcase that stunning rock ‘n’ roll voice and her thumping bass playing.
The album is co-produced by Richard Tuckey who said ‘Rooks Yard is a very friendly and comfortable place to work and create. Tim and Pete have a wealth of experience that they are happy to share. Overall great vibe and fun place to be’.
And from Suzi herself, ‘I loved working at Rooks Yard. In very difficult circumstances, we were able to come together and create magic, while distancing…hey hey! That is real magic!’.
Not only was much of the production undertaken at Rooks Yard but Tim also features on three of the tracks blowing some serious harp!
‘The Devil In Me’ is available from all major outlets.
20/03/2021
We’re thrilled to be able to give you the news that Suzi Quatro’s latest album ‘The Devil In Me’ is about to be released. Rooks Yard was the studio of choice for Suzi to record all vocals, backing vocals, percussion and various guitar parts.
10/02/2021
Lots has been going on at Rooks Yard, albeit in a locked down sort of way. Trev Turley has released his musical biography ‘Cherish Ever’ to much acclaim. The album features thirteen tracks that encompass the various bands Trev has been a part of. He plays bass on every track and is joined by a wealth of talent that has resulted in a rather wonderful album. The album was offered as a very limited release and includes a detailed booklet that sets out the history behind each track.
10/11/2020
Well, what can we say. The last few months have been beyond anything that any of us could have predicted. Coronavirus and the subsequent lockdowns, one and two, have certainly provided everyone with many challenges, and the music industry has taken the full brunt. At Rooks Yard we’ve done everything in our power to make sure the studio is as safe and Covid compliant as we possibly can. And we’re proud that this has allowed us to continue operating through much of these troubled times.
A highlights for us has been the return of Trev Turley (bassist with The Mojo Preachers) working on an exciting project that traces his extensive musical career.
Add to that a month spent tracking vocals and various other instrumentation with the wonderful Suzi Quatro and you can see we’ve not been idle.
What next? We’ve got some interesting projects coming up, expect to see the Automatic Slim album appear in the not too distant future, another album from Terry Dungate and Ben Fisher from Indie band The Rooks laying down some acoustic material.
18/02/2020
Looking forward to The Veterans upcoming session, recording a track for a charitable foundation.
09/02/2020
The Mighty Bosscat’s latest release is heading to be mastered. Drums recorded by the fantastic Glen Bo here at Rooks Yard.
29/01/2020
We’re proud to have been a part of Martin McNeill’s wonderful album Cat Squirrel. Martin’s playing is deliciously smooth and with his silky vocals we reckon this is a collection of songs that are hard to beat. Not surprisingly this has resulted in Cat Squirrel being nominated in the Album of the Year category in the 2020 UK Blues Awards.
28/01/2020
Rooks Yard is proud to announce that the studio now endorses and carries a stock of the excellent Kurt Mangan guitar and bass strings – perfect for those moments in mid-session when you break a string and forgot to bring a spare! (Or is you fancy starting the session with a brand new set of premium strings on your favourite axe.)*
Kurt Mangan strings are a premium brand and are now used and endorsed by a growing number of top pro players in the USA and around the world, including some of our favourite guitar players.
If you require a particular gauge or string type, please advise us in advance.
For full details of the range, visit
https://www.curtmangan.com
26/01/2020
Great news from across the pond as Jose Ramirez and his band take to the stage representing Washington DC in the International Blues Challenge. After the success of his UK Sessions EP, recorded at Rooks Yard last year in a brief break from his European tour, Jose is set to release his first full album shortly,
Good luck Jose!!
24/01/2020
New in the studio, 2016 National Duolian biscuit resonator with Highlander pickup system.
18/01/2020
Fun session with Among The Willows today, it makes such a difference when a band has put obvious effort into pre-production. The songs really flowed, a couple of the final tracks were single take with just vocal overdubs.
19/12/2019
It’s been a busy few weeks at Rooks Yard. The Mojo Preachers released Man Made Monster to great acclaim and have been feverishly gigging to promote it, with it also appearing high in the UK Blues album chart.
The legendary Automatic Slim are well into final overdubs and mixdown for their forthcoming album.
Terry Dungate has started work on his latest release.
